Hands up if you’re a fan of Lindt Lindor chocolates?

Thought so…that’d be most of you then, right.

I’ve tried most of the varieties over the years; original, caramel, dark chocolate, coconut and now the limited edition stracciatella truffles.

Or, if like me you don’t really know what that translates to, it’s essentially cookies and cream. Right up my street!

I was ever so kindly sent a box of these to sample and believe me, it was a hard task not digging in right away! I managed somehow to save them until Ben was over the other night and between us we gave them a thorough taste test and our expert opinion.

These are seriously decadent little balls of goodness. More cream than cookie with a chocolate biscuit studded white chocolate exterior with a smooth and creamy white chocolate praline filling that is in one word, heavenly. 

Oddly I didn’t find these overly sweet which is a good thing really as I wanted to eat as many as possible before Ben grabbed the lot!

Included in the parcel was two tiny lindt gold bears, you know, those adorable little creatures that pop up this time every year along with all the other festive offerings.

But did you know that 10% of all profits on these teeny tiny 10g bears goes to Children in Need? What a perfect excuse to treat yourself.

Ben demanded I show you the after shot of un-wrapping a bear…

Needless to say we approved of these too! Nobody does chocolate quite like Lindt. I’m a forever fan and will be enjoying what I saved of the Lindor balls later on tonight as a treat for surviving another manic week (any excuse, any excuse!)

Are you a Lindt fan? What’s your favourite variety?

xxx

I’ve mentioned my friends at Monster Sweets on the blog before now and here I am singing their praises once again.

Since I last posted I’ve been lucky enough to try several more products from the site, including some I was sent for review purposes. This does not however affect what I’m about to write below- Monster Sweets just supply the goods, not make them!

I’ve tried these several times in the past- in fact I am quite obsessed with them so was delighted when a pack turned up at my door. I wish the UK carried more varieties of M&Ms as there are so many more out there, most of which I have tried! These will forever have a special spot in my heart though, traditional M&M chocolate and crispy shell filled with smooth, creamy and slightly salty peanut butter. As long as you’re not allergic to nuts you’re on to a winner with these. Trust me. 

This was a product I’d up until now looked at from afar but was yet to try. Partly because I’m a creature of habit when it comes to chocolate and partly because it contains whole nuts which make my throat itch. However in the name of blogging and curiosity I decided to ignore that minor detail and dive in. I almost wish I hadn’t, this was SO good. Seriously, I could eat another right now for breakfast. A winning combination of caramel, peanut, almond nougat and white fudge this was an absolute party in my mouth. It’s a shame I have a mild intolerance as the discomfort means I can’t eat these as often as I’d like. It was worth every second of itching though. 

A dark chocolate version of a Mars bar, essentially. With the name of a UK childhood favourite. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this but the dark chocolate combined with the white nougat and smooth caramel didn’t leave me dissapointed. The dark chocolate made this less sickly sweet than the version we know and love over here which gives it a winning edge for me. It’s also good for portion control if that’s a concern as the richness and taste sensation of the dark chocolate means you can’t eat as much in one sitting (in theory at least).

This is only part one of my Monster Sweets reviews as there was also a stash of Ritter Sport in the package. That’s been handed over to the boy though, as I thought it about time he made a contribution….that and he’s such a chocaholic that his opinion matters!

Whilst you wait for the next installment take a look at the Monster Sweets website and let me know what you’d like to try or what you’d like to see in up-coming reviews. I place orders regularly so it won’t be a chore, their prices and shipping costs are exceedingly reasonable which just fuels my spending!

You can keep up with all the new arrivals by liking the facebook page or following on twitter,

say hello too. I’ve never know such a friendly shop owner!

xxx

P.S. use discount code MONSWT-5% to claim 5% off your order. 

It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a proper foodie post on this here blog and I’m kicking things back off from now (you know, now I love food even more) with a review of a fantastic range of ready meals from Ilumi.

Ready meals tend to get a bit of a bad rap these days, slated for being unhealthy and laden with ingredients we can’t pronounce let alone digest properly. I try my best to limit my intake of them but I was curious and hungry to try this range when I saw them appear all over twitter and some of the blogs I read.

Ilumi cook up a range of gluten, milk and nut free foods and have been for nearly a decade in their County Durham kitchens. The meals are created and over-seen by a team of nutritionists to make sure everything is allergy friendly as well as utterly tasty.

I was sent a sample from across the ready meal range to try for myself. Apart from whole nuts I don’t really have an issue with any of the allergens these meals are free from but I can appreciate what a relief it must be for someone with a serious allergy to know there are some convenience meals they can safely eat.

As you can see the meals come in microwavable pouches and can be kept at room temperature which makes them perfect for work as well as home. There’s a clear (short) list of fresh, pronounceable ingredients as well as serving suggestions and nutritional breakdown (for the record, most are diet friendly although that’s not a current concern for myself)

My favourite meal was the Chicken Cacciatora which I served with warm bread and a salad. The meal takes a mere two minutes in the microwave and whilst not a huge portion was filling and very, very fresh tasting and full of flavour. 

The other meals were equally delicious, I had the soup one lunch time and the curries are versatile enough to make a quick, hot lunch on their own, or a decent evening meal served with some steamed rice (you can  purchase pouches from Ilumi for £1)

Ilumi also do a range of sauces, gravies and vegetarian meals at varying prices. Sauces start at £1.50 and a meal will set you back between £1.90-£3.75

they may not be the cheapest of options but for something so speedy and delicious I say you can’t go wrong as an occasional quick fix. I’ll be stocking up on a few more (making the most of the offers on the Ilumi website) for days when I’ve got in late from work and just can’t face cooking but still want something with nutritional value.

In short, I’m a huge fan of these meals and I love that they are safe for those with allergies too. One word of warning when cooking in the microwave though, the can sometime splatter!

Have you tried Ilumi yet? Do you think you will? I’m all for home cooking but sometimes a girl needs to be lazy. 

Want to know if Ilumi could work for you and your specific needs? There’s a handy FAQ section, too.

xxx

It’s a big year for Marks and Spencer favourite Percy Pig as he turns 21.

To help aid the celebrations Marks and Spencer have released three new varieties of everyone’s favourite gummy animal; Percy in a Twist, Percy and Penny and Percy’s Pig Pen.

Percy Pigs (any and all variety) are my favourite sweets ever, so I was delighted to be offered samples in the post; who could resist? 

(Vegetarians will be pleased to know they can enjoy Percy in a Twist as they are gelatine free, hurrah!)

True to form the sweets are damn good. My favourites were the Percy and Penny ones but the others were also tasty- I was amused that they are labelled as being “Percy Flavoured”.

It’s not just sweets you can buy either, check out your local Marks and Spencer for all manner of goods including biscuits, ice creams, yoghurts and kitchen roll…

Happy Birthday Percy!

Are you a fan?

xxx