where my wages are going- Monster Sweets

I think I’m going to start to regret the day I ever came across supplier of international foodstuffs Monster Sweets
Not only do they sell all my favourites (shown above) the prices and postage are so cheap I can’t resist placing yet another order.
I have got the boy addicted to the white/coconut ritter sport and myself well and truly hooked on all things Milka.
This isn’t a review post, or something I was asked to write, I just wanted to give a shout out to one of the friendliest small businesses I’ve found and spread the chocolate love around (so it doesn’t all end up in my house).
What are your overseas favourites? It has to be Milka for me!
xxx

Chiquito

Saturday evening after a hard afternoon browsing the shops saw Best Friend (Trudi) and I pay a visit to a nearby Chiquito restaurant thanks to a generously supplied voucher for the purpose of checking out their extensive menu. I’d never been before so really wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m not the best at dining out, I can find it quite stressful but from the moment we stepped foot inside the Cribbs Causeway restaurant I realised there was no need to feel anything other than relaxed. The staff who greeted us were incredibly friendly and promptly showed us to our table, presented us with menus and a bowl of popcorn (anywhere that serves popcorn is a winner by me, yum!)
We ordered drinks, Trudi, as the driver was pleased to see they had some exciting non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu too and opted for a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri which looked impressive next to my more reserved rum and coke!

We had a good old browse of the menu, bearing in mind the waiter’s helpful recommendations. In the end we narrowed it down and ordered. I went for one of the “sizzling specials” which was mango glazed cod served with fajita vegetables, corn on the cob and a choice of sides

Trudi ordered the BBQ Texan Chicken Melt which had me drooling from over the other side of the table!
We didn’t have to wait long for the food but I wouldn’t have minded if we did. The restaurant had a really relaxed and friendly vibe to it and it was noisy enough for there to be a buzz but not so much that you couldn’t chat. During the meal the waitress popped back to check on us once which was great- I hate it when you end up feeling ignored but also hate it when you are being disturbed every few seconds whilst trying to eat!

It would have been rude not to check out the dessert menu too, chocolate brownie and ice cream? Not very mexican but just look…
This may have been my first visit to Chiquito but it most certainly won’t be my last…there’s so much on the menu that I want to try and the place itself invites repeat custom. A big thank to them for providing us with the voucher for this post, all opinions are however mine (and Trudi’s) own and expect to see further meals from there pop up on instagram in the near future!
Are you a fan of Chiquito? What do I need to try next?

xxxx

Foodie Find: Fruyo

It’s pretty clear from the amount of times I’ve featured Total Greek Yoghurt on the blog in the past that I’m a big fan,
so when I heard rumours of a new product launch I was pretty excited to see what they had come up with now. I didn’t have long to wait, a few days later I had an e-mail from the lovely folks at Total asking if I’d like to sample some myself…the answer was of course, yes.
A bit about the product:
FAGE has launched a new exceptionally thick, protein-packed, FAT-FREE Greek yoghurt with REAL fruit pieces!
It’s time to say goodbye to sloppy, gloopy, artificial yoghurts and say hello to FRUYO!
We have launched a new gourmet natural yoghurt brand which will hit supermarket shelves from mid-March. FRUYO yoghurt comprises exceptionally thick, creamy fat-free Greek yoghurt, combined with refreshing real-fruit pieces.
Perfect for breakfast, as a snack or dessert, this conveniently sized on-the-go authentic Greek yoghurt, is available in four mouth-watering flavours – peach, vanilla, pineapple and cherry, with additional flavours planned for later in the year. 
Like TOTAL, FRUYO boasts a high protein content, containing over 13g of protein per 170g yoghurt – certainly a benefit which will appeal to foodies, slimmers and fitness enthusiasts alike.
It’s now time to challenge what you already know about fruit yoghurts. With its thick, creamy texture, FRUYO is unlike any other fruit yoghurt.  It contains no preservatives, colourings or artificial sweeteners and is likely to be a substantial upgrade from your usual fruit yoghurt!
FRUYO will be available in Waitrose stores from Monday 11th March and via Ocado later in the month, with further supermarkets lined up for later in the year. A 25% reduced price will be offered in Waitrose for four weeks, until April 2nd 2013, when it will then be priced at £1.10 per 170g pot.
Forgive the lack of photos. It’s also pretty clear by now that I am no food (or indeed just general) photographer and I never manage to make things look pretty and appetising on screen. These yoghurts are pretty amazing though,
the smooth and creamy yoghurt we’re used to (which I could eat straight up plain without complaint) combined with some of my favourite fruit flavours- Cherry, Peach, Pineapple as well as a Vanilla flavour that I didn’t recieve but will be hunting down shortly.
Pineapple was my all round favourite. I loved the tartness of the fruit against the smoothness of the yoghurt. I mainly ate these as a post-dinner dessert but come summer I think I’ll be mixing them with granola to make a change from my usual porridge and toast breakfast.
Have you tried these yet? What’s your favourite fruit to eat with yoghurt?
xxx    

CyberCandy: Happy Birthday Milka!

This fine looking specimen is my latest product to review from sweet enablers Cybercandy who sent me this special edition Milka bar in celebration of the brand’s 111th Birthday.
I’ve mentioned before my love of Milka chocolate, I don’t care how much 85% fine dark chocolate  offered up wave Milka’s creamy, sweet goodness under my nose and I’m a happy bunny. Perhaps growing up with Dutch family influences this- Holland, and all of Europe is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful flavours (if you get the chance, try the Milka with Tuc cracker for sweet and salty heaven). This bar was up to the usual standards of the brand, and the white chocolate cow was a nice touch. They probably could have gone a bit more overboard with the novelty factor but why fix what isn’t broke?
You can buy the bar, and many other exciting varieties here
Are you a fan of Milka? What’s the best bar you’ve tried?

xxx

Fashionable Food

Fashion East designer Maarten van der Horst teams up with TOTAL Greek
Yoghurt to create 100 lunch pots for Action for Children
TOTAL Greek Yoghurt and fashion designer Maarten van der Horst have
joined forces to create a limited edition run of 100 custom designed Black +
Blum lunch pots.

All proceeds from the sale of the pots go directly to TOTAL Greek Yoghurt’s
chosen charity, Action for Children.

Just 100 pots, designed by the fashion designer who single-handedly
brought about the Hawaiian shirt resurgence, will be on sale for £25 from
the Black + Blum website.

Maarten van der Horst was given a blank canvas to create the ultimate
lunch pot for today’s fashion-conscious woman on the go, taking inspiration
from the 100% natural Greek import.

The result was a partnership with Black + Blum and a return to vibrant,
colourful and playful collages that mixed his signature style with the fresh
and natural ingredients often enjoyed with a pot of TOTAL Greek Yoghurt.

Speaking of the design Maarten van der Horst said:
“When creating the design, I decided to return to the floral prints that have
become synonymous with my designs since the Hawaiian shirt featured in
my first collection. The fresh and colorful print for TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
and Action for Children features elements of my latest London Fashion
Week collection and signals a movement away from the monochrome looks
seen at my last show.”

The Maarten van der Horst for TOTAL Greek Yoghurt lunch pots are
designed to have an ingenious watertight locking seal, synonymous
with Black & Blum’s classic Lunch range. The two containers combine
to make one container, allowing users to separate their yoghurt and
accompaniment – be that fruit, granola or honey – without danger of
spillage.

Last month, the Dutch-born Central Saint Martins’ graduate and Fashion
East designer presented his SS13 collection with a anti-consumerism
theme. However, his work with TOTAL Greek Yoghurt has seem him return
to the florals he has become synonymous with over his first two Fashion
East collections, in order to create his first-ever food packaging.

Alison White, PR and Social Media Manager at TOTAL Greek Yoghurt, said:
“Lunchtime has never been more hip. We are proud to be working
with one of the brightest stars in the fashion world to make enjoying
a tasty breakfast or snack of TOTAL Greek Yoghurt the thing to do at
London Fashion Week. Our yoghurt is authentic, high in protein, low in
fat and completely natural – perfect for London fashionistas on the go.
Consequently, we hope that Martin’s 100 lunch pot accessories become the
must-have item this spring!”

The 100 limited edition Maarten van der Horst for TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
Black + Blum pots cost £25 and are available exclusively from www.black-blum.com.

TOTAL Greek Yoghurt is available nationwide. www.totalgreekyoghurt.com

As a fan of TOTAL Greek Yoghurt I couldn’t resist sharing this fabulous collaboration. If it was payday already I’d totally (haa) be snapping one up!
How do you eat your Greek Yoghurt? My forever favourite is with granola…or sometimes I change it up and add peanut butter and raisins. Yum.