Disclaimer: we received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
With Halloween just around the corner, the shops are packed with an amazing assortment of spooky-themed goodies. In addition to the classic pumpkins, there’s a fantastic range of Halloween-inspired food and drinks which are perfect for Halloween parties. Our little witches and ghouls have been sampling some of these frightfully delicious treats, and the limited edition Halloween packs from Capri Sun have been a big hit this week. Each 200ml pouch showcases a fun, spooky character, and if you’re lucky enough to find a box that contains the golden ghost, you could win £1000!
RRP: £5 for 15, £3.25 for 8 available from all major UK grocery retailers including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
National Picnic Week is here and with warm and sunny weather forecast for the weekend it’s looking like it’s going to be perfect picnic weather.
Crisps are one of my staple picnic snacks, crunchy and packed full of flavour they are great to munch on whilst chatting with friends and are the perfect accompaniment to sandwiches, salads or even a bottle of beer! If you’re looking for an extra special crisp then you really need to try some of the hand cooked Artisan Olive Oil Company crisps – made in Italy they will add a real touch of luxury to any picnic basket.
The Fox Salt and Truffle Vintage Crisps are thickly cut and have a satisfying crunch which you bite them. I’ve never tried a truffle before so I can’t tell you how close the flavour is to a real truffle but the earthy flavour combined with the saltiness of the crisp works really well and you find yourself reaching for more!
The Fox Italian Vegetable Crisps are made from the finest root vegetables including beetroot, parsnip and carrot. Baked to perfection and lightly salted they are lovely and crispy and incredibly moreish! They’re a reasonable thickness and well-seasoned and the saltiness really enhances the flavour of the root vegetables.
With a RRP of £4.25 they are in the more pricey, premium crisps bracket however for a special treat they are certainly worth the extra money.
Hot Cross Bun Gourmet Popcorn, Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs and Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Joe & Seph’s are known for their gourmet popcorn, but as these Easter treats show, they are branching out into more yummy treats year round. We were sent some Joe &Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn in Hot Cross Bun flavour to try, and the team added the delicious Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs and Joe & Seph’s Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread. Can you tell it was an arduous week of testing this bunch?!
Starting with the Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs, we broke into the pretty egg-shaped packaging to find the treats inside. The packaging is in the form of an Easter egg which can be used as a decoration with a ribbon look at the top. They would make great grand prizes for Easter egg hunts on Easter Sunday! Inside there’s a packet of popcorn bites weighing 42 grams. Each Bite is half an Easter egg of chocolate with two pieces of salted caramel popcorn sitting inside. They make great bite-sized treats especially as the popcorn is part of the Joe &Seph’s gourmet range and one of their most popular flavours. Each popcorn piece is air popped and coated in salted caramel sauce and then placed in the milk chocolate cup to set, giving these delicious treats.
Next, we have their famous gourmet popcorn in Hot Cross Bun flavour. The popcorn is their usual air-popped (not fried) variety, which if you’ve ever tasted it before you’ll know it’s made in their London kitchens to the highest standard with no un-popped kernels or inedible pieces at the bottom! The flavouring on this variety is caramel with added sweet fruit and mixed spices flavours to replicate the hot cross bun which is so closely associated with Easter. The flavours really develop and give that tangy citrus aroma which you find in the best hot cross buns. It’s not too sweet though so you’ll find it easy to get carried away with this flavour! It’s also suitable for vegetarians, gluten free and has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
Lastly, we tried the Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread. This caramel spread is flavoured like a hot cross bun but it doesn’t mean that you have to spread it on one! This works perfectly on toast, or as part of a cake or even on scones if you’re not partial to the Easter treat. It’s made of natural ingredients but is very sweet, so probably something that you will want at weekends and not during the day. This would work perfectly on porridge though and the more you think about it, the more the possibilities of how you use it are endless. The sauce contains sultanas, zest peel and lots of spring spices to give a real Easter feel to it. It is very rich though, so I would test it out before giving it to small children!
Just when you think you have seen all the popcorn you possibly could from Joe & Seph’s, they bring out this delicious Easter range, complete with ingredients which will last long into the summer! We can’t wait to see what the coming months will bring…
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Welcome in the New Year with your new favourite snack – Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn! Made in artisan kitchens, Joe & Seph’s Popcorn uses the highest possible standard ingredients to bring you not just all your usual flavours but some of the more exotic ones as well!
We were sent a selection of favourite flavours to try – Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate Caramel, Coconut & Cacao and one of the Joe & Seph staples – their Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites. If you’ve never tried these before, then they’re a treat you’re missing out on. They are decadent milk chocolate cups containing one piece of Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn in Salted Caramel flavour. Each ‘bite’ melts in your mouth with the combined texture of chocolate and popcorn and the added kick of a little bit of salted caramel to give you a chocolate pick-me-up with a difference. These are probably my favourite snacks at Joe & Seph’s and I keep them in the fridge so that I can pop a few whenever I’m at the fridge! The chocolate is the scene stealer here, and the caramel popcorn is stunning dialogue to the best snack ever.
Coconut & Cacao is just as chocolatey but has that slight hint of coconut to it, which adds not just flavour but a bit if texture too. The popcorn is expertly air-popped and coated with this vegan caramel and added coconut and just a pinch of cacao. It has a taste combination that you don’t find anywhere else (but should) and reminds me of when you have both coconut and chocolate ice cream in the same bowl and it brings out the flavour in each.
Salted Caramel is the leader of the pack because everyone loves this taste combination that once used to turn up noses. The ‘salted’ element isn’t that strong but the smoothness of the caramel takes this flavoured air-popped popcorn into gourmet range. This is definitely a snack you can share with other people or even have as a dessert instead of puddings; it’s got a sweetness to it and a texture that’s really decadent and appeals to everyone. I reckon even children would eat this!
Lastly, we have the Double Chocolate Caramel. Yes it has caramel, but it also has DOUBLE CHOCOLATE which frankly is what you’re actually buying this for! The rich chocolate taste is what comes across most in this flavour, with the caramel giving the golden texture. They’re very more-ish, which makes them quite filling, plus they fulfil the chocolate hit you might be craving as a snack or after dinner.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Christmas is the time for over indulging, and if you’ve been following us this year with our Joe & Seph’s Popcorn features, then you’ll love what they have sent us to try from their Festive range. This week we had turn up;
Small Star Salted Caramel Gift Box Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Truffles Yule Log Flavoured Popcorn Festive Popcorn Slab
Quite the Christmas Collection!
Joe & Seph’s are known for their popcorn snacks, and these Christmas additions are no exception. We tried out all of them, but started with the Festive Popcorn Slab. This could be a stocking filler or a Secret Santa but is ideal for sharing as you break off pieces to devour, probably in front of the TV! At 115 grams it’s a good size for a family and includes salted caramel flavoured popcorn covered in milk and white chocolate. You can see the salted caramel on the popcorn and the chocolate drizzles are indulgent and smooth, just like Joe & Seph’s other premium chocolate products!
The Joe & Seph’s Yule Log flavoured gourmet popcorn combines their famous, high quality chocolate with cream cheese frosting to give the yule log flavour we are all familiar with. The coating is rich and chocolatey with a lovely sweetness to it. It’s great for sharing in the grab bag and as ever, Joe & Seph’s popcorn has no kernels left at the bottom to throw away nor does it have any misshapen pieces which nobody can eat!
Onto the Salted Caramel Truffles. The tube contains 100 grams of sweets (roughly 10 in all) which are soft salted caramel in the middle with Joe & Seph’s award winning chocolate coating. They’re like lava cakes, with their melting inners which you only discover when you bite into the shell. Or do you melt them in your mouth until you can taste the caramel? I don’t have the patience for that, so I just crunch them until the sweet caramel taste oozes through my teeth. The milk chocolate outer is sprinkled with cocoa powder to give it more decadence and now you have another Christmas treat to share.
Finally, we have my favourite of the bunch. Joe & Seph’s Salted Caramel Popcorn in a star gift box. With 32 grams of fun here, the gift box is brilliant for Secret Santa in the office or for adding to a stocking. The popcorn is their classic, award winning salted caramel flavour. Smooth caramel meets a pinch of salt with each popcorn bite and the resulting taste is music to the taste buds! These won’t last long though, so if you know you are going to be looking for more, try the bigger 105 gram size!
Popcorn lovers will adore the Joe & Seph’s range this Christmas, but even if you’re not a popcorn-fiend, you’ll find something in their Christmas collection you’ll enjoy: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/christmas
All items available online at the link above and varying prices. Some items are currently available in the Black Friday sale.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Just in time for Christmas, Joe & Seph have launched their delicious Chocolate Orange Popcorn Bites. That’s right, not just popcorn, not just chocolate but Chocolate Orange flavoured chocolate!
If you’ve never had Popcorn Bites from Joe & Seph’s before, I’ll try and explain what they are. Perfectly popped pieced of popcorn are encased in cups of rich chocolate. They look like popcorn pieces set in thimbles of chocolate and turned out to create each little bite which you can pop into your mouth easily. The popcorn and chocolate melt at different rates so as you chew, you get a hit of chocolate, then the texture of popcorn and then the richness of the chocolate again.
Joe & Seph’s are famous for their gourmet popcorn with over 80 flavours and more being added all the time. The popcorn is cooked to the highest standard with no ‘crunchy bits’ at the bottom of the bag and no unpopped kernels. The milk chocolate meets the same exacting qualities as the popcorn, with it’s melt-in-the-mouth smoothness and no fake sugary taste. You can taste both the chocolate and the orange in each Popcorn Bite, and the popcorn itself is velvety caramel, but not too sweet.
The Popcorn Bite grab bag is 63 grams, vegetarian friendly and gluten free. There’s no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives either. It’s the perfect size for sharing or an afternoon snack and a great treat for children to share after school. You can see that it’s great for the cinema, or would be perfect as a stocking filler too!
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.
It’s almost October and the shops are pulling out all the stops with an incredible array of Halloween themed products. As well as the traditional costumes, decorations and accessories there is a huge selection of Halloween themed food and drink available which is perfect for parties. Obviously, you can’t have a party without cake (well not in our house) so our little witches and ghouls have been testing some terrifyingly tasty Halloween treats (with a little help from us of course!!)
We’ve decided that the Halloween Naked Nationwide Cake from Lola’s Cupcakes will make a fantastic centrepiece at any Halloween party and if you don’t live near one of their London stores don’t worry, as they can be posted anywhere in the UK. The delicious vanilla sponge with orange and mauve buttercream icing is topped with bright orange pumpkins, spooky sprinkles, sugarpaste ghosts and bats with “Happy Halloween” piped on the top. The moist sponge cake has a nice thick layer of mauve buttercream and the sponge is really light and fluffy. The cake is tastefully decorated so it is appealing to children yet sophisticated enough for adults too!
It’s always a worry ordering cakes online, but this cake was incredibly well packaged in a cardboard box with cool blocks and a thermal liner to ensure it arrived in perfect condition. Once opened the cake should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and whilst it is best eaten within 48 hours if but you do have any left it can be kept in the fridge for another 2 days – although I can guarantee there wasn’t much chance of that happening in our house!!! I was also pleased to discover that the thermal liner and ice pack can be returned to Lola’s Cupcakes for them to clean and reuse, they even include a prepaid label so this doesn’t cost you anything.
Overall, I was really impressed with this cake, it not only looks impressive it tastes amazing too, the sponge is nice and light which makes it rather moreish, and the combination of the buttercream filling and the sponge was absolutely delicious.
Lola’s Cupcakes make all their cakes fresh by hand each day from scratch, using only high quality ingredients so if you want to treat your ghosts, ghouls and witches this Halloween I would take a look now! The first day of delivery for this cake is the 24th October and the last is just in time for Halloween on the 31st October.
The company has a variety of delicious treats on their website and after with a few celebrations coming up it won’t be long before I’m ordering some more….
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Boy, have we got a treat for you! Joe & Seph, our friends of gourmet popcorn, have sent us their range of NEW Limited Edition Cake Collection flavoured popcorn – perfect for celebrating birthdays!
If you’re wondering what gourmet popcorn is, then let me explain. Not all popcorn is created equal. Gourmet popcorn is air-popped (not fried) and coated in butter. Usually, UK popcorn is made with oil and coated with sugar but Joe & Seph’s coat their gourmet popcorn in butter. This allows yummy flavours to coat the popcorn and creates the varieties which Joe & Seph’s are now famous for. If you’re not familiar with their flavours yet either, then feast yourselves on tastes such as Salted Caramel, Toffee, White Chocolate & Raspberry as well as savoury flavours like Cheese, Marmite and even Olive Oil, Mozzarella & Tomato!
The new Cake Collection which is available online already, has several flavours based on our favourite desserts including Chocolate Fudge Cake, Peanut Butter Blondie, Millionaire’s Shortbread and Birthday Cake. These flavours are designed for celebrations, hence the Birthday Cake variety which makes an excellent birthday gift. They all make excellent gifts though, especially if you stock them up and give a bunch of them at the same time to anyone who loves popcorn.
We first tried the Chocolate Fudge Cake. It’s similar to the other chocolate coated flavours by Joe & Seph’s but much richer and you get more of a chocolate flavour. There’s definitely a fudge flavour in there too. I’m a big lover of peanut butter anyway, so the Peanut Butter Blondie popcorn is fabulous! It tastes of peanut butter (rather than peanuts) and the texture of the popcorn really reminds me of the crunchy peanut butter I love. Millionaire’s Shortbread is a mixture of chocolate and caramel with a bit of crunch in there too from the shortbread. It’s not the strongest flavour overall but you can taste the caramel and chocolate in there and it’s very rich, similar to the Chocolate Fudge Cake. Lastly, my favourite was the Birthday Cake flavour. Very sweet, with raspberry and cream cheese flavouring, it was delicious and so moreish, particularly as we ate it as a replacement dessert after dinner. I think children would like this one the most as it’s both the fruit flavour and sweet together and really reminds me of the birthday cake it’s styled after.
It’s always great to try new flavours, and these Joe & Seph’s Cake Collection flavours are not only a great idea, but will be universally loved by anyone who adores popcorn or is a fan of cakes and desserts.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Crisps are the staple savoury snack for buffets, parties and family get togethers. With Coronation parties being planned up and down the country you can guarantee that the nation will be chomping on crisps throughout the festivities. Crunchy and packed full of flavour they go with pretty much everything from sandwiches, cheese or even a pint.
I’m in charge of the buffet for The Review Studio Coronation party so was really pleased to receive a couple of bags of Tyrrells crisps, the regal sounding Coronation Chicken and the Tomato & Chilli Chutney flavour.
The Coronation Chicken crisps have been relaunched as a limited edition to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles III. Packaged in celebratory packaging featuring plenty of colourful Union Jack flags, the crisps are made with the finest potatoes and hand cooked & spun for exquisite taste. Combining roast chicken with a subtle curry kick these crisps are nice and crunchy and incredibly moreish! I’m not always a huge fan of spicy crisps as I find that they can be a little strong but the bite of the curry was perfect and really complemented the roast chicken flavour without being overpowering.
With a RRP of £2.75 the 150g bags are currently available in Booths, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda and WHSmith Travel and will be available at BP from 2nd May.
The brand new Tomato & Chilli Chutney flavour crisps have a warm chilli flavour with a hint of smokiness. These crisps are packed full of flavour with a perfect crunch and are the perfect addition to any picnic or Coronation party this summer.
The 150g bags have a RRP of £2.75 and are currently available from Asda and Waitrose and look out for them in Tesco from 21st March.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
The brand new Sea Animals Collection from PLAYin CHOC is here in time for the Coronation weekend! The sustainable and ethically sourced chocolate is accompanied by a cut out toy of a sea animal along with an information card to educate children about the world around them. If you remember Kinder Surprise as a child, then this is the modern, environmentally friendly version for the 21st century.
PLAYin CHOC was created by Mum Maya back in 2016 in her kitchen at home where she wanted to make simple chocolate for her family which was just cacoa, coconut and vanilla. Crucially, it was also dairy free chocolate, hence there’s no milk or cream involved in the process, just coconut products.
With the help of her two children as ‘chief testers’, Maya perfected the Peruvian, fairly traded organic chocolate and created the PLAYin CHOC brand. Their mission is to create healthy chocolate treats without plastic, and to promote environmentally sensitive topics. Among other projects PLAYin CHOC have featured are Endangered Animals, Woodland Animals and even a whole dinosaur set! At Christmas and Easter they produce Advent Calendars and gift boxes and this year PLAYin CHOC have produced the Sea Animals Collection.
We were sent these three boxes to indulge ourselves. Opening the boxes, we found an orca, seahorse and swordfish. You can’t tell what’s in the box until you open it so it’s a great surprise for children. The box contains two pieces of chocolate (in recyclable plastic), a cut out of each animal which children can put together to create a toy and an information card about the animal, some facts and their personalities. There are 18 different animals to collect in all and the toys, which are made out of durable cardboard, can be used again and again, along with the cube boxes the chocolate and toys come in!
Although the chocolate is coconut based and vegan, it doesn’t taste very different to everyday chocolate so the kids won’t notice the change. It is 100% plant based though so it will appeal to everybody – these make great gifts in children’s party bags or to keep them quiet on car journeys and whilst travelling.
With so many toys to choose from, healthier vegan chocolate and fair trade, what is there not to like about the PLAYin CHOC range, especially for the Coronation?
The Review Studio 