Kev's Snack Reviews

My apologies to Degustabox for being so late doing a full review of their boxes lately. They've sent me a few so far which I mentioned on Instagram but haven't found the time to do a full review of. The February box I've already mentioned so I'll skip to the March box which was quite interesting, with a nice mix of both healthy and naughty snacks and some drinks and even a beer for good measure. If you haven't heard of them before Degustabox are a surprise box delivered each month on a subscription basis - although you can opt out at any point. The products included work out as being cheaper than what you'd pay in shops, and they showcase small producers, unique products and brands you may not have had a chance to try before, which I think is a nice idea. To check them out see their website:  https://www.degustabox.com/en/ This months box was an interesting mix...from Chum Fruit Bites which I'd never heard of before, and the packaging is amusing with ...

I haven't explored Costa's 2016 Festive Menu this year so far, but since it's December and officially the festive season, it was the perfect excuse to try the new Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate. Apparently it's replaced Costa's White Hot Chocolate and has upset a lot of people  in the process - the horror of it! It's a traditional Costa hot chocolate blended with toasted marshmallow syrup, topped off with glittery mini marshmallows. According to the barista I asked, it's also gluten free, hurrah! I ordered a medium size which seemed the perfect amount, topped off with cream because I love me some cream on a hot choccy! I started by spooning it off and nibbling the marshmallows, they were chewy and sweet and pretty lovely all round. The edible glitter makes them feel uber special. The hot chocolate tasted lovely; the marshmallow flavour is sweet and very comforting, tasting authentically of marshmallow. This is sweeter than a regular hot ch...

When I heard there was a new Toffee Apple Hot Chocolate at Costa I just had to try it...I'm a big fan of their classic seasonal drinks like the famous Black Forest Hot Chocolate and Hot Spiced Apple Drink , but this sounded like a unique flavour for hot chocolate...I've certainly not seen it before anyway! This came with whipped cream and crunchy toffee pieces on top, although I've heard from others that it sometimes comes with fudge. I imagine both are an equally tasty addition! I started off by eating most of the cream, which was lovely and fresh, and complimented nicely by the crunchy toffee pieces. The actual hot chocolate had a strong, pleasant apple flavour, and the toffee was more of a richer treacle toffee rather than regular toffee. It took some getting used to, but it was different and made for an interesting drink. Overall, I'm not sure this will be replacing Black Forest Hot Chocolate as my favourite seasonal Costa drink, but it's definitely...

It's here...part 3 of my Gluten Free Snacks Bonanza Week! Today's review is for the deliciously squidgy, gooey Belgian Chocolate Brownie sold in Costa stores all across the country. I've been eating these brownies for years now so I don't know why it's taken me so long to actually review them....I guess other snacks got in the way! You can find these Brownies near the tills at every Costa in the country - even the smaller ones, which is mighty handy if you're in need of a gluten free fix! - they're plastic wrapped to differentiate them from the regular "gluten" brownies sold underneath the pastry counter. They cost £1.70 and are rectangular rather than square. The ingredients are a mixture of dark chocolate, eggs and ground almonds, with some tasty white chocolate chunks added in for good measure. They even have a hint of coffee! These are hands down the best gluten free brownies I've tasted, and taste just as good as - and even bet...

It's taken me a while but finally I've gotten around to trying Costa's legendary Black Forest Hot Chocolate - turns out I saved the best until last! It's described by Costa as: "Costa Hot Chocolate with an added shot of Blackberry syrup and topped with cream, cherry sauce and a sprinkle of Belgian chocolate curls." When mine arrived it had a huge pile of cream and plenty of cherry sauce on top, in fact it was dribbling down the glass there was so much of it! There were plenty of chocolate curls too making the whole thing look extremely luxurious...I couldn't wait to get stuck in! It tasted as fantastic as it looked. The cherry sauce was sweet yet slightly tart and zingy, and made the cream taste even more luxurious. The chocolate curls added a nice crunch. When I got to the hot chocolate I started to think "Okay the best part is over now...", but I was wrong! The hot chocolate tasted just as brilliant; the blackberry syrup went with it ...

Today's review is for yet another coffee (I'm seriously thinking of rebranding as Kev's Coffee Reviews at this rate!) and it is the awesomeness that is Costa's Salted Caramel Latte! I've already reviewed Costa's White Hot Chocolate , Gingerbread Latte and Spiced Apple drinks and now it's now my mission to try the rest of their Christmas Menu before it disappears in January... The drink is described by Costa as  "A true taste of Christmas: our Salted Caramel Latte is made up of Costa Espresso with steamed milk served with salted caramel flavoured syrup, topped with cream and caramel sauce". When mine arrived it was exactly as advertised (hurrah!), and contained a hefty drizzle of salted caramel sauce above a thick layer of cream. Taking a sip I was met with a strong salted, butterscotch flavour - it was very moreish and tasty - more so than regular caramel in fact - proving that "salted caramel" isn't just a marketing gimmic...

In my bid to try all of Costa's new Christmas Menu for 2013 so far I've sampled the White Hot Chocolate and Spiced Apple  drinks. I fancied trying this Gingerbread Latte next, purely because I thought the mini gingerbread man on top looked really cool! When my drink arrived it really did look as cool as promised with the cute gingerbread man perched on top of the cream...happily unaware he was about to be devoured! Taste-wise it was...well, gingery and buttery - pretty much what you would expect from a gingerbread biscuit, really! The cream as always was delightful, and the latte itself had a subtle spicy ginger kick, although wasn't quite as strong in flavour as I had hoped. Still, it was a nice addition to an otherwise regular latte, and made this drink feel just that extra bit special. Overall, a lovely drink - the mini gingerbread man on top is a really cool idea and sure to bring a smile to any scrooge's face this festive season! RATING: 7.5 out of 10...

After hearing about this new addition to Costa's Christmas Menu for 2013 I just had to give it a try. As well as this variety Costa have also brought back their Black Forest Hot Chocolate, plus Honeycomb & Cream Hot Chocolate, Salted Caramel & Cream Latte, as well as a Gingerbread & Cream Latte complete with a mini gingerbread man! They're also doing festive cakes such as Gingerbread Muffins, Black Forest Fancy, Chocolate Orange Fancy, Mince Tarts, and a gluten-free Christmas cake slice. You can check out the full Christmas Menu HERE . As much as I wanted to try the Black Forest Hot Chocolate, I went for the White Hot Chocolate instead as white hot chocolate is such a rarity - not many cafes seem to sell it! Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed as they hadn't put any cherry sauce or edible glitter over the cream as advertised. I would have mentioned it to the staff, but I was cold and the drink looked so nice I didn't want to wait any longer! D...

This is my first review of a product from a national coffee chain, and it's quite appropriate that its Costa as it just so happens to be my favourite! (although I will admit to occasionally flirting with Caffe Nero!) Whilst stopping by there on a freezing cold day recently I fancied something a bit different from hot chocolate and plumped for this Hot Spiced Apple Drink instead. It's part of Costa's Autumn drinks range which also includes their Chocolate Orange Mocha Latte (see review HERE by Foodstuff Finds). It's advertised as "bewitchingly warm, fearfully fruity" to tie-in with Halloween, but I do hope it will stick around into the Winter months! I was very impressed with the presentation - the drink comes in a glass complete with a cinnamon stick and some star anise floating in it. I was told by the lady serving me it would taste very strong, and boy was she right. Taking my first sip I was met with an intensely sweet and tart apple flavour which...