Tag Archives: Product Review

Product Review: Lindt Heavenly Hazelnut Easter Egg

Posted on March 1, 2013 by | 1 Comment

 

I was recently asked by Lindt to try the Heavenly Hazelnut milk chocolate egg from their Easter Range. Initial impressions of the egg were good. It was packaged in a bright spring yellow box and the egg looked a generous size. We were not disappointed when we tried the egg either. The egg has one layer of chocolate on the bottom, then it is topped by hazelnuts and more chocolate has then been poured on top. It's a triple layer delight!

The chocolate is rich and creamy and highly addictive. The nuts provide an interesting texture and taste change. Nuts are not really my thing in massive quantities but I can enjoy them in this egg. One slightly disappointing aspect of the egg is the price. I did not know the price of the egg (£19.99) when I recieved it and when I tasted it. Although the egg is good, I do not think it is worth that much. However if you do like milk chocolate and hazelnuts and want a treat this Easter, then this is the egg for you!!

Disclosure: Lindt sent me this egg to review. All opinions on my own. I did not have to write a positive review.

 

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Posted in Chocolate, Easter, Easter Egg, Product Review

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Product Review: Baker Day’s Letterbox Cake

Posted on February 11, 2013 by | Leave a comment

 

I was recently asked to try a Baker Day's letterbox cake. I have never been known to turn down an offering of cake and I was intrigued, could they really send me a perfect cake through my letterbox?

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I decided to order a cake for Stuart and let it be a surprise. When it arrived, my initial impressions were very good. The cake was packaged in a box and sealed in a tin within the box so could pretty much take whatever the Royal Mail could throw at it. The cake even came with instructions for how to remove it from the tin.

Once I got the cake out of it's packaging and onto a plate, I was sadly disappointed. The cake was very small (the picture on the top of this post is the cake on a side plate.) I was not expecting a massive cake to come through my letterbox but thought the cake might be slightly bigger. The decoration on the cake was excellent. However, the sponge was average and very dense in texture for my taste.

Overall, I like the idea of a letterbox cake but think the idea needs some refining. I am sure that many people will enjoy the novelty of having a cake posted to them but think the actual cake, especially for the price you pay (£14.99) needs improving.

 

Disclosure: I recieved a Letterbox cake to review. All opinions are my own.

 

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Product Review: Press 81 Cider

Posted on January 25, 2013 by | Leave a comment

 

Stuart and I are both cider drinkers so when I was to try new Press 81 cider from Aston Manor cider makers in Malvern, Worcester I jumped at the chance. My first impression was of how modern and interesting the bottles were. It is the first cider to ever be sold in an aluminium bottle and has cold activation technology in it which tells the drinker when is the perfect time to drink it. As cider is considered a traditional drink, I think the bottle design will go a long way into making it trendy and appealing to a younger generation of drinkers.

We tried both the apple and pear varieties and were very impressed with the flavour of both. The flavour was crisp and sharp. Stuart and I both agreed we could enjoy a few of these on a warm summer's day in a pub beer garden. I shall be seeking them out when I go out in the future and I recommend that you do too!

Disclosure: I was sent 4 bottles of Press 81 cider for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

 

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Christmas Product Review: Rudolph Potatoes

Posted on December 22, 2012 by | Leave a comment

With Christmas very nearly upon us, I was very happy when I was contacted and asked if I would like to try Rudolph Potatoes. They are great for roasting, baking and mashing, making them the ideal potato to accompany your Christmas dinner. The potatoes have red smooth skins with a creamy white inside.

As I have limited time at the moment, I have not had chance to test out the Rudolph potatoes roasting potential however as the advice I was given was to keep them in their skins, I decided to make potato wedges for an easy after work supper one night this week. I could not decide what to serve them with so ended up with a bowlful of them on their own with lots of garlic mayonnaise. The recipe below is loosely based on the recipe on the website but feel free to make up your own based on what is in your kitchen.

Spicy Potato Wedges

Ingredients (serves 2 people as a side or 1 hungry person on their own)

  • 2 large or 3 small ruldolph potatoes (washed and skins left on) cut in half then into 4 wedges each half
  • 1tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Couple of tablespoons olive oil

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly until everything is evenly spread all over the potatoes
  2. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (200 degrees fan oven)
  3. Put the potatoes, herbs, spices and oil onto a baking sheet in one even layer and place into the oven.
  4. Cook for 30 – 40 minutes until golden and crispy, turning at least a couple of times during cooking
  5. Once cooked, remove onto kitchen paper and allow to drain for 30 seconds. Add more salt and pepper if required and serve. Enjoy!!!

Overall, I was very impressed with Rudolph potatoes. They crisped up to perfection and they were some of the best potato wedges I have ever made. I will certainly be buying them when I next go to the supermarket!!

 

Disclosure: I recieved some Rudolph potatoes, a roasting tray and some oven gloves for the purpose of this review

 

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Christmas Present Review: Joseph Joseph Bowl Set

Posted on December 11, 2012 by | Leave a comment

I was recently sent a Joseph Joseph Bowl Set from Find Me A Gift. It is a really useful set that would look great in any kitchen and as everything fits together in the largest bowl, it is perfect for the smallest kitchen too! The set contains:

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl with pouring spout
  • Colander
  • Sieve
  • Measuring spoons

The set is really well made and is excellent quality. I loved the colours in the set. It really brightened up my kitchen.

 

This Joseph Joseph Bowl set is currently retailing at £25.99 at Find Me A Gift and is according to the website available for next day delivery meaning it will be here in plenty of time for Christmas

 

Many thanks to Jo for sending me the set to review. It is greatly appreciated



 

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Product Review: Domino’s Pizza Gourmet Range

Posted on October 3, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Recently, I was invited to review Domino’s new gourmet pizza range. As I love pizza and can have moments of complete and utter laziness when it comes to cooking, we do order pizza home delivery occasionally in our house. In my opinion, it will never beat home-made pizza but when you just want an easy night in front of the TV, it is ideal for a treat.

For our pizza feast, we invited my sister and her boyfriend round as they are great pizza lovers too and will never turn down a takeaway. After much decision making, we ordered:

1x Triple Bonanza deal:

  • Large (13.5″) Four Seasons
  • Large (10 slices) Meatilicious
  • Large (10 slices) Americano

2x Twisted Dough Balls Cheese & Herb

1x Gourmet Garlic Bread

1x Small (6 slices) Original Cheese & Tomato

2x Domino’s Cookies

1x 500mL tub Ben & Jerry’s – Chocolate Fudge Brownie

1x 500mL tub Ben & Jerry’s – Cookie Dough

The total cost of our order came to £66.40 which I know is quite expensive but we did get loads of pizza and lots of dessert too.

The new Gourmet range consists of three pizzas called the Firenze, Florentine and Rustica. The Firenze is topped with Ventricina Salami, Pepperoni and Peruvian Roquito Peppers and the Florentine is topped with Baby Spinach, SunBlush Baby Plum Tomatoes and Greek Feta Cheese while the Rustica is topped with Chicken breast strips, smoked bacon rashers, baby spinach and SunBlush baby plum tomatoes. All the pizzas come on a thin crust base. As I could not decide which pizza I wanted to try, I had the Four Seasons pizza which includes a quarter each of the Firenze, Florentine and Rustica, with a quarter Sunblush baby tomatoes. I was very impressed with the Four Seasons Pizza. It was very fresh tasting and full of flavour. One disappointing aspect for me was that it seemed a bit dry and needed a bit more sauce or something to liven it up.

We were very impressed with the dough balls and the gourmet garlic bread. They were both full of cheesy garlic deliciousness. Once we got to the last dough ball, I did think a fight was going to break out over who got it but fortunately that didn’t happen. Stuart and my sister’s boyfriend both loved their pizzas as you can see, they had already started tucking into them before I took the photos.  I have secret obsession with Domino’s cookies which are freshly baked as you order them and although they look small and unimpressive for the price tag, I can ensure that they are worth every penny!

We ordered at about 8.15pm on a Saturday night via their website and our order turned up within the hour. Unfortunately, half our order was forgotten (basically the ice cream and the cookies) but once we alerted them to the fact, the delivery driver was back within 20 minutes with the rest of our order and a complimentary garlic bread for the inconvenience.

Overall, we were very impressed with Domino’s pizzas and their delivery service. We will most certainly use them again, especially when my next cookie fix strikes! :-)

Disclosure: I was invited to order from Domino’s and review their new Gourmet Range. Our pizza feast was complimentary, however all opinions are my own. 

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Posted in Domino's, pizza, Product Review

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Product Review and Giveaway: Riverford Organic Vegetable Box

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | 11 Comments

I was recently lucky enough to receive a Riverford Organic Vegetable Box. I have been considering getting a vegetable box delivered for a while so the opportunity to try one out was one I was not pass up. The box was delivered on the specified day for my area. I was immediately amazed by the variety of vegetables that was in it. These were:

  • Potatoes
    Carrots
  • Leeks
  • Cauliflower
  • Purple Sprouting Broccoli (PSB)
  • Asparagus
  • Lettuce
  • Vine Tomatoes

Also in the box were storage instructions for the vegetables and a recipe card telling you different ways to cook them. The small organic vegetable box is designed for two-three people and costs £12.85. I appreciated how much PSB there was as it is something I do not get to eat very often and the bunch of asparagus was quite generous too. The only downside of the box in my opinion was the small number of potatoes. We used them all in one meal so I don’t how they are supposed to last a week.  With the vegetables in the box I cooked asparagus with poached eggs and butter and a cheesy leek and PSB bake. I also cooked my River Cottage Rocks! #3: Veggie Heaven dish which I tell you about in another post asap.

For a chance of winning your own veg box, please leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite vegetable and how you like to cook it by Monday 14th May 2012 by 5pm BST.

This competition has now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. The winner will be announced asap

Terms and Conditions

  1. Only 1 entry per person
  2. The competition will close at 5pm on Monday 14th May 2012 BST
  3. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be contacted via email as soon as possible after the competition has closed.
  4. The competition is open to UK residents only
  5. No automated entries allowed
  6. The prize will be delivered by Riverford Organic once the winner’s contact details are confirmed.
  7. Any questions or queries, please email joskitchen@hotmail.co.uk

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Posted in giveaway, Product Review, River Cottage, River Cottage Rocks, vegetables

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Product Review: Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road To Caramel Extra Thick Easter Egg

Posted on April 3, 2012 by | 1 Comment

I have been very lucky (again!) and received a lovely Easter Egg from Hotel Chocolat to review. This time I received the Rocky Road To Caramel Extra Thick Easter Egg. I love Rocky Road and quite often make my own so I was interested to see how it would compare.

I loved the presentation of the egg in a big hat box type thing with a black ribbon wrapped around the top. Inside there are two halves of the egg both made with 40% milk chocolate.  One half is studded with crispy puffed rice, cookies and chocolate chunks. The other half-shell with a layer of caramel chocolate over a base of milk chocolate and inside there are a variety of chocolates including rabbits and chicks in milk chocolate, praline and truffle. This is my most favourite Hotel Chocolat thing so far. It is right up my street. The milk chocolate, the caramel and all the different textures make it the perfect Easter egg. It is beyond the normal and makes an exciting gift for a chocolate lover. The only downside is the price which is £26. This is quite expensive for an Easter egg but it is big enough to share (if you want to that is!)

Many thanks to Beth at Jam and Cream PR and Hotel Chocolat for sending me the egg to review :-)

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Posted in Easter, Easter Egg, Hotel Chocolat, Jam and Cream PR, Product Review

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Product Review & Giveaway: Crockpot Cook & Carry

Posted on March 23, 2012 by | 181 Comments

I was recently lucky enough to be sent a CrockPot Cook & Carry to review. I was very impressed with its size. It is large enough to make dish for a family but due to its wide base, it will also cook a dish for two or three people with ease. The Cook & Carry comes with a lockable lid meaning you could cook at home for example and then take it with you when visiting people and reheat it, all in the same pot. Its comes with a handy carry case too. The pot is dishwasher safe making it very easy to clean.

Overall, I was very impressed with the CrockPot Cook & Carry and I have decided to give one away. All you need to do is follow a couple of simple steps below to enter.

1) Like Jo’s Kitchen on Facebook

2) Like CrockPot UK on Facebook

3) Leave a comment below to confirm that you have done the first two steps, leaving your Twitter username if you have one. This makes it easier to contact the winner.

Or

If you are not on Facebook, please leave a comment below telling me your favourite slow cooker recipe.

This competition has now closed. Thank you to everyone who has entered. The winner will be announced as soon as possible.

Good Luck! :-)

Terms and Conditions

  1. Only 1 entry per person
  2. The competition will close at 5pm on Friday 30th March 2012 BST
  3. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be contacted via email as soon as possible after the competition has closed.
  4. The competition is open to UK residents only
  5. The prize will be delivered by CrockPot UK once the winner’s contact details are confirmed.
  6. Any questions or queries, please email joskitchen@hotmail.co.uk


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Posted in competition, cooking, Cooking Equipment, Crockpot, giveaway, Product Review, Review, Slow Cooker

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Product Review: Sauteuse Pan From Palmers

Posted on March 10, 2012 by | Leave a comment

I was recently contacted by Palmers and asked if I would like to try out one of their products. I have been trying to find a decent sauté pan for ages, so when I saw the Stellar 7000 Sauteuse Pan on their site I jumped at the chance.

I love my cast iron casserole pot but do find that it struggles with cooking things like paella and risotto as the high sides prevent the liquid evaporating off quickly enough.  I was hoping the low sided sauté pan would stop this problem happening. The pan arrived very well packed with very clear care instructions. I took it out of the box and immediately loved the look and feel of it. It felt strong and the stainless steel looked stunning.  I immediately put it work making two of may favourite dishes; Chicken, Chorizo and Seafood Paella (recipe to appear soon) and Chorizo, Red Wine and Pea Risotto. I was impressed with the speed it heated up and how non stick it was. I have had apparent non stick pans before but this is the first one I have seen to work properly. After use, I washed it quickly and then put it in the dishwasher. It came out perfectly clean and ready for its next use. I am very impressed with the pan and am already planning what I am going to cook in it next! :-)

Many thanks to Liam for sending me the saute pan to review. It is much appreciated :-)

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