Jamie Noms Through Christmas | McDonalds Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. Sadly, this is the last one. I thought that, today, I would talk to you all about McDonalds Festive Menu 2019. I'm sure that you've seen the amazing Reindeer Ready adverts.

Chicken Deluxe 

'Two tender Chicken Selects layered with creamy Emmental cheese. Topped with a zesty tomato relish and cool mayo.' - McDonalds Website

Sadly. there were good things and bad things about this product. I'll start with the bad, and, then get into the good. The Bad thing about this burger, was, that it was pretty much two Selects, and, honestly made it feel less like a burger. Especially when the Selects have a tendency to fall out easily and then you're just eating bun and stuff. The contrast between the cool Mayo and the Relish was really nice. The Relish had a bit of a sweet vibe going on, which meant that the cool cool mayo accentuated the sweetness and made everything feel harmonious within this burger. The Cheese added a bit of Goo, which I always love, which made the burger experience that little bit more enjoyable. I'd try it again but id be careful when it comes to ensuring that the Selects stay in the actual burger...

Cheese Melt Dippers Sharebox 

'Twelve camembert dippers coated in a crispy crumb.' - McDonalds Website

I love anything that is deep fried and Cheese based. My stomach might not, but my soul and my brain definitely do. These were delicious, but, I would definitely mention that it is best to have them whilst they are still warm as they aren't as delicious when cold. I love the contrast between the smooth milky Cheese, against, the crisp outer shell of the Dipper. Crunchy and smooth, mmm. What I love more, is the, flavour contrast against the cooling milky Camembert, and, the tangy/slightly sour Tomato Dip which gives the whole thing a good amount of Zing. If I could get the Dip on its own to use on everything, then I would!

Mint Matchmaker McFlurry 

'Soft dairy ice cream swirled with Mint Matchmaker pieces and chocolate mint sauce.' McDonalds Website.

This was a weird one for me. I love Mint, but this was a sort of Mint that punched me in the face and told me that 'IT'S CHRISTMAS!' The fab part about this McFlurry was the sauce. Dark Chocolate with a subtle touch of Mint. The Chocolate stood out the most to me. I loved this because every so often, it ensured that you had a little bit of a break from the strong hit of pure Mint flavour from the Matchmakers. I loved the sort of nubbly texture that the Matchmakers provided against the smooth ice Cream. I would definitely try this again just for the Chocolate sauce alone. This McFlurry would go great with maybe a Toffee Latte/Hot Chocolate I feel.

Millionaire's Donut

An indulgent iced caramel doughnut with gooey caramel filling, topped with biscuit pieces and a dark cocoa drizzle.

I loved this, even, if on the whole I got very big Krispy Kreme vibes. The dough itself tasted like it had been home made which is an amazing thing. I love when you can tell the dough from donuts has been made and freshly fried. It just gives it an different dimension of flavour to it. The biscuit pieces added a tiny bit of crunch on top, but kind of made the whole thing messy as to eat. Sometimes, I love that, but if I was walking and eating this, which some may do to the office, then this wouldn't be such a great point to the product. The main part of the show was the ooey-gooey Caramel Filling. Rich, buttery and thick. Oh, I would pour this on anything and everything as it is that good.

Have you tried any of the McDonalds Festive Menu? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Iceland Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I thought that today, that I would talk to you about Iceland, who are infamous for their Christmas ranges.

Now, with University and everything happening lately, I've only had the time to try one savoury thing from Iceland's Seasonal Range, and, three different desserts from the Iceland Seasonal Range. There won't be any images of them as it was a while ago. I could email the PR, but, with most PR teams it takes a while due to them being busy at this time of year, and I want this post up before Christmas is over and done with.

Festive Pie 

There is no description for this, but this is literally a Christmas Lunch in a Pie. I loved all of the different elements, I loved all of the veg, the meat, the creamy sauce, But my main big problem is that, it was kind of small... I was expecting something kind of bigger, like a sort of Quiche size, not a Pie a size of my palm really. The pastry against the smooth silky sauce was amazing. If it was any bigger than it was then I think it would have been one of the best pies I've had ever.

Black Forest Cheesecake 

If you love Black Forest things, then you will love this! The Cheesecake base was crumbly but still somewhat crispy which was a great contrast against the smooth creamy filling. The Cream Cheese was a beautiful blank canvas for the dark sour Cherries. The Chocolate cut against the sourness and rounded off the whole Dessert. I loved it and the Cherry flavour wasn't too pronounced or too sour which made it great for everyone, as, sometimes I'm not the biggest fan of Sour Cherries. A great dessert to round off any night.

Chocolate Orange Cheesecake 

Sadly, you can't whack this one, but, you can definitely tap it... If you love Chocolate Orange flavoured things, then this is right up your street. The Orange flavour in this was more realistic than synthetic which I quite liked. The filling of the Cheesecake had a slight set Jelly feel to it which was unusual, but, I quite liked it. It gave me quite big Jaffa cake vibes, which, is never a bad thing in my eyes. If you like something with a fruity kick for dessert, then, definitely give this one a try!

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

This was quite simple. Passion Fruit Puree as a topping, and a Cheesecake as a base. The Passion Fruit created a Fruity and Zingy contrast against the sweet creamy Cheesecake. I loved how sort of Zingy and Sour it was as it just made you want more. It's a great to enjoy at this time of year as everything is laden with rich flavours at this time of year, and, something like this dessert would definitely cut through all of that. Give it a try and let me know what you think down below!

I hope that you've enjoyed this Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | KFC Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I thought that today, I would tell you all about the KFC Festive box Meal that I tried from the KFC Festive Menu.

'KFC’s brand-new Festive Burger is making its Christmas debut. Packed with a succulent Original Recipe fillet, a crispy hash brown, a delicious sage and onion stuffing mayo and topped with a tangy cranberry dressing and a layer of cheese. Why suffer through a dry Turkey Sandwich?' - KFC UK Website.

The Burger 

The Burger was an intriguing new concept for myself and KFC. Turkey Sandwich, KFC style. I loved the Crispy Chicken against the sweet thick Cranberry Sauce, as its vibrant juices mixed with the sweet sauce. I also loved the Mayo, as every so often, you got a pop of creaminess which was then followed by a hit of Sage and Onion. This was great as every pop was surprising on the palette. My main problem with the Burger was that the extras weren't needed that much. The Bacon was a tad flimsy, and only really added a hint of meatiness to the burger, whereas the Hash Brown in my opinion, didn't add anything at all. This was a bit of a shame, as I love Hash Browns! The Cheese added a tiny bit of Goo, but, it didn't contain that much Goo to the point that you could notice it so it seemed a bit pointless having it within the Burger.

Chicken 

I adore the Original Recipe Chicken from KFC. It's crispy and slightly spicy, as, the batter is coated in those infamous herbs and spices. I just adore it and it went beautifully with the sweetness of the burger. There was nothing wrong with the Chicken, but, it's a staple that Ive had many times before at the well known Chicken franchise.

Fries 

Sadly, the Fries/Chips, were the most lacklustre of the Box Meal. I love KFC's Fries, but, I did request Festive Fries, and they didn't taste any different than the normal fries. Honestly, these were kinda soggy and just meh overall. I think that if they had a little bit more crisp then it would have made them even better. I'm sure I only got normal fries, so, if you've tried the Festive Fries, then let me know down below!

Have you tried any of the KFC Festive Menu? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Starbucks Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post! I thought that today I would talk to you all about the Christmas items at Starbucks within the UK. As, 3 of the 4 Red Cups were the same as last year, I've decided to mainly focus on the one that was new for 2019 and a couple of food items that I tried when trying the new Red Cup.

Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate/Frappuccino

'Delicious mocha sauce is blended with ice, marshmallow syrup, topped with marshmallow flavoured whipped cream and finished with a caramalised sugar topping.' 

I loved this I liked the flavour contrast between the dark chocolate drink, and, the sweetness and charred flavour of the Toasted Marshmallow. I did wish that there was a lot more Marshmallow flavour in the drink, as it reminded me more of Chocolate Pudding, that it did Marshmallows. I did love the tiny crunch from the Caramelised Sugar that was on top of the drink! I also do think that it could be topped with some actual Toasted Marshmallows to evoke the flavours within. However, I understand why they didn't to try and ensure that they could keep it Vegan.

Twinkle & Sprinkle Salted Caramel Cupcake

'Butterscotch cupcake, caramel sauce filling, salted caramel buttercream topping.'

Okay, this was amazing! The Cupcake had a strong yet sugary Butterscotch taste to it which made the treat moreish. The sauce in the middle added great texture against the thick buttercream and the slightly crumbly Cupcake. I did wish that the Caramel Sauce was a little bit more cooked or with some salt in, as, I am a big sucker for thick flowing Salted Caramel. The buttercream was great and ended the sweet treat on a high. Sweet but not sickly.

Cran-Merry Cheesecake Muffin

'Vanilla sponge muffin with cranberries and white chocolate pieces filled with Mascarpone cheese.'

This was great. The Cream Cheese gave the Muffin a bit of a tender crumb, but, also gave the Muffin a bit of a Creamy taste. I loved the freshness of Cranberry against the sweetness of the Muffin, but, I do wish that there was a bit more flavour when it came to the Cranberries themselves. I also love the name of this one as it ties in so well with the Christmas Season. Who doesn't love a Christmas based pun?!

Have you tried any of the items from the Starbucks Festive Menu? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Greggs Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new Jamie Noms Through Christmas post. I thought that today I would talk to you all about, some of the new Festive releases from, Greggs. (Yes I will be admitting my love for the Festive Bake throughout this post. If you don't like them, or, haven't tried them before, then comment down below (so I can try and convert you)!

Festive Bake

This may seem bias for this post, but I love Festive Bakes. Festive Bakes get me in the mood for Christmas, and, honestly they light my soul up every time that I see one or enjoy one.

The description of the Festive Bake is, 'Combining succulent pieces of Chicken Breast Pieces, Sage & Onion Stuffing, and, Sweetcure Bacon, in a creamy Sage & Cranberry Sauce. All encased in Golden Puff Pastry, with a crunchy Crumb topping.' - Greggs Website.

What I love about it is, that the succulent Chicken, Bacon, and little nuggets of Stuffing work against the creamy sauce and the crunchy topping, not only in the form of a contrast between textures (the soft meats against the smooth sauce, against the gorgeous crunchy topping), but also taste wise too.

When you take the first bite, you instantly get the hit of the soft as silk Chicken, then the crispy slightly salty Bacon, and then, a punch of the seasoned Stuffing comes through. After this, a wave of the creamy and Smooth sauce washes over your tongue like a coastal wave on a beautiful day. The creamy taste is instantly defeated by the punch of the tangy Cranberry sauce which makes your tongue slightly tingle and crave more. After the tidal waves of the mouth have calmed, the crunchy sort of herby coating and the crisp buttery Pastry hit the tongue and end the Bake on such a high note that leaves you wanting more.

Get one before they go.

Christmas Lunch Soup

The description of this one is, 'A festive soup made with smoked bacon, chicken, turkey, sage & onion stuffing, pork sausage, vegetables, herbs and spices.'

This one was a weird one but, I kind of enjoyed it. Again, you get the mixture of the meats as soon as you tasted it and then the Sausages and Stuffing, and, then the Veggies and other things. I enjoyed it and loved how the flavours were complex. I think that this is an amazing soup to start a cold winters day off with.

My main problem with this soup, was that there wasnt enough flavour. I realise that this sounds really stupid due to the meats and veggies giving some form of flavour, but I wanted more. Honestly, I wanted it to punch me in the face, just like the Festive Bake does.

I'd definitely recommend that you try this at least once this Holiday Season.

Pigs In Blankets

Everyone loves Pigs In Blankets, and oh, so do I!

Sadly, for Greggs, these weren't the best Pigs In Blankets that I've had in my lifetime. They were kind of bland and overdone for my liking. Everything was crisp and the whole point of a PIB is that you get the softness with a slight char of the Sausage and the crispiness of the Bacon. The aftertaste was a peculiar one too. It wasn't meat but instead was Black Pepper, even though, there wasn't the biggest of punch of Black Pepper when trying them.

Have you tried any of the Greggs Seasonal Range? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading another Jamie Noms Through Christmas post.
Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Costa Coffee Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new post, and, welcome to the start of my little miniseries, where I'll literally be talking about Christmas Food from well known and well loved places on the high street. Today, I thought that I would start the miniseries off with the good old comforting Costa Coffee.

Black Forest Hot Chocolate

I have loved the Black Forest Hot Chocolate from Costa for many years now, so I was a bit shocked on when I found out that it had slightly changed this year. In the past few years, it has come with a Blackcurrant and Raspberry sauce, which has always made the drink exceptional. This year, however, Costa have decided to go for Cherry. I get that it is more original for a Black Forest based hot drink, but, I love the old version, because well familiarity. Saying that, I did love this version. I had it both to drink in and to take out. I preferred the drink in as I could probably stir it to make sure the Cherry dispersed evenly instead of just in certain spaces in the drink. The sharpness of the Cherry works quite well with the richness of the Chocolate. In fact, I would love more sharpness just to really make it contrasting. I think that this is a great option for those who like a bit of fruitless to their Hot Chocolates.

A picture of the Black Forest Hot Chocolate and the Hazelnut Praline and Cream Latte

Praline and Cream Latte

Oooh I do love a good sweet nut in my creamy Latte! I love the sweetness of the Latte against the sort of toasty warmth of the nuts that are in this drink. If you love a well known Christmas Nut flavoured Coffee drink from an American based Coffee chain at this time of year, then you will love this! I do think that it could do with something textural on top maybe, but that's just my opinion. It does come with wafer pieces, but they do end up soaked by the drink really quickly. This is also available cold in the form of a Frostiino too, for when you're feeling a bit warm and flustered in the adventure pf shopping during the festive period.

irish Velvet Hot Chocolate

Okay, so this is kind of amazing, and, I get why its the main drink on Costa's Christmas Menu this year. imagine, well, Baileys but in non alcoholic form. Sweet and creamy, with a slight kick of coffee flavour infused into a hot chocolate. I could drink and bathe in this all year around. Again, I do think that it needs a tad more texture on the top. I know that I sound crazy for saying this about drinks, but, you're paying for everything when it comes to coffee shop drinks, so if im investing my money into a Festive only drink, I want it to be so good/something that hits every spot, that it makes me think about it all year round. I mean, this already does but I would be writing emails to Costa every day if it had just a tad more texture on top of the whipped cream. Maybe something crispy and to do with Irish coffee, maybe Chocolate coated Espresso Beans? Who knows!

A picture of the Irish Velvet and Cream Hot Chocolate and a Terry's Chocolate Orange Muffin

Terrys Chocolate Orange Muffin

This Muffin is brand new for 2019, and, it is amazing. Sadly, you can't whack it to release its chocolate orange flavour, as that would make your sweet treat end up in a squidgy mess on the floor. The muffin is made up of a thick Chocolate Orange segment, which is sat on top of some thick Chocolate frosting, which is on top of a Chocolate Orange muffin which contains pieces of Terry's Chocolate Orange and a Chocolate-y Orange based goo in the middle. The bits of Chocolate Orange and the decorative segment on the top, make for such a textural contrast between the free flowing goo, the crumbly sweet muffin itself, and, the thick even sweeter frosting. As there is a fair amount of sweet going on, in terms of taste, it means that I love the Orange kick even more than I would normally as it just stops it from all being too sickly. Terry's Chocolate Orange as a whole makes me think of Christmas, especially the Popping Candy ones, that you can only get at Christmas time in pouch form.

Have you tried any of the above from the Costa Festive 2019 Menu? Have you tried any of the other products that I haven't mentioned, such as the Christmas Tea, or any of the food? Would you like me to try any of the other items within this menu? Let me know down below! 

Check out Costa Coffee to see what else is on their menu, including their Dairy Alternatives, which are all free this Festive period!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x