Costa Coffee Christmas Range 2023

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I thought that today I would talk to you all about the new Costa Coffee Christmas range. Yes, I know it may be a bit early for some of you to see Christmas but who doesn’t love hearing about some new delicious goodies that are coming to a Costa Coffee store near you very soon? 

Sticky Toffee 

Who doesn’t love a good Sticky Toffee Pudding when the days get dark and cold very quickly? 

The Sticky Toffee drinks come in two formats. A Latte to keep you warm when the weather gets chilly and a Iced Latte that will help to refresh you when the Christmas shopping gets a little bit too stressful. 

Both of these drinks will feature a yummy sticky toffee flavoured sauce, topped with Light Whip, and drizzled with even more sauce, finished with a sprinkling of bronze shimmery, angel-like dusting. 

Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate 

Black Forest is back baby! I know a lot of people including myself were devastated when Black Forest was scrapped for last years Christmas range and then had to rush to try and grab it in a store during the last week leading up to Christmas. This year, Costa has brought Black Forest back with a bang! 

The iconic drink features a rich hot chocolate with cherry sauce topped with cream and drizzled with cherry sauce. 

If you are a Costa Club member and have the App then you are already able to get the Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate in stores before the rest of the range and before non-members can grab it on 2nd November. All you have to do is scan your card and ask for one at the till or order one through the Click and Collect feature on the Costa Coffee App. 

I must admit, I may have already grabbed one through the Costa App when I was out with Luke the other day and oh my god it was worth the wait. Delicious and fruity. Utter perfection. 

Roasted Hazel 

Is it just me or does the scent of roasted nuts makes it  feel like its the beginning of the festive season? Now you can enjoy that feeling in a drink! 

Roasted Hazel will be available as a Latte and a Hot Chocolate. Both of these warming drinks will include a flavourful roasted hazelnut syrup, topped with Light Whip, and completed with a beautiful, bronzed shimmer and mini gold stars. 

I do love Hazelnut and this screams a very me drink so I am intrigued to see what Roasted Hazel tastes like. I also love the addition of gold stars. I bet it looks pretty and adds to the festive vibe! 

Gingerbread & Cream Latte 

Gingy is back and  they’re looking tastier than ever! 

This drink features a milky coffee laced with a generous slurp of sugar free gingerbread syrup, topped with cream and adorned with a mini gingerbread person.

I love anything Gingerbread so I will definitely be grabbing one of these. 

Inspired by After Eight® Hot Chocolate & Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate

Who doesn’t love a good couple of After Eights after a filling Christmas Lunch? Well Costa have made an After Eight® Hot Chocolate so you can have it all Christmas season long! 

Is it just me who associates Terry's Chocolate Orange® with Christmas? I just imagine one of these tasty chocolate balls in the bottom of my Christmas stocking. Costa has also decided to bring back the well loved Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate for those who love a good Chocolate Orange drink throughout the festive period. Both of these drinks come with either a  Terry's Chocolate Orange® Segment or an After Eight® slip on the side. 

Costa Express:

Costa Express customers can enjoy a taste of the festivities with the new Sticky Toffee Latte, new Sticky Toffee Hot Chocolate, and new Sticky Toffee Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines). 

Shell customers can get exclusive access to the new Roasted Hazel Latte, new Roasted Hazel Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines) and new Roasted Hazel Hot Chocolate.

Food:

Pigs In Blankets Toastie

Pigs In Blankets is an ultimate staple of Christmas Dinner for a lot of people in the UK so cramming these beauties into a toastie sounds like a perfect idea to me. 

This brand new product for Costa Coffee features succulent pork sausage and maple cured bacon, with sweet, caramelised onion chutney, all in tempting garlic, onion and sage crumbed cheese-topped bread. 

Vegan Turkey & Trimmings Toastie

Just because Christmas is full of meat doesn’t mean that we can leave the vegans out of having some delicious festive food

This toastie consists of vegan turkey with stuffing, yummy cranberry sauce, vegan mayonnaise, vegan gravy, all in toasted white bread. 

I love to incorporate some Vegan products into my diet a lot of the time so I will definitely be trying this one out! 

Honey Roast Ham & Wensleydale Ciabatta 

All I’m going to say is Cheese, Gromit, Cheese! 

This sandwich features juicy British Honey roast ham and Wensleydale cheese, mature Cheddar and honey and béchamel sauce, packed into a cranberry stuffed ciabatta.  

I have been enjoying sandwiches and burgers with a Bechamel sauce recently so I may try this to see how Cranberry, Honey, Roast Ham, Wensleydale and Bechamel all work together. 

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies & Sausage Rolls

Who doesn’t love some good picky bits? 

The Melton Mowbray Pies consisting of seasoned uncured British pork baked in a rich hot water crust pastry. The Sausage Rolls have seasoned pork sausage meat, pulled pork and divine Bramley apples, in an all-butter puff pastry topped with a wonderful festive pastry star. 

I love both a Pork Pie and a Sausage Roll so I’ll definitely be tempted to grab one of each. The Sausage Roll sounds divine to me. Savoury, full of flavour and still utterly seasonal. 

What’s Returning? 

The following savoury delights are returning for the festive season at Costa Coffee. 

Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini, Brie & Cranberry Toastie, Turkey & Trimmings Toastie and the Turkey Feast Sandwich. 

Sweet Treats: 

Belgian Chocolate Ganache Cake

I mean, who doesn’t love Chocolate Cake? 

This new product is a rich chocolate cake, filled with chocolate frosting and topped with an indulgent chocolate ganache and star sprinkles. 

Honestly, this sounds amazing! I love anything that has a ganache in as it adds some texture to the cake. I just hope that the cake itself is terrifically tender! 

Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake 

A piece of Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake and a Sticky Toffee Latte? Can anyone imagine a better pairing? I can’t! 

This afternoon delight consists of a toffee flavoured sponge cake which is topped with caramel frosting, caramel drizzle, and indulgent fudge pieces.  

I love the different textures that are going on in this cake. You have the cake itself paired with the smooth frosting and the chunky fudgy pieces. A definite must try! 

Vegan Christmas Cake Slice 

 Vegans need a sweet treat too! 

A rich fruit cake base and is topped with a layer of marzipan and white icing.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Christmas Cake. If you are then this will definitely be a treat for you! 

Polar Bear Gingerbread & Christmas Tree Shortcake Biscuits 

A cute biscuit can really perk up the dullest of days! New for 2023, Costa have released two cute biscuits to go alongside a drink and a catch up with friends. There’s a cute Polar Bear shaped Gingerbread Biscuit and a festive Christmas Tree shaped Shortcake Biscuit. Definitely a great treat for a catch up or those little ones who need a sweet treat. 

Bags Of Sweet Treats 

Sometimes when you are out and about with either friends or your own, you just want a little bag of something. Well, Costa has come to the rescue with these amazing bags of goodies that are new fof 2023. 

There is Salted Caramel Honeycomb Bag (Salted honeycomb coated in caramel flavour milk chocolate, in collaboration with Mighty Fine). There’s also Clotted Cream Fudge bag (rich, crumbly fudge made with West Country clotted cream and handmade by Mr Stanley’s)., These would be great alongside a warm drink or stashed in your bag for when you need a little pick me up. 

What’s Returning? 

Back for 2023, we have Vegan Mince Tart, All Butter Mince Pie, Terry's Chocolate Orange® Muffin (which is available in Costa Coffee stores right now), Gingerbread Muffin, White Chocolate Trillionaire’s Slice and the Crispy Festive Wreath. 

Will you be trying any of the Costa Coffee Christmas 2023 range? What’s your favourite festive drink? Let me know! 

Costa Coffee’s Christmas Menu is available to purchase and try on 2nd November. 

All photos are from Costa Coffee PR. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Kin Thai - The Broadway Bradford Review

Hey everyone! 

I was recently invited to go check out Kin Thai at my hometown shopping centre The Broadway Bradford and I thought that today I would talk to you all about it. 

'With our solid background in restaurants , we are now creating a new healthy concept around Thai food in a mall kiosk. Modern Thai food to grab and go!' - The Broadway Bradford. 

Due to the heatwave that is going on at the minute I decided to stick to the bubble teas that Kin Thai have to offer.

Myself and Luke had decided to make a trip into Bradford City Centre. As it was a couple of days after Luke’s Birthday, we decided to grab a slice of Cake and Ice Cream from the wonderful Cake Ole that is located in the heart of Bradford City Centre. After this, we had a quick jaunt around the superb shopping centre itself. After this, we decided that it was time to go and check out the wonderful people over at Kin Thai. 

I got to see how the staff at Kin Thai create their wonderful Bubble Teas and you can instantly see the passion that they have for creating their products. After a brief conversation, I decided to try out their traditional Thai Milk Tea. Luke prefers the fruitier sort of Bubble Teas so the staff suggested that he tried their Miss Kin tea. 

After shaking the Bubble Tea up, I punched my straw through the lid and took a sip. If anyone knows me then they will know that I am notoriously bad at punching Boba straws through the lid of a Bubble Tea so I was surprised when I didn’t make a mess of doing it for once. I took a sip of the Thai Milk Tea and oh god it was gorgeous. Milky but not cloyingly sweet. The Tea flavour itself still had room to shine which I really liked as it cut through some of the sweetness of the Milk. Dwfinitely a drink worth getting again. The Pearls themselves were slightly chewy and bouncy but not too chewy which is my perfect pearl consistency personally. The Pearls themselves seemed to add a slight nutty taste to the drink which again helped to cut through the milk. I love anything nutty so I really liked this flavour combination. I can definitely see myself getting again and again! 

Like most Bubble Tea vendors, you can choose the amount of sugar and ice that you want in your drink which I really like as I have sweet tooth and normally don't like too much ice in my drinks. The price for the Thai Milk Tea for a regular is £4 and a large is £5. 

Luke got the Miss Kin Tea. This tea consists of Jasmine Tea,Passionfruit & Strawberry and what I believe is Passionfruit Popping Boba if I remember correctly. (I could be completely wrong and my memory could be deceiving me but I am pretty sure that it was Passionfruit Popping Boba. I loved this drink. It was so refreshing! The Strawberry added a bit of sweetness whereas the Passionfruit added a bit of tang which created an amazing flavour combination. The Jasmine added a slight light floral note which didn't overwhelm the flavours of the drink at all. The Popping Boba added a textural aspect which was to die for. I always love how the balls just pop in your mouth! (I know that Popping Boba are a love or loathe type of food, let me know your opinion in the comments below). The price of this drink started at £4.50 for a regular and costs £5 for a large. 

I loved both of them and before I give them a severely high high rating, I need to go and try some of the other flavours such as the Ube and Mango flavours. It's been hard to find Luke a good Bubble Tea when I grab so Many of them and well Luke adored Kin Thai so that should scream how good their Bubble Teas are. I think once I have tried the other flavours and some of their food then I can give them a accurate rating but for now its a 9.5/10. 

Check out Kin Thai on Instagram. 

Have you tried Kin Thai? Let me know down below. 

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

I have now joined TikTok at thejamiesowden! 

This post was in return of a product or service. All views are my own. 

Drinking Above A Market | No. 28 Newcastle Review

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today I would talk to you all about one of my new favourite place to grab a drink from in Newcastle . 

No.28 is a little bar that is tucked away above the well known Grainger Market in Newcastle City Centre. It offers a range of drinks, tapas style food and offers to suit everyone’s needs and also offers an ambience that just makes you want to spend all night in there. 

I decided to check out the superb space with Alex. We decided to get a mixture of food and drinks. (If you want to know about the food then go on over to my Instagram). 

We decided to get a cocktail a piece and some shots. I have been enjoying the Honey Cazcabel Tequila recently and saw that they had a coffee version so it made sense to try it there and then. I also made Alex try both the Honey and Coffee varieties. They loved both and I quite liked the Coffee version but I still think that the Honey one is my favourite. 

We tried both the Burnt Crumble and the Banana and Walnut Espresso Martini which Alex mainly drank but I mean I had to try a little bit of it for content reasons. 

Burnt Crumble contained Goslings Black Seal Rum, dark crème de cacao, Teichenne Butterscotch Schnapps, Apple and Lemon Juices, caramel syrup and a spray of Laphroaig over the glass. I absolutely loved this drink. The mixture of both the schnapps and syrup gave this drink a sort of sweet yet baked caramel taste to the drink which was interesting as when I saw butterscotch and caramel I was expecting this drink to be sickly but it really wasn’t. The rum added a sort of deep smokiness to the drink which helped to further cut through the two elements just mentioned. I think the dark crème de cacao blended into the rum as it wasn’t that pronounced when I sipped this drink. Finally the apple and lemon added a touch of freshness to the drink which cut through the sweet and smoky to make this drink not only delectable but also one that I could not stop sipping. If you’re a fan of well desserts, apples, crumbles, anything with a slightly sweet kick to it then definitely get this drink as you will love it. 

The Banana and Walnut Espresso Martini contained Black Tears Spiced Rum, Crème Dr Banane, Noix de la st jean and Espresso. I’m not the biggest fan of Walnuts so this drink wasn’t fully for me but I could definitely respect it for what it is. I also think that the Espresso Martini came in general is quite saturated so it’s quite refreshing to see a new take on it. The Banana complimented the coffee notes in this drink beautifully as it gave a sort of creaminess in regards to the flavour of this drink which I really enjoyed. If you love Espresso Martinis I definitely say give this a try and see if you enjoy it! 

Overall, g the great drinks, amazing ambience and fantastic food made for a great experience for me. I’ll definitely be coming back to try some of their other amazing drinks. 

Check out No.28.

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

Shoving My Face Into All Of That Cake | Cake'ole Bradford

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new post! I tried out Cake'ole in Bradford a while ago, and I thought that today, I would talk to you all about my experience there.

Cake'ole are an LGBT+ establishment that offers different cakes and treats on a daily basis to keep their minds and customers on their toes. They also offer a range of drinks, milkshakes and even an afternoon tea. Cake'ole is located in Centenary Square, in Bradford, which is known for many attractions including the Mirror Pool and City Hall

We walked into the excellent establishment, took a look round, and, decided to choose a table to sit down at. The building itself has a slightly cosy and relaxed aesthetic to it with chairs and large tables dotted around. We looked at the menu for a couple of minutes and chatted about the drinks that we wanted. When myself and Luke had decided on what drinks we wante, I got up and checked out the cakes of the day and then ordered.

Luke had decided to get a Black Forest Twisted Shake, whereas I decided to choose a Salted Caramel Twisted Shake. If you follow me on any form of social media, then, you will know that I have a little bit of an obsession to Salted Caramel. These Shakes came in sort of glass mason jars and were filled to the brim! My Shake came with Whipped Cream, a salted rim, and caramel sauce. (I love a good coarse salted rim!) The drink was creamy and had an authentic caramel taste to it. By this, I mean that it actually tasted of Caramel and not the sort of artificial Caramel that sometimes Caramel based drinks taste of. The rim cut through all of the sweetness of the shake, the caramel sauce and the cream which made the drink morish instead of sickly. I love a good salty sweet moment! There was even more salt at the bottom of the drink which meant that you weren't left feeling sick at the end of the drink. Honestly, I would go back just for this drink along as the contrast of smooth, crunchy, salty and sweet was amazing! Luke loves his drink. He loved the contrast between the sweet cream and the slight fruitiness from the Black Forest Shake. He also loved the slight decoration of Black Forest Cake pieces that were on the top of the Shake as this added to the contrast of textures.

We then got two slices of cake to enjoy. The first one that we got was Mocha. A chocolate sponge with Coffee Buttercream. This one was nice, but I didn't get much of a Mocha flavour from it. I loved the contrast of the fluffy sponge against the rich smooth buttercream though. We also decided to get a slice of Blue Raspberry. What made it Blue, you ask? Well the colour of the cake, of course! The cake was super moist, the icing was slightly sweet but the raspberry flavour was still there. Again, this cake had an authentic Raspberry flavour to it. I loved the contrast between the slightly sweet flavour of the icing against the sharpness of the Raspberries. I would definitely come here again!

We finished our drinks and cake, chatted for a bit and decided to do a little bit more shopping around Bradford before going home.

Check out Cake'ole.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Scolding My Body In Turmeric Goodness | Lush Turmeric Latte Shower Gel

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I decided to get one of the Lush Community Favourite Shower Gels when they came out on the website a while ago, and I thought that I would tell you my thoughts on the product. 

Lush released a range of Community Favourite Shower Gels a while ago, including, Intergalactic, Guardians Of The Forest, Sex Bomb, Goddess, Groovy Kind Of Love, and, Turmeric Latte. I have been loving the scent of the Turmeric Latte Bath Bomb since it was released for the anniversary of the Bath bomb and I knew that I had to pick it up the moment that I saw it on the website.

List Of Ingredients: 

Coconut And Turmeric Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Organic Agave Syrup, Tonka Absolute, Benzoin Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Cocoa Powder, Carrageenan Extract, Xanthan Gum, Titanium Dioxide, Coumarin, Eugenol, Colour 19140:1.

Texture:

The texture of the product is quite creamy due to ingredients such as the Coconut Milk. This ingredient also helps to ensure that skin stays soft. The gel is just a little bit thinner than a Shower Cream from Lush. I would say that this is a thick sort of shower gel. I tried to move this via tilting my hand when first testing it out, and, it slowly moved after a minute. I loved it for this reason alone, as, I'm not the biggest fan of watery gels that instantly go everywhere as soon as you squeeze it out of the bottle, as it can ruin the shower experience a bit. 

Scent:

The scent of Turmeric Latte is an interesting one. When I say interesting, what I really mean, is that it has layers of scent which sounds even more ominous than 'interesting', I know. It is the truth though. First of all, you get the spicy warmth from Turmeric and Resinoid and then after a while, the sweetness comes through, via the Tonka and Coconut. The Shower Gel is the same but as there is Cocoa Powder, you get more of a roundness from the spicy sort of notes. I hate saying roundness but again it's truth. it makes everything that little bit more pronounced. If you have ever smelt Spicebomb from Viktor and Rolf, then imagine that with a tad more sweetness pumped into a Shower Gel. I have worn this on both Hot and Cold days and this scent is fabulous for both. Trust me, I know, I wore it during a heatwave... Personally, I prefer this on a colder day just because I think you can detect the spicier notes more on those cold days. 

How It Performed When Using It:

When applying the product, you don't expect it to lather up that much, as sometimes, creamier products don't. Saying that, this lathered up quite a bit. I only needed one good squeeze to cover my entire body twice. The scent lingered for a good hour or so before the creaminess decided to become more of the prominent note. It kept my body moisturised for hours, to the point that I felt that I didn't;t need to put a moisturiser on top which was a first! 

Cost: 

£15 for 250g. This is a lot for a shower gel, but if one squirt covers a slightly chubby person like me twice, then you know that a little goes a long way, so one bottle will last you ages. If you don't want to spend that much then I urge you to buy the Turmeric Latte Bath Bomb.

Overall, I would definitely give this a 9.5/10. My only downfall is the price, but at the end of the day, it is a massive bottle that will last you for a long long time!

Check out Lush.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post. What's your favourite Lush Shower Gel? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Getting Down & Dirty With The Bartenders | Jake's Bar & Still Room

Hey everyone!

How are you? Are you enjoying the longer evenings? Let me know down below!

I kindly got invited to try out the new and marvellous menu at the wonder Jake's Bar & Still Room, so I thought that I would talk to you all about that today.

Jake’s Bar has long been renowned for the quality and selection of their cocktails and mixed drinks.
Jakes also have a renowned Still room which  create our own unique range of spirits and liqueurs: The Distilled Spirit of Leeds. A constantly changing selection of potent potables distilled and blended by Jakes talented in house team. The range is regularly changed to reflect the changing flora and flavours of the seasons.

I brought my friend, Ben, along to the launch. (If you want to find out more about Ben and his work with VOLATILITY then click here.) We walked down the grand staircase, and, entered the beautifully decorated bar. We chatted to a few of the staff and PR team who had invited us, and then was asked about our favourite liquors. Once we had mentioned our favourite spirits to drink, the bartender in question suggested a drink or two that they had created themselves, for myself and Ben to try.

The basis for Jake's new menu, is, to showcase the wonderful bartenders that work at Jake's Bar and Still Room, and their wonderful drink creating skills. Each Bartender has a section of the menu with a selection of their own drinks. Each section also comes with a little snippet about the bartender, so you can get to know them that little bit more.

Now sadly, I'm not fully sure of the spirits that are involved within the drink, so I'm going to go off on what I think is in there. If I can somehow get hold of what's in each drink, then, I will update the post.

I first tried the Rum Punch. This tasted amazing. Dark spicy Rum mixed with bright and refreshing Citrus fruits. I think rhat this will be an amazing drink for when the weather gets warmer. I always love anything with Rum so this went down a treat. Ben enjoyed a delicious Strawberry Daiquiri. He loved the sweetness of the Strawberries against the sourness of the Lime.

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After this, I tried a version of a Bloody Mary that was a little bit sweeter. It also came with a Pickle. I love Pickles. Honestly, I could have Pickles with anything. I honestly loved this. I sometimes find that the problem with Bloody Mary's are that they end up being so sour that you can't taste anything by the second gulp. This one was very different, it ensured that the Tomato came out with still a hint of sourness with the Vodka in there. Ben enjoyed a Rhubarb and Custard. He loved this drink. He liked that it all melded together, and, that the creaminess of the drink cut against the sourness. He was also intrigued on how the bartender had gotten the sweets to stick onto the glass.

We chatted for a while about all things weather and politics. After this, Ben sadly had to get home, so we said our thanks and headed off. I am definitely going back to try the rest of the menu when I can, and, hopefully get to chat to the other bartenders!

Have you been to Jakes Bar and Still Room before? Let me know down below! 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post! I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!
g
Thanks for reading! 
Jamƒie x 

I received drinks in return for writing this post. All views, ramblings and opinions are completely my own. 

Going Loco For Coco | Coco's Beach Bar Trinity Leeds

Hey everyone!

Having a good day? Yes? No? Let me know down below! Today, I thought that I would talk to you all about an amazing event at a beautiful new bar that I went to a couple of weeks ago.

A dark pink cocktail with clear pieces of crushed ice in a large clear cylindrical glass in the middle of a light pink blow up Flamingo float on a light wooden table on a light background.

Coco's Beach Bar is the even more fruitier little sibling of Cabana (which if you haven't been to then click here and here to read my two posts about them) as the bar focuses more on tropical cocktails with a twist whereas Cabana focuses on giving amazing authentic Brazillian dishes and drinks. As you can tell by the name, the bar bases itself on a tropical beach. The best bit about Coco's is that all of the cocktails are £6, all of the shooters are £3 and most of the sharers are £10 from what I remember.

An overview of the bar including bright lights from above, rectnagular tables and light wooden chairs on a dark background. 

A long rectangular counter containing decorations including pink blow up flamingos with pictures of flamingos and green palm leaves danging off the side on a dark background. 

We walked through Trinity Leeds to find the beautiful beach which you can't miss as it has a bright white jetski outside it. Myself and Luke then entered the bar and sat down. After a couple of minutes, a bartender brought over Sprinkles Margaritas. I love Sprinkles and I love a good Margarita, every now and again, so I didn't see any downsides to enjoying this amazing drink. I mean I did instantly think of Ross Geller from Friends and the speech whilst everyone is drinking Margaritas whilst drinking them but ah well. This drink contains a normal Frozen Margarita with a rim of bright Sprinkles.

Two clear glasses filled with a clear frozen margarita with a rim of different coloured sprinkles with a black bowl of crackling in front on a light wooden table on a light background. 

A close up of a clear margarita in a clear glass with a rim of different coloured sprinkles with a black straw on a light background. 

When the Sprinkled Margarita's arrived, we also enjoyed some amazing Pork Scratchings. Yes, I know that Pork Scratchings aren't normally served on the beach but these were filled with spice and were super crispy so they went well with the coolness of the Margarita.

After the magical Margarita and nibbles, Cheeky Chilli Martini arrived at our table. This cocktail contains Gin, Grand Marnier, Apple Juice, Coconut Syrup and Chilli which is on the rim of the glass to look like devil horns. I'm not the biggest fan of Gin or Chilli so I wasn't that keen on the drink but I could see this being a favourite for someone who wants something different than a G&T this year but still wants to drink a little bit of Gin. I think that Gin and Apple Juice was quite a nice but different combination.

A bright orange cocktail in a clear glass with two slices of red chilli on the rim on a light wooden table on a light background. 

Carrying on from the 'Hot, Hot, Hot' theme, next up on the cocktail train was Flaming Passion. This cocktail contains Apple Juice, Vanilla Syrup, Lime Juice, Ginger, Mint, Vodka and Ginger Beer. I love anything that has Ginger Beer in so I was already sold on this but what I loved even more was the fact that it was topped off with half a Passion Fruit with a Brown Sugar Cube set on fire on top of it. I loved the fact that this drink was fresh from the Apple & Lime Juices but had a spicy kick to it due to the Ginger and Ginger Beer. Definitely one that I would drink again and again!

A tall hi-ball glass filled with a bright orange cocktail with a dark puple pasion fruit on top with a black straw next to a bowl of nachos in a bright silver metal bowl on a light wooden table on a light background. 

A close up of a bubbly cocktail with a purple skinned and orange interior passion fruit with a black straw in a tall clear glass on a light wooden table on a light background. 

We enjoyed this drink with some Nachos which I adored. I'm always a fan of Nachos as they're the perfect snack to pick apart with friends or family. I did take a few of the Jalapeno's off as I'm weird with spice but overall I loved these and they went well with the refreshing Flaming Passion drink.

Golden triangular Tortilla Chips with bright red Salsa, white Sour Cream and bright green Jalapenos in a silver metal bowl on a light brown table on a light background. 

Coconuts were the theme next/ We enjoyed the Bounty Hunter which if you love Bounty Chocolate Bars then you will definitely love this cocktail. It contains Vodka, Chocolate, Vanilla, Coconut and Cream. This drink is also served with a little Bounty Chocolate on the side of the drink which is served in a cute Coconut Cup. I love Coconut and Bounty's so this drink was definitely up my street. Even though the chocolate on the side would melt instantly, I'd definitely drink this at the beach on a holiday. I also think that this drink is great for the Christmas period as Bounty's are enjoyed at Christmas via the Celebrations Tub.

A creamy white cocktail with clear square pieces of ice with a black straw in a brown Coconut Shell inspired cup with a small Bounty Chocolate on the side of the cup on a light brown table on a light background. 

The next drink that we enjoyed was Pink Flamingo. The fun thing about Pink Flamingo is that it comes in a little Flamingo float which you expect on a beach and as Flamingos are such an Instagram trend, its a great drink to snap and share. This cocktail consists of Rum, Coconut Syrup and Orange Juice. This may sound simple but it is a delicious drink as the mix of Rum and Orange Juice creates a a slightly sour taste but then Coconut Syrup comes through and makes it a bit sweeter. We enjoyed Sweet Potato Fries with this drink and they were delicious. Honestly, I can eat Sweet Potato Fries all day!

A dark pink cocktail with clear pieces of crushed ice in a large clear cylindrical glass in the middle of a light pink blow up Flamingo float on a light wooden table on a light background.

Sadly, we were filled with enough drink and food to last a lifetime but myself and Michelle rceieved a voucher for an amazing cocktail from Coco's so we went the week after to enjoy it. We both had an Island Life. which contains Vodka, Agave Syrup, Apple Juice, Grenadine, Raspberry & Passion Fruit Puree's. I love anything Passion Fruit but also I thought adding Agave Syrup was an interesting thing to do as I know a lot of cocktails contain a general sugar syrup. Raspberries in a Cocktail are always a fab thing as you get to find and eat the Raspberry itself.

A dark red liquid containing red Raspberries and dark Purple Passion Fruit with a clear straw in a brown Coconut Shell inspired cup on a light wooden table on a light background. 

We were also given a free Caipirinha due ti the staff training to make them. This contain wonderful Cachaca and Lime to create a refreshing cocktail. I loved it as it was bright, zingy and something great to drink before some amazing food to eat with great friends.

A tall clear glass containing a clear cocktail with clear crushed ice and green bits of Lime Zest at the bottom on a wooden table on a light background. 

Have you checked out Coco's Beach Bar? Let me know down below! 

Click here to find out more about Coco's.

Thanks to the wonderful staff at Coco's for having us and the wonderful staff at Trinity Leeds for inviting myself and Luke to the launch event.

I hope that you come back next time for another interesting blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Playing For Peace All Around The World | The Body Shop Christmas Event

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! The wonderful guys over at The Body Shop invited me to their Christmas Preview Event at their Briggate Flagship Store and I thought that I would talk to you all about it today.

A mixture of red, yellow and purple circular tubs with different shaped gift sets at the side including a golden rectangular one and a green patterned box on a light wooden table on a light background. 

The night began via gathering at the front of the Briggate store and going to the back of the store as the event was held in the meeting rooms that are normally meant for employees and other private things.

We started the night off by learning about the concept of the gifts for this years Christmas range. If you buy any of The Body Shops Christmas gifts then you will not only get a great gift set filled with amazing products for the body, but it's also a makeshift game board. Some of the giftsets even come with spinners! We also found out about the amazing Play For Peace. The Gift Sets also help the Play For Peace campaign that The Body Shop are running during the festive holiday period. Every gift set that you buy helps children to play in a safe place for a year.

After this, myself, Luke and Katie decided to have a play with the ranges that are available in stores for the Christmas period. Frosted Plum, Frosted Berries and Vanilla Chai. Out of all three, I loved Frosted Berries as I am a big fan of anything that is Berry scented or flavoured! If you're more of a floral sort of person then you will love Frosted Plum as I think that Plum has that sort of lightly floral yet still sweet scent to it. If you're more a Vanilla person then I'm sure that you will love Vanilla Chai! Personally, I'm not a big fan of it as I'm very difficult when it comes to Vanilla scented things.

We then chatted for a while, then ate some of the wonderful Vegan food that was available at the event including the Sweetcorn based Fritters that were available at the event as I think I ate far too many of them. (All students take advantage of free food though, dont they?!) We then went to go get our pictures taken at the stand which was in a corner of the spacious room. There were props to help the photo. I chose the bunny ears and pretended that I was giving Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman realness... Well, I can pretend that I did, okay?!

We then slowly made our way back round to the Briggate store and chatted and wandered around. This what meant for bloggers to get a full play of the new products and to pick up anything that they wanted from The Body Shop. We talked to Katie and Lizi before deciding to go home.

We received a wonderful goodie bag which included some of the new products including the Frosted Berries Hand Cream which if you want to know more about then comment down below.

Have you checked out any of the Christmas products including the Frosted Plum/Berries/Vanilla Chai products? Let me know down below!

Click here if you want to find out more about The Body Shop.

Thanks to the wonderful guys over at The Body Shop for inviting me to the Christmas Preview Event and also thanks to the staff at the Briggate store for putting on an amazing event.

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

This blog post was in exchange of an invite to a bloggers preview event and was in exchange of products or services. All opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Follow The Bear! | Hofmeister

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! I thought that I would talk to you all about an amazing beer brand called Hofmeister today.

If you are old enough to remember, then you will remember the beloved Hofmeister sdverts which urged you to follow the bear. Well, some time has passed by but the brand is back and is still telling us to follow George The Bear!

A collection of tall black glass beer bottles with a gold label saying Hofmeister in black bold font positioned like a set of ten pins on a bright background. 

Made in the heart of Bavaria using natural mineral water and locally grown barley and hops. The new Hofmeister Helles Lager is slow-brewed, colder and longer than most other beers today. That’s because Hofmeister believes that all the extra time and effort is well worth it and when you try the fresher and gently carbonated Helles, they think you will believe the same too.

Helles Lager Tasting Notes

Colour: Light golden blonde beer
Look: Thick, white head
Aroma: Fresh, soft malt, subtle hop notes
Taste: Very clean, fragrant, long dry finish
Head: White, generous, foamy
Style: Gentle carbonation
Overall: Well-filtered, easy drinking, refreshing

The Best Way To Drink Hofmeister:

1. Rinse a glass. Don’t dry it. This creates a more slippery surface inside the glass for a smoother pour and better head.
2. Pour Lager Beer at 45 degrees Step  Angle the glass 45° and pour half in slowly.
3. Straighten the glass and pour the rest in quickly. The head should be 3-5cm deep (or 1.5-2 inches if you remember Hof the first time round).
4. Then just sit back and enjoy our genuine Helles Lager like a Bavarian would. No lederhosen required.

This beer is light and slightly malty in my opinion. I love it and thats something because I'm very particular when it comes to drinking beer but I think that this would be great to drink whilst catching up with friends or on a night out. I think that everyone should definitely be folowing the bear even if its into the deep pits of the Bavarian Forest.

Remember to drink responsibly.

Find more out about Hofmeister here.

Do you drink beer? Have you tried Hofmeister? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading this drink based blog post. I hope that you have enjoyed reading it and I hope that you come back next time for reading another blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This blog post was in return of goods or services. All views and ramblings are my own. 

Loving The Signature On The Packet | McDonalds Signature Collection Event

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! The wonderful guys over at McDonalds invited me to come along to their Signature Collection Event within Bramley. Leeds and I thought that today I would talk to you guys all about it.

Signature Collection is a brand new range from McDonalds which uses fresh high quality ingredients. They have three different burgers which are The Classic, The BBQ and The Spicy. The Signature Collectuon have only been within certain McDonalds restaurants within the UK but are now coming to all stores including UberEats which means that you can enjoy one in your very own home. 

Photo From McDonalds 

Myself and Luke arrived at the event and was welcomed by the members of the PR team that were covering the event. The room was alive with atmosphere and conversation as there were plenty of people that were here for the event.

Myself and Luke ordered a drink (Coca Cola.) After the drinks were placed onto our table, a little talk was given which included the background of the Signature Collection and he limited edition Signature Collection box that was created by Julian McDonald. Fun fact: McDonalds have only prodced  1,000 of the bespoke Julian McDonald boxes

We were then asked which one of the burgers from the Signature Collection range would we like to try. Myself and Luke stuck to The BBQ due to the fact that my voice had gone and I didn't think getting The Spicy would be a great idea and I like BBQ anything really. I will list the contents of al three down below just in case you want to know about each different one before I talk about what I thought of the Signature Collection Burger itself.

• The Classic - 100% British and Irish Beef, Beechwood Smoked Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Wholegrain Mustard Mayo, Ketchup, Lettuce and Red Onion, all in a Brioche style Bun.
• The BBQ - 100% British and Irish Beef, BBQ Sauce, Coleslaw, Red Onion, Lettuce, Beechwood Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Cheese, all in a Brioche style Bun.
• The Spicy - 100% British and Irish Beef, Jalapeño Slices, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Hot & Spicy Mayo and a Spicy Relish, all in a Brioche style Bun.

The Burger, Fries and Drink arrived. I got a Chocolate Milkshake as I thought that it would help my throat a little. The Fries were delicious and had a little bit of a sort of Paprika Seasoning on them? I'm not completely sure what the seasoning was but I adored them! The Burger had a delicious yet thick Beef Patty which had a slight bit of Pepper to it I believe. the Bacon added a bit of texture as it was Crispy, the Coleslaw was quite refreshing against the sweet BBQ sauce and the Red Onions were mixed in with the Coleslaw a bit which took a bit of the rawness away from them. I loved the Brioche style Bun as it just added a lovely softness to the Burger as a whole but it also meant no Sesame Seeds. I love a good Sesame Seed, dont get me wrong, but it was nice to have a break from them.

We chatted and then decided to get a selfie in the Golden Throne and then head off back home after saying our goodbyes.

Have you tried the Signature Collection? Which one is your favourite? Are you planning on trying them? Let me know down below!

Thank you to the wonderful PR staff that invited myself and Luke to the event. Thank you to the wonderful staff that were at the event.

Check out McDonalds here.

I hope that you have enjoyed this food based blog post. I hope that you come back for another blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

This post was in collaboration with McDonalds for goods/services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Getting Local & Getting Festive | Booths Christmas Preview Event

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I know that it's far too early to be typing Christmas but Booths invited to their Christmas Preview Event at their Ilkley event a while ago and I thought I would talk to you about what happened at the event.

We arrived at Booths and entered the designated area where everything was screaming festive and ready to party. Myself and Luke grabbed a drink and slowly made our way around the room.

We stopped off at the Vodka stand. Of course, I would instantly go to the Vodka stand. Honestly, I'm bad with remembering names and brands unless it's completely drilled into me but this Vodka tasted of sweet Caramel with a slight salty kick and I loved it! I think that this would be great to have alongside dessert at any Christmas event or on Christmas Day itself.

We then wandered onto the Pie stand and I absolutely loved these. From my recollection, you can order the big Pies within in store for you to collect for big parties or or the big day. You can also pick up some of the smaller pies instantly in your local store including a wonderful Game one which I had a slice of and it was delicious. I also had a taste of the Ham and Apple Pie and oh my gopd I could eat both all day everyday!

Myself and Luke then walked on to the Sweet Treats section. I could live in this section forever. If you don't see me for the festive season then its probably because I'm hibernating here! The first sweet treat that myself and Luke tried were the Chocolate Stollen Bites. I know that Stollen and Chocolate sounds like a weird mixture but I loved it. If you're a bit confused at what Stollen actually is then let me tell you. Stollen is known as a rich German fruit and nut loaf which sometimes has Marzipan and other things in. These little bites had little dark chocolate chips embedded into them and were dusted in sugar.

We then had a taste of some Amaretto Brownies and I think that these are my new favourite thing in the world. These are described as a Dark Chocolate Brownie bites with Amaretti Biscuits,topped with a light Sugar dusting. I love a good Brownie but these were amazing as the Dark Chocolate mixed with the sweet but slightly nutty Amaretti Biscuits is amazing. If you can get your hands on these then I'd definite;y tell you to try them.

 Next on the sweet treat list were Caramel and Pretzel Shortbread Bites. These are described as s crumbly all Butter Shortbread base with a generous layer of smooth Caramel, topped with salted Pretzels and finished with a drizzle of Belgian Milk Chocolate. I loved these due to the sweetness of the Caramel and Chocolate against the salty pretzels but I think personally a tiny sprinkle of salt on top would make it perfect for myself but I love anything that has a sweet/salty relationshio going on.

Last stop on the sweet treats train is, Iced Christmas Cake Bars. These are described on the website as, Fruit Cake with Apple soaked Vine Fruit, Cherries and Dates, topped with a layer of Marzipan. I'm not the biggest fan of Fruit Cake or Marzipan but the Cake wasn't as dense as it normally is and the marzipan was weirdly not as full on as it has been in other products in the past so I quite liked it. I think that it would go very well with a cup of Chai maybe.

All of the above Sweet Treats are 2 for £6.
f;i
Thank you to Booths and their PR for inviting myself and Luke to this event. Thank you to the staff at Booths Ilkley for putting on an amazing event and being amazing when chatting to them.

I hope that you've enjoyed reading this slightly early festive food blog post and I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x