Exam season is back in full swing (so soon? I swear it feels like I only just finished the last ones...) which for me means daily trips to the library, loaded down with revision notes, neon-bright highlighters and a small pile of snacks to keep me motivated! I can't decide if I need more food during revision because my brain is working so hard or if it's just because I get very bored. I'd like to think it's the former, but I'm not so sure...
I spied a new range of snacks - 'Kettle Bites' - on my latest snack run to Tesco and ended up buying these 'Mozzarella and Pesto Lentil Curls' to try out. I've had lentil curls before and quite enjoyed them, so these held promise (not to mention mozzarella and pesto are big flavour favourites). Also in the range are 'Maple Barbecue' and 'Coconut, Chilli and Lime' wholegrain waves - essentially in the same style to the Sunbites products. I'm not sure if I'll be giving those a go; they seem a little adventurous for my tastebuds!
Being the banana fan that I am, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to try Yeo Valley's Limited Edition 'Banana & Custard Yogurt' when I saw it on the shelves. Yeo Valley are one of my favourite yogurt brands (their products are so thick and creamy and they have such a good range of flavours) and I always stock up my fridge when they're on a 2 for £2 offer.
The fact that I'm from the West Country myself may also have a bit of an influence...
There are lots of things that indicate that summer is coming. The birds are awake at 4am, everyone's having a barbecue, and your skin turns a brilliant shade of pink because you neglected the suncream. That, and everyone's wandering around clutching Starbucks frappuccinos - thanks to Happy Hour.
Happy Hour (or 'Frappy Hour') is that one glorious week in May when, between 3pm and 5pm, all Starbucks frappuccinos are half-price. Great! You can get a nice cool drink to freshen you up! The only problem is that everyone else has the same idea.
If you've not experienced the joy of a university-campus Starbucks during Happy Hour, just picture: a queue snaking out the door, a scrum of people building up at the end of the counter, stressed and hot staff, constant confusion regarding which drink belongs to who, an ever-depleting supply of straws, and more frappuccinos than you care to count. If you're in a rush to be somewhere - forget it. You'll be in there for a good 20 minutes.
It's the staff I feel bad for; I've worked my fair share of retail jobs (and still do) so know full too well how awful busy periods can be - not to mention how dull it must be, having to make the same drink straight for 2 hours. I wouldn't have actually ventured into Starbucks, had I not really, really wanted to try the new 'Banana Caramel S'mores Frappuccino'. I LOVE banana, and coffee, and caramel - so I had to face Happy Hour.
I've made the happy discovery that the shop on my university campus - I place I pretty much only use for emergency milk purchases - sells Gu puddings for the very reasonable price (compared to the supermarkets) of £2. Unfortunately, this does also now mean that I can't seem to pick up a pint of semi-skimmed without also grabbing myself a packet of puddings. Still, deadlines are fast approaching so I can be excused - I'm a stress eater.
Sandwiched within the Gu selection were these Alphonso Mango and Passion Fruit Cheesecakes - they're not a new product (according to Google) but I've never seen them before so naturally they took my eye. They're made up of of a biscuit base, a layer of passion fruit and mango curd, and a topping of passion fruit cheesecake. Mmm!
(I'm not actually the greatest fan of either mango or passion fruit, but I like Gu and I love cheesecake so I didn't let that put me off)
