LET'S EAT - Bill's breakfast

Remember those horrible exams that were causing me no end of stress back in January? Well, my results came out last Thursday and much to my delight (and relief) I managed to surpass my own expectations and pass everything with some pretty good marks! Myself and my friends decided that a celebratory breakfast was a good way to celebrate - and, having always wanted to try the breakfast menu but never quite getting round to it, we took ourselves off to Bill's.

I love Bill's - it's one of those restaurants that, even though it's a chain, manages to still feel quite unique and independent in comparison to a lot of the others that you pass on the high street. Not to mention, the food is really good.

REVIEW - Gu Zillionaires' Puddings

I can't be the only one who doesn't really understand Valentine's Day, can I? I'm all for showing love and affection to your partner, but I don't think you need a designated day in the middle of February in which to do so. I also don't understand why shops and supermarkets seem to think that all women would LOVE an enormous teddy bear as a gift (sure, they look cute, but they take up a lot of space).

Still, I do appreciate Valentine's Day because it means that there's always lots of nice food on offer in the shops. There's also usually an abundance of half-price chocolate in the days that follow. Tesco have currently got Gu puddings on offer for £1.50 (half price!) and, fancying an indulgent treat, I picked up the Zillionaire puddings the other day, which I haven't tried before. With 2 in a pack, these are an ideal Valentine's dessert for a couple - but, for singletons like myself, it's even better because it means you don't have to share.

Valentine's treat for one

REVIEW - Tesco Banana Bliss/Berry Blast Fruit Bars

Still on my hunt for a decent cereal/snack bar, I picked up these (fairly) new bars in Tesco the other day - Banana Bliss and Berry Blast fruit bars. I'd heard tales that they were Tesco's answer to Nakd bars and, with individual Nakd bars costing up to 75p, two of these Tesco boxes (each with 4 bars) for £2 seemed fairly reasonable to me!

Being incredibly fond of Nakd bars, I was interested to see how these offerings would shape up as a humble snacktime product.

Ingredients-wise, they are quite similar to Nakd bars - the Banana Bliss bar is made of dates (49%), soya protein crispies (18%), raisins (15%), cashew nuts (10%), dried banana (4%), as well as other ingredients like grape juice and rice starch.

Nakd bars are generally either 30g or 35g, but these Tesco bars are slightly lighter at 26-28g. In my opinion you could definitely feel the difference when holding the bar in your hand - however at the cheaper price it's difficult to get too miffed about the slightly smaller size.

REVIEW - Maple Syrup Muller Rice

Brrr. It is just me, or has it suddenly become rather unpleasantly chilly? It may not be that the weather is actually *that* cold, but we had such a mild November and December that I think any drop in temperature is suddenly a lot more noticeable. Personally I would quite like it if the weather would perk up again soon. Not least because Easter is so early this year, and I would like to do an egg hunt in the garden without having to wear a coat, a hat and a scarf.

Still, in the meantime I shall endeavour to warm myself up by staying inside as much as it is socially acceptable to do so. I also thoroughly recommend piping hot food, like some nice warm rice pudding. Anyone for a maple syrup Muller Rice?

REVIEW - Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Buns

It's finally February! Don't get me wrong, I don't despise January quite as much as some people do, but you have to admit that it doesn't have much going for it. It's cold and damp, there's never anything good in the sales, your boiler breaks down (well, maybe that's just me) and you're subjected to a barrage of healthy recipes and fitness tips every single day.

February is much more exciting. Pancake Day! Valentine's Day! Cut-price Valentine's chocolate on the 15th! And, by now it's surely an acceptable time to admit that your New Year's resolutions were never going to be successful and you might as well get back to eating some nice food. Possibly in the form of Cinnamon Buns Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

A February delight

REVIEW - M&S Roasted Vegetable and Avocado Sandwich

It's been a very long month but finally, FINALLY, my exams are over and I have a brief period of freedom before starting all over again in semester two. After my last exam yesterday (which was horrendous) I decided to pop on the train and come back home for a week - I'm seriously needing some 'me' time and some home comforts. Being ridiculous early for my train (I have a thing for punctuality) and also having no food to sustain me for the journey, I decided to splash the cash and get a sandwich from M&S.

This 'roasted vegetable and avocado' sandwich caught my eye straight away - partly because I thought it sounded nice and also partly because it had a green "new!" sticker on the shelf. I have no willpower for new foods. I haven't been loitering around the sandwich section of M&S for a while, so I couldn't say how recently this was brought out, but probably since after Christmas.

LET'S EAT - Pizza Express (again)

Monday night found me in Pizza Express (yes, again), devouring a generously sized pizza and a good helping of dessert. This was mainly as a way to have an early birthday celebration for one of my closest friends, but it just so happened that it coincided with the completion of my first exam so I was very much in a 'treat yourself' and 'eat your sorrows' mood. We were drawn to Pizza Express largely because of the promise of pizza, however the 40% NUS discount on Mondays was also incredibly appealing.

Pizza for two