REVIEW: WeightWatchers Biscuits

I received some WeightWatchers products to review...

5 Caramel Wafers

At 78 calories per bar, I thought they sounded too good to be true. They looked appealing, but I worried what they would taste like as surely they couldn't taste as good as a normal caramel wafer?!

Well, I was wrong - I would go as far as to say they are better than some caramel wafers I have tried in the past. And the best thing of all is, I can rest safe in the knowledge that they are a guilt-free snack as they won't spoil my diet.

As most of you know, I am on a diet at the moment, and I must say, I've been missing my chocolate fix quite a bit, so when I received these bars to review, it was like Christmas come early - getting to have a delicious chocolate covered caramel wafer but without the worry of how it will affect my diet.

They have both a delicious taste and texture. It's a delicious chocolate covered wafer with some delicious, chewy caramel in too.

5 Chocolate Biscuits

At 89 calories a bar, again these are a dieters dream snack - chocolate without the guilt trip!

In all honesty, I wasn't very keen on these - the chocolate was delicious, but the actual biscuit was very chewy and grainy and it didn't have a very nice texture. The taste of both the chocolate and biscuit were fine, I just didn't enjoy the texture and crunchiness of the biscuit.

To be honest though, beggars can't be choosers - if you've been on a choccy vacation because you're on a diet, you will want to eat them anyway - I know I did!

REVIEW: B_E_E Dishwash Liquid

I received the new B_E_E Dishwash Liquid to try out and review...

I was a little confused at first as the label calls it "dishwash liquid" so I was thinking for the dishwasher... but it's not it is for washing manually.


After being used to overpowering citrus or various other soapy smelling fruit concoctions, it was nice to open the bottle and get a simple but appealing cleanliness smell. It simply smelt like it would clean stuff.


The packaging was easy to grip even with slippery wet hands. It was a little more viscous than other washing up liquids I have used and came out the bottle nicely with just a little squeeze. It made plenty of bubbles. Plates, cups and pans were as easy to clean as with other washing up liquids. It dealt with greasy frying pans and plates after greasy food with no problems. Glasses came out shiny and sparkling. After using it my hands felt quite good. 


The product contains South Pacific kawakawa which they say looks after your skin; also it contains essential oil of rosemary and spearmint. The cleaning agents are made from natural ingredients which is a refreshing change, these include coconut and sugar! Overall B_E_E Dishwash Liquid has been designed with the environment in mind as well as caring for your hands and there seemed to be no compromise in it's cleaning power. The bottle and label are recyclable and the product has not been tested on animals.


For more information, visit www.planethealth.com.au/. RRP £3.95.

REVIEW + COMPETITION: Aleyna 'Sun Kissed' Range

I was delighted to review some of the new Aleyna 'Sun Kissed' range to review. This is what I thought...


Aleyna Sun Kissed Tomatoes
I loved these - before I say anything else, I have to say that... They are SO delicious. They are sun ripened and slow roasted tomatoes - they are deliciously sweet and succulent and very flavoursome and juicy. I ate some straight out of the jar and they really are supremely delicious. My husband tried them too and really enjoyed them.

Aleyna Sun Kissed Peppers
In general, I wouldn't eat peppers on their own - I can only generally tolerate them as an ingredient in different foods, so I was pleasantly surprised when tasting these as I thought they were very nice. Although I preferred the tomatoes in the range, I very much liked these peppers too. Again, they are slow roasted and are very soft, succulent and tasty. They also have a touch of oregano and garlic which just intensifies their delicious taste. As with the tomatoes, I tasted these peppers straight out of the jar too. My husband really enjoyed these and I had to take them away from him quickly to stop him eating the whole jar!

They have kindly given me some extras to offer to you, my readers. Details of the competition are below...

COMPETITION

Right, two lucky readers will each receive a jar of each of the Aleyna Sun Kissed range. If you would like to win, follow these simple steps:

1) Follow my blog with Google Connect

2) Leave a comment below letting me know how you would eat/serve these if you won and let me know if you have ever tried them before

3) Tweet the following "I want to win the Alyena Sun Kissed range with @MyRandomBlurb Enter here http://bit.ly/kD7aaa #MyRandomBlurb"

Competition ends on 16th June 2011 and is open to UK residents only.

CONGRATULATIONS - @foxyowl |den71cross AND @Isis1981uk | Isis1981uk - please send your address to twitter@myrandomblurb.co.uk

REVIEW: Radcliffe's Wines

I had the pleasure of receiving two bottles of Radcliffe's wine to review and this is what I thought...


Radcliffe's Muscadet
This is a 2009 French white wine. It is a very aromatic, dry white wine with a delicious crisp taste and hints of an appley flavour. It has an 11.5% volume.


I served it chilled with a nice lemon chicken and cous cous meal and it accompanied the meal very well. It was very easy to drink and I enjoyed every sip of it. I love a nice cold glass of white wine to wind down and relax at the end of the day, and this wine did not disappoint. It was very rich in flavour and taste. I'm trying to describe it as it was for me, as I am not a wine expert, so I cannot describe it in a connoisseur kind of way.

"Muscadet is a classic French white wine, made from Melon de Bourgogne grapes grown in the maritime climate of the western Loire Valley, in the region irrigated by the Sèvre and Maine rivers. This wine is pale yellow-green in colour, with attractive citrus and floral aromas and delicate flavours. A crisp, refreshing wine that is traditionally served with fish and shellfish, or on its own as an aperitif."


Radcliffe's Chianti
This is a 2008 medium-bodied Italian red wine. It has a deep ruby red colour and has scents of berries and vanilla. It has a 12.5% volume.


I am not a very big fan of red wine - I'm more of a white wine person, whereas my husband is more of a red wine person, but we have both red and white to please us both. This was a very nice wine however - it has a very depthful taste to it and is a pleasure to the tastebuds. I had this wine as an accompaniment to a roast chicken and mediterranean  vegatables meal and it made the perfect match to the meal. I didn't much like the after-taste, though that may be because I simply am not a big fan of red wine - my husband thought it was very enjoyable on the other hand, but then he does like red wine best.

"A classic Tuscan red wine, made predominantly from Sangiovese grapes and characterised by a deep ruby red colour with shades of violet. This typical example has pleasant aromas of red berry fruits and vanilla, and a remarkable body with good balance and a long finish. It is the perfect accompaniment to both red and white roast meats, or Italian cured meats."

The complete Radcliffe’s Collection includes Muscadet, Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Grigio Blush, Rioja, Côtes du Rhône, Corbières, Chianti, Chablis, Sancerre, Barolo and Châteauneuf du Pape.

Available from www.radcliffeswines.co.uk, branches of Martin McColls, Wine Rack, Bargain Booze, Wine Shak and independent wine merchants nationwide. Prices start at £5.49.

REVIEW + COMPETITION: Nature Valley Snack Bars

I was very happy to receive a large selection of the various varieties of Nature Valley snack bars to review and this is what I thought...

CrunchyRolled wholegrain oats baked until crisp. 2 Bars in every pack. They come in packs of 6 double bars. And there are 3 flavours and a variety pack with two of each flavour in:

Roasted AlmondReally nice not overpoweringly nutty like I was expecting them to be.

Oats & HoneyNice crunchy with a delicious oaty taste. With real honey in to sweeten it nicely.

Canadian Maple SyrupNice oaty flavour again but this time topped off with maple syrup flavour.

Chewy TrailThese come in packs of six, RRP £2.19 from Sainsburys and Waitrose. They contain oats, nuts and fruit pieces:

Mixed BerryOpening the packet they have a really nice fruity smell. The bar is soft and easy to pull bits off. The main taste is the berries. Soft and easy to chew. Not overly sweet like some snacks. Filled with mixed berry pieces, roasted nuts, honey and whole grain oats.

Fruit and nutJust like the mixed berry this one is soft, chewy and easily breakable. Opening the packet releases a deliciously nutty aroma. I preferred the berry one but that is just down to personal taste. They are full of almonds, peanuts, honey, raisins, sunflower seeds and oats.

Crunchy and moreThese are new from Nature Valley and they have been well thought out! Two great flavours with good sizes pieces in them. They come in packs of 5 double bars:

Oats and berryNice crunchy bars with real chewy fruit pieces in. These smell fantastic and are good and satisfying to munch on. And you get the real feeling that they are much better for you than chocolate bars!

Oats and hazelnutsVery much like the regular crunchy Nature Valley bars. The big difference is the size of the nutty pieces which are much chunkier rather than the smaller bits. Also just when you think your snack time is over there is a whole second bar in the packet.

In my pack, I was also sent some gardening gloves which was fantastic as I do a lot of grow your own (vegetables and fruit). I also received some "ready to plant" seeds, a USB stick and a lovely bag for them all too.

If you would like to know more about Nature Valley products, you can visit their website at www.naturevalley.co.uk.

COMPETITION

How would you like to win some delicious Nature Valley snack bars? We have 3 prizes up for grabs:

1st Prize 1x 10 bar pack of Nature Valley Crunchy & More Granola Bars: Oats & Hazelnuts plus a 50p off coupon

2nd Prize 2x Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix: Mixed Berry bars, 2x Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix: Fruit & Nut bars plus a 50p off coupon

3rd prize 2x Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix: Mixed Berry bars, 1x Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix: Fruit & Nut bar plus a 50p off coupon

HOW TO WIN

1. Follow my blog using Google Connect

2. Visit www.naturevalley.co.uk and leave a comment telling me which snack bar you would most like to try and let me know if you have ever tried Nature Valley snack bars before - be sure to leave your Twitter username, a link to your Facebook profile or your e-mail address in order for me to contact you if you are a winner

BONUS ENTRIES

3. Follow my blog on Facebook (1 entry)

4. Follow my blog on Twitter (1 entry)

5. Follow my other blog: TruRvu (1 entry)

6. Leave a comment on any other blog post (not including competition posts) and leave a separate comment here telling me which one you left it on (3 entries)

7. Sign up to the blog newsletter over on the right - you must click to verify in your e-mails (3 entries)


COMPETITION ENDS ON 20TH JUNE 2011 AND IS OPEN TO UK RESIDENTS ONLY.


1ST PRIZE WINNER: @googoodoll83
2ND PRIZE WINNER: @bloomingfox
3RD PRIZE WINNER: @essexgirlSE
Please e-mail your name & address to twitter@myrandomblurb.co.uk