Sussex Thins "Sweet Sussex" biscuits

We bought a packet of these biscuits at a Christmas Market in Brighton - all the stall were selling locally made produce from Sussex, the county that we live in.  These biscuits are a dark brown colour and slightly sweet and made from a recipe found in a 200 year old recipe book in the Horsham Museum that belonged to the Shelley family!  These are seriously delicious on their own and go surprisingly well with camembert cheese too. 

Ingredient info on reverse of box

These biscuits cost £3.25 a box and are available through various stockists listed on their website HorshamGingerbread.co.uk  Unfortunately, they don't seem to do mail order!

Fortnum and Mason Chocolate Pearl Piccadilly biscuits

These Chocolate Pearl biscuits are a poshed up chocolate chip cookie and boy, are they good!!!  There's about a dozen biscuits in a tin, very buttery digestive with choccie bits in for £7.25 a tin..... aptly a chocolate brown coloured tin!  These are available through the Fortnum & Mason website as well as instore - can be purchased here chocolate pearl biscuits

Very recommended - one of my favourites of of this range!

THIS ITEM HAS BEEN REBRANDED.  SEE NEW REVIEW HERE updated review

Book review - Touching the Void

Touching the Void

By Joe Simpson

Published by Vintage

ISBN 0-09-977101-2

This tells a true story of Joe Simpson (author) and his friend Simon Yates who were mountaineering in Peruvian Andes in the mid 1980s.  They successfully reach the peak but on their descent, Joe has a nasty accident and breaks his right leg at the knee and ankle, leaving him dangling over a ridge.  Simon was unable to see and hear Joe and, as the ice/snow under him started slipping, was then in the position of being pulled off the ice wall thus risking both their lives or to cut the rope.
Luck seemed to be with both of them, however, as Joe Simpson not only survived the fall, but also managed to crawl, hobble and drag himself back to their base camp, (Simon assumed he had died in the fall) surviving three days without food and water, and arriving on the day that Simon planned to leave base camp to return home.
This is one hell of a survival story and is well worth reading.

Available through the Book Depository here Touching the Void book

Fortnum and Mason Lemon Curd Piccadilly biscuits

This tin contains a dozen lemon flavoured biscuits that are a delight to eat!!  Very light and crisp and well worth buying (and eating!!!)  They cost £7.25 a tin which, although seemingly expensive, are worth every penny!!!  These are not available in this current format as Fortnums have now upgraded the recipe & tins.

Fortnum and Mason Milk Chocolate dipped digestive biscuits

This tin contains a dozen digestive biscuits covered on one side in milk chocolate.  They are deliciously fabulous when dunked (I dunked in hot chocolate) and I'd have no hesitation in purchasing additional tins!!  They cost £7.25 and are available in the Fortnum and Mason store and also online at Milk chocolate digestives

Very recommended!

Mozart Rose Gold milk chocolate liqueur drink

Mozart Rose Gold is described as "the luxuriously creamy Austrian milk chocolate liqueur created using the finest Belgian chocolate, kirsch and fresh cream blended with Madagascan vanilla and cocoa. A delicious treat that can add a naughty side to desserts."

I bought a bottle of this at Budapest airport on my way back to the UK in October 2015 (having tried the gold label and white label versions previously) and it is decandently delicious on its' own as an after dinner slow short drink to sip on.  I've only ever seen this brand on sale at Continental European airports in the duty free shops but have now also seen some available at Harrods in London for around the £18 mark and also online for around the £14 mark for a 700ml bottle.  For some reason the Rose Gold version sells online for £26 but I don't remember paying that much at Budapest airport!!

The label on my bottle says further info can be obtained from the Mozart Distillerie website at

 Mozart Spirits

Harrods Signature blend coffee

This is the last of four Harrods coffee that I've tried - coming in similar tins to the hot chocolate range but a slightly larger 250g metallic tin.  It's a medium roast 100% pure arabica coffee from Ethopia and El Salvador.  It has a very smooth taste and not the blatantly strong and bitter "coffee caffeine" taste that you can get with regular supermarket brands.  I'd describe this as a "light" coffee and rate it a close second to the Founders Choice coffee.  It's priced at £12.95 a tin and available by mail order from the Harrods website here Signature blend coffee

Monbana Christmas hot chocolate powder, gingerbread flavour

This is a very pleasant hot chocolate drink - it's gingerbread "flavoured" but it's not an over-the-top strong flavour.  Quite subtle but you can tell that it's there..... starts warming the mouth up nicely!  Goes very well with ginger biscuits too....!!  Made with one heaped teaspoon is good, two is better.  Wouldn't want more than that though.

This was given to me as a present so I've no idea where to buy it or how much it costs.... but I would not say no to another tin!

Fortnum & Mason Stem Ginger Piccadilly Biscuits

This 200g tin of biscuits contains a dozen thin "Piccadilly" biscuits flavoured with stem ginger.  Given the "kick" to the taste, it's real ginger too, and these make a quality biscuit!  Priced at £7.25 a tin which seems expensive..... but they ARE a quality biscuit and you'll remember the taste in a positive way for a long time after you've finished them!!  

These can be ordered online HERE as can several other flavours in the same line.  (about eight, I think)

Whittard salted caramel hot chocolate

Now this stuff is yummy!!!  I'd put this second place to the Harrods salted caramel chocolate, as it's not QUITE as luxurious.  Again you can use a heaped teaspoon of the chocolate powder with a mug's worth of hot milk and still get a yummy mug of hot chocolate although two teaspoons makes it more chocolatey.  This one was a small tub that we got in a Christmas gift box with a mug and marshamallows, but it can be bought in a standard tub of 350g for £6 online here Salted Caramel chocolate

Whittard luxury hot chocolate

We got a small tub of this last Christmas - the full sized 350g tub costs £6 - and used one heaped teaspoon in hot milk.  Although not as spiffy as the Harrods hot chocolate, the Whittards version does make a decent tasting chocolate.  It's certainly the better of the lower cost hot chocolate drinks - I prefer the Whittards luxury choc to some of their flavoured chocs.
It can be bought online here Whittards Luxury hot chocolate