3 things I tried from Waitrose this week.
New year, new gut
It wasn’t that long ago that a Sunday night, following a two-week Christmas break would fill me with dread. My mind would conjure up every conceivable plan to run away or try something new - anything that would keep me from work the next day. That was before I had kids.
Last night I was positively beaming at the prospect of spending my first day back at work, sat in silence, by myself, writing emails and speaking with adults about adult things. Lovely though they are, spending two weeks over Christmas with my kids (toddler and newborn) is exhausting.
A trip to the local supermarket is considered “me” time, which isn’t far off the truth. I am one of those people who genuinely loves perusing a supermarket aisle. I will pick up new things that catch my eye, check ingredients lists, and marvel at how all of this food ended up in a big fridge for my convenience.
On one of my precious supermarket trips (that obviously took a lot longer than expected, considering it was me time) I had the idea to step outside my basket favourites and write about my experience. This week it’s an accidental gut foods special. Whilst it would have been clever for me to consciously choose this topic, with gut health so hot right now and with New Year’s resolutions still top of mind for most of us, it was actually just coincidence:
Vadasz Kimchi Ketchup
If you have tried their original kimchi, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’ve just sent that through a blender and put it in a bottle. Whilst ketchup can take a number of different varieties, I naturally default to thinking most are tomato-based and was expecting this one to be given the bright red colour. Don’t be fooled, there’s not a tomato in site and I think it’s a bit of a missed opportunity. It has a real tangy spice that isn’t too overwhelming and think it would go well on rice bowls but not in a bacon sandwich.
Taste and texture: 4/10
Price: £3.37 on offer
Verdict: it’s fine, but it will likely hide at the back of my fridge until 2030
Yaar cloudberry yogurt bar
The first thing that popped into my head when nibbling on this kefir yogurt bar was Boursin. The people at yaar likened the texture to cheesecake on their website which is probably a bit more appealing. This flavour is cloudberry (Which I now know is a raspberry and redcurrant like fruit thanks to google) and I couldn’t tell you what it tastes like, given it’s so subtle in the bar. It’s overpowered by the toffee shell, which was unfortunately sweaty when unwrapped and tasted a bit like a nostalgic Gold bar. At 11g of sugar per bar, I’ll be sticking to straight up yog.
Taste and texture: 5/10
Price: £4
Verdict: Educational if nothing else
Mockingbird Gut shot
When I picked this up, I thought it was a ginger shot, and I had already formulated the start of my review as a devout moju drinker. What this actually is, is lemon juice. It must do you some good because of how piercingly sour it is. It’s got enough punch to give you a light bead, similar to the one you get from having a bag of tangfastics.
The ingredients include 6 and a 1/4 squeezed lemons, 1 pressed apple, a drizzle of honey, a dash of chicory root fibre and a sprinkle of lemon balm extract. So if you take out the chicory root and lemon balm, you’ve essentially got what your mum used to make you when you were a little under the weather.
Taste and texture: 6/10
Price: £6.25 !!
Verdict: Lemsip without the drugs, not worth six quid but il get through the bottle.
Comment to let me know what I should review next!
Hilarious and educational , love it ! Highlights the weird and wonderful world we live in , keep them coming !