Category: Reviews

I don’t choose to try things, unless I know my kidlets or I will actually use them, so two items came top of my list recently, one of them being the jujube fruit

I’m a date snob, in that the only ones I like are Medjool dates, and I eat loads of them in a month.  They stop me craving sweets, and as they taste so caramel like, I never feel the need to eat any sweets.  That’s why I said yes to trying the Jujube dried fruit.

Abakus Jujube

Image Courtesy of Abakus Foods

The Jujube fruit, from Abakus Foods, is known as a red date, and has been eaten in Asia for thousands of years.  Jujube tells me that it’s used in Chinese Medicine for vitality and wellbeing.  As a natural sweetener, it was worth a try, and I wondered if the dried Jujube fruit might be an alternative for my Medjool date obsession.  It’d be nice to have something slightly different.

Dried Jujube Fruit 

You know when you open a pack of sweets, and five minutes later the pack is empty, depsite resolving only to try a couple?  Yup, that was me.  Couldn’t stop popping these into my mouth.

They tasted sweet, quite dry and spongy, with a slightly nutty taste to me.  It’s very pleasant indeed.  I could quite easily eat these instead of sweets though, which is always a good thing when it comes to fruit.  At 289 calories per 100g, a whole pack from Abakus only weighs 40g, which is the perfect snack size.   At 115 calories for about 14 of these red dates, it’s a great snack for me.  They’re a source of antioxidants and have no added sugar.

I’m hoping I can find these easily in shops to be honest.  They lasted me longer than a packet of crisps.

Suggestions from Abakus are to enjoy as a snack, add to porridge, salad and soups, use in baked goods and add to smoothies.  The actual dates, I’d just eat as they are.  I did eat them as they were.  I wouldn’t need suggestions for how to use these, they’re among my new favourites.

Jujube Crisps 

Jujube Foods says these are crunchy, light and sweet.  I found them slightly chewy crunchy, but that was fine, as they’re really really good, and would be much better for me than a packet of crisps when I’ve got a craving.  They are slightly higher in calories at 350g per 100g or 72 calories per 20g pack.

They make a decent snack, and would look awesome as part of a party susan, if that’s even what they’re called nowadays, with the lovely bright red colour on the outside and the pale middle.

Jujube Powder

This would be fab for adding to smoothies, desserts and sweet baking.  I actually quite liked just eating the powder, as it’s more of a crumbled biscuity texture.

I’d quite like to see how it performed as the base for a cheesecake, but that could work out rather expensive, so perhaps I’d try it to reduce how much of a biscuit base I use.

What do I think?

I had a look to see where I could get some of these, but my local supermarket doesn’t stock them, so I’ll have to head to Abacus itself.  Keep an eye out for these on the shelves though, especially if you like dates, and would like to try one with a nutty flavour.   I ate both packets of dried fruit and the crisps at once sitting, since both packets were open.  I couldn’t help myself…….  I’d all good intentions of adding these to cooking, but they didn’t last long enough, although that’s fine at 187 calories for the two packs.  That’s a good sign in my world, especially when it’s a healthy food.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Abakus Foods for the review samples.

Before I start my review, I have a confession to make.  A miserable tale of electronic devilishness.

Like the annoying snapper at a wedding, I’d walked around the restaurant, pointed my lens at everything I thought looked amazing, and sat back in the knowledge I’d a lot of lovely images, including great ones of my kids enjoying a rare evening out with their parents.  Cheerily I loaded my SD Card, looking forward to printing some off for the kids and for my review, to find nothing registering, nada….dead as the preverbial Dodo.

So, in short, all I can do is tell you how it went for us.  Pictures usually say a thousand words, but in this case, the thousand words will have to do instead.  I’ll try to make them easy reading, but I know that without those colourful additions, it’s really difficult to convey how good our experience was last week.

To make up for it, I’ve borrowed some images directly from Harvester, so thanks go to the PR team allowing me to do that.

This blurry picture is the only one I’ve got from my phone when we were about to leave the house.  Not ideal, but I was looking forward to going out with my family.

Setting

The lovely offer of a meal at our local Harvester was welcome indeed.  We had a very lovely meal, which was a really nice family evening, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Seeing my boys eat so much was nice too, although the fussy youngest went for a kids meal, which was no problem.

Our Harvester, the Ghillies Lair, is set at the Bridge of Dee, and overlooks the Dee itself.  The restaurant has a lovely extension with views over the River Dee, which would be a lovely sight on a nice evening.

The Bridge is old, very old, and dates from 1527.  It’s used daily by all sorts of traffic, to leave or enter the City of Aberdeen.  It’s built along a row ribbed arches, using granite and sandstone.   I’ve known that bridge my whole life.  Along with the old suspension bridge a bit further along, it’s steeped in history, and we’re lucky enough to still be using this one, although the suspension bridge was closed to traffic long ago.

The Ghillies Lair has an outdoor seating area, overlooking the river, for lovely summery days, and although we’re not there yet, but I’ve fond memories of sitting outside on a nice day for an ice-cream when I used to work at that end of town.

Service

What can I say!  Our server was lovely and nothing was too much trouble.  She was polite and friendly and they accommodated my wish for the BBQ Chicken Stack, without the BBQ sauce as I don’t often like it.   She even posed, in good spirits, for an impromptu picture that’s gone belly up with my SD card.  Perhaps she’ll be very pleased about that…  I did spring it on her, without warning…. 🙂

Menu

Three of us went for the set menu, we had one child dish and I chose from the regular menu.  In our local Harvester, there’s an evening set menu, where from 5pm every evening, we have the choice of a main meal + either a starter or a dessert for £10.99, or add a third course for £2.  There was lots to choose from and the menus are online, so it’s easy to take a cheeky peek before you go.

Drinks

It was nice to see the option of drinks that we can refill as often as we want ourselves, as with three kids, our drinks bills, even for soft drinks, often outprices the cost of meals.  No worries here, with the ability to choose from several different options, and fill up with ice and fizzy drinks as much as we wanted.  I know many people don’t like fizzy drinks for kids, but when we’re out, it’s a treat, and I’ve always been happy enough for my kids to choose what they want.  Sometimes one of mine chooses a water or orange juice, but refillable drinks tick the boxes for me.

Sauces

A whole bar of them.  Loads and loads to choose from.  BBQ, tomato, relishes, mayonnaise, speciality glazes and lots of different sauces to choose from.

Salad Bar

What can I say.  Lots of different choices, from coleslaw, beetroot, pickled onion, tomatoes, lettuce, carrot, and much much more.  The trays were replenished throughout and I felt confident I was eating fresh food.  It’s not a one visit fits all, so we could visit the salad bar as often as we liked.  My eldest went up three times for a top up.  There was plenty to go round for everyone.

Bread, butter, croutons, dressings, bacon bits and more, were also available.  If someone goes in there and says there’s nothing to choose from, I’d think they were nuts…  Wait, that’s exactly what my youngest said……  No problem.  Kids menu and chicken in a southern fried coating with chips saved the day.

Main Courses

The man and middle child chose from the set menu, going for the Signature Fish and Chips, with Ice-Cream for afters.    When their fish and chips arrived, the plates were brimming over with the large fish and enough chips to even keep middler happy.  He’d already eaten four or five of the small bread rolls from the salad bar, and a bowl – brimming full of salad.  Eldest went for the set menu burger, and I had the BBQ Chicken Stack.  There’s a sauce station with lots of different sauce and glaze options, so I had plenty to choose from.  Much more than I’ve ever seen in any restaurant I’ve been to in the past.

Dessert

Spoiled for choice, we couldn’t decide.  Three opted for the simple ice-cream, but I decided to throw my calorie budget to the wind and go for the Rocky Road – a sundae full of chocolate brownie deliciousness, topped with fresh cream, and including honeycomb and fudge pieces.

My youngest chose the Chocolate Fudge Cake with Belgian chocolate sauce and real dairy ice-cream, and the slice that came seemed huge.  He did have a dilemma when he compared it with the Eton Mess Cheesecake, as the raspberries in sauce and fluffy cream were a definite screaming taste bud temptation.

His eyes popped when the cake was carried out.
‘I’m going to eat it all,” he announced to our waitress, with a smug grin….  She smiled knowingly.

At the point he exhaled with exhausted happiness at eating as much as he could, eldest quickly slid the plate over and began to dig in.  By the time he sat back and patted his full belly, there was even a little left over.

Information and Nutrition

This may not seem like much to some of you, but to some pernickety chiels, like me, and many others, allergens and nutritional content is important.  I want to know where I sit with my calorie and nutrient budget for the week.

Working a weekly budget fits high calorie items into my life.  I don’t do deprivation.  As a diabetic, it’s essential for me.  At many restaurants, I have to guess by plucking figures out of thin air and hoping for the best, but not with the Harvester – as they had all the information on their website.

They also have an allergen, gluten and milk guide, so meals or special diets can be planned in advance.  I had two very high calorie dishes, but because the information was all there, it was easy to fit it all in, and be confident that I’d got it pretty right.  And it was worth every last wicked calorie…

Overall

Between the five of us, we ate masses of food.  Apart from the meal, how much else we eat, is up to us.

With the unlimited salad, sauces, breads and fizz.  I can’t imagine anyone ever leaving a Harvester, and still being hungry.  And with a clean and fresh ladies room, everything I looked for ticked all the boxes.  I don’t remember having such a lovely evening with my boys for quite a while.  Having all the teens in one place and eating together gets harder and harder as they grow older.

Although we benefited from a welcome voucher towards our meal, we thoroughly enjoyed it, and will be back as full paying guests.  We’ve been to Harvesters before, and always enjoyed the experience.

We nearly all come to it every year.  Among many of the people I know, there seems to be a bit of a competition to see who puts out the most extravagant spread.  It even got to the point at one time, that if I went anywhere there were only a couple of limp sandwiches and a cheese puff or two, that I felt cheated.

For this year, I’ve got to take lots of things into account.  Both my mother and I are diabetic, and have underactive thyroids.  Food has to count, or it needs to find someone else’s house to live in.  I’ve lost a fair bit of weight this year, and I want that to keep going.  Health depends on what we put in our mouths and carbohydrates aren’t my friend any more, but I still want to have some tasty treats.

This is my wish list, and if I visit your house, I’d be happy with any of these.  I might even put some of them out for my own visitors, although you’re unlikely to find terribly much in the way of chocolate here.  I have three boys who just hoover it up, leaving nothing for anyone else.

Crisps

These are my all time favourite snacking option.  I have a little penchant for Barbeque Popchips, but you won’t find them on my xmas guest list.

Corkers Crisps recently sent me some of their samples of crisps, and I’ve found some new favourites, although I do need to ration them calorie and carbohydrate wise.  Made in the Fenlands, in Cambridgeshire, they are hand cooked for perfect crunch.

Not only are the potatoes grown on the family farm but the factory is also located there and all the crisps are hand-cooked on site.

Flavours are: Sea Salt, Pork Sausage and English Mustard, Red Leicester and Caramelised Onion, Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar, Sweet Thai Chilli, Sea Salt and Black Pepper, Gressingham Duck and Soy Sauce, and last but not least, Vegetable.

The packs I tried were 40g a pack, and enough for two to share if you’re not too crispy greedy.  My own favourites were the Red Leicester and Caramelised Onion, and the Vegetable flavours.  Two boys liked the Sea Salt and Cider Vinegar and my mum was tickled pink with the Sea Salt and Black Pepper.  They’re crispy and very importantly for crisps, they are nice a crispy with a good texture.  I could eat a box of the Vegetable to be honest…..  They’re luxurious and well worth a place on any table.  They’d go down well with hummus and sour cream.

I can’t find them in any of my local shops, so I might have to give them a miss, but I’ll keep a look out for them arriving.  I really do appreciate my crisps.  If you have a Waitrose or National Trust close by, you’re likely to be able to get your hands on them.

Sweet Nibbles

My one concession to chocolate, that the boys won’t finish before I can put it out, is likely to be Tesco Snacking Fruit, Nut and Chocolate Mix.  The pots are only 45g, but they pack a good punch.    With fruit juice infused dried cranberries, almonds, cashew nuts, milk chocolate coated almonds and white chocolate coated sultanas.

Dried Fruit

Dried mango and cranberries go down well here, in whatever form them come in, so they are always on my snacking list.  I couldn’t do without them.

Fruit Selection

As a diabetic, berries are my friend.  I’m getting used to blueberries and am finally beginning to enjoy eating them.  I don’t know why I used to dislike them, but perhaps my taste buds are just changing and I don’t need as much sweetness in my fruit as I used to.

I usually have strawberries, and if I can get them, mango and persimmons are firm favourites, as are figs, but it’s unlikely I’d have them all out on the table.

Party Susan Staples

I struggle to believe there would be someone who wouldn’t know what a party susan is, but it is possible.  For those, it’s a round style dish with different compartments for different foods.

In mine, there could be:

• Chopped Baxters Beetroot, or Baby Beetroot if I can find it.  It’s like hens teeth.
• Chopped Pineapple.
• Galloway Cheddar.   We had samples of these a while ago, and when I buy it now, I have to hide it under the veg in the fridge or number 1 son devours it as snacks.
• Hummus.
• Guacamole.
• Sour Cream.
• Cherry Tomatoes.
• Sliced Carrot.
• Sliced Romaine Lettuce.
• Cashew Nuts, Almonds or Pecans.

No Pizza or Sausage Rolls or Sandwiches

Not any, at all.  My boys might not like it, but the list of foods above are more than enough to fill any belly. These are also ideal for pyjama parties for mums, or any excuse to have a home gathering in a comfy setting.