Work Christmas do today. We started at 3pm so I was pretty much tapped out physically and mentally by 7pm, so I'm now safely ensconced in my Travelodge room.
This does, of course, mean that I won't have any particularly embarrassing stories to share — unless you count tapping out early as "embarrassing", in which case, get over yourself, some of us can't handle more than a few hours in a noisy environment without our synapses frying — but I do have something else to share thanks to stopping in at a dodgy off-license on the walk from King's Cross station to the hotel.
Dessert Skittles! I wasn't going to let a novelty like that just slip past unnoticed, so it's time for an impromptu taste test. Here are the supposed flavours, as outlined by the packaging:
If that's hard to read, we are promised Cherry Cheesecake, Choco-Orange Cake, Blueberry Tart, Lemon Pie and Strawberry Ice Cream. Let's get crackin' with the snackin'!
Cherry Cheesecake: Very cherry-y, which is not a flavour I typically associate with Skittles. Not actively unpleasant, though. There's a strange aftertaste — which I assume is supposed to be the "cheesecake' part — that doesn't quite work for me, but on the whole, these are Pretty Okay.
Choco-Orange Cake: The first one of these I tried, I didn't like at all, because it just tastes like an orange Skittle gone wrong. Orange Skittles already exist, after all, and are good. It's the "choco" part that is the problem, particularly as the "choco" and "cake" part of the equation are added without any real chocolate or cake being involved. A second go made this one much more palatable, though, so don't give up on these if the first one tastes a bit funny.
Blueberry Tart: An actually pretty convincing blueberry flavour. No real trace of the "tart" part, but who cares? Skittles are about the fruit flavours. Like the cherry ones, blueberry isn't a flavour I would typically associate with Skittles, but it works. Probably the best so far.
Lemon Pie: This is another example of them taking a Skittles flavour that already exists and making it slightly worse, this time by adding a slight meringue flavour. Not the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth, but just straight up lemon Skittles are indisputable better.
Strawberry Ice Cream: And another instance of messing with arguable perfection. These are the red Skittles, but slightly worse. Again, not actively unpleasant, but not as good as the regular flavours.
On the whole, then, Desserts Skittles are a resounding Not Bad. I don't think I'd grab them again if regular Skittles were also on offer, but they're not going in the bin, let's put it that way. Nope, they're going in Mr Tums to soak up some of the many cocktails from earlier while I watch some garbage on TV.
Thank you for indulging me this fine evening. I do have a story I can tell about this evening (that isn't about our group) but I'll save that for tomorrow. For now, comfy bed, sugary snacks, chronic flatulence and trash TV. Good night!
