Is it just me, or did San Pellegrino’s near ubiquity come out of nowhere? It wasn’t long ago that you’d typically only find San Pellegrino fruit beverages at coffee shops and Italian restaurants, stocked either to please clients who remember […]
Author: Iain Ilich
NEAROF!’s 3rd Annual Christmas Gift General Ideas
It’s that time of year again, isn’t it? It’s hard to believe this is the third annual NEAROF! gift guide. Every year, it’s getting harder to write this thing, probably because I’ve included all sorts of great stuff in prior […]
Review: Planters Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle
Goodie! It’s that time of year again when a few hundred square feet of every grocery store becomes a temporary enclave of Christmas snacks, full of icy squares, Turtles and Toblerone bars the size of fence posts. I can’t say […]
Review: Mrs. Crimble’s Large Choc Macaroons
I adore macarons, but what about macaroons? Compared to the dainty French treat, macaroons are much more down-home, red-state fare. There’s no fancy flair, no colourful pretensions, no curious flavours. (Rose? Lavender? Salted caramel brulée? Yummy, yes, but decidedly more […]
Review: Allan Key Lime Pie Dessert Bites
I’ll admit that when I think of Allan, I think of candy canes and chocolate Easter bunnies. A bit of research revealed that the Allan Candy Company (allancandy.com) is a much more present force in our sugary lives than I […]
Review: Romney’s Kendal Mint Cake
In honour of the American election happening tomorrow, I thought I’d do my neighbourly best by marking the occasion with that most relevant of British treats, Romney’s Kendal Mint Cake. The Pitch: There’s a back story on the wrapper that […]
Review: Hardbite Schezwan Peppercorn potato chips
I did a double-take when I walked by the potato chip selection at Calgary’s Sunnyside Market. Hardbite’s folksy packaging has clearly had a major update, and this was my first time seeing it. Overcome with a sudden hankering for chips, […]
Review: Rickard’s Cardigan autumn spiced lager
“Waaaaarm up with an ice-cold beeeer!” hollered a tray-carrying vendor at a particularly chilly autumn CFL football game I attended last year, if memory serves. I loved his pitch, mostly because it’s so perfectly outlandish you can’t help but laugh, […]