A nostalgic look at the past

Nabs ~ I'm going to start off by saying that the 90s (and the early 2000s) were amazing! Life was a lot simpler back then, without everyone being as connected 24/7 through social networking, phones, emails, as we are now. 

Sammii - Ipad? What Ipad? Hand me over the pogs!

Children's Television was at its height. Just a few of the cartoons/shows we had: Hey Arnold, Recess, Art Attack, Chucklevision, I could go on forever... Nickelodeon was my absolute favourite channel showing Saved by the Bell, Sister Sister, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and my personal favourite, Kenan and Kel (orange soda anyone??)

I love 80s music but 90s music comes pretty close (I'm listening to Backstreet Boys as I write this post, getting myself into full 90s mode). Some 90s bands and singers are still popular today, Backstreet Boys being one example. Others not so much...anyone remember Aqua?...

In the days before YouTube (it's hard to remember a time when there was no YouTube) I used to listen to songs on MTV, The Box, VH1 classic...TV music channels that are actually still around today!

Growing up I loved to read (I still do). Some days I would spend the entire day just reading (utter bliss) and one of my favourite authors as a child and teenager was Judy Blume. Her books were brilliant, dealing with issues such as family, love, sibling rivalry, friendship. They were almost like a friend and I remember reading them over and over again.
And who remembers Beano magazines?? Those magazines used to keep me entertained for hours! I would re act the whole panels and make up voices for everyone. I loved going to my mum and begging for a pound coin, just so I could scoot off over to the corner shop to get the latest Beano magazine along with a 10p pic-a-mix bag. And what about those Goosebumps books? I think that was just about the most scariest thing I knew when I was little (Oh wait- not including Vega from Street Fighter >< Long story!) I was so scared of one book I had to hide it in my cupboard and didn't even end up finishing it!

I found a copy of a Point Horror book. Does anyone remember these?? They were so scary, I think they were like a step up from the Goosebump books.

Okay, I am in full nostalgic mode now and could go on and on about all the things that made the 90s so great but the rest of this post is going to focus on 90s food. Ahh glorious food!

I was in Tesco passing the soft drink/juice aisle when I came across this:

Um Bongo!!

I instantly recognised the colourful packaging and bought it to try it and see if it still tasted the same as it did when I was young (not that I remember exactly how it tasted but I like to think I do...)

Um Bongo in a glass ready for me to try

I'm sure I remember it being sweeter than it is now (most probably because it was loaded with sugar). I think it has a lot of pineapples in it, the colour definitely reminds me of pineapple juice. I wouldn't buy it again but I'm glad I bought it this once, as it gave me a chance to briefly revisit my childhood. It was seeing the Um Bungo juice carton in Tesco which triggered the feeling of nostalgia and gave me the idea to write this post.

Sunny Delight

Another blast from the past! I used to love Sunny Delight as a child and I remember drinking it a lot...probably not the healthiest drink but it was so nice! Sunny Delight or Sunny D was launched in the UK in 1998 and it quickly became a very popular drink. I tried it today for the first time in years and it tasted wonderful, not too sweet or tangy.

Coming onto chocolates, just a few of the ones that are no longer with us (sorry to sound dramatic but I am a chocoholic after all!) ~ Cadbury's Marble chocolate which was a delicious blend of milk and white chocolate filled with praline, Mars Delight and Aero filled with white chocolate...why were these stopped! Aero filled with white chocolate has actually made a comeback, so that's good news! I ate a large bar last week!

Also, who remembers when Starburst was called Opal Fruits??

As they look now...I still think Opal Fruits sounded better!

One of the fondest memories from my childhood definitely has to be walking into Woolworths (I miss that shop!) and heading straight for the Pic n Mix section! I can't eat gelatine so it was only the chocolates for me but what a delight! I would fill my bag with chocolate mice and chocolate ice creams, Smarties, Mini Eggs, Jazzies and chocolate raisins and peanuts and eagerly wait for my mum to pay so we could get outside and I could finally dig in!

I found Pic n Mix in a shop but it's just not the same as it was in Woolworths!

Christmas at Borough Market

Festive post at Borough Market!

Today was a beautiful winters Sunday afternoon, its about time I-Sammii, got my festive cheer on! Being the lazy person that I am on weekends, where it's a time for me to operate 3 times slower than normal, I headed on up 10 minutes down the road to Borough Market!

Borough market has a whole host of different traders, the main attraction is of course being the food stalls!

The first stall I hit was the mulled wine one- great start to get my festive mode switched on I think!

It was £3.50 for a cup of mulled wine! 

After sipping on mulled wine for 10 minutes I wasn't sure if it was the hot drink that made me feel warm inside, or was it the cheeky alcohol? Either way I was on a festive high! ;D

I was a bit disappointed with the Christmas lights however, I thought that the place would be more decorated.

Cheese, cheese and more cheese!! :D They have ALOT of cheese stalls, and free samples to try out! Great compliment to my mulled wine ^^

The one that particularly caught my tastebuds was the cheese pictured above called the Comte Grande Reserve (I think) I will have to come back to this place just to buy me a slab of this!

After snacking on cheese and wine and walking round the stalls it was time for a proper meal, I decided to try out this Ethiopian stall called Ethiopian Flavours. 

You could choose between chicken or lamb, I chose the lamb, and also 3 side dishes to go with it!

I did enjoy the lamb, it was very flavoursome, the good thing about this dish was that it was all gluten free! A good thing for the gluten free trend that is going on these days. On the whole however I wouldn't buy it again, it reminded me of a sloppy school dinner, and the vegetables were cooked too soft, the whole thing ran into one consistency. 

What comes after a main course? 

Of course desserts1 :)

Carrying on with my gluten free meal, I decided to try out the Free From Bakehouse- all their products being gluten free!

I went for the Salted Caramel and Plum cupcake which was priced at £2.50. It is also vegan! Anyway I am glad I am not a vegan or suffer from any gluten allergies, as gluten free cupcakes just don't have the softness of all glut cupcakes! 

With it being the festive season and all I also got a mince pie! It always baffled me how it was called a 'mince' pie with the pie having no mince in it at all and how mince pies are actually sweet and not savoury, like the name suggests. 

The mince pie was way too sweet for me, sweeter than normal mince pies. Big thumbs down. 

I really enjoyed this stall, the Christmas pudding stall! The lady gave me a free sample too and it was gorgeous! The packaging of these Christmas pudding make it the perfect Christmas gift if you're going to visit a relative or a friend. 

I know this post is coming out more than a month since Christmas has passed, that is mostly due to me being very lazy, but I hope everyone had a great Christmas break :) Mine was filled with food and family and friends, I think I may have had 3 Christmas dinners in 24 hours too! Oh well its that season for food and to be jolly ( well before the new years resolution of going on a diet kicks in! xD)

Post written by Sammii