Taste Test – Universal Yums (United Kingdom)

June 2020 Universal Yums brings us to the United Kingdom. Again I wish we had an England or Scotland set instead of the generic UK but it will be interesting to see what their snacks are like.

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Clotted Cream Flavored Fudge – absolutely delicious best in the box with a caramel taste and fudge consistency. Alex-7 Joe-10

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Kent Crisps Oyster and Vinegar – I did not detect the oyster flavor but the vinegar was very pronounced. The chips were of the kettle cooked variety. Alex-6 Joe-9

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Kent Crisps Ashmore Cheese & Onion – another kettle cooked type of chip. Alex-7 Joe-9

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Grandma Wild’s Toffee Flapjacks – Oat bar with toffee Alex-7 Joe-7

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Grandma Wild’s Oaty Cookies – These were very crumbly oat cookies Alex-7 Joe-7

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Johnny’s Pickled Onion Rings – very sour vinegar onion snacks. Great if you appreciate very sour foods. Alex-7 Joe-9

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Maces Honey & Mustard Potato Crisps – Unusual flavor in a thin chip Alex-6 Joe-6

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Prawn Cocktail Twirls – I did not really get the supposed prawn and cocktail sauce flavor Alex-6 Joe-6

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Grandma Wild’s Fruit & Lemon Cookies Alex-6 Joe-6

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Dean’s Shortbread Rounds – A decent shortbread cookie but not high quality Alex-7 Joe-8

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Chili & Lemon Potato Hoops – mild spicy flavor but not very good Alex-5 Joe-6

Welsh Potato Crisps Lamb & Mint – once again a meat flavored chip, if you have been following my Yum blogs you know that I do not like these meat flavored snacks. The meat flavor is not particularly pronounce in this chip. Alex-7 Joe-6

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Chewy Bonbons Rhubarb and Custard Very chewy almost like a caramel but with an unusual flavor Alex-7 Joe-7

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Chewy Bonbons strawberry Milkshake – Alex-8 Joe-7

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Yummy Banana Toffee – a very chewy toffee with a pronounced banana flavor Alex-7 Joe-6

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

A very good toffee but I do not like nuts in my candy Alex-6 Joe-6

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Bristow’s Bucks Fizz Chews Alex-7 Joe-8

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Treacle Toffees – another good caramel treat Alex-6 Joe-9

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Bristow’s Sherbet Lemons – a typical hard candy nothing special Alex-7 Joe-6

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Bristow’s Chocolate Limes Alex-8 Joe-8

A good box with not many standout Yims but almost no really bad ones either.

Alex 6.75 out of 10
Joe 7.30 out of 10

Fall Foliage Road Trip 2019 – Connecticutt River Valley, New Hampshire

Our fall foliage trip this year we decided to go along the southern portion of the Connecticutt River Valley border between Vermont and New Hampshire. After reviewing the foliage guide on-line the foliage should be near peak in this section of New England. The trip through southern New Hampshire to get to the river valley had some nice scenery along the way.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Our first stop was a nice find when we pulled over for a Starbuck’s coffee the Ashuelot River Park in Keene, New Hampshire.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Next up we drive through Surry, New Hampshire.

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Charlestown, New Hampshire is the boyhood home of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carleton Fisk.

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A historic marker commemorating General John Stark’s Expedition to Bennington is also in Charlestown.

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On a side note there is a memorial stone marking Stark’s birthplace in Derry, New Hampshire.

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A short detour over the river into Springfield, Vermont brings us to the Eureka Schoolhouse and Baltimore Covered Bridge. The 1968 reconstruction duplicates the 1790 schoolhouse which served Springfield’s first village.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Baltimore Covered Bridge has been relocated to the same location.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Heading back into New Hampshire Hoyts Landing provides access to the river.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Union Church is in Claremont, New Hampshire.

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The Birthplace of Salmon P. Chase in Cornish provided the best pictures of the trip. The house is surrounded by beautiful trees that were in full foliage.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the United States.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

We have visited Augustus Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park on many occasions but this is our first trip during foliage season.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Adjacent to the main park is the Blow-me-Down Mill administered by the National Park Service.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New video by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The Blow-me-Down Covered Bridge is also in Cornish.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

Overall a successful foliage trip not 100% full foliage but very good. We will see if we can get it right next year.