Unless you're a stranger around these parts, you'll know that I'm no food blogger. There are a few local places that I will make an exception for, and top of my list is Bru Coffee & Gelato, because it's been my go-to ever since it opened a few years back. Since working with them for our #EastMidsMeetUp (read the post) in the summer, Emmie and I knew that a Christmas preview was something we'd love to do again and luckily Bru staff member (and all-round babe), Chloe was keen too. I seriously regretted not going to last year's event as it looked AMAZING, so I was super excited to see what the Bru menu had in store for us this festive season.
So Halloween came and went, and the very next day I found myself donning my Christmas jumper, bells and all, and heading over to Bru, which is located on Granby Street in Leicester. We were greeted by Chloe, who had transformed our usual spot upstairs into a festive banquet. Chloe had kindly put together personalised cassette tape place names, and it was candy canes, crackers and christmas trees galore to give the table that festive touch.
While the guys from Bru prepared our sweet treats, we thought it would be a good idea to get started with Pass The Parcel, and then Secret Santa. Everyone got some fab, really well thought out gifts. Mine was from the lovely Sam from Coco Butter Blog who picked out a Candy Cane Forest candle from Yankee Candle. It smells AMAZING, literally like candy canes in a jar so I can't wait to burn it! I was the Secret Santa for Jay from Comic Books and Yellow Ducks and I've linked her post below so you can check out which gifts I picked out for her!
We started off with the Christmas drinks, and there were three to sample, all served in mini mason jars (of course the real deals would be served in full size!). New to the menu this year is the Cookies and Cream Hot Chocolate, which is blended with real cookies and served topped with an Oreo. It is rich and luscious and definitely the sweetest out of the bunch, so I'm not sure I'd be able to manage a whole one, but if you love sweet things, this is definitely the drink for you!
There is also the Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate, which has the chocolate orange flavour we all know and love, with the addition of a little winter spice, giving it a gorgeous, unique flavour. It also comes served with a Terry's chocolate orange slice - eat it before it falls in like mine did! I believe there is also a Mint Hot Chocolate on the menu, which we didn't get chance to sample, but no doubt I'll be trying that beaut before the festive season is over!
If coffee's more your thing, then of course your festive drink of choice is bound to be the Gingerbread Latte, and Bru does not disappoint! This little beauty is actually available all year round, but for Christmas it is given a seasonal makeover, and comes laced with decadent whipped cream and a little gingerbread man friend. There is the perfect balance of coffee and sweet, spicy gingerbread flavour. When I worked as a barista, I'd go HARD on the syrups, I like to be able to taste the flavour, and a lot of coffee shops fall short on that front!
Then it was on to the cakes, and to be honest, I was a little full after just the drinks! We were treated to a full slice of the Cherry and Ameretti Cheesecake, which isn't actually a new addition, but it is one of my favourites so I couldn't say no! Think vanilla cheesecake with a twist: laced with the delicious flavour of crushed ameretti biscuits and a drizzle of luscious black cherry coulis. Good stuff!
Next was another full slice, the Lemon Tart, which is new on the menu. The filling was tart and light but there was something missing for me. I guess after devouring countless lemon tarts during my stint at Costa before uni, I became a slave to their sweet, crumby pastry and no lemon tarts have ever compared. It seemed like it was a hit among the other bloggers though, so if you prefer your desserts with a citrus twist, you'll love this.
Moving onto the chocolate cakes, and the first was the Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake. This was a light chocolate cake topped with a rich and sumptuous chocolate icing. I loved that it wasn't at all sickly, and although it was nice, I'm not sure if I would order it as there were other cakes that I enjoyed a lot more.
Speaking of which, I absolutely adored the Black Forest Roulade. This was again a delightfully light chocolate cake with juicy black cherries and a light, whipped filling. Much like the Chocolate Bundt Cake, it wasn't at all sickly, so you could easily eat this after a large meal (I regularly pop over to Bru for dessert because their cakes are the best in town!). I took some of this home and my parents loved this for its nostalgic Black Forest flavour. I'd 100% order this again, in fact I'm counting down the days until I can!
My ears pricked up when I heard there was a Gingernut Cheesecake on the scene, as I'm such a sucker for anything ginger. This is a baked New York style vanilla cheesecake with a gingernut base and bits of gingernut interspersed among the filling. It was just as good as it sounds and was easily one of my favourites, so I can't wait to order this again. It was also just as much of a hit with the rest of the group! Also in the Christmas range is a brand new waffle, the Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and believe me when I say I have an addiction to Bru's brownies, so I'm sure this will be just as amazing.
We all left Bru Coffee & Gelato feeling very stuffed indeed, leftovers all packed up for
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