The Laboratory

We're into the final stretch, and there's so much more we want to share with you. Especially some fun Christmas food - so much food! In Aldi we puzzled over this name. Who's Tommy K? But then we remembered a few years ago and the whole Platty Jubes thing meaning Platinum Jubilee. So ... Tommy K! And though it isn't as good as the usual Festive Pie, Adam did try the McDonalds x Terry's "Chocolate Orange Pie" And Adam's first visit EVER to a Toby Carvery, with his Maths department chums. It was amazing - as many as 5 meats, and as much vegetables and trimmings as you liked! And if you have the app, you can get 25% off, so it's a full roast dinner for £8. EIGHT! One of Adam's colleagues admitted that they had been to Toby once a week for a whole year. It is really a thing. You should try it out! Finally, we found another terrible cracker joke. Is it a joke? We can't tell.

As is tradition, today we share all of the other Advent Calendars we are following, some of which could be quite profitable! 1) IKEA 24 Days of Christmas - you need to be following them on Facebook , and then look at their "Spaces" on the app - each video only lasts for 24 hours and tells you about a bargain you can buy in store or online. You can also visit this page . Yesterday it was 25% off stools, including this very Scandi KYRRE in blue: 2) McDonalds are giving away free food, with their Gift Tag promotion. Enter a 5-letter code found in emails, on adverts, or wherever you can find them, and you get a deal on a Main for that day and a Breakfast offer for the following morning, eg a £1.99 McMuffin. Check out the details on  https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/newsroom/article/gift-drop-for-christmas.html . I'm hoping for a free Festive Pie! 3) For the Maths crowd (I know you're out there) you have a multitude of Mathsy Advent Calendars to choose from. All listed a...

The season of Advent is nearly over, which means 2 things: shop sales are starting, and Christmas treats in fast food outlets are ending. We are very pleased this year we hit the big 5, the Pentavirate of Festive Treats, as listed below: 1. McDonalds Festive Pie: mincemeat AND custard? Ronald is spoiling us. 2. Costa Black Forest Hot Chocolate: the ultimate Christmas drink, no other can compare 3. Pret Christmas Sandwich: like a roast dinner in a wrap, AND you're giving to charity 4. Greggs Festive Bake (also available in vegan flavour): a bit of a mush but it's Christmassy 5. Krispy Kreme Kristmas Donuts: just look at the jolly snowman, get to Tesco's now Of course the true Pentavirate is a secret organisation, as revealed by Mike Myers in "So I Married An Axe Murderer":

If you're a fan of Christmas specials, then McDonalds has a real treat for you. Instead of the usual "Festive Pie", this year they have introduced the "Chocolatey Banoffee Pie". Delicious! And if you're after something a bit more traditional, why not try a Marzipan Pig? This delicious paste of almond, milk and sugar is the most common shape for a Nordic Christmas and is usually the prize for whoever finds the hidden almond nut in the Christmas rice porridge. Yes, they hide nuts in porridge!