The arrival of Starbucks' Christmas menu signals the start of the festive season as much as those iconic Coca-Cola truck ads.
Its festive offering has grown bigger by the year and each November we see the return of some old favourites as well as some tasty new additions.
I took three Starbucks-loving teenagers along this week to try out everything on the 'holiday menu'. And when I say everything, I mean everything.
We started off with the new Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate, a velvety hot chocolate finished with chocolate flavoured whipped cream and a sprinkle of crunchy chocolate and hazelnut brittle topping. It was as delightful as it sounds, although two of them said they probably would have preferred it without the crunchy bits - that's kids for you!
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Ironically they loved the bits that came with both the Toffee Nut and Caramel Waffle drinks, which, as with most of the flavoured drinks at Starbucks, you can get as a latte or a frappuccino. They all preferred the latter, and while it was a close call to pick a favourite flavour, the caramel waffle just about pipped it with its spiced caramel waffle crunch topping.
None of us were particularly keen on the gingerbread flavour of latte or frappe, agreeing it feels a bit too much like drinking a scented candle - but maybe that's because it's the scent that fills my home at this time of year. The dark horse Eggnog Latte on the other hand was surprisingly tasty. It's not something I'd typically order - if I'm honest the name is enough to turn me off - but I found it a tasty alternative to all that chocolate and caramel and it actually went down a treat even after all those other drinks.
If you're sitting in as we were, you'll obviously get a proper Starbucks mug, but for takeaway drinks the iconic red cups are back and there's even a festive colour changing reusable cup you can pick up which changes from gold to silver once your drink is poured inside. You'll get 25p off each drink every time you refill it.
As for the food there are all kinds of treats on offer - from festive sandwiches and paninis to savoury snacks and desserts.
The Festive Feast Panini is back from previous years and was loved by us all, well except for the one vegetarian that is. Packed with sliced turkey breast, beechwood smoked bacon, sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce, it tastes like a roast dinner on the ciabatta - there's even turkey gravy on it. Even the one who doesn't even like turkey dinners loved it.
The Turkey and Chicken Sandwich is a colder option and with its sliced turkey and chicken breast, beechwood smoked bacon, sage and onion stuffing with cranberry sauce on malted bread, you can see why it's billed as a 'Christmas dinner in a sandwich'.
While not quite as festive, the new Holiday Ham Sub Roll - a soft sub roll packed with honey roast ham, Cheddar cheese and spinach - comes with cranberry chutney too and a honey mustard slaw which makes it quite unique.
The new cheese twist - a flaky, buttery pastry filled and topped with Red Leicester cheese - was a favourite with the kids, but the biggest hit was the new Tomato & Mozzarella Croissant, an all-butter croissant filled with juicy tomatoes, creamy Mozzarella cheese, a vibrant tomato and herb dressing and a cheesy sauce to finish.
Apparently it's 'a bit like pizza and a bit like cheesy pasta'. High praise indeed.
We just about had room to share some of the much-loved desserts.
The sparkling Christmas Tree Brownie - with a layer of chocolate buttercream and finished with a sprinkling of gold dust - is back this year, and is the biggest sugary fix for those chocolate lovers, as is the Red Velvet Loaf Cake.
Sadly there were none of the new Caramel Waffle Muffins to try - which perhaps tells us how popular those are - but we did get to sample the new Toffee Nut Cookie, a buttery cookie, filled with caramel white chocolate chips and chopped roasted hazelnuts. Every bit as good as it sounds and the perfect pairing for that Toffee Nut Latte or frappe.
And of course my companions weren't leaving without sampling the Cake Pops, which come in three flavours - caramelised biscuit, strawberry and chocolate.
If you can't get to a Starbucks, or are looking to keep costs down a bit, there's also a full range of Ready-to-Drink and At Home Coffees available in supermarkets.
If you're as nuts about the new Toffee Nut flavour as we are, you can relive the coffeehouse experience from the comfort of your own home with the limited edition Nespresso, Dolce Gusto, or hot chocolate packs.
Either way, it won't be long before we're getting another Starbucks fix. At least now we know exactly what we're heading back for.
Starbucks Christmas Menu
DRINKS
NEW
Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate £4.25
RETURNING
Toffee Nut Latte £4.30 / frappuccino £4.35
Caramel Waffle Latte £4.30 / frappuccino £4.35
Eggnog Latte £4.30 / frappuccino £4.35
Gingerbread Latte £4.30 / frappuccino £4.35
FOOD
NEW
Holiday Ham Sub Roll £4.60
Tomato & Mozzarella Croissant £4.15
RETURNING
Festive Feast Panini £5.30
Turkey and Chicken Sandwich £4.60
Pigs Under Blanket Roll £5.15
Brie and Cran-merry Focaccia £5.30
DESSERTS / SIDES
NEW
Toffee Nut Cookie £2.50
Caramel Waffle Muffin £2.80
Cheese Twist £2.40
RETURNING
Red Velvet Loaf Cake £2.90
Christmas Tree Brownie £2.50
*Prices may vary based on store location
