tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28497307491860809122024-03-16T21:57:19.080+00:00Archived Reviews From Amy Seeks New TreatsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-91575533069183306732017-11-02T09:32:00.001+00:002017-11-02T09:33:03.382+00:00Amy Seeks New Treats has moved!<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven't stopped posting, instead I have a fancy new website... so to keep updated on the latest food reviews, and to check out my recipes, head over to: <a href="http://www.newtreats.co.uk/">www.newtreats.co.uk</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See you there</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amy x</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-2192201653874872342017-09-14T17:19:00.003+01:002017-09-14T17:19:59.201+01:00NEW! Milk Chocolate & Irish Cream Brownie Slices (M&S)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I combatted the change in seasons by celebrating the fact that M&S have just launched new desserts into their menu collection. Whilst the <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/new-soft-centre-chocolate-macaroons-m.html">giant macaroons</a> might've been a little more style over substance, I looked forward to trying some of the other unusual additions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was in luck too - a couple of days ago I found the new Irish Cream Brownie slices emblazoned with that promising yellow reduced sticker. £1.90 for two wasn't too bad! They're currently £2.80 but will be £3.50 when full price. Ouch. </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Layers of earl grey mousse and Irish cream mousse, chocolate sponge, chocolate brownie and milk chocolate."</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were an usual shape too, and although they were well protected in the wrapper, they were a pain in the bum to plate up as they had a tendency to fall over. Squish them onto the plate a little -like I did- though and they should stand proud. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shall we do this by layers? Ok then..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The top layer was jelly like, and offered little in the way of flavour. I assume it was simply there for decoration, and the gold sparkle was pretty. Beneath this was the first mousse layer - and it was scrummy. It was light, chocolatey and delivered an almighty Baileys-esque kick. For teetotal Bert this wasn't a good point, but I'd bought them because they were labelled as Irish cream and so I was happy to find that M&S had followed through on their promise. Simply put, it reminded me of Christmas.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next up was a layer of dry, bland "sponge" cake. Again I assume it's only role was to break up the layers as it wasn't a substance that I'd want to eat on its own. Another mousse layer followed - this time it was Earl Grey. Now I don't like Earl Grey tea - to me it's equivalent to drinking my nan's perfume- and had I have read the product description properly I think I wouldn't have actually bothered with this dessert. On its own I found it sickly and floral, but I bore with it in the hope that when it was combined with the other elements that it would transform into something magical... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the base was the brownie layer, which was perfectly moist and utterly chocolatey - exactly how a brownie should be. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But what happens when you eat all the layers together? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A journey of flavours. First the alcoholic heat greets your tastebuds, followed by the mellow chocolate and then that perfume-like Earl Grey. Damn that tea! Take out the bottom mousse M&S and you'd be on to a winner, but for me it's just too much. Too fussy, and too delicate. Give me the simple, scrummy (and cheaper) <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/banoffee-cheesecake-slices.html">Banoffee Cheesecakes</a> instead anyway. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7/10</b>. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-34763563052818968152017-09-13T16:35:00.000+01:002017-09-13T16:37:53.505+01:00NEW! Oreo Choc'o Brownie (Tesco)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's lazy NPD (new product development) and then there's Mondelez. Mondelez are renowned for rehashing Milka bars under the Cadbury name, or combining their products to maximise profits - admittedly I do miss the Cadbury Philadelphia. This time though they've taken the biscuit. Literally. The UK has just been granted a new flavour Oreo, but have we got anything as exciting as the new Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie, J<a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/new-jelly-donut-oreos.html">elly Donut</a>, or soon to be released Cookie Butter Oreos? Certainly not. We've got choco brownie. Yes that's right. A chocolate Oreo filled with chocolate filling. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Chocolate creme Oreos have been out in the UK for years, so what on earth are Mondelez playing at?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year, following the launch of the somewhat more exciting <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/new-mint-oreos-sainsburys.html">mint</a> and <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/new-strawberry-cheesecake-oreos.html">strawberry cheesecake</a> filled Oreos, the public were asked to partake in a month long flavour vote for the next flavour. So every day a few of us bloggers reminded each other to log on and vote - ok so we might've even used a couple of email addresses each. The choices were: lemon, coconut, banana and brownie batter. Yes, brownie <b>batter.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now of those choices, I was certainly team banana, but I would've been happy to try the lemon or coconut too. At least they were different. In fairness to those of you who opted for the brownie batter it did sound a little like a chocolatey cookie dough.. but you should've also realised that Mondelez like to cut corners (yep I'm referring to the peanut butter Oreo Dairy Milk for the umpteenth time). Anyway, apparently 43% of voters chose the brownie flavour -methinks their might've been some rigging for the easiest option at Oreo HQ. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, the presumably-cooked-and-therefore-not-batter brownie flavour has now been released. So is it any different to the standard chocolate creme Oreo. No. Not in the slightest. In fact the ingredients are the same and they haven't even bothered to change the description*. They're still like an Oreo version of a Bourbon, but somehow not as good. I mean if I wanted a bourbon, I'd buy a bourbon -ya know? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas is in the shops already so please tell me this is an even more premature attempt at an April Fools.... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2/10</b> (purely for taking the piss, Oreo). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Here's a comparison of the two packets, see what I mean?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-55131979985434812562017-09-12T17:39:00.000+01:002017-09-12T17:39:14.500+01:00Orion Studentská Pečeť Duomix: Nestle's White & Milk Chocolate Bar with Peanuts, Raisins & Jelly <div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I popped into one of Hereford's Eastern European Deli's, one that I don't often visit due to its location. In it I found a number of chocolate bars that I've not seen before, by a brand I'd also never come across - Orion. However, when I picked up one of the bars out of sheer curiosity (I hope you'll understand why) I soon discovered that Orion is a nestle brand. Ahhh. Now I didn't give into temptation at the time, but posted a couple of stories about the range on my instagram. Within minutes I was inundated with messages about how great the bars were. I was going to have to try this unusual chocolate...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At £1.29 for 180g the bar was excellent value too - at least I thought so until I realised it was a month out of date. Oh well, it wasn't about to kill me. The Reese's cups that were 15 months out of date didn't anyway. Not being able to speak Czech or Slovakian I'm afraid I couldn't be sure of what the bar entailed. Google translate (of Orion's website) paints a very odd picture... </span></div>
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<span class="notranslate" style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"DUOMIX</span></i></span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="notranslate">Can not you decide if you have a taste for a white or milk STUDENT CARE?</span> <span class="notranslate">Duomix offers a bit of each variation, while the tongue dissolves so quickly that you want to taste another dice."</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was met with a very aesthetically pleasing bar when I retrieved it from is foil wrapping. Made primarily of white chocolate, each cube was topped with a milk chocolate topping, whilst the underside was heftily nobbled. I hadn't seen a bar this interesting for a long time -if ever. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately the quality of the white chocolate wasn't all that great. It tasted chalky and whilst I wasn't expecting the creaminess of luxury Belgian white chocolate, I did expect it to be on par with Nestle's Milkybar. The milk chocolate topping tasted more like a smooth praline to me. The hazelnut flavour came as a welcome surprise though and complimented the white chocolate beneath.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But what about the pieces within the bar I hear you ask? Each cube provides a different textural experience thanks to the the abundance of chopped peanuts, raisins and jelly beans. Both the peanuts and raisins worked well with the chocolate. The peanuts of course added salinity and crunch, whilst the raisins added moisture and a slight chew. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those jelly beans though. They're the main reason I don't buy the Cadbury Marvellous Creation bars. Jelly in chocolate just doesn't work for me, and seems to be a cheap filler to bring down the cost of production. I find that they're obtrusive little pests that offer little in the way of flavour but seem to wedge themselves frustratingly between teeth. Perhaps that's just me though. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of my complaints make it sound like I didn't enjoy this chocolate bar, when it some strange way I did. There's a certain charm to it - perhaps because it's so unusual, or maybe it's because it didn't leave me out of pocket. I wouldn't rush to buy it again, but If you spot it and fancy something completely alternative to what we've got in the UK then give it a go! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-51580090583853602422017-09-11T17:43:00.000+01:002017-09-11T17:44:51.283+01:00BelVita Breakfast Soft Bakes Chocolate Filled (Sainsbury's)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's not just <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/new-nature-valley-nut-butter-almond.html">Nature Valley who've brought out new 'breakfast' biscuits</a> in the last couple of weeks. On a side not I still don't know why they're called breakfast biscuits. Do any of you actually eat them or breakfast? Please drop me a comment and let me know. Anyway, the other key player in that market -Belvita- have surreptitiously released two new filled soft bakes in chocolate and strawberry flavours. The did, of course, <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/belvita-soft-bakes-chocolate-chip.html">release the soft bakes range two years ago</a>, but Belvita have obviously decided it's time to give them an uplift. Admittedly I'm more of a Nature Valley girl - but then I'm addicted to oats- however it's Belvita that are bought more often in this house.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And that is because of Bert. He just loves biscuits. Where I can't resist the call of chocolate, he's more into sweets and biscuits. In fact he actively avoids the biscuit aisle in the supermarkets because he knows he won't be able to resist munching his way through an entire pack once it's open - which is why the pre-portioned 'breakfast' biscuits are handy. That and the fact that he's either at work or working on the Landy - so is forever eating out of his lunchbox. So they're handy. For Bert, the Yogurt filled and original Belvitas weigh supreme. The yogurt ones because of the taste, the original because there's four in a pack and they therefore feel more substantial.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Soft baked biscuits made with wholegrain cereals and a chocolate hazelnut flavour filling (15.6%) and added vitamins and minerals."</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, it was him I picked up these new filled soft bakes for, however I ended up tucking into them first - probably because I bought the chocolate flavour. Sorry Bert. Just for info, I found them in Sainsbury's for £1.50, however I believe they're now in Morrisons too. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The biscuit was every bit as soft as it promised to be, although not so much that it fell apart in the pack. The smattering of oats was a pleasant sight, as was the golden hue. Breaking it in half revealed a fair amount of spread-like filling. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Omnomnom. It was cakier than a cookie -and far removed from your standard biscuit- but I really liked it. In fact the consistency reminded me of a nutrigrain, although it was moister than that. As hoped, the chocolate filling was reminiscent of Nutella, although weirdly there's not any nuts in the actual ingredients. That shouldn't really come as a surprise seeing as Belvita comes under the Mondelez banner, and they're notorious for not including nuts in their nut flavoured products (such as the <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/new-peanut-butter-oreo-ice-cream.html">peanut butter Oreo ice cream sandwiches</a>, and atrocious <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/new-dairy-milk-peanut-butter-oreo.html">peanut butter Dairy Milk Oreo</a>). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Despite the lack of actual hazelnuts, I was impressed with these biscuits and went back for the strawberry flavour, so stay tuned for a follow up review of them! But most importantly, what did Bert think?....</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"They're nice, but they're not big enough."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There you have it. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8/10</span></b><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-16774218425963966222017-09-10T14:44:00.002+01:002017-09-10T14:44:53.566+01:00NEW! Soft Centre Chocolate Macaroons (M&S)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">M&S updated their 'Dessert Menu' collection this week. Well there's got to be an upside to the darker mornings and chillier days hasn't there? You might've noticed that most of the supermarkets have also launched Christmas sections too - but don't worry, I've not been struck by mince pie mania like last year. Yet. Giant chocolate macaroons though? Count me in!</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"French almond chocolate macaroons - just warm for a soft chocolate ganache centre."</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new desserts in the range are all part of a 20% introductory offer. This double pack was still a pricey £3.20 though. Macaroons are always expensive but can they be spectacular enough to warrant the £3.80 (non-offer) price tag? Let's find out...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each macaroon was about 10cm ish in diameter, and could be eaten warm or cold. To be honest, it was the idea of the molten middle that persuaded me to prise apart my usually tight purse strings. Call me simple but I really don't understand the fascination with macaroons. 25 seconds in the microwave and it was ready to go.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Microwaves have a habit of making crispy food soggy but the shell remained crispy on the outside and soft on the insider. There was a fair amount of cocoa flavour to it too, with the almond aftertaste following through. As for the ganache, it was, of course, undeniably decadent due to the dark chocolate (11%) and whipping cream (19%) and once warmed became more like a sauce. In fact, the whole experience was like eating a lighter warm chocolate fudge cake. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new giant Macaroons are great for the novelty factor, however I can't help but feel they pale in comparison to the Gold Bullion bars in terms of creativity and innovation. That said, I'd happily pick them up as part of the Dine In for £10 meal deal (if and when they're ever included) but would never pay the full price for them. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8/10. </span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-37246966407982381142017-09-08T16:13:00.000+01:002017-09-08T16:13:03.559+01:00Lacasa Turrón de Tiramisú (Home Bargains)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trouble with being good friends with a chocolate blogger is that she's always finding delicious, tempting treats that get me salivating. Whilst Nat often reviews bars by well known brands from across the globe, she's also excellent at tracking down more unusual companies. Cue Lacasa. I'd certainly never heard of the Spanish chocolatier until she <a href="http://Turrón de Cookies">reviewed their '</a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://Turrón de Cookies">Turrón de Cookies' bar </a> a few weeks ago. Boy doesn't it look delicious? She then got her hands on two of the </span>Turróns de Tiramisú, and kindly offered to send me one -knowing how much I love the classic Italian dessert. Perhaps there's no problem with being friends with a temptress after all. Thanks Nat, you're a diamond. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd never heard of a Turron before, but the imported label translated it as 'Tiramisu Praline Nougat'. The ingredients included a delectable mixture of cocoa butter, biscuit (15%), hazelnuts, almonds, and, um, cheese powder. Again! Twice in one week for <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/new-kitkat-chunky-ny-cheesecake-tesco.html">chocolate bars with cheese powder</a>. Who knew it was such a popular ingredient? I headed to Lacasa's website for a further description of this intriguing bar... </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Tiramisu <span style="margin-right: 15px; text-transform: uppercase;">NOUGAt"</span>All the flavor of the traditional Italian dessert, in this nougat, made with cheese, coffee, cake and the best cacaos. Format 100g."</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh. I'm not sure that's any clearer. I tried..</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you'll agree that it was a very aesthetically pleasing bar. I loved the dual layers and simple decoration. But what on earth did it taste like?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well there was a lovely cocoa flavour to it, with a respectable coffee kick and notes of Masala. A wonderful creaminess came from the top layer, which had a slight tanginess to it - in fact Lacasa managed a more convincing cheesecake flavour than KitKat did! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I loved the combination of textures too; the top was smooth whilst the bottom was crumbly with a slight crunchiness to it. Where the nougat element comes in I'm not sure, as it wasn't remotely chewy. Additionally, there wasn't any large nut or biscuit pieces in the bar, but it wasn't as smooth as a traditional praline either. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much though - because it was utterly different to anything we've got here. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interestingly though, Nat experienced something quite shocking with her bar, but you'll have to <a href="http://lot-o-choc.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/lacasa-turron-de-tiramisu.html">read her review</a> to find out what went down... </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you to Nat for sending me this beautiful bar. According to Nat they're available in Home Bargains, but Hereford hasn't had any - so I hope you're in luck if you fancy trying it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8/10</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-54896326870532527162017-09-07T17:29:00.001+01:002017-09-07T17:29:33.363+01:00Recipe: Jammie Dodger, Biscoff & Reese's Blondies <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday was a grizzly day. It was pouring with rain, I was feeling pants and it was a rest day. Humf, I could sit and stew in my misery, or do something about it. Baking has always been one of my favourite ways to relax, once upon a time I'd spend my days pestering my gran until she'd pour over her ancient cookbooks with me and help me perfect the art of shortcrust pastry (always roll onto a slab of marble, and make sure your hands are cold) or light sponge cakes (always fold with a large metal spoon). Oh dear, I'm rambling again aren't I? Anyway, I knew the best way to cheer myself up was to pop on some Jazz music and bake something... but what to bake? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then, I had a brainwave. I recalled seeing <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gingerpop42/">Ellie's</a> incredible looking Jammie Dodger blondies last year. The ones I promised I'd get around to making. No time like the present. I couldn't find Ellie's picture anymore, but I remembered that she'd found the recipe online, and a quick google search revealed <a href="http://www.iheartkatiecakes.co.uk/2016/03/jammy-dodger-white-chocolate-blondies.html">Katie Cake's recipe.</a> That's the badger!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What you may or may not know about me though is that I'm terribly indecisive. Like awfully so. So I actually made a smaller amount of her brownie batter and used it to make three variations on her recipe: Reese's, Biscoff, and Jammie Dodger. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here's my amended version Katie's recipe for the blondie mix (which makes 6 blondies).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">60g butter</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">100g plain flour</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">85g white chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Toppings:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mini Jammie Dodgers & Jam</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Biscoff Spread & Biscoff Biscuits</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reese's mini peanut butter cups & peanut butter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1) Preheat the oven to 175C</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) Slowly melt the butter and white chocolate together in a saucepan on a low heat, being careful to stir constantly and avoid the chocolate catching. Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg and sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes on a high setting). Then pour the chocolate mixture in, and stir until combined. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4) Gently fold in the flour, being careful not to knock too much air out of the brownie mix</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5) Pour the blondie mix into a greased, suitably sized receptacle (I used an individual brownie pan, which I bought from ASDA for £5). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6) Now for the fun part - the toppings! For the Jammie dodger ones I dolloped about a tsp of jam in each brownie, and swirled with a toothpick before adorning with mini Jammie Dodgers. For the Biscoff I swirled in some Biscoff spread and placed a Biscoff biscuit on top*. The Reese's one? Well that was just a tsp of peanut butter swirled in, and then I broke up some mini Peanut Butter cups and topped them with that! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7) Bake for 20 mins! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8) Enjoy - warm, cold & with or without ice cream. They also freeze well too! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*In hindsight, I wish I had added cinnamon to the mixture too. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-13299446406762080972017-09-06T18:19:00.000+01:002017-09-06T18:19:28.826+01:00Mrs Freshley's Frosted Strawberry Mini Donuts (A Taste Of The States)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isn't it odd that I've reviewed more Mrs Freshley's products on the blog than Mr Kipling? I'm not sure it's because they're that much more innovative, but probably just because they're American and I haven't had them before. Actually, I've changed my mind. Frosted strawberry doughnuts are infinitely more exciting than Viennese Whirls. IMO. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4HgNb7cvTfA/WbAtjG6ogbI/AAAAAAAAKqI/xQEvD6Xkr1QBoPxLPnQ5oL0U4Y_OK6QRQCLcBGAs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_dc3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4HgNb7cvTfA/WbAtjG6ogbI/AAAAAAAAKqI/xQEvD6Xkr1QBoPxLPnQ5oL0U4Y_OK6QRQCLcBGAs/s320/fullsizeoutput_dc3.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I've already tried the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWLCrm9gVJ7/?taken-by=amyseeksnewtreats">crunch</a> and <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/mrs-freshleys-cinnabon-cinnamon-mini.html">Cinnabon </a>Mrs F's mini ring donuts with relative success so couldn't help ordering this variety from A Taste Of The States too. Strawberry doughnuts of course aren't a new thing, but I'm used to them being plain donuts topped with pink icing (Bert's favourite), strawberry <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/fresh-bakery-jam-doughnut-lidl.html">jam filled</a>, or a <a href="https://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/pink-jammie-doughnut-greggs.html">combination of both.</a> Never have I tried a strawberry flavoured doughnut. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J-AZQZa-xpI/WbAtkSGiuII/AAAAAAAAKqM/kZr_MnlVSuEi3l9au6o9-x4m_gTml1TWgCLcBGAs/s1600/fullsizeoutput_dc7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J-AZQZa-xpI/WbAtkSGiuII/AAAAAAAAKqM/kZr_MnlVSuEi3l9au6o9-x4m_gTml1TWgCLcBGAs/s320/fullsizeoutput_dc7.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pack contained 6 "confectionary coating" covered rings, which were all evenly coated with a chocolate-esque coating. Of course it's not real chocolate, it's made from sugar, palm oil, cocoa, soy, salt and artificial flavouring -just a handful of ingredients on the epic list. I can't tell you that it tasted all that great either. Fake chocolate just isn't my bag I'm afraid. Unfortunately, the doughnuts were a bit of a let down too. The dough was extremely dry and cloying, but there was -at least- a sweet strawberry flavour to it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZVA7Db6lnA/WbAtgif3zDI/AAAAAAAAKqA/JBruegGysRIPDqeMwdmnlL8u2pZvCcWdQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dZVA7Db6lnA/WbAtgif3zDI/AAAAAAAAKqA/JBruegGysRIPDqeMwdmnlL8u2pZvCcWdQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_3543.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meh, sorry Mrs F but you haven't quite scored a mini doughnut hat-trick here. However, if you fancy trying these unusual creations, or perhaps the nicer Cinnabon or crunchy doughnuts, or even some Hostess Donettes then please head over to <a href="https://atasteofthestates.com/collections/donuts">A Taste Of The States</a> where you can benefit from 20% off with the code AMYSEEKS20.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5/10</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to A Taste of The States for providing me with a gift card to order these with!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-73158393415173246352017-09-05T17:21:00.000+01:002017-09-05T17:21:00.565+01:00Takeaway Cheese & Tomato Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza (Iceland)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYp1cz5hOhJ/?taken-by=itsadayreally">Apparently it's "National cheese pizza day"</a>. Honestly, who thinks these things up? I'm not complaining really; who wouldn't want to celebrate pizza? It's one of my favourite foods, and I even invested in a pizza oven in place of a normal BBQ this summer. <i>Thanks Aldi for making them affordable</i>. Anyway, Bert came home from work one evening a few weeks ago insisting that we try Aldi's hot dog stuffed crust pizza. The lads had all been discussing how great it was, and poor Bert felt left out*. I cycle pass Aldi every day so popped in on the way home to pick up said pizza.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New York or BBQ: that was the choice. Now Bert is exceptionally fussy when it comes to food. The only vegetables he eats are sweetcorn and carrots (at a push) unless you count baked beans. If we go out for dinner then the restaurant must have steak (no sauce) or burger and chips (no salad, no dressing, no mustard, relish or ketchup, thank you). He'll eat pizza.. but only if it's deep pan or calzone and certainly not if it's got mustard or BBQ sauce on it - as both these pizzas had. Hmm. Back to the drawing board. Did anywhere else make Hot Dog stuffed crust pizzas? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes! Iceland to the rescue. For £2, I bought the 531g cheese and tomato hot dog pizza. It also meant I could add red onion to my side and mini sausages to his. Win win. For the record Iceland, this pizza does not serve three adults. Who would just eat a third?</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white;">A smoked hot dog sausage stuffed crust pizza base topped with tomato ketchup, mozzarella cheese and red Cheddar cheese."</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found that it took much longer than the suggested 15 minutes to cook - but my oven admittedly isn't the most reliable. After 20 minutes I was too hungry to wait any longer and retrieved the anaemic looking pizza. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't think I was expecting the pizza to blow my mind, which was a good job really seeing as it wasn't particularly exciting. The base was a bit stodgy but nowhere near as bad as the cheapie frozen deep pan supermarket pizzas. The topping had a good covering though, and wasn't particularly strong - a plus point for mild cheddar loving Bert, but a downside to me and my affinity towards the smellier cheeses**. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for that hot dog crust, it was a cheap but cheerful affair that gives you that 'I really don't want to know what meat it's made from, or if it's even meat' thought. I did think though that it needed to be surrounded in cheese, or sauce, or something. Needless to say I had a handy supply of (ASDA's maple bacon flavoured) ketchup to dunk the crusts in, but I still thought it was lacking. Cheese makes for the perfect stuffed crust, but hot dog? I'd rather not, dog. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>6/10</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Please don't feel too sorry for Bert, I make him (from scratch) homemade Calzones on a weekly basis. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">**Munster is my favourite but I'm a sucker for Stilton and goats cheese. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-70085163998541312542017-09-04T17:12:00.000+01:002017-09-04T17:12:06.040+01:00NEW! Chocolate & Caramel Pyramids (M&S)<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I tried my luck with the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-dessert-menu-banoffee-semifreddos-m.html">banoffee semifreddos</a> at m&s I went back to see if any of the other frozen luxury desserts would work in the Dine in for £10 promotion. They all looked delicious but it was these chocolate and caramel pyramids that caught my eye. Not because they were particularly ground breaking in terms of flavours, or elements, but just because they looked so damn pretty. Fancy clothes might not tempt me, but pretty food? Always. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"A cocoa sponge base topped with a Belgian dark chocolate pyramid mousse, a caramel ganache centre and caramel decoration."</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found myself thanking M&S once again for their clever packaging and thankfully, unlike their fresh banoffee <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/banoffee-cheesecake-slices.html">cheesecake slices</a>, the pyramids had remained perfectly intact - please ignore the freezer burn caused by my freezer blip. M&S suggests that they require defrosting for 5 hours, but I hadn't been that well organised and took mine out of the freezer a couple of hours before serving. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That cocoa mousse was rich and fluffy with a deep flavour that I imagine would please most dark chocolate lovers, whilst remaining sweet enough to avoid offending us who prefer their chocolate milkier. Where was that sponge base at though M&S? I thought Waitrose's version was stingy but this was none existent.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Things got worse as I hunted for that supposed caramel ganache. At first I refused to panic, having been initially disappointed when digging into the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/new-waitrose-1-chocolate-salted-caramel.html">Waitrose salted caramel mousse</a> (before finding the pocket at one end), but as I got towards the last spoonful I realised I'd been duped. At best there had been a slightly sweeter mouthful, but where was that oozy caramel sauce or sticky dulce de leche?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought perhaps I'd got a duff one - but if I did then so did Bert. He didn't even realise that it was meant to contain caramel, and actually asked me not to buy them again as he found them too rich. Admittedly, he's not as chocolate obsessed as I am though. Meh. Another case of style over substance, that is, unless you're after a show stopping chocolate mousse - in which case, head to Marks and knock yourself out! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7/10</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-59991769125545892262017-09-03T15:41:00.001+01:002017-09-03T15:41:14.435+01:00NEW! KitKat Chunky NY Cheesecake (Tesco)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been just over a year since we last had a new flavour to the KitKat chunky range. Have you tried the Cookie Dough version? I must admit that I wasn't taken with it. In fact I haven't bothered buying it since that <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/new-kitkat-chunky-cookie-dough-asda.html">review</a>. The <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-peanut-butter-kitkat-bites-b.html">KitKat peanut butter bites</a> were a pleasant surprise however, so I tried to hold back my preconceptions and get excited when I saw that Nestle had released NY Cheesecake Chunkys. The new KitKats are currently stocked in Tesco and are part of their very handy 3 for £1.20 mix and match chocolate bar offer (or else they're 60p each). </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Crispy wafer with a New York Cheesecake flavour topping (19%) covered with milk chocolate (60%)."</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As normal, the Chunky comprised of three segments. Within these segments were the bottom layers of wafer topped with that "New York Cheesecake" layer. Now I've only recently mentioned by ambiguity towards NY cheesecake, and it's lack of identifiable flavour. Was this going to be just another cover up from Nestle, another marketing ploy for what was essentially a pretty dull vanilla topping?</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl3Rl9nlKlQ/WawTjsEJvII/AAAAAAAAKos/lz6kz_bLGtwjDKO6lFtuTEtBDZ03yIrUACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rl3Rl9nlKlQ/WawTjsEJvII/AAAAAAAAKos/lz6kz_bLGtwjDKO6lFtuTEtBDZ03yIrUACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_4791.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well kind of. It was vanilla-ry but there was a slight sour tang to it that I've not tasted on any KitKat before. I mean, it wasn't groundbreaking and it certainly didn't make me squeal with delight, but it wasn't resigned to the bin either. The ingredients list includes <i>"powdered soft cheese"</i>, so there is some authenticity to the title, but without any hint of biscuit (digestive, graham cracker or otherwise) can it really be labelled as cheesecake? In any case, the topping worked fairly well with the standard KitKat milk chocolate and wafer layers; i.e. it didn't jar, but didn't provide something entirely new or interesting either.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you're intrigued by the bar then please do give it a go, at least there's no new product premium to pay -as is so often the case nowadays- and it's inoffensive. As the Cookie Dough before it, I probably won't bother with it again though - I'd much rather the double caramel, peanut butter or white chocolate KitKats. Well actually, I'd rather that Nestle brought over the Raspberry Cheesecake Duo KitKats that our Australian cousins are lucky enough to have - of which you can read Nat's review <a href="http://lot-o-choc.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/kitkat-raspberry-cheesecake-duo.html">here</a>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7/10</span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-73506604796454341922017-09-02T16:07:00.000+01:002017-09-02T16:07:07.375+01:00NEW! Nature Valley Nut Butter Almond Biscuits (Sainsbury's) <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're a regular reader you might've already read my review of the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-nature-valley-nut-butter-peanut.html">new peanut butter filled Nature Valley biscuits</a>. They were so good that I detoured the very next day via Sainsbury's to fork out another £2.90 for the other flavour: almond butter. Now, I do like almond butter, but never get around to buying any, always favouring my beloved peanut butter when buying a new jar of nut butter. Actually, my dad used to keep me in almond butter, but it must've been a couple of years since I last had any ...</span><div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*hint hint, Christmas hamper idea Daddio?* 😉.</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Crunchy biscuits made with wholegrain oats, barley and cinnamon with an almond butter flavoured filling."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I hadn't realised when buying the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-nature-valley-nut-butter-peanut.html">peanut butter biscuits</a> was that the almond version incorporates cinnamon. I bleeding love cinnamon, and so it wasn't long after I got home that I flicked the kettle on and opened a pack whilst sitting down to write that peanut butter review. On a side note, I don't think I mentioned before that both of these new Nut Butter biscuits are individually wrapped, making them handy to pack into lunch boxes or handbags.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wowzers. The biscuit is even better than the ones used in the peanut butter ones. They'd got the same oats, hobnob vibe going on, but this time there was a beautiful sweet warmth coming from the spice. As a cinnamon fiend, I was so pleased to find that Nature Valley hadn't underplayed it either. There's absolutely no escaping it, but why would you want to. It's got me wondering why McVities haven't brought out cinnamon Hobnobs actually...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I digress, <b>again.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That almond butter was scrummy - soft and smooth with an underlying nuttiness. Some might say that the cinnamon overshadowed the delicate flavour a little, but actually I liked the ratios that way round - it made the eating experience very different to that of the peanut butter biscuits.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm actually torn between which flavour I like better. At £2.90 they're on the expensive side for UK mass-made granola biscuit bars, but I'll definitely be stocking up when they inevitably come on offer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>10/10</b></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-23654656636828927152017-09-01T16:43:00.001+01:002017-09-01T16:43:39.563+01:00Belgian White Chocolate & Raspberry Sauce Ice Cream Sticks (Tesco) <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, do you remember when I moaned (yes, I know I'm always moaning) a couple of weeks ago about Magnum's double raspberry ice creams, and more specifically about the fact that they'd chosen to coat them in milk chocolate instead of white? Well, I was in Tesco the other day when I spotted something that might just be the solution to said grumbles: a white chocolate and raspberry ice cream with raspberry sauce. Hurrah!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had actually forgotten that until this summer Tesco sold white chocolate and raspberry ice creams that were pretty good rip offs of the white chocolate and raspberry Magnums - but now both Tesco and Magnum's versions have been sadly discontinued. Boo. Let's hope that Tesco have made up for it with these 2017 editions - which are slightly cheaper than Magnums At £1.50 for three sticks (Magnum doubles are currently on offer in Tesco at £2 for 3).</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white;">Vanilla dairy ice cream, covered with raspberry sauce, coated in Belgian white chocolate with freeze dried raspberry pieces."</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please agree with me that the raspberry flecked ice creams looked beautiful; to me they screamed luxury. However, I still find myself taken aback however at how small all these new 90ml sticks are (new Magnums are the same size). Biting into the stick revealed the shocking pink sauce that looked stunning against the vanilla ice cream and white chocolate. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfotunately, it was one of those occasions where the taste just didn't quite live up to the looks. God damnit, I wish appearances weren't so deceptive. Perhaps I'm being harsh here, because the white chocolate was fairly good -it's no Magnum covering though- and the ice cream was creamy -it just lacked the real vanilla flavour that I longed for.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was more the sauce that I was disappointed by. The sauce in the double Magnum had a real tang to it, more like a coulis, whereas this was more like a standard Askey's ice cream topping. I mean, it was just very sweet, and lacked the tartness that I'd hoped for. The raspberry flavour was a little lost actually, and I found myself wishing that they'd used a raspberry ice cream (as Magnum had) to really boost the contrasting flavours. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are great if you're after a pretty ice cream, but they're another case of style over substance. Considering the uncompetitive price-point, I probably won't bother with them again. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>7/10</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-4257191085988426322017-08-31T17:08:00.001+01:002017-08-31T17:08:47.917+01:00NEW! Cadbury Dairy Milk Mint Oreo 41g Bar (Tesco)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't think that any of us have quite got over the atrocious <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/new-dairy-milk-peanut-butter-oreo.html"><i>"peanut butter"</i> Oreo Dairy Milk</a>; It was an absolute insult to us nut butter lovers. I even refused to buy the mint version of the Oreo Dairy Milk on the back of my disgust, despite reading raring reviews on it, and enjoying the actual biscuit <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/new-mint-oreos-sainsburys.html">mint flavoured Oreos</a>. </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also didn't fancy buying a 100g mint chocolate bar when I'm not the biggest mint chocolate fan. Sometimes the combination reminds me all too much of toothpaste, and other times it's the refreshing hit that I crave. Kind of like Mars bars - I just have to be in the mood. So when I found this single serving 41g bar in Tesco last week, I put my reservations to one side and took a punt on the minty, biscuity, Cadbury chocolate bar. </span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Milk chocolate with a mint flavoured filling (36%) and biscuit pieces (14%)."</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still expect to see the old cube shaped segments when opening a bar of Dairy Milk. Do you experience the same thought, or am I just getting older (back-in-the-good-old-days-esque). I was pleased however to find that each bubble contained a generous amount of filling, which was a less ludicrous shade of green than mint Aero, and jam packed full of cookie pieces.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The overall flavour was pretty good. As per the Oreos, the mint was well balanced - not knocking into Aquafresh territory but standing it's own against the milk chocolate and cookie biscuit pieces. As for the chocolate, it's been so long since I last bought a Dairy Milk that I can't acurately comment on whether it's the same stuff used in the unadulterated bars. All I can say was that it had that undeniable Cadbury taste.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cookie pieces were wonderful. They were the only aspect that I enjoyed in the [don't make me say it again] <i>"peanut butter"</i> Oreo bar, and they worked well once more - but this time the filling around the biscuit didn't grate on me. They were perfectly crunchy and added welcome texture, as well as a touch of added flavour depth from the cocoa which had the added bonus of breaking up all the sweetness. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then it dawned on me. I know why I was enjoying the bar so much. It reminded me of Viscount biscuits. Do they even still exist? As a child they were the holy grail of party food, I guess because they were the closest snack one could get to the Christmas luxury biscuit selection boxes*. Talking of which, If you didn't grab the foil covered ones first, there's something wrong with you.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next time I'm craving mint chocolate, I'll probably choose this bar over an Aero. Cadbury's milk chocolate might've gone downhill, but it still beats Nestle's every time. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8/10</span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-32325256134462147492017-08-30T17:22:00.001+01:002017-08-30T17:25:36.023+01:00NEW! Nature Valley Nut Butter Peanut Biscuits (Sainsbury's)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #454545;">My love for peanut butter knows no bounds, which is why my heart skipped a beat a couple of days ago when I spotted these new nut butter filled Nature Valley bars on @productsinstores instagram feed. They've been out in the States for quite some time, and I've been desperately wanting to try them ever since. In fact I even had a conversation with @candyhunting a year or so ago about doing a food swap which would have included them -that was before we realised how insane the extortionate shipping fees were. None of the import companies seem to do granola bars either, so I've just had to ignore the jealousy that prevailed anytime I saw the Nut Butter bars pop up on social media.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #454545;">Not any longer though! Nature Valley are finally twigging that many of us Brits also love peanut butter and launched the (slightly disappointing) </span><a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/new-nature-valley-crunchy-peanut-butter.html" style="color: #454545;">Crunchy peanut butter bars</a><span style="color: #454545;"> at the beginning of the year. I really hoped these would live up to my drawn out expectations, especially as they were on the expensive side at £2.90 for a box of four bars -they seem to be exclusive to Sainsbury's at the moment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #454545;"><i>"Crunchy biscuits made with wholegrain oats, barley and honey with a peanut butter flavoured filling."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #454545;">I was pleased to find that they were decent sized biscuits, and even more chuffed when I prised the top layer off to find a decent peanut butter layer in the middle! Hurrah! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #454545;">Jesus F Christ. I was not expecting that! The biscuits tasted like Hobnobs. I'm sorry but if you don't like Hobnobs, we certainly can't be friends. They're arguably one of the </span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">best standard (i.e non chocolatey) biscuits. I'd chose them over a digestive every time. <i>Stop rambling Amy. </i>Anyway,<i> </i>they were oaty, sweet, and crunchy. Biscuit perfection. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please let the peanut butter be equally delightful. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was too! In fact Rob was laughing at me last night, as I actually squealed whilst trying them:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Oh my god, oh my god, they're even better than <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/american-nutter-butter-bites.html">Nutter Butters</a>!....Well, maybe not better, but just as good!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That peanut butter was completely authentic (it's simply made from peanuts and salt) and there was enough of it to really pack a punch. It seems Nature Valley have redeemed themselves from the shortcomings of the peanut butter crunchy bars. They were so good that I've actually detoured on the way home from work today to pick up a box of the Almond Nut Butter Biscuits, and I'm eating one as I type... so stay tuned for a full review of that flavour too!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>10/10*</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*I was tempted to give them 11...</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-85983839910248938632017-08-29T18:47:00.001+01:002017-08-29T18:47:19.205+01:00NEW! Hershey's Cookies'N'Creme Dipped Pretzels (A Taste Of The States)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I told you I’m obsessed with pretzels at the moment! I actually had my greedy eyes on the brand new Snyders Reese’s pretzels, but A Taste of The States hadn’t had any in when I placed my order. I can’t moan at all though, I had the Good Health pretzels to munch through and have an affinity towards anything cookies and cream. I’ve had <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/snyders-of-hanover-smores-pretzel.html">sweet (S'mores flavoured) Snyder's pretzels once before</a>, but I wasn't overly impressed with them</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can’t help but feel that It’s such a shame that pretzels aren’t given the recognition they deserve here in the U.K. I love their salty crispness, which is perhaps odd considering that I rarely crave potato crisps. Hey, I’m just contrary like that. Thank goodness for America!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The packet contained roughly 25 traditionally shaped, generously coated pretzels. There was a good amount of cookie crumb poking about in the bag’s corners too -a good sign for those cereal dust fans* out there, you know who you are. I’m not sure how big Snyder’s mouth is but I didn’t agree that they were bite size. Well, you could fit a whole one in your mouth in I guess, but I’m more ladylike than that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That’s a lie, I just like to savour my pretzels.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They were utterly delicious though; I mean seriously good. Despite loving the Hershey’s Cookies ’N’ Creme bar, I’ll admit that you need to be in a sugary mood to crave one as they are sickly concoctions. I was therefore relieved to find that Snyder’s hadn’t done away with the salinity in these pretzels completely, as the salt was required to counteract the sweetness. The resulting combination was tantalising on the tastebuds: a journey of sweet vanilla with a touch of cocoa, followed by that wonderful salty hit. All that chocolate luckily hadn’t hampered the crunchiness of the pretzel dough either, and I enjoyed every single nibble. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d like to say that my pretzel cravings have been satisfied, but actually I’m now even more desperate than ever to try the Reese’s covered Snyder’s Pretzels, which are now in stock at A Taste of The States. Don’t forget, you can get 20% off the new pretzels -and anything else that takes your fancy- from A Taste of The States by using the code AMYSEEKS20 at checkout.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you to A Taste Of The States for sending me the new Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme pretzels!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9/10 </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*you know, the people who love the end of the bag of cereal? I’ll admit here that we normally give ours to the dog, which I know some of you will deem heretic! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-91203414920192326082017-08-27T17:45:00.001+01:002017-08-27T17:59:49.849+01:00NEW! Ben & Jerry's Home Sweet Honeycomb Ice Cream (Tesco)<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ben and Jerry's have a cruel habit of releasing a batch of new flavours in quick succession. I get that this may lead to exciting times for our tastebuds, but it's not so easy on the wallet -especially at the newly inflated price of £4.20 per pint (and it's only been spotted in Tesco thus far). The launch of Home Sweet Honeycomb has swiftly followed the fairly unexciting <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-ben-jerrys-berry-neighbourly-tesco.html">Berry Neighbourly,</a> and also marked the end of my self-imposed ice cream buying ban. That didn't last long.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Have we got a sweet treat for you; creamy ice cream, chocolatey honeycomb chunks, a salted caramel honey swirl – your taste buds will feel the buzz (bees, geddit?) with this concoction. Home Sweet (Honey) Comb was created to carry an all-important, timely message: it’s time to come together for people in need of a safe place to call home. It’s time to come together for refugees."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christ, it was soft. I mean, so soft that I couldn't scoop it properly. It had a fair amount of chocolate honeycomb nuggets though, and a faint ripple of the caramel honey swirl. I really hoped it would be less sweet and more luxurious than the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/honeycomb-caramel-dairy-ice-cream.html">Sainsbury's Honeycomb & Caramel Dairy ice cream tub.</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cream flavoured ice cream was so-so. I mean it was sweet and creamy, but offered very little in the way of excitement and melted far too quickly. To be honest, I thought that it was a fairly uninspired flavour from the brand that used to be relied upon for their ingenuity and imagination. Somehow the cream flavour worked much better in the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=topped+ben">Strawberry Swirled</a> -perhaps because it had the fruity sauce to break it up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130;">The honey caramel swirl was also a little lacklustre. I can't help but feel like the developers couldn't make up their mind either. Choose honey <b>or </b>salted caramel Ben & Jerry's for goodness sake! In any case, the sauce wasn't thick like the centre of their Karamel Sutra or Blondie Brownie </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">pints, and kind of fused with the cream flavoured ice cream, resulting in a mild toffee throughout. Humf. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On to those chocolate coated honeycomb bites. Thankfully were delicious and reminded me of the bags that ASDA used to sell. Again though, they weren't anything particularly innovative, and I can't help but think that Ben & Jerry's have been more than a little lazy with this tub. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To be honest, this is no better than the Sainsbury's tub. In fact I'd rather save my pennies have the Sainsbury's honeycomb & caramel ice cream... </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">scrap that... I'll stick to their peanut & caramel tub instead. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6/10</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-3628578545605255572017-08-26T17:06:00.002+01:002017-08-26T17:06:46.966+01:00Good Health Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels (TKMaxx)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't <i>like</i> to think that I'm prone to being swayed by marketing, but of course I am. I first came across these peanut butter filled pretzels a couple of months ago, but baulked at the price (£2.89 for a 141g bag) and left them in TKMaxx. Then they happened to crop up in one of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/FabienFilms">Fabien's vlogs</a>, and by the time I saw them on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hebeburton/">Hebe's instagram page</a> I just had to try them. Luckily, Hereford TKMaxx had a single bag left -which I saw as the final sign that I was absolutely meant to treat myself to them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm going through a bit of a pretzel loving phase at the moment. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that I'm enjoying munching on a bag of pretzels with a glut of peanut butter (for dipping) more than my nightly chocolate bars at the moment. I know. Shock. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These pretzels were in a completely different shape of course, and were made in the land that's famous for peanut butter: America. Hebe did forewarn me that they were lacking on the generosity of their fillings, but I was still excited to get stuck in.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JfY4u9h82hY/WaGb9iGFWMI/AAAAAAAAKlU/vS6-9ai2H2kHwA1a-pd4ldQe3gceCf0zACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JfY4u9h82hY/WaGb9iGFWMI/AAAAAAAAKlU/vS6-9ai2H2kHwA1a-pd4ldQe3gceCf0zACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4309.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pretzel shells were perfectly crisp, and I adored the abundance of large salt crystals that adorned them. Peanut butter is nothing without a hefty saline kick after all. But where was that peanut butter at, I wondered. Hebe wasn't kidding; the image on the front of the packet spoke lies. The shells cracked satisfyingly between my teeth, but each pretzel parcel was (at maximum) a third full. I thought we could rely on our American cousins to provide proper portions, but alas, apparently that's just a stereotype. This was a huge shame too, as the peanut butter was delicious - there just wasn't nearly enough of it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That said, I found these peanut butter filled pretzels to be frustratingly moreish, but you'll need a large drink to have with them. Pretzels are naturally thirst-making, and these are especially so. I can't help but think they're the perfect movie night snack though. Give me a glass* of Rioja, a bag of these Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels, and pop WonderWoman on and I'll be one happy girl.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to try these pretzels but don't have any luck in TKMaxx, I have found them on <a href="https://uk.iherb.com/pr/Good-Health-Natural-Foods-Peanut-Butter-Filled-Pretzels-Salted-5-oz-141-7-g/33205">iherb</a>!</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8/10</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*lets be honest, I mean bottle -it's Saturday after all!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-24808646919496888262017-08-25T17:12:00.002+01:002017-08-25T17:12:25.581+01:00De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums (Sweets Without)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last month Sweets Without sent me those lovely <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/diablo-sugar-free-cappuccino-cream.html">Diablo cappuccino sweets</a> to try - which I'm rather gutted to have finished. Luckily for me, Peter has since sent over a different brand of sugar free sweet for me to try. In fact, Peter gave me a choice between the vast range of sweets made by Dutch confectioners De Bron, and although I was tempted by the exciting sounding Caribbean Mix, it was the gummy cherries that caught my eye. I do love a good jelly cherry sweet! Could a sugar-free version be anywhere near as tasty though?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sweets looked exactly like their regular, full sugar, counterparts but are made with Maltitols to sweeten them instead. They were soft and chewy like the regular versions too, with a strong yet sweet cherry juice flavour. In fact, they were really rather good!</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lpqzzmYbEJ8/WaBJsBmH-EI/AAAAAAAAKkg/fYc7F_IWNdEo9_c7BOpaGrVLrmg2TQmYwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lpqzzmYbEJ8/WaBJsBmH-EI/AAAAAAAAKkg/fYc7F_IWNdEo9_c7BOpaGrVLrmg2TQmYwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_3764.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wafted one under Bert's sceptical eyes. He doesn't buy into sugar-free/low-fat/low-carb/high-protein anything. He eats what he likes and never contemplates having any healthier alternatives. He also adores sweets. Whilst he's never tempted by my excessive chocolate collection, he can't help but dive into the sweetie jar that resides on our coffee table in our living room. The sweetie jar was empty though (a very rare occurrence) and so he tried one of the De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Oooh they're nice."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I promise you, that's high praise from Bert -for reference, his response to the banoffee cheesecakes was "yeah, they're ok".</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think he's since aten more of the pack than me! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can find these sugar free Cherry Gums, and the rest of the De Bron range on <a href="https://sweetswithout.co.uk/collections/de-bron-sugar-free-sweets">Sweets Without's website</a>. Thanks for the samples Peter.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8/10</span></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-42925967293379908202017-08-24T16:12:00.003+01:002017-08-24T16:16:12.688+01:00Banoffee Cheesecake Slices (M&S)<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sister and I were talking about how good the banoffee digestives are <b>again </b>the other day when she asked me why no-one does banoffee cheesecake. I then reminded her of the M&S banoffee cheesecakes that used to be part of the dine in meal deal. "You know, the ones that were designed for two that you used to munch by yourself." "Ah... yes, I remember." </span><div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This jogged my memory back to a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BVFl_CRg8xo/?taken-by=amyseeksnewtreats">conversation</a> I had with a lady called Zoe following the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/new-sicilian-lemon-ricotta-cheesecake.html">Sicilian Lemon & Ricotta cheesecake slice review.</a> I remember Zoe asking me if I had got the M&S Banoffee cheesecakes to review, but I hadn't - thinking that they had been out for years, and that I'd had them many times before. What I hadn't realised (until Zoe informed me) was that they've been re-imagined. I put them on my mental list of items to review... and then promptly forgot all about them. The banoffee chat with my sister prompted me to pop into Marks & Spencer on my way home from the train station on Sunday afternoon, where I found a packet with a yellow reduced sticker on. It was fate!</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"A baked banana and muscovado sugar cheesecake topped with a Belgian chocolate ganache and toffee mousse on a digestive biscuit base."</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the cheesecakes looked a little worse for wear, which was unusual for M&S, who are normally very thoughtful with their packaging.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First up, I sampled the mousse, which was beautifully light, with a sweet toffee flavour to it. I still think that a mousse topping is an odd (and unnecessary) choice, but admittedly it worked better here than in <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-mocha-cheesecakes-waitrose.html">Waitrose's new mocha cheesecakes</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Underneath this layer was the chocolate ganache, but I'd be hard pressed to comment on the flavour of it as it was so thin. In fact, I hadn't properly read the product description until I came to type this, and until a few moments ago I thought it was another toffee layer. This may sound like a complaint, but actually it's not. You see, I can see why M&S would want to provide a barrier between mousse and cheesecake (and it served that purpose well) yet I'm glad it didn't overpower either of the more traditional banoffee elements that the ganache was sandwiched by. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for that banana and muscovado mousse... well. It was a work of art. It was fluffy like <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/new-sunken-chocolate-valencian-orange.html">their chocolate orange cheesecake</a>, lacking the stodginess that 90%+ of supermarket cheesecakes suffer from. The banana flavour was authentic and omnipresent (as it had been with the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/new-dessert-menu-banoffee-semifreddos-m.html">Banoffee Semifreddos</a>), shining through the toffee mousse layer to take centre stage. A delicious caramel undertone followed the banana; which was every bit as delightful as you can imagine. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for that biscuit base, it was thick, buttery and utterly scrumptious. You'd think that would be an aspect that is easy to perfect, when actually so many cheesecakes fall (and fail) on that final hurdle. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is very little, if anything, that I'd change about this dessert. It's the best banoffee cheesecake* I've ever had, and one of the best cheesecakes I've had in a long time. Bravo M&S, and thanks Zoe for giving me the nudge to try this new formula! They're worth every penny, full price** of not!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10/10</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*I'm sure that will change when I get to try <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXgJiXuFu_t/?taken-by=natalie.a.t">this </a>one day.... (fingers crossed!).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">**I can't remember the exact price, but it was less than £3.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-10147439283601508062017-08-23T17:30:00.001+01:002017-08-23T17:30:38.722+01:00Double Decker Banana Moon Pie (A Taste Of The States)<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been wanting to try the Banana Moon Pie for a good couple of years now. It first caught my eye when the big sweet shop in Hereford city centre started stocking them, but I refused to spend £2 on one that was a year out of date. Yes really. I know that these things tend to last way longer than their sell by thanks to all of the artificial.. well everything.. but it was principle, you know? Way back in November I was sent the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=moon+pie">Double Decker Chocolate flavoured Moon Pie</a> and whilst this reminded me of my desire to try the banana flavour, I did little about it. Cue A Taste Of The States. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like the chocolate version, this was made up of layers of graham cracker and marshmallow, but this time it was a sunny* shade of yellow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">T<span style="color: #4c1130;">he banana flavour was omnipresent and, of course, undeniably artificial. It was the good kind of synthetic though, at the foam sweet end of the spectrum and not the chemically one. The gooey, cakey quality made it feel very childish (and therefore all the more enjoyable) to eat.</span><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had already learned from previous experience that a quick blast in the microwave transforms a Moon Pie into an even oozier concoction. So when you try one, please do warm yours up too - but only if you don't mind sticky fingers! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This one is for the die hard banana sweet lovers out there. Those of us who are prepared to face the inevitable sugar high and relish the nostalgic glee of sticky marshmallow. The Banana Moon Pies are are quite the bargain too at <a href="https://atasteofthestates.com/collections/cookies-cakes/products/banana-moon-pie-78g">just 99p from A Taste Of The States</a>, and if you enter AMYSEEKS20 at the checkout you'll get 20% off too! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8/10</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">*does that sound more appetising than slightly alarming?</span><span style="color: #4c1130;"> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-25968584713002841322017-08-22T17:42:00.002+01:002017-08-22T17:45:59.369+01:00Ritter Sport Honey Salt Almonds Milk Chocolate <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fully acknowledge that I am exceedingly late to the Ritter Sport party. In fact I'm more than a little bit embarrassed to admit that this Honey Salted Almonds bar was the first I've tried from their range. I wasn't actually out to buy chocolate, but was in the local corner shop buying vegetables when it called to me. That's what I like to refer to as balanced shopping. I have seen this bar in Waitrose however, and Ritter Sport is widely available now, so should you read this review and decide to buy it (if you haven't already) then I'm sure you won't have any problems finding it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"Milk chocolate with roasted, salted almonds with a honey flavoured coating (25%)."</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">It's strange. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000953674316px;">Ever since I reviewed that <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/new-limited-edition-muller-corner-goes.html">Muller Goes Nuts</a> corner I've been craving caramelised almonds. I've also moaned about the lack of almondy chocolate bars in the U.K so I hoped Ritter Sport would hit the spot!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YJywvgh5U0Y/WZxei-XQbFI/AAAAAAAAKjM/Paf_wcSmRnUGT7YW7h58cGaFV4J4hFIKgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YJywvgh5U0Y/WZxei-XQbFI/AAAAAAAAKjM/Paf_wcSmRnUGT7YW7h58cGaFV4J4hFIKgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2806.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.000000953674316px;">The chocolate was rich, more so than the standard U.K bars, but I had predicted as much considering the cocoa content -30% cocoa solids. It melted fairly slowly too, with a creaminess that I've come to expect from Belgian chocolates (I guess Ritter Sport is closer to the country than us Brits). </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000953674316px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000953674316px;">As for those almonds, they were sizeable and crunchy. Although the size of the nuts may feel overbearing for some, I liked the fact that they hadn't been chopped up beyond recognition. There was a slight honey note that came through, and I was left wondering whether Maple syrup would have worked even better. Aren't I a pernickety sod? </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000953674316px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000953674316px;">The other aspect that slightly bothered me was the lack of salinity. I adored the larger rock salt crystals that adorn the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/new-grown-up-chocolate-company.html">Grown Up Chocolate Company's salted caramel cups</a>, and found that this bar could've done with a similarly obvious salty boost. The salinity was there, but it was just on the weaker side. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'd happily buy this bar again, however I'm now keen to try the Cornflake and Rum & Raisin Ritter Sport bars. Which flavour is your favourite?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>8/10</b></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-24035631298509452802017-08-21T17:26:00.000+01:002017-08-21T17:26:02.270+01:00Magnum Double Raspberry (Tesco) <div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This weekend I stayed with my sister and we found ourselves craving some proper comfort food. Both of us were super-achey (she’s training for the Cardiff Half Marathon) and I’d started phase two of the Crusader Strength Program*. We <b>needed </b>stuffed crust cheese pizza and ice cream. But what ice cream to have? Lou, like me, has a strong love for all things Black Forest (I think we’ve got our grandma’s Xmas roulade to thank for that) and so it didn’t surprise me that she was drawn to the new double raspberry Magnums whilst we were on our junk food hunt in Tesco.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was unimpressed with Magnum’s 2017 flavours when they were announced earlier this year. Double raspberry? Double coconut? Meh. As you might’ve gathered I’m not Magnum’s biggest fan, but I wasn’t about to argue with my sister! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Raspberry ice cream with a chocolate flavour coating (8%), raspberry sauce (19%) and milk chocolate (24%)."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ice sticks have a similar layout to the <a href="http://newtreats.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/new-double-peanut-butter-magnum.html">Double Peanut Butter Magnums</a>; i.e. the ice cream resides in the centre, surrounded by a chocolate layer, then a </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sauce, all coated in milk chocolate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Biting into the stick revealed the tetralogy of distinct layers. The ice cream in the middle had a pleasant berry flavour, but you'd be hard pressed to ascertain that it was raspberry and not strawberry. This might sound like a complaint, but I was fond of the seemingly discontinued white raspberry Magnums, and so did enjoy the ice cream. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The raspberry sauce was sticky and oozed from between the chocolate layers. It was much thinner than the sauce in the double peanut butter Magnums, and I preferred it as such. Magnum have made it from raspberry puree, which was a wise idea as it gave the sauce a sharpness that counteracted the sweetness from the ice cream wonderfully. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The milk chocolate coating was just as tasty as I'd hoped it would be. Magnum might've reduced the size of their lollies quite considerably in recent years but they don't seem to have messed with their chocolate. However, I can't help but think that this ice cream would have been really special had Magnum have opted for a white chocolate coating. I mean, white chocolate and raspberry were just meant to be together weren't they?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks Lou bum to treating me to the Double Raspberry Magnum (especially as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX3Am2nAiOR/?taken-by=amyseeksnewtreats">I've promised to not buy any more new ice cream</a> until I've got my collection under control). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>8/10</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> *<a href="https://crusaderstrength.co.uk/">please check it out </a>if you fancy building some strength and muscle with an extensive full-body plan, I can’t believe the changes I’ve seen in five weeks.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849730749186080912.post-51968844188828328142017-08-20T16:30:00.001+01:002017-08-20T16:35:33.489+01:00Efectiv Pro & Oats High Protein Flapjacks (Online)<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t eat oats in some form or another. In fact, it was the food I missed most when in Malaysia earlier this year. Almost every morning is kick-started with a bowl of protein oats (proats if you will), but I also love granola and flapjacks too. Protein flapjacks however are often disappointing, and tend to be so far removed from real flapjacks that I’d rather have a real flapjack and get my protein elsewhere. I’m not averse to trying new products though and so when Efectiv contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if I’d like to try their new protein flapjacks and Dual bars, I accepted their kind invitation. After all, the protein bar market is rapidly evolving. Gone are the days of chewy bricks, thank goodness! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Their flapjack range currently consists of three flavours: Chocolate Orange, Toffee Oat & Cherry Bakewell. Each 70g bar is less than 270 cals and contains 14g of protein (check the bottom of the review for the full macros). They’re made with gluten free oats and whey, with no palm oil or gelatine. Efectiv have also used natural flavours and sweeteners, and the flapjacks are GMO free and certified Halal. One massive bonus for me is that they contain no soya protein or polyols, making them much kinder on your stomach. This makes them higher in carbs, but also the perfect post-workout treat. I say treat, but that’s only right if they taste good… </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cherry Bakewell</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’d normally save the flavour I’d anticipate would taste the best until last, but my preconceptions on what these bars would taste like wasn’t especially high and so I thought I’d give Efectiv the best chance possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first thought that struck me was how much closer to a real flapjack this bar looked. It was also a decent size too. The second realisation was just how soft the bar was - often protein flapjacks are either super dry or gluey, but this was neither. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The texture was spot on. Soft and gooey, with a pleasant chew that wasn’t hard work. The cherry flavour however was milder than I’d have liked and I couldn’t help but think that either a layer of jam or chunks of dried cherries would improve the taste. It was still the best protein flapjack I’d tried to date though. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8/10</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chocolate Orange</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unlike the Bakewell bar, this flapjack was dark in colour. Texturally it was very similar though. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As for the flavour, this time it was much punchier, although I’d describe it more as cocoa orange as it lacked the milkiness that I’d associate with eating a bar of orange flavoured chocolate. In fact, the flavour kind of reminded me of something that Trek might make, but it was much tastier than Trek’s protein flapjacks. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8/10</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Toffee Oat</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I saved this bar until last and found myself really looking forward to it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wasn’t disappointed either. The bar tasted like a proper flapjack! It was gooey, sweet, soft and chewy with a lovely toffee undertone. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that I’d happily eat the Efectiv toffee & oats pro&pats flapjack instead of a normal flapjack and I’ll be hunting down more to try in the future!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">9/10</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All in all, I was mightily impressed with these protein flapjacks from Efectiv. I do feel like the flavour of the Cherry Bakewell bar could be improved slightly, but that’s just a mini moan! Thank you to Efectiv for sending me the samples. The flapjacks (and the new Dual bars, watch out for the review) are available from their <a href="http://www.efectivnutrition.com/pro-oats-flapjack"><span style="color: #e4af0a;">website.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*as promised, here's the Macro breakdown:</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13563021573623807747noreply@blogger.com0