NEW! Taste of Summer Lemon Filled Croissants (M&S)

It's been a while since I reviewed any of the Spirit of Summer range! In the meantime I have tried the Chicken Shawarma flatbread* which was recommended to me by friends (and fellow bloggers) Nat and Laura. Good shout ladies, it's delicious, although I personally prefer the lamb kofta -it's a close call though. Anyway, I've had my greedy eyes on Marks & Spencer's new filled croissants since they appeared in store a couple of months back. The croissants are available in both lemon and apricot flavours, but I've been stingy and refused to pay £2 for the two-pack, thus the patient wait to find them reduced. In all honesty, it was the apricot flavour that piqued my interest (it's my favourite flavour jam) but when I found the lemon reduced this week I was governed by budget and bought the yellow-stickered pack. 

"All butter croissants filled with a zesty sicilian lemon curd."

I rarely buy croissants as I find they can be so hit and miss. Unless they're fresh from the oven, the pastry is often dry and tough. I'm sad to report that M&S haven't avoided this pitfall either as I discovered when I opened the pack and gave the croissants a little squidge.

Slicing one in half didn't improve matters either. The lamination was admittedly impressive, but I couldn't see much of the promised lemon curd filling. Come on Marks & Spencer! 

I took a bite. Ghandi's flipflop. To make matters worse, the lemon curd had the bitter pithy flavour also present in M&S' Spirit of Summer Lemon & Ricotta Cheesecake Slices.

There was only one thing for it... could the microwave save the day? 

Oops. I think I might've popped it in there for too long! I now had visible evidence that there was lemon curd in the croissant (now lemon sauce). Warming the croissant improved matters slightly; at least it was now edible and I could use the lemon to give the pastry some much needed moisture. I still found the lemon to be too bitter, but I appreciate that some of you may prefer it that way. 

I don't think I'll even bother with the other croissant though -currently in my freezer- is it safe to give them to dogs? I'm still tempted to give the apricot croissant a go, but I'm definitely not paying £2 for what could be another dog treat! 

3/10 

*

FYI I'd give the Chicken Shawarma flatbread an 8/10.

NEW! Lemon Drizzle Bun (LIDL)

Often when I wrote reviews of a disappointing product I find myself feeling the need to rectify the issue with a delicious version of said treat. At least that's why I'm blaming Pågen for my cinnamon cravings. Where could I find a decent cinnamon bun though outside of London (thanks for the tips guys)? Normally I can rely on Tesco's bakery -ASDA's aren't nearly so good- but my local Express store has been lacking in supplies lately. Well, either that or there's more cinna-fanatics out there. Then I had a brainwave. Lidl. Lidl sell fabulous looking cinnamon buns, and given the jam doughnut's success I thought I could rely on their bakery. Being the wily mate that I am, it didn't take long to persuade Bert that I really needed more Skyr and he kindly drove me across town. 

Oh dear, dilemma time. I instantly spotted the cinnamon buns, but then cushioned up next to them was an impressive array of iced buns adorned with white chocolate curls. They were simply labelled 'sweet buns, 49p'. Intriguing. I went on a mission to find a member of staff (easier said than done in Lidl) and eventually found a young man who advised me that he thought they were "lemon, lemon drizzle perhaps?". We'll go with that. The cinnamon bun could wait, the lemon drizzle could not. 

I had no idea whether the bun would be filled or not, but given it's coiled shape I found myself dreaming of a sweet yet sharp lemon curd interior. Nom. 

Oh. I guess not then! What the badger? The bun was dry all the way through; no raisins, no butter, and certainly no curd. I suppose on the plus side the dough was well risen with large air pockets, but it was also hard and almost crusty at the edges. 

My disappointment deepened with the first bite. The dough was very dry whilst the lemon flavoured was mild at best. I almost threw it away I was that annoyed by it. Before my frustrations got the better of me I heated the other half in the microwave. 

Ahh, that was better. The nuked dough softened, and the lemon became more prominent thanks to the now melted icing. It shouldn't have to come to that though should it? 

If you're after a citrusy bun, please stick to M&S' brilliant lemon Whitbys. They're gloriously soft, studded with sultanas and filled with a delicious curd. In comparison Lidl's are barely edible when ambient. I'll just stick to their jam doughnuts in future. 

Now I'm craving lemon curd and cinnamon buns. Oh boy.

3/10.

Pågen Gifflar™ Cinnamon Rolls (Tesco)

Cinnamon rolls. One of the greatest, if not the very best bakery treat. The soft dough with sweet spices filling that as you uncurl as you break the spiral apart, all topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. Mmm. Only the inclusion of raisins (like a Chelsea-Cinnamon bun) would make it better. I haven't had an IKEA trip for a while, so my freezer is sadly devoid of their wonderful Kannelbular, but my dismay might've been solved on a recent trip to Tesco. There, sat amongst the scones was a bag of Pågen Gifflar mini cinnamon rolls. At just over £1 for 12 buns there was no question -they were mine. 

"Pågen Gifflar™ Cinnamon is deliciously baked, and has a wonderfully tasty filling. With coffee, at picnic, with friends, or just for yourself when you're in the mood for something sweet! Simple and tasty! With Pågen Gifflar™ Cinnamon you're always in good company!"

The Gifflar are produced in Sweden too, which helped me feel like I was getting even more of a bargain. After all, the Swedes are known for their cinnamon buns.

The dough had a brioche-like shine to it, and although they were still fairly soft, they weren't fluffy like just baked versions.

I made the mistake of attempting on at ambient temperature. The dough didn't taste very fresh, which ruined the flavours of the roll. Let's try it microwaved for 15 seconds as per the packet's instructions.

Hmm. Still not great. The dough tasted no different to a standard savoury dough and lacks the characteristically soft centre of a fresh baked bun. The filling also lacked the rich buttery flavour that I loved so much. Yes the cinnamon was there, but without the sugar it tasted harsh. Of course there's no frosting to these buns, and yes I missed that too. 

These Pågen Gifflar left me feeling sad and hard done by. I'm sure there's plenty of you that'll disagree with my views on these cinnamon rolls (there certainly was a lot of love for them on my Instagram post) but for me they just don't hit the spot. Tesco's fresh cinnamon rolls and IKEA's Kanelbullar still reign, but I think a trip to LIDL's bakery might change that..! 

Where do you buy your cinnamon buns from in the U.K? Leave me a comment on here, twitter or Instagram and let me know! 

3/10 

Apple Crumble Doughnuts (The Co-op)

Yesterday was one of those soul crushingly awful days. You know the ones I mean? When nothing seems to go your way? I managed to mess up my referencing on my assignment that was due in (queue panic), develop impetigo on the inside of my nose (TMI I know), explode a can of Pepsi in a newsagent (massive apologies to the staff members left with that mess), burst into tears for no apparent reason in my night lecture (how embarrassing), and then faced extensive train delays at 9pm (no surprise there with the British rail network). The one redeeming factor, the light at the end of my tunnel in all of this drama was, of course, food: an apple crumble doughnut I'd got stashed in my handbag for the journey home.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how long these apple crumble doughnuts are going to be sold for as they were reduced to clear (despite being well in date) at just 37p for the double pack -but I thought I'd review them anyway. 

"Doughnuts filled with apple sauce and topped with a custard flavoured icing and butter crumble pieces."

Sounds good right? Apple crumble is the ultimate British dessert; a classic that can't be beaten-especially if it's made by my mum-in-law-to-be. How well could it be recreated in doughnut form ?  I thought back to the traditional dessert inspired Rhubarb & Custard doughnut that Greggs sold this summer which I enjoyed -but complained that the only flavour came from the icing. This version was filled though, resulting in my high doughy hopes.

The doughnut had an ample covering of icing, and a fair amount of crumble on top too. Slicing it in half however left me utterly baffled. Where was the apple? Seriously, had the Co-Op forgotten to fill this one entirely? I could just about see the tiniest smidgen of sauce, hiding between the dough. Hopefully it was just off centre...

Nope. With no exaggeration, there could only be a teaspoonful of apple in the entire doughnut. What was there was sweet and pleasant, but it's scarcity meant that the sauce was completely overshadowed by the fairly dense dough. Pah, at least Greggs didn't promise to fill their doughnut. 

The custard icing was sweet, but to be honest I was so disgruntled by the lack of fruit that I didn't notice whether it tasted of custard or not. The best part came from the crumble topping, which was crisp and biscuity, but again I only really acknowledged it when I'd finished the doughnut and was greedily hoovering up the crumbs with my fingers.

A pants (almost*) end to a pants day. Thankfully today was much better. Have a good weekend you lovely lot!

4/10

*luckily the peanut butter twix and choco-nut malt wheats somewhat helped at 11pm.

NEW! E.Wedel Caffe Latte Milk Chocolate (Polski Sklep)

Last week I was queuing up to pay for the peanut & chocolate croissant in the Polish deli, when a chocolate bar I hadn't spotted before caught my eye. It grabbed my attention for three reasons:

1. It was cheap (just 40p)
2. It was caffe latte flavoured (I love anything mocha)
3. It was made my E.Wedel...

...Why would the slightly obscure brand appeal to me you may ask? Well, I've seen their larger (and equally interesting sounding) bars in supermarkets, as well as reading a few favourable reviews* of their products, but have never taken the plunge and bought myself a bar. In the name of impulse, I grabbed the Pawełek and quickly bought it before I could remind myself of he numerous bars of chocolate already sat in my fridge.

Please can we just take a moment to take in the Google translation of E.Wedel's description of the bar on their website (where I also found out that it's new)!

"Pawełek flavored Caffe Latte in milk chocolate bar designed for lovers of coffee with milk and refers to the ritual of drinking this beverage in combination with sweet chocolate pleasure."

My heart sunk when I unwrapped the bar and spotted the White curse of spoilage lingering on the corners. Still, appearances can be deceptive, and I snapped the bar in half. I think I was expecting a truffle-esque centre enrobed in chocolate, but instead I discovered a gooey, fondant core (which smelt very alcoholic!).

Unfortunately in this case, the book should have been judged by its cover. The chocolate was waxy, and tasted cheap, reminiscent of Kinnerton's Christmas calendars. I'm a fan of liqueur chocolates, but I couldn't even detect the slightest hint of coffee, as it was totally overwhelmed by the throat burning alcohol. So potent was it, that I was left wondering how many bars you would need to eat before feeling woozy**.

It's such a shame really, considering the success I had with both of the last Polish chocolate bars I've tried (The Wawel Peanut Butter review here, and advocaat bar review here if you're interested) and the success other bloggers have had with E. Wedel. Maybe I'll give them another shot soon. Have you had any of their bars? If so, which is the best?

3/10

* Such as:
Kev's  Karmel-love! Caramel White Chocolate Bar review
Nibs' Crème Brûlée Bar review
and One Treat's Dark Tiramisu review

** At 2.1% of the bar's ingredients I guess it might be more than the taste led me to imagine!

NEW! Nakd Peanut Delight & Carrot Cake (ASDA)

If you follow me on Instagram you'll already know that Nakd bars are one of my diet staples, and are regularly taken to work for a mid morning snack. I love them because they're bold in flavour, despite being relatively saintly. I've learned that heating the bars for 20 seconds in the microwave somehow further unlocks their boldness further and turns them squidgy at the same time -double bonus. So, it's needless to say that addition of not one, but THREE new Nakd bars got me more than a little excited. The line up now includes carrot cake, peanut delight and an apricot crunch bar. I found the first two in ASDA for 75p each, but I'm yet to spot the apricot flavour -have you seen it yet?

Peanut Delight
Out of the newbie trio, Peanut Delight was -of course- the bar I was most excited to try. I'm pretty much fuelled by peanut butter these days, and love the peanut trek bar, so I expected this bar to become my new favourite Nakd.

"Go nuts for peanuts with our splendid new Peanut Delight bar, packed with all the goodness you’ve come to know and love from Nākd.  Perfect as a pick-me up between meals or just when you feel like treating yourself, this lovely bar has a deep, rich peanut taste from chunky peanut pieces and of course, they’re smooshed together with delicious dates. Made with nothing but natural ingredients, this guilt-free delight is sure to satisfy any snack-hankerings."

Get in my belly. Now.

Somehow the bar looked different to what I expected, I thought that it would just be a mini Trek, but instead it was dark and glossy with a strong date scent.  

Taste-wise it was disappointing. I regularly stuff dates with peanut butter as one of my favourite healthy evening snacks (utterly delicious if you've never tried it) and therefore usually love the combination. Nakd seem to have got the proportions all wrong though: there's far too much date and not nearly enough peanut. In fact the only nod to peanuts were the occasional soggy chopped nut that cropped up every now and then. The resulting flavour lands the bar a long way into the sweet camp, and I found it to be longing for a good sprinkling of salt -and preferably a coating of peanut butter too. Not even warming it through could save it. I'm afraid it's not one I'll buy again.

3/10

Carrot Cake
I've mentioned a good few times over these past few months that I'm partial to a good slice of carrot cake. I was a bit dubious about this carrot cake flavoured raw, vegan and gluten free bar. After all surely nothing could compare to an indulgent homemade affair, adorned with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

"Feeling the need for something desserty without the guilt? Presenting a special guest treat, this is a crave-busting carrot cake bar that tastes just like the real thing, but with the added bonus of being super-healthy too! This Carrot Cake bar is unique and special which is why it’ll only be around for a short time, it’s bound to be snapped up quick so you’ll want to get involved as soon as you can to avoid disappointment! With the warming spice of cinnamon accompanied by soft walnuts, raisins and dates this one really takes the cake."

Can you see the flecks of carrot dotted about the bar? I could smell the cinnamon the moment I peeled back the wrapper..

Hurrah Nakd! This is what I've come to expect from you! The bar was soft and chewy, whilst packing some serious punch. They have worked their magic and absolutely nailed the flavours of one of my favourite cakes. Moveover Rhubarb & Custard, the new Carrot Cake bar might just have claimed the top spot. I microwaved the second half of my bar and found -for the first time ever- that it wasn't any better warm... which makes it perfect for eating on the go. I'm gutted that this is a limited edition flavour, so I'll be sure to stock up whilst they're still around!

10/10

Have you tried any of the new bars yet? Are you in agreement with me and Kev (find his review of both bars here) or do you like the Peanut Delight bar like the lovely Erin (read her review here).

NEW! Rolo Crack'It Desserts

The new Rolo and Yorkie 'Crack'It' dessert pots came out a few weeks ago now, but I patiently waited for them to come on offer before trying them (£1 for 2 in ASDA). I say them but, as I never buy a standard Yorkie bar, I knew I'd only ever purchase the Rolo pots. The newish Rolo mousses have become a staple in my household, and I really like the original Rolo pots so I had high hopes for these Crack'Its!

"Caramel creme dessert with a cracking chocolate layer."

I was fortunate to find that all of the caramel layer in my pot had faithfully stayed in place below the chocolate disk. My fiance hadn't been so lucky however, and told me that his had suffered in his lunchbox -which meant he didn't have to 'crack' the chocolate to get to the golden treasure. 

He wasn't missing out on much anyway. The chocolate did snap easily -but that was about its only redeeming feature. How Nestle can describe it as chocolate I'll never know, for it was gritty, bitter, and far from the quality I expected. Put it this way, I'm sure that if Rolo chocolates could talk they'd be shouting about how they were no relation to the Crack'Its. 

I hoped that the caramel layer would be akin to the delicious, silken ganache-like caramel substance used in the original Rolo pots. It wasn't. It was insipid, and thin enough to run off my spoon. The flavour was alright, but its texture meant it reminded me of cold, watery custard. Not good.

I won't be buying these again. Good idea, terrible execution Nestle.

3/10   

Kellogg's Jif PB & J Cereal (American Fizz)

As you may or may not recall, I have been trying to track down this cereal for ages whilst growing increasingly envious of the ample array of peanut buttery products available across the pond. Why can't any of the cereal manufacturers produce a pb flavoured cereal in England? I'm certainly not the only British nut butter addict. I bought the box from American Fizz for £4.99.

I had high hopes for Kellogg's; after all they're arguably one of the best know cereal brands in the world. The 'naturally and artificially flavoured' label on the front didn't phase me either as it's seemingly proudly displayed on all of their pop tart boxes, and they're pretty darn tasty.

The box contained a good mixture of two different cereal types: golden squares with holes in, and little pink balls. As soon as it was opened I noticed an overwhelmingly artificial, chemically smell... Oh dear. 

I  poured myself a bowl anyway and attempted to ignore the odour. I decided to try the peanut buttery cereal first, but all I could taste was fake strawberry. The flavour from the pink balls had leeched its way into every mouthful, and unfortunately it wasn't pleasant. In fact it reminded me of the fake flavour of the protein+ peanut butter flapjack I was unimpressed by back in March.

What a disappointment! I'll have to stick to the co-op's fantastic ice cream to satisfy my pb&j cravings and Reese's Puffs for my cereal needs from now on. 

3/10 

NEW! Kellogg's Special K Nourish Dark Chocolate & Coconut (Sainsbury's)

Not long after the Ancient Legends range came out at the beginning of the year, Kellogg's released a new variant in their Special K range. They say:

"Special K Nourish brings delicious joy to breakfast by giving you a bowl full of wonderful flavours and varied textures specially combined to give you a positive & healthy start to every morning. Our crisp flakes and clusters are made with a variety of wholesome grains like oats, wholewheat, rice and barley, with hearty linseed and sunflower seeds, adding a fibre packed crunch to every bite. And with luscious additions like delicate dark chocolate curls and crispy coconut you can spring into each day feeling upbeat."

To be honest, I was just attracted to the idea of a chocolate and coconut breakfast cereal. The Nourish range also comes in 'Dark Berries', and 'Nuts and Seeds' flavours too, but pishhh, pass me the unhealthiest version ta!

The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of chocolate or dried coconut. All I could see were special K flakes, which -to me- taste like cardboard. 

And that's all I could taste really: bland flakes with the occasional little crunchy cluster thrown in for good measure. The linseed and sunflower seed nuggets admittedly added extra texture, but that's about it. There were a few coconut pieces dotted about, but seeing as they only make up 7.5% of the box, they were very far and few between. I don't even know how Kellogg's can even describe the curls as being dark chocolate, they just tasted like poor quality cooking chocolate, and also only account for 7.5% of the ingredients -probably a good job. 

I appreciate that Special K is a low calorie/healthy cereal, but it's so lacking in terms of flavour that it seems pretty pointless. If you're watching your intake there's much tastier alternatives, and I'd certainly much rather a bowl of porridge (or Krave!) anyday. 

3/10

NEW! Black Forest Muffins and Strawberry & Belgian White Chocolate Cake (ASDA)

It was my other half's Birthday last week, and he purposefully requested ASDA's Extra Special hand Finished Strawberry & Belgian White Chocolate Cake: a pretty looking cake that neither of us had tried before, but both liked the sound of. I popped into my local ASDA on the morning of his birthday (aiming for optimum cake freshness) and secured the very last one in store for a very reasonable £1.50.

Whilst ambling down the bakery aisle I spotted a selection of new cakes, including three new muffins (Eton Mess, Toffee Fudge and Black Forest) and some cupcakes (Cappuccino, Strawberries and Cream and Lemon FYI). I rang my other half and tried to persuade him to opt for the new muffins instead as they sounded so enticing -but he preferred the sound of the white chocolate cake, and of course the Birthday boy's choice came first.

We were both utterly disappointed with the white chocolate cake- extra special it certainly was not. It was extremely dry, and the pitiful smidge of jam in the centre offered little in the way of taste. The buttercream was pretty standard, although neither of us could detect the white chocolate that was meant to flavour it. I certainly wouldn't buy it again, especially not at the full price (£2.65). 

3/10

Feeling hard done by, I decided to prove to myself (and the fiance) just how much of a better decision it would've been to opt for the new muffins instead. Tempted by all three flavours, I -of course- chose the chocolate flavour, Black Forest (£1 for 2 muffins).

Back when I reviewed the special K black forest moments, I mentioned just how much I love the combination of chocolate and cherry and feel that it's an underappreciated flavour pairing. Needless to say that I was therefore excited to try my first black forest cake in many years, especially as I find ASDA makes the best supermarket bakery muffins.

"2 Cherry flavoured muffins with a sour cherry filling, topped with chocolate drops."

Cherry flavoured muffins? Really? They looked like chocolate cake to me. There were plenty of chocolate chips on display and the red coloured jam was eagerly oozing out, enticing me in to a delicious looking teatime treat.

I sliced the muffin in half (for photographic purposes) and was pleased to find a seemingly generous dollop of jam running down the centre. I picked off a couple of rogue chocolate drops, and whilst they weren't premium quality, they were comfortingly scrummy. So far, so good ASDA.

They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, and that certainly seems to be the case with ASDA's newer cakes. They seem to have opted for the style-over-substance route (which M&S used to be guilty of a lot of the time) and I can't help but think it's a shame.

The 'black forest' muffin was extremely dry, and didn't really taste of chocolate or cherry. Remember my bad experience with Boot's red velvet cake? Well this was very similar. Surely it would have been better for ASDA to make a decadent chocolate cake studded with whole (un-pitted!) cherries and swirled with jam? Talking of which, the saucy centre was the best bit -and you never want the jam in a cake to be the highlight, do you?

I decided to warm the second half in the microwave, vastly improving the texture of the muffin. Admittedly it became a sticky mess to eat, but the chocolate drops had melted, bleeding some much needed moisture into the sponge cake. If I ever bought these again (say they're reduced to 10p at the end of the day) I'd definitely serve them warm with vanilla ice cream.

4/10

NEW! Boostball Mega Review (Online)

Boostball. A company that I've seemingly been pouring over for months now, and I'm not sure know how or why I came to know about them. I think that Boostball popped up in my twitter feed sometime last year, and since then I've been watching the company's progress, and its creation of a new range of healthy protein balls. When I spotted the peanut butter cookie dough flavour, I must've jumped up and down in glee, I mean how glorious does that sound? So, when I got a message from the company requesting that I review all of the boostballs you can just imagine how excited I was!

Each Boostball contains only 7 ingredients and is:

• All Natural  
• Gluten Free
• Wheat Free
• Soya Free
• Refined sugar Free
• High in protein
• High in fibre

Raw Chocolate Brownie

In my normal weirdo fashion, I ate the balls (oo-er) in order of what I expected to be my least-to-most favourite. All the Boostballs flavours appealed, so I chose the flavour that sounded most boring: raw chocolate brownie.

The Boostball packs contain three balls, but the nutritional info is for only one ball. I've mentioned on many an occasion by hatred for companies providing such misleading information. I mean who eats only 1/3 of a pack? It's the same with Twirls... I'm never going to resist the other finger! Anyway, back to the topic in hand...

The balls looked rather unappealing. Kev (Kev's Snack Reviews) and Laura (A Daisy Chain Dream) both pointed out their likeness to something rather less edible, in fact Laura referred to them as "Giant Easter Bunny Poop", and I can see where she was coming from.

Undeterred, I took a knife to one and sliced it in half. It was soft and squidgy with a smooth consistency all the way through -I'm not making them sound any more appetising here am I?

I bit into the first ball, and I couldn't believe my tastebuds. They were seriously chocolatey, with a yummy chewiness that was very addictive. I tried to work out what they reminded me of, and suddenly it clicked: Mars Xtra Choc! The texture was dense and fudge-like, whilst the flavour had just the right amount of cocoa. I can't believe these are a healthy product -they taste so deliciously naughty. I thought that the Rhythm 108 choco-walnut-dessert bar, and the Trek Cocoa Chaos were good, but seriously, they have nothing on the Boostball raw chocolate brownie. Yum, yum, yum.

9/10

Chocolate Orange Mud Cake


Another set of three brown squidgy balls! This time they're supposed to bear resemblance to an orange mud cake. I have to be honest here and admit that I'm not entirely sure what a mud cake is -except that it's gooey and chocolatey- but that in itself has to be a winning combination.

The chocolate was by far the most prominent flavour, so much so that there's not a huge amount of difference in taste between these boostballs and the raw brownie ones. The orange was a subtle background, and I have to admit that I'd have liked it to have been a bit more punchy.

8/10

Coconut Fudge Cake

This threesome looked slightly more appetising, with their dusting of (what I presume was) dessicated coconut. 

The coconut fudge cakes' texture was a far cry from the previous two flavours of boostballs; they felt the same to touch, yet in the mouth they were completely different.. Instead of the smooth consistency I had become acquainted to, I was met with a very claggy texture that stuck itself awkwardly to every tooth.

The flavour however was pretty spot on, with a strong coconut flavour and subtle vanilla backnote. It was a shame about the texture, I really didn't enjoy having to try and peel the odd bits of boostball from the crevices in my mouth -but then I had a brainwave! What if I popped the remaining boostball into the microwave for 30 seconds? Would that improve the situation?

It did! Once the coconut oils had been released, the boostball was transformed. Gone was the tackiness, replaced with a creamy chewiness and I could savour the wonderful tropical flavour to its fullest.

3/10 cold 
but 7/10 warm. 

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

As I've already mentioned, this was the flavour that got me really excited. Peanut butter + cookie dough? Whoever decided upon that flavour combination is a genius! 

The peanut butter cookie dough Boostballs also contain a whopping 13.2g of protein per bag, so they're a good choice for vegetarians and/or athletes alike. 

Uh oh. I had the same experience as with the coconut fudge cake, and the tackiness of these boostballs made them stick to my teeth again. Quick to react, I trusted my microwave to save the day for the second time. 

Once warm, they lost their magnetism towards my gappy teeth, and I could enjoy the chewy-gooeyness. The nut flavour was natural thanks to the inclusion of real peanut butter, but it was much sweeter than expected. A quick scout at the ingredients explained why -they also include maple syrup- and each bag contains 12g of (natural) sugars. I missed the saltiness required to bring the balance of savoury-sweet into equilibrium, and couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed.

3/10 cold 
6/10 warm.

Summary

So there you have it, my thoughts on every flavour of boostball. They are a handy and healthy snack if you're needing to up your protein intake, and I'm looking forward to their official launch and release into shops soon. Interestingly the flavour that appealed to me the least turned out to be my favourite and I'll certainly regularly purchase the Raw Chocolate Brownie Boostballs.

Whilst the boostballs I reviewed are suitable for vegetarians, they contain milk protein so aren't vegan friendly. Don't despair if you are Vegan however, as Boostball have informed me however that they will be launching a vegan range in the summer. They also tell me that the balls will also be slightly softer and completely round -although they looked pretty round to me!

If you like the sound of Boostballs, please pop on over to their website for more information or keep an eye on their twitter page for updates and details about their official launch.

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to Boostball for sending me their range to try!

Red Velvet Cake (Boots)

Today's my birthday and so it feels only right to write a cake review of one of my favourite cake flavours, the American classic Red Velvet.

You'd have thought that I would have given up on Boots' own-brand snack range by now. All of my finds so far have looked and sounded delicious, but have in fact tasted pretty rubbish. Remember their awful Cinnamon & Vanilla Popcorn, even worse Coconut & Pineapple Popcorn and disappointing Banoffee Flapjack? Well I hate giving up on anyone/anything, and seem to live in constant hope that they'll redeem themselves one day, so bought Boots' 'Delicious' Red Velvet Cake Slice (albeit with my fingers crossed).

The cake looked pretty with its creamy icing and red sprinkles. It wasn't the bright colour that I'd have liked it to be, but I felt I could forgive Boots as it's so much harder to get that vivid shade nowadays thanks to the stringent laws on the use of artificial colours. 

The knife cut through the cake easily thanks to its fluffy texture and soft icing. The cake was moister than expected, with a good even crumb structure... But, that's where the positives stopped.

Once again, Boots clearly haven't given enough thought to the flavours. The cake had a faint cocoa flavour, but it was so bland that it tasted more like it might have absorbed any lingering fridge smells. It really was that bad. 

The icing on top didn't improve matters either; surely a key characteristic of 'Red Velvet' is the tart cream cheese layer? Well, Boots forewent it altogether, instead opting for a 'white chocolate' buttercream. I'm a huge fan of white chocolate, so this shouldn't be a huge problem, but I couldn't remotely taste its inclusion... so I checked the packet and read that it only accounts for 1% of the ingredients! How pointless. 

3/10

Now, despite a FOURTH bad Boots review, I'm still tempted by their 'Cookie Dough Brownie' and Carrot Cake (yes, I'm a mug). 

Please get in touch if you've had any of Boots' cakes or snacks that actually taste as good as they sound! 

Banoffee Flapjack (Boots)

I'd forgotten just how much I love flapjacks until (thanks to O2 Priority) I got the chance to try any of the Graze boxes sold in Boots completely free of charge! I was in a bit of a dilemma  as I liked the sound of the chocolate dippers and strawberry & blueberry coins, but then I spotted the lemon drizzle box and my choice was made. 

The lemon drizzle Graze was exquisite, soft yet gooey with a sweet citrussy kick, and hands-down the best flapjack I'd had in years. It was so good that it made me consider signing up to Graze!

You know what its like when you've rekindled a love for an almost forgotten treat and suddenly become acutely aware of its presence? Well, I go into Boots every Monday for my £1 meal deal (thanks again O2) and for the first time, acknowledged their own-brand range of flapjacks -including a banoffee version. As a lover of anything banoffee, I couldn't resist!

'Oat flapjack with caramel and banana, topped with belgian chocolate.'

The flapjack was a sizeable slab, weighing in at 61g. There were three dried banana coins on the top, and a generous chocolatey drizzle. The gooey caramel layer had stuck to the packet in places, meaning that the slice had a slightly messy appearance. As I've said before, I don't believe that looks are a reflection of taste, so I eagerly got stuck in to my treat.

Unfortunately, the Boots flapjack tasted utterly different to its Graze cousin. It was stodgy, and overwhelmingly sweet, with the caramel layer compounding the problem. Instead of the luxuriously silky Dulce De Leche style caramel that I experienced with the Morrisons 'Millionaire's Shortbread Mash Up' ice cream, it was a gritty saccharine layer that wasn't pleasant. The banana element came solely from the three chips on top, so felt somewhat like a lazy afterthought.

I couldn't help but think the flapjack would've been improved from the caramel and banana flavours being rippled through the oats, instead of being clumsily added on top. It's such a shame, there was so much promise for the Boots Banoffee Flapjack, if only it'd been given the thought and execution it deserved.

3/10