Of course, given that Easter Sunday has been and gone the eggs won't be obtainable again until 2018, however I hereby promise to publish a review of them in Lent next year*. The Maple Bacon Bar is still available however, so let's press on...
"Not a morning person? Neither are we - but we’d definitely rise and shine for this! Bacon flavoured milk chocolate with a little butterscotch, topped by creamy maple flavoured white chocolate and sea salt. A sweet and savoury delight for any time of day!"
As you might recall, I've recently got my head around savoury-sweet combinations thanks to M&S's cheese hot cross buns (which I filled with bacon and ketchup). This impulse purchase in Malaysia of a cheddar cheese filled mocha chocolate cake was also surprisingly tasty...
My dad thinks I've lost the plot and is just about to disown me for my newly discovered liking, but I'm more open-minded than he is 😉 and as such was really excited to try The Chocolate Smiths' Maple Bacon Bar!
The tablet had snapped in transit, but still looked rather attractive with its combination of milk and white chocolate. I could smell a slight bacon-y scent, but it was mild. The sweet chocolate scent was stronger.
Biting into the bar, my tastebuds embraced the wonderfully confusing melange of flavours. The salt hit first, then the smooth creaminess of the chocolate, followed finally by a beautiful smoky flavour. The depth was both interesting and delicious. I had wondered if the bacon could or would work with the chocolate, but it's genius, and now I finally understand why Nigella hails it 'the unholy union' in her recipe for bacon brownies (which I admittedly previously thought of as revolting, but now must give a try).
For those of you wondering, the bacon in this bar doesn't come from meat but is a bacon oil flavouring, similar in taste to that used in Frazzles. This means that the chocolate is also suitable for vegetarians. Now this might seem odd. Perhaps you're thinking: Surely you don't you want to taste bacon if you don't eat meat? But of course many vegetarians give up meat for ethical reasons and indeed some research suggests that bacon 'is the gateway to meat for vegetarians'. Why would Quorn invest in making meat-flavoured Mycoprotein products otherwise? I'll get off my high horse now. In essence it's a delicious combination for both carnivores and vegetarians.
My only qualms are that the maple flavoured white chocolate is a little lost against the milk chocolate (I think a higher % of white chocolate would work better), and that the bacon flavour isn't present in every square -but maybe I'm simply a greedy pig for bacon, does that make me a cannibal?
Do you think you're brave enough to try the Maple Bacon Bizarre bar? If so, make sure you pop on over to The Chocolate Smiths' shop where you can purchase any three (100g) Bizarre bars for just £10.50! What are you waiting for? Go go go!
9/10
Thank you The Chocolate Smiths for my parcel of goodies!
* but here's a teaser... they're awesome!
