NEW! Chocolate & Caramel Pyramids (M&S)

I couldn't help it, ok?

After I tried my luck with the banoffee semifreddos 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. 

"A cocoa sponge base topped with a Belgian dark chocolate pyramid mousse, a caramel ganache centre and caramel decoration."

I found myself thanking M&S once again for their clever packaging and thankfully, unlike their fresh banoffee cheesecake slices, 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. 

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.

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 Waitrose salted caramel mousse (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?

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! 

7/10

NEW! Trek Chunks Cocoa Peanut Peak (ASDA)

It's a good time of year when Natural Balance Foods release their new lines, although recently they've been mainly focused around the Nakd branch of the business. This time around though the company have brought out an extension of their Trek range in 'energy chunk' format -as well as the delicious sounding lemon drizzle bar that I've read smashing reviews of by both EatExploreEtc and Erin. The new Trek Energy Chunks are available in three flavours: Toffee Triumph, Cranberry Kick and Cocoa Peanut. But what are they? I'll let Natural balance foods explain:

"Brand new TREK Chunks are deliciously different.
Instead of relying on mysterious additives & syrups, TREK Chunks are packed with a precise cold-pressed balance of powerful wholefoods, delivering sustained energy … when you need it most.
With 12g protein and all important natural slow release energy, Chunks satisfy mid-afternoon grazing, hunger on-the-go and interval fuelling. What's more, TREK Protein Energy Chunks are vegan, gluten free and 1 of your 5 a day too."

Well there you go. Of course I opted for the Cocoa Peanut. I'm a big fan of both the Cocoa Chaos and Peanut Power Treks, and I really hoped that the new chunks would be the perfect amalgamation of the two. 

Inside the pack were 12 cube shaped chunks, which were dark in colour and firmer than expected. They smelt more of cocoa than peanut and I wondered how Natural Balance would have pitched the flavour balance. 

It turns out that they did a pretty good job. The cocoa was indeed the more prominent flavour, but the chunks contained a resonant nuttiness. Texturally they were quite crunchy, a point of differentiation to the Trek bars and more similar to Nakd's crunch range. Another plus point.

In fact, I'm not sure I could find anything to moan about with the Energy Chunks save for the high -but natural- sugar content. Considering I don't pay too much attention to my sugar intake this wasn't an issue for me, and I'll be buying them again in future -especially if I find them on offer!

9/10

Dr Zak's Chocolate Powdered Peanut Butter (CNSport)

I can't deny my love of chocolate and peanut butter. My 2016 New Years' resolution is still going strong and I'm still having my two favourite foodstuffs every single day without exception. It's needless to say therefore that when Conor at CNSport offered me a jar of Dr Zak's chocolate powdered peanut butter to review I jumped at the chance -especially because I'd enjoyed their Banoffee Pie and Chocolate Fudge Brownie peanut spreads so much!

"High protein & defatted chocolate flavour powdered peanut butter. All the taste of chocolate spread with 70% less fat."

Could peanut butter taste as good with none of the fat? I enjoy some fat-free products such as Skyr and Quark, but surely pb tastes so good because of its natural fat content?

I poured some of the powder into a ramekin and added equal measures of water -as suggested- before stirring to make a paste. I was about to spread it on my fruit loaf when I thought I'd give it a quick sample first.

Bleurgh! What the? Sweet bejeezus that's no relative of peanut butter.

All I could taste was a bitter chemical flavour* that I just had to spit out. 

*At this point I'll add that there's no chemicals: the tub simply contains peanut flour, cocoa and stevia -but boy it was vile. 

Am I doing this whole peanut powder thing wrong? At the moment I can't even bring myself to try it again, but if you've had it and can make it work please do send me your suggestions.

0/10

A huge thank you to Conor for the sample! Unfortunately I can't love everything you stock, sorry ;).

NEW! Tiramisu slice (Caffè Nero)

Now I feel like a bit of a hyprocrite writing this. A few days ago, when I published the review of Morrisons's "Best" gingerbread muffins, I was asked if I'd had Costa Coffee's version and that I should compare the two and I replied that I don't buy food from coffee shops because it's so expensive. That's still true, but I was meeting my mum for coffee yesterday and so she treated me to a tiramisu slice to have at home that evening (I'd only just eaten lunch). As a lover of all things tiramisu I couldn't wait to get stuck in. Admittedly I've never had any food from Nero before, but had eagerly been eyeing it up every Tuesday when I collect my free mocha courtesy of O2 Priority.

"An Italian takeover of a millionaire's shortbread - chocolate shortbread, coffee caramel and white chocolate. Dusted with cocoa and gold shimmer."

Sounds delicious right? Except... Where does the tiramisu come into play? Surely Marsala wine, Savoiardi and mascarpone are key ingredients of the famous Italian dessert? At least the cocoa and coffee elements where there I suppose. I moan, but in all honesty, the combination of the three layers sounded intoxicating. I just wish they'd called it a winter mocha millionaire's slice or similar.

The white chocolate topping had shattered on every single slice in Nero's cabinets, and by the time it got home mine looked even more worse for wear thanks to the oozy caramel peeping out from all sides and the gold shimmer having all but disappeared. The instantly redeeming factor however was the delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee that escaped from the bag the moment I retrieved my treat.

Chocolate shortbread can often be a bit hit and miss. The cocoa sometimes dries out the mixture and the biscuit loses some of that beautiful butteriness that it's known for. The thick, crumbly base of the tiramisu slice had fallen prey to this trap, but fortunately only slightly. Thankfully it was chocolatey, and benefitted from being slightly less sweeter than expected. Normally this would be a negative point for my sugar addicted palate, but given the toppings that sat above it, the shortbread needed to be less sugary.

The caramel was sheer heaven. Earlier this year I tried the Cappuccino Twix, and found it to have a very mild coffee flavour. This, by comparison, packed an almighty flavour punch and yet the caramel still shine alongside it (think caramel macchiato). The consistency of it was spot on too -gooey enough to ooze, but not so much that it slipped off the shortbread and became a pain to eat.

Of course the white chocolate on top offered an additional sugar hit, but it wasn't thick enough to really taste on its own (especially due to the strength of flavours in the layers below). All I could detect was the creamy sweetness but it worked well.

By the end of the tiramisu slice, I started to find it very sickly -but isn't that the case with most millionaire's shortbread. I felt like I'd had a real treat though, and now feel like I might be missing out on some of the coffee shops' bakery items! What's your favourite coffee shop treat? I'd love to know what's worth the pennies!

9/10

Godiva Chocolate & Creme Bar (B&M)

I wasn't expecting to find anything of interest when popping into B&M this afternoon to pick up dog food. I just thought I'd double check the chocolate shelves en route to the till -just to see if they had any peanut butter twixs in stock. There was none of them -boo- but there was two Godiva bars! 

I haven't had Godiva chocolate before, but it was noted somewhere in the back of my brain as the ultimate in quality chocolate. There were two flavours to choose from: double chocolate and chocolate & creme. I ummed and ahh for a couple of seconds -would they be worth the 79p per bar? I could get three Galaxy duets in B&M for the same price- luckily my frugal nature lost out to my hungry eyes and both bars went into my basket.

The packets informed me that despite their branding as Belgian chocolate, the bars are in fact produced in Turkey and distributed from New York. Crikey that's some serious carbon footprint! 

I thought I'd try the lesser exciting of the two first, which to me was the chocolate and creme. 

"Layer of cocoa biscuit & creme in milk chocolate."

The guilt that I''d experienced from the purchase followed by their eco non-credentials abated when I cut the single finger chocolate bar in two. The layers were distinct and beautiful. The chocolate had a silken sheen to it, and I knew I'd spent my pennies wisely.

I'm convinced I spotted pearly gates; the combination of chocolate, creme and biscuit was heavenly perfection. Cote D'or make my favourite chocolate, but Godiva's version comes pretty damn close for it was soft, creamy and utterly delicious. The cocoa biscuit on the bottom was crunchy and short, tasting a little how I imagine the lovechild of a double chocolate digestive and shortbread would. As for the creme in the middle? Well it was milky, smooth and equally delectable, good enough to eat on its own but enhanced by the chocolate and biscuit surrounding it. 

It's taken me every ounce of determination and will power to not sit and gobble the Godiva Double Chocolate bar that's sat in the fridge..

10/10  

NEW! Graze Cocoa & Vanilla Protein Flapjack (Boots)

I regularly pick up Graze's wonderful Lemon Drizzle flapjack as part of my Monday Boots meal deal (courtesy of o2 priority). I'd go as far as saying that I can single handedly thank Graze for rekindling my love with the citrus fruit, so much so that I recently opted for Gu's lemon cheesecake* over any of their chocolatey puds -shocking right? With that thought in mind, imagine my excitement therefore when I spotted a new chocolate flapjack from Graze in Boots this week (well, cocoa but same difference). I had to try it at once! But then, I paused. It was a protein flapjack, and my experience of them thus far has been less than pleasant... 

Hmm. Do I risk a bad flapjack over one that I know I love? Of course I do!

"Whole British oat flapjack with cocoa, vanilla and protein crispies."

As usual, the flapjack was split into three equal chunks. I couldn't smell any cocoa, which was odd considering how pungent the lemon is in their drizzle flapjack. 

I bit into it, and realised that this was no ordinary flapjack. There were big and crunchy (soy protein) pieces embedded throughout which meant it was less moist and squidgy than what I was used to. At first I was a little non-plussed: the chocolate flavour wasn't particularly strong and the texture was different to what I expected. Never again I thought, it's back to the lemon drizzle next week..

But then, somehow, I got my head around the fact that, yes, it was different -but that doesn't necessarily  equate to bad. When I dropped the term 'flapjack' from the front of my mind, I started to enjoy it, and I mean really enjoy it. The cocoa flavouring gave the treat a more hot chocolatey taste, although I couldn't detect the vanilla. The combination of textures made me think of a Rice Krispies' Square + Flapjack hybrid; It was really quite delicious! 

I won't always choose this new flapjack above the lemon drizzle flavour, but I definitely will have it again. I don't eat a lot of meat so sometimes it's useful to get a bit of extra protein in, and at 9g per flapjack I can think of worse ways to top up! 

My experience of Graze has been so good that I'm actually considering signing up. Are any of you subscribers? What are the best boxes?

9/10

*Also marvellous and perfectly refreshing! 

NEW! Bodhi Date & Cacao Cricket Paleo Bars (Online)

Have you seen snippets in the news over the past few months about how insect protein is due to rise in popularity? Indeed The Guardian reported on Friday that there are at least six insect farms either in development or under consideration in England. Why would you want to eat bugs though? Well, one of the biggest benefits is that they are an environmentally friendly alternative to meat.

Bodhi is a new UK based company who have just starting selling Paleo bars made with cricket flour. When they offered to send me some samples, I accepted, thinking that I'd take the opportunity to try something utterly different -I'd like to think that I'd try most things at least once. Each bar contains 10g of protein, and is gluten, soy and dairy free.

 A little more info on the company:

"Here at Bodhi we like to keep an eye on our diets, and make sure we're getting enough protein. While protein bars are a handy way to do that, we found most bars available were packed with sugar, artificial ingredients, and the source of protein was not a natural one. We set out to create something new, innovative and effective. We wanted to develop a bar that combined a natural protein source, all-natural raw ingredients, that fit into a paleo lifestyle.  

That's when we stumbled across a new and exciting ingredient... Cricket flour. We say new, but eating crickets and other insects is already considered completely normal in many countries around the world. However, it's only recently countries like the UK, USA, Australia and many countries in Europe are coming around to the many benefits. Crickets are actually part of the same animal family as prawns and lobsters, so the idea of eating them shouldn't be so strange."

The brown, rectangular shaped bar looked similar to a Trek bar, although it had a definite earthy aroma. The texture was firm and dry to the touch, but when I bit into it I discovered that it was crunchy. Immediately the thought of a mouthful of crickets entered my mind, and I found the bar difficult to swallow. I thought I'd got over the mental hurdle of eating bugs, but it cropped up right at the wrong moment and I couldn't continue.

I had been documenting my journey with these paleo bars on instagram, when one of my followers (macroswithmeesh) expressed an interest in trying them. I offered to send him one, curious to discover whether it was just the thought of eating crickets that prevented me from enjoying it...

His review: 

"...Having tried a fair few of the 'natural'/'raw' paleo bars it is about on par with most other products...

On the plus side, the extra protein (10g) is a good selling point and coming from crickets, it is more resourceful and what not..."

So there you have it. Two reviews in one. Macroswithmeesh may have been able to stomach it, but I woosed out. Since I stumbled at the first hurdle it seems unfair for me to score it.

Thank you to Bodhi for me the samples. If you're braver than me and are intrigued by the sound of these new Date & Cacao Cricket Paleo bars, please head on over to their website where you can find out more about the company and buy some for yourself.

NEW! Double Chocolate Limited Edition Special K Moments (Sainsbury's/ Home Bargains)

A couple of months ago Kellogg's announced that they were launching two new flavours into their Special K Moments range. I managed to find and review the Black Forest Gateaux pretty swiftly, but its taken me until now to find the double chocolate variety. At long last I spotted them in Sainsbury's this week, but baulked at the full price RRP of £2.00, and I'm pretty glad I did because the following day I spotted them in Home Bargains for a more reasonable 99p.

 

 

 

'Delicious cocoa biscuits with a soft chocolate-flavoured filling, topped with a vanilla flavoured drizzle.'

 

The biscuits were just as pretty as the Black Forest Gateaux version, in fact you'd be pretty hard pressed to tell them apart once removed from the packet. There were lovely white ripples that adorned the biscuits, which were a nice touch that gave them look more luxurious edge. The 'Moments' snapped easily, revealing the chocolate saucy centre sandwiched between the two cracker-thin biscuits. Taste-wise there was a dark intense cocoa flavour that's not dissimilar to Bourbon biscuits, and the chocolate filling added extra richness.

 

These biscuits aren't as sweet as the others in Kellogg's range, so I imagine they'd be particularly appealing to dark chocolate lovers. I enjoyed these new double chocolate Special K Moments, but I preferred the more unusual combination of flavours in the Black Forest Gateau version.

 

7/10

Rhythm 108 Choco-Walnut Brownie Dessert Bar (Amazon)

It's Monday, time for another Rhythym 108 review, and this week it's the turn of the delicious sounding Choco-Walnut brownie. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know by now that Rhythm 108 make healthy & organic, dessert-style energy bars that are gluten free, and high in calcium and fibre.

Their Choco-Walnut brownies are made from all natural whole foods (dates, cashews, walnuts, milk, amaranth, cacao paste and apple cider vinegar) which meant I was a bit dubious as to how tasty it would be. As with the apple pie, lemon cake, and coconut macaroon bars, I gave it a quick blast in the microwave, and this time I served it with cherry yogurt.

The brownie had a robust, almost raw cocoa flavour with fruity undertones. The experience was something that I thought I'd find overwhelming (particularly seeing as I'm more of a milk chocolate kind of girl), but I truly enjoyed the sharpness of the flavours. I took delight in the squidgyness of the bar, combined with the satisfying crunch that came from the nuts. It felt almost unbelievable to imagine that the brownie wasn't full of fat or sugar -the taste was so convincingly naughty.

I really loved this Choco-Walnut dessert bar from Rhythm108, although I can't help but think that I would have enjoyed it more with a (very) large scoop of ice-cream -it's all about the balance after all!

Once again, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Rhythm 108 for sending me their range to sample.

If you like the sound of the brilliant good-for-you dessert bars, then please pay a visit to the website and/or online shop.

9/10

Nakd Caffé Mocha

As you might have gathered if you've read my previous posts, I've recently fallen in love with cold press snack bars, such as Nakd, Trek, and the cheap (but very tasty) Tesco Banana Bliss. I'm starting to get alarmingly excited by trying flavours I've not seen before; so when I popped into an odd little independent Health Food shop and spotted the Nakd Caffé Mocha, I ignored the fact it was more than double the price that they're currently on offer in ASDA for, and snapped it up.

The Caffé Mocha bar is just as saintly as the other Nakd Bars, consisting purely of Dates, Cashews, Raisins, Cocoa and natural flavourings. It also contains one of your five a day, and is suitable for anyone who's Vegan, Coeliac, or Lactose intolerant.

As you can see, the cashews are clearly visible once the bar is broken. I've learnt from experience that Nakd bars are lovely warmed in the microwave for twenty seconds, giving them a comforting gooey-ness. I did nibble the end before heating, and it was tasty cold (but better warm). Both the coffee and the chocolate flavours were well represented within the bar, although its far less sweet than many of the other bars within the range.

I enjoyed the bar, but it comes way down my list of favourite cold-press snacks (perhaps an indication of why it's a less widely available flavour). I missed the usual Nakd sweetness, so I'd choose the Rhubarb & Custard over the Caffé Mocha Nakd bar every time.

6/10

NEW! Black Forest Gateaux Limited Edition Special K Moments (Tesco)

I got through phases with the Special K Biscuit Moments. I'll have weeks where I just can't get enough of them, and then I won't even think about them for months on end. Recently, I've been buying more of the other (more substantial) breakfast biscuits and granola bars, but then I saw that Kellogg's had released a new limited edition flavour: black forest gateaux. 

'Delicious cocoa biscuits with a soft cherry-flavoured filling, topped with a vanilla-flavoured drizzle.'

Now I appreciate that for some it brings back horrid memories of terrible 70's desserts, but as I wasn't born until the late 80s I still think of it as an under-appreciated concoction. I mean, cherries and chocolate are just a match made in heaven, aren't they? One of my favourite breakfasts has to be Coco Pops porridge with added sweet cherries -it's delicious, trust me! 

Anyway, enough of the rambling. Each pack contained two chocolatey biscuits with a rather beautiful drizzle on top; they looked almost too pretty to eat!  The biscuits where thin, but despite their slenderness packed a decent cocoa punch. The rich dark chocolate provided a wonderful vehicle for the sweet cherry jam filling, resulting in a convincing black forest creation. The biscuits were devilishly moreish, which meant that I was thankful that the packs are individually wrapped!

For such low calories, these seem the perfect diet choice for anyone who is a sweet-toothed weight-watcher. I'll definitely buy them again! Well done Kellogg's!

9/10

NEW! Good4U Banana & Cocoa Super Bites (ASDA)

Happy New Year! May your 2016 be healthy, happy and full of mischief!

Have you got any New Years resolutions? Are you joining the gym, the clean eating brigade or giving up alcohol? I'm bucking the trend and starting an anti-diet, which will include munching on lots of my favourite foods! However if, unlike me, you're on a bit of a health-kick, I've got a food review for you today.

ASDA have recently started stocking the complete range of the new Good4U Super Bites: Banana & Cocoa, Cocoa & Orange and Coconut. They are are all raw seed & fruit bites which are wheat free, dairy free and vegan. I chose the banana and cocoa due to my love of both flavours -anyone agree with me about the utter food perfection and heavenly nature of a banana & nutella toastie? 

The snack size pack contained 30 nuggets which convincingly resembled miniature cocoa-dusted truffles. They were squidgier than expected, and slightly chewy. The cocoa tasted dark and bitter, but much need sweetness came from the dates and raisins. The banana flavour however, was underwhelming and was completely overshadowed by the intensity of the cocoa. There was no doubting its inclusion in the ingredients, it just felt more of an afterthought than the star of the show -missing the mark in a similar way to the Meridian peanut & banana bar I reviewed at the beginning of November.

Good concept, but for a healthy chocolate hit I'd rather have the Cocoa Chaos Trek Bar (which the delectable Erin informs me is even tastier microwaved).

5/10

Cocoa Chaos Trek Bar

Today's review is not about a new product, however they're new to me and so I'm hazarding a guess that I'm not the only soul to have not tried these before. It's only recently that I've discovered cold press fruit & nut bars such as the Nakd Christmas Pud and Tesco's cheaper Banana Bliss bars. Trek is owned by Natural Balance Foods who also own Nakd so I had high hopes for this chocolate brownie inspired protein bar. 

Opening the pack, I discovered the bar was segmented into three. It didn't look very filling, but it did look very dry and I kind of wish I'd reached for the biscuits instead. Biting into it however, I was met with a lovely, deep dark chocolatey flavour. Each segment was more than a mouthful, and the chocolate seemed to intensify with each bite. Texturally it was slightly on the dry side, but considering it's lack of butter that's understandable. 

Each bar is pretty virtuous- they contain no added sugar, syrup, gluten,wheat or dairy. If that wasn't enough, they also contain 10g of protein, 1 of your five a day and are vegan friendly. I won't be replacing all of my chocolate bars with these bars, but if you're after a healthy alternative I suggest giving the Trek Cocoa Chaos bars a go!

8/10

NEW Cocoa & Orange Echo Falls Fruit Fusions

Echo Falls have recently launched three new winter flavours into their fruit fusions range: Winter Spice, Orange & Cranberry and Cocoa & Orange. 

Chocolate flavoured wine sounds unusual, but I bought a chocolate infused red wine from Tesco last year at Christmas in the bargain bin, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately however I haven't been able to find it since (and I've forgotten the name now). So with this in mind, I thought I'd give Echo Fall's Cocoa and Orange fruit fusion a go. 

Looking at the label, it doesn't actually mention any wine content- it simply states that it's an 'alcoholic mixed fruit drink', oo-er. The second alarm bell went off when I read that it should be served chilled or over ice.  Echo Falls have the following to say:

I could smell a strong orange scent when I unscrewed the bottle, with a faint nod to chocolate.. The liquid was more translucent than red wine, and tasted... Well.. Different. It's kind of similar to a very watered down mulled wine, and so I couldn't help but think it might be more enjoyable warm. Orange is by far the most prevalent taste and it is palatable, however the barely detectable cocoa felt like an afterthought, and was rather synthetic- despite Echo Fall's claims to natural flavouring. 

It wasn't unpleasant,  just different, and I think I'd buy the winter spice version if I decide to try any more of the new fruit fusion range.

6/10

NEW Cocoa Filled Breakast Biscuits & Maple Syrup Granola Bars by Sainsbury's

I went on a rare shopping trip to Sainsbury's to find the Christmas Pud Nakd Bar that I reviewed yesterday, and couldn't resist browsing the aisles to see if they have anything interesting and/or different to what I normally find in Tesco or ASDA. I came across Sainsbury's 'new' own-brand cereal bar range which are currently on offer at £1 per box. Given how wonderful I think ASDA's peanut butter granola bars are, I thought I'd give a couple of their products a try.

Maple Syrup Granola Bars

If you look at the packet of Nature Valley's granola bars you'll notice that they are manufactured in Spain which also happen to be the place of origin for the Sainsbury's maple syrup bars; this led me to believe *hope* that the 'own-brand' was actually Nature Valley in disguise.

However, when I unwrapped the bars I realised that I'd made a silly mistake, because although they follow the same format -2 biscuits in one pack- and are a similar amount of calories, they are very different in consistency: the Sainsbury's bars are completely solid and lack the signature crumbliness of Nature Valley. This means that they're much tougher to munch on, and I was exceedingly grateful for the great big mug of coffee I had to dunk them in. Once dipped, they did soften, and the maple syrup flavour came through perfectly.

6/10

Cocoa Filled Breakfast Biscuits

Sainsbury's have also released two varieties of  'filled' Breakfast Biscuits: Cocoa and Coconut & Yogurt. Whilst the coconut would have been my preferred choice (particularly because it's much more unusual) it was unfortunately out of stock. Given my love of chocolate I picked up the Cocoa flavour anyway.

I've always wondered why Belvita haven't yet added a chocolate filled breakfast biscuit to their range. The cocoa biscuit sounds nice- but it's the cocoa filling that I like! When I bought this pack, I was of the impression that the chocolate filling would be enveloped by the biscuit outer. I've got to stop making preconceptions because I was utterly disappointed when I unwrapped the bars and found them to be just like the Belvita bars- with a chocolate layer sandwiched between two biscuits.

The biscuits are made from wheat, rye and barley and are suprisingly sturdy. They are quite tough to break and don't have a huge amount of flavour- reminding me of a particularly thick cheese cracker. In contrast, The cocoa layer was soft and gooey with ample chocolate flavour.

They tasted more healthy than the new PiCK UP bars I reviewed last week- but they're nowhere near as tasty. Perhaps they just need some caramel!

4/10