Takeaway Cheese & Tomato Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza (Iceland)

Apparently it's "National cheese pizza day". 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. Thanks Aldi for making them affordable. 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.

Oh.

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? 

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?

"A smoked hot dog sausage stuffed crust pizza base topped with tomato ketchup, mozzarella cheese and red Cheddar cheese."

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. 

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**. 

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. 

6/10

*Please don't feel too sorry for Bert, I make him (from scratch) homemade Calzones on a weekly basis. 

**Munster is my favourite but I'm a sucker for Stilton and goats cheese. 

NEW! Majestics Butterscotch Ice Cream Lollies (Iceland)

Last year and the year before Iceland came up trumps on the innovative ice cream flavour front. There was the peanut & banana cones, the rhubarb & custard cones, toffee apple cones, banoffee Majestics, and bubblegum ice creams to name just a few. This year they've fallen back on the staple flavour that most supermarkets seem to be relying on nowadays: salted caramel or versions thereof. There's 'new' Salted Caramel cones, Salted Caramel Majestics and these Butterscotch Majestics. If you don't like toffee you better stay clear of Iceland this summer. Admittedly @productsinstore found other -more exciting- lines in her store yesterday but they've yet to hit Hereford's branch. 

"Butterscotch flavour ice cream swirled with caramel sauce, coated in white chocolate with caramelised sugar pieces."

Oh, and whilst I complain, I should probably remember that I bleeding love caramel! In actual fact, these Butterscotch Majestics sounded rather marvellous, especially with the coating, and at £1.50 for four they're good value too. 

The lollies looked good, although it was instantly obvious that the white chocolate wasn't very thick because I could see the ice cream through it. 

It wasn't particularly good quality white chocolate either and certainly not up to Iceland's previous standards. I hope you'll that white chocolate is plenty sweet enough already, so although the caramelised sugar gave it a lovely crunch, it also made it very sickly. 

The ice cream was meant to be butterscotch flavoured, but I don't think it was. All I could taste was a plain vanilla in the non-saucy areas, which was ok, but not as indulgently creamy as Magnum's ice cream. 

Luckily the sauce was rich and full of flavour, and the closer I got to the bottom of the lolly, the more caramel I could taste. The combination of the sugar studded white chocolate and super saucy bottom was overwhelmingly sweet though, making you want to brush your teeth once finished. 

I shan't bother with the Butterscotch Majestics again, they pale in comparison to Magnums, and indeed many of the supermarket Magnum rip-offs. 

5/10

NEW! Aunt Bessie's Custard Ice Cream Review (Iceland)

Where does the ice cream industry venture next I wonder?

Gradually we've been seeing more alternatives to our favourite frozen treat. Frozen yogurt has been gracing our shelves for a few years now, but last year saw a boom in vegan variations made by dairy free alternative manufacturers Alpro, as well as frozen custard from the ambient rice pudding and custard kings Ambrosia*. Aunt Bessie's did a fair bit of diversifying last year too, what with their fresh tarts, frozen brownie pie and twin packs of trifle-style frozen desserts -which can't have been very successful as they seem to have been discontinued pretty swiftly. The company also dipped their toes into the ice cream market with two traditional British dessert flavours: Jam Roly Poly & Custard and Rhubarb Crumble*. Aunt Bessie's hadn't released a plain custard ice cream flavour though until this month.

Priced at £1.50 in Iceland for a 500ml tub the ice cream was affordable, and so I picked up a pot with an brainwave to enjoy it with hot homemade crumble..

"I've whipped up a delicious Custard flavoured ice cream to go perfectly with my tasty fruit pies, crumbles and sponge puddings. Now it's over to you. Simply scoop and serve with your favourite Aunt Bessie's dessert, any day of the week."

Of course being completely chocolate obsessed I couldn't just make any old crumble, and so instead made a chocolate, hazelnut & pear crumble (made with JimJam's low sugar spread). My other half isn't a pear fan so I made him a speculoos & apple crumble instead using Lidl's Spiced Biscuit spread (currently reduced to just 74p per jar FYI). Whilst the crumbles were baking in the oven I took the opportunity to open the tub of Aunt Bessie's frozen ice cream.

Well, I wasn't expecting that! What an, um, unusual shade of yellow. The eery flourescent-ness of it reminded me of the Bird's custard sachets actually, but I have to admit it was a little off putting. Maybe tone down the colourings a tadge eh Bessie?

The ice cream was very soft, too much so, as it became very tacky after only a minute and difficult to cleanly scoop (not that I'm the most elegant scooper at the best of times). 

The first spoonful was delicious. I love custard and can quite happily eat Ambrosia straight from the tin, and my enjoyment didn't wane from it being even colder. A couple more mouthfuls later though, and the custardy-ness of it faded leaving a bog standard cheap supermarket 'vanilla' ice cream. Thank goodness for the delicious crumble I had alongside, eh?

Meh. Next time I want custard I'll have custard, and the rest of the time I'll stick to better flavours of ice cream. 

6/10

*As always, One Treat was hot on the ice cream case, and you can check out her reviews of Ambrosia's Frozen Custard here, Aunt Bessie's rhubarb crumble ice cream here and jam roly poly & custard ice cream here. 

Award Winning Luxury Mince Pies (Iceland)

Ok, I admit it. Despite my current marketing undergraduate status I recently  fell prey to the first trick in the book: the advert which promises that the product is the best and tastiest on the market. I was a bit dubious of the claims that Iceland have outshone both Harrods and Selfridges with their luxury mince pies however, so I undertook a spot of research. But indeed, it's true, Good Housekeeping magazine have lauded the budget frozen supermarket's festive offerings as the yummiest this year, saying that they "look for a homemade taste with an authentic yet impressive look – the fruit-to-pastry ratio is crucial and it has to have festive flair!"

That was certainly enough to persuade me to buy a pack anyway. At £1.50 for 6, they were slightly cheaper than the chocolate orange and salted caramel flavoured mince pies from ALDI, but would they be as special?

"All butter shortcrust pastry mince pies filled with a fruity mincemeat containing vine fruits and brandy."

I loved the design of them; the star on top and dusty coating of icing gave the pies a wonderfully Christmassy feel that I approved of. They also smelt good too, although they were slightly smaller than ALDI's funky versions. Slicing them in two revealed a good amount of filling, but there was still a slight gap between the mincemeat and the lid.

The pastry was every bit as delicious as i'd hoped following Good Housekeeping's recommendations. It was crumbly, rich, buttery and sweet -almost shortbread-like in it's decadence. The mincemeat was more delicate than I expected too, and I'm sure I could detect a spiced pear flavour -although I must've been imagining this as there was no mention of pears in the ingredients. Sometimes mincemeat can be on the heavy side but I didn't find this to be the case with these pies. This might not be a benefit if you're watching your weight because it means that that they are easier to eat and therefore tempting to enjoy more than just one -or is that just me?

I found that the mince pies were equally tasty at ambient temperature and warmed up in the microwave or oven. Of course I also enjoyed one with Morrisons' fresh salted caramel custard and can highly recommend that strange sounding pairing if you want to try something slightly different for dessert.

All in all, I am pleased that I was the advertising schmuck this time because Iceland really have produced some excellent mince pies, although they still don't beat the fresh ones I used to make every Christmas with my grandma -but then I don't think any ever will. They might not be as creative as ALDI's pies, but then sometimes traditional is better, don't you agree? Which supermarket do you think make the best mince pies? I'd love to know!

9/10

Caramel Ice Cream Trees With Popping Candy (Iceland)

I recently mentioned that I'm on a quest to find and try the Christmas goods that I didn't get around to trying last year, so I figured that I wouldn't end up buying many of the same products -save for Reese's Trees which I'm currently devouring at a rather embarrassing rate (B&M are selling six packs for just £1.99 FYI). Anyway, the feature of today's review isn't exactly the same, but a twist on Iceland's Caramel Ice Cream Trees which I thought pretty highly of last Christmas. Iceland seem to have given their Trees a more childish approach in 2016; the White Chocolate & Strawberry Trees are also back - this time covered in sprinkles- and the caramel version has been updated with popping candy. Popping candy and chocolate is by no means a new idea (hundreds and thousands is hardly ground breaking either) but I was intrigued to discover how the combination worked against the caramel ice cream, and indeed how it compared to its predecessor.

"Caramel flavour ice cream trees with a Belgium milk chocolate coating with popping candy."

The trees aren't exactly the largest lollies on the market at 90ml, but they look sweet, and are still a damn site bigger than the silly mini size sticks that are doing the rounds.  All three trees had cracked slightly in the box, but we're still intact enough to hold their shape for the all important photo!

I remember being highly impressed by the quality and flavour of the ice cream last year, but the trouble is, I've tried a huge amount of ice cream in the mean time -including a fair few different caramel ice creams. What I mean is that I'm not sure whether the ice cream has got worse, or my tastebuds have merely become accustomed to the better products out there. It's not bad by any means, in fact it's rather good, but it's simply über soft and less creamy than the likes of Ben & Jerry's, M&S and even Daim.

The chocolate coating is still better quality than one might expect, with a good milky flavour. Every single nibble was full of popping candy, thus making for quite a strange -but ultimately fun- eating experience. It's not something I'd opt for every time, but it is quite novel.

I imagine that children would love to be given these at Christmas time, and at £1 for 3 they won't break the bank either. They're also a bit kitsch if you're an ice cream obsessed adult lover like me and fancy something a bit different.

7/10

NEW! Pizza Express Artisana Tiramisu Gelato (Iceland)

Out of sheer nosiness I popped into Iceland after work one evening this week to see if they had the new Ben & Jerry's Empower Mint ice cream*. There wasn't any to be found (although there was space set aside) however I did spot a whole freezer dedicated to a new Pizza Express range which is exclusive to the frozen food supermarket. Whilst the pizzas and ready meals looked good, it was the Tiramisu Gelato that really piqued my interest. There's two other new ice creams in the new range too -a Sicilian lemon & chocolate fudge cake flavour- all priced at £3 per pint tub. All of the new Pizza Express products are currently part of a 2 for £5 mix & match deal, but seeing as I have a freezer full of chocolatey ice cream and wasn't feeling the lemon, I ended up picking up a pizza to go with my Gelato. 

"Tiramisu flavour gelato swirled with coffee sauce and crumb pieces, garnished with a fat reduced cocoa."

Seeing as I didn't actually read the product description before I opened the tub, I was aghast by the sheer amount of cocoa plonked on top of the ice cream.

So thick was it that when I started the scoop the extremely soft gelato, an almighty cloud of cocoa immediately emitted from the tub -making a horrendous mess of my surfaces. The cocoa sort of confused me. Yes I appreciate that no tiramisu is complete without a cocoa crown, however it seemed very much like an afterthought. After all, the person who gets the last portion won't receive any whilst the person with the first scoop will end up with a very cocoa-heavy ice cream. The other surprising factor was the colour of the gelato itself; I was expecting a pale cream, or perhaps light beige coloured affair (much like the Lidl version) but instead was greeted with something more akin to the sunny yellow of Wall's soft scoop. 

Now, fortunately, the situated vastly improved when I tasted the Tiramisu Gelato. Yes, it was super sweet & soft -which did nothing to convince me that it wasn't Walls in disguise- but that made it strangely comforting. There was a lovely Marsala wine undertone throughout, and although I couldn't see the 'coffee sauce', I could taste it. The soft crumb pieces added to the tiramisu experience, offering a welcome textural contrast.

The new Pizza Express Artisana Gelato is far from the most genuine of italian desserts, however it is pretty damn tasty. Compared to the Lidl version it is more expensive and tastes less slightly luxurious. I'm still pleased I've tried it though, and will certainly enjoy every last mouthful! 

8/10

*I'm sorry but Empower Mint doesn't actually appeal to me, so if you want to read a review please do read One Treat's thoughts on the new flavour. I'm desperate to try the new One Sweet Love however, so if any of you spot it anywhere other than Ocado (who don't deliver out here in the sticks) please do let me know ASAP! 

NEW! Mars Dessert Bar (Iceland)

I was so impressed with the new Twix cheesecake at Iceland that it was only going to be a matter of time before I ventured back into my local branch for the Mars Dessert Bar. I still think that the £3 non offer price is a tad on the pricey side, but for £2 it wasn't so bad. As with the cheesecake, the dessert bar is also actually made by specialists Coppenrath & Wiese.

"Layers of delicious chocolate sponge, mousse and caramel, smothered in milk chocolate."

The child in me was delighted when I removed the bar from it's box and saw that the inner wrapper made it look like a whopping great big Mars Bar (the pen is there to give you an indication of its size)! Surely that means I could eat it all? Sorry guys, no sharesies! Pah, I don't think my other half or sister would have agreed. Although it wasn't quite as preposterous as the cheesecake, 6 servings did seem a bit meagre and I decided that fifths would be more reasonable.

The serving suggestion warned me to defrost it inside its wrapper for the first hour and then naked for the last 1.5 -what a faff! There was also 3 of us for dinner, and I wanted to keep the remaining 2 portions for another day, so I ignored the destructions and unwrapped the bar straight away -slicing into it whilst still frozen. My defiance meant that the chocolate casing shattered upon impact, but I wasn't too bothered by the aesthetics as long as it tasted good. 
Whilst we're on the subject of prettiness, I did appreciate the distinct layers of cake and mousse, but was somewhat disgruntled when I realised that the caramel sauce only ran through one tier (unlike the picture on the box, humf). 

Meh, my disappointment didn't stop there. The Mars Dessert Bar is yet another case of style over substance. Where was the rich chocolate flavour? The mousse was light and airy, sure, but what's the point when it doesn't taste of much? The same went for the cake, which fortunately wasn't dry or stale, but was so non-descript that I wasn't savouring every morsel as I expected to. What made matters worse was that the caramel was the best bit, and the only nod to the chocolate bar that it's supposed to resemble.. If only there was more of it. Pants. 

Gah. I don't really think I need to tell you that I won't be buying another Mars Dessert Bar. There are far tastier chocolate gateaux on the market -Tesco's own for example.

6/10

NEW! Twix Cheesecake (Iceland)

Does the idea of a Twix cheesecake excite you as much as it did me? Seriously now, can you think of anything yummier? 

I just didn't expect it to originate from Iceland (the store not the country), and I felt myself wishing that M&S or Waitrose had thought of it first -not that they would pay for the branding I'm sure. Whilst I am certainly no food snob, I somehow baulked at the idea of spending £3 on a frozen cheesecake from the discount retailer when it first made its way into stores a few weeks ago. To make matters worse, I then read a-review-a-day's dispassionate review and decided to give it a miss for a while. Like a sign from the gods it came on offer last week, and I gave myself a good kick up the bum -£2 for 8 servings of cheesecake is surely a veritable bargain! 

"Creamy cheesecake & caramel, topped with chocolate sauce and chocolate covered biscuits"

I realised when I picked it up that in fact the cheesecake was made by frozen dessert specialists Coppenrath & Wiese, which reassured me as their treats are normally pretty good. I also came to the conclusion that one eighth of a 450g dessert would equate to a spoonful sized portion -I'm not sure why they even suggest such ridiculousness!

I cut into the cheesecake whilst still frozen so that the two of us could save the rest for another day. It  turned out to be a pretty hard and messy job, during which my other half received an earful for watching over me do it and telling me not to cut my fingers off -thanks for that dear.

The bumpy chocolate top was chock-full of biscuity balls, and I was happy to find that it was adequately thick and not just a paltry smattering on top. In the middle sat the cheesecake -complete with plenty of visible caramel sauce pockets- and right at the bottom was (of course) the biscuit base. Annoyingly, said bottom was on the loose side, which meant that was too crumbly to plate up neatly.

Yum yum yum. The chocolate was silky, and although certainly not up to Gu ganache standards, was deliciously comforting. There's nothing worse than a soggy biscuit (no giggling lads!), and fortunately Coppenrath & Wiese have managed to keep their balls intact (!) thereby offering a satisfying crunch and injection of Twix-ness. The cheesecake in the middle was exactly what I expected from the frozen variety -slightly stodgier than fresh but still creamy and rich. I welcomed the ample pockets of caramel sauce which were also tasty and added an extra element of both flavour and texture into the dessert. The only real problem came from that pesky base; which refused to stay together and meant I was left with what looked like a beach scene in my bowl -yes I ended up licking the crumbs, don't judge me! 

This frozen Twix cheesecake will never beat a fresh version -or of course homemade- but Coppenrath & Weise have nevertheless made a pretty decent attempt at translating one of my favourite chocolate bars into a dessert. I'm left wondering what the new Mars Dessert Bar and Maltesers Pavlova taste like... 
9/10

NEW! Toffee Apple Cone Sensations (Iceland)

Seeing as the rhubarb and custard ice creams were so tasty, I thought I'd better try Iceland's new Toffee Apple Cone Sensations too.

"Crispy wafer cones with a chocolate flavour coating, filled with apple flavour ice cream and a toffee flavour sauce decorated with toffee flavour fudge pieces."

It seems an odd time of  year to release toffee apple ice creams, as the flavour tends to be connected with bonfire night -but who says you can't enjoy them all year round?

As with the rhubarb and custards, these new cones from Iceland looked rather appetising. Adorning the creamy coloured ice cream was a plentitude of fudge pieces and toffee sauce.

The fudge pieces were so soft that they melted in the mouth,- which was lovely- but meant that they were difficult to taste. The toffee sauce was rich and sweet, but nothing special and certainly not the nicest I've tasted (Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra and Morrisons' Millionaires Shortbread Mash Up hold the top spots).

On to the apple ice cream. I can't remember having tasted an apple ice cream before, it's certainly an unusual flavour choice by Iceland. It was ok, a bit odd and slightly artificial tasting despite promising to contain 5%  of reconstituted apple puree. It was sweet and creamy and was enhanced by the toffee sauce core, but it just doesn't seem to work on its own.

The new Toffee Apple Cone Sensations from Iceland are a welcome novelty to the 2016 ice cream market. They are inexpensive (£1 for 4) and I imagine that children would love them. I wasn't particularly keen on them, much preferring the rhubarb flavour, so they probably wont make it into my freezer again.

6/10

NEW! Rhubarb & Custard Cone Sensations (Iceland)

I may never forgive Iceland for discontinuing their fabulous peanut and banana ice cream cones of 2015. If you didn't try them, shame on you. They were wonderful, especially as banana ice cream is oddly a rarity. I had been eagerly awaiting Iceland's summer stock, hoping that once again I'd get my hands on their peanut and banana cones, but alas! they've not returned. The frozen food specialist has fortunately dampened the blow however with some rather scrummy looking new lines such as their new banoffee flavoured Majestics (fake magnums between you and I).

Iceland have also launched three new ice cream cones: 'Toffee Apple', 'Coconut Dream' and 'Rhubarb & Custard'. I adore rhubarb so they were the first in my basket! At £1 for a pack of four they're a veritable bargain, especially as they're much larger than cornettos (110ml compared to 90ml).

"Crispy wafer cones with a chocolate flavour coating, filled with rhubarb and custard flavour ice creams and a rhubarb flavour sauce, decorated with pink sugar crystal pieces."

It must be said that the packaging design is truly hideous, yet the cones themselves were things of beauty. The sugar crystals added an ethereal quality, whilst the princess pink and white coloured ice creams were rather pretty.


The crystals tasted like crushed up rhubarb & custard sweets, a theme that was set to continue throughout. 

The ice cream was soft and creamy, rather like whipped ice cream, with a true nostalgic flavour. It was hard to distinguish between the rhubarb and the custard flavours but the combination tasted just like the sweets. I imagined that the rhubarb flavour would be slightly tart in order to offset the sweetness, but it wasn't -and I didn't mind one bit. 

A punchy zing came from the rhubarb sauce which ran all the way down the centre of the cone. It was jammy and harmonised well with the ice cream.
Thankfully the waffles had retained their crispness -there's nothing worse than a limp cone after all- and of course they contained that little treasure at the end -the nib of dark chocolate. 

If you'd have told me that my favourite British classic sweet would work as an ice cream, I'm not sure I'd have believed you, however Iceland have somehow worked their wizardry and pulled it off! 

9/10

NEW! Strawberry & White Chocolate Ice Cream Trees from Iceland

After the success of the caramel ice cream trees I went back and bought the other variety: 'Strawberry flavour ice cream with a Belgian white chocolate flavoured coating.'

Once again, they were slightly smaller than a magnum, and the lollies had a nice thick, even coating of white chocolate flavoured coating. The casing snapped nicely but half of my tree fell away (which I didn't mind because it meant I could save some white chocolate until last!).

The coating was wonderfully sweet, silky, and remarkably similar to milkybar buttons. The strawberry ice cream was a mild flavour which tasted like milkshake- McDonalds strawberry milkshake to be precise. For the more discerning pallete these references might not be a good thing, but to me it meant that the dessert was wonderful! 

Another 9/10 Iceland! 

NEW! Caramel Ice Cream Trees from Iceland

OK so Iceland hasn't got the best reputation when it comes to quality food, but I've got to admit that I regularly shop there when buying ready meals for my other half; he works odd shift patterns and its the only way he can have a hot evening meal. We've tried all of the other leading supermarkets, but in his opinion Iceland make the best- and their price is unbeatable!

So, I dashed into store on the way home from uni to pick up his favourites (the cheese, sausage and bean meal is apparently the tastiest) and couldn't help notice the huge new range of Christmas products. In amongst the festive desserts were these cute caramel ice cream trees, which were a bargain at £1 for 3.

I think that Iceland's ice cream range is generally superb (especially their peanut & banana cones they stocked throughout the summer!) and so I didn't hesitate to pick up a pack. Each tree is 90ml, so comparably slightly smaller than a Magnum at 110ml, and is 'Caramel flavour ice cream with a milk chocolate flavoured coating'. It's that phrase chocolate flavour that concerns me, but given how inexpensive they were I wasn't too worried that they mightn't be of the highest quality.

The milk chocolate coating was in fact delicious. It was milky and creamy, similar to Galaxy. It cracked pleasingly to reveal the ice cream encased within. The centre was soft and velvety, with a rich caramel flavour which I thought might become too sickly but didn't. If I'd have been blind taste-tested, I'm sure I would've easily mistook them for an upmarket brand instead of the discount retailer with a slightly dodgy reputation. 

Iceland, I applaud you for your low prices and good quality. I'm coming back to hunt for the white chocolate & strawberry ice creams, and I might even pop some of the deliciously tempting ice cream chocolates and/or 'Enrobed Profiteroles' in my basket whilst I'm there!

9/10