NEW! Choc Affair Mango White Chocolate (Online)

Could the Bank Holiday weather have got anymore Bank Holiday-ier? That's to say it remained grey and drizzly for the three days across Herefordshire, and yet in true British fashion the sun has come back out to play again today. The day that most people are back to work. Fortunately for me I was sent some summery bars from Choc Affair, and a card from them telling me to eat chocolate in the rain. Win win! 

Normally I'd save the one I liked the look of most until last, but I'm afraid that I couldn't resist the call of the Mango white chocolate. If you recall my review of their rhubarb milk chocolate then you'll remember that Choc Affair specialise in unusually flavoured bars. I can't say I've ever come across a mango chocolate bar before. As a huge fan of the tropical fruit and avid lover of white chocolate I couldn't wait to get stuck in. 

Please also note that all of Choc Affair's bars are handmade in York, and only uses sustainably grown chocolate. Choc Affair prides itself on its partnerships with cocoa farmers, and I love to think I'm doing a good deed whilst eating chocolate. Another win! 

The bar didn't smell particularly tropical, but did grace my nostrils with the milky sweet aroma of white chocolate. Biting a piece I was met with a creamy, delicious white chocolate with notes of vanilla. The mango flavour was delicate and very natural tasting, unmissable but not overwhelming. If you're expecting a full on lassi hit you won't find it with Choc Affair's bar. The flavour is instead more reminiscent of dried mango, thereby offering a subtle summery-ness to the bar. 

This Choc Affair bar is a fabulous antidote to grey, drizzly days. Personally I'd have liked to have seen a touch more mango, perhaps through the inclusion of some dried mango pieces. Either way, it's a bar I thoroughly enjoyed and is certainly worth £2.75 . The 100g mango white chocolate is available directly from Choc Affair's website, and remember, you're doing a good deed by supporting those cocoa farmers! 

9/10

NEW! Dark Chocolate & Mango Jaffa Cakes (M&S)

Have you visited a Marks & Spencer food hall in the past week or so? You really should, it's pretty wow. I can't believe that one company can launch so many new lines such a short space of time! The sun might not be blazing where you are (it's not here at least!) but summer has well and truly arrived in M&S. You can't miss their new 'Spirit of Summer' range in their brightly coloured packaging, and there's some truly scrummy looking products to be found. I can't even begin to tell you about all of the temptations I've spotted, but a glance at Kev's Instagram feed will give you a pretty good idea. 

M&S have created some pretty wacky lines this year, but I was enticed by the sound of their new Dark Chocolate & Mango Jaffa Cakes, and at £1 they're not too expensive either. I love a good Jaffa Cake, and I have to admit that I believe Marks & Sparks make the very best. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of love for McVities' version, but the dark chocolate covering on M&S' makes them extra special.

On a side note, do you remember Pim's white chocolate and cherry 'jaffa' cakes? I loved them as a child, but no-one seems to to recollect them. Anyway...

The box contained 13 rectangular cakes. and as soon as I unwrapped them from their cellophane I was bowled over by their strong tropical aroma. If the smell was anything to go by, the flavour was going to knock my socks off. 

The bottom was soft, and whilst it wasn't particularly exciting, it was a decent sponge all the same. The chocolate was at the milder end of the dark spectrum, meaning that I could enjoy it (you might already know that I'm a dark chocolate wimp). My only complaint is that it was a very thin coating, making it difficult to peel from the orange-coloured centre. Please tell me I'm not the only one who laboriously pares the chocolate off, before eating the jelly separately? 

The centre was wonderful; it was sweet yet sharp, the perfect contrast against the plain sponge and dark chocolate. The mango was the most prominent flavour, but there were hints of orange in the background, resulting in a tang that danced on my tastebuds. All of the three layers worked in harmony together, and whilst I'm not sure that it beats M&S' original (or indeed Pim's) its a lovely summery new addition. I can't wait to try some of their other new products soon!

9/10

NEW! Vegetable Greek Style Yogurts by Tesco

Vegetable yogurts? Give over! I almost walked past these unusual new additions in Tesco, but then I paused for a moment, remembering how surprisingly delicious their carrot cake yogurt was, and decided to give them a shot.

The four pack costs £1.25 and contains 2x Mango & Carrot and 2x Beetroot & Raspberry fat-free Greek style yogurts.

Beetroot & Raspberry 

It was a pretty pink colour -as you would imagine from its ingredients- but it wasn't as thick as most Greek style yogurts and had a watery layer on top where it had separated slightly.
Taste-wise... Yuck. I mean I probably never should have bought them because I hate the flavour of Beetroot (it just tastes like soil to me) but the yogurt was overwhelmingly sour, lacking the sweetness that normally coincides with a tart fruit such as raspberry. It was actually so disgusting that I wouldn't even give it to my dog and the second one went in the bin-  I never throw away food.
0/10

Carrot & Mango

This was a similar colour to their carrot cake yogurt and I hoped it would be just as tasty. Once again it had split slightly, but nonetheless I gave it a good mix and hoped for the best.
The mango came through more prominantly than the carrot, but as with the beetroot version it lacked the sweetness I'm accustomed to in yogurt, rendering it rather unpleasant. The sourness surprised me because carrot is such a sweet vegetable, but it tasted on the verge of going off (despite having a week left on its use by date) 
1/10


I'm not sure who Tesco are targeting with these unusual vegetable yogurts, but I won't be making a repeat purchase.