NEW! Oreo Choc'o Brownie (Tesco)

There's lazy NPD (new product development) and then there's Mondelez. Mondelez are renowned for rehashing Milka bars under the Cadbury name, or combining their products to maximise profits - admittedly I do miss the Cadbury Philadelphia. This time though they've taken the biscuit. Literally. The UK has just been granted a new flavour Oreo, but have we got anything as exciting as the new Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie, Jelly Donut, or soon to be released Cookie Butter Oreos? Certainly not. We've got choco brownie. Yes that's right. A chocolate Oreo filled with chocolate filling. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Chocolate creme Oreos have been out in the UK for years, so what on earth are Mondelez playing at?

Last year, following the launch of the somewhat more exciting mint and strawberry cheesecake filled Oreos, the public were asked to partake in a month long flavour vote for the next flavour. So every day a few of us bloggers reminded each other to log on and vote - ok so we might've even used a couple of email addresses each. The choices were: lemon, coconut, banana and brownie batter. Yes, brownie batter.

Now of those choices, I was certainly team banana, but I would've been happy to try the lemon or coconut too. At least they were different. In fairness to those of you who opted for the brownie batter it did sound a little like a chocolatey cookie dough.. but you should've also realised that Mondelez like to cut corners (yep I'm referring to the peanut butter Oreo Dairy Milk for the umpteenth time). Anyway, apparently 43% of voters chose the brownie flavour -methinks their might've been some rigging for the easiest option at Oreo HQ. 

Anyway, the presumably-cooked-and-therefore-not-batter brownie flavour has now been released. So is it any different to the standard chocolate creme Oreo. No. Not in the slightest. In fact the ingredients are the same and they haven't even bothered to change the description*. They're still like an Oreo version of a Bourbon, but somehow not as good. I mean if I wanted a bourbon, I'd buy a bourbon -ya know? 

Christmas is in the shops already so please tell me this is an even more premature attempt at an April Fools.... 

2/10 (purely for taking the piss, Oreo). 

*Here's a comparison of the two packets, see what I mean?

NEW! Cadbury Dairy Milk Mint Oreo 41g Bar (Tesco)

I don't think that any of us have quite got over the atrocious "peanut butter" Oreo Dairy Milk; It was an absolute insult to us nut butter lovers. I even refused to buy the mint version of the Oreo Dairy Milk on the back of my disgust, despite reading raring reviews on it, and enjoying the actual biscuit mint flavoured Oreos. I also didn't fancy buying a 100g mint chocolate bar when I'm not the biggest mint chocolate fan. Sometimes the combination reminds me all too much of toothpaste, and other times it's the refreshing hit that I crave. Kind of like Mars bars - I just have to be in the mood. So when I found this single serving 41g bar in Tesco last week, I put my reservations to one side and took a punt on the minty, biscuity, Cadbury chocolate bar. 

"Milk chocolate with a mint flavoured filling (36%) and biscuit pieces (14%)."

I still expect to see the old cube shaped segments when opening a bar of Dairy Milk. Do you experience the same thought, or am I just getting older (back-in-the-good-old-days-esque). I was pleased however to find that each bubble contained a generous amount of filling, which was a less ludicrous shade of green than mint Aero, and jam packed full of cookie pieces.

The overall flavour was pretty good. As per the Oreos, the mint was well balanced - not knocking into Aquafresh territory but standing it's own against the milk chocolate and cookie biscuit pieces. As for the chocolate, it's been so long since I last bought a Dairy Milk that I can't acurately comment on whether it's the same stuff used in the unadulterated bars. All I can say was that it had that undeniable Cadbury taste.

The cookie pieces were wonderful. They were the only aspect that I enjoyed in the [don't make me say it again] "peanut butter" Oreo bar, and they worked well once more - but this time the filling around the biscuit didn't grate on me. They were perfectly crunchy and added welcome texture, as well as a touch of added flavour depth from the cocoa which had the added bonus of breaking up all the sweetness. 

Then it dawned on me. I know why I was enjoying the bar so much. It reminded me of Viscount biscuits. Do they even still exist? As a child they were the holy grail of party food, I guess because they were the closest snack one could get to the Christmas luxury biscuit selection boxes*. Talking of which, If you didn't grab the foil covered ones first, there's something wrong with you.

Next time I'm craving mint chocolate, I'll probably choose this bar over an Aero. Cadbury's milk chocolate might've gone downhill, but it still beats Nestle's every time. 

8/10

NEW! Neo Ice Cream Cones (LIDL)

It's 'Taste of America' week at Lidl, which means that there's all kind of peanut butter treats on offer, as well as foot long microwaveable hotdogs (complete with bun and sauce) and some Oreo themed treats. Oreos aren't Oreos in Lidl though, they're Neos. At least they're a little more subtle than Aldi with their cheeky rip offs, ahem, anyone for a Domio yogurt or Hike bar? Anyway, I was intrigued by their Neo ice creams, as both Bert and I are fans of all the Oreo ice creams (sandwiches, sticks and cones).

"67.5% vanilla flavoured ice cream with 6% biscuit pieces in 16% wafer cone coated in 5% chocolate flavour glaze, coated with 3% chocolate flavoured biscuit pieces."

They certainly looked the part! 

They just didn't taste the part. Unfortunately the ice cream tasted of reconstituted skimmed milk, lacking the creaminess that I'd hoped for. The cone wasn't great either. The dark shade insinuated that it would taste bourbon-y like the Oreo cones, but instead it had a mild cocoa flavour. My cone was also soft towards the bottom, although Bert tells me that his was completely crispy. There wasn't enough Oreo/Neo in them either, as the ice cream itself was plain throughout, and the 3% biscuit crumbs didn't make much of an impact.

At £1.49 for four they're no cheaper than the real deal (which are part of a 2 for £3 deal in Asda, £1.50 in Sainsbury's and £1.33 on Ocado) and so I'd give Neo a miss if I were you. I picked up a tub of LIDL's 'Taste of America' peanut butter ice cream at the same time, so let's hope that's less disappointing... 

5/10 

NEW! Müller Strawberry Oreo Yogurts (ASDA)

Last summer saw the launch of the Oreo split-pot yogurts. Unfortunately -as seems the case with many of the Oreo branded food products*- they weren't all that great. The trouble was, the yogurts are made by Müller. Müller have gone downhill in recent years, gone are the days of their thick and creamy yogurt; instead we're left with runny, artificially flavoured stuff that's best avoided. Still, I'm a sucker for anything labelled as Oreo, and I rather enjoyed the strawberry Oreo biscuits, so I just had to try them. You know... for the blog.. of course ;). I found them in ASDA at £2 for a pack of 4, but they're also in Tesco too (currently £2.89 for four). 

"Strawberry flavour yogurt with Oreo cookie pieces"

The yogurt side wasn't to the top, but it wasn't ridiculously empty either. As for the cookie side however, well that was pathetic. I was disappointed but unsurprised to find that, despite the artwork on the front of the four-pack depicting strawberry Oreos, the cookie pieces were plain. At only 8% of the yogurt, I suppose you couldn't have told the difference even if Müller had decided to go the whole hog anyway. Ooh, aren't I the cynic?

If you've had any of the strawberry split pot Müller corners recently, you'll know what to expect from the larger side of this yogurt. It was thin in consistency, with an artificial -albeit fairly pleasant- flavour. The strawberry worked well with the Oreo pieces (as it had with the biscuits), I just wished that the yogurt was thicker and creamier. This isn't supposed to be a diet yogurt after all! 

This new edition is a small improvement on the plain Oreo split-pot, and one of the nicer Müller corners available. Try them if the corners are your bag, but if -like me- you prefer thicker style yogurts, then I suggest you make your own using Skyr/Greek Yogurt and crumbled strawberry Oreos. 

6/10

NEW! Cadbury Egg 'n' Spoon Oreo (Tesco)

Even though I got stuck straight into the hot cross bun reviews almost a month ago, I've somehow resisted the call of the Easter chocolates until now. It might have something to do with the fact that I still have an excessive amount of chocolate, some left over from Christmas as well as the countless bars I brought back with me. Oops. When I spotted the insta-famous Oreo Egg 'n' Spoons half price in Tesco this week however, my self-restraint evaporated and somehow I ended up at the till with a box.

I remember being utterly disappointed with the chocolate Egg 'n' Spoons when they first came out a few years ago. Since then I've stayed clear of mousse filled Cadbury chocolates (bar a lone snowman reduced after Christmas). It was the addition of Oreo swayed me. I'm not even sure why I'm so infatuated with anything Oreo, but after the disappointment of the Peanut Butter Oreo filled Dairy Milk this week I hoped that Cadbury could go at least a little way to redeem their sorry selves.

"4 Milk chocolate eggs with a soft vanilla flavour mousse filling (42 %) with biscuit pieces (4.5 %)."

At least the packaging design is smart, and although it hasn't changed since the eggs were first launched, I still think it's a nifty little concept. The box contained four purple wrapped eggs and two very dinky plastic spoons.

I unwrapped my first egg and spotted the lines where the top could come apart from the bottom. I'll be very honest here and admit to indulging my perfectionistic streak by separating the top from the bottom with a veg knife... Sooo satisfying.

Inside the chocolate casing was the milky white Oreo filling, flecked with cookie crumbs as expected. Digging in, I discovered just how soft and light the centre was. For some reason I thought it was going to be a similar substance to the centre of the Dairy Milk bars, and I'm still not sure if I was initially pleased or disappointed by my findings.

The flavour of the mousse was plain vanilla, and it was super fluffy. The gritty nature of the Oreo crumbs were a delightful addition however, and helped to provide a contrast in terms of both flavour and texture. I really enjoyed the lightness of the mousse, and was pleased that I'd chilled it in the fridge beforehand to give the egg a more dessert-like feel -perhaps next time I'll freeze it.

As for the chocolate around the outside, it was pretty thin, but I really enjoyed it. I've heard that Australian Cadbury is better than ours, but having tried a couple of bars of their Dairy Milk recently, I'm inclined to disagree. The quality of our chocolate has gone dramatically downhill -I'll give you that- but it still outstrips many of the foreign versions.

I think I may have to stock up* on these Oreo Egg 'n' Spoons whilst they're on offer!

9/10

*Actually I've just taken another peek at my chocolate hoard, and decided that that may not be the greatest idea.

NEW! Dairy Milk Peanut Butter Oreo (Home Bargains)

My fridge is full of chocolate, like ridiculously so. It's the same with ice cream in my freezer, yet I can't stop myself from buying more whenever as spot something new or at a bargain price. Perhaps I should start up a freakshake cafe from my kitchen, or maybe I should leave my wallet at home more often. Despite my exhaustive supplies, the news that Cadbury was releasing two new Oreo themed bars filled me with excitement, then dread. Why dread? Well firstly because I knew I'd end up on a ridiculous treasure hunt and wouldn't rest until I found them, secondly because I really didn't need any more chocolate,and lastly because I just knew that Cadbury would mess the opportunity up. Yet still the search began...

Home Bargains. B&M. Poundland. ASDA. Morrisons. Sainsbury's. Tesco. 

No luck, but then I was told by the lovely Tiff on Instagram and @eveningtreats that they'd found the bars in Home Bargains. My heart sunk. My local branch seemingly rarely stocks the yummy items that many people find in the discount store. Rather than give up hope I desperately returned to store on Sunday. I might've danced in the aisles when I spotted both the Mint and Peanut Butter flavours, before picking up the latter and kissing it (much to Bert's embarrassment).

If you remember, I mentioned my disinclination towards mint chocolate when I reviewed the new Oreos last year. Whilst I was pleasantly surprised by the biscuits, I still decided to restrain myself and only buy the peanut butter flavour, even though they were both just 99p each.

This isn't the first time I've mentioned the dissatisfaction amongst us peanut butter addicts caused by British Peanut butter Oreos. Whilst our American cousins are treated to cookies stuffed with the real deal, we are given a paltry smattering of fake peanut spread. I mean why on earth would anyone make a peanut butter product that doesn't even contain peanuts? It's not even a rare occurrence either, take Saturdays' review for example. Despite Both Oreo and Cadbury being owned by the same giant corporation, Mondelēz, I prayed that the originally British firm would be more sensible and wouldn't try and palm us all off with some crappy fake stuff.

"Milk chocolate with a peanut butter flavoured filling (35%) with biscuit pieces (12%)."

One look at the ingredients and I knew I'd be disappointed. Not one mention of peanuts, just flavouring. The only hint of any nuttiness was the "may contain nuts"  warning, which appears on just about anything and everything. I wanted it to contain nuts Cadbury, as does everyone else, that's why we're buying  it! Gah.

Snapping the bar revealed a good sized filling. It's perhaps not as prominent as that in the standard size Dairy Milk Oreo bars, but that can't be helped due to the flatter shape of the segments.

The milk chocolate is one of the waxier, cheaper types that Cadbury tend to use in their combination bars these days. It doesn't annoy me as much as it once did, but it's certainly not of the quality the Cadbury were once proud of.

As for the filling, it's creamy by pretty much the same flavour used in the British Oreos. That's to say it's awfully sweet, and infinitely less authentic than the filling of a Reese's cup (which I ate at the same time for comparison purposes 😉). The biscuit pieces were a welcome touch however, and added crunch to the otherwise silken bar.

Humf. Why can't Mondelēz understand that us Brits know and love our peanut butter just as much as the Yanks? Is it a cost issue? If so, I'd gladly pay more for the real deal. I just don't get it.  I certainly won't be buying it again. 

2/10

Oreo Doughnuts (Tesco)

Having enjoyed my peanut butter Oreo ice creams the other day, the Oreo cravings lingered and I decided it was high time to try an Oreo doughnut. I've been eyeing them up for quite a while, especially since they're now stocked in our local co-op as well as the Tesco supermarket. The trouble is, defrosted doughnuts never taste anywhere near as good as freshly baked versions. It seemed that as fate was on my side though for the very afternoon I decided to buy them at last, I found them reduced to just 25p (normally £1). Bargain!

"Chocolate Doughnut with Vanilla Flavour Creme Filling (16%), White Icing (9%) and small Oreo Cocoa Cookie Pieces."

As with Tesco's toffee cream filled doughnuts, one was much more generously decorated than the other. How does this happen? Is it a test to find out who is the greediest in your household*? Apologies for my latent paranoia.

*Me by the way, obviously 😉.

The doughnuts had a very, um, sturdy base that wasn't as soft as I'd have liked. I hoped to discover an ample creme filling when slicing into my one, but instead found a sorry looking white sauce that was barely visible against the dark dough surround. The icing was in generous supply however, so I guess that was one bonus.

The dough itself had a strong cocoa flavour, but was extremely dry. To be honest it was easily the most un-doughnut-ty doughnut I've ever had. I mean it tasted more like overcooked long-life supermarket chocolate cake than the bouncy and light doughnut I was hoping for. I think even the out of date imported Oreo brownie I reviewed last year was better. As for the creme, there wasn't enough of it to really taste it, let alone even start to moisten the doughnut.

Easily the best part was the sweet and sticky topping. The cookie pieces were soft and tasted again more like cake (a better cake than the actually doughnut too I might add). They were OK though, and provided the only enjoyment in this pretty pants 'treat'.

Have any of you tried these Oreo doughnuts? If so what do you think of them?

4/10

NEW! Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches Review (Sainsbury's)

Friday night I received a very exciting comment from the lovely Heather who asked me if I'd spied the new peanut butter Oreo ice cream sandwiches yet. I hadn't, but I knew that I NEEDED them in my life pronto. The original Oreo ice cream sandwiches have long been a favourite in our house, and so the idea of a peanut butter one version like perfection. Except for the one huge problem: unlike their American mini Reese's counterparts, English peanut butter Oreos are grim. Like really, really bad. How Oreo can even get away with marketing them as peanut butter flavoured when they've never even sniffed a nut I'll never know. I really hoped that they'd done a better job with their ice cream versions.

The very next day I trekked across town on a Sainsbury's mission to try and buy a pack. The freezer aisle was a heavenly but ultimately tempting sight. Not only did I find the Oreos and loads of new ice creams as well as a number of bargains.. including the Walls gingerbread ice cream sandwiches for just 75p a pack. I figured that the cheap ice cream balanced out the expense of £3 for 6 Oreo ice cream sandwiches (3 portions lets be honest here), and bought a load. The number of tubs and boxes of ice creams in my freezer now stands at 21. Party at mine?

"Chocolate flavoured sandwich biscuits filled with peanut butter ice cream with crushed biscuit pieces."

Hurrah! Peanuts are in the ingredients list! Admittedly it's not peanut butter but still it's infinitely closer to my favourite spread and a fairly good sign. 

Size wise they're exactly the same as the standard variety, which I was happy with, after all eating two ice creams in one sitting is more satisfying than eating just one. The filling was the colour of a very pale peanut butter, and not too dissimilar in shade to the Co-Op's PB&J ice cream. 

The outer cookies were soft, chewy flavoured with the expected signature Oreo richness. As for the ice cream? Well it was very light and mousse-like, studded with the biscuit crumbs and had a respectable peanutty flavour. Please note: respectable and not delicious. It's a mild flavour, and could've done with a stronger, more saline hit to really deliver on the peanut buttery promise. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the ice cream sandwiches, they're actually tasty and a damn site better than their biscuit cousins, but they could be a lot better. 

One to pick up when on offer, but I wouldn't pay full price for the new Oreo Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches again. 

7/10

Birthday Cake Oreos (American Fizz)

It's my Birthday!

I lie. It's not, and it won't be for a good few months yet. But why not cheer oneself up with Birthday cake anyway? Or even birthday cake biscuits for that matter? I'd heard good reports from fellow foodie Sarah (of Waffley Versatile) about the chocolatey Birthday Cake Oreos, so when I spotted the golden version on American Fizz in the treasure trove -AKA the clearance section- I just had to buy them.

Stateside Oreos, for those who don't know, come in large sharing style, resealable packs (which UK Oreos are now producing too as Kev's Instagram informed me). They're packed with a good number of cookies (approx 30), which are much more generously filled than their British counterparts. I hadn't got the foggiest idea how Oreo could emulate the flavours of Birthday Cake into their biscuits -or cookies- but I was more than happy to find out.

The golden Birthday Cake Oreos had a creamy coloured filling, flecked with hundreds & thousands style brightly coloured sprinkles. The sugary scent was overwhelming but enticed me in. Come on kettle, boil already!

Armed with a big mug of coffee in which to dunk my Oreos, I cwtched up on the sofa and got ready to feel like the Birthday Girl. I separated the first half of my Oreo: first you twist it, then you lick it, then you dunk it - remember the ad?

The golden biscuit tasted, well, plain. But then I always find the golden versions far less spectacular than their dark & rich chocolatey siblings. The filling was creamy, super sweet (much more so than in the British Golden Oreos) and reminded me of buttercream. That's where the cakey-ness halted though. Yes they were yummy. Yes the filling was pretty, and yes they were moreish -but that was it. No Birthday feeling for me unfortunately.

To be honest, as I mentioned before, I don't know what I expected from the Birthday Cake Oreos in the first place -as I didn't with the Birthday. I do know however, that they're much more decadent (so enjoyable by default) than U.K Oreos, so are well worth a try -especially if you get a bargain!

7/10

Milka Oreo (Individual bar)

Del Boy (aka the Saturday market man who introduced me to such delights as the Côte D'Or FudgeNut, and Cappuccino Twix) came up trumps again. I was later than usual to visit him last weekend, which meant that he'd already sold most of his stock, but luckily I found a lone Milka Oreo bar at the bottom of one of the boxes. Of course, I snapped it up in a Gollum like manner and hastily handed over the 25p Del Boy charged me.

Milka. Dairy Milk. The two brands are almost indistinguishable now thanks to Mondelez' meddling. Of course the Dairy Milk Oreo has been around for a few years now, and it's one of my favourite of Cadbury's bars, so I was interested to discover how the Milka version would compare.

The bar was close to its sell by date (23rd of October) but I was still gutted when I pulled back the wrapper to find a sheen-less chocolate with a hint of white spoilage. Damn. Snapping a segment off revealed a cream coloured filling complete with biscuit pieces that looked very similar to the Cadbury's bar. 

Indeed the filling tasted the same too: sweet and creamy with a cocoa kick from the Oreos. The biscuit pieces were chunkier than I recall in Dairy Milk -which I preferred- and we're perfect crunchy too. Win win.

Thankfully the white spoilage and dullness of the chocolate didn't translate into the flavour, which kept Milka's characteristic silkiness. The velvet-esque taste and texture of the alpine milk chocolate harmonised with the filling, propelling the flavour of the bar, and resulting in an even tastier version than Cadbury's attempt. Delicious.

Why am I telling you all this when I'm not sure where to direct you? Well Snack hunting extraordinaire Kev (you best not start expecting all these shout outs mister!) also spotted them at his local market last weekend, and we live at opposite ends of the country! So make sure you visit your local market (if you get the chance) tomorrow and see if you can find a Milka Oreo at a bargain price too!

9/10

NEW! Mint Oreos (Sainsbury's)

Exactly a week ago I moaned about my difficulty in tracking down the new Strawberry Cheesecake Oreos, but Hereford seems to have been a lot quicker off the mark when it comes to the other new flavour: mint. In all honesty it's the new edition that I was less excited about, but still that didn't stop me doing my little finders jig in Sainsbury's when I spotted the gap where the minty oreos should be. Yep, that's right -and I apologise now to anyone who works in retail- I was that annoying little toad who asked if there was any of the new biscuits secreted out the back. After all, there was the shelf space, and even the ticket... surely they must be hiding somewhere?

If you're an avid Oreo fan or -like me- spend far too much money on imported goodies, you'll appreciate that Mint Oreos are far from a new revelation, and have been a stateside staple for a long time. Despite the fact that the Oreo is the fastest growing biscuit brand in the UK (growth rate of 21.2% and worth >£38.5million for anyone else interested in marketing) we're still lagging a long way behind out American cousins. I'll jump or joy when Oreo decide to launch the more exciting flavours over here; cinnamon bun & red velvet please! 

Anyway, enough of my whinging, hurray for new Oreos of any kind! Well, apart from the non-nutty-peanut butter wasters.. I promise I'll try to stop being so grumpy now. As you might have gathered, I really loved the strawberry cheesecake ones despite being a little dubious about the combination of strawberry & chocolate. Mint chocolate is a much more standard affair, but is equally as difficult to get right. My other half won't go near the pairing because he says it makes it think of brushing his teeth... and it's a thought I now can't shake either. 

"Chocolate flavour sandwich biscuits with a mint filling (28.8%)"

The filling perhaps wasn't quite as lurid as expected, and instead was a pleasant pastel-y green. It was certainly strong in smell however, causing me to worry that the chocolate would be lost against the mint completely.

I can't really tell you much about the Oreo biscuit that you won't already know, but I can explain how well the amalgamation worked. Yes, the softness of the centre did have a sort of toothepastiness about it, but I managed to forget that in its deliciousness. The bitter cocoa complemented the sweet and refreshing creme, resulting in a tastebud sensation that made me imagine a dark chocolate mint aero -now that's a thought! 

The strawberry cheesecake flavour just about pips the mint to the top spot in the UK, but this is a close contender... 

8/10

NEW! Strawberry Cheesecake Oreos (Sainsburys)

Once again, my local ASDA fails me. For weeks now I have been enviously eyeing up the packs of strawberry cheesecake Oreos that have been popping up all over instagram. So bad has my jealousy become that I am making (almost) daily trips to ASDA, just to check whether they've had them in yet. I could have cried yesterday when I saw a big 'New Oreo' advert in the store's entrance, to still find none on the shelves. Surely the mega supermarket chain couldn't be so cruel? I double checked and asked the staff members if Hereford had received them and not put them out yet.. but alas, no, there was none to be found. Later that very same day I visited Sainsbury's to stock up on Skyr, and popped my head round their biscuit section. Well, I'll be damned, what was staring back at me? The holy cheesecakey grail! At £1.20 per pack it was 2.4x more than what everyone else is paying for them in ASDA... but I'd been searching so hard for them that I couldn't let my inner scrimper win. 

The strawberry flavour was really quite overwhelming, reminding me nostalgically of Nesquik -I'll always choose banana though! From an aesthetics viewpoint I was also fond of the contrast between baby pink centre and characteristically dark cookie. 

Well, I'm not sure I could agree upon their cheesecakeyness, but the strawberry flavour was every bit as milky and sweet as it smelt. Chocolate & strawberry is often a match made in heaven -chocolate dunked fresh strawberries, yes please!- but it can also be downright disgusting if the combination ticks over into the sickly realm (if you want the strawberry creams from my Roses tin at Christmas, please help yourself). Fortunately, despite the aforementioned sweetness of the strawberry centre in these Oreos, the almost bitter darkness of the cookie pulled the balance of flavours back into harmony. 

The new strawberry cheesecake Oreos are undeniably delicious and utterly moreish. I would even go as far as to say that they're my second favourite flavour ever (the top spot remains with the American Reese's filled versions) and they're definitely my new favourite British Oreo. Now ASDA, please stock them pronto!  

9/10

P.S If you're still not convinced.. pop on over to Nibbles'N'Scribbles' review.

Oreo Ice Cream Sticks (The Co-Op)

I'm not sure if these Oreo ice cream sticks are new or not. I remember the Oreo ice cream cones and tubs being around last year, as well as the double chocolate cones (which were delicious but have seemingly been discontinued) but I can't remember whether or not these were about last year or not. I think that's why its taken me until now to try them. I just kind of figured that there were sticks of cookie studded ice cream enrobed in milk chocolate. I was wrong. 

"Cream Flavour Ice Cream with Crushed Chocolate Flavour Biscuit Pieces with Vanilla Flavour Filling, Coated in Crushed Chocolate Flavour Biscuit with a Vanilla Flavour Filling 29%."

Well, that doesn't make the situation any clearer really does it?

The coating was a much darker colour than expected, embossed with cookie pieces, but it had started to crack -what was this super thin chocolate? 

Crikey, it was bloody delicious! I expected it to taste of the generic milk chocolate "fake Magnum" ice cream coating, but it wasn't chocolate at all. Instead, Mondelez have broken up oreo biscuits and moulded it around the ice cream. It's needless to remark on how well this complemented the centre seeing as we all know how perfect the combination of cookies and cream is. Genius. The ice cream itself tasted exactly how I expected it to be: of standard vanilla* but improved drastically thanks to the cookie crumbs. 

How have I not bought these ice creams before? They'll be a freezer staple from now on. 

9/10


*the non flavoured variety as opposed to the fragrant vanilla bean sort.

Müller Oreo Corner (Tesco)

I actually popped into Tesco to pick up a pack of the new Rolo 'Crack It' dessert pots, but got sidetracked when I spotted this new Müller yogurt... Oreo corner? No way! I might not have rated the Oreo Brownie very highly yesterday, but I couldn't leave this on the shelf. At 75p per pot -or 6 for £4- they're on the pricey side, but my inquisitive nature ruled out and into my basket one went.

I can't remember the last time I had a vanilla flavoured corner. My experience with Müller's range has been mixed; I wasn't fussed on their recent Gold Edition, yet was spellbound by their raspberry cheesecake brownie yogurt. To be honest if they hadn't marketed it as Oreo, and had labelled it as cookies instead, I doubt I would have given it a second glance. Yes, I'm a brand victim.

It looked just as expected, including the half-empty Oreo corner. There's no getting your money's worth here.

The yogurt was just as thin as it was with the Gold Edition. I swear that Müller must be watering them down. The thick, creamy yogurts that I remember of my childhood seem to be long gone. Fortunately I could taste the vanilla, but it tasted more 'flavouring' than 'extract' if you catch my drift. I'm glad to report that the Oreos were crunchy and crispy however and hadn't even begun to go limp or stale as I feared they might. 

The yogurt and biscuit combination worked rather well, but it was greatly let down by the yogurt's insipidness. If only it was a creamier, richer affair then this would be one special corner.

What a let down. If you like the look of this Müller corner then I highly recommend you crush up a couple of biscuits and pop them on your favourite yogurt and save yourself the 75 pence. 

4/10

NEW! Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough S'wich Up Ice Cream

Following my disappointment with Tesco's new chocolate cookie ice cream I felt the need to bite the financial bullet and buy the new Ben &Jerry's S'wich Up ice cream. 

Fortunately, lady luck must've read my dispirited review and persuaded the Supermarket bosses to whack Ben & Jerry's on offer because -lo and behold- I found it in Morrisons yesterday for a much more reasonable £2! For those without a Morrisons nearby fear not, because it's also now on offer in Tesco at the slightly dearer price of £2.50, still a damn sight better than the £4 RRP!

"Our legendairy Cookie Dough Flavour took us 5 years to perfect. 25 years on, we wondered how could we make it even cookier! So we turned the cookie-o-meter right up to concoct this: vanilla ice cream with chocolatey cookie sandwiches, a swirl of chocolatey cookies (& of course, cookie dough chunks!) in this new Cookie Dough S'Wich Up. We think it's cookie sandwich-tastic., & hope you do too! Cookies & ice cream, good together, any 'Wich way!"

The first thing that struck me was just how solid it was -I went to stick my ice cream scoop into the tub, but it just wouldn't budge! Impatiently I waited a few minutes or so, but still struggled to wedge my scoop into the ice cream. When my work finally started to pay off, I discovered promising oreo-coloured flecks dotted throughout and an abundance of biscuity cookie dough chunks. I couldn't see many of the chocolate cookies as I wrestled with the ice cream but I hoped that they were hidden in my scoop's embrace. 

Mmm. Vanilla. Yes Ben & Jerry's! Vanilla that really means vanilla, rather than the more common use of the word -as a thinly veiled deceptive adjective that really equates to a lack of flavour. The ice cream was thick and creamy, and I immediately regretted swaying away from Ben & Jerry's in the first place.

Texture came from the cookie-dough chunks that the company is famous for, delicious bites of biscuit that worked well against the vanilla. The chocolate cookie swirl was rather hard to distinguish in terms of taste, but offered a sort of crumb like consistency to the otherwise smooth ice cream.

Jackpot! In my 100ml serving (yes, I have to portion it out otherwise I'll polish off the whole pint in one sitting) I finally found two of the namesake cookie-sandwiches. They looked very similar to the mini-oreos that I reviewed last month, save for the fact that they contain a milky coloured filling (instead of peanut butter!). The cookies were softer than biscuits but still retained enough texture to keep them intact. Flavour wise the cocoa wasn't as rich as you'd expect with Oreos, but were chocolatey enough to satisfy my chocoholic cravings. 

When I wrote my last Ben & Jerry's review (Cinnamon Buns), I commented on how sweet I found it. I'll admit now that it was the first time I'd had their ice cream in years, but that review paved the way for Ben & Jerry's to enter my heart once again. Since then I've tried:

• Peanut Butter Clutter: Absolute heaven -a must for PB addicts
• Speculoos Speculove: I loved the cinnamon & biscuits -but not my favourite.
• Phish Food: I'd forgotten just how chocolatey this flavour is -delish.
• Karamel Sutra: I think this might be my new favourite -the caramel centre is divine.
• Blondie Brownie: Mmm! The brownie & caramel sauce are a perfect match.

So the point of that mini-multi-review was to give you a basis on where I would pitch the new S'wich Up. I wouldn't say it's the best Ben & Jerry's, but I' think it's the best non-core ice cream in their range and a lovely new addition. Yummy yummy.

9/10

Oreo Mini Reese's (American Fizz)

I was curled up on the sofa last weekend coughing, spluttering, and generally feeling sorry for myself, when I had that lightbulb moment, and realised exactly what would cheer me up. Half an hour later, I'd placed a large order with American Fizz for all sorts of Imported goodies that I never even knew I needed. Delivery was quick, and I was pleased to find that my treats were neatly packaged, so they arrived in perfect condition.

One of the items that I purchased were these Mini Oreos filled with Reese's peanut butter. As I was fortunate enough to receive 40 bags of my favourite Nutter Butter Bites for Christmas, I thought I'd never need to buy any more peanut butter biscuits ever again. Of course, I've munched through my supply pretty rapidly, and I never grow old of peanut butter (or biscuits) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to try the Reese's Oreos.

I was hugely disappointed by the British peanut butter Oreos when they were released last year -to me they tasted artificial and lacked the real taste of roasted peanuts that I expected. I have heard numerous rumours that they are nowhere near as good as their American counterparts, and I really hoped that the grapevine hadn't let me down.

The 'big-bag' contained approximately 30 biscuits, which was meant to be the equivalent of roughly three servings. The Oreos were somewhere between the size of a penny and tuppence, with a thin peanut butter disc in the middle of each.

The biscuits were the same as British Oreos; beautifully rich and dark with a good crunch that also held up well after dunking. Of course, it's not really the biscuits that's of interest here -it's the peanut butter. Fortunately Reese's hadn't let me down and I revelled in the familiar, true-to-form, sweet-salty nuttiness. If I was to be picky, I'd say that the peanut butter wasn't as thick as I'd have liked, the biscuits could've benefited from a more generous central creme disc, but they're a far cry from the pitiful British nonsensical Oreos. 

The chocolate and peanut butter combination is a match made in heaven, and they were so good that I polished off the whole bag in one sitting. Oops.

It's glorious to see that two of the best manufacturers in their fields (Reese's and Oreo) have amalgamated their resources to create such a delightful product.  So Oreo, please stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes, remove the fraudulent UK peanut butter flavoured Oreos, and replace them with the real deal -we deserve them too!

10/10