Ritter Sport Honey Salt Almonds Milk Chocolate

I fully acknowledge that I am exceedingly late to the Ritter Sport party. In fact I'm more than a little bit embarrassed to admit that this Honey Salted Almonds bar was the first I've tried from their range. I wasn't actually out to buy chocolate, but was in the local corner shop buying vegetables when it called to me. That's what I like to refer to as balanced shopping. I have seen this bar in Waitrose however, and Ritter Sport is widely available now, so should you read this review and decide to buy it (if you haven't already) then I'm sure you won't have any problems finding it.

"Milk chocolate with roasted, salted almonds with a honey flavoured coating (25%)."

It's strange. Ever since I reviewed that Muller Goes Nuts corner I've been craving caramelised almonds. I've also moaned about the lack of almondy chocolate bars in the U.K so I hoped Ritter Sport would hit the spot!

The chocolate was rich, more so than the standard U.K bars, but I had predicted as much considering the cocoa content -30% cocoa solids. It melted fairly slowly too, with a creaminess that I've come to expect from Belgian chocolates (I guess Ritter Sport is closer to the country than us Brits). 

As for those almonds, they were sizeable and crunchy. Although the size of the nuts may feel overbearing for some, I liked the fact that they hadn't been chopped up beyond recognition. There was a slight honey note that came through, and I was left wondering whether Maple syrup would have worked even better. Aren't I a pernickety sod? 

The other aspect that slightly bothered me was the lack of salinity. I adored the larger rock salt crystals that adorn the Grown Up Chocolate Company's salted caramel cups, and found that this bar could've done with a similarly obvious salty boost. The salinity was there, but it was just on the weaker side. 

I'd happily buy this bar again, however I'm now keen to try the Cornflake and Rum & Raisin Ritter Sport bars. Which flavour is your favourite?

8/10

Salted Peanut & Caramel Ice Cream (Sainsbury's)

Has anyone else noticed that the standard 'half price' offer (AKA the only price that you'll spend if you're sensible) on Ben & Jerry's has gone up in the last month? Shocking. All the supermarkets seem to be charging a minimum of £3 per tub; it's been £2.50 until now. My heart weeps. I was, in fact, on a B&Js mission when I spotted Sainsbury's 500m own brand luxury ice cream tubs on offer. 

"Caramel flavoured dairy ice cream swirled with peanut butter sauce, caramelised peanut pieces and chocolate coated salted peanuts."

Chocolate coated salted peanuts? Caramelised peanuts? This sounded rather good - and even better, it was only £2! Having just finished the Gelatelli Pretty Peanut Butter, it was time to take a punt on a pint of Sainsbury's....

The ice cream smelt incredibly sweet, emanating buttery caramel tones the moment the tub was open. I was pleased to find that the ice cream was a good consistency too; none of this 'wait 10 minutes to scoop' nonsense, but neither was it so soft that it was a puddle the moment you tried to cone it up either -something I find is often the case with caramel based Ben & Jerry's ice cream. 

What is this wizardry?! How on earth is an own branded ice cream so damned delicious? I mean the ice cream itself wasn't as creamy as Haagen-Dazs, but it was far superior to Tesco's attempts at luxury. So often we see a peanut butter ice cream that's swamped by caramel sauce, so it was good to see that Sainsbury's had opted for a caramel base with both peanut praline and peanuts in.

The magic really happened when I got a taste of those caramelised peanut pieces too. Think of the caramel brittle in the Haagen-Dazs, now imagine it to be peanutty. Are you envisaging heaven yet? You should be. Seriously now, it was ingenious. 

The chocolate coated peanuts were also good, and although I don't go out of my way to buy peanut M&Ms (until only recently, I really didn't like them) I did enjoy their inclusion in this ice cream. Yes, they're obtrusive, but so are the added elements in the Ben & Jerry's tubs - and that's exactly why I love B&Js so much. 

Sainsbury's, I'm angry at you for keeping this deliciousness secret from me for so long. I'm so glad I've eventually found it. I'm utterly hooked, and as such will have to try their other ice cream flavours soon...

Have you tried this tub? I'd love to know whether you were as impressed as I was!

10/10

NEW! Häagen-Dazs Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bars (ASDA)

There's one flavour of Häagen-Dazs that appears to be the clear favourite amongst fans, and that is salted caramel. As a recent newbie to the world of HD, and still an avid fan of Ben & Jerry's, I couldn't see how this could be so amazing. I mean it's just a caramel ice cream with caramel brittle. Surely it can't compete with B&Js incredible Karamel Sutra? I mean it doesn't have the chocolate ice cream, nor the chocolate chunks, let alone the almost-orgasmic caramel core. 

Yet I inadvertently ended up trying a mini tub of H-D's salted caramel when I bought their new caramel collection (for the speculoos flavour), and was struck dumb. Eating my words in conjunction with every mouthful, I found myself revelling in the sheer indulgent creaminess. Then I discovered the salt caramel brittle and my world slipped off its axis. It's unbelievably good: salty, sweet, soft, yet crunchy. If it's not part of your life at the moment, you need it to be.  

After that singular experience I found my original indifference towards the new H-D sticks polarised. I now needed to try their Salted Caramel sticks, ASAP. Luckily ASDA have them on offer for £2 for 3 bars, so I didn't need to remortgage the house either. 

"Our signature salted caramel ice cream enrobed in a rich Belgian chocolate coating for a truly indulgent treat."

I couldn't tell whether the chocolate coating was milk or dark from either the description or its colour. I soon realised that it wasn't very thick though when I tried to snap a small segment off for the photo and a whole side came off! 

The ice cream was every bit as delicious as I remember it being in the mini tub. I love the contrast in textures, and the luxuriousness of it is undeniable. Unfortunately the chocolate wasn't my cup of tea, it was darker than a milk chocolate* and very thin. I would've much rather a thicker coating made from milk chocolate studded with the caramel brittle. Now that might be enough to convert me to H-D for life. 

As it stands, these are delicious bars, but I just about prefer the tub version of H-Ds salted caramel ice cream. Perhaps I should try the white chocolate and almond bars next time... Have any of you bought them yet?

9/10

*but probably no darker than Bournville, I just don't like dark.

NEW! Jude's Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt Ice Cream Review (Waitrose)

Jude's is a company that is relatively new to me. If you'll remember I first came across them last year when I tried their peanut butter chocolate ripple ice cream, followed soon after by their undeniably smooth salted caramel flavour. One of the reasons I'd not bought their products was because of the price, and the other was the lack of 'extras' that Ben & Jerry's fill their tubs with. Whilst price still governs my purchases, I have discovered the undeniable quality of Jude's and so buy their tubs whenever I spot a good offer. Recently I received an email from the lovely Laura at Jude's, letting me know that they'd launched their highly anticipated chocolate and sea salt ice cream which I'd been waiting for since she teased me with a tip off following my last Jude's review. The only trouble was, they'd launched it solely into Waitrose, yet my local branch wasn't stocking their range at all! Humf. I might've grumbled a little bit. Fortunately last week the freezer stock in Waitrose transformed to make way for a whole host of extra ice cream brands - one of which was Jude's. There it was, the chocolate & sea salt ice cream! The 500ml tubs are priced at £3.98, but please read on to find out how you can try any of their range for just £2.

"Chocolate with a touch of sea salt is the latest flavour to join our stripy family! The combination of rich Colombian cacao with a delicate touch of sea salt makes for the most moreish after meal treat."

Just to remind you that you're also being charitable by eating ice cream..

Salted caramel has made its way into almost every food product feasible over the past few years, so is it now the turn of chocolate and sea salt?

The ice cream was a rich and dark coloured brown, the exact hue of milk chocolate. What I wasn't expecting was the sheer abundance of Belgian chocolate flakes that littered throughout. My scoop delved into the ice cream without a struggle, meaning that for once I could create respectable mounds.

Flavour-wise the chocolate was intense. It delivered a strong hit of cocoa whilst retaining a creaminess that took the edge off, pleasing my dark chocolate averse palate. The miniature chips melted in the mouth, which meant that for the most part they didn't add much texture. At first I didn't think I could taste the salt but then all of a sudden I came across a pocket with a punchy saline edge. The salty sweetness was pleasant, but it wasn't consistent. I'm still not sure if I'd have preferred the salinity to be maintained throughout or if some of the enjoyment came from the flavour changing with every mouthful.

I enjoyed the new Jude's flavour and it's a welcome addition to their collection. I tried the ice cream both in a cone and also served with a warm white chocolate Oatien 'brownie', which was just as good -if not better!

As promised, here's how you can try the Jude's ice cream range for £2 (until 9th March) as well as claim lots of free products!

1. Go into your App Store (on android or Apple)

2. Download Shopmium

3. Register (if you use the code AEAYEAKT you'll also be able to claim a free Lindt chocolate bar)

4. Buy Jude's and send Shopmium a photo of your receipt via the app. You'll then receive a refund for anything over £2 within 48hours!

9/10

P.S Ice cream queen One Treat has also reviewed Jude's new flavour, so please do go and take a look at her review if you require further convincing!

NEW! Ben & Jerry's Topped: Salted Caramel Brownie, Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough & Strawberry Swirled (ASDA)

The news hit two days before I went away: Ben & Jerry's were treating us (once again) with three brand spanking new flavours, and in a different style too. The new Topped tubs have a chocolatey layer above the ice cream and all three flavours sounded insanely good. As always, ice cream princess Ms One Treat was straight off the mark and I eagerly awaited her reviews from the other side of the world. Whilst she praised the new flavours she wasn't blown away, but I'm afraid to admit that it didn't hinder my excitement to try them for myself. Frustratingly Ocado has been the only place to purchase them from until this week, and seeing as the online supermarkets refuses to deliver to us country bumpkins, I had to wait it out. Monday was the day! Instagram filled with pictures of the Topped tubs in ASDA, and so I made a beeline on the way home.

£4.80 a tub. Ouch. Fortunately for me, Ben & Jerry's kindly invited me to a launch event a few months ago, and when I told them that I couldn't make it they sent me a couple of vouchers for free tubs and I've saved them for new tubs that aren't on promotion.

So which to choose? I'm embarrassed to admit that I dawdled for a good few minutes, pondering between the three before phoning a friend (I.e calling Bert) and asking his opinion. He chose the chocolate and strawberry tubs, but then I remembered that One Treat recommended the cookie dough as the best of the bunch and once again I was baffled. It was like choosing between my children.

Then I was struck by a brainwave! I remembered it was the 13th of February, and I could have bet your bottom dollar that Bert hadn't bought me a valentine present. All three made their way to the till, thanks Bert!

Salted Caramel Brownie

"Vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel swirl (11%), chocolate brownie pieces (3%), chocolatey chunks (3%) and chocolatey topping (9%)

The thick layer on top had a ganache-like density and shine to it, with plenty of dark coloured chocolate ampersands dotted about. Digging into it was fairly easy though, and I found the ice cream beneath to be one of Ben & Jerry's softer styles (much like the Sofa So Good). There was noticeably less chunks in it than I've become accustomed too of late, and the sauce was almost infused within the ice cream.

The taste was good though, and whilst I'd ordinarily never buy Ben & Jerry's for their vanilla flavours, it was yummy and allowed the caramel sauce to shine through. The brownies that I found, although far and few between (there's just 3% brownie in this compared to 7% in Sofa So Good) were up to scratch -moist and chewy as they reliably always are in B&J's tubs. The topping was the star of the show though, for it is in fact a chocolate and hazelnut paste and tastes rather like a nutella inspired ganache. It's thick and silken and complements the ice cream wonderfully. I only wish there were layers of it as opposed to just a topping! 

8/10

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough
Despite being a blatant chocoholic, I'm very fussy when it comes to chocolate ice creams. It's a fine line on when they become just too sickly and I didn't particularly enjoy my last pint of Ben & Jerry's Blondie Brownie. That said I'm utterly addicted to their Chocolate Fudge Brownie Wich's and couldn't be more pleased to see that they've made a come back in multi-pack form this year.

"Chocolate ice cream with a caramel swirl (10%), chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough (3%), chocolatey chunks (3%) and chocolatey topping (9%)."

The uppermost layer used in this tub is the same as used in the Salted Caramel Brownie Topped, a thick chocolate hazelnut paste with chocolate ampersands -which all stuck themselves to one side of my tub.

(Yep I was greedy and had both the Chocolate Caramel cookie Dough & Salted Caramel Brownie at the same time. The brownie is on the left and the cookie dough on the right).

The chocolate ice cream didn't disappoint, and I loved the addition of the caramel swirl. I recently tried Baskin Robbins' chocolate peanut butter ice cream (one of the best ice creams I've ever had!) and this reminded me of it. It's almost like a Rolo in ice cream form. Even better was the cookie dough pieces which broke up the texture and added a gritty biscuit flavour, nom nom nom. Again the amount of 'extras' was lower than usual, but I didn't seem to mind so much thanks to my state of chocoholic bliss. 

9/10

Strawberry Swirl

Why we can't get Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake in pint size tubs I'll never know. It's the only reason I buy the multi-packs of 100ml tubs (and only when they're on offer for £2.50 in Tesco). Ben & Jerry's seem to forget that a fruity ice cream is delicious when done right, although they seem to be rectifying this having brought back One Sweet World, and now this Strawberry Swirl, hurrah. 

"Cream ice cream with strawberry (13%) and marshmallow (7%) swirls, shortbread chunks (3%), with a white chocolate flavour topping (9%) and white chocolatey chunks (1.5%)."

Oooh, the white chocolate topping looked extremely inviting, and once dug into revealed a pale creamy coloured ice cream beneath. The topping was firmer than the hazelnut based one, shattering into shards upon impact. A pretty pink swirl pervaded throughout the ice cream, although the marshmallow was less obvious.

Mmmm. Delicious! I'm a huge fan of white chocolate and raspberry and/or strawberry in any form, so using it in Ben & Jerry's luxuriously creamy ice cream was always going to be a winner for me. The white chocolate was just as creamy and sweet as I'd hoped and melted in the mouth easily. Perhaps there could have been more strawberry sauce, or indeed it could have done with being a strawberry ice cream to bring the flavours into a better harmony, but I still absolutely loved this tub. The shortbread chunks were buttery and crumbly, and should make any Scot proud. 

I really really miss the Baked Alaska tubs, but Strawberry Swirled is a very good compromise!

9/10

Oppo Salted Caramel Healthy Ice Cream Review (Co-Op)

Last month I published a review of healthy ice cream producer Oppo’s mint chocolate swirl. Whilst the nutritional values and lower sugar nature of their tub was attractive, I still wasn’t convinced by the high price point (or the trek across town to buy a tub). The brand’s products are still part of a half price promotion on Shopmium however (details on the app and how to get your free Lindt bar here) so Bert took the opportunity to use his voucher to purchase a tub of their salted caramel ice cream.

As far as flavours go Bert will always normally opt for the caramel/toffee/honeycomb varieties, but he’s also a traditionalist and wasn’t sold on the promise of great-tasting healthy ice cream. I can’t say I blame him as it’s usually the fat and sugar elements of food that make treats so irresistible.

"Nature's caramel.
Charlie knew there had to be a healthy salted caramel ice cream. But creating one without caramel (i.e. sugar!) was not easy. Oppo's salted caramel is made using the Peruvian lucuma fruit. This fruit gives our ice cream a smooth maple taste, quickly chased by a rounded caramel flavour which is then enhanced with a pinch of rich mineral sea-salt."

Unlike the mint tub, this pot contained an ice cream much more in-line with the colour I was expecting. It was even harder to scoop though, with unsightly strips the best I could manage before manhandling it into the cone.

However the most important aspects -taste and texture- were on point. Whilst I complained about the grainiess of the mint chocolate Oppo, their caramel flavour was much smoother (albeit not a patch on Jude’s devilishly delicious full fat & sugar tubs). Despite the lack of sugar the caramel was just sweet enough, harbouring a back-note of saltiness that earned its title.

For anyone watching their sugar intake or looking for a low-calorie or low-sugar ice cream fix (and aren’t on a tight budget) then Oppo just might be your answer. Personally I expect that I’ll stick to my ‘naughty’ (God I hate that term when used with food) tubs unless I spot Oppo on offer again. Ice cream guru One Treat loves this tub though and travels miles to pick up tubs, so please read her review here.

8/10

Fresh Salted Caramel Custard (Morrisons)

Have you tried Ambrosia's attempt at luxury custard? The 'deluxe' range was launched in February but to be honest, I found it so lacklustre that I didn't even bother reviewing either the toffee or the salted caramel pots (however you can read One Treat's thoughts here). The trouble is, ambient desserts are never going to scream of indulgence, and after I initially tried Ambrosia's new range I went back to buying their standard custard -or opting for ice cream instead. Now I've often said that i don't believe that ice cream has a season -I eat it most days all year round- but occasionally I get a custard craving that needs adhering to, and that's exactly what happened here...

During my Morrisons trip the other day (when I found their new Bakery Stollen cookies) I spied their fresh salted caramel custard, thought that looks tasty and promptly carried on my merry way. The little pot must have sparked my fancy though, because a couple of days later (when I was sat in a particularly dull lecture -strategies and objectives in P.R FYI), I dozed off and found myself dreaming of that salted caramel custard slathered over a warm mince pie. That was it. I had to have it. The yearning only got worse too, so yesterday afternoon I cycled into town in the cold, pouring rain on a mission. Fortunately, whilst the store was exceptionally busy, there was a few pots left. £1 for 300g isn't too bad either is it?

The golden coloured liquid was thick and smelt incredibly butterscotch-y. Oof. I love a good spot of Angel Delight, and couldn't help hoping that this custard would taste similar. My only concern was that it could be overwhelmingly sweet -especially considering that I was pairing it with a naturally rich mince pie. 

The custard can either be heated in the microwave for a few minutes or on the hob. For ease I chose the first option, although the liquid had to be first transferred into a microwaveable jug.

Boy, oh boy. Morrisons, you geniuses. It might not look particularly pretty, but the now warm custard was everything I hoped for: utterly flavourful, executing the seemingly difficult promise that so many brands seem to stumble upon of being both caramel and salted. The salinity wasn't overwhelming either and simply cut through the sweetness perfectly. The butterscotch element that I initially smelt also came through, and I guess that if you're a fellow fan of both custard and butterscotch Angel Delight then you'll also love this too. 

Whilst salted caramel custard may not sound like the most obvious partner for a warm mince pie, I absolutely adored it. My other half enjoyed his custard over a warm individual treacle tart -another Morrisons find, see pic below- and Bert said both custard and tart were "absolutely delicious".

I'm dying to try my next pot (yep, I think Morrisons have now got me addicted) with warm banana... Mmm. Bananas and salted caramel custard anyone? Yes please! 

10/10

IKORN Gourmet Popcorn (Online)

A few weeks ago I received an invite from British premium gourmet popcorn company IKORN to sample their new products. Given my love of the stuff (no cinema trip is complete without a bag of Propercorn's smooth peanut & almond) I didn't think twice about saying yes.

Not heard of IKORN yet? Not to worry, they're a brand spanking new company, aiming to revolutionise the popcorn market with their healthy snacks. Thought all popcorn was healthy? Well not according to IKORN who reject to use the standard canola/rapeseed oil used in most commercially available popcorn, instead opting for the superfood à la mode -coconut oil. IKORN also apparently trialled over 40 different types of corn before they were happy that they'd found the best of the best. All of this means that the company believes it has produced 'the King of Korn'. 

Currently IKORN produce three flavours: Salt, Sweet & Himalayan salted. From a shallow point of view the bags looked beautiful, and I loved the crisp, clean lines of the branding. 

I have to admit that I much prefer flavoured popcorn, and find it a little bland on it's own, so was intrigued to find out whether the premium ingredients in IKORN could change my mind. 

Unfortunately, whilst I could appreciate the light, fluffy quality of the corn (and the lack of unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bag) I couldn't really notice a huge amount of difference in the taste between this gourmet brand and the more commercial varieties. The seasoning in all three was a little inconsistent too, some popcorn was very sweet or salty whilst others were tasteless.

Seeing as IKORN had generously sent me so many bags of their products, I took some to work with me to find out what my non-blogging colleagues thought of the range. It turned out that there was a massive differing of opinions. Each flavour was favourite of roughly the same amount of people, and yet everyone found the popcorn moreish. The plain salted was too saline for one of the girls in my office (the poor thing started coughing and spluttering everywhere after one mouthful) but she loved the Himalayan salted and was convinced she could taste the backnotes of coconut -something my tastebuds had failed to pick up on. 

I'd love to see more flavours* come out in IKORN's range, and I know it's something the company is working on. If this premium gourmet popcorn made with coconut oil sounds right up your alley then please head on over to their website where you can order boxes of 12. 

Thank you IKORN for sending me the samples. 

6/10

*peanut butter if possible please! ;)

New Salted Caramel Squares

I'm a bit disgruntled at the release of these Rice Krispies Squares simply because it replaces the Rocky Road variety in our local ASDA. I particularly enjoyed the Rocky Road flavour because:

It was chocolate-y & It had a good combination of flavours and textures including white chocolate chunks, raisins and marshmallows.

I'm not sure if Kellogg's have stopped making the Rocky Road variety as ASDA was the only stockist of the entire range in my area.

I shouldn't complain too much, because as you may have gathered from my earlier posts, I love caramel... So I decided to see how it faired in comparison to the other Rice Krispies Squares.

I love that each Square is individually wrapped- it may not be good for the environment- but it's much better for transportation purposes (and ultimately stops me from becoming tangled in cling-film whilst attempting to wrap it and stow it in a lunchbox!)

The wrappers are a pretty gold colour, and I was surprised when I opened the packet to find that the colour of the Square itself was a similar colour. I'm not sure why I was fazed by this as caramel is  golden, but for some reason I was expecting it to be the same pale colour of the standard Squares.

The Square tasted sickly with a mere hint of the salt that it promised of. I thought the caramel flavour was nice and strong, but without any other flavours to break it up, it simply felt too saccharine. That may sound daft because the additions to the Rocky Road Squares are all sweet; but I think its the monotony of the salted caramel that led to it's demise. Perhaps I was just hankering for a chocolate element to top it off!

Thankfully I only paid the offer price of £1 for 4 but I won't be rushing out to buy them again as they do lots more flavours that are more appealing!

4/10