NEW! Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Slices (Waitrose)

Isn't it funny how thoughts and ideas wheedle into our brains and lodge themselves into our subconscious? Only yesterday morning was I talking to Nat about cheesecakes, and by yesterday evening I was tucking in to one (admittedly it was never going to be as exciting as her talk of a Biscoff banana cheesecake creation). Despite the fact it was a warm day, all of a sudden ice cream just wasn't going to cut the mustard, and so I popped to Waitrose on the hunt for the new desserts that have started to crop up on Instagram this week. 

Argh, they were all on an introductory offer too. Cookies and Cream or Mocha? Bert doesn't like mocha.. but damn they looked good. But so did the Cookies and Cream... bugger it. Both went into my basket. Oops. 

Cookies and Cream were up first....

"A baked cocoa biscuit and vanilla flavour cheesecake on a chocolate flavoured biscuit base, decorated with chocolate ganache."

They were much cheaper than the Mocha at £1.67 for two (they will be £2.20)  and looked rather pretty with their ganache, which was definitely more of a drizzle than a topping. The amount of visible cookie pieces was a promising start too. I really hoped they wouldn't be another disappointingly dull cookie product and that this was a case where I could tell a book by its cover. 

Oh. The cookie pieces looked pretty, but I'll be damned if you could taste them. A look at the ingredients list indicates why: they only make up 4% of the desserts. The vanilla cheesecake itself was fairly good though, but it was sweet and lacked the sour tang of a New York cheesecake. Also on the plus side, it lacked the horrible gelatinous edge that so many supermarket cheesecakes seem to have and I would say it was on a par with the vanilla topping of the Rhokett. Unfortunately it seems that the ganache was only purely for decoration too, for there wasn't enough of it to taste on its own -and believe me I tried!

Thankfully the biscuit base however was a work of art. The deep cocoa flavour worked wondrously well against the vanilla topping, and was the only real nod to the Oreo type flavour that we've come to associate with cookies and cream. Like the base of Rhokett's cheesecake, it held together well until bitten in to -when it started to melt in the mouth perfectly. 

They're good, but not outstanding and I'd still rather have an ASDA white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. 

7/10

NEW! Waitrose 1 Chocolate & Salted Caramel Mousses

My sister was coming to stay yesterday evening and I was about to head to M&S to pick up a Dine in for £10 meal deal when I thought I'd check their 'menu' online. Oh. The desserts looked pretty lacking. I mean, the Millionaire's desserts are well worth a try if you haven't had them before, but I really fancied something different. I chanced a look at Waitrose's website and found that this weekend the upmarket supermarket is also offering a similar deal. For £10 you can have a main, side, bottle of wine (or box of chocolates) as well as a choice between many starters or desserts. This makes it a good option if you've got less of a sweet tooth, but let's be honest -for me- it's always going to be dessert.

As part of the offer, Waitrose have included their two wavy shaped mousses that form part of the '1' range. I've been eyeing these mousses up for a while, but there was no way in hell I was prepared to pay £3.99 for the privilege of trying them. I mean, they looked good, but they're hardly groundbreaking, are they? Just for info, and incase you're not as pudding obsessed as I am, the other flavour available is limoncello and raspberry. I was temporarily tempted by the lemony flavour, but when the choice was between lemon and chocolate? A no-brainer I'm afraid.

"Belgian chocolate mousse with a salted caramel centre, chocolate sponge base and topped with a chocolate sauce."

What the...? How the badger are you meant to retrieve these things from their plastic casing? If any has any better ideas than the only solution I came up with, please drop me a comment. I ended up using a combination of a knife under the cake bottom, and my fingers to wiggle the mousses out -of course leaving an inelegant finger print on both sides. Oops. I hoped my sister wouldn't spot the grooves of my digits on the side of her dessert, and instead would focus on the pretty glittery topping. 

"Ooh, they're gold..." she cooed. Phew.

The chocolate mousse was rich and light. Less so than the likes of an aero mousse, but that's unsurprising considering that whipping cream and dark chocolate (20%) are the top two ingredients. The resulting flavour is a chocoholic's dream, tasting of ganache but without the resulting heaviness. 

Disappointment hit however when I found the puddle of caramel in the centre. I was hoping for a generous, oozing trove of salty-sweet treasure, but instead I found a jot of thin, toffee sauce. Hmm. Another 'salted' caramel that really didn't live up to expectations. As for the chocolate sponge base, I can only imagine that it was created as a base to move the desserts with, for it was wafer thin and therefore added very little -if anything at all- to the dessert. 

As far as chocolate mousses go, this one is rather good. Is it worthy of a £3.99 price tag? Absolutely not. Is it worth buying with the ranch steak, pommel frites and bottle of Italian red for £10? You betcha. 

8/10

NEW! OPPO Chocolate & Hazelnut (Waitrose)

There's a long awaited new flavour on the Oppo block! Chances are that if you're already a fan of the 'healthy ice cream' brand you'll be aware of it already, but in case you're not, I present to you: Oppo's Chocolate & Hazelnut.

"...made from Stevia leaf, Colombian Cacao and fresh milk from meadow-grazed cows  free to roam and eat naturally, with 55% fewer calories and 67% less sugar than standard branded chocolate ice cream." 

The ice cream wasn't as dark in colour as I expected it to be, and although it scooped better than the first tub of mint Oppo I tried (which, it turns out, was part of a badly freezer-burnt batch and has since been replaced) it wasn't as soft as most standard ice creams. However, I could spot the miniature hazelnut nibs (3%) embedded within it, which was a welcome touch. 

Hmm. An odd one. I'd not long since finished the last of my chocolate flavoured Jude's tub and so at first the flavour shocked me in its contrast. The chocolate wasn't anywhere near as rich, and the stevia was immediately evident, hampering the aftertaste. 

Once I'd got used to the ice cream I started to enjoy it, especially when the hazelnut flavour started to come through. It adds a mild nuttiness, but it's pleasant, and a welcome point of difference to a plain chocolate flavour. 

I'm not bowled over by this new Oppo flavour, personally preferring their Salted Caramel. At 43 calories per scoop it's a good option for those cutting calories, but it is expensive - the RRP is £4.99 per 500ml tub. If you are an Oppo addict I recommend that you pop down to Waitrose post-haste, where you'll find the entire range (including this new flavour) is currently 25% off.

7/10

NEW! Rich & Buttery Cherry & Almond Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

Well it didn't take me long to return to Waitrose to buy the cherry and almond full size buns after the mini chocolate orange hot cross buns. The minis hadn't quite scratched the itch and had perhaps aggravated it instead. I found myself just needing to sink my teeth into a fruity bun (it is Humpday after all).

I couldn't even get a bargain in Waitrose this time around, although most of their hot cross buns are currently on offer for £1.26 per pack (normally £1.50) or 2 for £2.50. I avoided saving myself a whole tuppence by buying two, I restrained myself and bought just a single pack of cherry & almond buns. Some of the packs on the shelf didn't look particularly fruity, but of course I dug around to find the most aesthetic of the bunch. 

 "4 fruited hot cross buns made with californian raisins, cherries, cranberries and almonds. Enriched with butter and egg."

I couldn't get over how soft and light these buns were. The texture probably had a lot to do with the enriched dough, technically making them more like a brioche. They were also a beautiful glossy golden brown and smelt wonderfully of almond extract. Oof. I was instantly pretty sure I'd made a good choice this time around, but then I recalled my experience last year with the similarly flavoured humongous Hot Cross Buns under their Heston label which were somewhat lacking in the flavour department. I crossed my fingers and toes.

I sliced my first bun in two, and discovered just how fluffy it was. It was so delicate that I thought I would destroy it with my clumsy knife skills, but just about managed to dissect it respectably. Then came the usual quandary.. toast it? Cover it in butter? Or jam? I couldn't make my mind up (no change there then) and opted for one half toasted, one half ambient and then covered both slices with a haphazard array of jam and butter. Oh dear.

I sampled the toasted half first -before it went cold- and was instantly pleased by the super melt in the mouth texture. It was pretty damn perfect and tasted so fresh that I could pretend that Waitrose's master bakers (oo-er) had made my batch that very morning.

As for the flavour, the almond element is much more prominent this year, and penetrates every morsel of the dough -despite it making up exactly the same proportion of the ingredients (only 1.5%). Even better was the abundance of big juicy cherries that were embedded within the bun, offering additional flavour and moistness. The raisins and cranberries were also welcome, meaning that most mouthfuls had some sort of fruit in. Mmm heavenly. If anything, the butter and jam I used as toppings were extraneous because the taste and texture were so well executed.

Normally I prefer my hot cross buns toasted, but the softness of the bread leant itself to an equally delicious ambient bun. The jam and butter complimented the dough but I shall try another one tonight completely naked (what's with me today?) so that I can completely appreciate one of my all-time favourite flavour combinations: cherry and almond.

9/10

NEW! Mini Chocolate & Orange Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

It's official. I'm missing mince pies, yet I still can't bring myself to buy the ones still lurking in Waitrose, Greggs or poundland. It's January after all and one must wait until they return to supermarket shelves in August. Helping my pining situation somewhat however is the arrival of the hot cross buns. As I said the other night, the best way to get over mince pies is to get into hot cross buns! It's going to be a similar situation in my house though to the festive pies, I've already spotted so many that I want to try (and will review) but Bert won't touch the things. Oh well, more buns to grow the buns 🍑, right?

The first buns to be bought however were these chocolate orange mini versions from Waitrose, which appealed because they were reduced to just 55p. Chocolate orange seems to be the favoured flavour choice this year and I've seen versions in M&S and Morrisons too. To be honest It was Waitrose's cherry almond buns that really appealed -which I'm praying are an improvement on their Heston's Bakewell buns of last year- but they were full price so will have to wait.

"9 Hot cross buns made with dark chocolate and orange zest."

There's only one pack that I've seen that just aren't appealing to me right now* but made me think of Becky & Gemma on Instagram who both left me comments about eating hot cross buns with marmite...

Meanwhile the chocolate orange mini buns looked a little worse for wear, and for once my clumsiness wasn't to blame, for they had been rammed into the bargain bin (you should've seen the state of some of the loaves in there).

A super strong tang greeted my nostrils as soon as I ripped open the pack. They were fairly soft and light too, so far so good.

I decided to try my first bun toasted with JimJams chocolate hazelnut spread, but that proved to be a silly move because the chocolate chips melted over the toaster and the chocolate spread completely overpowered the orange flavour. As a messy chocolatey bun it was enjoyable though!

Attempt number two I decided to eat at room temperature, and spread one half with butter and the other half with peanut butter. I couldn't help myself ok? This time I could really appreciate the richness of both the dough and the dark chocolate chips. Unfortunately the orange flavour was once again overshadowed, and I'd have really like the smell to have translated into taste. The 3% zest just wasn't enough to shine through. My other bug bear was the lack of raisins or sultanas. Is it just me who doesn't believe a bun is 'hot cross' unless brimming with dried fruit?

I can't deny that I enjoyed my first buns of the year, but I hope they're not the best 2017 has to offer.

After the marmite comments I'm intrigued: how do you eat yours?

6/10

*inquisitiveness might change this though!

NEW! Lindahl's Vanilla and Raspberry Flavoured Quark (Waitrose)

Happy New Year guys and gals! Have you woken up aiming to turn over a new leaf? Whilst I think that everyone can and should set themselves goals at any point during the year, January the 1st does present itself as somewhat of an opportunity to kick those dreams into motion. Sometimes it's the smaller goals that can bring us joy; for example one of my 2016 resolutions was to have peanut butter and chocolate every single day -simply because I love it- and yesterday I completed my little challenge (admittedly sometimes that meant sneaking Reese's peanut butter cups into my suitcase).

Other goals have been more significant -2016 was the first year since 2012 that I have completely avoided hospital admissions- and for that I raised a glass (or two) last night. I feel very fortunate for my life right now, and I'm super excited for what 2017 has to offer. Sure there's a mixture of resolutions and goals that'll be challenging, but that's what makes life interesting! 

For many people New Years diets will be coming into force from today. It's something that grates on me a little bit, but only because I think that healthy lifestyles should be a way of life and something that includes balance. As a snack reviewer it may look like I live on a diet of pure junk food, but most of the time (70% ish) I eat relatively healthily (certainly not clean though!), and I'm pretty active. One of my daily food staples is LIDL's Milbona Skyr pots -they're cheap, a brilliant source of protein and fat free. I flavour them using sugar free syrups to make them more interesting (Salted Chocolate Espresso, Tiramisu and banoffee are personal favourites) but I'm still always on the look out for new brands to try.

Cue Lindh's, which isn't Skyr at all, but Quark. Both Skyr and Quark are technically soft cheeses, although quite often they sit amongst the yogurt section in the supermarket. I buy Skyr because it's cheaper (at Lidl anyway), and the only sweet flavoured Quark pots widely available are the ARLA protein pots -which I don't particularly rate. So when I spotted these new Lindahl's Raspberry & Vanilla pots on offer at Waitrose for 70p (per 150g pot) I just had to give them a go!

Lindahl's is the number 1 Quark brand in Sweden, and a quick glance at their website made me very envious of the selection that the Swede's get to choose from!The pots contain no added sugar and are suitable for vegetarians. 

Raspberry
First up was the raspberry, and when I peeled back the lid I uncovered a pale pink substance so thick that the individual peaks had remained intact.

Delving my spoon into the Quark revealed a dense mousse like appearance, which simply melted away in the mouth. Instantly I was reminded of the Petit Filous fromage frais pots I enjoyed as a child. Despite the lack of sugar the Quark was sweet enough (more so than the ARLA pots), and I enjoyed every last morsel. Delicious.

9/10

Vanilla
When it comes to Skyr, nothing beats Icelandic Skyr's Vanilla pots. I only wish I had more money so that I could buy them on a regular basis. My love of the vanilla Skyr made me all the more excited to try this Lindahl's Quark version.

The pot had the same consistency and creaminess of the raspberry, although it wasn't as flavourful. The vanilla was less pronounced, and sat delicately in the background. Still delicious, but just not quite as good as my beloved Skyr I'm afraid.

9/10

Summary
These are the perfect snack or light dessert for those looking to up their protein intake and/or eat healthily this January. At only 90Kcal per 150g pot* they're filling and delicious. They're also only on an introductory offer -so if you also like them then stock up pronto like I plan to! Also, if we all buy enough then maybe *just maybe* Waitrose will start selling Lindahl's white chocolate Quark. Please Waitrose?


*Macros P:16.5/C:5.3/F:0.3

NEW! Orange & Cranberry Danish (Waitrose)

What do you eat on Christmas morning? As a child, I remember having croissants and Bucks Fizz after hurriedly opening the stockings, but since leaving home I haven't bothered to make the effort with breakfast and have stuck to cereal or porridge before starting to cook the turkey. Maybe times are about to change... 

I'll be honest, when perusing the bakery section in the supermarket, my eyes tend to automatically land on one or more of three categories: muffins, doughnuts and cookies. Of course I've already reviewed a number of festive versions of these treats*, but when in Waitrose the other day buying the mega marzipan mince pie, I caught sight of their very appetising looking pastries. I instantly noticed my urgent need to try an orange and cranberry Danish at my next given opportunity.

 I wasn't sure exactly what they comprised of given the categorical style of the signage in front of the whirls, but they certainly looked damn tasty! 

Please can you just appreciate my successful effort to get this home intact for a moment? I think I did rather well for once. I hope you'll agree as to how beautiful this particular pastry was; covered with little cranberry gems and orange zest atop a profuse layer of snowy icing.  

It's been a very long time since I last had a Danish, but I was surprised to discover the dough to be more resilient than I remember. Pulling the whirl apart however exposed the golden laminations in all their glory, nestling the occasional ruby coloured cranberry. 

I think I expected the dough to taste of orange. but instead it was a simple and delicious buttery flavour that shone through. The texture melted in the mouth too, and it wasn't half as tough to eat as I had initially feared when handling it. Why oh why don't I have pastries more often? The citrus flavour wasn't forgotten though, for it came from the icing, reminding me of the zingy pockets of flavour imparted into a delicious lemon drizzle cake. The cranberries were squidgy and sweet, harmonising with the other elements to create a true festive flavour that was simply delectable. 

I'm left feeling very tempted to return to Waitrose and pick up another pastry (and some Bucks Fizz) for Sunday morning! 

9/10

*

• Festive muffin reviews: Greggs Christmas Muffin & Morrisons Gingerbread Muffins
• Festive doughnut reviews: Krispy Kreme Melting Snowman & Santa Belly
• Festive cookie review: Morrisons bakery stollen cookies

NEW! Christmas Millionaire's Shortbread (Waitrose)

Whilst I fully agree that the best tasting food isn't often the prettiest (homemade apple crumble anyone?) sight is the first sense we rely on when buying pre-packaged food. Ok, I'll be honest, I'm really just attempting to excuse myself here for the fact that just one glance at this golden white chocolate Millionaire's Shortbread on instagram was all it took to instil an innate need in me to track it down and try it for myself. Soooo pretty. So glittery. Surely so tasty...?

"A layer of salted caramel and white chocolate on all butter shortbread finished with milk chocolate and gold lustre."

The food gods must have also agreed that I definitely needed to try it too, for when I got to Waitrose all the Christmas Millionaires Shortbread were donning reduced yellow stickers, despite having a best before date of the 22nd of December. I paid £1.05 for the slice, but I can't remember how much the full price was, sorry. 

I ignored the instructions to keep it in a cool dry place, and popped the shortbread in the fridge to chill before opening. Later on I found that the knife easily and cleanly sliced through it, though I'm not sure I would've found the same if the caramel was at ambient temperature. The layers were each respectably ample; the thickest of which was -of course- the biscuit base.

The biscuit was beautifully rich and crumbly, offering the melt-in-the-mouth deliciousness that is synonymous with a great shortbread. The white chocolate, although beautiful, was less special. I'd love to report that it was gloriously creamy, but to be honest it was marred slightly by the milk chocolate swirl. The mixture of chocolates diluted the delicate flavour, and I wish that Waitrose had stuck to their guns and just used a good quality Belgian white chocolate.

Of course, the caramel has to be the star of any Millionaire's shortbread. Waitrose have been braver with this, producing a layer that was both sticky, smooth and definitely salted. Luckily they've got the salinity just right, any more and I'd have thought that Heston had stuck his oar in, but it was absolutely scrummy.

Millionaire's shortbread might not be the most traditional of Christmas snacks -but it's certainly worth buying one (or more) of these before they disappear come January. 

9/10

Bonne Maman Crème Brûlée Au Chocolat (Waitrose)

How can you improve any dessert? Add chocolate of course. Or salted caramel. Or both! That's my viewpoint anyway, so when I spotted Bonne Maman's Crème Brûlée Au Chocolat on offer in Waitrose (£1.52 for two) I was suitably tempted.

Both the chocolate and standard crème brûlée come in Gü dessert style glass ramekins. Please tell me you're kitchen is full of the little glass pots too? I'm sure the saying should be "a moment on the lips, a lifetime in your cupboards", but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it? Each dessert is topped with a sachet of brown sugar to complete the 'brûlée' experience..

..Except, I was baffled by the rather ambiguous serving suggestion on the back of the packet:

"Sprinkle the contents of the attached sachet evenly over the surface of the Crème Brûlée. Place the pot in the oven until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before eating. Alternatively, serve cold."

A cold oven? Obviously not. A temperature? Time? Jeez. These are worse than IKEA instructions! Having partaken in some chef training a number of years ago I realised that the sugar needed a quick blast from a blowtorch. I left my kitchen to ask my (Engineer) other half for said implement but he sniggered and apologised for leaving it at work. Thinking on my feet, I whacked my grill onto full blast and popped the sugar-topped crème brûlées under the heat, hoping for the best.

The sugar didn't really caramelise, but I got a few crispy bits. Underneath the sugary top I was met with a tepid, gelatinous, brown substance. It wasn't  pleasant, and made me think of Granny's rejected blancmange.. I was hoping for a punchy cocoa taste, but instead it was horribly mild and insipid. The colder custard at the bottom of the ramekin was marginally better, but far from tasty. I'm showing my age here but did you ever have school lunch luke-warm chocolate custard?  That's the closest flavour I could liken it to.  Gloopy, warm, and jelly like. Not one for me.

Being nosy I had a quick gander at the ratings on Ocado's and Waitrose's website. They're not good. Bonne Maman's chocolate crème brûlée has a 3 stars on Waitrose, and only 1.4 stars on Ocado. Interestingly, the reviews are good for the original version, so maybe this is one dessert that doesn't benefit from the addition of chocolate...

2/10

Have you had either of the Bonne Maman crème brûlées? What do you think of them?

Rhokkett Belgian Chocolate Cheesecakes (Waitrose)

I've had my beady eyes on these Belgian chocolate cheesecakes for a while, continually hoping that I'd find them displaying a satisfying reduced sticker at the end of the day. At £3.09 from Waitrose, they're much dearer than the luxury supermarket's own brand Belgian chocolate cheesecakes (£2.00), but they looked so beautiful! Despite my persistence I eventually gave up on my bargain quest and eventually stumped up the full price. 

Rhokett is the love child company created by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes and chef patissier Martin Dockett and specialise in cheesecakes. I'm sure you'll agree that they are beautiful with their dark chocolate biscuit base, tantalising chocolate chunks, and carefully feathered chocolate topping.

"This delicious indulgent cheesecake has a piped chocolate ganache through the centre and Belgian chocolate pieces throughout.
Classically made using rich cream cheese then decorated by hand before being baked to deliver that true classic cheesecake flavour and texture - chocolate Heaven."

I'm pleased to report that they tasted as good as they looked. The cheesecake was rich, yet light, with a good balance between sweet and tart. The chocolate chunks added a welcome crunchyness, whilst the ganache was silky smooth. 

My favourite part of cheesecake is always the base, and I was expecting the soggy bourbon biscuit affair that is commonplace amongst mass-manufactured cheesecakes. Instead I discovered a crisp, crunchy bottom with a punchy hit of cocoa. The biscuit held its shape well, and crumbled easily once nibbled.

I'm on a learning curve with regards to getting what you pay for and I must agree that the premium price of the Rhokkett cheesecake is well earned. 

Waitrose also stocks Rhokett's strawberry cheesecakes, although I'll always choose chocolate over fruit! Rhokett's website informs me that the company also makes a caramel cheesecake, but I haven't seen it stocked anywhere. Any ideas? 

8/10

NEW! 'Cherry Bakewell' & 'Mini Sticky Toffee' Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

I've been eagerly waiting to try Heston's Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns since Nibbles 'N' Scribbles lauded their ingenuity way back in March. True to form* however, it's taken Waitrose almost two months to send these new Easter treats to our local store.

*I still haven't quite forgiven the branch for not stocking their love life! Turkey sarnie at Christmas, of which I heard great things.

All of Waitrose's Hot Cross Buns are on a 2 for £2.50 offer at the moment, (the Heston Buns are £1.89 on their own) so I chose the aforementioned cherry buns and some mini sticky toffee buns -also a new 2016 Easter addition.

Heston's Cherry Bakewell Hot Cross Buns 

As you may recall I'm not a huge fan of Mr Blumenthal, something I mentioned when reviewing his Toffee Apple Cider, but the idea of two British classics combined in seasonal carb-heaven sounded just to good an opportunity to miss. I have an affinity towards anything Cherry Bakewell and so I was intrigued to discover how well Heston had managed to amalgamate the flavours.

'Cross a hot cross bun with flavours of a bakewell tart and you get something deliciously different.' 

Big promises there Mr B. The buns were pretty enormous -I'd guess a third bigger than regular versions- with clearly defined crosses on top. I was going to toast one half and try the other half cold, but before I knew it I'd popped both under the grill and slathered them in butter. Oops.

The buns felt heavy (they're almost 100g each) but were surprisingly light and fluffy. They reminded me of Brioche, as the same butteriness shone through, giving the buns a luxurious, artisinal quality. 

My first bite heralded a strong almond hit, with a delicious marzipan-like taste that was simply divine. The likeness to a Bakewell tart stopped there though unfortunately, it seems I hit the jackpot with my first mouthful and the rest of the bun was comparatively lacklustre. My disappointment was explained when I read the ingredients list: almonds make up only 2% of the bun and cherries 3%. I can't help but think that these buns could have been improved by the addition of a cherry jam swirled throughout; I had added some blueberry jam (I hadn't got any cherry unfortunately!) to the second half and found it much more enjoyable.

7/10

Sticky Toffee Mini Hot Cross Buns

From one size extreme to the other! These mini hot cross buns were quite cute, and were a similar size to M&S' mini mocha version.  There were plenty of plump looking raisins and sultanas to be seen, which pleased me considering M&S chose to omit the fruit altogether.

This time I managed to hold back from toasting both halves, and grilled just one. I covered both sides in butter as per the serving suggestion and got stuck in.

Again, Waitrose didn't disappoint with the texture of these buns. They were also soft and fluffy despite their size. I was met with a lovely fruity taste with the first half, but the melted butter overwhelmed the flavours and I couldn't detect the toffee element. 

Onto the second (non-toasted) half, and I hoped that the toffee pieces would prove easier to find, but -alas!- there was none to be found. I checked the ingredients, which claims that they make up 8% of the buns, but I think I must've chosen a dodgy specimen because I couldn't find any. None. Nada. I successfully found the date pieces however, which make up 6%, and they added a lovely gooey fruitiness to the buns.  

Don't get me wrong, again these buns tasted wonderful, it's just that they weren't very true to their description. 

7/10

Summary

These hot cross buns are yummy seasonal offerings from Waitrose. I loved the idea of them, it's just a shame that the flavours weren't as pronounced as they could have been. Texturally they are perfect, and much better than M&S's horribly dry 'Cherries & Berries' hot cross buns -which I suggest you steer clear of!

Waitrose also make a delicious sounding Cherry Bakewell Granola, but I'm a bit concerned now as to whether that would be lacking in flavour too. Have you tried it? If so, what do you think? Also, have you tried any wonderful Hot Cross Buns this year? Please do leave me a comment with your thoughts and suggestions!

NEW! Heston's Toffee Apple Mulled Cider from Waitrose

I went into Waitrose yesterday on a Stollen mission, which was unsucessful because firstly the staff member didn't know what it was (what the hell!) & secondly I'd left it too late and they'd sold out.. boo.

When I was leaving the store however, this mulled concoction from their Heston Blumenthal range caught my eye. I'm not a fan of Heston -I find his arrogance grating- however I am grateful to him for opening our eyes to the wondrous nature of salted caramel. Anyway, this bottle of Toffee Apple Mulled cider was just over £3.00 a bottle and so I decided to give it a go. 

The bottle doesn't say whether to heat it or chill it, so I opened it at room temperature and then realised it should be drunk cold like traditional cider, so I cheated and added some ice to my glass. The traditional mulling spices came through well, but the concoction was lacking the dark caramel tones that it promised. It was generally just very sweet, and not a particularly great quality cider.

The low alcohol percentage (5.5%) combined with the sweetness of this Toffee Apple Cider means that it would probably appeal to fans of alcopops, but sadly its not one for me. 

5/10 

Weiss Pfeffernüsse (Gingerbread Rounds)

When I recently reviewed ASDA's Lebkuchen stars, the lovely Hannah (The Review Addict) asked me about their similarity to Pfeffernüsse. In all honesty, I'd never even heard of Pfeffernüsse, so I went in search of the German treats so I could taste them and find out. Pfeffernüsse literally means 'Pepper nuts' which I gathered must be similar to our traditional term 'Gingernuts' as they don't contain nuts (although they do contain ginger!) Pfeffernüsse have apparently been part of European Yuletide celebrations since the 1850's (thanks wikipedia!)

I tracked them down at Waitrose, where I purchased the 250g bag for £1. 
When tipping out some of the perfect little iced white domes I was welcomed with the enticing aroma of festive spices. They are quite robust little biscuit-cakes, but give way satisfyingly under tooth with a chewiness that's slightly firmer than Lebkuchen.  

I expected them to be very gingery seeing as Waitrose's website oddly describes them as 'Glazed ginger bread nuts iced' (brilliant English!) however I found that the anise is most prominant spice followed by cinnamon and then ginger. I dislike liquorice or anything aniseedy and so was quite undecided when I had my first few; however they soon grew on me and I almost polished off the entire bag in one sitting-oops!

I'm not about to give up my beloved Lebkuchen in favour of Pfeffernüsse, but they're certainly a nice festive treat! 

7/10