NEW! Pink Panther Ice Cream Cones (Home Bargains)

It's a very rare occasion when Bert gets as excited as I am about a new food product - but then I don't get as excited as he does about vehicle parts. He's just not as bothered about food as I am, most of the time it just serves function to fuel him through the day. There's a few sweet treats that he's impervious to resist however, and one of them is the classic Pink Panther Wafers. Once opened, a pack can last a matter of hours if in his eyeline. He also enjoys our nightly ice creams and so the announcement that Pink Panther were creating wafer cones tickled his pickle. So to speak. 

 "Wafer cones with sweeteners and sugar sprinkles."

They popped up in Home Bargains, of all places, a few weeks later. 79p for 21 cones and a bag of sprinkles, bargain. Were they too good to be true? 

Wafer cones are normally super thin, and so we tend to prefer the sturdier biscuity Waffle variety (FYI Tesco and ASDA own brand are better than Askey's!) but these were fairly thick -and super pink! I was pleased to see the panther had made an appearance on the cones themselves too; attention to detail goes a long way. 

I did find that they were very narrow at the top however, which made it difficult to fit in the normal copious amounts of ice cream I usually top my cones with. 

Perhaps my expectations were too high when I hoped that they'd taste of pink panthers. They just tasted like normal, albeit thicker, wafer cones. But I've given it some thought... do Pink Panthers have a flavour? Really they're just very sugary wafers and I think perhaps that the fall-apart-in-the-mouth texture is what makes them so enjoyable. It wasn't just me though, Bert was disappointed by them too. 

As a swap for regular wafer cones, these are a good buy. They're cheap and pretty. They fall on the likeness to pink panther front though, and for that reason Bert and I will return to our favoured waffle cones.

7/10 

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 

Gianni's Limited Edition Peanut Butter Cones (ALDI)

June will mark a full year of hunting for ASDA's peanut butter cones. They've still not arrived in sleepy old Hereford, Humf. How dare the supermarket produce such a treat and then keep it from my greedy paws? Sure, there's plenty of peanut buttery ice cream sticks out there (such as M&S' new Belgian Milk Chocolate & Peanut, ASDA's Peanut Butter & Salted Caramel, of course not forgetting the disappointing double peanut butter Magnum) but we're stuck with Cornetto's so-so 'Peanut Butter Love' when it comes to pre-made cones. Of course I make my own with the Co-Op's PB&J ice cream, Jude's peanut butter chocolate ripple and with the last of my Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cookie Clutter stash (FYI stock up if you love it as it's been discontinued), but sometimes I'm lazy and just fancy a pre-made cone -especially as they often have a chocolate nib at the bottom to look forward to. 

Anyway, I peered into ALDI's freezers yesterday and saw that their summer range is in. The new ice cream range includes plenty of sorbet-ice cream mixes (much like Waitrose's blood orange and chocolate pint last year), as well as some interesting looking Gin & Tonic and Prosecco lollies. Most exciting however were the two new cones: Eton Mess and Peanut Butter!

My brimming chest freezer was instantly forgotten and a pack of each went straight into my basket, especially as they were just £1.39 for four. You'll have to come back for my review of the Eton Mess cones I'm afraid, I just couldn't wait to tell you about the peanut butter ice creams. 

At 110ml they're a decent size. The ice cream was smattered with peanut pieces and a small amount of chocolate. I was pleased to see that the ice cream was flecked in colour (unlike the peanut butter Oreo) and saw that as a good sign that it might actually taste like peanut butter. 

"Peanut butter ice cream in a biscuit cone, with chocolate flavoured coating, rippled with sea salted caramel sauce, topped with chocolate flavoured coating and peanut pieces."

And it did! Hurrah! It came through extremely well, tasting both bold and natural. The ingredients list claims that the peanut butter (which makes up 6% of the ingredients) used is simply made from peanuts and sea salt, so it can't be bad quality and that's apparent in the flavour. If I was to be pernickety, I'd admit that the quality of the ice cream base was far from the best I've tasted. it was soft and airy but lacked the creaminess of premium brands. 

A little way down the cone I came across a huge pocket of salted caramel sauce (as I had with the rhubarb in Tesco's new cones -perhaps they're manufactured by the same company). To be honest I'd all but forgotten about the sauce, but it was pleasant -despite lacking any salinity and tasting more like toffee than rich Dulce De Leche. So often when companies choose to combine peanut and caramel in ice creams, the caramel overpowers the peanut flavour. However, this was only momentarily the case in this cone, for once the pocket was eaten there wasn't much more of the sauce to be found. 

This sounds slightly odd to mention, but I really noticed how crispy the waffle cone was. There's nothing more irritating than biting into a soggy cone, but ALDI have provided a really thin and biscuity cone here. It was one of the best I've had in a while. 

Hurrah! A success. I already can't wait for my next Gianni's. Peanut-butter-holics head to ALDI post-haste!

9/10

NEW! Rhubarb & Custard Ice Cream Cones

Last year I found sheer joy with Iceland's Nostalgic Rhubarb & Custard Cone Sensations. Only ASDA's Rhubarb Jumbles yielded similar happiness with my favourite sweet shop classic combination and both the Greggs Rhubarb & Custard donut, & M&S' Rhubarb, Strawberry & Custard Muffins paled in comparison. Seeing as the Iceland Cones were discontinued in the Autumn, I hoped that Tesco had provided us with an ample replacement. 

"Rhubarb and custard flavour ice creams in a wafer cone coated with chocolate flavoured coating, rippled and topped with rhubarb sauce, finished with biscuit pieces."

At £1 for a box of four ice creams, they were the same price as Iceland's versions. There was a subtle difference between the two descriptions though - Iceland's were adorned with sugar crystals whereas Tesco's are coated in biscuit pieces. 

Well I say covered, but I don't mean it. There was a measly smattering of crumbs, which I didn't even acknowledge until I looked back at the photos. Iceland's sweetie-esque topping was much better. 

Luckily the sauce was tasty, bearing a welcome combination of sweet with a slightly tanginess. I can't comment on whether it was an improvement on Iceland's as my memory doesn't serve me that well, but it was scrummy nonetheless. Unfortunately the sauce wasn't very well distributed. The top half of the cone didn't contain much, and neither did the bottom, but there was a huge pocket of pink stickiness in the middle. 

As for the ice cream, it had that soft, almost whipped-ness of most cheap supermarket ice creams. Flavour-wise it was every bit the let down. Both the rhubarb and custard elements were weak. Rhubarb is such a punchy flavour so there's no excuse for it to not come to the fore, but it was very much lacking in these cones. 

If I was looking for the silver lining, I'd tell you that the wafer cone was crunchy with a decently sized chocolate nib at the bottom, but surely that's the least you expect, isn't it? 

5/10

Chocolate Swirl Topped Waffle Cones (Co-Op)

As you should know by now, I'm a sucker for ice cream and a sucker for chocolate. I'm also easily swayed by anything that looks pretty. So when I spotted these Chocolate Swirl Topped Waffle Cones in the larger Co-Op -that I purposely visited to buy the Peanut Butter & Chocolate Monkeys Ice Cream- I just *had* to have them. The box cost £1.50 for four, which I din't think was too bad considering that each cone was substantially bigger than your normal supermarket versions (140ml compared to 110ml).

"Chocolate and vanilla flavour ice creams with a chocolate sauce topped with chocolate coated puff rice balls in a waffle cone."

Congratulations Co-Op for the smart packaging- there was no smooshed tops here thanks to their plastic crowns. For once, the treats actually looked as good as the photo too -mine had loads of little chocolatey balls on top. My other half had less however, but then I always somehow come up trumps with the ice cream toppings!

Unfortunately, the Co-Op have opted for style over substance. The chocolate flavour was insipid; mild to begin with it blended with the vanilla and became somewhat lost. The sauce was fairly standard, and added a little flavour boost -particularly the large pocket of it nestled right at the bottom of the cone. I actually found I preferred the vanilla ice cream, which didn't taste luxurious but did remind me of Mr Whippy. The waffle caused further disappointment as it had lost its crunch and become soft. Cone failure of the almost* worst kind.

I'm sure the kids would be impressed by these ice creams, if only for their generous size! Me? I won't bother with them again, there's far nicer cones out there.

6/10

*the top spot remains with the cones I once had from Tesco, where every single one was snapped in two!

KitKat Ice Cream Cones (Tesco)

I've had my eye on these Kit Kat cones for a while now, but every time I think about buying them I spot a better ice cream offer and they end up being demoted down the wish list. 

Tesco have got some cracking deals in their freezer aisles at the moment, including half price Haagen Daaz, Soleros and four packs of Cornetto peanut butter cones for just £1! Amongst the bargains are the Kit Kat cones, half price at £1.49 per box. I couldn't think of a better time to purchase.

"Biscuit cone with chocolate and vanilla flavour ice cream rippled and topped with chocolate sauce and a chocolate coated wafer finger."

I was pleased to find that Nestle had been sensible with their packaging choices; each cone was not only wrapped with cardboard, but topped with a plastic cone to protect the KitKat fingers poking out of the ice creams' peak. The non-ecologically-friendly casing did the trick though, the cones looked impeccable with their swirls of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. 

I'm afraid that once again this was a case of style over substance. The 'vanilla' ice cream really meant 'devoid of flavour', and the chocolate ice cream didn't fare any better. I can't remember ever having tasted a chocolate ice cream so horribly insipid before. As for the chocolate sauce? Well I didn't even know there was meant to be any until I typed out the product description. ALDI's chocolate brownie ice creams would seem like the creme de la creme after these. Yuck.

The situation got worse with the KitKat. Whilst I thought I would pleased to find that it was a full size finger, I really wish it wasn't. The biscuit had gone limp and soggy, tasting rather rancid. Not good at all.The ice cream's only saving grace came from the biscuit cone which -unlike the KiKat- had retained its crispness. 

Put it this way: I certainly wouldn't buy these cones again and I don't even think you could persuade me to eat another one in future, even if it was free.

2/10

NEW Knickerbocker Ice Cream Cones at Tesco

Tesco, thank you for creating yet another new ice-cream in the British Gelato drought season that is otherwise known as winter. Hidden in the freezer aisle, these new additions were modestly situated amongst the other own-brand cones, at the very reasonable price of £1 for the box of 4.

Knickerbocker Glorys have become somewhat of a a retro dessert- something you don't often see on menus anymore- and indeed it seems to be open for debate as to what the dish consists of.

For example the Telegraph's recipe calls for 'vanilla ice cream, raspberry ice cream and raspberry coulis' whereas the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as 'a ​sweet ​dish consisting of ​layers of ​ice ​cream, ​fruit, ​jelly, and ​cream, ​served in a ​tall ​glass.'  

Tesco have taken a completely different route altogether, and their take on the Knickerbocker Glory cones are 'Peach & strawberry and cream ice creams in a biscuit cone coated with chocolate flavour coating, rippled and topped with peach sauce and sugar balls.'  I guess that Knickerbocker Glory sounds much more enticing than Peach and Strawberry-  in fact I don't think I would have purchased them if I had realised that's what it was!

The sprinkles were a pretty addition, and there were also generous dollops of peach sauce drizzled on top. The ice cream tasted more tutti fruity than strawberry & peach, as the flavours muddled together within the cone. The sauce offered an enjoyable contrast, providing a tartness that cut through the sweet ice cream, and the biscuit cone had a lovely dark chocolate rim which added an extra depth of flavour.

These are much more refreshing than the standard flavour cones, and if you're a fan of fruity ice cream I'd suggest giving these a go!  I'll probably stick to chocolate in future...

7/10

M&S Chocolate & Honeycomb Ice Creams

It can't be denied that M&S has some beautiful and innovative food. I've recently spotted lots of exciting sounding treats, most of which I've pored over and posted onto my instagram feed. However, being a student I'm restricted by finances and therefore have to keep M&S treats to special occasions.

Yesterday I had some good news which warranted a treat, so I went to M&S specifically to purchase these Chocolate & Honeycomb Ice Cream cones which I've had my eye on for a good few months now. They come in a pack of 4 for £2, which I know isn't excessively dear, but is more expensive than the supermarket own brand ice creams (like the white chocolate & raspberry cones from Tesco I reviewed a little while ago.)

They are described as 'chocolate honeycomb flavour ice cream rippled and topped with toffee sauce and milk chocolate coated honeycomb pieces in a biscuit cone with a chocolate flavour coating,' heavenly right? 

When I opened up my cone, the chocolate coating around the edge of the cone had 'bled' onto the waffle, rendering it a little sad looking. However, the top was generously flecked with the chocolate honeycomb pieces, and was adorned with a lovely thick slathering of toffee sauce. 

The honeycomb nuggets were gorgeous. I'm not a huge fan of Cadbury's Crunchie bars as I find the balance between honeycomb and chocolate completely off, but these were just right.The toffee sauce was deliciously sweet, and worked well with the topping. 

The chocolate ice cream however, was a completely different kettle of fish, What a let down! I expected pure luxury from M&S, but the chocolate was.. well.. just not chocolate-y enough. You know what it's like if you eat chocolate cake that looks like it should be really rich and decadent, but just tastes faintly of cocoa powder? Well this was the ice cream equivalent. My other gripe is that it's just chocolate ice cream- I certainly couldn't distinguish any notes of honeycomb. 

The cone itself was pretty standard.. although the area affected by the 'chocolate bleed' had gone disappointingly soft like a stale biscuit.

All in all, I think the ASDA & Tesco own-brand ice cream cones are FAR superior in quality and taste than these let-downs from M&S.

3/10

NEW Tesco White Chocolate & Raspberry Cones

I was doing the shopping today, and as usual I was searching for some ice cream.

I love this time of year when the evenings start drawing in, the winter boots and cosy jumpers creep out of hiding, and there's a perfect excuse for comfort food. There is a problem however: all the supermarkets start diminishing their ice cream lines to make way for all the delicious Christmas food. This is an issue because I love ice cream no matter the season; whether its 30 degrees outside and the sun has got it's hat on or It's freezing cold and I'm tucked up on my comfy sofa in my PJs watching a film.

Tesco, thank goodness, have bucked the trend this year by releasing at least a couple of new ice-cream lines...

The first one I spotted was this multi-pack mix of mini Ben & Jerry's tubs. I love Ben & Jerry's but I'm not prepared to spend £4.49 on 4 mini tubs when I can pick up a 1 pint pot for half the price, or buy the individual tubs separately in flavours of my choosing for about £1 each. I can only hope that there will be a much more attractive offer price to follow, although I'm not getting my hopes up.

The second product got me really excited! Hidden at the back of the ice cream cabinet, behind all of the standard Tesco own-brand ice cream cones were these beauties- 'White Chocolate & Raspberry Cones'.



As a flavour combination, white chocolate and raspberry is one of my all time favourites. My first choice supermarket cheesecake is the ASDA white chocolate and Raspberry in their extra special range that I reviewed last month.

I've had Tesco's Chocolate & Nut cones before and I think they are brilliant. They are perfectly rich, with a wonderful chocolate sauce that is swirled through the ice cream. In fact, I would go as far as saying that they are tastier than Cornettos (but not quite as good as Cadbury Caramel Cones). They are also just a snip of the price of branded ice-creams at just £1 for four.

The description reads 'White Chocolate ice cream in a biscuit cone coated with chocolate flavour coating, rippled and topped with raspberry sauce and chocolate curls.'

The first thing I notice is that the white chocolate ice cream is very.. well.. white.. not the creamy colour I'd normally associate with either white chocolate or ice cream. On the plus side there are generous dots of raspberry sauce on the top which are very pretty.

As I started my ice cream I felt let down by the lack of white chocolate flavour, I found it very subtle. I did a test on my other half and didn't tell him what the ice creams were meant to be, but when I asked him to guess, he identified white chocolate and strawberry- so maybe it's just my tastebuds! There wasn't much raspberry sauce rippled through the top, but when I got about a third of the way down I was hit with a large pocket of tart jam like sauce which worked perfectly with the sweet ice cream.

As with their chocolate & nut ice creams the bottom of the cone had a nice chunk of plain chocolate which finished it off nicely!

Overall, I think this dessert is a lovely concept but I believe it could do with a spot of fine tuning...

- The sauce would be nicer rippled through the ice cream as per the description

-I believe that the ice cream would benefit from being more white chocolate-y.

8/10