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

JimJams Healthier Jams & Spreads (Tesco)

You can't open the papers or turn on the news without hearing how bad sugar is for our health. It's being squarely blamed for the obesity epidemic and we're all regularly told how we're addicted to the stuff. I'll openly admit it, I certainly am a sugar addict. One look at my instagram feed will attest to that.

I love most sweet foods, and whilst I'm aware of the health problems such as Diabetes (hi Dad!) that too much sugar can cause, I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. I am however prepared to try to make healthier swaps for lower sugar products, and that's where JimJams come in...

JimJams is the brainchild of Kellie and Kevin Bath, who decided to create their own lower sugar jams and spreads after spotting a gap in the market. They say:

"My family wanted delicious Jams without all the sugar, so we made them…
One morning at breakfast we were enjoying a few slices of toast & jam, like many other families every day. Whilst looking at the packaging of well-known brands we were shocked at the amount of hidden sugar in such a small jar.

Our kids deserved better for their breakfast, so we set about making our own to see if we could make the same tasting Jam and Fruit content without all the sugar.

JimJams was born and we know that there has never been a better time to eat less sugar…"

In the dying months of 2016 I kept seeing their products pop up all over instagram, and so when JimJams offered to send me a jam and spread to review, I jumped at the opportunity. Less than a week later a jar of strawberry jam and chocolate hazelnut spread arrived -thanks JimJams!

Strawberry Jam
JimJams jams contain 35% less sugar than standard jam, and contain 55g of fruit per 100g. Flavours include blackcurrant, orange marmalade, raspberry and strawberry, but I opted for the UK's favourite flavour jam -strawberry*! 

Now I'm not sure what I was expecting from JimJams, but I have to admit that I was suitably impressed! The jar's contents looked and tasted like a good strawberry jam. I mean, it doesn't taste as good as my homemade rhubarb & vanilla jam, but then I am biased, and I'm absolutely sure that JimJams' jam is kinder to my teeth. 

Thumbs up for the jam!

8/10

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 
Now this was the jar that I was super excited about. If you know anything about me you'll know how much I love nutella (almost as much as peanut butter). I even carry an emergency spoon on my house keyring -you know, just in case it's one of those days. 



Containing 83% less sugar than Nutella, could this really even compare on taste? Surely something had to be compromised. The hype on instagram suggested otherwise, but then I've also seen many people rave on there about the utterly disappointing Reese's Rounds, so I needed to make my own mind up.

Yikes. The instacrowd aren't wrong. Although it has a slightly grittier appearance than Nutella, it certainly doesn't taste any different. In fact I'm sure most people would be baffled that they were sampling two different spreads if offered a blind taste test of both. The JimJams spread melts well too, making it the perfect topping for toast or your morning porridge. Otherwise make my favourite: a banana and JimJams toastie. If you're not a hazelnut fan, no worries, they also make a milk chocolate version too! 

I can't see why I would buy Nutella anymore, I'm a JimJams convert! 

10/10

JimJams are available to buy from Tesco, Morrisons, Whole Food Markets, Ocado, Dobbies, Holland & Barrett, The Protein Pick & Mix, and Elveden. P.S their chocolate spreads are currently on offer in Morrisons for £2 per 350g jar, I'll certainly be stocking up!

Thanks for the samples JimJams!

*The very best flavour for making PB&Js ;).