NEW! Nestle Milkybar with Smarties Review(Morrisons)

I've been lucky enough to try some high quality chocolate recently, and yet I'll still proudly hold my hands up to the fact that I still love a good old Milkybar. Could it be most childish of all the chocolate bars? Possibly, but I know that Milkybar buttons are guaranteed to put a smile on my face. It's the small pleasures. Anyway, Nestle have decided to treat us with a new version of the iconic bar, and one that might be even more childish than the original...

Meet The Smarties Milkybar. 

"White chocolate with mini Smarties® (19%) (milk chocolate in a crisp sugar shell)."

As far as I'm aware, the new 100g bars are currently only available in Morrisons stores, but I'm sure they'll pop up elsewhere in the coming weeks. At £1 each they're not bad value either! 

What a pretty bar! Do any of you remember the little pyramid shaped bags of mini Smarties? I've not seen them

In years and the sight of the brightly coloured sugar coated chocolates reminded me of my childhood. Anyhoo, there was enough of them to be visible, without overtaking the white chocolate.

The Milkybar tasted just as I remembered: creamy but with a little chalkiness. The Smarties offered little in the way of extra flavour, but they added a lovely crunch. The addition was far more successful than the Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups (which, since my review I've seen likened to toenail clippings, a thought I can't shake*) and I kind of liked it. The Milk and Cookies Milkybar is a tastier variant on the original chocolate, but this is by far the more attractive of the two!

8/10 

*Stay tuned for a review of the new Reese's Cookie Crunch Cups!

NEW! Sticky Toffee Hot Cross Buns (Morrisons)

I've reviewed many of the supermarket 2017 hot cross bun creations this year, but there's one last variety that I'd been requested to review. I promised I would do so if I could find them, but they kept escaping me. In all honesty I was quite content in the knowledge that I've stocked up on the M&S carrot cake buns, which are stashed in my freezer so that I can continue to fuel my addiction post-Easter. Then, today, the sticky toffee buns finally appeared in my local Morrisons, and although I wasn't filled with the innate desire to try them, a promise is a promise and so they ended up in my basket -swiftly followed by my belly.

“Sticky toffee flavoured spiced buns made with sultanas, date and fudge pieces.” 

The buns are priced at £1 for four and fall under Morrisons' 'The Best' range. They were reasonably soft to the touch, with a rather dainty cross on top.

Slicing my bun in two revealed a dark coloured dough, not too dissimilar in hue to Lyle’s golden syrup cake*. I didn’t even bother tasting it at room temperature, my instincts told me that it would be much so much better warmed up -much like sticky toffee pudding. 

The bun halves were slim enough to fit into my toaster without getting stuck, and I just popped them in for a minute or so until they were just about warm, before slathering them in butter. 

Blow me down. They were really rather good. The texture was much better than I’d anticipated, well proven and with ample moistness coming from the plentitude of dried fruit pieces. The sultanas and date pieces were squidgy at that, injecting little bursts of fruitiness.

Flavour-wise Morrisons have done extremely well too; a strong syrupy flavour permeates the dough, which precedes the lovely warming spices that follow. It’s certainly one for those with a sweet inclination, but I thought that they were delicious.

I’m thoroughly pleased that I made that initial promise now, otherwise I’d have never bothered trying Morrison’s sticky toffee pudding-humble hot cross bun hybrid. They're right up there with M&S' buns and they're cheaper too, so if you find them, buy them! 

9/10

*now added to the shopping list of items I don’t need but am craving.

NEW! "The Best" Gingerbread Muffins (Morrisons)

When you think of gingerbread do you think of Bonfire Night, Christmas or neither? Either way, the warming spice definitely comes out to play during the latter months of the year, and these Gingerbread Muffins have graced Morrisons' stores since the end of October. I'm still going to include them as a Christmas review though due to their very festive decoration!

I had a very hard job in Morrisons trying to find a pack of muffins without broken (and therefore sad looking) men on top. In fact there wasn't any and I even asked the department manager if there was any intact muffins out the back, but unfortunately I wasn't in luck. He said that they might have a delivery in the next couple of days, but I was too impatient to wait. At £1.50 for 2 muffins they're at the more expensive end of the supermarket muffin range, and I was a bit reticent about forking out for them given my previous experience with Morrisons "Signature" lemon & raspberry and marbled chocolate muffins in the summer. I knew they'd play on my mind if I didn't buy them though, and I refuse to have a snacks I wish I'd tried last Christmas list next year.  

"2 Ginger flavoured muffins with a gingerbread flavour filling, topped with toffee icing and a chocolate decoration."

The muffins weren't particularly light but neither were they notable heavy. They were however a beautiful dark golden colour, and smelt very gingery, which I took as a good sign. Slicing the first in two (for photographic reasons) bared the injection of sauce that ran through the middle. It wasn't particularly obvious, especially given that it was a translucent affair, but there didn't seem to be a huge amount of it. I wondered if it was going to be a similar experience to Tesco's Toffee Apple muffins where the sauce had oozed into the cake itself. I sure hoped so. 

I was expecting the muffin to taste like McVites Jaminger (sorry Jamaican Ginger) cake, but it was less sticky and more fluffy. Unlike Morrisons' previous muffins, this was jam packed full of flavour too, offering warmth in every mouthful. The sauce was disappointing though, it didn't really shout gingerbread, but was more of a super-strength spicy drizzle. Such a shame really because the icing was superb, and complemented the flavour of the muffin well with it's buttery sweetness. If Morrisons had only filled the Gingerbread Muffins with the toffee icing, or a custard instead, I'm sure they'd have been on to a sure fire winner. 

7/10

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

NEW! Fresh Stollen Cookies (Morrisons)

What are the flavours and foods you look forward to over the festive period? I'd love to know. Personal favourites include Lebkuchen, mince pies and stollen -as well as pigs in blankets of course.

Tesco have stopped selling their Mince Pie Cookies this year, opting for a Black Forest version instead -which I'm dubious about. I thought Tesco was the only supermarket producing festive cookies, but yesterday I was early for the train so popped into Morrisons (where I promptly fell in lust with many of their fresh bakery lines) before spying these Stollen cookies. What caught my eye initially was their festive little bag -c'mon, how cute is it? At £1 for 5 they were pretty good value too, especially considering that they're a limited edition. 

"Spiced cookies with sultanas, currants, cherries and marzipan flavoured fudge pieces."

The pale little misshapen rounds looked rather delicious, although the smattering of dried fruit was all embedded on one side in my first cookie to bite the biscuit -pardon the pun- but admittedly the others were better spread out.

I'm not sure how you like your bakery cookies, but for me they have to be soft and chewy. Fortunately Morrisons must agree with me as these were perfect in consistency. There was a delicate spice to them, which perhaps could've been a bit stronger (they've certainly not been as heavy handed with the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as Graze, that's for sure) but then Stollen does tend to have a subtler flavour than many of our British Christmas treats. I enjoyed the currants, cherries and sultanas, and the fruitiness gave the cookies a lighter flavour.

Of course the star of the Stollen Cookie show should be the marzipan, and it was this element that I was most excited about. The trouble was, it wary much lacking in quantity. I thought Morrisons had once again pulled the wool over my eyes and sold me a dead dog. Then, just as I had almost finished, a lovely almondy flavour greeted my tastebuds like a long lost friend. There you are marzipan, it's a shame you couldn't stick around.

These cookies are very sweet, but not as much as the discontinued Mince Pie cookies. They don't scream stollen at me, but they're a novel idea, and a welcome addition to the 2016 Christmas treat line up.  They would be getting very high marks if they contained more marzipan, but I still think an 8 is pretty respectable, don't you? I'm certainly looking forward to my next one this evening...

8/10

NEW! Double Whammy Ice Cream Sandwiches (Morrisons)

Ice cream cookie sandwiches. First we had the Ben & Jerry's cookie dough 'wiches, then ALDI's own, before returning to Ben & Jerry's for their sons of a 'wich and brownie 'wich and now it's Morrison's turn!

What I liked most is that the 4 pack contained two different flavours; especially as both contained chocolate. At £2 per box they were on a par with ALDI's versions, and only a quarter of the price of the extortionate -but delicious- brownie 'wich.

As a dedicated snack reviewer it seemed only right to try both at the same time in order to compare and contrast.

Choc Chip & Chocolate Sandwich:

This looked remarkably similar to ALDI's choc chip ice cream sandwiches, and they tasted identical too. I would hazard a guess and say that they are probably made by the same manufacturer.

7/10


Double Choc and Vanilla Cookie Sandwich:

The ice cream wasn't anything particularly special: soft and very sweet with a non-descript flavour that wasn't vanilla but just rather plain. The chocolate chips that studded it weren't large enough to really add little more than texture to the otherwise smooth ice cream. If only the manufacturers had used big chocolatey chunks!

The chocolate cookies however were pretty damn good. Thick enough to be substantial, they had a good cocoa bourbon-esque flavour that fulfilled my chocolate cravings. 

8/10

The chocolate cookies gave these ice cream sandwiches the edge over the choc-chip but they're still nowhere near as good as the Ben & Jerry's 'wich range. Fortunately for me I found the larger cookie dough 'wiches reduced to clear in my local Tesco so I greedily stocked up.

Belgian Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cheesecakes (Morrisons)

Cheesecake is up there as one of my favourite desserts, and as far as flavours go, you can't get much better than chocolate & salted caramel. I can't recall ever having bought any of Morrisons own cheesecakes before, but these sounded just too good to resist. 

Their packaging and/or delivery needs to be better thought out better as the packet had obviously taken a bit of a battering and the cheesecake had smeared itself across the plastic. I checked the others on the shelf and they had all suffered the same fate. It's such a shame really as it really made the slices appear far less luxurious than they could. If only Morrisons gave their cheesecakes the same care an attention that ASDA or Marks and Spencer do. 

"Rich Belgian chocolate cheesecake with pockets of caramel sauce on a crumbly chocolate biscuit base."

With one mouthful the unattractiveness was completely forgotten. The chocolate flavour was punchy, whilst the texture was dense enough to feel substantial and light enough to avoid treading into stodgy quarters. The salted caramel sauce adorned the top of the cheesecake, and it was perfectly saline. None of this sprinkling of salt here, Morrisons have wisely gone full throttle and delivered a sauce worthy of it's name, hurrah! Hidden within the cheesecake were several pockets of the golden caramel, injecting a beautiful contrast of texture and flavour -utter perfection. The base also suitably pleased me; it was thick and sturdy enough to eat on it's own, and offered up a strong cocoa taste reminiscent of a bourbon biscuit. It was less buttery than other cheesecake bases I've had in the past, but that was far from a problem and actually worked in its favour. 

Morrisons, congratulations! You've created a pretty damn perfect dessert here. It's up there with Rhokett and ASDA Extra Special as one of the best mass produced cheesecakes I've ever had. They're fabulous, so please give them the care that they deserve whilst in transit!

10/10

NEW! Signature Lemon & Raspberry Muffins (Morrisons)

I might not have been impressed with their chocolate marbled muffins, and I may have said that I wouldn't buy any more... but I remembered seeing these white chocolate topped cakes and decided to give Morrisons' bakery a second chance. My only excuse is that I'm going through a bit of a lemony phase at the moment and I definitely heard them summoning me.

"Lemon muffin with raspberries filled with lemon curd and topped with a raspberry crumb and a mini white chocolate bar."

Hats off to Morrisons. These cakes wouldn't look out of place on Marks and Sparks' shelves. They weren't as risen as the chocolate version, but I was too excited about the mini chocolate bar to care.

Slicing the muffin in two revealed the puddle of lemon curd nestled in the centre. I noticed immediately how soft the cakes were -even more so than the marbled muffins. 

The lemon cake wasn't nearly zesty enough. It offered the mildest hint of citrus, but I was hoping for a full-blown drizzle number. In fact it reminded me more of a blueberry muffin thanks to its moistness and faint berry flavour. The raspberry crumb was also lacking; the only nod to it's existence came from the pips which seemed intent to wedge themselves between my teeth. Humf. The white chocolate bar that I was so enthralled with also didn't taste as good as it looked I'm afraid, and certainly wasn't up to M&S's standards.

There was a saving grace however, and that came from the lemon curd. The golden treasure injected much needed tang, and a lovely smooth texture -the perfect contrast against the otherwise dense cake. It was simply quite delicious and reminded me that I must make some lemon curd to grace my spread cupboard post-haste!

7/10

NEW! Signature Marbled Chocolate Muffins (Morrisons)

I seem to be going a bit muffin mad at the moment. I can't get enough cake, and I'm making it my mission to seek out the best supermarket offerings. These Morrisons' signature marbled chocolate muffins looked rather splendid, and so into my basket they went. I even ignored the fact that they were 3x the price (per muffin) of their standard bakery versions. 

"Marbled chocolate muffins with a chocolate centre, dark and milk chocolate chunks, topped with Belgian dark chocolate chunks and a mini dark chocolate bar."

No wonder they were £1.50 for two with so much going on!

I think they might be the prettiest shop bought muffins I've ever seen. I should know not to judge a book by its cover now -particularly when it comes to food- but how could I resist their beauty? Let's face it. I'm muffin shallow. 

Slicing the muffin in two revealed the hidden centre. It was hard to distinguish where the chocolate cake stopped and the sauce began, but either way I was pleased to see that it was beautiful on the inside too. 

The muffin had a beautifully soft, airy texture. It was perfectly fluffy, more convincingly handmade than most supermarket cakes. 

That's where the positives halted though I'm afraid. As is so often the case with beautiful objects: it lacked substance. Instead it was utterly bland, tasting neither of vanilla or chocolate. Sure there was the occasional pocket of cocoa, but it wasn't punchy and I couldn't help but feel disappointed. The saucy centre was also somewhat of a let down. Texturally it was perfect, mousse-like and creamy, but what's the point when it's tasteless?

I had saved the mini chocolate bar until last, but needn't have bothered. It was so waxy that it reminded me of baking chocolate.As for the chocolate chunks, there were a few dotted on the top for good measure, but none inside.

Morrisons. What a disappointment! Your bakery is reknowned for its good quality, but these suck cakey balls. I'm heading back to ASDA for their toffee & fudge muffins.... 

5/10* 

*based on their good looks and faultless texture.

Millionaire's Shortbread Mash Up Ice Cream (Morrisons)

Once I've cottoned on to a particular idea, I'm like a bulldog who is loathe to let go. My obsession à la mode seems to revolve around sampling each of the Supermarkets' own-brand luxury ice cream pints, and it was this fixation that meant that I spotted Morrison's 'Millionaire's Shortbread Mash Up'  reduced to just £1.

'Shortbread flavour ice cream, chocolate coated shortbread pieces, milk chocolate drops & caramel sauce.'

The ice-cream was instantly scoop-able straight from the freezer, and it became immediately clear just how generous Morrisons are with their fillings. The rich caramel swirl was also evident, and I could smell a strong toffee aroma as soon as I started to scoop, making me all the more eager to get stuck in.

The ice-cream was gloriously rich and silky, although I'd have guessed it was toffee flavoured instead of shortbread. It was utterly smooth on the palette with a luxuriousness that gave the impression of a premium brand. The shortbread pieces maintained a good crunch thanks to their chocolate coating, and the chocolate drops gave little pops of cocoa throughout the ice-cream, breaking up the flavours and textures with every mouthful. The element that surprised me most was the caramel sauce, I expected a thin sugary sauce akin to something you'd decorate your ice cream with, but instead I enjoyed a thick, rich caramel that was in keeping with that of Dulce de Leche.

The balance of flavours and textures in this ice-cream were out of this world. The abundance of sauce, shortbread and chocolate chips combined with velvety ice cream resulted in a dessert that far out-shone even the likes of Ben & Jerry's. I sincerely hope that this ice-cream wasn't permanently reduced to clear (I can't even find it on their website) and that it'll come back to stores very soon.

10/10

New: New York Bakery Co Soft Pretzel Knots

Yay, I finally tracked down the newest kid on the bakery block: the New York Bakery Co 'Soft Pretzel Knots'. I'm a big fan of NYBC's bagels- particularly the cinnamon variety. First off though, I have to admit that I'm certainly no pretzel connoisseur.. In fact the closest I normally come to consuming Pretzels is when the cracker selection type comes out at Christmas time.

I've been seeking these treats for a few weeks and eventually found them in Morrisons. I grabbed the  only variety available and indeed the last pack on the shelf. Luckily it was the 'sweet cinnamon' flavour that had been sat there waiting for me but -for anyone with a less sweet tooth- NYBC also make 'original' and 'cheese and red onion' varieties. Each pack contains four individually wrapped Pretzels, which means they're perfect either for lunch boxes or to pop in the handbag for a quick refuel when out and about. The pack of four cost £1.30 which I think is quite dear, but I was so eager to try them that it didn't deter me.

The packaging states that you can either enjoy them cold or alternatively pop them in the toaster on a low setting and eat warm, which of course I decided to do. When I opened the pack I was welcomed by the familiar festive aroma of cinnamon and attempted to warm the Pretzel as suggested. Admittedly, it may just be me being clumsy or the size of my toaster but my pretzel end got a bit caught up.. However following a bit of manoeuvring I managed to wiggle it out.

The pretzels are doughy, soft, and quite close textured. Biting into my pretzel I could have been forgiven for thinking I was eating one of their bagels- it's extremely similar. I enjoyed the taste, but was glad to have a cup of coffee alongside it as I imagine if it was eaten cold and without a beverage it could become quite cloying. I also really missed the raisins that stud their cinnamon bagels.

However on the flip side, the pretzel was quite filling and for less than 150cal it's perfect for that time in the afternoon when lunch seems a distant memory and dinner is still a long way off. They're also pretty healthy and for anyone watching their fat intake the Pretzels are pretty angelic, containing only 1g ( 0.2g of which is saturated fat) each. The pretzels sit within the bakery aisle and have a short life of only a few days, but they are freezeable- if they hang around that long!

8/10 NYBC if you put raisins in I'll bump it up to a 9 ;)

New Soreen Apple & Cinnamon Breakfast Bakes

I became acquainted with Soreen's new products: their 'Breakfast Bar Bakes' via a very inspiring Instagram feed (Abbie's journey forward) and today went on a trek to to find some for myself.

Soreen have released two flavours of the Breakfast Bakes:

- Original Malt & Toasted Oats (made with raisins and malt & topped with honey coated oat flakes).

- Apple, Cinnamon & Toasted Oats (made with sweetened Apple flavoured pieces, cinnamon & topped with honey coated oat flakes).

There's seems to be an influx of 'breakfast on the go' products. Am I the only one who never eats them instead of breakfast? The 'breakfast' labelling only serves to highlight them as a healthier treat in my opinion. I'd be interested to get other people's opinion on this.

I found them in Morrisons at £1.50 for a five pack. I chose the Apple Bars, and imagined  (hoped) that they'd taste like an apple flavoured Kelloggs Elevenses bar. I opened the packaging and realised that they actually looked more like king-size Soreen lunchbox loaves topped with oats. They smelt  strongly of Apple & cinnamon aroma which was very pleasant.

I soon realised that the consistency was much more akin to the lunchbox loaves and not the Elevenses bars. When I took my first nibble I was very much underwhelmed. It tasted like raw dough... Mary Berry might've even made a  "Soggy Bottom" comment.

I'm sure fans of the banana loaves may be much more used to the consistency and would enjoy it, but I'm not that keen. The original Malt Loaf flavour might well be better, but I'm certainly not rushing out to buy it any time soon.

4310

Nature Valley Cranberry & Yogurt Popcorn Bar

This morning I tried one of the new Nature Valley Popcorn bars, which I bought from Morrisons for £1.50 for a box of 5. There are two flavours: 'Cranberry & Yogurt' or 'Peanut & Sunflower Seeds' but my local Morrisons only had the Cranberry Variety. 

The box describes them as 'Chewy popcorn bar with cranberry pieces and sunflower seeds dipped in a smooth yogurt flavour coating.'

 I expected them to taste like a hybrid between the yogurt Alpen bars and popcorn.. Both of which I really enjoy.

To be fair, they were exactly that! The taste of cranberries and yogurt came through strongly, combined with the familiar chewiness of popcorn. As a hybrid, however, I'm not sure I enjoyed it. I wolfed it down in only a couple of bites but was left pretty empty after. It was almost Like I'd been offered a mouthful of someone else's popcorn and now wanted my own bag. They felt more of an appetiser than a snack, and for that reason I'd stick to either a cereal bar or popcorn but not a combination of the two

Sorry Nature Valley, I think your Oat bars are fab.. But these are nowhere near as good! 

4/10