NEW! Cadbury Caramel Choc Tarts (ASDA)

New Cadbury products are popping up all over the place at the moment. Of course there's the new Oreo bars, as well as a new giant Peanut Caramel Crisp bar, but there's also a number of Cadbury licensed products too. Only yesterday I spotted the new Cadbury muffins in ASDA (I appreciate that the Co-Op have been selling them for a few months now) as well as the new Choc Tart range at £1.50 per four pack (50p cheaper than Tesco). 

The new pastry based treats are available in Crunchie, Flake, Mini Eggs and Caramel, which all vary slightly in terms of their fillings. Whilst I realise that it would have been more seasonal to opt for the Mini Egg tarts, it was the combination of layers in the Caramel version that appealed most to me. 

"Delicious chocolate flavoured brownie topped with a caramel flavour fondant, baked in a delicate chocolate pasty case with a caramel layer & topped with a milk chocolate with a soft caramel centre." 

It's like a chocoholic was asked to reinvent Mr Kipling's Cherry Bakewell tarts. The components are all there, they've just been naughtified*. It's not just the flavours that are naughty either; remember the boobie buns? Surely these have got to be the tittie tarts?

The "delicate" pastry cases were extremely crumbly, and didn't like being sliced into. I needed to show you what the innards looked like though so I persisted in my mess making. All layers were present and complete, and in decent ratios too! 

Chocolate pastry is difficult to do well, and Premier foods (who make the tarts) haven't really pulled it off. Sure it's crumbly, but the cocoa dries the mix out which means that the butteriness is all but lost. That said, Bert really enjoyed his pastry, so maybe you will too! 

As for the chocolate brownie, it too was dry, lacking the fudginess of a fresh home baked version. Fortunately the Caramel sauce beneath and fondant atop it went somewhat to rectify the issue and prevented the brownie from sticking to the roof of my mouth. On the plus side both the caramel elements were pretty tasty! 

I then had an idea: why not heat the second half? Especially as I was eating it for dessert with ice cream** and Bakewells can be served warm. 

Genius. Pure genius. The Choc Tart transformed from something I wouldn't bother buying again to a treat I'll look forward to enjoying again! The Caramel sauce seeped into the pastry whilst the fondant melted over the brownie, resulting in a much less claggy combination of textures. The flavours also enhanced once warmed - double bonus. 

As an ambient snack these are unexciting, so I highly recommend that if you're planning on trying them that you also heat them up and serve them with a scoop or two of ice cream!

Cold: 5/10

Warm: 8/10 

*will someone please tell the Oxford English Dictionary to add that one in please? And yes, I agree, no food is naughty.

**Oppo's salted caramel was the perfect match.

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!

White Snickers

There are not many chocolate bars that can't be improved by swapping milk for white chocolate. White Reese's cups & Twixs are God's gift to man, and don't even talk to me about the devastating loss of white Maltesers, let alone not finding out that white chocolate Côte D'Or's Bouchées exist until this late into my adulthood (which thankfully I now have a healthy supply of thanks to the kindness of One Treat). I've reviewed many of the Snickers* (excluding the PB squared which is my favourite to date) but none have left me craving my next bar. In fact I could happily not have some of them ever again. The continental White chocolate Snickers piqued my interest though, was this the one variation that could finally turn me into an knickers *sorry snickers* addict? If Nat's review on Lot-O-Choc was anything to go by (and I trust her opinion implicitly) they could certainly be up to the job.

Could I find the imported white Snickers though? Of course not. Luckily for me the lovely Sîan offered to send me a bar. Only she didn't just send me one, she sent me three. How fortunate am I? Thanks Sîan.

They looked much more striking with their snowy white covering. Just look at that cross section! Isn't it attractive?

Crikey. How can a change in chocolate type make all the difference? By all accounts the sweetness should be sickly, but in actual fact the salinity of the peanuts works extraordinarily well against the creamy white chocolate. The Caramel and nougat were as soft and gooey as normal, providing the ultimate juxtaposition of textures against the crunchy nuts.

There's not much more I can add really, apart from that if you're a peanut lover with a sweet tooth then you simply MUST track these limited edition bars down pronto. It's one of the best chocolate bars I've had in a good while!

10/10

*Other Snickers bars I've reviewed:
Almond
Rockin Nut Road
Crisper

NEW! Müller Light Cake Shop Inspired Cherry Bakewell & Treacle Tart Yogurts (Iceland)

I almost swore off Müller yogurts. Every time I buy them I end up disappointed by their gelatinous insipidness. But then they went and released Cherry Bakewell & Treacle Tart inspired ones didn't they? My other half was on a diet when the pack of six first came out, and as a fan of both British desserts, was keen to try them. 

The only trouble was they were a consistent £3 in Iceland, and we just weren't prepared to pay that - especially when there are so many other good yogurts on the market. This week they're finally the subject of Iceland's weekly deal and are half price (the offer lasts until Tuesday 7th of Jan) so finally we got around to trying Müller's new offerings.

Cherry Bakewell
If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll appreciate that I'm an avid cherry Bakewell fan. I really hoped that the yogurt would taste of almond as well as cherry.

The bright pink yogurt was very runny, but then I expected that. What I wasn't prepared for was the accurate flavour representation. I could taste the sweet cherry & almond, and was certain that there was a butteriness that resembled pastry -although that might be my wishful thinking. The chunks of cherry that were swimming in the yogurt were a welcome addition too, and I found myself really enjoying this pot.

8/10

Treacle Tart
It might surprise you to hear that as far as desserts go, I'm not a huge treacle tart fan. I find the overwhelming sweetness and claggy texture too cumbersome and so it would never be my first choice on the dessert menu. It's Bert's favourite though and so he was really looking forward to trying this Müller light.

Well it's just a bit odd. There was a generic toffee flavour that barely concealed the taste of artificial sweetener. I didn't really get the connection to golden syrup though, and neither did Bert. To be honest, I'd rather have a standard Müller light.

5/10

At half price, they're not too bad and make a change to the normal flavours (especially if you regularly consume Müller lights) but I wouldn't pay 50p per yogurt -unless they released the Cherry Bakewell as a single. 

UFIT Drinks (Most Supermarkets)

At the end of January I received a message from the owner of UFIT drinks, asking if I'd like to try a sample box of their products to review. Having seen their humorous "a great tasting protein drink for active-ish people" marketing campaign*, I was already intrigued and so gladly accepted. A day or so later, said parcel arrived containing three standard sized ready to drink protein shakes, and one of their PRO50 mega shake. 

So who are UFIT? They say:

"We are a team of protein enthusiasts and industry experts with over 20 years of nutrition industry experience. After building multiple successful brands and products we decided to assemble our own team of passionate and knowledgeable protein lovers and launch a range of our own, delicious protein drinks. UFIT was the result!"

Chocolate 
As it turned out, the chocolate shake's best before date was the day after I received the parcel (although the other flavours had much longer). The 310ml bottle contained 22g of protein and no added sugar. The drink looked rather similar to the For Goodness Shakes version that I reviewed  at the beginning of last year, although there was a few lumps lurking at the bottom of this one -not great.

Lumps aside, the taste and thickness was pretty standard. It's a reasonable shake, and if you're on the go and stuck for a chocolate hit without the fat or calories, you can't go wrong with a UFIT chocolate shake 

Macros: kCal: 170: P22/C11/F3.2

6/10

Iced Latte
UFIT have got some stiff competition on the protein market. Not only have protein giants Grenade launched their own coffee (which I haven't heard great things about),  but SCIMX have just released a 30g protein carton and Reflex also have a brilliant protein coffee (which contains 25g or protein).

Now I do enjoy a good milky sweet iced coffee, so I was looking forward to trying UFIT's version. Again, the 310ml bottle contained 22g of protein, but this time it was lump free. Happy days. Taste wise it's almost as good as Reflex, but it does contain more fat and less protein. It's a tasty drink though, and it's sweet despite the lack of added sugar. Tesco stock it and it's cheaper than the other protein brands, so it's handy to grab on the go. I also found that it made decent proats too!

Macros: kCal: 173 P:22/C10/F2.1

8/10

Banana
Now I love a good banana milkshake, in fact it's my favourite flavour. Is it awful that a McDonald's banana milkshake still fills me with joy? Banana is oddly far and few between when it comes to pre-made protein shakes though. 

Oh, that's disappointing. The flavour was lacking. I was hoping for a full on whack of real banana or foam banana, I don't really mind which, but found that instead UFIT have produced a wishy-washy flavour that well, didn't wash with me. Unfortunately it's not one I'd buy again.

Macros: kCal 176/P: 22/C:10.7/F3.2

6/10

Vanilla PRO50
This product was the one that baffled me the most was this vanilla 500ml bottle. There's plenty of debate about how much protein your body can utilise in one go, with this Men's Health Article suggesting that between 25-30g is the optimum amount per mealtime. With this in mind I decided to half the bottle and drink it over two days.

Crikey, the flavour was damn good. The vanilla was my favourite UFIT by far, reminding me of runny Ambrosia custard -yum! It tasted just as good warmed up for 2 mins in the microwave too. The macros were good too, with each half bottle 250ml serving coming in at: Kcal:164/P:25/C:8.6/F2.6. The trouble is, if I'm drinking only half in one serving, then I'm keeping it at home, in which case it's cheaper to make my own shake with my protein powder.

However... UFIT have recently brought out a 310ml vanilla flavour bottle, which I certainly will buy when needing a protein fix on the go!

9/10

A huge thank you to UFIT for sending me the samples!

NEW! Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns (M&S)

Did you have Easter Egg hunts as a child? We did, it was my favourite part of Easter. In fact I think I enjoyed it more than actually eating the chocolate (hard to believe, I know) because I'm so damn unrelenting and love a good puzzle. Sod the fact the cousins were round, I revelled in the joy of finding an egg when or where I least expected to. Perhaps that's part of the reason I love writing this blog so much, I revel in the thrill of finding a new product and then telling you all about it. That's certainly been the case this week after both Sarah (baking extraordinaire of Waffly Versatile) and Nat (chocolate expert at Lot-O-Choc) notified me to an instagram post from writer Felicity Spector. Cream Cheese Carrot Cake hot cross buns? Jeepers. They sounded rather good, and if they're anything like M&S's ingenius Boobie Buns... Needless to say, the Hot Cross Bun Hunt was on.

Monday afternoon: none in Worcester, but they did have a ticket out. Humf. I popped into Hereford store on the way home, who incidentally thought I had lost the plot and didn't know what on earth I was on about. Carrot cake? Yes! Hot Cross buns? Yes! Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns however...?

Tuesday afternoon: the ticket is out in Hereford! But no stock as yet...









By Wednesday I'm having kittens every time someone posts a picture on instagram of their Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns. How is everyone else so much better at this Easter hunt than me? I call the store and speaks to a helpful assistant, who kindly advises me that not all stock goes to all stores and it's unlikely that Hereford will receive them first. But then, he finds them. Jackpot! Reserve me two packs please...

"2 Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns with pieces of carrot, sunflower seeds, a hint of cinnamon and filled with cream cheese frosting."

[At this point I'd like to congratulate you for sticking with me and my strangeness. It's the small wins in life ok?]

I really hoped that they would be worth the effort. Aesthetically the buns appeared indifferent to your normal fruited variety -save for the odd slither of grated carrot- and the scent was very similar too. Unlike your normal hot crosses however, these can't be toasted or frozen.

I sliced the buns in half, anticipating a similar oozy centre to the brandy sauced filled Boobie buns. Oh.

Was that it?

Hmm M&S, that's a bit stingy and very lopsided. Still I tried to look for the positives; at least I'd have the opportunity to taste the dough on its own.

It was scrummy too, with a good strength of mixed spice and plenty of juicy raisins and date pieces, meaning the texture was very moist. The flavour didn't particularly scream of carrot cake, and I think I wouldn't have noticed that it was any different to a traditional bun If I wasn't aware that it was meant to resemble one. That said, what is the flavour of carrot cake? For me it's a moist cake with plenty of spice and dried fruit, so I guess M&S ticked all the boxes. I can't say I noticed the sunflower seeds, but I didn't miss them either. 

On to the cream cheese frosting: AKA the best bit of a carrot cake (or red velvet/cinnamon bun for that matter). I wondered how a traditionally refrigerated dairy based would fair within an ambient product.

Very well it turns out! The wizards at M&S have done it again; they've mastered the balance so that the frosting was primarily sweet with just enough tang to take the edge off. It's a genius filling for a hot cross bun, although I did find myself craving strawberry jam for the non-filled side.

Hats off to Marks & Sparks for their Hot Cross Buns this year (let's just forget the chocolate orange minis never existed, eh?). They've bent the boundaries and created two cracking versions. I'll happily enjoy these and their Savoury Cheese Hot Cross Buns right through to Easter -especially whilst they're both in the 2 for £2.50 bakery offer.

9/10 (it would be a 10 if the filling was more consistent).

On a side note, I spotted Waitrose's new luxury Heston buns today at long last, but I can't say they're anywhere near as inspiring...

Didn't he do Earl Grey stollen bites at Christmas too? C'mon Heston, that's plain lazy.

NEW! Dairy Milk Medley Ice Creams (Sainsbury's)

My ice cream buying ban lasted two weeks. That might not sound like much but considering that I was buying tubs/packs on a daily basis I'm rather proud! It's the special offers that draw me in, and so ultimately I'm blaming Cadbury and/or Sainsbury's for me falling off the wagon. I know, I know, I'm an adult and should probably be accountable for my actions. Anyway, back to the matter in hand. I spotted these new ice cream sticks on the same trip I found the Peanut Butter Oreo ice cream sandwiches, but avoided temptation for two primary reasons:

1. They were full price at £2.50 per pack
2. I wasn't a fan of Cadbury's Fudge Medley Bar.

At £1.50 though, the curiosity won (I'm sure I'll end up 6ft under with the cat one day).

"Hazelnut Ice Cream with a Chocolate Mousse Centre, Covered in Milk Chocolate with Freeze Dried Raspberry Pieces and Digestive Biscuit Crumb."

Hazelnuts, chocolate, raspberry & digestive biscuits are all foods I love, and they should harmonise; but then that's what I thought about peanut butter, chocolate & Oreo and yet Cadbury managed to royally muck that combination up. The 90ml sticks looked pretty at least!

I was surprised and tentatively impressed by the chocolate casing, which did bear resemblance to Dairy Milk (albeit the cheaper Easter Egg stuff). As for the raspberry pieces, the taste of them were almost completely lost. Only two nibbles rendered any tart fruitiness, which was a shame seeing as the combination was rather good. The digestive biscuit pieces were also unrecognisable. Sure, there was a gritty texture to the chocolate casing, but even the best biscuit connoisseur would be hard pressed to determine exactly what it might be.

Fortunately the hazelnut ice cream was the stick's real saving grace. The flavour was every bit as nutty as I'd hoped and the texture was creamy. It was perhaps a little on the soft side for my personal preference, but it stayed put and didn't melt too quickly.

Sandwiched between the two pillars of hazelnut ice cream was the chocolate section, which provided some confusion. The front of the box described it as a mousse, whilst the regulated product name on the back labelled it as ice cream. So which was it?

Either way it was pretty poor. Chocolate ice cream can be so hit and miss, and it seemed that Cadbury didn't bother even aiming for the mark with this one. Considering that their chocolate mousse's are well flavoured, I'd hoped that they'd be able to pull off a decent attempt at an ice cream/mousse. This tasted no different to the Tesco chocolate ice cream* I'd had the night before though.

Again I've found myself moaning quite a bit about a product that I did in fact enjoy. Would I buy them again? No, considering they're called 'luxury' I'd much rather have M&S' Belgian milk chocolate & hazelnut ice creams.

6/10

 *in their Neapolitan soft scoop no less, check me out with my retro food!