Holdsworth Truffles: Sea Salted Caramel & Marc De Champagne (Ocado)

My Dad, love him, has truly come up trumps when it comes to keeping me in a healthy supply of chocolate. For my birthday he bought me a huge hamper full of all sorts of goodies! Included were all sorts of foodstuffs that I've not tried before, many of which I've never seen before, and some of which will appear on the blog over the coming weeks. 

In the hamper were two boxes of truffles by luxury chocolatiers Holdsworth. Holdsworth isn't a company I've come across before, but a quick google search informs me that they're a family run business who specialise in luxury handmade chocolate. 

Their RRP certainly screams of premium quality, and my fellow bargain-hunting father was (quite rightly) pleased that he'd managed to find them reduced and hadn't stumped out the rather extortionate ticket price of £5.99 per 55g box. 

Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Truffles

The truffles' packaging, I'm sure you'll agree, is exquisitely beautiful. I love the attention to detail: the beautiful script and bird illustrations that gave the immediate impression that I was in for a treat. The luxuriousness didn't end there, as I unfurled the box, I uncovered the truffles wrapped in cellophane and nestled in bronze tissue paper. 

I was perhaps a little disappointed when realised that there were only 4 truffles in the box, which works out at £1.50 per chocolate. I can't recall ever having spent so much -per gram- on chocolate, and so I really hoped that they were worth the expense. 

Slicing the truffle in half revealed the gooey, gold coloured caramel within, which was runnier than expected. On to the tasting, and the chocolate was a pleasant milk chocolate, it was silky smooth, reminding me of Lindt. The centre however, lacked the saltiness of which it promised, and tasted remarkably similar to the Galaxy's caramel in yesterday's duet bar. I couldn't help but feel disgruntled by these truffles. Sure the tasted good, but they weren't exceptional, and I certainly wouldn't fork out £5.99 for them in future. 

5/10.

Milk Chocolate Mark De Champagne Truffles

Again, the packaging was rather special, akin to the sea salt truffles, except the box was a pretty pink. I uncovered 5 truffles, which looked remarkably similar to the first flavour, in fact anyone would be hard pressed in fact to tell the chocolates apart. Once sliced, the chocolatey filling was revealed. 

It seems irrelevant to comment on the casing as it was exactly the same milk chocolate as before. The truffle centre however was a thing of beauty. It was rich, moussey and delivered a delicate alcoholic flavour that was simply divine. This, folks, was a true luxury chocolate. Indeed it would be impossible to compare to anything on the high street -it's quality was evident, and I enjoyed every nibble.

8/10. 

Summary

I may not have been impressed by the sea salt, but the Mark De Champagne truffles were absolutely scrumptious. I've since discovered that Ocado stock 100g packs of both Holdsworth truffles for £6 each (or two for £10), so I recommend that if you've got some making up to do to that someone special, or you're after a decadent treat, the alcoholic chocolates might just hit the mark.  

NEW! Toffee & Popcorn Galaxy Duet (Sainsbury's)

I'm a galaxy girl through and through. Give me any of their bars -the gooey salted caramel, the delicate ripple, or the delightfully crisp honeycomb to name but a few- and I'm all yours. I was extremely pleased therefore to discover that Galaxy have added a brand spankingly new bar to their duet range: Toffee & Popcorn.

I regularly buy both of the existing Duets*  because I'm very indecisive and love having two different flavours in one product. You'll have also gathered by now that I'm a big popcorn fan -in fact only yesterday I reviewed Butterkist's limited edition Hot Cross Bun Popcorn- so I was hoping for big things from Galaxy's newest creation.

The new duet bar consists of two fingers: one with toffee flavoured caramel filling, the other with popcorn & toffee pieces. Now, I guess that the idea is that you're supposed to enjoy both sides simultaneously, however I'm a bit odd and only ever eat one finger at a time, so that's how I'll review it -sorry guys!

The caramel side was exactly as expected, as oozy and soft as the standard galaxy caramel. In all honesty, I couldn't tell any difference between the two versions -but I love the original, so I was happy!

The toffee and popcorn finger contained very small pieces of popcorn, barely visible to the naked eye. The texture offered a combination of silken chocolate with crunchy pieces; some bites were more toffee than popcorn and some were the other way around. It's surprising that both components were detectable really, considering that the popcorn only accounted for 1.1% and the toffee pieces 0.7%, but they were! I loved the unexpectedness of each bite, and although both flavours were mild against the chocolate, they offered a novel twist.

I'm not sure I enjoyed this bar more than Galaxy's other bars, but it's certainly one I'll buy again and again.

Kev also reviewed the bar yesterday (check it out here!) and suggested that Galaxy create a duet with fruit in -I couldn't agree more. In fact, I think Galaxy should do a duet with biscuit down one side and sultanas down the other, tiffin style!

8/10

*when I'm not busy stuffing my mouth with Reese's!

NEW! Butterkist Limited Edition Hot Cross Bun Popcorn (Home Bargains)

Another boring lecture was much improved back in January by my twitter feed revealing food news. This time I was grateful to Butterkist for announcing the release of a new Easter flavour to their range, due to be released on Valentines day. Ever since February the 14th, I've been hunting for their new Hot Cross Bun Popcorn, but it's proved more evasive than the Easter Bunny!

Finally, a month after it's release date I found Butterkist's newest product -in Home Bargains of all places- for the very reasonable sum of 69p. It's a big ol' sharing bag too, containing 6 25g servings, what a steal!

"Enjoy the zesty and spicy taste of your Easter favourite, hot cross buns, in Butterkist's crisp and crunchy popcorn -it's the perfect Easter treat."

I had imagined it to be normal popcorn dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg, and hadn't really considered that it would instead be coated with a 'bun spice flavour toffee'.

The 25g serving size was surprisingly generous (more than a handful atleast!), and was coated with the same golden glaze as their Toffee popcorn. I couldn't smell any spices when I opened the bag, and feared they'd be similarly as lacking in promised flavour as Waitrose's 'Cherry Bakewell' & 'Sticky Toffee' Hot Cross Buns.

I needn't have worried; for what the popcorn failed to deliver in aroma, it more than made up for in taste. With my first bite, I was greeted by a strong, sweet citrussy tang, followed by the familiarly warming Easter spices. The popcorn was every bit as crunchy and crisp as expected, resulting in a beautifully balanced harmony of texture and flavour. The zestiness cut through the sweet coating, which meant that the popcorn was far less sickly than Butterkist's toffee flavour, and therefore much more enjoyable to eat. It was so moreish, that I imagine if I hadn't have portioned out my lot, I could've polished off the entire bag in one sitting.

I was pleasantly surprised by Butterkist's limited edition popcorn, and it seems an utter shame that it's not more widely available. If you're a lover of hot cross buns, I recommend that you hot foot it over to Home Bargains and pick yourself up a bag (or more!) of the Easter flavour before it disappears altogether!  

9/10

Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter Pop Tarts (American Fizz)

I think I got a bit of a bargain here, and there's not much that pleases me more than a good bargain -especially if said bargain is peanut butter related. The bargain in question was another find from American Fizz -they have an excellent clearance section which currently contains chocolate peanut butter pop tarts at the absolute steal price of £1.29. They went out of date in January, but as with most American snacks, they contain enough additives to make them edible next decade.*

*probably.

What excited me further was that when I took them out of the box, they came wrapped in gold foil. None of the standard silver stuff here, Kellogg's have gone all out with a luxurious casing for these Pop Tarts -clearly nothing but the best for peanut butter fans!

I warmed them in the toaster as suggested on the lowest setting, and once heated I eagerly got stuck in. I noticed that pastry used in these Pop tarts were a lighter shade of brown than the Hot Fudge Sundae, and Cookies & Creme versions, which I thought might be an indication of a milder cocoa flavour.

I was right in my guess-timations; the chocolate pastry was far less dark and bitter than its compadres. It was a welcome change, and a better choice to complement the peanut butter within. The taste was still obviously chocolatey though, and not a half-hearted attempt on Kellogg's' part. 

The peanut butter was *just about* the star of the show, and shone through the layers of chocolate. It was of course warm, which made it gooey, although it retained enough firmness to not ooze messily out of the Pop Tart. The saltiness of the peanut butter worked oh-so-well against the chocolate pastry.

My only bug-bear was the frosting- it was just too sweet and felt like an unnecessary addition. It tipped the balance of salty-sweet off kilter, and it meant that my teeth were aching after the second Pop Tart.

I enjoyed these Chocolate Peanut Butter Pop Tarts, despite their overwhelming sweetness, and I'd buy them again -even at the full price of £3.69. I think the Cookie Dough is still my favourite flavour, what's yours?   

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!

Hershey's Zero Bar (American Fizz)

Today's review is of another American classic candy bar made by Hershey's: their Zero Bar. I know Hershey's often gets a bit of a bad rap, but I love the company -and their products even more so. After all, without Hershey's there would be no Reese's -and lord knows I'd be a grumpier cow without Reese's! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that I have also reviewed (and lauded the praises of) Hershey's almighty 'Take 5' bar, so it felt only natural to buy their Zero bar when placing my American Fizz order.

'Caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with delicious white fudge.'

As you can see, the bar was a stark white number with rippled coating. Slicing into it uncovered the layer of caramel, beneath which was the peanut studded nougat. 

The fudge coating was just as expected, adding little to the bar other than playing the role of binding material to hold the bar together. It has to be admitted that I enjoyed it's sweetness, and the fact it's a different flavour than we have with any of the UK bars

.

The caramel layer was soft and chewy, although it was probably more solid than normal as it had been stored in my fridge. The caramel worked well with the nougat underneath, which was fudge-like and reminded me of the centre of a Mars bar. There was added crunchiness thanks to the peanuts dotted about, which made the Zero all the more texturally interesting to eat. 

It's another winning combination from Hershey's. The Zero bar is super sweet (it contains 30g of sugar after all) so perhaps it's one to avoid giving the kids; instead keep it for yourself to help with that mid-afternoon energy slump!

8/10

NEW! Divine Dark Chocolate with Raisins & Almonds (Online)

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join Divine for a live twitter taste test of their new bar this week. For those of you who aren't aware, Divine is a Fairtrade chocolate company 44% owned by Cocoa farmers in Ghana, which means that the farmers don't just receive a fair price for their Cocoa but also receive a share of Divine's profits too. Their new bar is dark chocolate, augmented with raisins and almonds. 

I feel the need to comment on the packaging because it looked so beautiful; the purple, black and gold was striking and gave the bar a luxurious appearance, which also extended to the premium gold coloured foil that wrapped the chocolate within. 

The chocolate looked very dark in colour, and as I've mentioned countless times before, I'm not a huge fan of very dark chocolate. This bar contains 60% cocoa solids, which places it towards the milder end of the spectrum, but I was still a bit dubious as to whether I could enjoy it. 

The chocolate tasted rich and deep, with a velvet smoothness that should be enjoyable. Except, I just can't enjoy it (sorry Divine) because it's just too bitter for me. It's a shame because I know that it's not the fault of the chocolate, it's my taste-buds that have let me down. 

The raisins were a lovely addition however, as they were plump juicy numbers that added sweetness to the bar. The almonds were finely chopped which meant they added little in the way of flavour to the bar, but they added a welcome crunchiness which I enjoyed. 

I think that Divine's new chocolate is one best reserved for dark chocolate lovers. I've not had their chocolate before, and I'd be keen to try their milk chocolate as I imagine it would be much more enjoyable for me and my meek tastebuds! 

I feel awful for giving it a low score, and I'd like to point out that it's just a reflection of my personal preferences, and not Divine and/or it's chocolate.

If Divine's newest chocolate bar sounds more up your alley, they are currently available for purchase from their online shop, and will be sold in Oxfam stores nationwide from April.

5/10