NEW! Häagen-Dazs Speculoos Caramel Biscuit & Cream Ice Cream (Tesco)

Recently I admitted something embarrassing on Instagram. I bought a tub of the Häagen-Dazs Cookie Dough Chip ice cream and acknowledged that I hadn't tried the brand before -or if I had I certainly couldn't remember it. Indeed the reason why I bought the tub was because Sainsbury's were advertising it as new and had it on offer (a combination as a food blogger that is near-on impossible to refrain). I apologise HD fans, but I really wasn't bowled over by it. Ben & Jerry's still got my vote. In came the suggestions of other, better flavours that I needed to try - many of which were caramel based.

Fortunately HD have listened to their customers and have recently brought out a four pack of mixed mini tubs called their 'caramel collection', which launched in Tesco for a princely £4. 

Whilst the idea of trying a selection of the HD caramel flavours was appealing, it was the inclusion of a new-to-the-UK flavourthat really made the pack tempting. When the new HD collection packs* came on offer this week my restraint buckled and I headed straight to Tesco to hand over my £2.50.

"Caramel & Speculoos (11%) ice cream."

HD suggest waiting 10 minutes after retrieving your tub from the freezer before consumption. Ha! I haven't got that kind of patience I'm afraid. Instead I tried to scoop the rock solid ice cream straight away. Badly.

The cinnamon biscuit was immediately evident both from the sweet scent and golden speckles rage permeated the ice cream. I couldn't see a huge amount of biscuit pieces but hoped they were just playing a game of hide and seek.

One thing I do really like about HD is the indulgent creaminess that somehow tastes more refreshing than other brands. The caramel was relinquished to the back of the flavour queue but lingered in the background to allow the gentle spice to shine through. The cinnamon wasn't as punchy as it is in Ben & Jerry's 'Speculoos? Specu-Love', but admittedly the HD version is smoother and more refined.

I loved the little biscuit pieces which -despite my initial reservations- were in abundance and crunchy. To me they tasted more like shortbread, but the ingredients list gives little away as to the reality of my supposition.

If you're a HD/caramel ice cream fan I suggest you head to Tesco and buy the collection whilst it's still on offer. I would buy the Speculoos Caramel Biscuit & Cream as a full pint if HD launched one, but only on offer... otherwise it's back to Ben & Jerry for me!

8/10

*there's also fruit, sorbet and vanilla collections available, all currently £2.50.

NEW! Carrot Cake Muffins with a Cream Cheese Centre (Tesco)

Chocolate orange and carrot cake are the flavours of the season it seems. Every man and his basket have got on the choc orange hot cross buns bandwagon this year (stay tuned for the last in that series very shortly!) and all of a sudden the carrot cake craze is popping up. Hoorah! The humble carrot cake has been vastly under appreciated until now, and it's lovely to see such a summery flavour appearing on a shelves - it certainly makes a welcome change from dulce de leche/salted caramel everything. What's even better is that these companies are filling these products with cream cheese. I always find that cupcakes are a bit lopsided on their ratios. Yes buttercream is tasty (when done right) but the cake should always be the star of the show, and somehow it gets lost under showy icing when part of a cupcake. That's why I think filling cake is a better concept. Anyway, as soon as @productsinstore alerted me to the new Tesco muffins the hunt began. 

The first store I visited wouldn't sell me any because they were "waiting for a manager to set them up" (your guess is as good as mine) but fortunately the nice manager that I found in the bakery department of Hereford's smaller Tesco retrieved me some from the freezer. Thank you kind sir! The four pack cost £1, and I just prayed that they were better than their Christmas Red Velvet muffins. 

"Spiced carrot cake with a tangy cream cheese centre." 

The muffins were a decent size and colour, speckled with sugar crystals on their tops. 

I sliced through and discovered how close crumb it was. Was that all of the filling? I thought M&S were stingy, but this was ridiculous, there could only be a teaspoonful of cream cheese at the bottom there.

The cake was well spiced with a strong cinnamon flavour and a slight warmth from the ginger. There were hints of carrot throughout, but it wasn't as prominent as one would expect in a home made version. The texture was soft, but it was so moist that it was claggy and almost raw in places. 

It wasn't just the cream cheese that was missing either. Where were the raisins at? Surely a carrot cake has to have dried fruit in too? Humf. One of the qualities I love most about carrot cake is the plump raisins that break up the texture and burst in your mouth as you munch.  

I did enjoy the sugar crystal topping however, which reminded me of country cake (albeit without the raisins). 

As for the cream cheese at the bottom, it was fairly good, but its location and meagreness meant that it was impossible to enjoy some with every mouthful of cake. 

Tesco' Carrot Cake muffins are kind of the anti-cupcake I suppose. Let's hope M&S carrot cake muffins are better, and if not I'll be sticking to their buns. 

6/10

NEW! Reflex Amino Fusion® (CNSport)

Have you seen Reflex's new packaging yet? The company announced last year that they were overhauling their exhausting branding, and it's "look for the future" is starting to roll out. Reflex have restructured their product categories from 5 to 3, making it easier to choose products depending on your goals. All existing products are staying but will come under either: strength & performance, high protein or vitality (previously weight management).

It's not just the labels that are experiencing change either, there's a few new products on their way too. The first of which is Reflex's Amino Fusion - an extension of their successful BCAA intra fusion. Now I don't claim to be a body building expert, but I certainly enjoy lifting and so I didn't really know what to expect when offered the chance to try the new Aminos. Apparently my other half did though: "eurgh, BCAAs are disgusting, they'll make you sick" I think we're his exact words. That was before I reminded him that the last ones he tried weren't made by Reflex, and he was talking 10 years ago. Given how much protein products have come along in the last few years I took his thoughts with a pinch of salt. More importantly I wanted to know what BCCAs were, and what they could or would do for me.

Well, according to research:

"BCAAs (branched- chain Amino acids) are made up of three essential amino acids that the body is unable to produce on its own: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These three amino acids have a branched side chain of carbon molecules that simplifies the energy conversion during intense exercise. Muscle tissues in the body are about 35 percent BCAAs and—here’s the key—the more BCAAs present in the muscle tissue, the more they will be used for energy; thus, slowing the breakdown of muscle cells and preventing muscle loss.
BCAA supplementation provides two avenues aimed towards improving endurance performance—both by providing our bodies with additional energy source and by altering the mental perception of fatigue." 

-active.com

So the key is, if you're working out, they help you prevent muscle loss. Sounds good to me. But what's Reflex's Amino Fusion all about?

"Amino Fusion® is formulated to be the market leading amino energy formula; it provides up to 40% more amino acids than some other formulas, tastes amazing, contains zero sugars and provides great caffeine kick.
Amino Fusion® only contains research supported amino acids along with science based dosages of citrulline malate, beta alanine and l-carnitine tartrate."

It's available in four flavours: green apple, pink lemonade, fruit punch and watermelon. I received the green apple to try, and boy did it smell strong. I felt like I'd walked into an old fashioned sweet shop -it was that potent!

The serving suggestion is 3 mini scoops (9g) of Amino Fusion with 300ml of water. The drink is designed to be taken before or during exercise so I decided to take it to the gym with me instead of my usual squash.

Ha! In your face Bert! I knew I could trust Reflex to deliver the goods. The Amino Fusion blended easily in my state-of-the-art water bottle 😉 and tasted incredible! Like, seriously good and much better than Robinson's fruit and barley. I drunk it yesterday alongside my first training in a week (I've had a chest infection, boo) and don't even ache too badly today (day after leg day, you know what I mean). Perhaps I didn't work hard enough, or perhaps it's the Amino Fusion, who knows? In any case I'm not risking it and it will become my new gym staple - every bit as important as headphones!

9/10

Amino Fusion is available to buy direct from Reflex's website, or through reputable sports retailers such as CNSport. Don't forget to enter my instagram competition before midnight tomorrow (21st March) to be in with a chance of winning 12 cans of Reflex's Protein coffee too!

Thank you to Reflex Nutrition for the samples.

Art of Mallow: So Strawberries & Cream (Online)

I think I've mentioned before about my Dad's talent for finding interesting foodie treats for me to try. He's a horticultural expert and lecturer so spends the majority of his time scouring the country, often popping into different garden centres. It's in one such place that he came across this bag of Art of Mallow 'So Strawberries and Cream' gourmet marshmallows. Marshmallows are another treat I go through phases of being addicted to, but admittedly I hadn't had any since trying Mallow & Marsh's Dark Chocolate Coated Raspberry Marshmallow bar last year. So who are Art of Mallow?

"Art of Mallow marshmallows are an evolutionary step away from the pink and whites that we are all used to.  They are full of delicious natural flavours including real raspberries, strawberries, lemon juice, Belgian chocolate, madagascan vanilla and natural extracts and are as light and puffy as a wonderful pillow."

The 75g bag contained six bouncy large cubes. They emitted no identifiable scent other than the sugary sweetness.

The marshmallows managed to deliver a real strawberry flavour that really tasted of fresh fruit and was a far cry from the milkshake taste I was expecting. Of course Art and Mallow only use real strawberries in their marshmallows so this shouldn't have come as a surprise. Still, strawberries aren't always that flavourful and yet somehow they've harnessed the taste of our classic summer treat.

Texturally Art of Mallow also fulfilled their promise of pillow softness. Each marshmallow was gooey and squidgy, without that dusty reside that coincides with their mass produced counterparts.

My only sticking point is the price. As a student I can't warrant £3.50 for 75g of sweets* - even if they are delicious and handmade. If, however, you're a sweetie fan and fancy a real treat then please pop on over to their website, where you'll find plenty of fancy flavours including their new (and delicious sounding) salted caramel and peanut rocky road.

8/10

Thanks Daddio for the marshmallows.

*chocolate on the other hand... ;)

NEW! Walls Feast Sandwich (Tesco Express)

About this time last year I squealed in a lecture when I found out that Walls were bringing out peanut butter Feasts. Get over. My favourite childhood ice cream was being combined with my favourite flavour? I couldn't imagine anything more exciting. I still haven't got over the disappointment of the reality though, those meagre Choc ices were disgraceful. Walls haven't given up hope though, they've just released another new version of their iconic Feast - this time in sandwich format. Now if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know just how much I love a good ice cream sandwich. Could Walls do a better job with their 2017 addition? I decided to not buy a whole box but purchased a single ice cream from my local Tesco Express for £1.

"Vanilla ice cream between chocolate biscuits (18%) coated in chocolate flavour coating (13%) with nougat pieces (2%)."

More or less a Maxibon then? It seems that it's not only Kellogg's who've been keeping tabs on Nestle!

"Cream flavoured ice cream with chocolate chips (4%) sandwiched in between biscuits (15%) and half covered in a milk chocolate flavour coating (11.5%) with hazelnuts."

They certainly look very similar, although the Walls version is lacking the chocolate chips that stud Maxibons.

As you can see, the chocolate coating was paper thin, and despite my careful transportation it had smashed in the corners. It tasted ok though, nothing special but not like cooking chocolate either. A redeeming factor was the nougat pieces, which had thankfully remained crisp.

It can't just be me who thinks that the ice cream in a Feast should be chocolate flavoured? The vanilla ice cream in the middle was the same stuff Walls use in their Gingerbread sandwiches. It tastes like soft serve, which strangely makes a nice change from the creamier ice creams I usually favour. Still it's not really a Feast is it?

The biscuits were soft, which I expected, and tasted indifferent to the ones used in Maxibons. Their flavour is akin to a very mild bourbon and they're pleasant enough.

To be honest, there's very few differences between Walls' new Feast sandwiches and Nestle's iconic Maxibons. The ice cream is better in the 'Feast', but it's lacking the chocolate chips that add texture to the Maxibons. My biggest bug bear is that once again Walls have relied on Feast's success to brand an unrelated product. It's NOT a Feast. I do however want to try the new Maxibon Cookie (when I can find it) it looks very good!

6/10

NEW! Coco Pops Granola (Tesco)

Q: What's the laziest way to create a new product? 
A: Create a variation of an already successful line and copy your competitor of course!

Last year saw the release of Nestle's Shreddies Max Protein Granola, followed by a few fleeting boxes of Cheerios and Curiously Cinnamon Granola* in January. Kellogg's have obviously been keeping their eyes peeled, as they have recently followed suit and brought out a peanut butter granola (Crunchy Nut Clusters) as well as this new Coco Pops Granola. I'm not complaining really, I love cereal, adore oats and always welcome new choices. I did however wait for the bag to come on offer (currently £2 in Tesco).

"A combination of chocolatey-flavoured granola with wheat shapes and wholegrain oats! A source of B vitamins and iron which helps to release energy throughout the day. Made with no artificial colours!"

I'm not sure why that last sentence warrants an exclamation mark. Perhaps it's surprising. What they have failed to market is that the new granola contains almost half the sugar content per 100g than that of traditional cocoa pops (16g vs. 30g). Of course the serving size and calorie content is higher though.

I hope you don't mind me mentioning that I'm not a fan of the new bag design. Whilst it saves on excess packaging, the bag won't stand up properly, irritating my need for orderly cupboards.

Fortunes turned when I opened the resealable (that's one bonus) bag. Inside was a sight for any chocoholic's sore eyes. Every morsel was covered in chocolate! The bag contained a good mix of (relatively small) oaty chunks and Cocoa Pops' puffs, Moons and Stars.

It's a shame that the new granola didn't pass my milk soaking test. By the time I'd stopped faffing about taking photos the shapes were soggy and the granola had started to disintegrate. There wasn't really enough oats to call it a granola either really  seeing as they only make up 30% of the ingredients. On the plus side the flavour was good though, and the milk turned chocolatey! Have you ever had Graze's Cocoa & Vanilla flapjacks? Well the oat chunks reminded me of them -which I hope you'll agree is no bad thing.

All in all it's a good product from Kellogg's. It might not me the most inventive cereal, nor is it the best granola I've ever tasted, but I'll enjoy the bag, and will probably buy Coco Pops Granola again - but only when it's on offer.

7/10

*if anyone's spotted either recently please let me know, they seem to have disappeared.

NEW! Jammy Ring Ice Cream (Tesco)

After many trips to Tesco I've finally found the Jammy Ring ice cream. Well, no actually I fib, Bert found it for me. Given my disappointment with the Red Velvet I didn't have very high hopes for this new flavour, but still desperately hoped that the supermarket would pull it out of the bag.

"Try our delicious 500ml tub of Jammy Ring Ice Cream. Biscuit flavour ice cream with a swirl of raspberry sauce and tasty shortcake biscuit pieces."

Except the tubs only contain 480ml of ice cream don't they Tesco? Starting with a lie is never a good sign. Each of their new 480ml tubs cost £2 each.

Once the lid was removed I was met with a milky coloured ice cream that barely hinted at the prospect of raspberry sauce. Digging in I found the ice cream to be almost mousse-like in consistency. It was so airy that the 96ml portion only weighs 59g (compare that to 82g for the same volume of Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Swirled). I did, however, uncover some bright pink swirl as I scooped.

I'm not exactly sure how to describe the flavour of the ice cream. It's meant to be biscuit flavour, but seeing as biscuits come in such a huge array of varieties and flavours, it's hard to distinguish one determining element. Instead I'll tell you that the ice cream is sweet, and somehow does remind me of shortbread -although that might just be wishful thinking. I also found it to be quite nostalgic, stirring memories of the cheap little ice cream mousse pots that mum used to give us as children.

The sauce was neither here nor there, adding little in the way of flavour. As for the biscuit pieces, they were far and few between - I had a grand total of 3. Texturally they were hit and miss too: two were soft and cake like, whilst one was delightfully crunchy. Humf. Fortunately Siân had already tried the ice cream and given me the heads up on instagram concerning the meagreness of the chunks so at least I'd had the foresight to top my cone with mini Jammy Dodgers.

What a shame. Tesco have created an ice cream with a scrummy flavour; it's just a shame they haven't used quality ingredients and seen the product through. As a luxury tub it doesn't quite work and as such I'd rather pay the extra 50p for a tub of Ben & Jerry's from ASDA.

7/10