August 19th: Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole Nut

*** UPDATE 18/10/2010 - New wrapper added
Kcal 270 Fat 17.3g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 24.3g

The Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole Nut to coin a phrase 'is exactly what it says on tin'...it's a solid bar of Dairy Milk with whole pieced hazelnuts dispersed throughout. Its hard to believe that one of these standard bars contains almost 25% of an adults RDA of fat, and nearly 40% of the RDA of saturated fat...now that's pretty high!

The bar came in a 49g serving that proved to be superior at fufilling my hunger than a standard Dairy Milk ; the six blocks proved a very substantial amount...you would hope so too with the nutritional values of the bar. The wrapper had a nice glossy appearance and ensured a nice freshness; its worth noting that the new styled matted wrapper is equally as nice looking aswell (I bought this bar a few weeks ago hence the older stlye pictured!!). The actual bar itself looked all the more appealing for the inclusion of the whole hazelnut pieces that could be seen when the bar was divided into its blocks. The bar had a slightly muskier smell than the standard Dairy Milk aroma - it was still detectable, but just not half as imposing as with other flavour variants - there was no real evidence of the included nuts from the smell, which was to some extent disappointing.

The textures of this bar were for me spot on. The Dairy Milk chocolate had its typical wonderfully thick, smooth feel in the mouth which once melted revealed the whole crunchy hazelnut pieces. The nuts had a nice fresh crunchyness to them that proved to be the perfect comparator to the silky feel of the Dairy Milk chocolate - great stuff. The Dairy Milk was everything I had come to expect tastewise - a near perfect combination of cream and cocoa with just the right sweetness...all in all as pleasurable as ever. Though deeply satisfying in their texture, the same unfortunately could not be said for the taste of the hazelnuts. When eaten in unison with the Dairy Milk they seemed to lack flavour and were dominated by the rich tasting chocolate. When I tried the hazelnuts in isolation they were not strongest tasting and lacked the roasted, woody nuttiness of the nuts in bars such as the Ritter Sport White Chocolate Hazelnut & Rice.

Overall this is a bar that ticked a lot of boxes, though was missing something in its nutty flavour credentials to substantiate itself as a really great offering. The Dairy Milk provided a delightful flavour base to the bar, however the actual whole hazelnuts were lacking in their taste. The hazelnuts did provide a pleasant texture and added an extra substantial element to the bar but on the whole their lack of flavour was disappointing. This isn't the greatest chocolate and nut bar on the market though it's still a pretty good one - largely due to the excellence of the Dairy Milk chocolate. If your a fan of good milk chocolate and subtle nut flavours then this will be the bar for you....probably not one for anyone on a diet though.

8.2 out of 10

August 18th: Hotel Chocolat Caramellow

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

The last flavour left for me to sample from my latest 'Peepster Box' was the 'Caramellow' which came billed as 'Swirls of caramel and milk chocolate topped with florentine, caramel drops and crunchy cinder toffee'.

The slab was similar in its build to the previously reviewed 'Rocky Road' - a single 100g slab with a solid base of milk chocolate with added extra elements. Normally products of this size I would eat over two sittings - if you haven't peeked at the score already im going to spoil the review for you here by revealing that this bar was simply too good to not eat all at once...it was simply just too moreish. The slab looked absolutely fantastic - the blend of the two shades of chocolate had a delightful swirl pattern and the extra elements to the bar just made for an outlandish and interesting look - not quite the diversification of colours as with the 'Rocky Road', but it still looked marvellous. I was expecting an aroma similar to the one experienced with the 40% house milk chocolate bar and wasn't disappointed. It smelt creamy and chocolaty with an added sweet toffee like edge...well and truly tempting.

The milk chocolate was of the standard 40% house recipe and was as delicious as ever with its super smooth cocoa heavy taste. What was surprising though was that the milk chocolate was outshone by the simply outstanding flavour of the caramel chocolate that tasted out of this world. The caramel chocolate constituted 28% of the base of the bar and also the 'caramel drop' pieces on top the slab. It was immensely creamy and had an even greater buttery taste that was all the more delicious with its heavily toffee noted aftertaste. The florentine pieces delivered another delightful flavour element, adding a nice almond and hazelnut woody type nuttiness where present.

You may remember that the 'Rocky Road' slab had a similar centrepiece component as with the cinder toffee piece in this 'Caramellow' slab. Unlike the cookie piece in the 'Rocky Road' the cinder toffee was glorious in its taste and well worthy of saving for the very last bite. It had a toffee brittle like sugary taste that although sweet, was a wonderful texture variation against the smooth chocolate elements. Each bite of this slab was wonderfully diverse and equally as rich in its flavour - simply magnificent.

Overall this certainly was a busy slab, though each ingredient genuinely added to what was a delightful culmination of flavours. The milk chocolate was as good as ever; though was outshone by the caramel chocolate which was rich, creamy and had a wonderful toffee noted flavour. The florentine squares, caramel drops and cinder toffee piece not only made the bar look amazing but were all great additional flavour elements, and made each bite amazingly diverse. Im running out of superlatives to use for Hotel Chocolat, this is one of my favourite products of theirs and is definitely up there amongst the best bars I have tried. Yet more fantastic stuff from Hotel Chocolat and one for caramel and milk chocolate fans alike - need I even say I recommend this!?

9.3 out of 10

August 17th: M&Ms Razzberry

Kcal 210 Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 6.0g Carbs 30.0g

The sheer amount of limited edition M&Ms seem never ending, though I think after reviewing today's 'Razzberry' flavour I am mostly up to date (M&M Premiums reviews coming soon!!). These were released nearly a year ago but are still quite widely availible, I was lucky enough to be sent a pack of these raspberry flavoured M&Ms from CandyPirate for the purpose of today's review.

These came in a 42.5g M&M single serving bag in a garishly pink coloured package...hmmm lovely! The M&Ms themselves corresponded to the packaging colour - bright pink sugary shells with darkly coloured milk chocolate insides..nothing amazingly special looking about them but the colour variation was at least different from standard M&Ms. Normally I harp on about how M&Ms are lacking in any aroma credentials...these 'Razzberry' M&Ms actually had a quite evident sweet fruity smell...slightly artificial but it at least was relative to the flavour.

The M&Ms were slightly odd in their size...some were a lot larger than others which surprised me somewhat as M&Ms are normally sized identically. Though I enjoyed the thicker shells of the larger pieces they were to heavy on the raspberry. The raspberry flavour in these M&Ms was of course achieved through the artificial flavours in the shells. The flavour was distinctly berry like and fruity but at the same time very sweet. The smaller pieces in the pack did manage to strike a better balance of raspberry and milk chocolate; when chewed together the creamyness of the chocolate did manage to dilute the sweetness of the raspberry flavour - making it more of a fruity undertone. In the instances where the pieces were larger the taste was often to intense in its sweetness and actually left quite a horrible acrid aftertaste in the mouth.

Overall as witnessed with the 'Wildly Cherry' limited edition, fruit flavours just do not seem to be a strength of the M&Ms brand. The taste of the raspberry was just overly sweet and quite artificial tasting; in the instances where the pieces and shells were larger the raspberry sweetness over dominated the chocolate making for an overly intense quite sickly taste. Limited editions are always intriguing to try, and I guess that is the reason of their existence - I wouldn't masively recommend these but if your a fan of raspberries then these may be of interest.

6.4 out of 10

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August 16th: Cadbury Malted Milk (Can)

Kcal 210 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 36.0g

It seems the Cadbury 'Malted Milk' is yet another sneaky bar the Canadian's have been hiding from the rest of the world - as far as I am aware, like the 'Wunderbar' this is only available there. The 'Malted Milk' was billed to me as Cadbury's answer to the Mars bar with an on pack description of 'Light whipped malted nougat and delicious caramel covered with a rich, creamy chocolatey coating'.

The bar came in a 48g serving - it looked large in appearance and certainly did a job satisfying my hunger. The outer packaging was very Cadbury esque - purple in colour and pretty plain with just the Cadbury logo, product name and product picture displayed. Though I could appreciate the plain nature of the wrapper I was somewhat under whelmed by the look of the bar itself - it looked very generic with no Cadbury branding or decoration...the layering between the nougat and the caramel was also non-apparent and the two layers seemed to have converged into one. Aswell as lacking somewhat in the looks department the bar also lacked an aroma of real note. Besides a slight sweet smell it was mostly scentless which really didn't do anything for my anticipation of the taste.

The outer chocolate layer was thick, dense and generally quite well flavoured. Its thickness gave it a nice crispness to the bite though it did not have the smoothest of melts in the mouth and felt a smidge waxy. The milk chocolate coating was not half as flavoursome as Dairy Milk chocolate, it was creamy yes but lacked the depth of chocolaty cocoaness. As you will have gathered from the above the caramel and nougat layers had mixed together despite the fact they were supposed to be seperate. Both elements combined to give the bar a pleasant chewyness that made the flavours last in the mouth that little bit longer - this was no crumbly nougat...it was more taffy like in its viscosity - especially when chilled before its consumption. Unfortunately due to the mixed nature of the two layers the caramel struggled for a flavour base and although its sweetness could be detected it was nothing more than just that...an added sweetness. By far and away the strongest flavour element of the bar came from the malt nougat. It had a very strong malt flavour that I would alike very much to sponge cake - it was very unique and not like anything I had tasted before. The relatively strong flavours and dense texture made this a very substantial bar, especially for one that only had 210 calories!

Overall this is a pretty sound concept for a bar by Cadbury, but the implementation is partly flawed. The malt element of the bar is well applied through the nougat and has a delicious cakey taste that is well placed in the chewy texture. There are certainly places where this bar could be improved though; the separation of the caramel from the nougat layer is a must as its amalgamation with the nougat does not allow it to establish its full flavour. The design of the bar could also really be improved - at present it is very under whelming in both its appearance and aroma qualities, I'm sure it really wouldn't take much effort to fine tune the bar here. This is a bar that is very worthwhile trying if you come across it, it's uniquely flavoured and one that with just with a few adaptations could vastly be improved upon.

7.3 out of 10

August 16th: Terry's Chocolate Orange Cosmic Toffee Crunch

Kcal 210 Fat 11.5g Fat(sats) ??? Carbs 24.0g

This bar was announced by Kraft as a 'limited edition' back in July (see link!) and was officially released on August 1st. The keener chocolate spotters amongst you may also have seen it in the spherical ball format last Christmas time, gracing the shelves of the fabulous Woolworths. On Pack the bar was described as 'milk chocolate flavoured with real orange with crunchy toffee flavoured caramel bits'.

As with the 'milk chocolate' and 'Golden nugget' variants the bar came in a nicely sized 40g serving that was split into a grand looking six segments - I do love the unique segment look. The packaging was pleasant on the eye though worryingly it did highlight the sheer severity of the economic credit crunch we are currently facing in the UK....the price marked on the pack has risen from 35p....to a whopping 38p (see 'Golden Nugget' for shocking comparison!) Hard times eh!? :D Every time I have reviewed a Terry's product I am always struck by the strength of the orangey smell that the bars radiate...very sweet smelling but always a clear indication of what you're in for.

Readers may remember that with the 'Golden Nugget' variant I had some slight issues with the portioning of the nugget pieces - they seemed to be all in one end of the bar. This problem seems to have been sorted by Kraft for the 'Cosmic Toffee', as the toffee pieces were evenly dispersed throughout. The pieces were not only evenly spread but very generously proportioned - a little overly so for my liking. The wrapper states 5.5% of the total bar was made from the pieces, but my guessing is they were far greater in number. Texturewise they had a very crunchy crystallised feel to the bite...almost like biting small bits of sugar. This corresponded with their taste - they had a very sweet toffee flavour that verged on being artificial. In comparison to the more honey flavoured 'Golden Nugget' the overall flavour the toffee pieces added was sweeter and stronger, and personally not to my preference. The chocolate orange was still as delicious as ever, very creamy with a zesty fruity base flavour. The chocolate was as smoothly textured as with the other variants but it was slightly spoilt by the harshness of the crunch with the toffee pieces. I wouldn't go as far as saying the toffee pieces came at detriment to the bar, but they certainly were not a prolific enhancer to the overall taste.

Overall this is a fair flavour variant attempt from Kraft though the texture and taste dont quite reach the standard of other parts of the Terry's range. The chocolate orange had as ever an enjoyable taste though was slightly burdened by the toffee pieces, which had a harsh bitty texture and a taste that got ever so slightly overly sweet towards the end of the bar. This is not the greatest variant from the Terry's range though its worth trying for the meagre price it will cost you....inflation accounted for and everything.

7.8 out of 10

August 15th: Ritter Sport Peppermint

Kcal 503 Fat 26.0g Fat(sats) ??? Carbs 54.0g (per 100.0g)

My top-to-toe examination of the Ritter Sport range continued today with the Peppermint variant. Along with the Marzipan and Hazelnut flavours this seems to be one of the most commonly found in the UK - I have seen it in many of the major multiples: Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose etc so if you get a hankering to try this after reading this review you know where to head.

This bar had all the signs of being one of those products that I would nibble away at over a good few days. This was an assumption that proved to be pretty inaccurate, and I in actual fact ended up consuming this 100g bar over two sittings. In proposition it was very similar to a Hershey's York Pattie and the rather ill tasting After Eight Bitesize - a cool peppermint fondant centre filling covered in a helping of plain chocolate. As with the entire Ritter range the outside packaging and blocked nature of the bar was well received and the white filling had a nice contrastive pale look against the darkly coloured chocolate. What was also pleasing to find was that the bar didn't disappointment in regard to the on-pack product shot, that showed the bar crammed full of the promised Peppermint filling...it was very well portioned and actually took up 40% of the total constituents. The smell of the bar was very evident upon the opening of the packaging; it had an unsurprising cool minty smell with just the finest of chocolaty undertones...as I said the smell was duly expected but pleasant nevertheless.

My assumption that this was going to be a bar I enjoyed over a few days was rooted in my past experiences of similar fondant filled products (See After Eight Bitesize & Frys Cream), reality was this could not have been further from the truth. The plain chocolate coating provided a deliciously deep flavoured initial flavour that despite the generous portioning of the peppermint filling, was able to establish a real flavour base in the overall taste. The chocolate was strong in its cocoa flavour and withstood being overpowered by the mint filling. It had a smooth texture that melted at a nice slow rate which was a nice way of slowly introducing the flavour of the peppermint. The peppermint filling wasn't quite the intense sweetness I was expecting...which I must say was a good thing. The minty flavour was more subtle than in bars such as the After Eight Bitesize, and had a kinder overall taste because of this. It had a nice cool freshness that was both refreshing and flavoursome - a real triumph amongst mint fillings.

Overall this was yet another fantastic flavour variant from the Ritter Sport range. The combination of the plentiful and tasty mint element and a good standard base plain chocolate coating made for a surprisingly moreish offering - and was one I particularly enjoyed. As ever Ritter have produced another nicely presented product that is balanced in its flavours and texture. I would really recommend this bar to fans of mint chocolate, it's genuinely one of...if not 'the' best mint chocolate combinations I have tasted yet.

8.4 out of 10

August 14th: Kit Kat Kinako Soy

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

My first dip into the Japanese Kit Kat world saw me reviewing the 'Custard Pudding' variant ... admittedly not the most typical of Japense flavours. Today though I sampled the milk chocolate with 'Kinako Soy' flavour. Kinako Soy is a product very commonly used in Japanese cuisine and also known as soybean flour. It is created through the roasting and grounding of soybeans and is lauded for its Vitamin B and protein content...thank god for Wiki is all I can say. Todays sample came courtesy of the guys at UniqJapan - they stock all sorts of different Japanese goods including Kit Kats and are well worth checking out if you have an interest.

In proposition this was the same as a standard Kit Kat - milk chocolate (with added Kinako Soy) coated wafer fingers. Unfortunately this product came in the same small serving size as its 'Custard Pudding' equivalent...it would struggle to satisfy the smallest of stomach rumblings and really was just a very absurdly sized product. The packaging itself was nicely presented; the foil packaging ensured a fresh protected product, and the fingers themselves looked well crafted with the Kit Kat logo imprinted on the ever so small fingers. The overriding aroma that emanated from the packet was a sweet one that had a nice biscuity tinge...pleasant but not the most forthcoming.

The initial flavour that I detected from my first bite was a creamy chocolaty one that was not all too disimilar to the standard milk chocolate Kit Kat, just slightly more mellow and softer. This made the taste of the wafer more impactful, which in turn added a nice sweet dry cakey element to the creamyness of the coating. The aftertaste had a slight woody nutty note which could be tasted in the mouth for a while after eating - im no connesieur but I am guessing this was the Kinako soy element. The wafer element retained its usual crispness though the melt of the coating was slightly slower and seemed to clump together more than other Kit Kats I have reviewed....the coating melt was simply not as nice as with other variants.

Overall this is a fair enough variation of Kit Kat, though will hardly be setting any fires alight anytime soon. The milk chocolate had a more mellow taste than normal and didn't quite have the pleasant melty texture as is normally typical with the brand. The nuttyness in the aftertaste was pleasant though quite subtle and not did not provide the biggets of flavour hits. Though the more laidback nature of the milk chocolate allowed the flavour of the wafer to have more of a presence, this seemed a tad unexciting when the reason I purchased the product was to really get a diverse flavour from the Kinako Soy. I wouldn't overly recommend this product based on the impact of its enhanced flavour credentials, though its still a decent enough Kit Kat and probably worth trying if your curious and happen to come across it,

6.2 out of 10

Visit UniqJapan for many Japanese Chocolates including Kit Kats, Pocky and many more!

August 14th: Kshocolat Lemon & Pepper White Chocolate

Kcal 553 Fat 32.5g Fat(sats) 20.6g Carbs 58.5g

I have to say the bar I sampled and reviewed today is up there amongst the weirdest interms of flavour combinations. Today my third dip into my Kshocolat batch of goodies saw me sample the 'Lemon & Pepper White Chocolate' variant - a bar that included 'An unusual blend of white chocolate, crushed pepper corns and real lemon'.

The bar came in the usual 80g form, which did me for two substantial servings. The outer packaging was reasonably brightly coloured (when compared to the rest of the range anyway!), the bar itself had an authentic looking speckled appearance which I assume must have been due to the ground pepper as the only vanilla element to the bar was 'natural vanilla flavour'. It had a nice cream coloured appearance and had the same attractive cocoa pod pattern as with the rest of the Kshocolat range. The product looked great but my word it smell awful!!! As soon as I opened the inner foil packaging I detected a very pungent aroma that I would aliken to gone off milk...it smelt appalling and nearly put me off eating it altogether - if it wasn't for the slight presence of a lemon scent I possibly wouldn't have.

Thankfully the chocolate tasted alot better than it smelt. The white chocolate had a delightful texture; it melted at a nice pace on the tongue and had a warmth to its aftertaste which I will attribute to the presence of the ground pepper. The taste was very smooth and developed nicely in the course of its melting. The first flavour that was most evident was the lemon - it was fresh and zesty and gave the chocolate an interesting initial favour. As the chocolate melted and established itself the creaminess of the 24% milk solids made themselves known, the chocolate had a light milky vanilla flavour that was certainly enjoyable and never overly sweet. The aftertaste to the bar was where the black pepper came through, as stated previously it offered a warmth to the texture and a nice spicy kick...well worthy of its presence. The combination of ingredients although eccentric added nicely to a good creamy white chocolate - it was a good mixture of flavours and very enjoyable.

Overall I really feared for the potential of this bar before I tasted it - its near cheese like smell was extremely off-putting, and as you can see unfortunately this has had repercussions with its Chocolate Mission rating. I say unfortunately as this bar tasted really quiet good. Its creamy milky white chocolate was balanced nicely with a zesty lemon flavour, and the spicy warming ground pepper nicely added to a smooth sumptuous texture. If Kshocolat could sort out the smell of this bar I would be recommending this left right and centre as a great standard white chocolate offering. Until then I suggest you make sure you have a clothes peg handy if your going to being trying this one.

7.3 out of 10

August 13th: Reese's Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bat

Kcal 170 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 17.0g

It was over two months ago I reviewed the first of the Reese's 'Dark Knight' special edition movie tie-ins...the 'Reese's Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Medallions', a product I did very much enjoy. The movie is currently being shown worldwide and if I say so myself it's really rather damn good - I recommend you go see it. Buoyed by my initial success with the 'Medallions' and sheer love of the film I literally jumped at the chance thrown to me by CandyPirate to review the full sized Reese's Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bat.

This variation of the Limited Edition Reese's Dark Knight range came in the form of a 34g full sized 'bat'. It was by no means the biggest or most filling of snacks but it was wholly satisfying. The packaging looked pretty smartish - the Batman theme was well displayed but not over the top whilst the orange Reese's theme was still very much evident. The product itself look awesome...shaped in the Batman logo shape it looked fun and massively appetising when sectioned. The only slightest of disappointments in its appearance was the lack of traditional Reese's paper cup, if it had been included I think it would have helped mine keep its shape for longer...the edges of my bat were a little rounded due to the significant air miles it had obviously made during transit. Once opened an all to familiar Reese's peanut butter smell just built my anticipation further. A wonderful sweet smelling roasted peanut aroma emerged....it was typically Reese's....typically great!

As with the 'Medallions' the 'Dark Chocolate' was so alot better tasting than the standard milk chocolate. Again I will reiterate the point this was no where near flavoured anything like I would call 'real' dark chocolate. It simply just had a stronger chocolaty taste with the slightest of burnt notes in its aftertaste....just so much more flavoursome than the standard milk chocolate. Need I bother explaining the excellence of the peanut butter...probably not...but I will briefly anyway :D It had the same ever-present creamy nutty flavour with the nicest of salty licks. The usual slight dryness was of course also present giving the peanut butter its wonderfully distinct texture. The texture of the peanut butter was not only the big winner here, the dark chocolate was implemented nice and thickly, providing a nice crispness to the bite and a pleasant melted smoothness.

Overall I enjoyed this offering from the 'Dark Knight' special editions range even more so than the 'Medallions'. Both are great products, but the sheer look of the bat shape and extra thickness of the chocolate just makes this the superior format. If your expecting a very bitter dark chocolate offering your probably in for a disappointment, its certainly not even close to being anything like a Lindt 70% etc...its just simply a better, stronger and more genuine chocolate than you get with standard Reese's products, which when combined with the sheer luxuriousness of the peanut butter produces an outstanding offering. Its fair to say if your a fan of Reese's products, or peanut butter this is going to be one product your simply going to love. It's one of my favourite Reese's products ever and one that I definitely recommend.

8.8 out of 10

To try the Reese's Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bat and many more American Candy & Sweets please visit CandyPirate

August 12th: Nestle 100 Grand

Kcal 190 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 30.0g

The 100 Grand was a bar that I had been wanting to try for ages, thanks to my pals over at Sweet Mayhem today this became a reality. The '100 Grand' is a bar produced by Nestle in the United States and is formed of caramel, milk chocolate and crisped rice.

The bar came in a 42.5g serving which provided a suitably sized snack. It came in a pretty standard wrapper that was relatively plain in its appearance; it had a more classic design rather than a flamboyant dynamic one. The product was split into two seperate finger shapes as you can see in the above picture. Similar to the wrapper, the bars looked nothing out of the ordinary and were relatively simple and practical in design. The crisped rice gave the milk chocolate a textured look but that aside there was little decoration. The finger pieces had a pleasant enough sweet chocolaty smell that had the smallest savournyess from the rice crispy pieces.

The Nestle 100 Grand offered a largely similar proposition to the standard Nestle Crunch bars I reviewed a while ago - though thankfully the 100 Grand had a little bit more going for it due to the presence of the caramel. The milk chocolate coating was milky and sweet in its flavour and had a resonably nice smooth melting rate. Letting the milk chocolate simply melt away allowed the rice crispy pieces to release their biscuity flavour - what I did like about the rice crispy pieces was that they retained a relative crunchyness to the bite even when moistened by the melting chocolate. The malty biscuit flavour was quite subtle but could be distinguished from the chocolate nonetheless. The middle parts of both the fingers contained the caramel centres which delivered in terms of giving the bar that little something extra that both the Nestle Crunch bars lacked. The flavour and texture of the caramel was not the best, it had a grainy toffee like feel to it and a sweet but subtle taste; it was not the best caramel implementation I have experienced but the bar benefitted from it nevertheless.

Overall a pretty fair bar from Nestle, but one that never did anyhing that really excited me. Appearancewise it looked nice and it certainly did a job subsiding my afternoon stomach rumbing. Tastewise it was pleasant enough but nothing more; the texture of the crisp rice and chewy caramel was enjoyable, though the grainy feel of the latter was slightly sloppy. If your a fan of the Nestle Crunch this is a bar you should really think of checking out...it's extremely similar to the Nestle Crunch milk chocolate with just that little bit more with the inclusion of the caramel element. Nice enough ,but just a little average and never going to set anyones world alight.

7.3 out of 10

Want to try the Nestle 100 Grand for yourself? Head over to Sweet Mayhem for this bar and many more sweet goods.

August 11th: Hotel Chocolat Milk & White Fusion

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Sunday night at Jim's house for the last few months seems to have officially become 'Hotel Chocolat' night...hey im not complaining, I have loved every minute of it and this week was no different.

This week I tried the 'Milk and White Fusion' - 'A swirling interplay of house milk and white chocolates'. The two 62.5g slabs looked stunning...quite how they got the swirl pattern into the chocolate I do not know - it looked mightily impressive anyway. Taking the slabs out of their plastic packaging they smelt delicious - a lovely fresh sweet milky smell emerged which just heightened my all ready sky high anticipation.

The taste didn't let down the magnificent presentation, this really was an amazing combination that worked on so many levels. The bar was designed perfectly - one end milk chocolate, the other white chocolate and the middle, a wonderfully swirled combination. The milk chocolate was of the 40% house recipe, which had a wonderful creamy cocoa flavour. As with the original bar it was delightfully textured and melted like butter on the tongue. The other side of the bar was comprised of the house white chocolate (28% cocoa 31% milk solids)...like found in last weeks White Praline bar. Again it was quite possibly the milkiest and most creamy of white chocolate I have ever tasted. It was sweet and heavily noted with vanilla and was just so incredibly moreish. Texturewise once melted it wasn't quite as thick as the milk chocolate, which was the slightest of disappointments. Separately both chocolate types where outstanding, but when mixed this bar really came into it's own. The fuller bodied cocoa taste of the milk chocolate, and creamy vanilla elements of the white combined for a simply outstanding synergy of flavours...the middle swirled parts of the bar were really to be savoured.

Overall this is yet another tremendous offering from Hotel Chocolat. There is no simpler way of putting this but the combination of the two types of chocolate was wonderfully executed - to near perfection. The bar not only looked fantastic but it's design was actually functional aswell. The ends of the slabs allowed the separate milk and white chocolates to be tasted in isolation, which gave the chance to appreciate both their different offerings in flavour...both were unique and simply exquisite. The middle of the slab with the fusion of both the chocolates simply provided a delightful experience...it had the creamiest and smoothest of flavours and had a texture that literally carassesed the mouth like silk...just heavenly!! I highly recommend this bar...as combinations go there really aren't many better.

9.2 out of 10

August 10th: M&Ms M-Azing Crunchy

Kcal 230 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 27.0g

This was one of those bars that had been hanging around my brimming box of chocolates to be reviewed for a good few months. Quite why until today I neglected this bar I don't know - it even promised to be amazing!! Well..sort of!? That is what I think the name of the bar was trying to get at anyway...spelling at Mars obviously isn't top of their priorities.

The M&Ms 'M-Azing Crunchy' bar came in a 43g serving size and incorporated 'mini Crunchy M&Ms in a solid milk chocolate bar'. The bar came in a paper sleeved outer wrapper with the chocolate itself wrapped in silver foil. I liked the appearance of the bar, it was split up into eight blocks with pictures of the M&Ms characters moulded into the surface. The bar managed to maintain a smooth surface area despite the inclusion of the mini 'Crunchy M&Ms' - the M&Ms added a nice bit of colour to the mix aswell - the bar didn't look at all bad. When released from the foil and sectioned the chocolate emanated a sweet smell...nothing special but it did smell far more appetising than standard M&Ms.

I have been eating some pretty high standard milk chocolate recently and unfortunately this bar just didn't fall into this category. It had a poor texture that seemed to clump in my mouth rather than melt, and did not have the smoothness that I have experienced with other milk chocolate....im not just talking about the more premium priced milk chocolate offerings either...this lacked the texture qualities of more mass produced bars like Dairy Milk and Galaxy. Unfortunately what the chocolate lacked in texture it did not make up for in taste - it had a poor sugary taste that lacked any real cocoa quality...it was just overly sweet and cheap tasting. The mini 'Crunchy' M&Ms gave a nice simultaneous flavour hit of rice and textured crispness, though due to their light nature they were often overpowered by the clumpy dominating chocolate.

Overall a pretty poor offering from Mars in a bar that really shouldn't have been too hard to pull off. Standard Mars milk chocolate (like used in Mars / Snickers bars etc) normally has a pleasant milky flavour that although is hardly groundbreaking is of a fair standard nonetheless. Unfortunately Mars saw it fit here to use a substandard milk chocolate that was poor in its grainy texture and its overly sugary taste...the mini 'Crunchy M&Ms' were fair game but they were predominantly overrun by the ever-present chocolate. This is a bar I really wouldn't recommend unless your a big M&Ms fan...this wasn't one I enjoyed.

6.0 out of 10

August 9th: Cadbury Wunderbar (Can)

Kcal 310 Fat 18.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 33.0g

Until today if you had asked me what a 'Wunderbar' was I would most likely have gone a slight shade of red and said that it was an item of ladies underwear. The Cadbury Wunderbar seems to be a product that is very little known outside of its country of manufacture, which is in actual fact Canada.

The bar incorporated a scrumptious sounding 'peanut butter centre with a caramel and chocolate coating', and came in an extremely large and satisfying 58g serving. It was packaged in a pretty standard looking wrapper that incorporated a typical Cadbury purple colour code scheme. The bar itself looked almost identical to a Cadbury Starbar though the peanut butter centre had a nice moist look to it, the bar also appeared a tad larger. Splitting the bar down the middle revealed a delightful sweet nutty smell...it smelt absolutely delicious; I simply couldn't wait to dig in.

Biting into the bar revealed a vast array of textures and flavours... so many infact that im going to find it hard detailing them all. The chocolate coating was just the right thickness and provided both a nice cracking sensation when bitten into, and also a nice melt when left on the tongue. The chocolate didn't quite have the flavour depth of Dairy Milk though it was of a good standard nonetheless. Tastewise it didn't have the strongest of cocoa strengths, but it had pleasant creamyness that allowed the rest of the other ingredients to express themselves. The caramel layer was a genius inclusion...it had a delightful sweetness and chewy texture that really complimented the peanut centre. The centre was a mixture of peanut butter and peanut pieces, which made for a wonderfully moist but crunchy texture. Flavourwise it wasn't quite as creamy and flavoursome as Reese's peanut butter but it was still very tasty and had a nice strong smooth nutty flavour. The addition of the peanut pieces added yet another variation in the texture and made the bar all the more substanstial. Looking at the nutritional values this isn't a bar for a person on a diet, just look at the fat content! Disregarding that, if your're after a truly satisfying and substantial chocolate bar you will be hard pressed to find better.

Overall this is a really good standard bar from Cadbury - so much so that I am really surprised at its lack of distribution outside of Canada. None of the layers to the bar are individually executed to the highest standard, though the way they are integrated together truly makes for a high quality amalgamation of different flavours. The sheer array of textures and flavours is outstanding - from the smooth creamy chocolate, sweet caramel and moist crunchy nutty centre, each bite was interesting and full of flavour - a real delight to eat. It's almost selfish of the Canadians to be keeping this bar all to themselves :) if your lucky enough to come across a 'Wunderbar' I would highly recommend you give it a try.

8.8 out of 10

August 8th: Marks & Spencer Swiss Milk Chocolate

Kcal 30 Fat 2.0g Fat(sats) 1.2g Carbs 2.7g (per disc)

Own Label (Grocery Store brand) chocolate till today had been an area I'd simply stayed cleared of. Working in the marketing industry I am pretty fascinated by brands, so these own label offerings generally just don't seem to make it on to my radar. Well today this was all change as due to the volume of requests I have been receiving to review some Marks & Spencer chocolate I could gloss over this area of the market no more.

For my readers outside the UK let me give you a quick low-down on M&S: it's a British food and clothing retailer with 600 domestic stores, and is generally perceived by most consumers as a more up market brand in comparison to our major multiples Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda etc.

Today I sampled some of their Milk Swiss Chocolate that came in a 115g tube which contained twenty disc shaped chocolates. On pack they were described as 'Extra fine Swiss milk chocolate discs with ground hazelnuts'. The ingredients read pretty cleanly: 'Sugar, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, cocoa mass...ground hazelnuts (1.2%)', the cocoa and milk solids were at a reasonably high level - 35% and 21% - this all seemed pretty premium sounding to me.

The product itself was presented nicely - i wasn't quite sure of the cardboard tube format at first, aesthetically it wasn't terribly impressive but it did a job protecting the discs inside. The discs were foil wrapped in plain blue wrappers which kept them relatively fresh looking; they had a nice pattern displayed on the surface which added nicely to their relatively plain look. The discs didn't offer the strongest of aromas - a faint chocolaty smell but nothing overly enticing.

One thing I immediately found quite puzzling with these discs when I came to eat them were their size. They were to large to place in the mouth to eat whole (comfortably!!), yet to flimsy to really break into smaller pieces - this was a slight annoyance. Despite my issue with the size, the disc shape really helped deliver a delightful melt on the tongue. The large surface area allowed the chocolate to have an immediate flavour intensity and nice longevity of melt. The chocolate had a nice cocoa flavour with a nice milky smoothness - the aftertaste was noted with the slightest of nuttyness from the hazelnut that added a nice dimension to the overall taste. Due to the milkyness and smoothness of taste these were not the richest or most satisfying of chocolates, though one or two with a mid-morning coffee seemed a perfect situation for these to be consumed.

Overall although not the most unique tasting on the market these are a better than average milk chocolate. The quality of ingredients is reasonably good and the additional element of the ground hazelnuts made for an more compelling overall taste. I wouldn't necessarily recommend these as a product to enjoy on mass i.e. eat a tube at a time - as I wouldn't say it would be the most exciting of experiences, although as I said above, these are a great choice of product to eat one or two at a time for a quick chocolate fix.

7.7 out of 10

August 8th: Nestle Milkybar White Moments

Kcal 500 Fat 22.1 Fat(sats) 14.0g Carbs 70.0g (per 100.0g)

Long-time Chocolate Mission readers will be aware that I am a big fan of Milkybar products...from the 'Chunky' bar,the Easter 'Shaker Egg' and even the traditional 'Buttons'; I have enjoyed them all, with each of them scoring at least 8 out of 10. Today I sampled the latest addition to the Milkybar portfolio, the Milkybar 'White Moments' which were described on pack as 'delicious, creamy white chocolate wrapped in a crispy sugar shell'.... a product very similar in proposition to the quite frankly awful M&Ms 'Pirate Pearls'... could these do any better on the Chocolate Mission rating system?

The 'White Moments' came in a 175g grab pouch which I ate over the course of four occaisions. The 'Moments' themselves were slightly larger in size than Galaxy Minstrels and had a sound if uninspiring look. The pouch was nicely presented with a handy reseal able sticky tab included. Despite being concealed in a fresh style package the 'Moments' had only a very insignificant subtle milky aroma...I can only theorise the smell wasn't as strong as with other Milkybar products as the chocolate was being contained within the sugary shells.

The sugary shells delivered on the promised crispness to each bite and gave an expected sweetness. Due to the largish size of the 'Moments', simply sucking on one in the mouth felt like sucking on a sugar cube, ruling this eating method completely out of the question. This meant that each one had to be bitten into which did not play favourably for the chocolate. All too often white chocolate is produced with excessive sugar making the taste unbearably sickly (see Cadbury Dream!!)...this is something that Milkybar generally avoids as the high milk content makes for a creamyness that normally dominates the taste. Unfortunately the sugary shells just added to the sweetness of the original Milkybar chocolate and masked the normally delicious creamyness, making for an extremely sweet taste that sooner became more sickly than it did satisfying.

Overall im starting to believe that sugar shelled white chocolate is simply something that can't be pulled off. Milkybar is among my favourite white chocolate, but when placed in this format it could not avoid the inevitable, and when the additional sugar from the shells was added to the mix these 'Moments' fell down the all too familiar trap of being overly sweet in their flavour. To be honest I was more disappointed than I was suprised at these 'White Moments', and because of that I wouldn't overly recommend them. In my opinion these are a pretty poor line extension for Milkybar, and though I can see their appeal to a younger consumer with a pallette more accustom to sweeter tastes, I think your better off seeking out another product from the range if your after a dose of Milkybar.

6.7 out of 10