November 22nd: Hershey's Take 5 White Chocolate

Kcal 200 Fat 10.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 25.0g

It seems an absolute age since I last reviewed a Hershey's product, but fear not as **I SHOP 4 YOU II** today supplied me with yet another limited edition from the Take 5 range. I have reviewed the original Take 5 and peanut butter variants before, both to mixed results. Today I tried the White Chocolate variant - those of you who have forgotten what comprises a Take 5, it it is formed of pretzel pieces, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter and in this instance a white chocolate coating.

The bar came in a 42g serving size, this didn't prove to be the most sufficient snack - I was still quite peckish after eating it. The presentation was all rather fair; the two pieces came in a reasonably nice looking foil wrapper that displayed the contents clearly. Inside the packet a inner cardboard sleeve protected the product ... always a nice touch. The pieces themselves were also reasonably well presented. They lacked any really branding or intricate detail, though I could appreciate the distinctiveness of the layering of the inner fillings. I did enjoy the aroma that came from the product - some enjoyable nutty, dairy smells emerged and became increasingly strong when the pieces were bitten in to.

Unfortunately this variant shared a few of the same problems as the peanut butter variant. I found that the outer coating really lacked flavour and had a waxy, slow melt. The white chocolate had a very mild milky flavour, however offered very little aside from this. Fortunately the combination of the contrasting sweet and salty flavours of the peanut butter and pretzels did give the product some degree of enjoyable taste, but even these were short lived. The pretzels were lacking the real crunchy that I desired, however were flavoursome enough to warrant their presence. The caramel element lacked real presence, which was a shame as I thought the sweet, buttery flavours it did add where present, were nicely varied from the salty peanut elements. As stated above this wasn't the most satisfying of snack in terms of hunger. I think this was largely down to the flavours being very short lived.

Overall this was a bit of a lacklustre variant, largely due to the lack of quality from the white chocolate coating. Despite the best efforts of the nicely flavoured pretzel and peanut butter layers, the lack of flavour and poor texture of the coating really came at detriment to the overall taste. Out of the range the milk chocolate Take 5 is still head and shoulders above both the Peanut Butter and this White Chocolate variant. If you were going to go for a Take 5 product that would be the one I suggest.

6.9 out of 10

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November 22nd: Cadbury Shots

Kcal 15 Fat 0.7g Fat(sats) 0.4g Carbs 2.1g (per sweet)

These are a Cadbury product I don't see all that often. Their distribution may vary by region, and for all I know you guys may see them all the time, though here in sunny old Surrey these are very rarely come across. Saying that I did manage to pick up a lone pack in a random One Stop shop. These Cadbury Shots are Cadbury's answer to M&M's, Minstrels etc, billed as 'sugar coated balls of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate'.

These Cadbury Shots came in the form a 200.0g bag, which I shared with some friends. The packaging and presentation I thought lacked the usual Cadbury charm. The packaging was quite plain in it's design, and the chocolates looked nothing more special than glazed Cadbury Tasters. Don't get me wrong there was nothing wrong with appearance, it was just nothing special either. Hard shelled, sugar coated products commonly lack decent aromas (see M&Ms!!), though this was not true of the 'Shots'. The familiar Dairy Milk smell was ever present, maybe not quite as strong as with other Cadbury products, but it was reasonably forthcoming and enticing.

Though sharing the bag with three other people I managed to get my fair share. In relation to other sugar coated chocolates I would say these were a relatively fulfilling snack, something that was largely down to the strength of the Dairy Milk chocolate. Even given the extra sugar from the hard shells, the Dairy Milk was still quite nicely balanced with its delicious creamy taste. The presence of the sugary shells for me wasn't all that favourable. As mentioned they did little to enhance the taste, and to be honest they spoilt the best way of enjoying the texture of the chocolate, due them needing to be crunched. Dairy Milk is a chocolate that deserves to be longfully left to melt on the tongue, the inclusion of the hard shells meant this wasn't entirely possible.

Overall these were another relatively decent product from Cadbury, though they would never be my favoured means of enjoying Dairy Milk. The sugary shells didn't allow the enjoyment of the slow melt of Dairy Milk, slowly sucking on these gave a the taste of sucking on a sugar cube, which meant at the end of the day they could only really be chewed - which was far from my favoured means of enjoying the chocolate. The Dairy Milk chocolate hit was still delivered, but just couldn't be enjoyed for as long as desired. If your a fan of your hard-shelled chocolate such as M&M's, Minstrels etc these are probably worth you looking at. A fair Cadbury product, but far from anything spectacular.

7.8 out of 10

November 21st: Hotel Chocolat Christmas Chimes

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

Today I tried my second slab from the Hotel Chocolat Christmas 'Peepster Box', the 'Christmas Chimes'. This slab included a solid base of 74% dark chocolate with a rather familiar looking milk chocolate bell placed in the middle (see Hotel Chocolat Bells & Baubles!!).  It isn't all that often you see dark and milk chocolate combinations - I certainly haven't had a Hotel Chocolat mix of the two, so this was a new experience for me. 

I will reiterate again my slight disappointment at the lack of a Christmas theme implemented on the design of the box and packaging for the product. It just seemed a bit daft going to all the effort of making the actual slab itself look quite festive, but forgetting to do the same to the packaging. As I described in the Hotel Chocolat Bells & Baubles review the bell shape had a lot of detail crafted into its surface - it looked just as impressive implemented in this slab. The smell of the slab was just fantastic. As soon as I opened the plastic package familiar cocoa scents emerged filling my anticipation once again for another Hotel Chocolat indulgence.

I ate this offering much the same way as I ate the 'Heavenly Holly' slab - breaking off all the chocolate around the middle and then indulging on the centrepiece. The story of this slab was that individually the 74% dark chocolate and 40% milk chocolate were superb, but unfortunately together they didn't quite deliver the 'finale' I was hoping for. The 74% dark chocolate delivered all its usual fantastic flavours, it had an immensely rich cocoa taste that had elements of coffee and dark fruits prevalent throughout. I ate this slab over two very satisfying servings. At the end of the second serving I finished the slab off eating the milk chocolate bell. When eaten in isolation it delivered some fantastic creamy, cocoa flavours, however when eaten in tandem with the base it was largely dominated by the fuller flavoured dark chocolate and only managed to oddly sweeten the overall taste. Despite the lacklustre 'finale' the slab was largely very enjoyable.

Overall we all knew before that both the Hotel Chocolat 74% and Hotel Chocolat 40% were individually fantastic, what we additionally know now though is that together they aren't the best mix. The dark chocolate delivered its usual full flavoured, rich taste and really provided a fantastic base chocolate. The milk chocolate bell was equally as enjoyable providing a sweet, creamier chocolate. Unlike the white and milk chocolate in the 'Heavenly Holly', the mixture of the milk and the dark didn't quite provide the desired finish to the slab. Despite this minor disappointment, this was still chocolate of the highest quality - another highly enjoyable offering from the Christmas 'Peepster Box'.  

8.6 out of 10

November 21st: Ritter Sport Citrus Yogurt

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

Despite Chocolate Mission currently focusing on delivering Christmas themed reviews, when given the opportunity to sample this summer themed Ritter Sport variant from Dean-German-Grocery I duly obliged. This 'Citrus Yogurt' bar consisted of 'white chocolate filled with lemon yogurt creme and rice crisp pieces'. As with most Ritter Sport offerings the filling was very generously portioned, accounting for 42% of the total bar.

The product came in the standard Ritter Sport format - in a 100.0g bar with fairly nice looking packaging. As I tend to do with most Ritter Sport variants I ate this in two servings, both of which were satisfying enough. As I have mentioned the packaging had a nice look, with a relevant colour scheme and resealable flap. The bar aesthetically looked pretty interesting, the yogurt creme filling stood out nicely with its plentiful portioning and lighter complexion. Within the filling, the rice crispy pieces were also highly visible, adding a nice golden colour just as the on-pack picture suggested. The smell of the bar was very striking - a very pungent citrusy, lemon scent quickly emerged once the packaging was opened. It smelt very nice indeed and proved to be very indicative of the taste.

Despite the bar claiming that only the filling contained lemon, the flavour was evident as soon as I placed the first white chocolate piece in my mouth ... for me this had its advantages and disadvantages. It was disappointing somewhat as it didn't allow for the build of anticipation that you get with most Ritter Sport bars, I am talking about the time in between the outer chocolate melting and the exposure of the filling. Though the excitement of the flavour progression was absent, the actual taste was superb. The white chocolate provided a delicious creamy, vanilla background flavour that complimented the lemon filling nicely. The yogurt filling had several elements to its flavours and textures. The lemon element was obviously very strong, but was nicely balanced placed in its nice dairy creme context. The rice crispies were all but lost in the taste, though were notable for the extra crunchy element they brought to the mostly smooth texture. It was not the most substantial of bars, though with the tangy flavours from both the lemon and the yogurt, it was both refreshing and highly enjoyable.

Overall this was certainly one of the more unique tasting bars I have tried on Chocolate Mission, and I must say I largely enjoyed it. It is safe to say that if you don't like lemon, then you will simply hate this bar, it had a very dominant grip on the overall taste. Luckily, I am rather partial to lemon, and enjoyed the fresh, fruity flavours offered. I have already stated my slight disappointment at the lack of taste progression, however I still think the white chocolate complimented the creamy filling nicely. I am a little unsure as to how well this bar would have worked with a milk chocolate exterior - my guess would be not quite as well. This is a pretty easy bar to offer recommendations for ... its simple - if you enjoy lemon and white chocolate then get involved ... if you don't leave this bar well alone.

8.4 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport Citrus Yogurt for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 20th: Ritter Sport Goldschatz

Kcal 565 Fat ??? Fat(sats) 24.4g Carbs 49.1g (per 100.0g) - site did not disclose fat content!

This Ritter Sport Goldschatz was a bar sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery. The 'Goldschatz' or 'Gold Treasure' to us Brits is a limited edition offering from Ritter Sport, and is formed of a solid bar of milk chocolate containing 40% cocoa solids - 21% of which came from the extra special Trinitario bean woooooo! I was pretty sceptical to what degree this bar could really differ from the slightly dull 31% milk chocolate Ritter Sport use across their standard range, but I thought what the hell anything is worth a try.

This product came in a mammoth 250.0g serving that myself and a few friends shared over the course of an evening. The bar came in a pretty snazzy looking shiny golden wrapper - I guess it did give the product a 'special' feel - it certainly made it stand out from the usual range. The bar itself was very well preserved within the wrapper, each of the blocks had a very shiny looking surface and looked particularly well crafted with the Ritter Sport logo cleanly cut into the surface. The smell of the bar was mostly cocoa rooted, it smelt pleasant but was neither the most forthcoming or remarkable.

Much as I thought, there was only a very minor difference in the taste to this bar and the standard milk chocolate that is implemented in such bars as the Ritter Sport Yogurt, Whole Almonds etc. The texture was good, and the slow thickish melt allowed the flavour progression to play out nicely. The taste of the chocolate was in a sense unremarkable, but at the same time still quite pleasant. The flavours started out very milky, though as the melt of the chocolate progressed the overall taste became far more cocoa driven and chocolaty. The enhanced amount of cocoa made for a longer aftertaste compared to the standard Ritter Sport milk chocolate, though I personally still thought there was a defining element missing to the overall taste. The chocolate was on the whole nice, but just lacked that cutting edge element to its taste to make it stand out in what is already a very congested milk chocolate market.

Overall this was a fair milk chocolate offering, though it really reaffirmed my own belief that the Ritter Sport brand is largely successful due to the usual prestige of its fillings. This was fair enough milk chocolate, though on reflection it lacked a real distinguishing feature like say the creaminess of the Dairy Milk or the clean, crisp taste of the Hotel Chocolat 40%. As far as milk chocolate goes this bar isn't bad at all, just I think if your going to go for a product from the Ritter Sport brand, your best going for a bar with an added flavour.

7.7 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport Goldschatz for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 20th: Milka Wasser

Kcal 555 Fat 34.0g Fat(sats) 19.5g Carbs 57.0g (per 100.0g)

There was no need to use a translator for this one - Milka 'Wasser' (Water) forms another part of the Milka Limited editions 'elements' range. This was one of the more unique Milka combinations Dean-German-Grocery have sent me, and was formed of 'Alpine milk chocolate with milk creme and melon'. The only watermelon product I have reviewed before was the Japanese Kit Kat Watermelon ... I was looking for far better things here.

The bar conformed with all standard Milka products, and came in a 100.0g size. The packaging was nicely done - it had all the usual fresh keeping, resealable attributes and included a nice looking picture on the front, displaying the watermelon ingredient clearly. The bar looked exactly like the Milka Milk Creme bar, though some small glistening translucent pieces could be seen between the whipped creme layer. The really striking thing about the bar was its very imposing aroma. A very sweet watermelon scent was very forthcoming, behind this strong fruity aroma were the usual pleasant dairy Milka smells.

The Alpine Milk chocolate as ever provided a very sufficient exterior chocolate. The smooth, creamy melt was delightfully paced and exposed the inner creme filling at just the right rate. The filling was unfortunately where the texture took a bit of a turn for the worse. The creme element was as I was expecting whipped and lighter, which on the whole was enjoyable. Hidden in between this smooth, light layer though were the small transparent particles I mentioned in the bars appearance ... and these were dreaded 'popping candy pieces' ... like the ones found in the Cadbury Magical Elves. I really disliked the popping sensation as it broke up the other smooth layers of the bar. It is a personal thing - I just really didn't enjoy the crackling sensation on the back of my throat. This unfavourable texture quality was really disappointing, even more so given the fact that the actual taste of the filling was pretty good. The watermelon flavour was obviously artificially generated, but still had a really enjoyable, fresh fruity appeal that worked well with the creaminess of the milk creme and alpine milk. The flavours were not the longest lasting, but 50.0g of this made for a more than adequate snack.

Overall the actual flavours in this bar were very well implemented and highly enjoyable, but unfortunately for me the product was ruined by the sheer awfulness of the 'popping candy' texture. The combination of the milk chocolate, milk creme and watermelon favours was well conceived and delivered a unique and refreshing taste. It was just a shame that Milka decided to include those god awful crackling pieces. Even if you are in the same camp as myself and don't particularly enjoy this texture effect, I would still partially recommend this bar solely on the uniqueness of its flavours alone. If your a 'popping candy' and watermelon lover, you are in for a real treat.

7.8 out of 1o

Fancy trying the Milka Wasser for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 19th: Celebrations

Kcal 506 Fat 26.8g Carbs 60.6g (per 100.0g)

Looking at the contents of the Celebrations selection really makes impressive reading. So many of the brands included in the collection have done well on the Chocolate Mission rating system in their standard forms - Mars, Snickers, Bounty, Galaxy Caramel just to name a few. Could they deliver the same satisfaction in bite size form? I put this to the test.

Much like I did with the Cadbury Roses I bought this product in a 70.0g pack, which included one of all the different variants. I thought the presentation had both good and bad points. I can't say I am the biggest fan of the outer packaging - I don't know what it is about the Celebrations logo but I really don't like it. I liked the small mini branded foil wrappers each of the chocolates came in - they not only kept them in pristine condition but they all of them also looked aesthetically pleasing.

Below are my tasting notes for each different variant:

Galaxy - lacked a truly telling aroma. The size and shape of the block was of the 'old' design, which delivered a wonderfully thick melt. Usual delicious, long creamy taste. A good standard milk chocolate. Very Good.

Bounty - Very appealing coconut driven aroma. The smooth melt of the chocolate transitioned nicely into the rougher texture of the coconut centre. The milk chocolate could have done with being a bit thicker, though it provided a nice chocolaty base flavour for the milky nuttiness of the coconut. Very Good.

Malteser - Completely different proposition to the usual Maltesers. Lacked a telling aroma and was an awkward shape. The melt was smooth but felt somewhat greasy. The flavours of the chocolate weren't as forthcoming in comparison to the other variants - surprising as I would have thought they would have used the same chocolate recipe. The malt centre saved these and was actually quite pleasant. Standard.

Galaxy Caramel - Appealing sweet scent. The creamy taste of the chocolate was well delivered with the usual thick, double cream like consistency. The caramel was wonderfully portioned - offering a distinct sweet, buttery set of flavours with its luxuriously soft, slightly chewy texture. Excellent.

Mars - Smell largely dairy driven with a hint of sweetness from the nougat. The chocolate was thick enough to substantiate a milky base flavour that worked nicely in tandem with the sweetness from the caramel and the nougat. The nougat slightly dominated the caramel, which could have done with being a bit more generously portioned - still highly enjoyable though. Very Good.

Snickers - The chocolaty, peanut smell was very forthcoming and hugely enticing. The milk chocolate was well portioned and its pleasant melt substantiated the chocolate base flavours well before revealing the inner caramel, peanuts and nougat. The caramel and peanut elements delivered the classic sweet and salty taste to perfection, and the nougat gave the piece a real substantialty - my favourite. Excellent.

Milky Way - Delightful sweet, dairy smell. The milk chocolate was just about the right thickness and provided a nice chocolaty base flavour. The inner nougat wasn't the most flavoursome in comparison to other selections from the box, though it still had a milky, vanilla type appeal with a nice firm texture. Standard.

Galaxy Truffle - Like the Maltesers pieces these are only available in the Celebrations selection. The size of the piece was a bit on the large side, though there was no arguing with the taste. The outer chocolate melt was thick and revealed the truffle centre nicely. The delightful creaminess of the outer chocolate was even bettered by the luxurious lighter truffle centre - why oh why are these not available as a stand alone product? Excellent.  

Overall these are a fantastic selection of chocolates that combine the two fundamental elements of variety and good taste. The only real disappointing one of the entire selection was the Malteser variant, which in my opinion didn't deliver the same quality in comparison to the others - I am sure there will be those that disagree :) Personally I thought the other variants made the transition from full scale products to the bite sized pieces well, encapsulating their different attributes superbly in such small pieces. Despite the recent exclusions of both the Twix and Topic variants this is still a fantastic selection, and one that I would very much recommend. 

8.8 out of 10  

November 19th: Lindt Excellence White Chocolate Stracciatella

Kcal 230 Fat 19.0g Fat(sats) 13.0g Carbs 14.0g (per 30.0g)

After the huge success I had with the Lindt Excellence White Coconut Chocolate, I couldn't help but oblige when Dean-German-Grocery offered me the chance to try this 'White Chocolate Stracciatella' bar. Containing 'dark chocolate pieces and rice wheat crispies in white chocolate' it sounded hugely appealing. Doing a bit of research I found that Stracciatella is actually a form of soup, though it is also commonly used as a name for an Italian ice-cream formed of very similar ingredients (see here!).

I don't need to tell you again about the quality of the presentation of Lindt's Excellence range. The outer packaging had a nice light blue colour scheme and pictured a pretty enticing ice-cream image. The bar itself looked fantastic, it looked rather like the Hershey's Cookies n Creme bar, with the cream coloured background speckled with black dark chocolate pieces. On closer inspection I could also make out the crispy pieces, though they didn't seem to be portioned that generously. The bar had a delightful smell, it had a mixture of creamy, caramel sweet scents that were all really appealing.

Having learnt that Stracciatella was a form of ice-cream I was little less surprised when I confronted the insanely vanilla concentrated taste of the white chocolate. It was very distinct, and was far more intense than the white chocolate on offer from the Lindt Excellene White Coconut Chocolate. This had both pros and cons: I liked it for its impactful flavours that really left a creamy aftertaste, though it was these same flavours that did become a bit overly sweet when eaten in large amounts. The sweetness of the white chocolate did contrast favourably with the dark chocolate pieces, which added superb short sharp bursts of cocoa throughout. Like I mentioned above the rice cereal pieces were not that well portioned - to be honest I preferred it like this as the harder cereal pieces only disrupted the smooth melt of the chocolate. The bar tasted fantastic, but the intensity of the sweet flavours meant that it was one best enjoyed it smaller servings.

Overall this was yet another outstanding white chocolate offering from Lindt, who have now proved they can deliver high quality white chocolate in two different guises. The intense vanilla flavour of this bar was as equally as enjoyable as the more milky, creamy white chocolate like in the Lindt Excellence White Coconut Chocolate, though it must be said the added extra elements didn't mix quite as well as the coconut did in the latter. Vanilla ice-cream fans you will fall in love with this bar, similarly I would highly recommend this to any Lindt and white chocolate fans. Yet more outstanding quality from Lindt.

8.7 out of 10

Fancy trying the Lindt Excellence White Chocolate Stracciatella for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 18th: Terry's Chocolate Orange Snowball

Kcal 535 Fat 29.5g Fat(sats) 17.5g Carbs 63.0g (per 100.0g)

Look what I found on a BOGOF in Woolworths this weekend!! Yes indeed it seems like Terry is getting himself involved with Christmas this year, in the form of this Chocolate Orange Snowball. For those of you that haven't put two and two together this Snowball is comprised of 'white chocolate flavoured with real orange'. I am actually quite partial to a bit of Terry's Chocolate Orange, as proved by my reviews for the Milk Chocolate and Golden Nugget Crunch, so I had a fair bit of optimism before consuming this white variant.

I really liked the presentation of the product. Everything from the outer packaging, inner foil wrapper and even the chocolate itself incorporated the festive theme well. The cartoon design work on the outer cardboard box looked fun, and the inner foil not only maintained the product in a fresh state, but actually looked rather nice with a snowflake pattern. The chocolate itself was nicely formed in the usual Terry's Chocolate Orange sphere - it looked both unique and appetising. The usual orangey smell typical of Terry's wasn't quite delivered to the usual standard here - a yogurty tangy smell partially distracted my senses from the usual fruity scents.   

Mass produced white chocolate can be brilliant at its best (see Thorntons White Chocolate / Milky Bar), but truly terrible at its worst (see Cadbury Dream) ... thankfully this bar sat nearer the better end of the spectrum. The white chocolate was extremely sweet, but it also had a relatively large amount of flavours contributing to the overall taste. The underlying base flavour throughout was a strong powdered milk one, it was creamy but sweet and was finished nicely with just a hint of vanilla. As with all Terry's products the orange was the dominant constituent of the taste. Unlike the smell suggested its strength was as prevalent as ever - it was fruity, refreshing and nicely balanced with the chocolate. I ate this 170.0g sphere over a fair few sittings (8 or so!?), I enjoyed the taste but it was devilishly sweet - I could only handle a few segments at at time meaning this wasn't the most fulfilling product ever. 

Overall this was an enjoyable variant of the Terry's Chocolate Orange brand - not quite the best, but good nonetheless. Considering the mass produced nature of the white chocolate it was actually surprisingly full of flavour, all too often manufactures just replace the cocoa with sugar. Indeed the white chocolate was sweet, but it was equally as flavoursome with a nice creamy, vanilla noted taste. As ever the orange flavouring was nicely balanced delivering a strong zesty taste that complimented the chocolate nicely. If your a white chocolate or orange fan I would recommend this, possibly overly sweet for some though. 

7.9 out of 10  

November 17th: Hotel Chocolat Heavenly Holly

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

Just when I thought my Hotel Chocolat Christmas experience was over for this year after my review of the Hotel Chocolat Cool Yule, the kind folk at Hotel Chocolat decided to send me yet another batch of festive treats. Included in this selection was a Christmas themed 'Peepster Box'. Given that I now have a fair few Hotel Chocolat products to review before Christmas, it looks like I may have to break a habit of the last 6 months and post more than one Hotel Chocolat review a week .... oh what a shame :)  I started off my look at this new Christmas 'Peepster' by trying the 'Heavenly Holly', a slab that promised - 'white chocolate holly leaves on a bed of milk chocolate'. 

This slab came in a single 100.0g serving that did me for two sittings. I am going to end up saying this in every review from this box, but I was a little disappointed that more was not made of the Christmas theme on the outer packaging. Only the names and slabs themselves actually displayed the fact they were Christmas themed - the black box and plastic packaging did little else to indicate so. This aside, everything still managed to maintain a classy look - especially the slab, which was nicely decorated with a centerpiece of white chocolate holly that had a good amount of crafting detail. Once the plastic packet of the slab was opened, the mixture of dairy and cocoa scents were as ever very indicative of the taste and extremely enticing.

The milk chocolate was of the typical house 40% recipe, and was every bit as tasty as every other experience I have had with it. The cocoa flavours were strong, and the chocolaty taste crisp and clean. The melt was wonderfully paced and formed into a thick, double cream like density once suitably melted. The aftertaste was long and left a milky freshness in the mouth. What I enjoy so much about these sorts of slabs are the centerpiece features - which in this case was the white chocolate holly. I don't know what it is, but I always find it highly satisfying picking my way round the piece and saving it for the last bite ... of course the white chocolate didn't let me down. It provided an outstanding extra injection of creamy, buttery vanilla flavours that complimented the milk chocolate simply superbly - a very fitting way to finish the slab.

Overall this was another truly fantastic slab from Hotel Chocolat, though I probably could have told you that  before I tasted it. The 40% was wonderfully implemented, and once more provided its creamy cocoa led flavours as satisfyingly as ever. The white chocolate holly went beyond just providing a pretty decorative piece, delivering a wonderfully extra creamy finish to the slab. This selection is shaping up nicely - and this was damn good start. 

8.7 out of 10      

November 17th: McVitie's Chocolate Digestive Flapjack

Kcal 316 Fat 14.g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 41.8g

I have been tearing through McVitie's range of flapjacks at a fair rate of knots in the last few weeks - first the Snickers Flapjack, then the Hobnobs Flapjack and today the Chocolate Digestive Flapjack. I will reiterate again that I am not the biggest biscuit fanatic, though I did like the sound of this 'flapjack with digestive bits, topped with milk chocolate'.

The flapjack was delivered in much the same fashion as the Hobnobs variant in a plentiful 65g serving. The plastic packaging again looked ok aesthetically, though I thought the flapjack itself looked rather plain looking ... it would just look far more interesting with a logo or pattern implemented on the top of the chocolate. The bar lacked a chocolaty scent, however there was a reasonably pleasant, but still quite minor buttery aroma.

It is fair to say that if your a fan of the Chocolate Digestive biscuit, your really going to quite enjoy this flapjack. All the typical wheaty flavours of the biscuit were present and formed the main constituants of the overall taste. The buttery, wheaty flavours of the biscuit were well complimented by the other syrup and oat ingredients of the flapjack, providing a pretty long lasting taste. As with the Hobnob variant, the milk chocolate topping was lacking in its influence. It had a nice milky flavour, but it was largely lost in the dense nature of the flapjack base. This was an enjoyable mid-afternoon snack, and was a pretty filling one at that.

Overall this was another pretty fair standard flapjack, and I am sure it will come as no surprise to you when I suggest that your preferrence between this or the Hobnob variant will be down to nothing more than which is your favoured biscuit. The milk chocolate in both was pretty poor, having very little impact on the overall taste. The base of this Digestive flapjack combined both the biscuit and oaty elements superbly, delivering a by and large satisfying and fulfilling experience. My own personal preferrence lies with the Hobnobs variant as I prefer the extra element of saltiness in the taste, though truly there is little variation between the two. If your a fan of the biscuits I suggest you get well and truly involved.

7.4 out of 10  

 

November 16th: Milka Erde

Kcal 550 Fat 33.0g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 55.5g (per 100.0g)

This Milka Erde (Earth) was another one of four recent Milka Limited Editions that Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me to sample (I reviewed the first one last week - Milka Luft Air!!). This Milka Erde bar was formed of Alpine Milk chocolate with a nougat cream and crocant filling. Crocant - for those of you that don't know is a form of nut brittle.

The bar came in the standard 100.0g Milka format, and had a reasonably nice looking wrapper. The filling of the bar was nicely pictured on the front, and as ever the one layer plastic material had a handy resealable flap. The bar itself looked nice, with a nice glossy surface and interesting looking small brittle pieces jutting out between each of the blocks. The smell of the bar seemed to have more of hazelnut focus rather than the dairy one that is typical with most Milka bars. As I generally find with the majority of Milka products, the presentation was very good, not quite top end quality (Lindt etc), but still consistently well presented.

From the first block it was very noticeable that the Alpine Milk was faster in its melt than normal. I don't know what it is with the 'cream' filled Milka bars, but these variants always seem to melt all that bit faster. I guess it must be the moistness of the fillings, though I am still a bit puzzled as to why this would effect the solid outer chocolate. Anyway, despite the faster melt the milky flavours of the Alpine milk still provided a more than adequate initial flavour for the sweeter, nuttier flavours that preceded. The nougat creme had a nice creamy taste that had a strong hazelnut influence. Interspersed between the smoothness of the creme filling were small crunchy sugary pieces that gave an extra sweet hazelnut burst when bitten into. The two creme and crocant elements combined, produced a creamy nutty taste that was very similar to the one delivered in the Ferrero Giotto - just an awful lot sweeter. Although I did very much enjoy the taste, I did find this variant particularly sweet and a bit sickly. Because of this I could only handle a few blocks at a time, and ate the bar over four servings.

Overall this is another good variant from Milka, however I don't think this bar is quite for everyone. All the ingredients combined to give a short, but very sweet and impactful creamy, nutty taste that was delivered with an interesting texture combining both smooth and crunchy elements. Although I did on the whole enjoy the taste, I at times found it overly sweet, which meant that I could only eat the bar in small quantities. If your a fan of Milka then it is pretty likely you enjoy sweeter chocolate offerings anyway, so this bar would be well worth you taking a look at.

8.1 out of 10

Fancy trying the Milka Erde for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 16th: Tunnock's Caramel Log Wafer

Kcal 150 Fat 6.7g Fat(sats) 5.4g Carbs 21.0g

Having reunited my taste buds with the Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer just the other day, Today I dug in to a bar from the Tunnock's range that I had never actually tried before. The Tunnock's Caramel Log follows much the same premise of the aforementioned Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer - just the Caramel Log as you can see by the picture, is sprinkled with pieces of roasted coconut.

The Caramel Log is available in two different guises - in both multipack format and single impulse bar format. The only difference between the two is the packaging. To be honest I think the multipack packaging that you get in the supermarkets looks terrible - it looks likes the cheap, garish gold coloured wrapping paper you get in Woolworths around Christmas time. Luckily for Tunnocks I picked up one of the impulse bars. The packaging was very retro, with an awesome old school design printed on a paper based material. The inside of the paper was waxed meaning the bar was kept pleasantly fresh. I liked the look of the bar, the added coconut made it it look remarkably like the Zagnut bar they have in America. Despite the sealed nature of the wrapper, the product still lacked a telling aroma - offering little more than a minor sweet scent.

It was remarkable how a simple 2g sprinkle of roasted coconut changed the experience of this bar from the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer to the extent it did. The added coconut both added and detracted elements to both the overall taste and textures of the bar. The presence of the coconut to the outside of the bar further came at detriment to the already paper thin layer of chocolate, I could literally hardly taste the chocolate at all in this one. What the coconut did accentuate though were the bisuity flavours of the bar, which combined with the sweetness of the caramel was simply fantastic. The overall taste was more nutty than the wheatier Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer. Obviously the roasted coconut added an extra crunchiness to the outside of the bar, however I could detect that the wafer was noticeably softer, and didn't quite retain the crispness of the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer bar. The culmination of all these factors meant that the Caramel Log was an equally satisfying snack, ideal for eating with an afternoon cup of tea.

Overall I really couldn't pin down a preference between this bar and the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer. The dilemma of which you should go for, if ever put in that position, should really be decided upon considering these trade-offs .... do I want a more wafer based product? or a biscuit based one? Do I want a nutty taste? or a slightly more chocolaty one? To be honest I have no real preference between the two, I would quite happily settle for either as a cure for my mid-afternoon munchies.

7.6 out of 10

November 15th: Thorntons Almond Marzipan Bar

Kcal 198 Fat 7.8g Fat(sats) 3.7g Carbs 30.3g

It has been a long while since I have reviewed any Thorntons products, so today I thought I would dip into one of their more appropriate seasonal offerings - their Almond Marzipan Bar. This bar was formed of 'dark chocolate, finished with milk chocolate with a smooth marzipan centre' and is available all year round in their impulse bar range. I am not the biggest marzipan fan, but even I could appreciate the Ritter Sport Marzipan bar, so I had an open mind with this one.

The bar came in a 45g size that provided a sufficient snack - due to the sweetness this was probably about the right size. The product was presented nicely, the wrapper had a nice matted finish, and the bar looked nice with the dark chocolate finished off well with the drizzle effect of the milk chocolate. The marzipan looked very well portioned when cross sectioned, on the whole it looked better than your average chocolate bar. Opening the pack I was somewhat surprised at the smell, the cocoa scents I was expecting from the dark chocolate were all but absent. The product had a very sweet smell that I can only presume came from the marzipan, it didn't smell nutty, just very sweet. 

Looking at the back of pack I was a bit taken back by the claim the dark chocolate contained 60% cocoa solids. If I had to liken the taste of the dark chocolate to anything it would unfortunately be the Cadbury Bournville, it had very weak cocoa flavours, and a cumbersome, slow grainy melt. The milk chocolate didn't even register in the overall taste, as I assumed its presence was mostly for decoration. Where the chocolate failed somewhat the marzipan partially made up for. It had a nice dense texture that certainly gave the bar a bit of presence compared to the all but forgettable chocolate. The taste of the marzipan was like the smell suggested, and was very sweet. It lacked the distinctness of the buttery, almond flavours of the Ritter Sport Marzipan, though they were present in a more toned down form. The sweetness of the marzipan meant this bar did become a bit sickly, this could probably have been subsided somewhat if the chocolate had been more meaningful in its flavours.

Overall this wasn't a bar I massively enjoyed, and I am not too sure I would be recommending this to anyone anytime soon. The chocolate was on the whole poor, lacking both the flavours and textures to balance the taste of the marzipan. The bar was presented well, though this was only of minor worth considering the other problems. If your a real marzipan fan you could possibly get some pleasure from this bar, I would suggest the Ritter Sport Marzipan over this though.

6.6 out of 10  

November 15th: Reese's Select Clusters

Kcal 220 Fat 13.g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 24.0g (43.0g - 3 pieces)

Yankee Soda & Candy have again come up trumps supplying me with yet another innovation from Reese's. These Reese's Select Clusters included 'peanuts, pecans, peanut butter and caramel, wrapped in milk chocolate' ... this all sounded pretty good to me!

Each cluster weighed 15.0g and was about half the size of a standard Reese's cup. Each came individually wrapped in nice looking, orange coloured themed Reese's packaging. I was somewhat disappointed that they lacked an inner paper sheath like included with the standard cups, the Clusters I sampled had leaked some of their caramel inside the wrapper ... what a waste eh!? Each cluster had a nice nutty smell upon opening; they were by no means the strongest smelling Reese's product, but they still smelt good nonetheless.

I ate each Cluster in two bites. Unsurprisingly the strongest element to the taste was the creamy peanut butter, which as you can see in the cross-section above was most heavily portioned. The creamy nutty flavours of the peanut butter contrasted perfectly with the sweet notes of the chewy caramel. It was this contrast of salty, sweet notes that dominated the overall taste. Don't get me wrong this was highly enjoyable, but also slightly disappointing as the flavours of the pecans, peanuts and quelle surprise the chocolate were all but absent. The nut pieces did add a minor crunchiness to the texture but even that was subtle. I ate three of these pieces in one sitting - it was reasonably satisfying, however I feel I could have easily eaten a few more.

Overall I thought these were a reasonably tasty product, though could have been delivered far better than they were. The added promise of the pecan and peanut pieces had me prepared for something a little different, but in reality I got something only a little varied from the standard Reese's Peanut Butter cups. The balance of the peanut butter and caramel elements was superior to that of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Caramel, and provided a very enjoyable contrast of sweet of sweet and salty flavours. If the Pecan and peanut pieces were amplified in their presence ... and of course the milk chocolate sorted out, then Reese's could be on to a winner. For the moment, a fair but really not to amazing addition to the range.

7.9 out of 10

Fancy trying the Reese's Select Clusters for yourself? Head over to Yankee Soda & Candy