February 23rd: Thorntons Whipped Fudge Bar

Kcal 190 Fat 9.9g Fat(sats) 6.7g Carbs 23.9g 

My review of the M&S fudge bar last month gave one of my readers (Stu) the urge to leave a comment regarding his love for Thorntons' attempt at this part of the market. In his comment Stu remarked that he believed the bar was now out of production, however walking into my local Thorntons last week I found this 'Whipped Fudge Bar', which I guess may even be the one he was talking about. Consisting of a 'fudge centre, with a ribbon of caramel covered in milk and dark chocolate', it struck me as an interesting prospect - would the extra sweetness of the caramel be a worthy addition? ... there was only one way to find out!  

Although not stated on the actual product, by my calculation the bar weighed in at approximately 40.0g. The packaging was in the standard Thorntons style, with a matted type wrapper that combined both qualities of freshness and an aesthetically pleasing look. I liked the appearance of the bar, although not the greatest in terms of size, the shot of caramel that was consistent throughout struck me as particularly tempting with its magnificent golden colour and oozing effect once the bar was bitten into. The combination of the sweet scents from the fudge and dairy led cocoa aromas made for what was an enticing smell - I was really looking forward to getting stuck in to this one. 

A real strength of the M&S fudge bar I reviewed last month was the way in which the chocolate melted into the softer fudge layer. This was consistent with this bar, but it also had the addition of the gooey caramel at the centre of each bite, which saved the fudge from becoming overly dry in the mouth. The presence of the dark chocolate was really non apparent in the taste, to be honest decoration aside it was really a non-factor. The actual milk chocolate coating however was particularly pleasant, and substantiated a host of milky, cocoa flavours that were not only instantly imposing but also lasting. Below the chocolate the fudge centre was equally as tasty with a fantastically sweet, buttery clotted cream like taste. Further adding interest to the texture of the fudge, the caramel brought a terrific syrupy, saltiness to the equation .... yum yum yum. The mixture of all these different elements certainly made for a compelling, moreish taste; it must be said though, the resulting sweetness did mean that the entire bar was flirting with being a tad over bearing and sickly. 

Overall this in my opinion, from what I have reviewed so far, is the king of the fudge bars on the market. It combined all of what was great about the M&S fudge bar, and added a fantastic caramel element to further add diversity in both taste and textures. If I was to have to recommend a chocolate, fudge product based on the present market this would have to be the one. This bar has got me thinking though ... Cadbury ... yes you CADBURY!! Take note please ... take the Cadbury Fudge Bar ... double it in size ... add some Cadbury Caramel .... Wooolah - now that would be something special! Need I say more!?    

8.8 out of 10