March 4th: Milka Snowboard Fun

Kcal 520 Fat 28.5g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 61.0g (per 100.0g)

Following on from my review of the Milka Ski Guadi a few days ago, I today tried the second of the three new Milka variants the Milka Snowboard Fun - a bar formed of 'Milka White Chocolate with a yoghurt and wild berry filling'. Although I wasn't really looking forward to reuniting my taste buds with the Milka White Chocolate, the wild berry filling included flavourings of cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, which certainly made for an interesting proposition.

I ate the 100.0g bar over two sittings, both of which provided reasonably satisfying snack portions. I liked the aesthetics of the bar, the packaging was in the standard Milka style with the purple theme predominant. The interest of the presentation really came in the form of the bar itself where the red syrupy filling looked appetising sandwiched in between the two lighter coloured chocolate and yoghurt layers. What immediately struck me about this product was the forthcoming smell that emanated from the bar. It was fruity, yet a little synthetic ... as much as I wanted to hate it for its cheap like aroma, I actually found it relatively tempting.

When I reviewed the Milka White Chocolate solus I really didn't rate it ... it just seemed so monotomous in its shockingly sweet flavours, thankfully I can say that in this bar where it wasn't such a focal point it was far better suited. The white chocolate was still very sweet, though its creamy flavours were highlighted more greatly when eaten in tandem with the slightly soured yohgurt filling. Much as the smell of the bar suggested the wild berry flavours were very dominant and really added an extra dimension to the taste. The artificial generation of the berry flavours was unquestionable, though their fruity, tart influence was highly enjoyable against the milky, sweeter flavours of the chocolate and yogurt. All these fantastic flavours were delivered in delightfully different textures, with the chocolate melting beautifully into the drier yoghurt filling, all of which was complimented nicely by the moist wild berry syrup.

Overall I really thought this wasn't going to be a bar I was going to enjoy, but truth be told I grew really quite fond of this bar by the time I had finished it. As I have said the wild berry implementation was obviously artificial with the use of flavourings, but it was still efficient in delivering some delicious zingy, fruity flavours that balanced the sweetness of the bar nicely. If your a white chocolate fan I would strongly suggest you give this a bar a try, I wasn't expecting to ever say this about a bar that includes Milka White Chocolate but this is definitely a product I would have again.

8.1 out of 10

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

March 3rd: Maltesers MaltEaster

Kcal 155 Fat 9.2g Carbs 16.3g

You may have seen these appear in the shops around January time, though I thought I would save this review for closer to Easter as it felt a bit more fitting. I can't say I recall seeing these Maltesers MaltEaster last year, so I am presuming this is actually a bit of new product development from Mars ... not often we say that now. Formed of a 'milk chocolate bunny, with a crunchy and creamy Maltesers centre', it definitely sounded worth trying.

I bought the product in my local Sainsbury's for 59p. On reflection this was a pretty hefty price considering the quite lacklustre fulfilment it provided with its 29.0g. Anyway, the whole thing was presented well - the wrapper was well coloured and incorporated the usual Maltesers look well with a Easter theme. The piece itself was rather daintily formed, and looked particularly pleasant cross-sectioned when it revealed the creme like centre. The smell however, was a bit less spectacular only offering a minor sweet, malty smell.

I was really quite surprised to find that this Maltesers bunny actually tasted really quite nice. The outer milk chocolate was nothing special, though still provided a pleasant tasting milk chocolate coating - that on the whole did its job. The real shining star for me though was the creme like centre, it surprisingly was a lot more intricate than the standard honeycomb Maltesers centres. The filling was wonderfully creamy, with the malt flavours really creating a nice moreishness. The texture was wonderfully smooth, and was complimented superbly by some small honeycomb pieces that not only added bursts of honey flavour but also a crunchy interest. The only downfall with this product was its size, had it been larger this would have been an even more enjoyable experience as it really just wasn't that satisfying.

Overall this was a simply delicious product, however it just let itself down with its small size and relatively high price tag. The milk chocolate was unspectacular yet adequate, with the real depth of flavours coming from the wonderfully creamy malt centre. If you like your Maltesers then I really suggest you give one of these a try this Easter - you may want to wait until the Easter sales before you get addicted to them though.

7.8 out of 10 

March 2nd: Milka Ski Gaudi

Kcal 575 Fat 37.5g Fat(sats) 20.5g Carbs 52.g (per 100.0g)

Those lovely fellows at Dean-German-Grocery have again sent me across the latest new Milka variants. Milka is the sponsor of the 2009 Alpine World Ski Championships - hence the winter sports themed flavours. Today I sampled the 'Ski Gaudi' variant - a bar that was formed of 'Alpine Milk Chocolate, with a milk creme and hazelnut crocant filling' ... this sounded pretty promising to me.

As with every 100.0g Milka bar I split it in half and ate the product in two separate servings. The presentation was standard Milka style, the picture on the front proved to be an accurate representation, as you can see above the filling looked appetising and took up a large proportion of the total bar. I found the smell of the product quite alluring, it had a strong, sweet caramel like fragrance that was extremely forthcoming and gave good insight to the taste.

This was a bar that had a number of different elements to its taste, though just as the smell proposed it was very sweet indeed - even for Milka. The overall taste of the product was creamy and sweet with just a little touch of nut in its aftertaste. The Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate provided an extremely enjoyable coating to the filling and substantiated a pleasant base chocolate. The milk creme had a touch of caramel to it, which just further extended the range of the flavours with a slight burnt sugar tinge. The slight disappointment for me came in the form of the hazelnut crocant. The crystallised pieces added a nice contrastive texture to the smoothness of the chocolate and the creme, though they offered little in the way of extra nutty flavours ... to be honest they seemed more like crunchy caramel pieces. As aforementioned the taste was exceedingly sweet, despite feeling far from completely fulfilled I definitely could not have eaten anymore than 50.0g at a time.

Overall this was a nice enough flavour variation from Milka, however I expect this could be a little sweet for some peoples tastes. The milk chocolate was of course of a good quality, and the idea to add a touch of caramel to the milk creme proved to be beneficial. Personally I would have preferred actual nut pieces rather than the sugary crocant, as this probably would have delivered a better nut representation. If you can handle your sweet chocolate this is definitely a bar well worth checking out.

7.8 out of 10

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

March 1st: EASTER 2009 Mini Eggs Superpost Part 1

You may have noticed that most of these products have been in the shops for over a month now, it seems that Easter starts earlier and earlier each year. Well since January I have been sampling the best that the UK market has to offer for Easter 2009. Having covered most of the standard egg varieties in last years Easter reviews (see HERE), I decided to have a look at the 'Mini Eggs' part of the market. Below are some short, concise reviews on many of the market offerings:

Terry's Chocolate Orange Mini Eggs: 

Kcal 131 Fat 7.3g Fat(sats) 4.3 Carbs 14.5g (per 3 mini eggs)

I am a big fan of Terry's Chocolate Orange so I was looking forward to trying the 'Mini Egg' format. In regards to presentation I thought they would have been a bit more suited to not actually going for the 'egg' shape, but sticking with the standard orange fruit shape. Due to the quite loose foil wrappers the the pieces did seem to lack a bit of freshness - this was evident by the weaker aroma and slightly scuffed surfaces. 

These were by far the biggest of the 'mini eggs' in the selection I reviewed. I must say I enjoyed the slight distinction that could be made between the smoother outer milk chocolate, and the ever so slightly rougher inner centre. If there can be one criticism of Terry's Chocolate Orange it can be said that at it can be a bit on the sweet side, these eggs proved a nice solution as they delivered exactly the same product just in a short sharper fashion. 

Overall no surprises that these were a nice enough milk chocolate orange option. Very fruity, very sweet but as minor criticism I would have like to have seen a bit more effort in regards to their presentation, which just seemed a bit generic for the normally more distinct Terry's brand.

7.8 out of 10 

Smarties Mini Eggs:

Kcal 245 Fat 10.2g Fat(sats) 6.4g Carbs 36.3g (per 50.0g)

These were a little different from the rest of the 'Mini Eggs' reviewed here, as these were more along the lines of your Cadbury Mini Eggs i.e. sugar coated milk chocolate rather than milk chocolate with fillings. I liked the presentation of the pieces - they came in all the usual Smarties colours which made for a nice looking product. I must also pass comment on the aroma that was released when I opened the bag - which was one that reminded me of chocolate milk ... very nice indeed. 

These reminded me hugely of the now non-existant Giant Smarties, in that they basically included a whole lot more chocolate in proportion with the sugar coated shells. In essence this meant that the pleasant crunchy texture from the coating was present, though the taste was far more lasting as it was more cocoa led then sugar. 

Overall I must say I actually prefer these to standard Smarties. Although the chocolate was also quite sweet with its dried milk like taste, the greater impetuous placed on the inner chocolate rather than the sugar coated shells was favourable in my opinion. I enjoyed these far more than the Cadbury Mini Eggs I reviewed last year.

8.3 out of 10

Maltesers & Friends Mini Eggs:

Kcal 530 Fat 29.9g Fat(sats) 17.1g Carbs 58.4g (per 100.0g)

Well I had never seen these before! Quite why Mars went for the Maltesers & Friends as the branding I do not know!? Maybe they view Maltesers as their strongest brand? Anyway this selection included Maltesers (duh!), Mars, Galaxy and Milky Way variants, each of which were nicely presented in their own individually branded wrappers.

For me this was a selection that had its highs and lows. The lows came from the Galaxy egg which although delivered a nice solid milk chocolate didn't have the desired truffle or caramel filling. Also I can't say I cared much for the Malteser piece as the honeycomb was very sparse, and I just think that one bigger honeycomb centre would have been a better option. The Milky Way and Mars pieces however were both fantastic. The Milky Way egg had a clear distinction in its outer milk chocolate and creamier dairy filling - it was a delightful combination. Although the Mars egg lacked nougat the caramel and truffle filling was definitely my favourite out the bunch.

Overall despite this selection still being really rather good I did feel it could have been done ever so slightly better with a few adaptations. I would have loved to have seen a Galaxy Truffle egg (like in Celebrations!), also I think a Bounty variant would have gone down well. Saying that, this is still a highly enjoyable range of mini eggs and one that I would recommend. 

8.5 out of 10

Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Mini Eggs:

Kcal 55 Fat 2.8g Carbs 6.5g (per mini egg)

The standard Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel still holds number two spot on the ChocolateMission leader board and for good reason. These mini eggs came in fantastic looking foil wrappers, and as you can see above looked absolutely terrific when cross-sectioned with the golden caramel oozing out temptingly.

Remembering back to my review of the standard egg size I remember I had the slight criticism that the caramel overwhelmed the chocolate a bit ... well these mini eggs settled that problem. As you can see above the outer milk chocolate was deliciously creamy and melted absolutely divinely in the mouth. The caramel was as ever silky soft in its texture and wonderfully balanced in its sweet, burnt flavours. 

Overall if someone offered me these or a standard bar I would still choose the standard bar every time, as I just think it is absolutely spot on its delivery of the combination. As far as Easter products go though these are a fantastic product and are up there with there with the best. For caramel and milk chocolate combinations you never need look further than the Dairy Milk or

Galaxy products ... in a word AWESOME!

8.8 out of 10

Cadbury Creme Egg Minis:

Kcal 50 Fat 1.9g Fat(sats) 1.2g Carbs 7.8g (per mini egg)

The Cadbury Creme Egg is no doubt a superb product, and I always manage to get through my fair share each Easter. Before trying these though I must admit I had never tried them in mini egg variety. These incorporated the fantastically colourful Creme Egg theme, with both the packaging and eggs themselves cutting a distinct and appetising look. 

Critics of the standard Creme Egg often say that the abundance of the fondant can become quite sickening and overly dominant in its sweetness, well those critics might want to give these a go as I thought these mini eggs were absolutely fantastic. The creamy dairy milk chocolate had an even greater presence in the taste, which meant that the fondant centre wasn't quite as dominant as usual. The eggs were still very sweet, but this was magnificently managed in the mini egg format - a few of these at a time were highly satisfying.

Overall if I am honest these didn't quite deliver the same grand experience you get with the standard sized egg, but I must admit the sweet nature of the product was fantastically suited to the smaller format. Although these smaller eggs are not quite as iconic as the standard sized Creme Egg, I would strongly recommend digging into a pack of these this Easter ... another Cadbury cracker.

8.8 out of 10 

As you can see from above there are some great 'Mini Egg' options available this Easter. My own personal picks would be the Cadbury's products, though all of the above will give great enjoyment. You simply just got to love Easter :D .... more Easter products coming soon!

February 28th: Nestle Die Weisse

Kcal 555 Fat 33.0g Fat(sats) 14.5g Carbs 56.6g (per 100.0g)

I am a big fan of our the Nestle Milkybar here in the UK so when Dean-German-Grocery kindly included this Nestle Die Weisse bar in my latest sampling package I was looking forward to seeing how it matched up. Described as 'Fine Swiss White Chocolate' I was a little bemused to see that the product was actually produced in Frankfurt, Germany ... there was of course some blurb on the back, but not being able to speak/read German I couldn't ascertain anything from it.

The bar came in a 100.0g form that I ate in three portions. The packaging was highly reminiscent to the Milkybar packaging with the same cream and red colours predominant. The chocolate was pretty plain in its presentation, though the foil layer and imprinted Nestle logos did give it a slight touch of class. I was extremely impressed with the smell of the chocolate and found the sweet, vanilla essence like aromas particularly tempting.

I guess unsurprisingly this bar tasted extremely like the UK Nestle Milkybar, but it did have a few slight touches that ultimately made it preferable. As with our UK bar, the chocolate was really quite sweet and made for a product that was best consumed in small doses. It seemed with this bar that the vanilla element played a greater role in the taste, which meant that with the longer melt duration it made for a longer lasting flavour impact in the mouth. The texture was wonderfully silky, and had an extra thick creaminess to its melt that complimented the delightful progression of the milky flavours. Each piece provided a smooth taste that I would describe as a little more mellow than our sharper, sweeter Milkybar.

Overall as aforementioned this is not a chocolate you would want to eat in large quantities, however in small amounts it really is a delightful white chocolate option. In a blind taste test I would be very confident distinguishing this from the Milkybar, as the vanilla flavours were just that little bit more pronounced and lasting in what was a thicker melting texture. Personally I would have to say I prefer this to our UK product, if your a white chocolate fan this is one really worth checking out.

8.7 out of 10

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

February 27th: Cadbury Fudge Cake Bars

Kcal 210 Fat 8.8g Fat(sats) 5.4g Carbs 30.4g 

This review was requested by ChocolateMission reader Alan, though given my liking for Cadbury Fudge bars I needed little persuasion trying these if I am honest. I picked up this pack of two Cadbury Fudge Cake Bars in my local Tesco just this morning for the sum of 54p. Described as 'two individual chocolate flavoured sponge cakes topped with fudge, covered in milk chocolate', I certainly liked the idea behind the product. Looking at the back of pack I noticed that the 'fudge topping' constituted 39% of the product, which made me like the sound of it even more. 

The product didn't actually state how big it was, but in comparison to a standard Cadbury Fudge, both cakes together were about double the length and four times the thickness. Of course in comparison this made for a far more substantial snack to accompany my mid afternoon coffee. In regards to presentation the packaging differed very little to the standard Cadbury Fudge bar. The cakes themselves looked pretty enticing, and just as expected the fudge layer appeared plentiful sitting on top of the cake. The smell of the product was predominantly led by the cake element. It certainly had a sweet appeal, though to be honest it almost had a generic sort of aroma ... it wasn't as if it really gave the product any distinction. 

As mentioned I ate this with my afternoon coffee, and it certainly provided a pleasant accompaniment in this regard. The outer Cadbury milk chocolate was delicious as always with its thick melting, creamy, dairy led taste. I was disappointed to find it somewhat lacking at the base of the cakes, where I thought it would be thickest ... though this was only a small gripe. The chocolate cake bases were ... well ... chocolate cake bases. They had sweet taste that was noted strongly with vanilla. In addition to this there was a consistent indication of cocoa mostly noticeable in its aftertaste. I was expecting the fudge placed on top of the cake to be softer in texture - almost creme like; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was implemented exactly as in the Cadbury Fudge bars with it retaining its thick, dense texture and sweet toffee like flavours. 

Overall these are a nice product extension by Cadbury and one that I would recommend if your a fan of the original Cadbury Fudge. The milk chocolate coating could have done with being a bit thicker, though in the grand scheme of things this was only a minor criticism. The fudge filling did exactly what you would expect ... its flavours were far from complex, or anything to intricate, however provided a sweet, tasty and very moreish focus for the product. These are far from being spectacular, but I would probably buy them again.

7.4 out of 10

February 27th: Milka Triolade

Kcal 540 Fat 31.5g Fat(sats) 19.0g Carbs 57.0g (per 100.0g)

Phew! After today I never have to answer another e-mail requesting me to review this Milka Triolade bar. Dean-German-Grocery kindly obliged in including one of these huge Triolade bars in my latest sampling package - for those that aren't aware it is formed of 'Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate, Milka White Chocolate and Milka Soft Bitter Chocolate' and is currently available in Germany, Spain and Portugal.

This bar came in a huge 300.0g size, that I shared with a few friends during one hardcore revision session for my finals. I thought the product was presented quite superbly - the distinction between all three layers was highly visible and gave the bar a decorative look. The logo and pictures inscribed on the surface of the pieces were clear cut, and gave the bar a really classy finish. It was commented on by the friends I shared this bar with that it smelt absolutely fantastic. As soon I opened the resealable fold (which didn't need resealing of course!), we were all met with a fantastic waft of dairy smells that had a sweet honey like hint.

Boy did we make a mess eating this bar - the challenge of splitting the blocks up into the three layers was a challenge attempted by many, though it did allow me to taste each of the different chocolate types in isolation aswell as in tandem. The base was formed of the Alpine Milk chocolate which as ever delivered a fantastic array of creamy, milk led cocoa flavours that were wonderfully noted with a touch of hazelnut. I am afraid I found the Milka White Chocolate again far too sweet for my liking - I have substantiated before that Milka White Chocolate in my opinion is far too sugar based, and this was again the case here. My distaste wasn't shared by some of my friends, which involved some quite hilarious 'swapsies' with our segregated layers. I haven't managed to get hold of a Milka Bitter Sweet chocolate bar yet, but from the small sample I tasted from the upper layer of this bar I was reasonably impressed. I liked the fact they weren't trying to pass the chocolate as 'dark' as this really wasn't what it was. It wasn't necessarily more prominent in its cocoa flavours, though the sweetness of the Alpine Milk wasn't present, and it seemed to have a bit more longevity with its nuttier taste. To be honest it was a great addition and complimented the very sweet Alpine Milk and White chocolate layers well.

Overall I wouldn't say this was the greatest tasting Milka bar I have ever had, but it definitely brought a fair share of interest with its unique design and presentation. Milka White Chocolate is simply never going to do it for me ... it just lacks the prestige in its formulation than better white chocolates I have tasted. However, my partiality for Milka Alpine Milk and the great tasting Milka Bitter Sweet chocolate layer made for what was a varied and on the whole enjoyable experience. This is a bar I would recommend you try if you get the chance, if only to see if your skilled enough to split the layers ;)

8.0 out of 10

Want to try the Milka Trolade bar for yourself!? Head to Dean-German-Grocery for all your German Grocery & Candy needs!!

February 26th: Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares Totally Chocolatey

Kcal 158 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 3.5g Carbs 26.0g

I have come to realise that one of the great perks about running this website is the ever growing number of people that want to send me items to review. Having said that even I was surprised when I was contacted by Kellogg's who asked me if I would review their new Rice Krispies Squares variant 'Totally Chocolatey'. I was surprised due to the fact that their 'Chocolate Caramel' offering took a hell of a beating on the ChocolateMission rating scale (5.1 out of 10! See HERE). Well anyway, Kellogg's continued to surprise me by delivering a huge great box to my doorstep yesterday, which contained a Rice Krispie branded chocolate fondue set and a multi-pack of their new bars. As appreciative as I am, I can still only cast my true thoughts on the bar ... which you can read below.

Kellogg's inform me that a single bar 36.0g will have an RRP of 45p, whilst the multi-pack £1.69. For the purpose of this review I chose to base my perceptions on a single bar. Described as 'toasted Rice Krispies mixed together with chewy chocolate and real milk chocolate chunks' it sounded very similar to the product that GiGi previously commented they had in the US. The bar came presented in a pleasant looking purple foil wrapper, and thankfully seemed to stick to the insides far less than the previously reviewed 'Caramel Chocolate' variant. I liked the look of the bar itself, it simply looked like a long chocolate Rice Krispies cake, with chocolate chunks embedded on top. Once released from the wrapper I was met with some fresh, sweet smelling chocolaty scents that really gave me hope that this bar might well deliver the desired chocolate hit. 

You may recall me being none to impressed with the caramel used to fuse the 'Caramel Chocolate', thankfully this bar seemingly replaced this overly sugar based tasting element with a more cocoa based mix. This meant that the rice pieces actually had more of an impact, and allowed them to substantiate a sweet, yet slightly salted base element to the taste. Within the syrupy glaze that held the bar together the chocolate flavouring could perhaps of been a little stronger, though this was helped to some degree by the chocolate chunks placed on top. Again I would like to have seen these implemented a little more generously, though having now eaten a few of these bars I can confirm the amount does vary a little from product-to-product ... you just need a little luck I guess. A 36.0g bar provided an adequate snack, and complimented both a light sandwich lunch and mid-afternoon tea well. 

Overall I must say that Kellogg's have produced a product here that is superior to the 'Caramel Chocolate', though to be honest it wasn't likely they were going to do worse. The increased impetuous of the cereal meant that the resulting taste seemed far less sugar rooted, which meant that the chocolate flavours could be far more enjoyed, thus delivering my desired chocolate hit. I wouldn't say Kellogg's have created a master piece here but if you enjoyed making chocolate Rice Krispies cakes as a kid, or have kids that like them, these would really are worth you checking out.

7.6 out of 10 

Competition:

RESULTS!!!

THE WINNERS ARE:

• Richard Sutton, Bracknell
• P Cai, Edinburgh
• Jasmine Pang, Coventry

YOUR PRIZES ARE ON THE WAY!!

If you want to be put in a draw for a chance of winning one of these new Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares Totally Chocolatey send the answer to this question to JIM[@]Chocolatemission.net

Q. Which of these is not a variant of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares:

A) Original Marshmallow

B) Caramel Chocolate

C) Toffee Crunch

D) Crazy Choc 

The closing date is 16.03.09 - Winners announced on the site - please include your address in your entry **DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!**

------------------------------------

Competition Rules

1. Only open to UK & Ireland 

2. Rules can be changed by Jim at anytime

February 25th: McVitie's Jaffa Cake Muffin

Kcal 357 Fat 16.1g Fat(sats) 3.1g Carbs 49.2g

One of the most viewed pages on this site is my review of McVitie's Jaffa Cakes (see HERE), it seems that everyone, not just in the UK, has a special place in their hearts for these tremendous little treats. Given this fact I could hardly turn down the opportunity to review this McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Muffin, a product I oddly found in my local petrol station. Described as 'dark chocolate on a light sponge with an orange centre', it pretty much just sounded like one big Jaffa ... mind you that didn't sound like a bad thing to me.

Much like both the other McVitie's muffins I reviewed last month this came in a pretty hefty 88.0g serving - this did me very nicely for an early morning breakfast. I liked the look of the product, it incorporated the usual Jaffa Cakes theme with the standard mixture of the dark blue and orange colours to good effect. The muffin itself looked pretty enticing as well - when cross-sectioned the dark chocolate appeared relatively thick where present, though it must be said the orange filling looked suspectly absent from a large portion of the muffin. I was surprised how absolutely terrific this muffin smelt. As soon as I opened the outer film packaging I was met with a strong array of orangey scents that grew increasingly stronger as I unveiled the muffin from its paper sheath - yummy!!

This was a product that varied in its quality from bite-to-bite. Some mouthfuls literally exploded with flavours, whilst other were just well .. a bit 'meh' really. As you will sort of be able to see from my pictures above, near the top of the muffin there were places where the orange filling was very generously portioned. When eaten in tandem with the places where the dark chocolate was thickly portioned I must say I was in Jaffa Cake heaven. The mixture of the sweet, zesty orangey filling with the unsweetened cocoa was divine - really very very good. As I have said these bites were fantastic, though a lot of others were far less spectacular as they involved mostly just the sponge cake. That being said the sponge cake was still tasty, with a sweet, vanilla led set of flavours, there was nothing wrong with it whatsoever ... just it seemed boring in the context of the other constituents. 

Overall this was another very enjoyable muffin from the McVitie's range, though like the others could have been even better had the orange filling been far more generously portioned. Much like I thought this was going to be, this was in essence a large Jaffa Cake - I don't think there can be many arguments about whether this particular product is a cake or a biscuit. This is a product that I know Jaffa Cakes fans will particularly enjoy - and I would definitely recommend they try get their mitts on one of these rather elusive muffins.   

8.0 out of 10

February 24th: Thorntons Mint Bar

Kcal 244 Fat 14.6g Fat(sats) 11.4g Carbs 24.9g

If someone were to ask me what I thought of Thorntons as a brand I wouldn't be entirely sure what to say. Some of their products are pretty awesome (see yesterdays Whipped Fudge!), yet some can be absolutely dire (see Vienesse Truffle Bar). The bar I reviewed today would probably slot right bang in the middle of these two extremes. Consisting of 'milk chocolate, finished with dark chocolate with a peppermint flavoured truffle centre', it all sounded rather good - and I must say after yesterdays success I was quite looking forward to trying this one.

Forming another part of Thorntons' impulse bar range this came in a 45.0g serving. I had no complaints about the presentation, though I think the green effect of the fresh mint leaves may have been a tad overstated. The chocolate bar seemed a bit thicker than the rest of the other Thorntons bars I have reviewed recently. This was all good though the centre did annoyingly crumble everywhere once bitten into. I was relatively taken in by the smell of the product - it gave off a pleasant minty fresh aroma as soon as I opened the wrapper. 

As with yesterdays Whipped Fudge bar the dark chocolate drizzled on the coating was purely for aesthetic reasons and did not factor in the taste whatsoever. The outer milk chocolate had a nice melt and substantiated an enjoyable milk driven cocoa set of flavours. It would have been nice for the mint flavours not to have been present in the outer chocolate, though I guess this would have been a particularly hard thing to ensure. The biggest disappointment with this bar came in its filling. I saw GiGi review the 'Mint Club' over at GiGi Reviews a month or so ago, and this delivered entirely the same proposition. Although presented as a truffle filling it was not smooth to say the least, of course the crystallised peppermint pieces did deliver a welcome bit of texture, but even between these pieces the fillings had a lumpy, dry, sawdusty feel in the mouth. The mint flavours weren't at their best either - the sugary mint pieces were overly portioned and became somewhat overbearing in their sweet taste. For a 45.0g bar this really wasn't that fulfilling, and one look at the saturated fat content will ring alarm bells for some.

Overall I am quickly coming to the conclusion that Thorntons are one of the most frustrating brands ever ... the quality of their products seem to go up and down like a yo-yo. This bar by all accounts wasn't good - not the worst - but still pretty poor. It delivered nothing more than the 'Mint Club', which I guess you would be highly disappointed with if you forked out that little bit extra for something you would expect to be of a more premium quality. I personally wouldn't recommend this bar, and even after yesterdays success it will be awhile before I head back to Thorntons anytime soon.

6.9 out of 10  

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

February 22nd: Marks & Spencer Caramel & Peanut Bar

Kcal 280 Fat 16.0g Fat(sats) 6.6g Carbs 28.1g

For a bit of fun I nearly challenged myself to write this review without mentioning the word 'Snickers'. After five minutes I must admit I gave up as it appeared to be pretty much impossible. This bar if you haven't put two and two together yet was M&S's take on our dearly beloved Snickers bar, and was formed of a very familiar sounding 'milk chocolate coated caramel, peanuts and nougat'. Having had both my ups and down with the M&S range so far I did carry a degree of scepticism ... though as I always say 'there was only one way to find out'

The product came in a 55.0g serving that was a whole 7.5g smaller than a standard Snickers. I wasn't all that enamoured with the presentation. There was nothing wrong with the actual bar, just it didn't look quite the monstrous prospect of its comparator. The wrapper was also not the most aesthetically striking, as it used a rather dull brown colour that just really didn't stand out, it cut a rather placid look. The appearance of the product really wasn't allaying any of my preconceived scepticism, and the aroma did little to help it either. The smell was not unpleasant by any means, though the sweet, chocolaty led scents were quite meagre in comparison to the ferocious nutty smells of the Snickers.

My love for the Snickers is not grounded in the individual brilliance of the ingredients, but more in the amalgamation in which they deliver the fantastic overall taste. This bar didn't quite deliver this same mixture, though it still had some individually great aspects. It will come as no surprise that the milk chocolate wasn't all that wonderful. It delivered a fine set of milky flavours, though the cocoa really wasn't a strong enough influence for my liking. The nougat was also relatively unspectacular, it gave a nice chewiness to the texture, though failed to create any sort of impact on the taste. In comparison to the Snickers the real downfall of this bar came in the influence of the peanuts. The peanuts in this M&S version failed in delivering the same salty, nutty flavours that would have really given the taste some interest. I don't think this was down to the proportion of the peanuts, as they were still quite generously present - I am guessing it was purely just the quality of the nuts themselves. I have done an awful lot of bemoaning about this bar already, but I can at last dish out some praise in the way of the caramel. The caramel was quite superb and had a fudgier, syrupy taste than in comparison to the Snickers. I am not necessarily sure it was better ... but it was certainly a little different.

Overall this was in every department inferior to the original Snickers, though as chocolate bars go it was hardly a complete disaster. The synergies between the ingredients that are present in the Snickers just simply weren't present with this bar, and despite a small amount of interest generated by the caramel layer, it really just failed to deliver an experience that was by any means worthy of comparison. This isn't a product I would suggest you go out and buy, but at the same time I wouldn't discourage you if you wish to give it a try. A fair enough attempt at replication by M&S, but this was by all means a 'knock-off-Nigel' version your Snickers.

7.5 out of 10

 

February 21st: Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond

Kcal 296 Fat 18.2g Fat(sats) 9.2 Carbs 27.5g

Todays bar came all the way from down under, from our good friends at Cadbury Australia. Long term readers will already have seen my review for the Cadbury Whole Nut bar we have here in the UK (if not see HERE!), a bar that used hazelnuts for its nut ingredient. Well by the looks of it, our Aussie pals are not the greatest fans of hazelnuts, as they use almonds to form their Cadbury Dairy Milk nut bar. I was trying to think of a good pun to put here, but could only come up with 'how nuts of them!?' .... for shame!!

As with a few other Cadbury bars I have tried from the Southern Hemisphere this was another that came in a 55.0g serving size. The seven blocks certainly made for a fulfilling snack, though I guess you would hope so too considering the rather large amounts of calories and fat involved. The presentation was usual Cadbury standard, with the foil wrapper ensuring both freshness and relatively good aesthetics. Taking the bar out the wrapper the almonds immediately made their presence felt. Not only were they visually striking, but the smell was instantly noticeable, and to be frank was utterly enticing.

Although I still enjoyed the Cadbury Whole Nut, my main problem with the bar was that despite the Dairy Milk chocolate being delicious, the hazelnuts were a little lifeless and limp in both taste and texture. Well it turns out that things are indeed always done backwards down under as in comparison the chocolate wasn't quite as good, but the nuts were superb ... typical eh? I have said before that in my opinion the Dairy Milk from the Southern Hemisphere isn't quite as good as the stuff here in the UK. Indeed I perceived this again, the taste just didn't seem to have the same degree of creaminess, nor did it have the same thickness in its melt. Saying that ... it was still pretty good :) Where the chocolate was good though, the almonds were simply fantastic. It sounds silly to say this about a mass produced bar but I have never had almonds that were so full of flavour. They delivered a fantastic buttery, roasted influence on the taste, all of which was delivered with a lovely crunchiness due to their whole nut style implementation. 

Overall even though the chocolate wasn't quite up to the standard of our UK Cadbury Whole Nut bar, I have seen fit to give this bar a higher score due to it delivering more with its roasted almonds. The chocolate carried the nuts nicely, though I would love to see these almonds implemented in our UK Dairy Milk as they were just so wonderfully flavoursome. It looks like I have been able to acquire a reliable source for some more goods from the Southern Hemisphere, so this bar has given me great hope of finding something really special. If you come across this bar and are a fan of Cadbury products, I strongly suggest you give it a try.

8.5 out of 10