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Happy Easter to all my readers!!! Just to be a little different today I thought I would do a 'Bit n Bobs' style post of all the chocolate goodies I picked up in my favourite food retailer last week - Marks & Spencer. As you will see below these aren't full in depth reviews, but hey!? Who wants to get too serious on a day like today.
Marks & Spencer Chicks & Bunnies
Both of these mini chocolate varieties came foil wrappers, which were packaged in 65.0g nets. The 'Bunnies' were the simpler product out of the two, and were just 'rabbit shaped milk chocolate pieces'. The 'Chicks' you see on the left had a little more to them, and were described as 'milk chocolate with a soft chocolate centre'. Given their simplicity and smallness I couldn't see the point giving them each a score out of 10. Suffice to say they were both made with 'okish' standard chocolate - i.e. not great but passable. To give you some sort of gauge on the quality they were probably just a touch more creamy than the sugar filled rubbish you get with a lot of the big, hollow Easter eggs millions will be tucking in to today.
Marks & Spencer Bubbly Bunny
What a shame I picked this Bubbly Bunny up a few months late to be included in the 2010 Battle of the Bunnies (See HERE). This 23.0g choco-wabbit came described simply as a 'aerated milk chocolate bunny', and came packaged in a small film bag. Out of it's wrapper (that had no air holes in!!! How did it survive!???) the bunny shape was pretty intricate and I was impressed by the inner constituents which still looked pretty dense despite the large array of air pockets. In terms of chocolate quality the taste seemed a touch creamier than the smaller chocolates above, however it was still very sugary and probably only for people that enjoy their chocolate quite sweet. I wouldn't rank this bunny in the same league as the Cadbury Caramel or MaltEaster bunnies, but it holds it's own and I am sure not too many would turn their noses up at the prospect of tucking into one of these this Easter weekend.
7.6 out of 10
Marks & Spencer Gorgeously Gooey Egg
Out of everything on offer today this was the one that caught my eye right away. This M&S Gorgeously Gooey Egg constituted of a 'milk chocolate egg filled with a vanilla fondant centre' and weighed a respectable 33.0g. Now I have touched on the M&S milk chocolate enough already so lets cut right to the chase of the vanilla fondant filling. Unfortunately, whilst it looked appetising with it's viscous yellow coloured look, it neither smelt or tasted all that inspiring. The centre offered nothing in relation to any sort of vanilla flavouring, which was disappointing considering it was promised. In reality it tasted rather like the Cadbury Creme Egg fondant filling i.e. pure sugar. Now when you are Cadbury and have a more distinct, nostalgic tasting outer chocolate this is a little easier to get away with, but unfortunately the chocolate on offer here was neither of them. This wasn't an awful chocolate egg, but it was very much a case of sounding better than it was.
7.2 out of 10
Marks & Spencer Rattle & Roll Egg
Who remembers the Kinnerton Shake 'ems egg I reviewed back in February!? Well some bright spark at M&S thought it would be a good idea to have a comparable product on offer in their range this year. The proposition of 'a milk chocolate egg filled with chocolate pearls' just so happened to be just as weak as Kinnerton's offering, though the milk chocolate was possibly just a touch less sugary on balance. Similarly to what I found in the Kinnerton egg the inner candy pieces simply sucked big time! I know this is a product aimed for kids, but surely even they are going to want mum and dad to buy them a Cadbury Creme Egg rather than one of these bad boys. If you happen to come in to one of the possession of these in the next few days I would try playing a sneaky bit of swapsies with your family or friends :D
5.8 out of 10
Well this wasn't the best selection of chocolates to showcase to you all on Easter Sunday but they were all at least good looking, harmless Easter offerings. Hopefully by the time you have read this post today you will be ill at the thought of eating anymore of the chocolate egg you got given this weekend :D ... let me know what you got and what you gifted.
HAPPY EASTER
JIM
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19 comments:
Nice reviews Jim.
That Goey Egg - Looks amazing lol, gonna have to pick some of these up in the sales tomorrow :D:D.
Does anyone else think alot of the M & S Eggs/Figures look alot like the Thorntons chocolate ones? Oh and also they have some small eggs which look just like the Hotel Chocolat Egg Sandwhich haha.
What Did you get for Easter then Jim show show show :D?
The bunny looks nice but I am not fussed about the rest of them.
I love M&S. I think Thorntons make their chocolate for them though.
All their stuff looks really similar.
Rxxx
So far I have got a Cadbury Crunchie big egg, a milkybar cow and three small galaxy eggs. YAY.
Happy Easter Jim!
Great post! We actually bought some of those small bunny shaped chocs, and I agree with you, it wasn't fantatsic but was a little better than the infamous 'cheap choc' you get with those non brands.
I love easter egg choc but I wouldn't buy anything below Cadbury/nestle/terrys etc as a baseline. My sister got a M&S choc topped egg, with melted choc and fudge ontop, and honeycomb in the egg. did you see those? they look cool but dunno how they taste! I got my 'retro' smarties egg (serious nostalgia fest and lovely mug - its like going back 20 years!), a toffee crisp mug egg, Chocolinis 'Rockychoc' breakup bar and a bag of M&S Swiss milk choc filled eggs which are really really nice! :)
Of the small egss when I was a kid you could only get Cadbury Creme Eggs, all the other brand ones (mars, nestle etc) didn't have their rivals so I always plump for a creme egg over one of those newcomers haha! :) I miss the chick mind.
The gooey egg looks nice but the rest looks like cheap rubbish you could buy anywhere.
I like the bubbly bunny, he is uber cute. It is much prettier looking than the Cadbury or Malteser bunny anyway.
I got given a big Lindt white chocolate bunny this morning. I didn't know they even did them in white chocolate :) I nearly cried with joy.
Dx
First look at the pictures... the bunny and the gooey egg are the ones which look tempting to me. The bunny looks really pretty and just thinking gooey vanilla centre makes me drool. Reading about them... mmmm... no, they don't seem that tempting anymore.
"wabbit" always makes me think of Elmer Fudd :) it looks like today is the day I'm wearing wabbits (Bugs Bunny and Lola t-shirt), playing with them, and, who knows, maybe eating a chocolate one... though I'm looking at it and thinking "nooo! it's too cute!" :)
My haul this weekend:
1 milk chocolate scrambled easter egg from Hotel Chocolat
5 Cadbury Creme Eggs
2 Cadbury Caramel eggs
I have had way too much chocolate already I feel ill already lol.
Someone tell me how and why a chick or bunny rabbit represents Easter? I seriously don't understand the connection?
I hate creme eggs. Why are they so popular I do not understand at all.
If someone would kindly explain why people are so obsessed with them I would appreciate it.
Another thing about Creme Eggs - they get smaller every year, yet no one complains or says anything. They just pay higher and higher prices. Idiots!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm currently munching some Graffiti Zoo Zanzibar Racing Snails - "dark chocolate, cranberries and roasted almonds topped with sea salt and sugar crystals". Very tasty! Although not snail-shaped at all, it's just broken slab of chocolate, so not sure why they are described as "Racing Snails". Misleading!
Have you tried any Graffiti Zoo products, Jim? You get them in John Lewis.
The dark chocolate is only 55% so tastes more like plain than dark, but it's moreish and flavourful. And the almonds and cranberries are so sparsely distributed that unless you'd read the description on the box, you'd probably think one or two had just accidently fallen into the production line somewhere. But still tasty :) The salt adds an interesting edge.
I would have preferred something egg-shaped though...
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww Ana that bunny is so cute. Is it yours?
I am not sure what I prefer now =) real fluffy bunny rabbits or chocolate ones lol.
Happy Easter Jim.
@Gabby - no, it's not mine, I just saw a poster saying "come and play with the bunnies" :) and it was an invitation I couldn't refuse :)
The photograph of the gooey egg had me licking my lips but the write up less so.
I think you are all right about the Thorntons and Marks Spencer thing. It is pretty obvious when you think about it. For a start loads of their products are the same, and secondly the ones that are the same, look exactly the same lol. Maybe we are all wrong and have made this up.
Matutu
See what I said on the Saturday post Re: my easter haul (or not! haha!)
Good idea rounding up all the excess chocolate in the sales! The should be flogging it all off very cheap! Worth looking at Hotel Chocolat whilst you are at it.
As far as I know Thorntons do make M&S's chocolates.
Nick
Out of them all the bunny is probably the only thing I would have again.
Rachel
I don't think you are wrong there. I am pretty sure that Thorntons make M&S's chocs. It would be good for someone to confirm this for us though.
Kim
Nice collection. That should keep you going for a while :D
Alan
Nice to hear you got your mug! I will try pick one up tomorrow once the sales start. I am not fussed at all about the chocolate I just want the damn mug haha!I need to sort myself out and contact Chocolinis! I will do it straight after a finish writing back to everyone here.
I don't think you can beat the Creme Egg either when it comes to the small eggs. Maybe we are just being too old school and not embracing the new :D
Anon
'cheap rubbish' I think is a bit harsh. There is a lot of this sort of stuff around the market though.
Ana
That is a very cute looking rabbit you have pictured there.
The aerated bunny was the best out of the lot you aren't wrong. It sounds like you had a real nice Easter. I did too :D
Duncan
Damn that is a nice lot you got there.
Lucy
I don't think you are going to be alone there.
Steven
I think Wikipedia is your friend there :D I had my sister explain it to me earlier (via her reading it off the internet!!) but I have already forgotten most of what she said. woops :D
Charlotte
I think a lot of it is to do with the nostalgic feelings they bring to us all.
They have been around since I can remember at least and I do think they have somewhat lost their sparkle given that they are available most the year round.
I do see what you mean about them getting smaller aswell! That is all a consequence of the ingredients getting more expensive I think.
Linz
I have to admit I have never even heard of Graffiti Zoo let alone tried any of their produce. Those racing snails sounds intriguing ... I will do some research and see if I can get hold of some samples! You have intrigued me to say the least.
Gabby
Hi Gabby - happy easter to you too!
Justin
I think this has been mentioned in many M&S reviews in the past. I think it is a pretty safe assumption to make that Thorntons produce their chocolate for them.
Thanks everyone - I hope you have had great Easter Saturday / Sundays!
JIM
I've never seen the point of some of M&S chocolate products myself, unless posh folks buy them instead of the regular Cadbury or Nestle easter eggs. Usuaully they don't taste any better and often taste worse.
For Easter I got a few boxes of Lindor and a few creme eggs. I don't get propper boxed eggs now. I'm too old, haha.
I think I agree with you there Phil, theyre not bad but there are better. And it turned out my lovely filled little swiss eggs were Sainsburys not M&S lol I had Sainsburys taste the difference egg one year that was lovely.
Youre never to old to have have proper boxed easter eggs IMO haha! :)
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