August 7/8th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 51

JIM's Corner

Hi All,

I'm doing things a little differently for '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' as I have a special feature on the new Weetabix Chocolate Cereal below.

Not much has happened this week - apologies there have been no Twitter competition, things have been a tad busy my end. I am away for the weekend so this post will have to do you for Saturday & Sunday :D

Please feel free to contribute to my review below by answering the questions at end. Also if you have spotted any chocolate news stories be sure to leave them. I hope you all have great weekends!

JIM


Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week

Gigi Reviews - Gi had an awesome idea and provided us all with a posts documenting her top 10 products of 2010 ... See HERE

The Impulsive Buy - Whilst I was busying reviewing normal Peanut Butter Chips Ahoy this week, Marvo trumped me with a Chips Ahoy with Reese's review ... See HERE

Foodstufffinds - Cin has decided to expand the range of products she reviews. She took a look at a Pieminister Thai Cook Pie this week - it sounds delicious ... See HERE

Candyblog - Cybele has been on her travels recently but that didn't stop her swinging by Aldi to pick up some of these Choceur Chocolate Crisp Bars ... See HERE

ZOMGCandy - I always like seeing Ritter Sport reviews - Rosa at ZOMG is currently doing a nice round up of some the flavours she hasn't tried before .... See HERE

ChocolateReviews - Lee has been hard at work again this week and has posted a great review of a chocolate from a brand I haven't heard of before - Mast Brothers!? He rated it pretty highly! ... See HERE

Weetabix Chocolate Cereal

Kcal 156 Fat 1.8g Fat(sats) 0.8g Carbs 30.0g (per 2 biscuits)

I'm a firm believer in the saying that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' - I simply don't function without my usual Weetabix or Bran Flakes! Because of this, I simply couldn't resist writing a review on these new chocolate flavoured Weetabix. Normally I stay well clear of flavoured/chocolate cereals as they usually contain ungodly amounts of sugar (no one wants a mid-morning sugar crash!), but one of the first things to catch my eye on the packaging was the 'contains half the sugar of the average flavoured/chocolate cereal' strapline. That sounds as likely as a deodorant leaving you '100% sweat and odour free', but it did give me a little reassurance that these might be a little different from your average chocolate cereal.

Over the last few days I've been trying out these new Weetabix Chocolate in all different manners, here are my thoughts ...

* Classic cold milk - The usual wheaty flavours of the biscuit were well maintained, yet there was a nice chocolatey taste present throughout. Some of the biscuits had clusters of chocolate chips which further accentuated the chocolate flavour hit. Very Good.

* Hot Milk - I can see this being my preferred method of consumption during the winter! The cereal turned the excess milk into a hot chocolate like mixture which was a delightful way to finish off each bowl! Superb.

* Yogurt - This isn't as weird as it sounds. When eaten with a vanilla or banana flavoured yogurt the chocolate flavours were still cut through well in the taste. I find yogurt more filling than traditional milk, though I wouldn't advise picking a really sweet one like a fromage frais. Very Good.

* Honey/Sugar - It's not uncommon for people to add sugar or honey to Weetabix so I thought I would try it out with these new chocolate ones. I personally found the taste too sweet, and felt that the added sugary substances took focus away from the chocolate in the taste. Poor.

* Peanut Butter - This was a bit of a random thought but I'm glad I tried it! On top of each biscuit I added a layer of peanut butter and I found the salty flavours nicely contrasted with the sweetness of the cereal. To avoid gluing your mouth together I wouldn't recommend eating them dry like this :D Superb.

Overall I really like these new chocolate flavoured Weetabix and would say they are one of the best chocolate cereals out there on the market right now. It would be silly for me to give them a score based on the usual rating system (it's designed for chocolate bars afterall!), but I would happily recommend them to any Weetabix fans. I don't think I'm going to be replace these with my everyday cereal, but I will be keeping some in the cupboard to have as the occasional treat.

So over to you ChocolateMission readers ....

Have you tried them yourselves?
How would you eat them?
What are your favourite chocolate cereals?

August 6th: Chips Ahoy! Peanut Butter Chunky

Kcal 90 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 10.0g (per cookie)

At the back end of last year I was sent a gift package from a US foods importer (who puzzlingly want to stay anonymous!!) which included several products from the land over the pond. Having had a backlog of Japanese, diet and Valentines Day chocolates to get up on the site in January and February I can finally now get around to posting some of these reviews up on the site. Kicking things off today we have these peanut butter flavoured Chips Ahoy, a product I couldn't help but dig in to as soon as I laid eyes on.

These cookies came in a 396.0g pack that contained a plentiful 22 separate pieces which I shared (stupidly) amongst some work colleagues over the duration of a week. As I said above I needed very little encouragement getting stuck in to these, however I did like the presentation in particular the realistic visualisation of the cookies on the front and the practicality of the resealable foil seal. In regards to the cookies themselves aesthetically they were pretty appetising but they smelt even more so with some buttery nut scents evident amongst the standard fresh cookies aromas.

If you remember my review of the original Chips Ahoy back in January 2009 (See Here) you may recall that I am a real fan of Chips Ahoy and used to often eat them whenever I used to go on vacation in the US when I was younger. These Chips Ahoy Peanut Butter Chunky retained all the sweet brown sugar, salt and butter notes of the originals but every now and then also brought a further dimension to the taste with a delicious peanut butter twist. It has to be said that although they were extremely tasty the peanut butter chips that created the flavour bursts of buttery nuttiness were only sparingly incorporated and I was disappointed that they were not more generously portioned. Just as I wrote about the original Chips Ahoy last year the longevity of the cookies in the mouth were again disappointing and although I enjoyed the fact they melted nicely in the mouth I was similarly annoyed that this meant the flavours were gone all too quickly for my liking.

Overall just as I was hoping these were some damn tasty cookies but they did somewhat suffer from some of the problems that I raised about Chips Ahoy in the past. There is no doubting whatsoever that at times these cookies tasted absolutely wonderful with the original flavours further enhanced by the additional peanut butter thrusts brought by the PB chips. What stopped these cookies being up there with the likes of some of the Oreo flavours was the fact that whilst they tasted superb they just simply didn't last long enough in the mouth to leave a lasting impression or satisfy hunger as much they probably should given their high calorie and fat content per cookie. If you are a peanut butter fan I would still suggest you give these a try as they do the job in creating a good peanut butter flavoured cookie. I am not sure I would go to the expense of importing them myself but next time I am in America I will probably look to purchase another pack if I see them at a sensible price.

8.0 out of 10

August 5th: 'Bits n Bobs' - Cereal & Biscuit Bar Assortment # 2

After the positive response I got to last months Cereal, Biscuit & Cake Bar 'Bits n Bobs'(See HERE), I thought it only right to follow up with another B&B post with some of the products that were suggested and requested by readers from the first one. In the line up today I have some pretty well renowned biscuit bars from Nestle & McVitie's, a rather ghastly cereal bar and another offering from Bahlsen's biscuit range. If you are unfamiliar with the 'Bits n Bobs' posting format, this is where I write shorter, quickfire reviews for several products at a time.

Lets get cracking ....

McVitie's Taxi - Kcal 131 Fat 6.9 Fat(sats) 4.9g Carbs 16.3g

'caramel wafers and chocolate cream covered in milk chocolate'

Before today I hadn't ever tasted a McVitie's Taxi so I had no prior experiences from my childhood to call upon like I had with CLUB, Breakaway, Kit Kat etc - what a deprived childhood I must have led eh!? ;) Presentation wise the product was dressed in a typical looking McVitie's wrapper, though I was more excited by the look of the woven wafers and inner cream layers in the actual bar. I have to admit I was expecting a pretty boring, generic like wafer product, but I was actually pretty impressed by the taste. The chocolate constituents did nothing particularly special, yet the coating was flavoursome enough with it's sweet milky flavours. My enjoyment of this product was mostly driven by the caramel and inner cream layers, which brought a very welcome chewiness and viscosity to the crisp wafers. Whilst adding interest to the textures, the caramel also added a forthcoming toffee flavour hit to the taste. Colour me impressed McVitie's - I don't tend to by biscuit bars, but I will buy these again in the future.

7.8 out of 10

Monster Puffs Cereal Milk & Chocolate Bar - Kcal 86 Fat 2.6g Carbs 14.6g

'Sugar Puffs cereal and milk chocolate bar'

Despite being of the opinion that parents who feed their kids Sugar Puffs should be shot :D I just couldn't help myself when I saw these discounted down to 50p for a four bar multipack in my local Tesco. Despite the vibrant foil packaging I was less impressed by the actual cereal bar, which when it wasn't sticking to the wrapper was equally unimpressive with it's modest looking (putting it nicely!) chocolate layer. As you can see from my picture the drizzle of milk chocolate was woefully portioned so it probably wont surprise you that it barely managed to register in the taste. The combination of the puffed wheat cereal and syrup that bound it together wasn't unpleasant in any manner, but it was neither very tasty. The 20.0g constituents provided a pretty poor sized snack. I don't think these will be around for long.

5.8 out of 10

Bahlsen Choco Leibniz Dark - Kcal 138 Fat 7.1g Fat(sats) 4.5g Carbs 17.0g (per 2 biscuits)

After my review of Bahlsen's Jaffas a few weeks ago, a number of readers indicated that I should try their Choco Leibniz biscuits. If I roll the years back a bit, I can remember buying these biscuits when my family used to go to France - I was never a big lover of them myself, but they were certainly liked by other members of my household. Bahlsen biscuits are being promoted quite heavily in UK supermarkets at the moment, so I was pretty delighted when I found these very posh looking biscuits on a £1 deal in my local Tesco. Favouring the prospect of the dark chocolates ones I didn't wait long before testing them out with an after dinner coffee. In terms of taste these reminded me of the Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit chocolate bar, but just with plain unsweetened chocolate combining with the buttery crisp biscuit below. I didn't think that either the chocolate or biscuit were particularly exceptional, but like in the Ritter bar they made for a fantastic synergy. These didn't last long when I offered them round to the rest of my work colleagues.

8.0 out of 10

Nestle Breakaway - Kcal 99 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 12.0g

Normally when I know I don't like a product I do try my best not to review it, but I couldn't avoid the number of requests that came in asking me to review the Nestle Breakaway. I have always perceived the Nestle Breakaway as quite a bland offering - my heart always used to sink when my parents bought these back from the supermarket instead of the usual Kit Kat or Twix bars. That said I was willing to give them another chance - especially considering that a pack of 6 only set me back £1 in Tesco. Aesthetically I couldn't see many differences from how I remembered them - even the bars were decorated with the same checkboard patterns. Unfortunately the taste was just how I remembered aswell, with the mild tasting milk chocolate and non-descript flavoured biscuit generating very little excitement for me. If anything I think the biscuit part may have even got less flavoursome than it used to be - the two bars I ate today failed to bring any noteworthy flavours to the party, which resultingly made for a boring, bland tasting experience. I know these contain only 99 calories but I personally wouldn't waste your time on them.

5.8 out of 10

Got any ideas of products you want to see reviewed next month? Drop me a comment with your requests ...

August 4th: Whittaker's Milk Madagascar / Rum & Raisin

Whittaker's is a brand that continues to puzzle me. If you look back through my previous reviews you will see that I have generally loved their chocolates - their Peanut Block and Zestful Dark Orange bars particularly stand out in my mind as being memorable. My ongoing bemusement is a consequence of me continually failing to understand why the brand is very seldom heard of outside of the Southern Hemisphere. If you look across the blogosphere you wont happen to come across many Whittaker's posts or reviews, which suggests that consumer awareness of the brand isn't as good as it should be given the product quality. In a bid to put this right (one man mission style!), I today have the pleasure of bringing you my thoughts on two more flavours within their range - the Milk Madagascar, and the Rum & Raisin.

Both these bars were sent to me in 250.0g forms so I called in reinforcements to help me with the taste tests (they needed very little persuasion haha!). Just as I always say about Whittaker's products, the packaging on both was top notch, with both sporting the usual primary coloured gold background. Out of the two my preference was with the more visually striking blue colour of the Milk Madagascar, though I would happily concede that the slightly old fashioned purple colour was a fitting choice for the more retro Rum & Raisin flavour. Below are my thoughts on each of the bars I tried today:


Whittaker's Milk Madagascar

Kcal 532 Fat 29.7g Fat(sats) 18.9g Carbs 57.7g (per 100.0g)

'Extra smooth milk chocolate block'

I have to admit that what with all the different flavour combinations I try nowadays the prospect of a 33% cocoa milk chocolate wasn't the most exciting one ever - oh how I was to be surprised!!! Undressing this chocolate from it's thick gold foil sheath, I was immediately met with a fantastic array of fresh smelling dairy aromas. These forthcoming scents foretold an entirely accurate insight to the taste, which I have the great pleasure of tell you was utterly sublime. The flavours started rather mild and milky in presence, though they grew and grew in stature as the wonderful, Galaxy chocolate like smooth melt developed. The initial milk rooted taste sprouted flavour notes of butter, fudge and sweet cocoa to generate a level of flavour that was up there with the finer milk chocolates I have tasted. The buttery creaminess gave it a very distinctive taste which everyone that I tried this with, thought was superb. In a world that is cluttered with milk chocolates, uniqueness is so important (think Dairy Milky, Hotel Chocolate etc) - this Whittaker's Milk Madagascar certainly had it in spades.

8.6 out of 10

Whittaker's Rum & Raisin

Kcal 502 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 15.7g Carbs 60.9g

'Rum soaked raisins in a dark chocolate block'

I don't review a rum & raisin chocolate for years and then two come along in the same week (See Ritter Sport Rum, Raisin & Nut), it's funny how these things work out. Out of the two Whittaker's bars I was sharing around and trying myself for today's review, this was the flavour that everyone generally reached for first. This bar constituted of 47% cocoa solids dark chocolate, with raisins that had been soaked in rum (28%). On the ingredients list the raisins sounded very plentifully portioned, though it was certainly believable when I split the bar into smaller pieces upon where the raisins were clearly visible poking out of each and every block. Up until this point everything looked all dandy, however I was left pretty disappointed when it came to the taste test. Flavour wise the dark chocolate itself didn't have anything wrong with, though it has to be said it was a little mild in both it's milk and cocoa flavours. The taste was dominated by a fruity flavour edge which was established by the raisins. This fruitiness was fine, but was ultimately one dimensional and monotonous, and needed the rum influence to come to the party in order to progress the taste. Unfortunately the rum was totally MIA to extent that I just couldn't detect it whatsoever. Disappointingly this bar just left me yearning for the Ritter Sport offering I reviewed last week.

6.9 out of 10

Overall despite my more mixed experiences with Whittaker's today, I still stand by the point I made in my opening paragraph that they deserve to be far more well renowned. If you are thinking of doing a bit of online shopping for some Whittaker's chocolate (HERE) I would strongly suggest the Milk Madagascar as a perfect way to introduce you to the brand. It may not sound like the most exciting of chocolates ever, but I can assure you it is a delicious milk chocolate that is up there with the best of them. In regards to the Rum & Raisin I would advise you hedge your bets elsewhere with the brands range.

August 3rd: Galler Vanille

Kcal 473 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 17.0g Carbs 54.2g (per 100.0g)

Ever since I started reviewing their products in February 2010, Galler have been sending me more and more samples from their range, and just last week I received yet another parcel containing several of their filled chocolate bars. One thing I have to take the time to congratulate Galler for is their willingness to listen to what my readers want. I say this because the latest batch of goodies they sent me, contained several of the bars requested by ChocolateMission readers on previous reviews. One of these bars was the Galler Vanille, which was a product enquired about by frequent site reader and commenter Nigel. This Vanille offering came billed as 'dark chocolate with a natural vanilla filling', and I had high hopes that it would fair better than the Ritter Sport Bourbon Vanille bar which struck me as it's closest equivalent.

In alignment with the majority of the Galler filled bars range, this Vanille flavour came in a 70.0g bar that was split into four large sized chunks. Usual grumbles at the mammoth size of the blocks aside, the presentation was as classy as ever, and this time a pale blue pastel colour was used to communicate the Vanille flavour variant. If you look above to my photo of the chocolate you will see that the vanilla filling was plentifully portioned within it's dark chocolate shell, and I thought it looked appetising with it's slightly whipped looking texture. In regards to aromas the bar emanated a strong set of roasted cocoa smells, though disappointingly I couldn't detect any evidence of vanilla.

On the eye the chocolate exterior looked very dark in colour which created a decent visual effect with the paleness of the filling. In terms of strength the bar was of only of a 60% cocoa recipe, yet it still managed to create a flavour impression that other 80%+ chocolates could only envy. When placed on the tongue, the outer dark chocolate melted at a nice rate, and with a pleasant softness. Whilst in its transition from a solid to liquid state the flavours it generated were totally delectable, with the firm cocoa undertones nicely sense checked by an underlying buttery, milkiness. The chocolate did start out sweeter than I was expecting, though as the melt progressed these flavours developed in to more mature smokey, roasted cocoa bean notes. Having now bigged up the quality of the dark chocolate, I now have the displeasure in revealing that the vanilla filling wasn't anywhere near as good. Unfortunately the vanilla filling got completely lost in the richness of the dark chocolate and it failed to add a significant contribution to the taste. When I took the time to nibble around the chocolate to eat the filling in isolation, it was still very mild in it's sweet cream based flavours. When searched for, there were minor hints of vanilla essence detectable amongst the thick creme like substance, however the strength of the dark chocolate largely dictated that it played no part in the resulting taste.

Overall this was one of those products that was particularly hard for me to score. On one hand the chocolate I tasted was very decent and I got great enjoyment out of the taste that it offered. On the other hand I wasn't left ultimately satisfied in what it did deliver, as the promised vanilla flavouring was poorly implemented and pretty much absent from what I experienced. At the end of the day I have to reflect the latter in my ultimate scoring of this bar. Whilst I could easily award this product a higher score for it's taste attribute based on the superb quality of the dark chocolate, what I have to factor in is the disappointment that was caused by the vanilla filling. Between Ritter Sport and Galler I have managed to experience both ends of the vanilla flavour spectrum, with the Ritter bar being overly sweet and fake tasting, whilst Galler's offering being non-committal and bland in comparison. Both of these brands could take a few pointers from the fantastic Lindt Creola Vanille bar that I reviewed back in 2009, as to date that still remains one of the finer vanilla flavoured centre chocolates I have tried. This may not have been the best Galler product I have ever reviewed, but the quality of the chocolate gives me great confidence that there are certainly better things to come.

7.6 out of 10

August 2nd: Hotel Chocolat Purist Super Boosters

Dark -Kcal 534 Fat 45.9g Fat(sats) 28.0g Carbs 18.9g (per 100.0g)
Milk - Kcal 547 Fat 44.2g Fat(sats) 27.1g Carbs 26.2g (per 100.0g)

Two weeks ago I posted about Hotel Chocolat's recently relaunched Purist range, giving my thoughts on four of their newest single origin cocoa bars. What I failed to mention was that included in that very same sampling package, I was also sent these 'The Purist Super Boosters', which came in some wonderfully unique looking test tube like packets. For those of you begging the obvious ... 'what on earth is a Super Booster?' - please let me reveal that they are 'cocoa nibs covered in chocolate'. If you want the ultra fancy description let me tell you what Hotel Chocolat describe them as - 'Nibbly pieces of pure Saint Lucian Trinitatio cocoa simply sealed in 40%/70% coco milk/dark chocolate'.

Hotel Chocolat go on to claim that 'cocoa beans are naturally full of antioxidants, trace minerals and a caffeine kick'. Whilst it is fact that per 100.0g of cocoa beans you get 175mg of caffeine (single espresso = 90mg, standard tea = 45mg), what I think you need to bear in mind is that these tubes only held only 15.0g of Super Boosters each. Suffice to say I think it is back to the drawing board if you were planning to get your morning caffeine hit from these.
When I was thinking about writing this review I did contemplate writing about them separately but then I realised I had such similar points of view of both there was little point. Speaking of what they both did well is easy so let me start with the packaging and presentation. Whilst the actual cocoa nibs themselves weren't the most glamorous looking of products, the way in which they were presented was unique and I liked the 'test tube' like packets they came in. Both the milk and dark chocolate variants smelt wonderful when the metal caps were unscrewed, with both types emanating sweet scents of cocoa that had fruity hints.

To test both of these out I ate them across a number of different occasions, including with ice cream, slipped in a coffee, hot chocolate, cereal ... you name it I tried. What was consistent across all these occasions were the delicious bursts of chocolatey flavours that sprang to life as soon as they were chewed. As you will no doubt have already guessed, the milk chocolate coated nibs started out a touch sweeter in taste compared to the dark chocolate coated ones, though both tasted pretty similar as soon as they were bitten into, at which time both variants delivered a flurry of delicious cocoa flavours. As the smells had suggested the cocoa flavours had minor notes of red fruits and coffee (dark chocolates ones especially!), though most importantly the taste never ventured into the realms of bitterness. Out of the two I personally couldn't of picked a favourite, though my dark chocolate rejector work colleague was more happy when taking handfuls of the milk variant.

Overall my initial scepticism about these being 'a bit of gimmicky' one from Hotel Chocolat were well and truley washed away by the several cups of coffee that these Super Booster so pleasantly accompanied. When you consider that these are simply just small bits of cocoa bean that have coated with a lick of chocolate, it does reaffirm the argument that sometimes the simplest things can be the most effective. One of the things I really liked about these Super Booster was how great it was coming up with new ways to consume them. Don't get me wrong, eating them straight out the packet was splendid, but for me it was far more enjoyable adding them to cups of coffee, desserts, even spread on top of my toast and cereal in the morning! It would be interesting to hear what occasions you all could come up with for using these Super Boosters - no doubt by the end of the day we will all have some new ideas.

Milk - 8.6 out of 10
Dark - 8.6 out of 10

August 1st: Flipz Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Kcal 140 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 19.0g (per 28.0g/5 pieces)

A few things of changed since I last featured Flipz on this site back in Sepetember 2008 (Flipz White Fudge review - See HERE). The brand has been long gone from the UK for years, but recently there have been changes afoot in the brands homeland in the States. Firstly the brand now sits under the Demet's Candy Company branding, and the packaging no longer makes reference to Nestle (FYI Nestle sold Flipz to the Brynwood Partners' DeMet's Candy Confectionery Company in 2003). Secondly, the 'Pretzel' part of the brand name seems to have been dropped - they are now simply called Flipz. Now I have you all updated with the useless information :D I now have the pleasure of bringing you my review of one of the newest Flipz variants - the 'Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate'.

I recieved these Flipz in a 113.0g bag that contained enough for four different servings (according to the packaging anyway!!). Despite the change in ownership and branding the outer packaging looked no different to how I remember it from the brands long gone UK years, with the light coloured blue foil packaging really standing out aesthetically. Having never bought Flipz in anything other than the individual serving sized packs, it was nice to see that this larger pouch had a resealable fold at the back of the bag. When I opened the seal for the first time, a wonderful set of chocolate and nuts aromas washed over my senses, and this happened every time I resealed the packet and came back for more.

I have never hidden my love for snacks that combine sweet and salty ingredients so it will come as little surprise to you that I really enjoyed these. As you can see in my picture above the Double-Dipped part of the product name actually wasn't a gimmick, and when bitten in to there was a clear visual distinction between the exterior chocolate and peanut butter layer that sat below. As with all Flipz products, by far and a away the best way of eating these was to let the outer layers melt on the tongue before then munching down on the crispy pretzel below. Doing this allowed the sweet, milky flavoured chocolate layer to establish a chocolate flavour base, before then letting the nutty, salty flavours of the peanut butter then follow. The combination of the sugary chocolate and savoury salted layers of the peanut butter and pretzel were utterly fantastic, and had me reaching back in to the bag many a time. Whilst the taste was very moreish, I felt content with the suggested five pieces at a time. If you are a looking for a tip to make the bag last a little longer, I strongly suggest you store them in the fridge as this slows the pace of the melt of the outer layers so they can be savoured for longer.

Overall I have always enjoyed Flipz and I was one of those consumers that was really disappointed when Nestle pulled them from the UK. These Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate flavour really just reaffirmed what we all already know here in the UK - we are the ones missing out. Individually neither the chocolate or the peanut butter constituents can be deemed as great, however when they are combine together they compliment the pretzel element wonderfully and make a phenomenal synergy. These Flipz didn't have the chocolate quality of Hotel Chocolat, or the superb quality of Reese's peanut butter, but this synergy made for a delicious overall taste. Looking across all the American candy, chocolate and food websites Flipz seem to always be one of the products that are at a huge price premium. For the sake of your bank account I wouldn't make a habit of making these a frequent purchase, but if you are a peanut butter fan I can strongly recommend them.

8.3 out of 10

July 31st: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 50

### Jim's Corner ###

Hi All,

Not much to report this week but I have the pleasure of bringing you the names of the winners of the mid week Ritter Sport competition. The winners were Sally (comment #5), Alan (comment #30) and Phil (comment #42) - please can you guys send me your adresses so I can send on your Ritter winnings.

The good news for the rest of you is that I still have lots of samples left to give away! So look out for more competitions coming very soon.

Now to clear up the matter of Jim's ChocolateMission Shop. You will see on the left hand sidebar of the site I have created an affiliate store on Amazon. I do have plans down the line to enter a far more developed store, but for the minute this very basic store will be helping fund my ChocolateMission. Take a look a look at whats on offer HERE. Keep your eyes peeled for a more developed store opening later this year.

Just as a reminder - keep an eye on the Hotel Chocolat site (SEE HERE) - they are starting to put up their End of Season clearance lines.

Have great weeks guys and girls

JIM

News from the chocolate market

* News continues to rumble on about that chap who bought a large portion of the world's cocoa ... See HERE

* Cadbury finally got around to informing everyone of their exclusive Morrisons' Bar of Plenty bar ... See HERE .... REVIEW HERE

* Seemingly I missed out on celebrating National milk chocolate day ... See HERE

* Divine have launched a new Orange & Ginger variant ... See HERE

* These guys set a new record for eating 3 Mars bars in under a minute - the thought of that makes me feel pretty ill .... See HERE

Have I missed anything? Please share your stories!!!

Updated Reviews

Only the one this week ... Fry's Peppermint Cream

Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week

* TheImpulsiveBuy - I've got a real thing for granola at the moment. Marvo checked out these dark chocolate and peanut butter Nature Valley thin granola bars ... See HERE

* GiGiReviews - Gi was on top form again this week reviewing some very HobNob like looking Archway Iced Oatmeal Cookies ... See HERE

* Foodstufffinds - Cin tracked down the new chocolate flavoured Weetabix. I can highly recommend them myself! They are very tasty ... See HERE

* JapaneseSnackReviews - Only the Japanese would think of making Lemon Tea flavoured cookies :D ... See HERE

* Chocablog - Simon tried out the very cool sound Zotter Butter Caramel. I hope Mr Zotter sends me one along soon ... See HERE

* ZOMGCandy - Rosa wrote a great double post review this week documenting her thoughts on Ritter Sports Mini Chocolate Collection - its well worth a read ... See HERE

Have you checked out Hotel Chocolat's Clearance Sale yet? SEE HERE

July 30th: Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint

Kcal 475 Fat 20.7g Fat(sats) 13.1g Carbs 66.3g (per 100.0g)

The facial expression on my neighbour when I went round to pick up my parcel of chocolates flown in from New Zealand really was a picture :D "chocolates from New Zealand???" ... "are you sure this parcel was meant for you?" A brief explanation of my chocolate reviewing shenanigans later, and I had myself a new reader! The company who caused all this 'confusion' was Shopenzed, who are a service who ship all manner of goods from the Southern Hemisphere right across the globe - See HERE. Included in my latest sampling pack from them was this Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint bar. I have previously had some good experiences with the Cadbury's Old Gold chocolate, so I was excited at the prospect of them making the most of this 'dark chocolate with a peppermint fondant' combination.

This bar came in a large sized 220.0g form, which was pretty lucky given that the rest of my family were pretty keen on getting their fair share. I've said it before, but let me reiterate it again, the Old Gold packaging looks superb. On my previous Old Gold reviews, readers have added comments along the lines of the wrappers not looking very Cadbury esc. and more Lindt in style, but on the whole the consensus seems to be that the range is nicely presented. The chocolate itself was segregated in the same format as the Old Gold Liqueur Flavoured Selection I reviewed last month, with each block being a manageable size for the mouth and the inner filling sensibly portioned.

The chocolate came wrapped in a thick layer of gold foil, which maintained the product in a fresh state both aesthetically and aroma wise. Taking in the smells, the chocolate emanated some fragrant cocoa scents, though I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any sort of minty offering until the chocolate was bitten in to. In terms of taste all four of us in my family didn't get overly excited by the Old Gold chocolate. Looking at it from a positive point of view, the two non dark chocolate fans in my family did remark they quite liked it, as the 40% recipe dished out a less intense, bitter taste than they had experienced with previous dark chocolates. From my perspective it wasn't so much the chocolate that I enjoyed, but more the peppermint flavoured centre which was by all accounts very nice. The mint fondant had a great presence throughout the taste, and immediately established a fresh tasting minty flavour burst as soon as it was encountered. I have found in the past that fondants can quickly become pretty overbearing in regards to their sugary sweetness, but this particular one managed to create more of a creamy taste as the melt developed. Personally I found this chocolate was best when eaten just a few blocks at a time, but on the contrary my chocolate mint loving sister was found reaching back in to the packet many a time for "just one last piece" :D

Overall I would struggle creating a case promoting the idea that someone outside of Australia/New Zealand should import this bar, but if I resided in the Southern Hemisphere it would certainly be a chocolate I would give a chance. For some reason or other, Cadbury just aren't the best at making dark chocolate. My views on the Bournville chocolate we have here in the UK are probably more extreme than the average consumer, but even I have to admit that the Cadbury Old Gold chocolate they make in Australia isn't half bad for a mass produced dark chocolate. Whilst the Old Gold chocolate was fair in regards to quality, the mint fondant centre was a step up in terms of class, and the creamy peppermint flavours certainly brought life to the overall experience. I have little doubt that chocolate mint lovers (like my sister *ahem*) would get a lot of enjoyment out of this Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint offering, though I don't think I can go as far as saying it is anywhere near being a 'must try' product.

7.5 out of 10

July 29th: Ritter Sport Rum, Raisin & Nuts

Kcal 507 Fat 29.0g Carbs 53.0g (per 100.0g)

If you have been reading the site over the last few weeks it is highly likely that you would have seen my review of Ritter Sport's latest flavour addition, their Espresso chocolate. When I was approached about reviewing that chocolate, I took the time to have a quick look across the entire Ritter Sport range, just to check if there were any glaring admissions that I hadn't covered yet. Looking across the last three years it appeared that I had done a pretty thorough job, with only two flavours missing from my collection. One of these, most annoyingly was Ritter's Cocos (coconut) flavour, which unfortunately now has been taken out of production. Whilst I unfortunately can't build a time machine to review that flavour, the other bar I hadn't reviewed was thankfully still in distribution, so today I have great delight in bringing you my review of Ritter Sport's Rum, Raisin & Nuts bar.

My contacts at Ritter sent me six bars of this flavour to sample (alot huh!?), anyone who leaves a comment with a correct guess of the bar's weight on todays review will automatically be entered in to a prize draw for one of three leftovers* - if anyone gets this wrong it will be beyond belief haha! Suffice to say both the packaging and the chocolate looked terrific, I hope you are enjoying the extreme close up today, I wanted to give you all a good view of the nuts and raisins! The glossy foil wrapper was not only nice on the eye and decent at communicating the flavour theme (albeit in German!), but it also did a sterling job of containing the delightful fruity chocolate run smells that burst out of the packet each and everytime the seal was breached.

If I can quickly point you in the direction of the review I wrote on the Ritter Sport Raisins & Hazelnuts bar I reviewed a few years ago, it is probably better that I write about where this bar differed to that original offering rather than simply regurgitate what I wrote back then. Fundamentally this chocolate offered much the same experience with the milk chocolate, raisins and hazelnut constituents altogether making for a terrifically tasty fruit and nut experience. Once again the milk chocolate wasn't the most profound in terms of quality, but it was fair in flavour and did it's usual job of carrying the inner ingredients well. The raisins and nuts delivered their sweet fruit and wooden nut flavours expertly, though I have to say the taste was taken a step further on by the introduction of the Jamaican Rum to fold. I'm no big rum drinker, but the integration of the liqueur in to the chocolate was magnificently handled, and was neither too strong or too weak. The fruity alcoholic taste was complimented terrifically by the warming mouth sensation it created. Quite simply it managed to tick the boxes in terms of enhancing both taste and texture, and made for a delicious, moreish chocolate.

Overall Ritter Sport may not always be seen as the most prestigious or up market brands, but the quality of this chocolate leads me to believe they could teach the likes of Hotel Chocolat, Thorntons etc a few lessons. As I passed reference to above, the quality of the milk chocolate you get with flavoured Ritter Sport bars does not compete with higher end brands, (I wish they would implement their new 35% recipe across their range!!) but one thing they generally deliver on is the quality of their flavoured fillings. This rum, raisin and nuts bar would be yet another glowing example of why they deserve such recognition - it was delicious in every sense. When I have tried alcohol flavoured chocolates in the past, I have often found that the spirits are too overpowering *ahem* Hotel Chocolat *ahem* or too weak, but the rum in this bar was nothing other than spot-on. It was flavoursome and created an impression with it's warming mouth feel, whilst still allowing full expression of the raisin and nut elements - it was almost perfect. I could go on for a long time rattling off superlatives, but it's probably best I just end with the statement that if you like rum & raisin chocolates you needn't look elsewhere.

8.8 out of 10

*winners announced at weekend. Multiple comments doesn't = multiple entries. Rules of this competition to my own discretion

July 28th: Milka Milch-Toffee Genuss

Kcal 540 Fat 33.0g Fat(sats) 18.3g Carbs 55.5g (per 100.0g)

Following swiftly on from my review of Milka's 'Chocolate Pleasure' variety two weeks ago, I today have the 'pleasure' of bringing you my views on yet another of their latest seasonal offerings. Named similarly to the aforementioned variety, this Milch-Toffee Genuss (translation: Milk Toffee Pleasure) came billed as 'Alpine milk chocolate with milk cream and caramel-coffee flavoured caramel. Admittedly Milka seasonal varieties haven't always set my world on fire, but as you may have noticed this was a combination of two of my all time favourite ingredients. It was going to be interesting to see if Milka could bring the best out of the both of them with their milk chocolate.

This new flavour has been introduced in to Milka's standard range, so it came in a 100.0g form. As you will see above the packaging didn't look much different to any other variety within the Milka portfolio, though I thought the flavour combination could have been communicated a little more clearly as the branding didn't pass reference to the coffee content, nor did the on pack coffee bean pictures really stand out that much. That aside the chocolate blocks looked pleasant on the eye, with the dual layered filling of inner creme and caramel nicely visible sandwiched in between the outer portions of milk chocolate.

Sealed within the usual resealable film material, the chocolate was maintained in a nice, fresh state and the coffee and caramel smells that radiated from the bar when I opened it only further went to heighten my anticipation. In the context of all mass produced chocolates, the creamy, sweet, hazelnut noted taste of Milka alpine milk sits just a little below the likes of Cadbury and Galaxy in my estimation, though it did as finer job as ever providing a more than adequate chocolate flavour hit with each mouthful. The melt and flavour flow of the chocolate was typically smooth, and led nicely into two fillings that sat below. Trying to describe the two components in isolation would be a bit of pointless thing to do due to them blending together during the melt, though it is worth passing comment that their textures nicely complimented each other, with the drier creme being nicely moistened by the liquidity of the caramel. In terms of flavours I'm glad to say that this was one of the best flavoured Milka centres I have had for a long while. The coffee element wasn't the strongest tasting ever (think milky mocha rather than espresso!!), though it registered nicely on the pallet, and the burnt sugar and caramel flavours brought to life the toffee element to great effect. I ate the 100.0g totality across three separate sittings and felt a decent degree of satisfaction each time due to the volume of the taste it offered.

Overall I must admit that I had started to become a little sceptical at the quality of some of Milka's latest flavours, but this Milch-Toffee Genuss has put them back on the right track in my mind. Off the top of my head I can't think of a coffee, caramel alternative (come on someone put me straight there must be one!!) so straight away this got a tick in my mind as it was at least a unique flavour combination. Having tasted it, I can now upgrade that initial tick, to an even bigger one :D Milka executed this collaboration of caramel and coffee terrifically, and made a chocolate that was both nicely progressive in taste and very flavoursome. If I had my own way I would have made more of the coffee element in this chocolate, however I understand the strength at which it was implemented given the tastes of a typical Milka consumer being more inclined to a weaker offering. If you have tried any of Milka's toffee or caramel chocolate varieties before and enjoyed them, I would recommend this as another you will want to take a look at.

8.7 out of 10

July 27th: Nestle Milkybar Raisin & Biscuit

Kcal 189 Fat 10.1g Carbs 21.9g

Just a few weeks ago in Edition 47 of '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' I brought you all the news (via ChocolateMission reader Alan) that Nestle were bringing a new Raisin & Biscuit bar to their Milkybar range. If you read the several press releases flying around the Internet, this new bar is a bid to appeal to 'adult consumers', and is being backed by a £7 million pound 360 marketing campaign. Also included on all these announcements are some pretty bold statements such as 'over 75% of consumers like white chocolate', and that 'over 60% of Milkybars singles are bought by adults for their own enjoyment'. I don't wish to dispute either of those two facts too much, but I would be interested to see the sample of consumers they used to determine both of those snippets - they strike me as pretty high ... do 75% of your friends like white chocolate!??

A full week ahead of it's July 26th launch I found these on sale in my local Boots drugstore, priced at 65p each for a 37.0g bar. On the wrapper the bar was described as 'white chocolate with raisins (11%) and biscuit (15%) and held no surprises in terms of the ingredients listed - 'sugar, milk, cocoa butter, whey powder, vegetable fat ...'. What did surprise me somewhat about the packaging was that despite trying to appeal to a completely different consumer, they chose to keep it pretty consistent with the rest of the Milky bar range. Although I think the wrapper looks decent enough, I personally think there was scope for Nestle to have been a little more clever here. Since they are trying to attract older consumers back to the brand, why didn't they roll out a retro looking Milky bar wrapper and play off the nostalgia factor!?

Taking the chocolate out the foil wrapper I was a little more impressed by what I saw and smelt. The sweet dairy smells offered minor biscuit hints, which wasn't surprising giving the volume of raisin and nut pieces that were visually evident throughout the bar. Handily the bar was split into eight small sized blocks that broke pretty evenly despite the heavy portioning of the inner ingredients. I have to admit that it has been a pretty long time since I ate my last Milky bar, but from what I tasted today it is pretty obvious there have been some adaptations to the recipe since my last experience. Milky bars have always been very sweet tasting and sugar led in taste, but if my tastebuds are anything to go by it has become increasingly more so. The smooth milky flavours I'm so used to from my younger years seemed to be less prolific in the overall taste, and were dominated by a sharper, almost throat burning sugary flavour bursts. To be honest the chocolate was so sweet already the added sugaryness from the fruity raisins wasn't particularly welcome, and it simply culminated in the biscuit pieces not factoring in the taste at all. On the more positive side the raisins and biscuits did add decent textural elements with their respective chewy and crunchy influences, however the totality of the sugar led taste meant I could barely stomach more than a few blocks of this at a time making it for me a pretty unsatisfying snacking option.

Overall a little part of me does feel bad awarding one of my childhood favourite brands such a poor mark, but to be honest I have a little choice given the changes made to the recipe and the missed opportunities that this product presented. It will be interesting to hear from my readers as to whether they think that Milky bar white chocolate has changed down the years!? From what I can tell the product they offer now is significantly different to what it was a few years ago. Since Nestle don't give %'s of ingrdients on the wrapper there will be no way of telling, but I would be confident placing a vast sum of money on the level of milk solids depreciating and the level of sugar rising as time has gone on. In regards to the actual 'new' flavour enhancing raisin & biscuit elements, despite their generous implementation I didn't feel as if they added much to the taste given the dominance of the sweet white chocolate they were based in. Speaking of the missed opportunities, if Nestle are truley serious about going after the adult market, I would suggest they should have gone about it in an entirely different manner. I think that producing a limited edition Milkybar with an old school retro looking wrapper would probably have got the attention of the older consumers more, than this pretty kiddie sounding raisin & biscuit offering. Hey I just work in marketing - what do I know :D

6.7 out of 10

July 26th: Cadbury Bar of Plenty Honey Flakes & Caramelised Pecans

Kcal 515 Fat 27.6g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 59.2g (per 100.0g)

Back at the start of 2010 Cadbury announced the launch of their new Bar of Plenty range, and of course I was straight on the case reviewing all three flavours for the site. If you wish to remind yourselves of what I thought of those bars take a look HERE, but to cut the long story short my order of preference (best-to-worst) was the Hazelnut & Cashew, then the Berry & Shortcake and then lastly the Toffee Apple. Back in then February I was lucky enough to review those bars before they hit the marketplace thanks to a PR agency distributing samples on behalf of Cadbury. Last week that very same PR agency contacted me again offering me the opportunity to try a new special 'Charity Pack' flavour that Cadbury are releasing in the coming weeks, this Honey Flakes & Caramelised Pecan bar.

This bar came in the standard 'Bar of Plenty' size and weighed in at 140.0g. This 'Charity Pack' is being distributed solely in Morrisons supermarkets here in the UK, and for every pack bought Cadbury will be donating 10p to a charity called 'Help the Hospices'. A small criticism I have about the wrapper is that very similar aesthetically to the Hazelnut & Cashew variant, which also happens to use of a orangey/yellow secondary colour. Looking at it from a more positive perspective, a few work colleagues who I shared the bar with did pick up on the 'Charity Pack' logo on the front so I guess there is evidence that Cadbury have done a good job raising awareness for the charity. Inside the chocolate was blocked in the usual Cadbury size, and looked relatively attractive with the cornflakes especially visible throughout.

One thing you can always rely on with any Cadbury product is that you are going to be treated to some glorious aromas whenever you open one of their chocolate bars. The smell of Cadbury never fails to put a smile on my face, and this bar did so once again with it's delightfully poignant scents. Rather than waste time describing the taste of Dairy Milk for the hundredth time, allow me to just quickly inform you that it delivered the usual creamy sweet cocoa flavours within it's unique smooth melting thick texture. What was of more interest to me, and I'm guessing to all of you lot, were what the inner cornflake and pecan elements were going to bring to the party. I have to admit that to my surprise it was the cornflakes that had the better cut through in the taste, with the cereal flavours coming through strongly when munched on once the surrounding chocolate had melted away. The cereal flakes benefited hugely by the glazing of honey that lined each piece, as the sweet floral flavours made them far most distinctive flavour wise than they would of been had they just been plain. To my disappointment the caramelised pecans generally failed to materialise in the taste - no doubt this was largely down to the fact that the nut pieces were so small in size they were barely detectable either visibly or in the mouth. Despite the lack of input from the pecans, this still felt like a reasonably satisfying and enjoyable chocolate. The bar I opened in the office disappeared within a matter of minutes which is always a good sign.

Overall this Honey Flakes & Caramelised Pecans proved itself to be a welcome, yet unspectacular addition to the Cadbury Bar of Plenty range. With Cadbury you can always feel safe in the knowledge that you are going to get decent tasting milk chocolate, but one thing you aren't always assured of is the quality of the filling that goes along with it. Hopefully you will have been able to interpret from my ramblings above that cereal element of this bar was implemented pretty superbly, with the honey coated cornflakes having a very favourable impact on the overall taste. The pecan element on the other hand was not done quite so well, as they lacked presence in both flavour and texture due to their small sized nature. Luckily the absence of the pecans didn't particularly hinder my enjoyment of the product overall, it was more just a matter of disappointment that this chocolate had the potential to be even tastier than it was. If I was to slot this in my order of preference of the Cabdury Bar of Plenty range, I would place it above the Toffee Apple, Berry & Shortcake flavours, but not quite up there with the Hazelnut & Cashew bar. Those of you who are fans of the Ritter Sport Cornflakes will no doubt get a lot of enjoyment from this bar if you like Cadbury chocolate. At the same time you can feel good knowing that some of the proceeds are going to a good cause.

8.2 out of 10

July 25th: Thorntons Summer Bars 2010

Lemon Smoothie - Kcal 205 Fat 14.3g Fat(sats) 8.1g Carbs 17.4g
Raspberry Burst - Kcal 195 Fat 14.1g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 14.0g

Summer is in full flow now and I have been keeping my eyes peeled for all the different summer offerings from all the UK brands. Whilst browsing the shelves of my local Thorntons last week, my eyes came across these Lemon Smoothie and Raspberry Burst bars pictured above (no prizes for guessing which is which!!).

Both these bars came in the familiar Thorntons impulse bar format, priced at 49p and both weighing 35.0g. Neither of the two really struck me as that innovative given that there have been very similar offerings from Thorntons in the past - See 'Thorntons Sicilian Lemon Truffle Bar' & 'Thorntons Winter Fruit Crumble' but in terms of packaging, presentation and product concept they both struck me as attractive and fitting with the summer season.

Lemon Smoothie - 'White chocolate bar with a lemon mousse centre'
This was certainly the better out of the two bars. I have always been an advocate of Thorntons' white chocolate so I was little surprised by my enjoyment of the creamy vanilla tones of the tones of the exterior layer here. Remembering back to my review of the Sicilian Lemon bar a few years ago I recall finding the lemon flavours over powering and dominant but thankfully Thorntons had obviously attempted to address this issue. This time around the fluffy, light mousse centre was sweeter and creamier, yet it still produced a citrusy lemon flavour offering. The centre tasted like a cream based lemon curd filling and produced a pleasant, flowing flavour experience. On the whole it was pretty delicious, and I loved all the different textures delivered by the outer chocolate, mousse and crisp chocolate base.

Raspberry Burst - 'Dark chocolate bar with a raspberry mousse centre'
I don't even know where to start with this one - it was absolutely fowl!!! Taste wise the outer dark chocolate was fine tasting, and the 60% recipe established a decent set of unsweetened cocoa flavours in the mouth. Unfortunately within seconds the dark chocolate became a complete non-factor as the gaudy looking raspberry mousse took centre stage. The mousse can be best described as totally disgusting. I don't know what happened at Thorntons HQ but whoever thought that replacing the tasty red fruit Winter Fruit Crumble filling with a artificial, lip gloss tasting 'mousse centre' needs to be fired now. I can't think of any better way of describing the taste other than cheap kiddie lipstick - it was just so fake tasting I ended up throwing it away after only a few bites.

Overall Thorntons have delivered a real mix bag of Summer offering with these bars. To be honest I'm a little dumbfounded as to how one of them could be so genuinely tasty in it's fruity flavours, whilst the other was so ridiculously bad. What really impressed me about the Lemon Smoothie bar was the way Thorntons seemed to have adapted the recipe from the Sicilian Lemon to allow the white chocolate to have more of say in the taste with the lemon being slightly less dominant. The Lemon Smoothie is a fine example of how to integrate fruit flavours in to chocolate, on the contrary the Rapsberry Burst sits on the other end of spectrum. Although the Raspberry Burst looks the part, when it comes to taste it has to be classed as one of the worst things Thorntons have served up for awhile, and of course it's not a bar I would recommend any of you buying. If you try one of the two this summer I strongly suggest you make it the Lemon Smoothie.

Lemon Smoothie - 7.9 out of 10
Raspberry Burst - 4.9 out of 10

July 24th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 49

### Jim's Corner ###

Hi All,

Just a quick update again this week as I have plenty of reviews to be getting on with. In the last week I have had some deliveries from Ritter Sport, Hotel Chocolat, Thorntons, Cadbury and Galler, so be expecting more from those guys soon.

Thank you again to everyone who entered the Heavenly Cakes competition that ended last week. The winners have been in contact with my about how pleased they were with their prizes. For those of you who didn't win be sure to keep an eye on my Twitter feed as I'm giving away various leftover samples each week (this week it was some Thornton's Pistachio chocolates!!).

Thank you for all the comments that you all continue to leave. I know the likes of Hotel Chocolat, Ritter, Zotter and Galler read them everytime so please keep them coming.

Have a great weekend!

JIM

News from the chocolate market

* American confectionery brand Mike & Ike is being supported by a big promotional push ... See HERE

* Mars are going to be running their biggest ever promotion on their bitesize range ... See HERE

* I wonder if my dedication to HobNobs will get a place in McVitie's VIP club ... See HERE

* Cadbury are already talking about their Christmas range, unbelievable ... See HERE

* Penguin biscuits look like they are up for sale ... See HERE

.... found a chocolate story I've missed? Please share it!!!

Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week

> TheImpulsiveBuy - Kelley tried this ridiculous sounding Kellogg's Real Fruit Granola Pizza - what on earth Indeed!? ... See HERE

> Jen Ken's Kit Kat Blog - Despite the poor reviews I keep seeing about them I can't help but want to try these new Cola & Lemonade flavoured Kit Kats ... See HERE

> GiGiReviews - If you ever feel the need to be put off buying a Krispy Kreme doughnut check out Gi's review of this Lemon Cake Doughnut ... See HERE

> Foodstufffinds - Not a week goes by without me looking at this site and thinking 'I fancy trying that'. This week Pita Chips: Cinnamon Sugar ... See HERE

> Japenese Snack Reviews - It's good to see that I wasn't the only one to think these Country Ma'am cookies were surprisingly good ... See HERE

> It's all about Limited Edition - My friend Franzi from Germany has just started a new site that reviews limited edition snacks and chocolates ... See HERE

Have you seen the latest Hotel Chocolat End of Season Sales ????

July 23rd: 'Bits n Bobs' - Cereal, Chocolate, Cake & Biscuit Assortment

At the start of the year I was looking to reduce the number of posts I was making a week down to just five. You may have noticed that this hasn't become reality - I simply have too many products knocking around commanding reviews. To help me get on top of things a little I have taken the opportunity to do another 'Bits n Bobs' post - you will see some quick fire reviews below of some of the products that I have had on my radar for a while. Your comments are always welcome on any of them ...

Nestle Animal Bar

Kcal 98 Fat 5.0g Carbs 12.3g

For some reason or other my workplace has just started stocking these in our staff shop - aren't these meant to be for kids and not middle aged working professionals!?? Hmmm anyway ... I do have vague memories of being given Animal Bars as treats when I was younger which isn't all that surprising given they have been around since 1963. I can still see why the packaging and size of the bar are still relevant for kids, but personally I didn't particularly enjoy the actual milk chocolate all that much. Not surprisingly it was weak tasting and mostly sugar led with its non-threatening cocoa flavours. Best left for the smaller people of this world.

5.6 out of 10

Fox's Echo Milk & White Chocolate

Kcal 126 Fat 6.6g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 14.9g

Again I remember eating these when I was younger - I used to have them now and again during my school lunchbox days. In the supermarket Echos sit alongside the likes of the Kit Kats, Twixs, CLUB biscuits etc, and they come described as 'milk & white chocolate with a crunchy biscuit base'. In comparison to some of the aforementioned products I have always thought that Echos look nice on the eye. Both the packaging and bars look attractive in comparison to other chocolate biscuit alternatives and to be fair to them they also hold up their end of the bargain in the taste. For my liking both the milk and white chocolates are a little passive in their flavours, though the combination of them both deliver a decent sweet chocolate flavour hit. I have always thought the texture of the chocolate is a little waxy, though I can't complain with the crunchy contribution from the slightly salty flavoured biscuit base at the bottom of each bar. If you are looking for a Kit Kat alternative you cant go far wrong treating yourself to an Echo.

7.1 out of 10

McVitie's Medley Digestives Hazelnuts & Milk Chocolate

Kcal 140 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 1.9g Carbs 19.2g

A few weeks ago I posted my first review from McVitie's new Medley range in the form of their Hobnob Medley bar (See HERE). After a bit of searching around the supermarket shelves I managed to locate the other variety in the range - these Digestive Hazelnut & Milk Chocolate. In essence these were very much the same as the Hobnob Medley, apart from the substitution of the Hobnobs biscuit pieces for the Digestive biscuit pieces, and the swapping of the raisins for the hazelnuts. To be frank only one of these two change ups work for me. The Digestive biscuits weren't half as forthcoming in the taste in comparison to the Hobnobs, but on the flipside the hazelnuts were more welcome than the raisins as they were more detectable with their wooden nut flavour enhancements. I would find it hard recommending one of these Medley bars over the other as to be honest neither are perfect. I still believe McVitie's could have done a better job with these bars.

7.2 out of 10

Bahlsen Messino Edlehreb

Kcal 140 Fat 4.9g Fat(sats) 2.8g Carbs 23.0g (per 3 cakes)

Not long ago I read an article on TalkingRetail.com that stated that a brand called Bahlsen were going to be turning up the heat on McVitie's in the Jaffa Cake tablestakes. Whilst I have been critical in the past of companies like Cadbury entering in to this part of the market with weak price cut led offerings (See HERE), I have always been open to seeing how other manufacturers could play the Jaffa Cakes game. Cutting the long story short, these looked the part in terms of their presentation with both the outer packaging and inner cakes looking like a nice premium proposition. Unfortunately when it came to the taste the size of the cakes were a real issue for me as they were so small and thin they didn't create the same sort of flavour impact that McVitie's Jaffa Cakes do. The dark chocolate was noticeably more flavoursome and not as laboured in melt, however the other cake and orange jelly filling layers were so insignificant and minimal they failed to create lasting flavour impacts. Quite simply I wouldn't buy purchase these over the McVitie's originals at the moment, but if they made them a little bigger they would be serious competition.

6.9 out of 10

If you have any feedback on these products please feel free to discuss them by dropping a comment.