April 21st: Bits & Bobs: New UK Misc Products

There have been a few new products that have come to occupy our shelves here in the UK in the last few months. Here are a few of the best (and worst) I've found lately ...

----
Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares Rocky Road
Kcal 143 Fat 4.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 26.0g (per bar)

Though they aren't my cereal of choice, but I do like a good Rice Krispie Square from time-to-time. New to the UK for 2012, Kellogg's have released these Rocky Road Squares and judging by the back of the packet I bought it seems like they have replaced the golden packaged Caramel flavour ones (See HERE). Also on the back of the multi-bar packet I bought, there was also this rather long winded description - 'Cripsy toasted chocolate rice cereal with melted marshmallow, raisins and white chocolate chunks'. This sounded all good to me and out their cool looking black foil wrappers the Squares looks as advertised with plenty of the aforementioned pieces scattered throughout. Taste-wise these added bits had mixed success. The raisins and white chcocolate pieces were enhancing, though the shortbread biscuit pieces were mainly lost in it all. The base of rice chocolate cereal was as ever it's sweet self and with the added raisins and white chocolate the 34.0g bar was about the limit I would have wanted in one. Rice Krispies Squares fans will like that they have something new to try - whether or not they will like that this one has replaced the classic Caramel flavour is another thing altogether though.

7.0 out of 10


----
Cadbury Mallows with Caramel
Kcal 60 Fat 2.2g Fat(sats) 1.2g Carbs 9.9g (per Teacake)

Tunnock's Teacakes were one of the snacks I frequently consumed after school during my younger days. For some reason or other we always used to have a pack in the house - I guess it was because neither my sister or I ever expressed a dislike of them, so our Mother just continued to be them. Lifestories aside, it is for that reason I feel pretty confident about commenting on the quality of these latest NEW Cadbury Teacakes with Caramel. Cadbury's previous attempts at making Teacakes (See HERE) hadn't proved to be all that successful - generating only a 5.8 out of 10 on the JCM scoring system. The added promise of a 'caramel filling' in to the mix though, had me wondering whether they could be markedly improved!? I probably should have been able to tell that this wasn't going to be the case when I cut through the middle of one of the teacakes for the photograph. The caramel was minimally portioned in the mallow, and when it came to the taste it was almost indeed 100.0% suffocated. Aside from adding a little bit of moistness to the chalky, flavourless biscuit at the base, the caramel was pretty much a non-entity. That disappointment lumped in with the still unremarkable chocolate flavour hit and disappointingly foamy mallow and these 'with Caramel' weren't the step forward I was hoping for. These are best summed up by saying 'just buy Tunnocks'.

5.9 out of 10


----
Paynes Poppets Strawberry Milkshake
Kcal 188 Fat 5.5g Fat(sats) 3.2g Carbs 33.2g (per pack)

A quick wonder through the JCM archives will show you that I'm generally not the biggest advocate of Paynes Poppets (See HERE). Considering their average score usually nets around 5.0 out of 10, I really wasn't expecting much from this new Strawberry Milkshake flavour - lucky that really :D I found this new flavour on sale in a local newsagents, innocently sitting next to the more commonly found toffee and mint flavours. In regards to packaging and presentation these came brandished in the new Poppets style which like I said in my last Paynes review of the Choc Chip Cookie flavour (See HERE), is certainly a step up from the old style showcased on the older packs you can see in some of my first ever reviews for the site. Unfortunately all positivity ends there, no doubt you've likely already peaked at the scoring chart - yes these really did taste that bad :D! Where do I start!? bland tasting, waxy milk chocolate and centers so chemically artificial and sugary that I almost spat my first mouthful out as I thought I had come across 'a bad one' - the following mouthfuls proved evidently not. The strawberry flavour implementation was one of the worst I have come across, these were frankly just disgusting. Avoid if you know what's good for you.

3.4 out of 10


----
McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Double ChocolateKcal 181 Fat 6.2g Fat(sats) 2.6g Carbs 28.6g

Since the launch of the McVitie's Medley range back in 2010, we've seen a number of different variants come and go from the range:

McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Milk Chocolate & Raisin - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Digestive Milk Chocolate - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Peanut - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Caramel - See HERE

Well cometh' the year 2012, and cometh' the McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Double Chocolate. Indeed, the latest flavour to make it's way out of the McVitie's product lines is the Double Chocolate - 'dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate, cereal and biscuit chunks'. To get straight to the point this new variant was 'exactly what it said on the tin'. The larger 40.0g bar was a more fulfilling option than previous that had gone before, and the overall taste experience was more chocolatey rich. I suppose in that sense the proposition lived up to it's billing, though frankly I would jump at the chance to swap a bar of this for two normal chocolate Hobnobs. Those who were previously hating on the originals because of the raisins may wish to take another look. The rest of you might not have too much to get excited about.

7.7 out of 10


----
Galaxy Cookie Crumble SlicesKcal 150 Fat 7.8g Fat(sats) 3.9g Carbs 18.3g (per slice)

Having looked at new products from Cadbury, Kellogg's and Paynes already, I'm glad to say that Mars haven't missed out on being part of Bit's n Bobs today. Indeed new for 2012 we have these new Galaxy Cookie Crumble Slices - I guess a bit of a mix-up/match-up with their Galaxy Cookie Crumble Chocolate (See HERE) getting the Twix Slice treatment. As with all the other cakey Mars treats, these have been produced by McVitie's and can be found in most UK supermarkets likely doing the rounds on the £1.00 deals. Presented nicely in a pack of 6 individually wrapped packets, the slices looked simple, but nice. The thick topping of Galaxy milk chocolate melted nicely into the cookie base that lay below and retained all of it's typical creamy, sweet Galaxy chocolate appeal. Sitting on the bottom, the cookie bases were similarly delicious. It was buttery, crumbly and had a hint of saltyness. Unlike the horrible Twix slice I really liked these and would buy them again.

8.2 out of 10


----
Cadbury BiscBites Roacky Road CrunchKcal 125 Fat 5.5g Fat(sats) 2.9g Carbs 16.6g (per 7 biscuits)

Ladies and gentlemen well done for making it this far down :D Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to reward you with a review of a product of great quality, these were frankly just pants. Cadbury BiscBits Rocky Road Crunch - 'chocolate cherry and marshmallow flavoured biscuits covered with milk chocolate'. I'm sure you are thinking that all sounds dandy - I don't blame you, it had me thinking that to. These biscuits came in a 110.0g foil pouch that I bought for £1.00 in my local Tesco supermarket (that was an introductory reduced price deal of course). Suspicions immediately rose upon opening the pouch when a rather odd fruity smell emerged. Ignoring the warning signs I hoped for more from the taste and set about munching my way through the pack. After just a few biscuits I decided to set the pouch to one side where it remained untouched until it's ill fated trip to the bin. To sum this up short and sweet these tasted pretty horrible. The outer Cadbury chocolate had this horrible, fake tasting sugary sweet cherry twang and it overpowered the inner chocolate biscuit. These just tasted cheap and I guess I should have learnt from the Cadbury BiscBits Orange Crunch (See HERE) which were equally horrible. Lesson learnt folks!

5.4 out of 10

April 20th: Galaxy Flutes

Kcal 56 Fat 2.9 Carbs 7.8g (per 11.25g piece)

Personally I think we are at an all time low for confectionery innovation here in the UK. I've been moaning for the best part of a few months now that recently every single product we come across brandishing a 'NEW' label is in actual fact just a re-released or repackaged product we've had previously. If you need me to name examples then please look no further than the likes of the Yorkie Honeycomb (HERE), Cadbury Creme Egg Splats (HERE), Cadbury Bitsa Wispa (HERE) ... I could go on! This mini-rant leads me nicely into introducing the 'NEW' Galaxy Flutes:

“Galaxy Flutes perfectly encapsulate the indulgence and pleasure which have become synonymous with the Galaxy brand and are a perfect treat for a luxurious snack for discerning chocolate lovers.

“Consumers will love the benefit of a combination of textures with the mix of wafer and cream providing an ideal afternoon snacking moment.”

.... yes another 'lighter way to enjoy chocolate' according to the wrapper - where have we heard that before!? Wasn't that the idea of the Galaxy Bubbles bar? Whatever! I came across these Flutes in my local supermarket where a pricey sounding £0.45 bought me a 22.5g pack of two wafer fingers. As ever with Galaxy products the packaging, wrapper and product were all classy looking and I couldn't fault them at all in this regard.

Choco-saddos like myself (aren't we all haha :D ) will have already clocked that these were infact Galaxy Amicelli made smaller and given as a repackaged format. This was fine for all the reasons I posted in my initial review of them a few years ago (See HERE), but in other ways it was just as much disappointing. Fundamentally what we had here were some very tasty filled chocolate wafers. As is the case with Galaxy products the chocolate was sweet, but luxuriously smooth melting and with a delicious prolonged creamy aftertaste that complimented the honey notes of the wafer superbly. It was this tastyness however that made for the downfall of these Flutes as they were a totally unfulfilling snacking option. Speaking as a mid-twenty year old guy these barely scratched the surface of what I wanted from a mid-afternoon snack - if anything they just made me hungrier than I was before eating them, that's a snack FAIL people.

Overall these Galaxy Flutes can be categorised right alongside many of the other 'NEW' UK confectionery products we've been provided with this year. Just as they have been, these were 'fine' for what they were, but frankly they were just totally unexciting as a new proposition. These Flutes don't bring anything new to the table and unless your a 'diet coke drinking female office worker' (stereotype sorry!) you probably wont bother giving these a second glance. The 'think tanks' at these confectionery companies must seriously be at an all time low. Personally I would suggest to these people that if this is the best they can come up with this year then please just stop the new prdocut development projects now.

7.2 out of 10

April 18th: Glico Pocky Almond Crush Bitter

Kcal 526 Fat 28.9g Carbs 57.9g (per 100.0g)

To say I'll keep the midweek mini short and sweet today doesn't seem fitting given the name of these Almond Crush Bitter flavoured Pocky. Normally I source all my Japanese/Far East snacks from my pal Pete @Jlist (Twitter HERE, Website HERE) but in actual fact I got these in a local Asian supermarket in which I ventured last week. Despite the package blurb being all in Asian text a handy English translation sticker placed on the back of box informed me that these were a product of Thailand and that packet contained 38.0g worth of biscuit sticks. As ever with Far Eastern sourced products the presentation was first class. The sticks were kept remarkably fresh within a thick, golden coloured foil wrapper and they smelt absolutely fantastic with strong chocolate and nut scents escaping when the seal was broken. In reviews previous I've often referred to my frustrations at nuts being chopped too finely. There was no problem with this here whatsoever. The nuts had just as much impact on the taste as the delicious, unsweetened cocoa flavours that the smooth melting, thick coating produced. The triple layered taste of bittersweet cocoa, salty almond nuts and sweet, buttery shortbread biscuit made for a delicious, multi-layered flavour journey. I'm not ashamed to admit I demolished the whole box of ten plus sticks in the one  sitting. There was no chance of me putting these down once opened and they will go down as one of my favourite ever Pocky flavours. I would highly recommend these if you have the luck of coming across them.

8.8 out of 10

April 16th: Happy Birthday Milka!!!

Happy birthday Milka!!!! 2012 sees Kraft's Milka brand celebrate it's 111th birthday and to mark the occasion they have produced three limited edition 100.0g bars. It's been way too long since I last got to review some Milka here on JCM, below you will see my thoughts and photos of these bars. Of course if you have any thoughts or comments on the bars below be sure to drop me a line on either the JCM Twitter (See HERE) or Pinterest (See HERE) pages.

-----

Milka Bunte Kakaolinsen (Milka Coloured Lenses)
Kcal 520 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 62.0g

The direct translation of the bar's name might not have helped you, though I'm sure you've already managed to gather this was a Milka milk chocolate bar containing the Milka equivalent of Smarties. As a proposition this didn't do too much in the way of excitement for me, though that said I really did think the bar looked rather cool with all the different colours. Speaking of these chocolate pieces I was surprised they didn't make the bar a nuisance to split up evenly given their vast quantity. Conversely, the blocks broke away cleanly so there were no issues there. Taste wise I would happily settle giving this bar a thumbs up. The milk chocolate was as expected with it's cream and minor hazelnut noted flavour characteristics - sweet for sure, but tasty none the less. My initial unexcitement for this bar was driven by my relative neutrality to Smarties - I neither love or hate them. With that said I thought the Smarties equivalent pieces worked well here, and I especially liked the way you could let the outer chocolate melt away before crunching down on the remaining sugar shelled choc bits. I'm not sure I would rush out to buy it again (I can't anyway because these bars are only available in Germany!),but as a limited edition it was bar that brought a bit of colour to the table.

8.1 out of 10

-----

Milka A la Vanille-Pudding (Milka Vanilla Pudding)
Kcal 590 Fat 40.5g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 50.5g (per 100.0g)

Anyone remember this from 2009? This A la Vanille-Pudding flavour was previously available as one of  the limited editions created for the 2009 Winter Olympics. In fairness to Milka it's not like they've claimed anywhere that the bar was 'new', so I think we can give them a pass on this one. You can read my full thoughts on the bar HERE - alternatively you could just read my concluding thoughts below :D

 '...the product's main strength and main weakness came in the form of its vanilla pudding filling, which was great tasting but at the same time just incredibly sweet. For fans of sweet flavoured chocolate then this is a bar I would recommend, for those the other end of the spectrum I guess this is one to avoid.'


-----

Milka Knister mit Brausegranulat (Milka crackle with effervescent granules)
Kcal 590 Fat 40.5g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 50.5g (per 100.0g)


I haven't done my usual trick of saving the best until last I'm afraid. This was more the case of me putting off having to try this one until the very last possible moment. Those with any previous JCM experience will know my hatred of popping candy (aka Knister in German tongue), you need only look back at some similar propositions to see the poor reviews I gave them - See HERE & HERE. Unfortunately for me it appears that Milka aren't aligned with me on this, and they felt it only right to mark one their historic birthday with said ingredient. 'Alpine milk chocolate filled with milk flavoured creme,  crackle candy and effervescent granules (i.e. sherbet powder). You know what I'm going to say here so I wont beat around the bush! Alpine milk chocolate and milk flavoured creme - YES please, big time thumbs up for the creamy sweet hazelnut noted chocolate and super smooth melt. Popping candy and sherbet powder - BOO!! No, no, no I'm afraid! These two things ruined a perfectly good chocolate for me, with the popping candy creating it's god awful crackly, scratchy mouth feel, and the sherbet powder having little effect apart from an unnecessary additional sugaryness. This obviously isn't a bar made with a twenty something year old bloke in mind but that doesn't mean I have to give it a better score :D Sorry Milka, not for me this one.

5.6 out of 10

April 13th: Kit Kat Orange Tokyo Sky Tree Edition

Kcal 100 Fat 5.8g Carbs 10.6g (Per 2 finger serving) 

I honestly can't recall a week where I have had to do some much research to write some chocolate reviews. First it was that blasted Rilakkuma bear and today I've had to consult my pals at Wiki for some information on the Tokyo Sky Tree ... 

"Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー Tōkyō Sukai Tsurī?), formerly known as New Tokyo Tower (新東京タワー Shin Tōkyō Tawā?), is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower and the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa (829.84 m/2,723 ft). The project was completed on 29 February 2012, with the tower's public opening due on 22 May 2012." 

Of course this being Japan there is only one way to celebrate finishing the construction - yes you guessed it ... a limited edition Kit Kat

This particular limited edition came as a 3 pack of four finger wafers - all contained within a special large Sky Tree fronted box, and additionally their own separate smaller packages. Displayed on all of these very cool looking packaging layers, a rather curious golden crown and 'No.1' emblem is displayed. When I consulted the JList website (HERE) to my mild surprise it became apparent that it meant 'No. 1 flavour'. I'm not making this up folks! Yes Orange is said to be the number one flavour in Japan. 

   

Longer time readers of JCM will be aware that the UK orange Kit Kat has never been a favoured flavour of mine (See 4 four finger HERE & Chunky HERE) and it wasn't with the greatest deal of enthusiasm that I opened my first Sky Tree package. Surrounded by the standard Nestle milk chocolate coating the taste affair started with no real surprises with the sweet, dried milk taste fast established with medium paced smooth melt. From this point onwards things took a real upturn, and expectations were certainly exceeded when it came to the establishment of the orange flavours. Indeed unlike the simplistic overly sweet flavours of our UK Kit Kat, the fruit influence here came in the form of a delicious creamy creme placed amongst the thin wafer layers. It was altogether less sugar intensive, and provided more of a smooth, fruity flavour flow that gave more of a realistic orange taste. The four finger packet as whole was an easily consumable, yet satisfying snack.

Overall the sound of a orange flavour Kit Kat may not sound like the most exciting in the world of Japanese Kit Kats, but this one was a far greater experience than one had imagined it might be. I remain skeptical as to how a limited edition can be the 'No.1 flavour'!?? (Explanation anyone???) but having tasted it I can see why this Orange bar might have a wider appeal than some of the more opinion splitting options like say the Green Tea variant. You have to love the Japanese way of launching a Kit Kat to celebrate the opening of a building, I'm half expecting the equivalent Pocky to turn up on my doorstep next week. For the minute I will point you in the direction of the JList website to get your Japanese Kit Kat fill (HERE) - you should also keep a watch on the JCM twitter feed as there will be a competition to win some the Kit Kats featured this week (See HERE).

8.7 out of 10

April 11th: Midweek Mini(s) Japanese Kit Kats

This Midweek mini post today sees the continuation of Japanese Kit Kat week here on JCM and the products in focus really are miniature!!

We all know that the Japanese aren't afraid of releasing every flavour known to man, but additionally when it comes to repackaging old ones into new formats they appear to be rather keen on doing that as well. The two Kit Kat variants I'm showing off today are in actual fact to flavours that have previously appeared on the site in one form or another, just scaled down to mini versions.

If you want extended reading in to both these flavours I suggest hitting the review links under the pictures   to get the full scoop and my detailed musings on both of these. Just remember if either or these tickle your fancy you can always pop along to JList where they can be found on sale will a host of other crazy and limited availability flavours.

Kit Kat Dark Bitter Minis - See Review HERE - Buy HERE

Kit Kat Green Tea - See Review HERE - Buy HERE

April 9th: Kit Kat Rilakkuma Hotcake

Kcal 69 Fat 4.0g Carbs 7.7g (per 12.3g Kit Kat)

Before we kick off the review today please allow Wiki to answer the question that I'm sure a good 99% of you are thinking right now ...

Rilakkuma (リラックマ Rirakkuma, a combination of the Japanese pronunciation of relax and the Japanese word for bear) is a Japanese character produced by the San-X company who debuted in 2003. Rilakkuma and Tarepanda, another San-X character, have been described as "huge hits in Japan" by The New York Times. As of May 2010, Rilakkuma ranked as the fifth most popular character in Japan in a survey of the Character Databank.

 A Japanese snack based around a popular Japenese character!? That can only mean one thing right!? Indeed JList have been at it once more and yet again the JCM household is stocked full of weird and wonderful Japanese snacks. You can find these Limited Edition Kit Kat Rilakkuma Hotcake on the J-List website HERE, where you can buy yourself a box of 12 mini Kit Kats like the one I got sent for this review. I'm not sure my amateur photography will have done it justice, but the box itself was beautifully decorated and the friendly, fun looking presentation of the packaging was really top-notch even for a Japanese Kit-Kat product. I've not always been a fan of the mini Kit Kat format but as you will go on to learn, the smaller size worked favourably for this particular variant.

Judging by the taste of these white chocolate Kit Kats, Hotcakes appear to be Mayple syrup pancakes - that's what these tasted like anyway! Indeed, these white chocolate Kit Kats were sweet as they come, but in the small 12.3g doses they were a tasty little option to park alongside a nice cup of tea. The white chocolate had a sugary, dried milk taste that as it melted released a set of syrup drenched buttery pancake flavours. Only the brave would dare try eat one of these in say a Kit Kat Chunky form due to it's sugaryness but as stated above in the miniture form the flavour intensity worked.

Overall I'm not for one minute going to even pretend like I have the remotest interest in Rilakkuma, what he does? who his little chicken friend is? or frankly what he is all about :D One thing to say however is that it does appear like me and Rilakkuma have a shared passion for these splendid Hotcakes of his :D Kit Kat flavours are ten-a-penny in Japan but I can honestly say these are one of the most unique I have tried in recent times. I think we all know that white chocolate isn't my favoured chocolate type due it's usual overly sweet nature, however these proved that even I can enjoy it when it is done cleverly with flavour depths more developed that just sugar. I can't say these Kit Kats have me convinced to find out more about Rilakkuma but I'll happily eat some of his hotcakes :D

8.0 out of 10

April 6th: Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter one and all! Have a great few days off and enjoy all the chocolates that come your way.

My plans, aside from going to watch my beloved Manchester United <3 <3 <3 are to tuck in the generous bundle sent to me by my pals at Nestle! Yes indeed, Nestle sent me these three Yorkie, Kit Kat and Munchies packages to celebrate them becoming the first major confectioner to use 100% recyclable packaging across all their Easter Eggs. This move to recyclable packaging will save 726 tonnes of plastic waste from going to landfill this year - that's a damn lot when you stop and think about it. If you want to read more on this I suggest you take a look at the Nestle site HERE.

Right! Enough of that I'm off to eat some chocolate and sip some tea from my awesome chocolatey mugs :D (I love a good mug me!!) Enjoy Easter folks!

JIM - p.s. Keep an eye on @ChocMission this weekend! Competitions inbound!!

April 4th: Bits & Bobs: Easter Special

I have to say the 'new' products this Easter haven't been all that exciting here in the UK. As you will see below in my many mini reviews, a lot of the chocolates aren't really new at all - just simply repacked or slightly adapted offerings from last year. Apologies these might not be the most exciting reviews ever, but hey, I can only work with what these companies put out there :D

-----
MaltEaster Mini Bunnies
Kcal 62 Fat 3.5g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs(sugars) 6.2g (per Bunny)

Up until the Cadbury Caramel Bunnies showed up on the scene in 2010, Mars's MaltEaster Bunny was the holder of the 'Battle of the Bunnies' title (See HERE). Three years on from the original release (Review HERE), Mars have seen fit to introduce these MaltEaster Mini Bunnies. These Mini Bunnies came in a 58.0g packet which contained 5 individually wrapped bunny chocolates. As one would have hoped for, these were exactly as you would have expected i.e. there were no changes in content proportions or presentation- everything seemed to be just scaled back to accommodate the smaller size. With that said I'm sure it will come as no surprise at all to anyone to hear that I did indeed like these. The milk chocolate was sweet as always, but it suited the inner malty centre and the honeycomb bits added both crunch and pleasant notes of honey to create the Malteser experience. I guess my only gripe with these is the fact you only get 5 in the packet - that's neither enough to share or to last one person a reasonable amount of time before the bag is empty. The fact everywhere seems to be doing two of the original MaltEaster Bunnies at 2 for £1.00 does make a recommendation to buy these a little harder.

7.2 out of 10


--------
Nestle Aero Mint LambKcal 146 Fat 8.3g Carbs 16.3g

This is by no means a complaint but it feels like I've been reviewing so called 'New' Aero products for like the past year. If you have a look back across the last 12 months, to just name a few we've had the resurgence of the Aero Orange (See HERE), the limited edition Aero Dark (See HERE), the Aero Biscuit (See HERE) and of course last Easter's Aero Lamb (See HERE). In my 2011 review of the Aero lamb I concluded by saying that there was "really nothing too special about these lambs. They are simply Aero milk chocolate, shaped as lamb figurines". Well one of two things happened ... circumstance 1) The Aero team read JCM and saw the error of their ways ... circumstance 2) The Aero team got feedback from everyone bemoaning the lack of ingenuity - lets just say it was a combination on the two eh :D Now credit where credit is due, Nestle have listened and have adapted the Aero Lamb for 2012. As you will have gathered we now have a mint flavoured Lamb on our hands and I personally think that has benefited the product in two main ways. As is the case when it comes to the normal Aero bars, I prefer the extra depth to the taste that the peppermint brings to the party, and there's no doubting the Lambs look a bit funkier with the dayglow green centre. The Nestle Aero Lamb Mint is still no life changing chocolate, but it's an improvement on last years effort.

7.7 out of 10


-----
Galaxy Bubbles EggKcal 155 Fat 9.5g Carbs 15.3g (per egg)

If you've made it this far down the review today congratulations!! The bad news is your now looking at what is probably the most boring 'New' product for Easter 2012 :D Indeed enter stage left the magnificently innovative (/sarcasm) Galaxy Bubbles Egg. This 28.0g bad boy is the latest in the seemingly endless supply of new aerated chocolates here in the UK. I understand times are hard for manufactures and they are having to look at maximising profits, but come on guys give us a break with all the chocolates containing 'added air' please. Boy what on earth can I say about this egg to make it sound exciting!??? ... sorry I've failed! This was your standard Galaxy milk chocolate with yes, you guessed it ... a bubbly inner centre. Don't get me wrong you wont be offended by this at all should you buy or be given one, but I can only sum this up by saying you can certainly find more exciting chocolates to feast on this Easter.

7.0 out of 10


-----
Thorntons Caramel Melts EggKcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) Carbs ???

'Take an existing product, shape into an egg/bunny rabbit design and stick a 'NEW' sticker on it!??' ... Thorntons couldn't miss out on the action could they now!? ... No is the answer! Indeed displayed in all it's glorious form above we have this Thorntons Caramel Melts Egg. The Melts range has been out for the best part of two years now (Reviews HERE) and I'm frankly surprised they have lasted as long as they have. Whilst I'm surprised we haven't seen any spin-off limited edition flavours for the Melts range, I guess Thorntons just couldn't resist squashing them into an egg shape and giving it the 'Easter 2012' treatment. Last years Praline Melts Egg (See HERE) has now been joined by this Caramel Melts Egg, one that comes described as 'gooey caramel in a milk chocolate shell'. Bought on a 3 for £1.00 deal I thought it represented pretty good value for money and the milk chocolate had a noticeably slower, smoother melt compared to the more sugary chocolates of the more common brands above. Unfortunately I thought the caramel wasn't as tasty as some of the more commonplace options on the market. Compared to the Galaxy and Cadbury caramel eggs the golden filling here lacked the butteryness and depth of flavour. These aren't a bad little option but not offering anything above or below whats out there already.

7.5 out of 10