Review- The Grown Up Chocolate Company Cups: Hazelnut, Caramel, Spiced Praline and Peanut

Hi, it's me! Did anyone assume I had died a grizzly death?* I wouldn't blame you if you had - One can only be MIA for so long before others evidently conclude another's demise.. Have no fear though, I am back! I don't know how long for and shall make no promises as life has gotten pretty hectic but I am hoping to at least squeeze out a couple of reviews before my next vanishing act!

So, getting back into the swing of things, today we have some goodies from The Grown Up Chocolate Company who ever so kindly, sent me some of their "Handmade in the UK", NEW chocolatey treats to try. 

Cups, cups and nothing but! ..Except a bar.. But more of that later! Priced at £1.99 a pop and sold in sixes, not to mention extremely cute packaging, each variety offers up 75-80g of chocolate, with all being veggie friendly from what I can tell. 

Heavenly Whole Hazelnut Praline Cups

Smooth milk chocolate praline cups with whole hazelnut and crispy rice crunch. 

Well the description was true to its word.. Check out that mahoosive hazelnut! Taking a munch, the flavour of the aforementioned was very much apparent and as one would expect, paired pretty well with the milky cocoa hit of chocolate from the smooth shell. Unfortunately however, I found that with the addition of puff riced, it was all a bit too much of a mouthful and did start to detract from what could have been a superb "plain" nutty/praline chocolate combo. It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Gorgeously Gooey Caramel Truffle Cups

Milk chocolate toffee cups filled with a runny caramel truffle. 

Apologies for the dark picture - I am putting it down to lack of practice! ..Or perhaps the slightly odd description of these Cups - What on earth of a runny caramel truffle? I was under the impression that a chocolate truffle is anything but runny? Someone explain it to me. Melting in the mouth wonderfully, this little gleaming beauty certainly packed a buttery, toffee punch from the oozing centre with just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the once again, faultless milk chocolate. Deliciously indulgent - A 4.5 out of 5!

Spectacular Speculicious Praline Cups

Milk chocolate cups filled with sumptuous warm spice praline. 

Cutting the Cup in half, the inside dense truffle texture was clear to see and produced an ever so slight whiff of spice. Taste wise, it was far more warming than I expected with a real "Christmassy" inviting flavour that reminded me a lot of a strong Speculoos based Spread. I am not entirely sure what the sprinkling was on top of each of the rich chocolates but I liked it and its crunch! Wintery and warming - A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Perfectly Buttery Peanutty Cups/Superb Salted Caramel Peanut Bar

As some of you may be aware, peanut** and I don't exactly fair well together so I passed both these Cups and the Superb Salted Caramel Peanut Bar, pictured below, onto my darling Brother to review on my behalf with the strict instructions of "not consuming before I have a chance to take internal shots". Did he listen? No. Of course he didn't. Lovely chap is BSW (Winning personality, fabulous beard, etc) but he chooses to have the memory of a dead goldfish. So.. There's that. No pictures, a rating or even description as he also disposed of the boxes but he did say as follows.. 

"The Bar was better than the Cups. 

Strong peanut taste. 

Chocolate, creamy and nice.

Do you have any Reese's?"

Take from that what you will. 

Overall, minus the peanut fiasco which I can't personally judge for certain, these NEW Cups from The Grown Up Chocolate Company aren't too shabby at all.. There is definitely room for improvement with the Heavenly Whole Hazelnut - Maybe doing away with the puffed rice and making it into its own Cup would be nice, but aside from that, the Gooey Caramel Truffle is practically spot on despite still not being overly sure what a liquid truffle is and Speculicious Praline is to be a sure winner for anyone who loves a bit of spice in their life. Be sure to check out everything mentioned on the website and see if anything takes your fancy! 

Aaaaand lastly, a huge thank you to the folk at The Grown Up Chocolate Company for sending me all the deliciousness - Your chocolates are always much appreciated and rarely disappoint! 

*Or care? You lot are so heartless. 

*The nut/legume not the ACTUAL Peanut, NibsnScribs - Go read her review, she's a hoot and far more conscientious than my stupid sibling. 

Review- Tesco Ready to Bake LE Toffee Apple Cookie Dough

I am going to warn you now.. The pictures in todays post are horrendous to the extent of me having to'd and fro'd over whether it was even worthy of a review for the last 3 weeks - The colouring is whack, I seem incapable of shooting things in the centre and one might even come with some sort of photo effect. Safe to say, I don't know what went wrong.. But Cookies! Cookies always come first!

Technically, this is actually Tesco Ready to Bake Toffee Apple Cookie Dough which I bought for £1.50 after having enjoyed the Chocolate Chip version. Given it's Fall-esque flavouring and Limited Edition status, I do wonder if it was originally for Autumn 2016.. But I can't say I saw it until just after New Year so it's a bit of a mystery. 

Designed to be cut into 8 rounds after being left out of the fridge for 10 minutes to soften, the cookies  are to be cooked at 160ºC Fan for about 14-18 minutes or until golden brown.

I opted for the lesser duration purely as I didn't want a rock solid biscuit and they turned out pretty nicely - Not to mention, smelling amazingly buttery combined with an almost acidic, fruity yogurt aroma which filled the entire house! 

Breaking the slightly warm cookie in half, pieces of the add-ins were visible and of a fairly generous quantity. Crunchy on the outside with a chewier centre, they tasted just as they smelt - Super biscuity with a pop of tart apple a long with pockets of sweet toffee. A tang was definitely apparent which once again, reminded me of a yogurt and worked surprisingly well in a Cookie. Perfect with a mug of tea, sprinkled over ice cream for that hot/cold hit or even with actual yogurt! - Delish!

Overall, this Tesco Ready to Bake LE Toffee Apple Cookie Dough seems to be a pretty foolproof way of a getting fresh, warm, decent tasting treat into your life without much faff at all.. Well, that is to say as long as you use some sort of baking parchment on your tray otherwise you'll never get the welded little buggers off! Give it a whirl whilst you can.. And a sneaky taste when raw! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Patisserie Valerie NEW LE Madame Valerie Slice

Patisserie Valerie AKA the place of dreams, dropped a bombshell yesterday.. A NEW, Limited Edition flavour available in both 8" Celebration Cake form as well as individual sized portions, is gracing the bakery come café this January! Huzzah! The excitement! 

I didn't need much persuading when it came to getting myself a mysterious, pretty pink bowed box containing the Madame Valerie Slice this morning.. It's only bloomin' Chocolate, Caramel and Honeycomb Gateau, priced at £2.95 to take away or £2.50 if you go, quite rightly too, for the 4 slices for £10 option! The nice lady who served me also mentioned that there's to be a different NEW addition to the regular range every month this year which resulted in a high squeal from me, slap bang in the middle of the shop floor - Expect 11 more PV reviews this year, folks! 

Crikey, what a sight to behold.. Check out those layers of stickyness!

Grabbing a fork, the Gateau was as tender as expected with three layers of feather light, moist sponge, providing plenty of rich cocoa tones whilst making for a soft yet stable base for the thickly sandwiched, pale gold cream. Smooth like no other, not to mention far superior to all other crème pâtissière, the aforementioned tasted ridiculously buttery and sweet without being cloying or delivering a nasty throat burn - Not full on, overpowering caramel but extremely luxurious! Nibbles of crunchy honeycomb pieces were sprinkled throughout adding a nice contrast in texture to all the soft as well as a pop of sugary goodness, with a helping hand from the toffee tasting curls hiding up the side of the slice. Topping the lot was a indulgently chocolate version of the previously mentioned cream, that features in the usual Double Chocolate Gateau which was once again, all kinds of velvety deliciousness and a crisp choux profiterole that I wanted a dozen of. AMAZING! 

Overall, this NEW Madame Valerie Slice is pretty much the best thing I have eaten.. Not just this year or this decade but like, ever! From the flawless cake in terms of both texture and flavour to the silky cream, honeycomb and toppings, the entire confection is sheer perfection! Oo that rhymed! It's top marks from me, 5 out of 5 and I can't wait to see what else Patisserie Valerie have in store for us this year! 

Snackmas Day 2- McDonald's UK Festive Selection

They say the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Usually I would concur.. But other sorts of spreads work too. Festive Fast Food ones from McDonald's for example - It's time, as promised, for The FFF! 

And what a selection the chain has put out for Christmas 2016 - There's the NEW Festive Cheese Feast Burger and Cheese Melt Dippers on the savoury side and a Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry and Chocolatey Banoffee Pie for those who want something a bit sweeter. Naturally, I wanted it all so got it all. 

Festive Cheese Feast

A 100% British and Irish beef burger with cheese, Beechwood smoked bacon, a cheese sauce, seasoned grilled onions, tomato ketchup and lettuce, all in a toasted bun. 

The McDonald's elves must have been in good spirits the day I purchased my burger for £4.49 as it looked like it had been put together with love.. And by someone who really likes lettuce - I've never seen so much of the green stuff on one thing, ever. 

I am not sure this picture really reflects the reality of the size of the Burger but believe you, me, it was massive! Starting with the bun itself, it was wonderful - Soft, fresh and plenty robust enough for the plethora of fillings. Munching my way through, the first flavour to come across was beef from the ridiculously moist and juicy patty. As expected, this went well with the double hit of creamy cheese which was relatively mellow and not likely to offend anyone. The onions were cooked to perfection and of just the right quantity with an injection of smokiness as well as a bit of a salty edge from the porky bacon rashers. Finishing things off nicely was a squirt of ketchup which I didn't think added much taste wise but did enhance the squidgy factor even further, and of course, an entire lettuce making for a fresh crunch. A 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Cheese Melt Dippers

Four breaded cheese dippers, made with camembert and served with a Festive Tomato dip. 

Moving onto the modestly priced, £1.59 Dippers which felt mighty toasty in the bag! Cooked to a golden perfect, the decently sized circles were crisp and crunchy on the outside with a contrasting, satisfyingly soft interior of just set Camembert - Nothing runny or sloppy here! Similarly to above, the potency of cheese wasn't too strong but instead creamy and went well with the Tomato dip.. Even if it was a tad on the sweet and borderline, artificial side. It's a 4 out of 5! 

Terry's Chocolate Orange McFlurry

Soft dairy ice cream swirled with Terry's Chocolate Orange pieces and chocolate orange sauce. 

So I can't say this one looked anything like the promo picture.. Granted, I did have to get it home but even when it was passed through the drive-thru window, it didn't look much more attractive. It's a good job that it's all in the taste as this one was a beaut! An abundance of chocolate orange pieces were distributed throughout the signature soft and sweet McDonald's ice cream which combined with the splodge of runny sauce, made for a chocolate orange lovers dream! My only real qualm was that the difference in quality between the aforementioned and Terry's nibs was only to apparent.. But overall, didn't ruin things - Another 4 out of 5 from me and £1.39 well spent! 

Chocolatey Banoffee Pie

A hot crispy pie filled with a thick Banoffee and Chocolatey sauce.  

Last up and the one I expect many Folk are excited for.. The Chocolatey Banoffee Pie, priced at £1.19. I like to think I saved this little fella from a sad Christmas fate - It was due to be disposed of at 12.33pm and I gave it a home in my belly at 12.15pm! For something so close to the mark, I have to say it was pretty darn good! The pie was hot, plenty crisp with the usual almost, greasy fritter feel. A generous strip of both Banoffee filling and ooey-gooey chocolate ran up the inside, packing a bit of a flavour sensation - Nothing but sweet banana paired with not exactly the highest quality but plausible cocoa tones. Almost Banoffee as I tasted no actual toffee but still yummy - A final 4 out of 5. 

Well, well, well, McDonald's you merry old bunch of mistletoe - This little lot is a complete winner and there is absolutely nothing here to let down anyone looking for a festive fix. I highly recommend you get yourself down to your local chain, order everything and embrace your rotund, Christmas pudding, post Fast Food state.. I won't be far behind! 

Spicy Chicken Winter Melt

Aaaaaand then MSW and the Spicy Chicken Winter Melt happened - A return from last year but a new one for us.

Succulent chicken breast fillet in a crispy coating with an Emmental cheese slice, fire roasted pepper sauce, slivered onions, a cool mayo and lettuce. 

Good god. Seriously, who is manning the lettuce station at my McDonald's and why the heck are they so heavy handed? I realise the likes of these Burgers aren't exactly healthy but I hardly think forcing that amount of leaf upon us is going to counteract the "bad".. Someone have a word. 

MSW did well in not losing the whole lot when taking a big bite - As you can see, it was really quite loaded! The bun was up to par with that of the Festive Cheese Feast in being just as bouncy, fresh and containing a generously sized piece of chicken. As succulent as suggested with a satisfying crisp coating, the fillet was second to none and tasted delicious with the warmth from the pepper sauce and abundance of raw onion. The cheese once again added some creamy and mellow tones with the squirt of mayo cooling things even further. Seasonally spicy - A 4 out of 5! 

Review- Krispy Kreme NEW: Bonfire Toffee and Gingerbread Ring

Happy November! Our old friends at Krispy Kreme dropped a lovely surprise last night.. Not one but two NEW Doughnuts would be hitting our Tesco cabinets and stores today, with a seasonal theme to kick off the Fall festivites - We've got a Bonfire Toffee and Gingerbread Ring! 

The delight that is MSW picked me up a Trio box of Doughnuts from a service station and paid £4.90 but I expect they are priced at £1.90 each.. Or maybe the Rings are a tad cheaper - Who is to say when you've been charged all sorts over the last few months! 

Bonfire Toffee

Filled with sticky toffee, dipped in chocolate flavour coating & topped with dark chocolate pieces & caramel balls, drizzled with caramel flavour icing. 

Aaaaaand the curse of the no filling had struck again.. 

Or not! After some digging around, an abundance of ooey gooey toffee was found, super thick and sticky as promised with a gorgeous, buttery sweet flavour that was somewhat similar to Werthers Originals but much richer and generally indulgent - Far more so than a caramel! The Doughnut itself was pleasantly crisp and golden on the outside with a soft, fluffy interior and without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best texture wise I have ever had. As for the chocolate topping, it wasn't anything to write home about but the cocoa tones did go nicely with the filling as well as the chewy scattering off caramel balls on top. Amazing - It's a 4 out of 5!

Gingerbread Ring

A ring doughnut dipped in ginger flavoured icing & topped with caramelised biscuit crumb then drizzled with ginger flavoured icing. 

Moving on to the spicy option which again was picture perfect with bundles of toppings. Taking a bite, the dough proved to be just as flawless as above with a light, aerated texture and tender feel - No undercooked stodge in sight! Flavour wise, the sweetness from the thick, slightly crunchy icing was the first thing to hit which then developed into the warm and comforting tones of gingerbread. The biscuit added a pleasant contrast in texture and was similar in taste to the Lotus variety making for  the perfect accompaniment to the ginger! A 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

So these NEW Doughnut additions may just be the best Krispy Kreme have had to offer in a good while.. I can find very little fault with either of them! If I were to be really, really pernickety, my only qualm would be the quality of chocolate on the Bonfire and maybe the strength of ginger won't be enough for some people in the Ring.. But I loved the latter as is and can easily see past some questionable chocolate for the good of an epic toffee. Get yourself down to Tesco, your local KK store or random service station - They are well worth the effort, believe you me!

Go read The Peanuts review - She goes mad for the KK, does The Peanut!

Review- Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding is an all year round dessert, right? I see no reason why something so delightful should be limited to the winter months.. The sun appears to have seen August coming and done a disappearing act in exchange for rain anyways so I say, now is as good as time as any to indulge! 

It was Sainsbury's where I bought my 450g, Taste the Difference Sticky Toffee dessert, currently on offer at £3.. I haven't tried any of their "premium" puds before but the selection is vast and they all looked mighty tasty so it's worth a browse if you're a newbie like me! 

All butter and Delget Nour date sponge pudding with a sea salt toffee sauce and decorated with whole Delget Nour dates. 

Designed to feed 4, the Veggie friendly and freezable treat got a slightly bit smoshed in transit - I was pretty lucky not to lose all the sauce considering the thing was practically upside down by the time I got home! I chose not to heat mine up in the oven or microwave out of the fear of it having the horrible "nuked" sponge pudding taste and texture but if hot things float your boat.. Go for it*. 

How good does the golden toffee look? That thick, gooey texture would be lost to a liquid puddle had I heated it! Taking a forkful, the sponge proved to be light and soft despite its chilled state with zero in terms of stodge and beautifully buttery in flavour. I found the date aspect not to be all that overpowering as the main taste was nothing short of full on toffee! - Not to dissimilar to Werther's Originals in taste, the abundance of sauce added oodles of sweetness, felt silky smooth in the mouth and generally, something I could eat by the bucketful given the chance! The date on top was a substantial finishing touch being soft and squidgy, adding further to the toffee tones and almost feeling like a treat itself - Yum!

Well, I for one am very pleased I stumbled across this Sticky Toffee Pudding in Sainsbury's - It's absolutely smashing and without a shadow of a doubt, the best supermarket bought version of the classic dessert, I've ever had! Serve with ice cream or custard and you'll be on to a winner.. It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

*Heat at 160ºC fan oven for 25 minutes or zap in the microwave for 2.. Or appreciate the full flavour by having it cold with hot custard.. I promise you, it's the way forward! 

Review- M&S NEW Spirit of Summer: Toffee & Honey comb Traybake

Happy July Folks! I trust you're all well and have had a fun filled fortnight - I have been so engrossed in Wimbledon, I found myself incapable of putting up a review for the duration.. But I'm back now.. Here I am! Everyone ready to crack on? You better be in the Spirit of Summer. 

Yes, it's trusty old M&S once again with another South American inspired treat - Toffee & Honeycomb Traybake. I picked up the dessert in the chilled section (Where it was situation along the plethora of cheesecake flavours) for £3. Sadly, this one isn't Veggie friendly thanks to the use of beef gelatine and it's also not advisable to freeze.. So don't do that.. Promise?! 

Bourbon biscuit topped with toffee mousse (52%) and toffee sauce (14%), finished with chocolate and toffee drizzles and chocolate coated honeycomb (2%). 

The packaging concerned me at first. No way did I think that by running a knife around the inside of the card tray before pulling the flaps down as instructed, would the whole thing not get torn to pieces! - It's a miracle!

Cutting also proved to be easier than expected with the dessert staying together pretty well and not cracking or crumbling despite the glorious oozing sauce. Taking a forkful, I was immediately in sweet, sticky, creamy toffee heaven with the crunchy and of good thickness biscuit base adding some "darker" signature bourbon tones. Pairing up perfectly and contrasting in texture was the dense yet light and whipped mousse which certainly delivered in terms of flavour! The toffee tones were spot on in both the aforementioned and the silky smooth, fairly liquid sauce to pack a real buttery, golden, sugary punch - Not cheap or artificial in the slightest! As for the honeycomb on top, I can't say the flavour was anything other than mild but once again, the harder pieces complimented the soft layers beneath with the drizzles of chocolate and toffee sauce only adding to the sticky delight! 

Wow-wee.. What a way to return with a bang - This Spirit of Summer Toffee & Honeycomb Traybake is out of this world good! Yes, it is fairly simple in its components but if indulgent, gooey, sweet, crunchy, soft, creamy and borderline sickly desserts are up your street, you will find it very hard to go wrong with one of these.. I do however have to mention that it is designed to feed 4 which I think would be a struggle if you're remotely into any of the things just listed! It's a 4 out of 5 from me - Well done M&S! 

Review- M&S NEW Banoffee Tartlets

Does anyone not like Banana? I'm thinking not.. I love it despite having been left struggling to breath multiple times when eating it! The on-off allergy is no match for my admiration which is exactly why I wasn't not going to pick up todays treat.. M&S NEW Banoffee Tartlets! 

The 195g, very Banana-esque box of 6 tarts cost £2.50 although they are included in a 2 for £4 deal across all sorts of cakey items, if you're looking to go big. They are also suitable for Vegetarians but not for freezing.. Please someone enlighten me to as why one would have the desire to freeze them. 

All butter (17%) pastry tartlets filled with caramel (28%), topped with a banana (1%) flavoured buttercream, decorated with a sweetened dried banana slice and finished with crumbled biscuit. 

How adorable! I loved the look of the weighty, 33g treat and especially the kiss of buttercream!

As you can see, cutting the Tart in half was easy and very precise - No cracks or crumbling. Short and crisp in texture, the pastry was perfect with a lovely buttery flavour making for the best base to what sat above.. The toffee! A pure hit of sweetness came from this thick, yet soft and chewy golden layer which tasted a lot like Werthers and was generally bloomin' delicious! Things only got better with the doubly dense piping of pale yellow buttercream which delivered a pure hit of banana goodness, pairing up well with the caramel as expected and was just on the right side of artificial. The dried slice on top added a solid crunch although didn't really do all that much in terms of flavour.. Not that it mattered as the Tart couldn't have been any more banana-ry! 

Well these NEW Banoffee Tartlets are amazing.. And I didn't die when eating them - It's a double winner! If you like Banana or Toffee or Pastry or Buttercream or anything really, you need them - Get yourselves down to M&S pronto. I can find no fault - It's a 5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Tesco Finest Toffee Fudge & Belgian Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Hands up who likes traditional Hot Cross Buns.. Hands up if you like them fruity but less traditional.. Hands up those who like them rich and chocolatey.. If you're anything like me, I suspect you've just run out of hands! They are all delicious and as it is Easter this weekend, no doubt a lot will be being consumed of all the different flavours. Here is one option that falls in to the latter category - Toffee Fudge & Belgian Chocolate! 

As usual, said Hot Cross Buns were bought in Tesco where they cost £1.50. For some reason, they weren't available when I reviewed the two other Finest Buns back, at the beginning of February (A January purchase).. But if the fruitier options are more up your street, do go have a read! 

Filled with pieces of toffee fudge & Belgian dark chocolate chips. 

Cutting the Bun in half, lots of chocolate chunks and pockets of toffee were plain to see which I do appreciate as a lack of filling, is good to no one! As expected, the quality of the dough itself was superb - Soft and springy in texture with an ever so slight, molasses sort of taste. The borderline runny morsels of toffee added buttery, sweet tones as well as bringing an always pleasant, gooeyness. A rich depth of cocoa came from the studded, chocolate chips which helped cut the sweetness and were surprisingly dark in taste - A good call as I think a milk chocolate would have been far to sweet. Very decadent and very yummy!

I really can't fault Tesco Hot Cross Buns, be it from their regular range or the Finest - They always deliver on a decent soft dough with a quantity of fillings that no one can complain about.. And todays  Toffee Fudge & Belgian Chocolate are no exception! Definitely get yourself a packet before they disappear off the shelves for another year - It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Tesco Filled Hot Cross Buns: Citrus & Blueberry and Chocolate & Toffee

We are well into March now and with Easter being only 2 weeks away, it's pretty much a free for all on chocolate and Hot Cross Buns until the Bunny arrives.. Because clearly we need an excuse! Today's review is all down to a picture I saw on Twitter which I would link but given it was just under a month ago, there's no chance of locating it.. Thank you anyways to the person who brought these Filled Buns to my attention!

On one of my many jolly trips to Tesco, I picked up said packs of 2, Citrus & Blueberry and Chocolate & Toffee Filled Hot Cross Buns for £1 each. They can be found in the Bakery aisle with the Scones, Muffins and such but I don't expect you'll miss them with such cute packaging - Look at the adorable woodland animals! 

Citrus & Blueberry

White hot cross bun with blueberry jam filling, fresh and candied citrus peel. 

I cut the Bun.. And there was actual filling! - Naturally, I was dubious about just how filled, "Filled" meant but was pleasantly surprised to see a fairly generous dollop in the centre. Soft and squidgy with a texture that was more of a muffin, bun cross than actual dough, the Bun had a tender feel that wasn't dry in the slightest with a very fruit flavour. The jam was pleasantly sweet and sticky and although I wouldn't have identified it as being Blueberry, the fruitiness went wonderfully with the subtle citrus tones of lemon and orange. Everything went well together and although there was no stand out flavour, it was bloomin' delicious! A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Chocolate & Fudge

White hot cross bun with toffee fudge filling, toffee pieces and dark chocolate chips. 

Aaaaaaand my toffee is MIA because..?

Huzzah! It was hiding in the bottom half which I proceeded to claw at - Turns out, it was quite a good filling despite being miles away from the middle. The neatly crossed Bun itself, this time was a lot more like a traditional "dense" dough and not the spongy muffin texture seen above. Taste wise, it was sweet, buttery toffee thanks to the gooey filling which definitely had a Werthers familiarity. The dark chocolate chips were in abundance and added richer bursts of cocoa to cut some of the sweetness.. Although really, it was never not going to be sweet! Very yummy and hit the spot - Another 4 out of 5 from me. 

Overall, these Tesco Filled Hot Cross Buns get two thumbs up from me - They are sweet, scrummy and make a nice change to the usual Easter treat that you've slathered in butter, yourself.. And by butter, I mean Nutella of course! Having checked the other 2 Buns, I can confirm that both the Citrus & Blueberry and the Chocolate & Toffee had decent fillings with even the latters' being in the correct place this time, so I highly recommend you give them a go.. You won't be disappointed and I can guarantee, Kiddos will love them! Nice one, Tescy! 

Review- Asda NEW Puds: Carrot Cake, Banoffee Bombs and Rhubarb Jumbles

Something crazy seems to have happened to Asda's Fresh Dessert section - It's over run with Puds! No word of a lie, there are about a dozen+ NEW additions.. From fruity, St Clement, Passionfruit and Coconut to Millionaires and Mocha with Gingerbread Latte, Afternoon Tea, Apple Betty and a Blueberry Pancake number thrown in along the American way for good measure.. And that's just to name a few!  

After much umming and ahhing, I decided on the Carrot Cake, Banoffee Bombs and Rhubarb Jumbles which all cost £2 each with the latter weighing in slightly less at 96g per pot rather than the 100g seen in the Carrot and the 135g with the Banoffee. I'm going to assume this theme runs throughout all the NEW Desserts as they come in variety of different size pots.. Just to boggle everyone a bit. 

Carrot Cake

Cream cheese flavour mousse, carrot cake flavour compote and mixed spice sponge pieces.

Oo look at the gooey, ooeyness. The Pud smelt amazing and surprisingly like Cream Cheese - I half expected it to be nondescript! Digging all the way down to the bottom to ensure I got all three elements, I took a big mouthful and was immediately in heaven! The super smooth compote was the first thing to hit with its relatively spicey kick of cinnamon and ginger - Something we all know to be key with a good Carrot Cake. This was only complimented by the sponge which was soft enough and once again, packed full of those signature mixed spice flavours as well as proving to be a decent contrast in texture to all the soft. As for the pillowy mousse which was generously topping the lot, it was creamy and sweet with a good tang that was only to easy to identify as being Cream Cheese. Delicious - 4 out of 5 from me!

Banoffee Bombs

Banana mousse with fudge and toffee flavour sauces, sponge pieces and toffee chips. 

Moving onto the Banoffee Bomb and the one I was the most apprehensive about.. I love the flavour combination but in recent years have acquired an on-off banana allergy but figured I would risk these given my general wild ways and the fact the content of said fruit was only at 2.4%. This may seem not a lot but boy, did these pack a punch! The mousse was full on banana and nothing but with the balance of being "real" and artificial, perfectly paired. Super smooth and sticky, the toffee flavour was the next element to show itself which I would liken to the buttery taste of Werthers Original. The odd bit of sponge came to light but wasn't any where as near apparent or abundant as the Carrot Cake, above. A sprinkling of crunchy chips on the top was the delicious finishing touch which heightened the Toffee even further as well as complimented the lingering, banana aftertaste! It's a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Rhubarb Jumbles

Vanilla flavour mousse, cheesecake batter, rhubarb compote and flapjack pieces. 

Finally, the Rhubarb Jumbles which were bought in mind of MSW who can't get enough of the pink stalked stuff! As seen with the previous Puds, the mousse was whipped a treat with a lovely texture but this time didn't deliver in terms of taste - It was bland with no real vanilla flavour and all a bit claggy! The Cheesecake batter was also a let down as I couldn't even distinguish such a thing, let alone taste it. A very subtle tang came from the measly portion of Rhubarb at the bottom which was certainly way more chunky than a compote should ever be. As for the flapjack pieces, they were buttery and soft with a good chewy, oaty texture but unfortunately, couldn't save the thing from being almost tasteless overall. A disappointing 2 out of 5 from me. 

Well, minus the Rhubarb Jumbles, I am quite pleased I picked up these NEW Desserts - Both the Carrot Cake and Banoffee Bombs have some serious flavour and make for very luxurious, indulgent Puds that would go down a treat with anyone and everyone! I would definitely buy both again, if not, try some of the others flavours from the never ending list. One thing that I can't not mention though is the absence of a Red Velvet option - Why Asda have covered classic American Desserts here but failed to include the best of the lot, is beyond me.. Someone sort it out, please!