Review- The Chocolate Smith's Ice Cream Sandwich Bizarre

Not to long ago I received a surprise package in the post from my dear old buddy chum and the Hand Snack Selfie King, Kevvie! It is safe to say I was giddy with excitement, especially since he had been teasing me with the prospect of summer goodies heading my way for about 2 months previous!

Is there anything that says "British Summertime" more than a trip to the seaside, or fairground? (Aside for the rain, we mean!). We can bring you the beach and the sun with this tropical ice cream sandwich! Coconut, banana, crispy wafer and creamy vanilla in Belgian white chocolate. Enjoy this limited edition Bizarre while you can!

Inside was this Ice Cream Sandwich Bizarre Bar by The Chocolate Smith's which I have to admit, I had been pleading for him to get me - If you ever want some of their wacky flavours, Butty is your man.. Although beware, he's a Bacon Chocolate pusher!

Unwrapping the bar, the smell of white chocolate was very much apparent with super sweet, vanilla tones.. No coconut or banana though as I expected! Not a glimpse of wafer was visible upon the first snap of the bar either - Perhaps the action was in the centre? Well, yes, the aforementioned did make a brief appearance, mainly causing the chocolate either side to go everywhere despite not being in abundance. Flavour wise, no banana was distinguishable bar a vague whiff in one chunk with the coconut aspect being just as MIA. The only real flavour was the pure sugary hit of white chocolate which I could have sworn to be MilkyBar - Creamy and enjoyable but hardly high quality! The wafer itself added a "wafer" ice cream cone flavour along with a slight crunch.. And that was it.

So, this Ice Cream Sandwich Bizarre is just a bar of white chocolate.. One which I don't even think is as nice as the what the Easter Egg Custard presented! It wasn't repulsive by any means but I can't quite fathom why The Chocolate Smith's have labelled it as coconut or banana - It oozes nothing of the sort! Absolutely zilch! Who's doing the taste testing to give the whole lack of flavouring the get-go? We need answers! Thanks Kev, Sorry Kev! It's a 2 out of 5 from me.

Review- Nestle Blue Riband NEW Dark with Orange

I love a Blue Riband. They've got to be up there with the best biscuit bars ever.. It was always a happy day when I discovered one in my lunchbox anyways! Up until a few years back, Nestle hadn't deviated from the same old but epic, plain treat but now have upped their game with a Coffee version and this NEW Dark with Orange - Chocolate orange with wafer? Yes please! 

I picked up the packet of 8, individually wrapped, 99 calorie Ribands from Asda where they cost £1.25.. Although they are currently part of a 2 for £2 deal so if you haven't tried the Coffee yet, get those too! Vegetarians get excited as these are suitable for you but do contain wheat and milk.. Can you eat wheat and milk? 

Crisp orange flavour wafer biscuits covered in dark chocolate. 

Why is everything so small nowadays? I really don't think it's a case of me just having gotten bigger.. The Riband really was tiny - 3 bites and gone, tiny! Thankfully they were bloomin' tasty to compensate for the lack of size. Super light and munchy from the airy wafer which delivered both the signature Riband flavour along with a fairly muted but still apparent kick of orange - The "biscuit" part was perfect. The dark chocolate was what it was - Fairly generic but complimented the citrus nicely. Together the elements had a very much "Orange Chocolate Snaps"* feel which Cadbury use to make and I just so happened to be obsessed with when little.. Delicious!

Overall, these Dark with Orange Blue Ribands are a fabulous addition to the range - They taste good, they're extremely moreish and I doubt will offend anyone.. Not even those against orange as it isn't in your face. Definitely worth a whirl - It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

*Chocolate "Crisp" Thins you can still find in Lidl, Family Bargains, B&M and such places, just FYI. 

Review- Augusto Ice Cream Sandwiches

Does cold weather deter anyone from eating ice cream? This question stems from a sight I saw at the weekend. I witnessed a woman trying to eat a 99 whilst being battered by the Baltic wind on the sea front, in a temperature that I can only describe as, below absolute zero. Her commitment to Mr Whippy is admirable but I can't help but feel that in a chill, ice creams are best enjoyed in the comfort of ones own warm home! 

I had no intention of buying anything from the Frozen dessert aisle of Asda when I popped in but alas, I saw these Augusto Chocolate, Vanilla & Strawberry Wafer Ice Creams and was immediately taken back to ye olden times when MSW would make her own DIY version. I couldn't not get them and at only £2 a box.. Well, I didn't need any more persuading so in the basket they went and took them home where I then realised they were a Polish product - No wonder, I hadn't heard of the brand previously! 

The box contained 6 x 160ml, individually wrapped sandwiches which were really quite huge - Almost 10cm by 7cm with a depth of just over 3cm for those interested in specificity! 

I cut the sandwiched wafer lengthways, not straight I might add, to reveal the 3 distinct blocks of brown, white and pink ice creams - It may look like there was less strawberry than the others but this was just due to being placed wonky to begin with during manufacturing. Taking a munch, the texture was lovely. The wafer was soft but pleasantly so with the ice creams being being firm yet easy to bite. Flavour wise and starting with the chocolate, it wasn't super high quality by any means but it did taste noticeably cocoa-y and there was no yucky after taste. The vanilla was lovely and my personal favourite - Super creamy and sweet with most definitely a european feel. Last but be no means least was the strawberry and where things got interesting. Upon first tasting, I thought it was more of a bubblegum as it struck me as familiar and what I assumed was something I would have had when on holiday when little.. Definitely not as this proceeded to pack a serious punch! The strawberry flavour was so potent it was all a bit to much and proved to be really quite artificial - Such a shame! 

Overall, these Augusto Ice creams aren't all that bad really. They make for a substantial dessert and despite the flavours being a little squiffy and a tad mouth puckering, they won't be left to perish in the freezer. If Neapolitan is your thing then they are definitely worth a go.. But only when inside, of course! - It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Review- NEW Kinder Joy

This is quite possibly the most exciting release since Giant Biscuits.. In fact, I think it is on a whole other level - Kinder Joy have come to the UK! Katherine, otherwise known as Grocery Gems was of course, the first person to jump on these and on her word, I promptly hotfooted it down to the Co Op to pick myself up a couple. 

Now, what these 20g eggs are actually priced at, I am uncertain. They were marked at an extortionate £1 each but I was charged £2.60 making them 86p a pop.. But Kev's, Co op had them on offer for 2 for £1.60 so who knows, exactly! 

For anyone who doesn't know, Kinder Joy are nothing like the traditional hollow, Kinder Surprise with chocolate cream and wafer balls rather than a set egg shell. A handy little tab helps separate the 2 plastic halves of the egg to produce a foil topped left side containing Kinder chocolatey goodness with the right, holding the signature DIY toy and a handy spoon to aid scooping! 

Since the quality of the toy is paramount, I got a dinky dune buggy in mine which was as easy as peas to put together.. Unlike some that genuinely require some sort of Honours in Construction to figure out! 

Crispy cocoa wafer bites on milky and cocoa creams 

I wasn't sure what would be the best way to picture these - 20g isn't an awful lot after all! I cut one of the balls in half to try first. As expected, the aerated wafer spheres were very light and crunchy with a roasted nut sort of taste, despite not any being in the ingredients, with a soft, sweet chocolatey cream centre. 

Moving onto the creams (And a different KJ, entirely!) of a sweet chocolate base layer with a milky top, both were silky smooth in texture and together, similar to the MilkyWay Spread but with a much nicer flavour. It really did taste like a gooey equivalent of the Kinder Chocolate Mini's. Very sweet, very milky and very yummy! 

Overall and not surprisingly, I am quite chuffed that these Kinder Joy have made it to the UK. Yes, the are minuscule and stupidly priced but for the novelty factor and pure Kinder hit, I can't fault them at all. I am not sure if and when they will be available anywhere other than the Co Op's Easter aisle but I highly recommend you seek them out. It's a 4 out of 5 from me! 

Snackmas Day 5- Hotel Chocolat Festive Selectors

Who here likes Chocolate? Who here gets sick of the sight of the same mundane Chocolate we see every year? Who here loves that as soon as we Step Into Christmas the Gourmet Chocolate companies release their fancy festive ranges too? I know I certainly do to all 3 of those which brings us to today.. Hotel Chocolat LE Selectors!

I had a bit of a splurge and ended up spending £21 in Store.. But its ok because that included a present for someone and a free sample! After some debating, I went for the Mince Pie Brownie, Caramel Chocolate Pot, Christmas Mess and Caramelised Orange at £3.15 a pop - A good selection of Selectors, I reckoned!

Mince Pie Brownie

First came mince pies, then came brownies, then came mince pie brownies - Spiced pecan praline with raisins and wafer pieces in a milk chocolate shell, decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate and vanilla seeds.

I couldn't wait to try these little parcels of mince pie goodness and excitedly took a bite through the truffle like brownie, expecting to be in heaven. Heaven it certainly was not as I proceeded to spit it back out - They were disgusting! The spice element was ridiculously strong and mainly of what I think was ginger which completely overpowered the nuts and wafer pieces that ran throughout as well as any potential of the chocolate being rich or creamy. I couldn't distinguish any raisins either.. Not that it would've made a blind bit of difference to the over flavour, I'm sure! Not mince pie in the slightest and virtually inedible to my palate - Its a 0.5 out of 5!

Chocolate Caramel Pot 

A modern twist on a classic pudding, fine grey sea salt adds depth to the velvety caramel ganache - Salted caramel ganache sealed in a high cocoa caramel chocolate shell, decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate.

Next up was the Chocolate Caramel Pot. Surely they must be delicious.. How can chocolate and caramel ever be wrong? Well I have no idea what they've done here but the dark chocolate had little flavour to it and was very solid making for a rubbish melt. Inside was a blob of thick caramel ganache which was smooth and silky but again, no flavour - Not a hint of salt or even buttery caramel! I really don't know how thats possible but the thing was just completely tasteless. As it wasn't totally repulsive as seen above, its a slighter higher, 1 out of 5 from me.

Christmas Mess

It doesn't get much more British than Eton Mess! Traditionally served at summer cricket matches, we've transported it to a different season - Cranberry and cinnamon mousse sealed in a white chocolate shell, decorated with meringue and cranberry pieces. 

These smelt deliciously sweet with a cranberry edge so even after the 2 previous disastrous chocolates, I had high hopes for these. Thankfully, they were as good as they smelt! The dusky pink light textured mousse tasted exactly how described - Cranberry balanced with a subtle cinnamon. The creamy white chocolate was the perfect accompaniment in sweetening the slightly tart berry and having a lovely melt. On top was a crunchy sprinkle of light merignue and a further pop of flavour from what I think were dried cranberry pieces - A fab contrast in texture! Its a well done twist on a classic and a 4 out of 5 from me!

Caramelised Orange

Our version of the traditional orange in your Christmas stocking - Orange flavoured caramel layered with a dark chocolate ganache. Sealed in a milk chocolate shell, decorated in naturally coloured white chocolate.

Chocolate Orange, now we're talking - It ain't Christmas without one! I gave them a sniff and expected citrus and yet there was none.. A great start. The chocolate casing was pleasant enough but was ruined by the dark ganache beneath which was very rich and meant that the caramel centre although runny and smooth, was only slightly orangey - Not all that surprising considering the lack of scent! It got quite sickly after only haven eaten half so I decided it was best to quit whilst I was ahead and haven't touched them since. Not enough tang and questionable chocolate, its a 1.5 out of 5. 

Good grief. Apart from the Christmas Mess, these Hotel Chocolat LE Selectors certainly didn't make me, Jingle Bell Rock. Perhaps I was wrong in being bored with the mundane stuff that fills our shelves every year.. I'll never touch a Mince Pie Chocolate again but give me any other Caramel jobby (It may as well not be salted as todays wasn't) and a Terrys Choc Orange, any day! Boo! 

Review- The Grown Up Chocolate Company White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar

As many of you may already know, I am a big fan of The Grown Up Chocolate Company - So much so, I've reviewed 4 of their Bars with more in the archives! Today is the turn of the NEW White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar! 

Wait.. Haven't you done this before? I hear you ask. Yes, yes I have - Back in July and I wasn't all to impressed with it unfortunately - It was far to sweet with the quality of white chocolate being equally as poor. Thankfully, Grown Up Chocs have taken this on board and contacted me a couple of weeks ago asking if I would like to try their NEW and improved Wonder Bar - Yes of course!

Caramelised wafer excitingly slathered in sumptuous praline with a sprinkle of biscuit pearls encased in white chocolate. A true Wonder Bar! 

At first look, I didn't think it was going to be any different to the original Bar - The packaging was identical and aesthetically, they looked essentially the same too. Scanning the ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Caramelised Wafer Praline had been bumped up from 36% to 42.3%, the White Chocolate from 21% to 37.5% and the doing away with the Fudge completely in exchange for Milk Chocolate 13.3% with slightly less Biscuit Pearls now at 6.9% rather than the 9% previously - Lots of changes!

Well would you look at that.. The inside was totally different - The White Chocolate casing alone was double the thickness! The Bar was a lot crunchier this time round and a bit like a brittle wafer in texture but not so hard you couldn't bite through. Thanks to the now MIA Fudge layer, things were not so sickly sweet and no throat burn ensued so that was spiffing! The main flavour was a sweet nuttiness with the Biscuit Pearls still not doing a lot in way of flavour but adding a further bite - Something I didn't mind either. A lovely melt and creaminess came from the White chocolate which tasted so much nicer this time than the last - I can only put that down to there being more of the stuff given that the Cocoa Butter and Milk Solids haven't changed! Delicious! 

Overall, without a doubt, this NEW NEW White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar is 100 times better than its Mate back in the Summer - By removing the Fudge, the different elements are actually distinguishable although I do still feel the Biscuit Pearls are a little redundant but thats ok.. They don't hinder the taste! Thanks Grown Up Choc, this has been one case of Deja Vu that I don't mind - Its a 4 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Thorntons NEW Biscuits: Caramel Squares, Wafer Rolls and Mint Chocolate Melts

I went a bit mad in Asda on Friday - The biscuit aisle was over run with NEW stuff that I just couldn't refuse. Oreo's to Fox's Frozen to a plethora of Thorntons products.. Everything went straight in my basket! 

I picked up the Caramel Squares, both Chocolate Caramel and Double Chocolate Wafer Rolls and the Mint Chocolate Melts, for £1.80 a piece. I was surprised they weren't on some sort of offer since they were NEW. 

Caramel Squares

Golden biscuit with rich caramel layer and chocolatey topping

The box contained 4, individually wrapped, packets of 2 biscuits - I wasn't expecting them to be in portions! A promising layer of caramel was revealed when I broke the biscuit in two.. I got munching and almost immediately realised that they weren't going to live up to my expectations! Although the biscuit was crunchy enough, it tasted very cheap and generic with the caramel being nondescript yet sickly. I felt the whole thing had a very European taste to it which I am sure I had as a kid on holiday.. Clearly when I didn't know any better! Its a 0.5 out of 5! 

Chocolate Caramel and Double Chocolate Wafer Rolls

Delicious crisp wafer rolls with a caramel and chocolatey filling, smothered with milk chocolate

I love wafers so these were the ones, I was most excited about trying.. It just so happens that they are the most repulsive biscuits, I have ever had! The Caramel flavour was ridiculously artificial and sweet with the quality of chocolate being equally as poor. The Double Chocolate was marginally better but still fairly disgusting with a cheap taste and strange coffee aftertaste! I can't even give them a 0.5 for having an airy crunch.. Its a big fat 0 from me! 

Mint Chocolate Melts

Delicious biscuits with a rich mint chocolate centre

Well don't these look dull? I anticipated a Viennese type biscuit but instead was presented with some thin, anaemic, hard rectangles! Taste wise, they were a bit like toothpaste. I couldn't identify any chocolate at all so it was just full on mint.. Artificial mint! The biscuit itself was lack lustre, as expected with no real flavour. Purely for being slightly more edible than the Wafers, its a 0.5 out of 5! 

These NEW Thorntons Biscuits are a train wreck! The Caramel Squares are the best out of a bad bunch and even then, I couldn't be paid to eat them again. The Wafers have left me traumatised and borderline, put off for life and thanks to the Mint Chocolate Melts, I won't need to brush my teeth for a fortnight as my mouth is toothpaste central. If the entire range isn't discontinued by Christmas, I will personally go into every supermarket up and down the country and buy the lot just so the public aren't subjected to them! Good Golly Gosh! 

Review- The Grown Up Chocolate Company NEW White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar

I have heard a lot about The Grown Up Chocolate Company but have never managed to get my hands on any.. That was until I visited the lovely, Snape Maltings in Suffolk which had a smorgasbord of their bars! 

I picked up the NEW White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar for £1.99 - Very pricey for only 65g of chocolate! 

Caramelised wafer praline topped with creamy white chocolate fudge and biscuit pearls all encased in smooth white chocolate. A true Wonder Bar! 

Boy, did this smell sweet! It was a bit like a Milky Bar, biscuit concoction. The texture was a little odd - It had a very soft bite due to the fudge which did melt in the mouth but the biscuit balls were crunchy and the wafer had a gritty feel once chewed. Taste wise, it was as ridiculously sweet as expected.. Throat burningly so, unfortunately. A caramel flavour did come through as well as it being nutty from the praline but everything was completely overpowered by the condensed milk plus added sugar flavour, thanks to the white chocolate and fudge. I couldn't really distinguish the biscuits but I'm guessing they were mainly just sweet as well - Not one for me, sadly! 

Overall, I think this one might be best left to the real, pure sugar fanatics.. Who clearly have a proclivity for expensive dental work. I wasn't particularly impressed by the quality of the white chocolate - As much as I like Milky Bars, I don't expect or want a "premium" chocolate bar to taste like it, especially with all the other sweet elements going on! There are lots of other bars including the Glorious Coconut Hocus Pocus that I will be reviewing, in the not to distant future and the Lovely Fruit Nutty Crunchy which I have sent, the gorgeous, @NibsnScribs' way so go badger her for a review if peanutty things are up your street! Its a 1.5 out of 5 for this cavity inducing treat!