Review- M&S NEW Lemon Curd Whitby Buns

I have been a bit wary of buying any more NEW bits from M&S, considering the whole host of bad reviews I have given them lately! Having said that, I couldn't resist these Lemon Curd Whitby Buns priced at £1.30 - I love fruit buns and I love lemon, even more so! 

2 sultana and lemon buns filled with lemon curd, topped with lemon icing and a drizzle of white vanilla icing

Look at that little beauty! The buns were perfectly round and smelt amazingly lemony.

Upon cutting the bun in two, I was disappointed at first by the amount of lemon curd in the centre.. I then realised that a more than generous filling was hiding, deep within the dough! It was thick and smooth with a lovely tangy, citrus flavour. The bun itself was super soft and buttery as well as being full of plump sultanas - I was impressed at how many were packed in there! A thick layer of zesty icing, coated the top which added further sweetness to what already was, one delicious treat!

These Lemon Curd Whitby Buns are hands down, the best out of all the sweet doughy delights, and their variants, I have ever had! Every element was ridiculously plentiful which makes a change to the usual scrimping, supermarkets do. I wish I had bought 2 packs as I was longing for another as soon as I finished mine. Marks and Spencer, you have redeemed yourself - Its top marks from me, 5 out of 5!

Review- Kettle Tortilla Chips: Sweet Chilli Salsa and Cool Sour Cream

Tortilla Chips seem to be the "in thing" at the minute. I am not sure why we ever needed anything other than a good old Dorito but, alas.. Here are Kettle Chips "gourmet" offering. 

I picked up the Sweet Chilli Salsa and Cool Sour Cream Tortilla Chips in Asda. I can't remember the exact price but I am pretty sure, they were on some sort of offer - 2 for £3, perhaps!

The Cool Sour Cream were branded as NEW although I hadn't seen either variety from Kettle Chips, previously. 

Sweet Chilli Salsa

I am a bit funny when it comes to anything remotely spicy - I've been known to complain that black pepper is to much for me to handle so these probably aren't the best thing for me to review! MSW on the other hand is a chilli fiend and completely went to town on these. She stated that the flavour was spot on with a mild heat coming from the chilli which was perfectly balanced with an undertone of tomato. They were very crispy and moreish - I am sure she won't mind me telling you, the bag didn't last 2 days!  Its a 4 out of 5, from her and in turn, me!

Cool Sour Cream

These tortilla chips were far more my cup of tea! I was quite surprised how similar they tasted to the Cool Original Doritos, although they no where near as salty and didn't hurt my tongue, thankfully! They had a nice sour cream taste with a slight tang which I think is always a really good accompanionment to the corn chip flavour. Once agin, they were very crunchy and highly addictive - It really is difficult to stop eating them once the bag is open! Its another 4 out of 5 from me. 

Overall, I was really impressed with these Kettle Tortilla Chips. They were perfect as is but I imagine, even more delicious with dips - Unfortunately, neither bag stuck around long enough to see! There are Sea salt and Nacho Cheese varieties in the same range which I would be equally as eager to try.. It would be interesting to see how they fare against the Tangy Cheese Doritos. 

Have Doritos finally met their match? I say, "gourmet" all the way! 

Review- McVitie's NEW Breakfast Oaty Breaks: Porridge Oats & Golden Syrup and Porridge Oats Raisin & Cinnamon

Look! Another breakfast bar/biscuit - Just what the world needs! I picked up these NEW McVitie's Breakfast Oaty Breaks in Asda for £1 a box. Since they were so cheap, I thought it was only right to get both flavours - Porridge Oats & Golden Syrup and Porridge Oats Raisin & Cinnamon. 

Each box contained 6 individually wrapped, packs of 2 fingers. 

I was so surprised that they were wrapped in clear plastic.. I realise Breakfast Biscuits tend to be but I thought these looked a little cheap!

Porridge Oats & Golden Syrup

There was a nice snap to the biscuits when I seperated the bar down the centre into the 2 the fingers. They both, smelt as well as tasted very much so of golden syrup - With even having the almost metallic undertone flavour, you often find from the sweet stuff! There wasn't as many porridge oats as I expected but given how hard and crunchy the biscuits already were, not to mention the super sweetness, it is probably not such a bad thing! Definitely a snack to have with a strong coffee - Its a 3 out of 5.  

Porridge Oats Raisin & Cinnamon

This one smelt very festive - A cinnamon scent always exudes Christmas! Taste wise it wasn't quite as potent as its aroma suggested, with the spice being fairly subtle. The raisins gave an extra sweetness and, although they weren't soft, it added more of a chew to the dry, biscuity texture. Once again, the oats weren't in abundance so didn't really give much of a wholesome flavour which is a bit of a shame! Its another 3 out of 5 from me.  

Overall, these Breakfast Oaty Breaks aren't a bad offering from McVities's.. Not life changing by any means but do the job. I  do however, think they are the sort of thing you would only want to eat if you have a hot drink around, otherwise you might find your mouth to be like the Sahara - On your own head be it! 

Review- The Co-op NEW Truly Irresistible Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake

My local Co-ops are pants and never seem to have anything other than tinned food and booze - Neither of which I could live off, unfortunately. I was on my holidays in Suffolk last week with the Co-op being the local shop and to my pleasant surprise, turned out to contain a plethora of exciting snacks! 

I was immediately drawn towards this NEW Truly Irresistable Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake which was on offer for £2.

Coconut flavour cake filled with passion fruit jam, topped with coconut flavour buttercream and decorated with a jaffa orange jam and coconut chips. 

As soon as I opened the box, I was engulfed in a tropical coconut scent. The slices cut well although the cakes texture was slightly denser than I imagined - It was verging on being more of a madeira sponge than its light and fluffy appearance. Taste wise, it was super sweet coconut all the way which at first, I found to be being slightly overpowering. I noticed that the layer of passion fruit jam wasn't a consistently spread layer and most had squidged out one side of the cake so I had to taste it separately. It was fruity with a flavour not to dissimilar to that of a Solero Ice Cream - I am sure if it had actually been in the cake, it would have cut all the sweetness! The jaffa orange jam had a good tang to it although it was a little sparse given the thick, sweet and creamy coconut buttercream, it was drizzled upon. I wasn't mad for the coconut chips which topped the cake either - They were a little hard and chewy so I am thankful, they were few and far between!

This cake has the potential to be amazing.. Sort out the layer discrepencies and I reckon, The Co-op would be on to a winner! It is definitely worth giving a go if you are a massive coconut fan like me -Dontcha just love how the stuff comes out in full force when Summer is upon us!? Its a 3 out of 5 for this sugar rush inducing delight!

Review- Tesco Finest Chocolate Ganaches

There are so many NEW desserts out at the minute, it's hard to keep up! I was particularly intrigued by the Tesco Finest Chocolate Ganaches so picked myself up a couple when they were on a 2 for £2.50 offer. 

Each glass pot contained 55g of calorific goo  - I was horrified when I read the nutritional values.. 9.3g of saturated fat for the Ganache Topped Belgian White Chocolate Mousse and a whopping 12.2g for the Java 34% Milk Chocolate Ganache!

White Chocolate

White chocolate mousse topped with white chocolate and vanilla seeds ganache.

I was a bit confused by this at first - The texture was more that of a yogurt than a ganache! It appeared to be very liquidy with a strange foamy top which I wouldn't liken to mousse at all. Taste wise it was bland but sickeningly creamy, with no real sweet, white chocolate flavour.. Until I had almost finished the pot, that is! All the vanilla seeds had sank to the bottom! I gave it a good stir and then the vanilla flavour came through although I still wouldn't identify it as being white chocolate. Its a 2 out of 5 from me. 

Chocolate

Milk Chocolate Ganache.

This pot was much nicer and had the thick, silky smooth texture you expect from a ganache! The flavour wasn't bad but not rich by any means - It was a lot like the generic chocolate "custard" you find in the supermarket brand, fresh cream sundaes. My Brother claimed it tasted like the Rolo Desserts which I can't even remember ever having but I have to admit, it was a very familiar taste so who knows. For being slightly more appealing, its a 3 out of 5! 

Unless you are after some good quality, dinky glass tumblers, I suggest giving these a miss. The Ganache Topped Belgian White Chocolate Mousse was pretty much a train wreck, with the 34% Java Milk Chocolate being slightly more pleasant but certainly not worth the calories. There is a Ecuadorian 72% Dark Chocolate Ganache in the same range which might be worth giving a go, for a richer flavour.. Or maybe just for the pot! 

Review- Twinings NEW Cherry Bakewell Green Tea

I love Tea. I love Cherry Bakewell. The two combined was only ever a dream until I spotted this New Twinings Cherry Bakewell Green Tea in Tesco for £2.49. 

Inspired by the English favourite Cherry Bakewell - Theres something sweet and comforting about this green tea. The almondy cherry taste is delicately softened with smooth vanilla flavour to creat a delicious indulgent green tea blend.

The very pretty box contained 20 Envelopes - How cute are the cherry and Bakewell illustrations?! 

I followed the brewing instructions on the back which recommended placing the tea bag in freshly boiled water for a maximum of 2 minutes to ensure the delicate flavour is not lost. 

Oh my, this smelt amazing - It was like a delicious concoction of Bakewell Tart and Rice Pudding, believe it or not! Taste wise, it had a lovely almondy flavour with cherry undertones which were perfectly balanced with the recognisable taste of green tea. My only complaint is that the vanilla flavour didn't particularly come through, although with everything else going on, it didn't really go amiss. The tea left a pleasant, lingering, almond taste which made me feel like I was actually having a dessert rather than a drink - Minus all the calories, of course! 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this flavoured tea offering from Twinings. There is also a NEW Fudge Melts Green Tea that I am keen to try next - Even I, the self confessed coffee addict, needs to switch it up sometimes! Its a 3.5 out of 5 from me.  

Review- Asda Chosen by You Custard Cream and Bourbon Ice Creams

Wednesday saw the review of the amazing, Tesco Giant Bourbon and Custard Cream Biscuits.. Today, its Asda's turn with their twist on our favourite biscuit tin treats, in the form of these ice cream bars.

The boxes of 6 individually, wrapped ice creams, cost £2 each.

Custard Cream

Vanilla flavoured ice cream with custard cream biscuits

The looked very cute and cut well! Unfortunately, I can't say they tasted much like a Custard Cream. The biscuits did have a subtle buttery flavour with a pleasant crunch which was nice against the soft, cold ice cream. The positives ended there sadly.. It tasted very much like a cheap supermarket ice cream - I wouldn't say it was vanilla-y what so ever, either! Its a disappointing, 1 out of 5 from me. 

Bourbon

Chocolate ice cream with cocoa biscuits 

I hate to say it but the Bourbon wasn't any better. The biscuits were much softer in this bar with a chewier texture. They did have a slight (I repeat, SLIGHT) chocolatey, bourbon biscuit taste to them though. The chocolate ice cream sandwiched in the middle was mostly bland and again tasted like a generic, sweet, supermarket branded one. Absolute pants! - Its another 1 out of 5. 

I have to say these are a massive waste of money. I can't imagine anyone really enjoying them.. I guess they would be quite good for kids as they are easy to eat without getting sticky - Not to mention the fact, they will pretty much go for anything remotely sweet! Big kids should steer clear and just crumble up actual Bourbon and Custard Creams on a good quality ice cream for a cold biscuity treat - I know thats what I will be doing!