Review- The Snack Organisation NEW Freeze Dried Strawberry, Apple, Apricot and Pineapple

I think there is this preconceived notion that we Food Bloggers have atrocious diets consisting solely of junk and sugar. Yes, we probably do take the mickey when it comes to having "treats" but its ok because we pack in the Fruit and Veg too which we all know cancels out all bad stuff!

Since, I do like to keep things semi balanced.. I picked up these 100% Natural Freeze Dried Fruits by The Snack Organisation in Tesco's baking aisle where they were branded as NEW and priced at £1 a pop. The company pride themselves on preserving the nutritional value and flavour of fruits without the use of any unhealthy fats or high temperatures - No hidden nasties, suitable for Veggies and Gluten free.. What more could you want?! 

I ended up getting 3 out of the 4 available flavours - Strawberry, Apple and Apricot which weigh in at 16-18g each and are perfect for sprinkling and crumbling into your cereal, yogurt, smoothies and ice cream.  

Strawberry

I wasn't expecting the Freeze Dried Fruit to be so big, upon tearing open the pouch - Some pieces were 10p size! The smell was amazing and very inviting - It was full on Strawberry! Texture wise, these were the hardest out of the bunch and were very crunchy before dissolving on the tongue. I loved the pips as it reassured me it was real fruit.. Something I definitely needed considering a flavour of Strawberry Jam graced these delights! I am not sure how this was achieved as it really was uncanny and as strong as the initial scent. It may be a simple concept but these are flawless.. Top marks from me, 5 out of 5! 

Apple

This pouch was almost filled to the top with Apple pieces - All were a good size but each piece was considerably lighter than the Strawberry and had a much airier texture. At first they were solid but would eventually dissolve in the mouth and revert back to what I can only presume was their original soft state prior to freeze drying - This was both strange yet enjoyable! The flavour was delicious and that of a good Granny Smith Apple - Not to tart and not to sweet. A close one to mark but its a marginally less 4.5 out of 5!

Apricot

Last but by no means least is the Apricot. These pieces were the strangest out of the 3 Fruits and sounded like chalk clanging together when tipped out the bag. They also smelt of Teabags, bizarrely! I don't know about you but I've never known Apricot to smell like Tea before. Thankfully, they didn't have any reminiscent taste to Tea as these were full on Apricot and really quite tart! The texture was somewhere between the hard Strawberry and softer Apple, with once again being solid at first and then developing into something much chewier. Its another 4.5 from me! 

Overall, I am blown away by these Freeze Dried Fruits from The Snack Organisation. All 3 flavours pack a punch and are perfect to pop in your work drawer or kids lunchbox as a tasty snack. They also make a healthy topping to a plethora of bases - I had mine on porridge and the Strawberry was particularly delicious as it was so like Jam - Minus all the sugar of course! At under 70 Calories a bag and literally 100% Fruit, I can find no fault int these. My only regret is opting out of buying the Pineapple too.. Maybe I will get those the next time I need to balance out some of all those "treats"! 

Update

So I decided to get the Freeze Dried Pineapple after all - The others were to good to wait in trying the entire range!

Once again, I picked these up in Tesco where the Strawberry was now completely sold out - I only bought them on Monday so they must be going down well!

I found it quite amusing how the pieces looked - You could certainly tell it was real pineapple from both appearance and tropical scent! This time, I wasn't such a fan of the texture as it was hard to the point of struggling to crunch through.. Letting them melt in the mouth proved to be in folly also as nothing really happened and was never going to like with the others. The flavour was spot on though and that of a ripe, juicy Pineapple which made up for the questionable rock solidness! Not my faves but still nice enough - Its a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

There you have it Folks - A full set. I hope The Snack Organisation bring out other Fruits.. I imagine Pear would be delicious as would Kiwi or Mango.. I can't see anything not working! For now, I suggest going and hunting down the Strawberry ones before everyone becomes wise and they are out of stock permanently! 

Review- M&S NEW Lemon & Dorset Clotted Cream Scones

It occurred to me earlier that I haven't bashed Marks & Spencer in a while.. Partly due to not having bought anything since the disappointing Rhubarb & Custard Buns and the fact I felt I couldn't really post ANOTHER bad review - They were coming left, right and centre after all! With that in mind, its one from archives today with these now, not so new, NEW Lemon & Dorset Clotted Cream Scones. 

As it was such a long time ago, I can't remember that exact price.. I do however know that I didn't buy 2 for £2.50. 

2 all butter scones enriched with buttermilk, with dorset clotted cream and lemon zest 

Firstly.. How can one trust something that looks like a piece of a Childs, plastic toy food? I was hesitant to say the least. Cutting the Scone in half didn't prove to be particularly reassuring as this thing was spongy - And by spongy, I don't mean the good kind of cake and the like.. I mean the dense kind that would assist you when washing your car! Due to this horrible texture, it was quite chewy and not the light and fluffy scone it should be. Taste wise, it was pretty nonexistent - I am uncertain of the purpose of the clotted cream as it didn't add anything in terms of flavour. The lemon aspect was equally as poor and from what I could taste, it certainly didn't strike me as being the zest listed in the ingredients.. It was more like a watered down lemon extract than the real deal! Rubbish. 

Overall, these not so new, NEW Lemon & Dorset Clotted Cream Scones are.. Well, I have no words really apart from M&S have succeeded at letting me down once more. At least they are consistent I suppose - You can't knock them for that. Save you money Folks, make you own, don't make your own - Just please don't buy them. Its a 0 out of 5 today, from the ever so reserved and bashful, Snack Warrior. 

Review- Border Biscuits Yogurt Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crumbles

Confession time. I've never been much of a Border Biscuits fan. I distinctly remember the Chocolate Viennese being in the cupboards an awful lot when I was younger but back then, unless it was a Penguin or Club.. I wasn't interested. Thankfully times have changed now I'm big and like all Biscuits! 

I picked up these Yogurt Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crumbles in Asda for £1.58 - Such a random price. The biscuits were branded as NEW on the day of purchase but I've seen them since missing said label so I am unsure how long they've been around for. 

Slowly baked oats combine with fabulous fruit and a drizzled yogurt coating to create an award-winning oat biscuit. 

The biscuits were smaller than I anticipated but very uniform and cute. They had a dry, airy texture and were very crunchy with a lovely buttery, oaty flavour. The pumpkin seeds were in abundance and as they were fairly hard, gave the biscuit a nutty wholesome feel. A tartness came from the ruby red cranberries which was balanced out by the sweet yet tangy yogurt drizzle on top - It tasted more like white chocolate than yogurt, to be honest! I did feel the biscuits were quite heavy going due to all the different elements and textures going on but they were scrummy nevertheless! 

Overall, I am thrilled I have given Border Biscuits another go as these Yogurt Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crumbles are something premium! If you are a fan of oat, seedy snacks then these are definitely one to try - They are all the good of a Cereal Bar but a 100 times more delicious. I can't wait to try more from Borders.. I don't know what my little self was thinking when passing them up for years! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- The Grown Up Chocolate Company Crunchy Crispy Toffee Trilogy

I got a lovely surprise a few weeks ago when Mr Postie rocked up on my doorstep with a unexpected parcel from my main squeeze in life, @NibsnScribs! Inside was a whole host of goodies including this Crunchy Crispy Toffee Trilogy by The Grown Up Chocolate Company which we are both BIG fans of - Minus the disastrous White Chocolate Praline Wonder Bar of course! 

I've doubled check and it was purchased at Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shop - An unknown stockist to me! 

A crunchy base of luxury milk chocolate and rice puffs. A middle of gooey caramel topped with white chocolate biscuit pearls and enrobed in milk chocolate. 

I was expecting the bar to be squidgier when cutting but it held its shape nicely and made for a perfect picture! The base layer was full of airy crunch thanks to all the puffy rice balls which was a great contrast in texture to the soft, thick caramel layer above - It tasted very rich and buttery and more like a fudge or ganache than caramel! The white chocolate pearls added some much needed sweetness to cut all the deep chocolatey tones as well as adding another "hard" element. I was surprised to see that Hazelnuts were listed in the ingredients as I couldn't identify them whatsoever but I did think the the whole thing had a malty sort of flavour bizarrely.. but brilliantly! A thick casing of milk chocolate with its perfect melt and flavour was the cherry on top to what was already one divine treat! 

Ok, so I am pretty sure I will never eat a normal Nestle Toffee Crisp again after having this delicious Beast of a bar - It is definitely my favourite so far from the Grown Up Choc Company and even reigns superior over the amazing Glorious Coconut Hocus Pocus. Thank you Nibbles 'n' Scribbles for changing my life and I want another one for Christmas, please. Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Mr Kipling NEW Fabulous Fancy Cake

Cor, the return of the Giant French Fancy.. This is something I've been waiting for what seems like forever for! The Big Pink French Fancy Cake from a few years back was a thing that dreams are made of - I was devastated to see it go. Thankfully, Mr Kipling has got his head screwed on and recently released this rather more modestly sized, Fabulous Fancy Cake. 

As soon as I knew this thing had hit the shops, I rushed on down to Tesco to pick one up for £5 - Never mind the fact I had literally just got back from my Holiday!

Golden sponge with a layer of raspberry jam and a vanilla flavour filling, finished with a soft mallow topping and covered with decorated pink fondant icing. 

I was so excited to see that this cake was exactly the same as its mini equivalent, paper case and all! I peeled back the edges and the icing crumbled slightly just as it would with the original. A knife cut through the sponge easily to reveal the layers and mallowy top - I am not sure how you would get the suggested 8, 62g portions out of the cake with everyone having some of the centre though! 

I made sure my slice had plenty of mallow.. For a fair test, obviously. The sponge itself was a lot like a standard Madeira Birthday Cake, light with a soft and squidgy feel yet solid enough to not fall apart. A good fruitiness came from the Raspberry jam layer which was a pleasant surprise as more often than not, companies use the cheap wishy washy stuff - I would have liked a little more to go with the smooth vanilla-y filling, though. The outside icing was the exact same that you find on a normal French Fancy and as expected, was super sweet with a sugary crunch before dissolving on the tongue. A blob of sweet and pillowy marshmallow was the perfect topping to the cake but once again, I wish Mr Kipling hadn't of scrimped - It was exactly like the inside of a Tunnock's Teacake which just so happen to be one of my favourites although the amount here wouldn't be enough in anyones world! 

Overall, I am in Limbo over this NEW Fabulous Fancy Cake.. I did enjoy it but the proportions all seem a little off. Its a lot like the previous Big Pink French Fancy Birthday Cake which had mounds and mounds of mallow to the point where it was almost to much whereas this time they've done the opposite and there isn't enough by any stretch of the imagination - A happy medium needs to be reached! That aside, if you like super sweet, vanilla-y marshmallow, cakey goodness, you can't go wrong with this.. Just don't expect it to feed 8 people, generously! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- NEW Marmite Flatbreads

They say you either love or hate Marmite.. I am not sure this is strictly true as I am indifferent towards the stuff. I can be more than happy to eat it but at the same time, could easily turn it down. Am I the only one who feels like this? 

It was obviously a Marmite loving day when I picked up these NEW Flatbreads in Waitrose for £2.35 - Quite pricey for only 140g (16 crackers, if I've counted correctly!)

Savoury flatbreads with yeast extract topped with cheese 

There was no doubt that these were going to be full of Marmite flavour as the smell was ridiculously potent! The dry and thin flatbreads were super crunchy thanks to a short texture with the signature, deep flavour of yeast extract. On top of each long rectangular cracker, was a sprinkle of cheddar cheese - Although subtle and pleasant, it didn't really stand much of a chance against the taste of Marmite which was always going to overshadow everything. There was quite a saltiness also, resulting in them being very moreish but would burn your tongue at the same time - Never a good thing! 

These NEW Marmite Flatbreads are definitely one for the fanatics - I wouldn't suggest buying them unless you are fully committed to the yeast extract cause. To boost the cheesiness, get yourself a spread to dip them in.. Be it something fancy like Cathedral City Mature or my personal favourite, Dairylea! Anyone who decides that Marmite itself needs to go on top and finds that their tongue has dissolved.. It serves you right! Its 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Tesco NEW Easy Oats: Chunky Oats & Barley

I've been on a bit of a Porridge kick lately - Nothing beats it on a chilly autumnal morning! Usually I make it the old fashion way on the Hob but when in a rush to get out the door, I am more than happy to take a shortcut and ping it in the microwave! 

I picked up this box of NEW Easy Oats in Tesco where they cost £1.45 for 10 sachets - A whole £1 cheaper than their Quaker equivalent!  

The 27g packets of Chunky Scottish Oats & Barley Flakes contain only 97 calories each, 1.4g Fat and a negligible amount of Sats, Sugar and Salt - Perfect for anyone, watching what they eat! 

I followed the instructions on the back of the sachet and added 150ml of liquid and zapped it for about 4 minutes. I was a bit narked that there wasn't a line in which to fill up to as that does lessen the faffing around when you're half asleep at 7am and can't measure to save you life. 

In my sleepy state, I think I measured a little more than 150ml of liquid but personally, I don't mind a "sloppier" Porridge! The texture was velvety smooth and soft with a very slight bite from the Barley flakes. It tasted as all good Porridges should - Oaty and wholesome with a comforting feel that you just know is going to do you some good! My bowlful was creamy even though I only used water when preparing.. I imagine it would feel even more luxurious and rich if milk was used. Yum yum! 

Overall, I can't find much fault in these NEW Easy Oats - It makes for a healthy and filling breakfast that is perfect for all ages.. A fill line on the packet wouldn't go amiss though, if I am to be really pernickety! I had my Porridge plain on this occasion but I have no doubt it would be delicious with any topping of your choice - Fruit, Nuts, Honey.. NUTELLA! The world is your Pickle! Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me!