Review- Ritz NEW Crunchy Grains Breaks

Ah Ritz.. Who doesn't love them? No one I know that's for sure - The crackers (Or biscuits as MSW would call them) were a lunch box and road trip essential when we were kids with my personal favourite way of eating them being with Laughing Cow Cream Cheese. I hadn't had them for years until I stumbled across these NEW Crunchy Grains Breaks.. Whether they are actually new or not though, I wouldn't like to say. 

Good old Tescy was of course, the place of purchase where at the time, they were on offer for £1 - Sadly, they are back up to full price now at £1.89 so that's a bummer. Containing 6, 32.5g packets, the Veggie friendly, niftily breakable snacks are designed to enjoy on the go and even save some for later.. Because people do that.  

Baked savoury crackers topped with caramelised rice, wheat and barley cereals. 

The packet contained 5 rectangular crackers, each slightly perforated to be snapped into 3 - I didn't do this except for picture purpose and just got munching! As buttery smelling as ever, the Ritz were super crunchy and crisp with the usual satisfyingly light and airy texture. Taste wise, they were full on butter as expected with a real kick of salt which aside from leaving me gagging for a drink, was very pleasant and just how I remembered. As for the grains on top.. I am not sure they brought much in terms of flavour but the almost hard "nibs" made them, well.. Nibbly and as though there were a bit healthier than the "plain" original version. 

Overall and as snacks go, these Ritz NEW Crunchy Grains Breaks are more than adequate - They taste nice, have a fab texture and like they claim, are perfect for eating when on the move. I am not entirely sure how paramount the breakable aspect is as I wasn't remotely inclined to do so.. But I guess somebody might! Cheese or pickle, the choice is yours.. But do Put On The Ritz - It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Asda NEW Custard & Raspberry Mille-Feuille

Mille-Feuille - It's a beautiful thing.. And actually one of my very first reviews here on R4R! The Custard & Cream Slice was legendary but it doesn't seem to be in my local Asda anymore which is a great concern.. Thankfully, a potential replacement is now on the shelves instead - It's the NEW Custard & Raspberry! 

I picked up the pack of 2 slices for £2 along with the horrific Neapolitan Cheesecake back in April. They are suitable for Vegetarians but not for soya allergy suffers, they may contain traces of nuts and are heavy on gluten.. As it's pastry! Shock horror. 

Lovely layers of puffed pastry sandwiched with vanilla custard and raspberry filling, topped with pink fondant icing and a sweet dusting. 

One, very soft and squidgy Mille-Feuille - The custard was very much intent on oozing out the sides when cut! Flakey and layered was the texture of the pastry with the chew you only get from keeping such a thing, refrigerated. Taste wise it was semi buttery which was improved by the instant hit of creamy vanilla custard. As for the raspberry, it was very much like a fresh puree with a tang as a nice contrast to all the sweet - The dusting a fondant only adding to this! The elements were all in good proportion to one another and paired up a treat. Yum! 

Overall, this Custard & Raspberry Mille- Feuille is a mighty tasty addition to Asdas' dessert section - I am not sure it matches the glorious Custard & Cream Slice but it is decent nevertheless. If you like sweet pastry and custard, then its worth a whirl! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- M&S NEW Activehealth Roasted Vegetable Ravioli with Tomato Sauce

So, after eating all that Chocolate Spread, I am thinking I need to get back on the healthy and start lowering my cholestrol once more.. Move over scrumptious Slow Cooked Lamb, Roasted Vegetable Ravioli is here! 

Free range egg pasta parcels filled with roasted vegetables with a smoked tomato sauce, roasted baby plum tomatoes and parsley. 

I don't know if M&S heard me moaning about the price of these NEW activehealth meals or what but the entire range is now a Mix & Match, 3 for £10 deal which is far more reasonable than having to fork out £4.25 each! 

I stabbed the 355g, Veggie friendly meal with a fork, ready to pop into the microwave for about 4 minutes.. Although you can also whack it in the oven at 160ºC Fan for 15 minutes, if you live for hard work. 

It looked a real treat after a good zapping! - Gloriously tomato-ey with a very rich, slightly smokey scent. I have to admit, I was hoping the latter wasn't going to reflect to much in the taste.. 

Thankfully, my wishes came true as the smoked tomato sauce wasn't really smokey at all - Just tomato all the way! 7 large and generously coated Ravioli were the star of the show with a soft bite (Some might say al dente!) and well filled vegetable centre. As expected, the pasta paired up perfectly with the not to sloppy, super fresh tasting sauce which came with a ever so slight hint of basil. The whole baby tomatoes were another element in abundance with 6 present.. But unfortunately, the skins were really quite unpleasantly chewy - I ended up peeling them and just eating the soft, juicy centre! One other negative which although didn't effect the overall deliciousness, was how one of the Ravioli had gone crisp. I can only assume this was down to not being covered in sauce fully which was unfortunate but easily avoidable with a bit of shifting about, next time! 

What on earth has happened to M&S? This Roasted Vegetable Ravioli is another champion product from the store! I am starting to worry a bit really.. I'm seeing past "faults" like undigestible tomato skins and occasional plaster like pasta all for an amazingly potent sauce come carb fest. You wouldn't even recognise it as a healthy meal either - It tastes that good.. And even better with cheese on top! 

Could they be "poisoning" us all into liking them? Perhaps. Are they intent on taking all our money? Wouldn't put it past them. Is this all part of a grand scheme in which we get hooked on Spirit of Summer? Without a shadow of a doubt. It's a cracking 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Cadbury NEW Spread: Caramel and Crunchie

I don't know if I've just been a dummy and completely missed the press release but it appears Cadbury have NEW Spreads out - Huzzah! Caramel and Crunchie versions is where it is at and although not exactly adventurous.. I was still pretty chuffed spotting them when shopping. 

It was of course in Tesco where I found these 400g screw top jars, priced at £2.25 each - I very much like how the packaging reflects the actual chocolate bars! Further snazzy news.. They are only bloomin' suitable for Vegetarians!

A swirly and a bobbly - The Spreads looked the part! 

Caramel

If only you could smell through your Tech screens as the scent was sensational! - Buttery, caramelly, sweet goodness! Taking a scoop, the Spread appeared to be very soft and ready for spreading but naturally, I just ate it as it was, there and then. Silky smooth in texture and a good chocolatey flavour was the first thing to hit me which then developed into a super sweet toffee like taste - Not super high quality but decent enough. It was a little to easy to eat one spoonful after another but fair warning, it did get a tad cloying.. I expect this would be eliminated though if you had it on something rather than straight out of the jar! It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Crunchie

Up next.. The Crunchie Spread! Once again, it smelt divine and this time, almost coffee like despite none being listed in the ingredients. Another difference I noticed immediately was that the contents of the jar seemed to be a tad thicker to the above with more resistance when scooping - Perhaps due to the nibs or maybe just pot luck! Taste wise, it was less sweet and more cocoa rich to the Caramel with a fudgey hint along with a whiff of that coffee I could smell.. Or imagined more like! The honeycomb pieces added the signature Crunchie taste and were a lovely contrast in texture to the soft, although some bits were really quite hard so I would advise going easy and watching your teeth! It's a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Well, I don't know why these NEW Spreads haven't been plastered everywhere online as they really aren't half bad! Yes, they are very sweet and probably quite sickly if you ate a lot.. But on toast, porridge or heaven forbid, spread on a cake, they will do the job nicely! Well done, Cadbury.. Mondaléz.. Whatever you're calling yourself nowadays. 

Review- Thomas J. Fudge's Wonderful White Chocolate Flapjacks

You'll never guess what I've finally managed to locate.. I'll tell you what, Thomas J. Fudge's Wonderful White Chocolate Flapjacks! It's only taken me about 6 months but I finally stumbled across them in Waitrose and snapped up the £3.25, LE box promptly! 

We appear to have moved on from balancing buildings on ones head to a rather natty, fruit hat.. Good luck to you when you get stung by a buzzy insect in the summer sun or even better, when it starts to rot and drip all down your neck - Pretty images for everyone there. 

I've missed the 8 items in a plastic tray within a cardboard outer packaging.. Haven't you? It's classic Fudge's!

I have to admit on first impressions, I wasn't blown away - The Flapjacks smelt nothing like the Milk Chocolate variety with no real buttery scent or syrup tones with more of a semi sweet rabbit food aroma! Texture wise, they were equally not up to scratch thanks to a much drier and crumbly feel that really wasn't all that pleasant to chew - It was too "bitty" and had relatively hard oats in places. As for the flavour, there was also quite a lot to improve on. The lack of decent scent certainly reflected in taste with very little in terms of butteriness or sweetness along with the unfortunate kick of bitter "orange" which I swear was more grapefruit and didn't appreciate at all! The abundance of cranberries did go some way in making it more palatable and went well with the thick coating of creamy, white chocolate.. But disappointingly couldn't mask what was essentially, a poor excuse for a Flapjack! 

Oh dear. My beloved Thomas J. Fudge's seem to have come down with an almighty crash! I don't know what they're playing at as usually, their treats are flawless and I moan that there isn't enough in the box and yet with these dry, grapefruit Flapjack wannabes, you couldn't pay me to eat them! Thank goodness MSW liked them otherwise the bin would have been their fate - It's a 1 out of 5 from me. 

All Thomas J. Fudge's reviews (Flapjacks, Florentines and Blisscuits)

Review- Asda NEW Hog Roast Pasties

The humble Pasty - A British Classic. Despite never been to their Cornish home and probably never having had the real deal regardless of any "authentic" claims, I have always enjoyed them. It was when on a recent trip to Asda that something a bit wild caught my eye.. Breaking completely from the traditional beef and vegetable recipe, they've only gone down the pork route! - It's NEW Hog Roast Pasties. 

I picked up the packet of 6 for £1.85 in the Pie/Quiche/Sausey Roll aisle where they were situated with a whole array of NEW picnic-esque goodies to be enjoyed either hot or cold. Personally, I always opt for the latter option so did just that and didn't turn on the oven on to 160ºC fan and cook for 6-8 minutes.. But you always can if you want! 

Pork and roasted shredded pork with Bramley apple and sage filling in buttery shortcrust pastry. 

Cutting the Pasty in two, the lack off filling was immediately plain to see with a big airy gap in each half.. Typical! - Why is it that more often than not, such snacks lack a decent centre?! I didn't want to write them off completely so tried to overlook the initial disappointment and am glad I did.. Buttery and crumbly, the pastry shell itself was delicious, just of the right thickness and making for the ideal casing to the soft meat inside. The flavour of pork paired with sweet yet subtle apple was of course, a match made in heaven with a real herby-ness to only improve things further. I did notice a slight hint of black pepper/spice but I don't expect anyone else would and certainly wasn't to much - Not even for sensitive old me! 

Overall and lack of filling aside, these NEW Hog Roast Pasties are really quite pleasant. They are fab cold, would make a great addition to any summer Picnic and I can see them going down a treat if you take them for what they are - Quick, cheap and simple. Nice one Asda, it's a 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Organix LE Cherry Rice Cakes

It's an R4R first - We've ventured into Baby Food! No, I am not on a weird fad diet but there is a thrilling tale behind todays review.. Get comfy. One of my buddies has a toddler. A fussy toddler at that, she won't mind me adding, who is a professional Food Launcher come Toxicology Analyst. The child possesses endless talents when it comes to avoiding eating but one thing that has recently wooed her and what her Mother is referring to as "Baby Crack" are these Organix LE Cherry Rice Cakes. 

Delicious organic wholegrain rice cakes covered with cherry juice.

Practically forced into buying some myself, I hot footed it down to Tesco and picked up a 50g bag of the 7 months+ Finger Foods for £1.19 - Absolutely absurd pricing but they are currently on offer for 3 for £3.. Which obviously makes all the difference. Made from organic wholegrain rice along with apple and cherry juice concentrates, the Rice Cakes have no hidden nasties or junk and are also suitable for Vegetarians if your offspring has made that life choice at an early age. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity in the bag and for once, it wasn't half full like you so often find with "Grown up" packet snacks. The rosy pink dusted and slightly sticky Cakes smelt good and how Rice Cakes should with a subtle sweetness. Taking a munch, the sort of dry and airy, crunchy signature texture was there with a Puffed Wheat taste along with a mild fruity flavour which I am not sure I would have been able to identify but I did like it! One thing that I did notice however was that the Rice Cakes weren't coated evenly and in turn meant that the flavour wasn't consistent throughout the bag - A shame! 

Overall, these Organix LE Cherry Rice Cakes aren't to shabby at all - They taste as expected with a smidge of sweetness and I can see why they would be popular with little ones. My only real qualm is the overkill of a pricing but I guess these Baby Food companies like to (And can!) prey on parents obvious desire to give their children the "best" organic, nutritious food.. And of course, the convenience of it all! My advice would instead be to pay a visit to my buddy who currently has a cupboard full of the things equating to about £50s worth.. It's a 4 out of 5 from me!