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 23- M&S Sherry Trifle Roulade

Trifle. It's a Christmas classic ..And one in which admittedly, I am not all that keen on. Having never been one for cream in general, it isn't a dessert that I ever gravitate towards but throw meringue into the mix and I am as game as the next person! Our penultimate review and a twist on tradition - Sherry Trifle Roulade. 

Stumbling across the 520g, serves 6 vegetarian friendly pud in M&S's frozen section, I was disappointed to see how little care had been taken with the boxes - There was at least a dozen in the freezer but the majority were bashed in to the point of being more of an Eton Mess than a rolled Roulade! Opting for the mostly unscathed dessert on top of the pile, I skipped my merry way to the till and handed over a very reasonable £4. 

Meringue with roasted almonds, filled with a cream and sherry custard (45%), raspberries (4.5%), raspberry jam (2.5%) and flaked almonds. 

As suggested, I let the Roulade defrost at room temperature for 3 hours.. But didn't end up eating it immediately as recommended, hence the slice's rather sorry appearance - What a rebel. 

Taking a forkful, it was immediately apparent that this was going to be one very soft and sloppy pud - Just look at it! Light and crisp was the main feel of the meringue which provided a crunch and a chew along with good amount of sweetness. Bucket loads of rich, creamy tones from the whipped cream was the next thing to hit as well as a slightly weird, perhaps boozy but mainly unknown flavour that I can only put down to the Sherry.. Although not like any Sherry I've had previously! Pockets of raspberry were few and far between but did bring a nice fruitiness to the mix in the odd mouthful. As for the almonds on top.. I hated them and felt they were too hard whereas MSW enjoyed the further contrast in textures - Neither of us appreciated the strange aftertaste however! 

Overall, this Sherry Trifle Roulade isn't much of a winner, I'm afraid. I am still confused now over the Sherry aspect, I can't taste custard whatsoever, a lot more raspberry needs to be included for it to have any real flavour and generally, it ain't nothing like any Trifle, I've ever had - Good or bad! Nice work on the meringue though M&S, I give credit where credits due - It's a 2.5 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- Asda NEW Custard Cream Cake

Since Asdas' Birthday Cake selection isn't already extensive enough with every flavour, every character and every size available, the Store have released quite a few NEW additions these past few weeks. Ones to particularly catch my eye were the domed Smash Cakes in Chocolate and Vanilla which both have a secret stash of goodies ready to bash into - What Kid, big or small doesn't want that on their Birthday?! Speaking of Birthdays and although it isn't officially hers until the 24th, I'm completely using MSW as an excuse for this purchase.. 

Of course, it's the NEW Custard Cream Cake! There was no chance of me picking any other! This bad boy of unknown weight, cost £7 which surprised me as I was under the impression that it would be £8 - Always happy to save a quid!

What a whopper! This cake takes the biscuit.. our spectacular sweet sponge, sandwiched with vanilla flavour buttercream and topped with soft icing - perfect with a cuppa!

WHAT A WHOPPER!, indeed. The cake certainly delivered aesthetically in looking exactly like it's mini, biscuit buddy with embellished writing and all. One thing I am not sure of though is how one would get 16 portions out of it. They really would be no bigger in size than the original biscuit!

Golly gosh, it cut beautifully - The knife slide through like butter with no need for the sawing motion, suggested on the box. As for the scent, it was nothing but heavenly with an uncanny similarity to Angel Cake combined with oodles of vanilla and a biscuity edge! 

Imagine the above slice cut into 4.. Because that is exactly what you would get if you were to oblige to the recommended serving - The picture shows 1/4 of the cake! By all means, don't go all out, halve it if necessary but surely anything less or heaven forbid 1/16th (In its entirety) wouldn't even be worth having!? It's absurd! Anyways, on to the eating and what everyone wants to know.. Does it actually taste of a Custard Cream? Well, I am happy to report that yes, it does and I am shell shocked after having expected just a plain vanilla cake! Unbeknownst to me how the flavour of said biscuit was actually achieved, I do know that the golden sponge itself was soft, light, moist and miles apart from some of the dense Madeira, you find in Supermarket bought, Birthday Cakes. Sandwiched between was a well proportioned layer of whipped buttercream to both compliment and heighten the vanilla tones superbly. Lastly was the layer of fondant covering the lot which was malleable yet still with bite.. Once again, it was more the generous in thickness as well as super sweet and delicious! The 3 simple elements went perfectly together as well as breaking up the texture to produce one yummy, biscuity, cake!

Blimey. I'm flabbergasted. Who would have thought that this Custard Cream Cake wouldn't just be a silly marketing ploy but actually taste of a Custard Cream? Not me that's for sure and I suspect I am not the only sceptic! I can barely fault this delight from Asda but will say, it is very sweet and a throat burn may occur if you have one to many mouthfuls.. But it still would only feed about 10 at a push! There is also a Bourbon version which I am now obviously extremely eager to try - If that too tastes of its biscuit namesake, I won't know what to do with myself! It's a cracking 4.5 out of 5 from me!

Review- The Chocolate Smith's Easter Egg Custard Bizarre

As some of you may already know, it was my Birthday last week.. And boy, was I spoilt! All my lovely fellow blogging buddies went a little mad in showering me with gifts and in turn, are pretty much keeping me fed for the forseeable future. This can only mean one thing.. An influx of shout outs! Kicking things off today, is a chocolate bar from the Hand Selfie Snack King that is Kev and I have only one thing to say..

Bored of Easter Eggs? What about Easter Egg Custard? We've created a delicious hand made Belgian white chocolate bar with runny yellow custard filling to give you an entirely different Easter Egg experience! 

THANK GOD IT ISN'T BACON! I'm still quite traumatised from my very thoughtful, yet DISGUSTING Christmas present so was ever to pleased with this LE Easter Egg Custard Bizarre Bar from The Chocolate Smith's.. Thanks Butty, you done good!  

A picture of this chocolate almost didn't occur as I was so intent on scoffing it.. But I do distinctly recall the stripes of pastel orange running horizontally across the underside of the bar with two blobs, looking suspiciously like egg yolks, on the top. This must be the runny custard filling, right? Well, yes but no - There was no run, ooze or goo in sight with a texture that was more of a thick "dry" fondant than the sauce I envisaged. Taste wise, the chunky white chocolate itself was sweet, vanilla-y and a bit like a better quality MilkyBar with a far superior melt and smoothness. As for the custard element, it was neither here nor there.. Not Birds, not Ambrosia and certainly not anything more "premium" - All I could taste was diabetes from pure sugar.. And I liked it!

Overall and although this Easter Egg Custard Bizarre didn't exactly live up to its name or was the custard it promised, I did enjoy it.. And would happily eat another (Kev, take note!) - Who doesn't love a MilkyBar at the end of the day?! Bump up both the ooze factor and custardy flavour and The Chocolate Smith's would be on to a total winner - It's a 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Asda Extra Special NEW Brioche Bread and Butter Budding and Madagascan Vanilla Custard

Asda, the Champion of fresh puds, seem to have loads of NEW warm desserts out at the minute - Perfect since the weather is getting chillier. With much choice comes much dilemma and after some serious to-ing and fro-ing, I decided upon this Extra Special Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding. 

I couldn't quite remember the price but having looked at the other Extra Special desserts on the Asda website, I am going to assume this one is priced the same at £3.50. 

Vanilla custard encasing buttery brioche and juicy Chilean raisins, with apricot glaze

I cooked the pudding for the recommended 20 minutes in a preheated 170ºC fan oven - It was piping hot and looked a lovely golden brown. 

Since such things most definitely require extra custard.. I picked up the Madagascan Vanilla option from the same "premium" range for £1.80.

This time round, I broke the rules by not following the preparation instructions of heating on the hob for 7 minutes.. Who's got time for that? I poured mine into a glass jug and microwaved for a couple of minutes until scolding enough to burn your tongue. 

Please forgive how unattractive that looks - I didn't chuck it in the bowl yet it still looks sorry for itself under my bright kitchen lighting. Its a good job its all in the taste, right? The Brioche pudding was so soft and light with a foamy sort of feel - You don't have to chew this stuff whatsoever, it really is that melt in the mouth. It tasted buttery and sweet with the apricot adding a nice fruity tang. Huge plump and juicy raisins were in abundance throughout. I counted 9 in my quarter portion and that wasn't just me getting lucky - Everyone got a more than generous amount! The custard on top was very nice also and thickened up significantly when heated. The flavour was creamy and strong of vanilla and was a fab accompaniment to the pudding.. Even if it was already set in a custard! 

I think I made the right choice when it came to picking dessert last week - It went down a treat with MSW and BSW. You might question if it will feed the 4 it claims to when taking it out of the box but with a topping, be it custard, cream or ice cream.. It will do the job! I would buy both again but as always, am keen to try more of the NEW puds, Asda has to offer. Its a 4 out of 5 for each! 

Review- M&S NEW British Rhubarb & Custard Iced Buns

Everyone is probably sick of hearing me bang on about the AMAZING Lemon Curd Whitby Buns but I popped into M&S, intending to get myself another packet and found these next to them on the shelf.. British Rhubarb & Custard Iced Buns! Put your hands up if you are excited - Im excited!

2 custard flavour buns filled with rhubarb jam and topped with soft icing 

I love how uniformly round these buns are - They are very dinky and cute! 

My excitement with this bun was fairly short-lived - The dough was so dense and chewy - Nothing like its light and fluffy Lemon counterpart! It had 0 flavouring in the way of custard either! Things didn't improve much with the rhubarb filling.. The jam was very liquid-y with next to nothing, in tangyness. I am assuming it is the same bland stuff they used in their Rhubarb & Custard Cake which was very poor! The icing on top of the bun was thick and sweet but pretty nondescript and pointless since there was nothing good underneath! 

Once again, I feel cheated by M&S. I thought they had redeemed themselves but.. Alas, things are back down the Swanee. Save your £1.30 on these Rhubarb & Custard Buns and stick with the Lemon Curd. Its a very grumpy, 1 out 5 from me. 

Review- M&S NEW Rhubarb & Custard Cake

Marks and Spencer have brought out a number of NEW Cakes recently to coincide with their Summer Range. After having had a slice of the rather delicious, NEW Blackcurrant Fool Cake in one of their Cafes, I thought it was only right to give the Rhubarb & Custard a go too!

A lot of the cakes have been on offer recently and I picked mine up for £2.50 rather than the usual £3.

Sponge cake filled with rhubarb jam, topped with custard flavour buttercream and decorated with rhubarb sauce.

I can't say I am blown away by this cake. Although it was pleasant enough with a soft and light sponge, the whole thing was really lack lustre! The very little jam that was sandwiched in the middle was more of a sauce than a jam - I couldn't really tell the difference between it and the actual drizzled sauce on top! There was very little tartness to either which is something you expect from rhubarb. The buttercream topping had a generic vanilla-y taste to it - I am pretty sure you wouldn't be able to identify it as being custard flavour unless you knew, prior. Rubbish! 

Overall, this cake is a bit of a let down after having the Blackcurrant Fool Slice.. It is a shame M&S can't seem to sell the same quality goods in store as they do in their Cafes. They really haven't been meeting my expectations lately.. Im starting to lose all belief! Its a 2 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Tesco NEW Giant Bourbon and Custard Cream Biscuits

You can imagine my excitement when my fellow reviewing buddie, @kevvieguy posted a picture of these NEW Giant Bourbon and Custard Cream Biscuits on Instagram a few days a go. Being the stereotypical lover of both, I knew I had to get my hands on them and see how they fare against the ones Costa did a while back! 

The biscuits were a rather chunky, 90g and a whopping 435kcal each. At 85p a pop, I thought they were very reasonably priced.

Bourbon

The strong cocoa scented biscuit was so thick, it was mighty difficult to get a knife through. It had a nice crunch to it and wasn't crumbly at all - Perfect for dunking in the hot beverage of your choice (Coffee! Always.). Taste wise, it was more of a standard but decadent chocolate biscuit rather than having the actual Bourbon taste - A shame but enjoyable none the less! The thick cream layer filling wasn't super sweet and had a good chocolatey flavour. Its a 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Custard Cream

Once again, the biscuit was a little tricky to cut but I had high hopes as it smelt exactly like a Custard Cream.. Boy, did it deliver! The shortcake biscuit was buttery and had a lovely bite to it with a thick, vanilla-y cream layer sandwiched in the middle. The flavour really was very similar to that of its original counterpart. My only complaint is given how super sweet it was, I am not sure anyone would be able to eat it all in one go without throat burning ensuing! Its a 4 out of 5 from me! 

Overall, I loved both of these giant biscuits and have to say they are much nicer than the Costa ones. I will definitely be buying the Custard Cream one again - Now, do I find someone to share it with or risk a throat burn? Such a dilemma! 

Get yourself down to Tesco and buy both.. It might just make you feel like a big kid!

Review- Asda Butterfly Custard Choux Buns

MSW (Mother Snack Warrior) and I went a little mad in the Fresh Cream Cake section of Asda a few weeks ago - We can't seem to say no! Its gotten to the stage where I now have a back log of reviews to get through. Its a hard old life.

We picked up the 2 Butterfly Custard Choux Buns for £2.25.

Pastry Buns filled with custard and sweetened whipped cream decorated with chocolate flavoured fondant.

It cut quite well with a sharp knife, although as you can probably imagine, it was a little messy to eat! The choux pastry was perfectly chewy with a mild buttery taste. Inside, sat a thick layer of velvety smooth, vanilla custard that was ice cold thanks to being kept in the fridge. The amount of slightly sweet, whipped cream was spot on - Any more and I think things could have become a little bit sickly!  I can't say the chocolate on top had a lot of flavour but it was a pleasant difference in texture to all the softness, beneath. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed yet another one of Asda's Fresh Cream Desserts - In my opinion, theirs are the best out of all the supermarkets! If you are a fan of the choux and custard combo, I highly recommend you give these a go. Its a 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- M&S NEW Rhubarb & Custard

Another thing I picked up last week in Marks and Spencer were these NEW Rhubarb & Custard. They were in the Confectionary aisle but I'm not sure what to call them.. Chocolate? Sweets? Bobbly misshaped delights? 

Custard flavour white chocolate coated puff cereal and freeze dried rhubarb.

First and foremost.. Am I the only one who thinks they look a bit like teeth? Apologies if I have just grossed anyone out but don't be put off by their strange appearance - they are delicious! I was surprised how true the flavour was to rhubarb & custard. The sweet white chocolate goes perfectly with the tart rhubarb. The puff cereal made them crunchy and very moreish. My only complaint is that some of the rhubarb was really chewy and quite sour once the chocolate had gone - Luckily only a few pieces were like this! 

Overall, these a fab. The little 80g carton didnt hang around for long sadly! At £3, they aren't the cheapest snack in the world but definitely worth it, if you are a rhubarb fan. M&S have a whole range of treats like these including Earl Grey Almonds that my fellow reviewing, Amigo (@kevvieguy) is crazy about. Check out his review -http://kevssnackreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/earl-grey-almonds-marks-spencer-review.html?m=1. They are next on my list to try! 

It's a 4 out of 5 for the 'bobbly misshaped teeth delights' from me! 

Review- Asda Chosen by You Custard & Cream Slices

My dear little Nanny has been raving about these Custard & Cream Slices from Asda the past few weeks. As a massive Custard Slice/Mille-Feuille fan, I picked myself up a pack of 2 for £2.25 pronto! 

They were as delicious as they looked! The custard bottom layer was smooth and vanilla-y which worked perfectly with the cream above. I often find that regular cream slices can be a bit sickly but with the pairing of custard, it was nicely balanced. The puff pastry had the signature chewy texture you want from a slice like this and with the sweet fondant topping to finish, this made one very yummy treat! 

I think Asda are onto something here! Having both custard and cream layers means you get the best of both worlds. I hope the other supermarkets follow suit as I think they would be extremely popular. A 5 out of 5 from me!