Review- M&S NEW Earl Grey Tea Loaf

Those AMAZING, Lemon Whitby Buns have done something to me. They are the reason for having almost completely forgiven M&S for all their horrible NEW products.. They are to blame for the purchase of this NEW Earl Grey Tea Loaf.. They are my excuse for not having the faintest idea how much this bergamot delight cost.. Wait, what? 

All butter, lightly spiced loaf made with dried vine fruits soaked in Earl Grey tea finished with demerara sugar. 

The tea loaf was in a little cardboard tray in which to serve, pull the end flaps of and peel back the sides. 

Thankfully, it took minimum effort to get into with hardly made any mess or cake loss due to being stuck on the sides. 

I was impressed by how neatly the slices cut considering the number of plump, sultanas, raisins and currants that were packed in there! A strong bergamot scent was apparent with subtle hints of spice and citrus. The texture was not what I was expecting at all - It was very soft and squidgey and more of a cake than a traditional tea loaf that tends to require butter. Taste wise, it was nothing short of delicious - The Earl Grey flavour was spot on! It was a perfect balance of bergamot and spices, with sweetness coming from the vine fruits and lemon and orange undertones. There was a good sugary crunch from the Demerara which was a nice contrast in texture to the moist loaf it sat upon - The perfect topping! 

Can you believe it? I certainly can't. M&S have managed to produce another winner in the form of a tea loaf that is of all, Earl Grey Tea lovers dreams! I highly recommend, like me, putting any previous negative reservations aside and giving one of these a go - They are well worth it! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Review- Baru Milk Chocolate Marshmallows

Marshmallows aren't something I buy often even though, loving them - I think I ate enough Flumps for a lifetime, when I was a kid! I picked up these Baru Milk Chocolate Marshmallows in Waitrose for a rather pricey £2.99. I have to admit, I was sold on the "Our Most Fluffy marshmallows ever" statement.

Our fluffiest decadence is made with is made with Madagascan bourbon vanilla and honey straight from the bee farm. One puff, two puff, three times the deliciousness!

The box contained 4 individually wrapped, 35% cocoa, milk chocolate marshmallows.

Cutting through this square treat, I wasn't to impressed.. The claim that it was going to be super fluffy was a load of rubbish - I found the mallow to be really chewy and denser than any other I've had! Things didn't get much better with the taste, unfortunately - It had next to nothing in the way of vanilla flavouring and although there was a subtle honey flavour, I don't expect you would know it unless you had read the box before hand! The milk chocolate was about the only good part, with a creamy rich taste and a lovely smooth melt - Not groundbreaking by any means! 

Overall, these Baru Milk Chocolate Marshmallows were a bit of a waste of money. I liked the individually wrapped portions but for the price and quality, it was all a massive case of style over substance! There are other flavours in the range including Fleur De Sal Caramel and Dark Chocolate Strawberry & Coconut - I can safely say, I won't be trying either, irregardless of how besotted I am with the tropical delight that is coconut! Its a 1 out of 5 from me. 

Review- NEW Philadelphia Almond Layered Lemon Cheesecake by Almondy

Oh look.. Another lemon-y review! I am really sorry to anyone who hates that flavour but it is my favourite - Lets all get over it and move on, ok? OK! I picked up this NEW Philadelphia Almond Layered Lemon Cheesecake in Sainsbury's for £3. I hadn't tried anything previously from Almondy - The Swedish Bakery, who specialise in gluten-free frozen desserts.

Philadelphia Almond Layered Lemon Cheesecake combines naturally tasty almond bases with layers of deliciously creamy Philadelphia, covered in a fresh lemon frosting. 

I did have a bit of a giggle at the way the serving tip was written - To facilitate serving, loosen the paper tray and cut the cake into the desired number of portions while still frozen. When cutting, use a sharp knife, dipped in hot water. Defrost at room temperature, wrapping removed: Slice 40 min, whole cake 60 min.

I can't say the facilitation of serving was the easiest - The cheesecake was really was quite solid, even though my trip from store to home was a good 25 minutes. Once I had eventually got my knife through, it did produce neat, little slices. 

My slice was ice cold even though I had left it for far longer than the 40 minute recommendation - The coldness was pleasant but not great if you have sensitive teeth! It both smelt and tasted of zesty lemon with a tang coming from the cream cheese. The almond base and layer had a very dry and chewy texture - Not to dissimilar to that of, a few days old, clumped together breadcrumbs.. To my astonishment, it tasted just like them too! I wouldn't have identified them as being almonds but the flavour did go quite well with, what I'm going to call, more of a hard, creamy lemon ice than a cheesecake. 

Even though I did find the texture a bit odd and I would not, by any means call it, the Cheesecake that it claims to be on the box, I did quite enjoy this dessert - None was left over so it couldn't have been that bad! I have seen that there is also a NEW Cadbury Chocolate Mousse and Almond Cake which I would be keen to try - I do however wonder, if all the Almondy Desserts have this strange, dry breadcrumb flavour going on though! Its a 3 out of 5 from me. 

Review- St Pierre Bakery Tear & Share Brioche with Chocolate Filling

I have very fond memories of MSW buying St Pierre Bakery Brioche, during my childhood - My favourite was always the round, custard filled Tear & Shares with the icing on the top! Since then, I have only ever seen those in The Spar which I no longer have local to me, sadly.. Imagine my excitement when I saw St Pierre Bakery being sold in Tesco, once again - I could barely contain myself! 

I picked up this 400g Tear & Share Brioche with Chocolate Filling for £1.90. I really like the handy aluminium tray it sits in along with the outer, plastic wrapping - It keeps it nice and fresh! 

French brioche with chocolate flavoured filling and chocolate chips 

The light and airy brioche was super easy to cut in thick wedges which revealed the chocolate swirl inside. The texture was soft and squishy with a lovely chewy texture before melting in the mouth. Taste wise, it was very buttery as all good brioches should be! The chocolate element was plentiful and had the stereotypical, almost boozy, european cocoa taste - A perfect pairing to the buttery, sweet bread. I can't say I noticed many chocolate chips but I didn't feel the brioche was lacking anything, as is - Yummy, yum yum!  

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed having St Pierre Brioche again and couldn't get enough of this offering!  I hope Tesco staring selling more of their products in the future - I would definitely be a regular buyer of these nostalgic baked goods. Its a 4 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Thomas J. Fudge's Marvellous Milk Chocolate Flapjacks

After having reviewed the rather delicious, Mouthwatering Milk Chocolate Florentines a few weeks a go, I was hungry to try more from Thomas J. Fudge's. I spotted these Marvellous Milk Chocolate Flapjacks in Asda which were priced at £2.90 - Slightly more than the £2.69, I had paid in Tesco! 

I can't get enough of the quirky packaging - I certainly feel very fancy buying these.. Even the cardboard feels luxurious! 

As seen previously with the Florentines, the 8 chocolate dipped Flapjacks, were presented in a little plastic tray within a cardboard outer - Perfect for popping on the table, as is!

I wish you all, could smells these.. Imagine falling into a pot of sweet syrupy, melted butter - That is the best way to describe the scent! The flapjacks were soft and moist rather than being so densely packed with oats, they have become dry. Having said that, they were still very substantial with plenty of chew and a delicious, sweet and oaty flavour. The butter was slightly salted which is always a good thing when there are a lot of super sweet elements, in there! The well proportioned, chocolate that coated the flapjack was rich and creamy - I imagine they would have had to have been dipped several times to get such a thick layer! Absolutely scrumptious! 

Thomas J. Fudge's have done it again - These babies are certainly something special! I do like it when a fairly simple treat, is done well to produce something that is really quite remarkable! I will definitely be buying these flapjacks again, along with the Mouthwatering Milk Chocolate Florentines. My only complaint is that there needs to be more than 8 in a box.. They are far to easy to scoff in one sitting! Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

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!