Snackmas Day 14- Tesco Finest Stuffing Parcels & Portions

Stuffing. Its a beautiful thing and one that we are massive fans of in my house - Be it bog standard Paxo, a posh equivalent or the traditional pork kind that you find in abundance at this time of year. Tesco have really pushed the boat out this December with the latter having taken over the Sausage section.. Not something to ever complain about but does pose the dilemma on which to pick!

After some deliberation, I went for the 6 Finest Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels and the 6 Spiced Fruit & Brandy Pork Stuffing Portions which are on a permanent 2 for £5 offer and are also Gluten Free - Double winner! 

Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels

Pork, leek and smoked pancetta sausagemeat stuffing wrapped in smoked, dry cured smokey bacon rashers. 

Can we all just stop to praise how well my oven is doing in not burning everything to a crisp during Snackmas? I cooked these Parcels at 180ºC fan for the instructed 35-40 minutes and they turned out wonderfully! The amount of fat these things give out on the other hand is slightly concerning but it is Christmas so worry about the ability of Walking in the Air at a later date. 

The Parcel held its shape perfectly both as was and when sliced to reveal the packed meaty goodness within - No bursting at the seams occurred in any of the 6. The smell was very sausagey as well as of sizzled bacon in a pan with a load of grease lingering about also. Texture wise, it was dense but soft on the inside, full of herby flavour with leek tones but maybe a little to much sage overall. The smoked bacon was extremely salty which was nice and the 2 pork elements went well together but again a bit much given the fairly dinky size of the parcel.. It was nice and crispy though which was a great contrast to the squidgy interior! Its a 3 out of 5 from me.

Spiced Fruit & Brandy Portions

Pork blended with dried fruit, cognac and seasonings formed into sausagement stuffing portions and garnished with cranberry and bay leaf. 

I may have spoken to soon when it came to applauding my oven.. Even though these were cooked as stated on the packet, covered for 25 minutes and then for a further 5 with the foil removed, they still look a little scorched around the edges!

These portions weren't as easy to cut and get a decent picture of sadly - They were extremely soft and didn't really set up much despite being left to cool slightly and with the added nuisance of chunky dried fruit pulling everything apart. Tasting them was a bit of an odd experience too.. It was like the stuffing hadn't been mixed properly prior to portioning up as different sections had totally different flavours! Some were pleasantly pork sausage, other bits were super sweet and orangey and then there were the disgusting mouthfuls which were full on clove and brandy - Yuck! A 1 out of 5. 

Overall, I am not to impressed with these 2 Stuffing offerings from Tesco. The Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels aren't awful but they do require either a stiff drink or something sweet to accompany to counteract the saline. As for the Spice Fruit & Brandy Portions.. Well, my oven can continue to burn those as they can't be made any worse! Back to Paxo, I go. 

Snackmas Day 13- The Battle of the Yule Logs

The time has come. It is the thing that Christmas dreams are made of.. It is the highlight of the season.. It is mine and Hannah's main talking point from January until its arrival in stores.. It is of course, the Chocolate Swiss Roll, the Yule Log, the Bûche De Noël! Call it what you will and hold on tight as we've got a trio of the cocoa rich, sausage shaped delights as I bring you the battle of the Supermarket, Yuletide Cakes!

Asda Extra Special Hand Finished Belgian Milk Chocolate Yule Log

Asda are well are truly in my good books - They were the first of the Supermarkets to release their version at the very beginning of November! I managed to refrain from buying one until recently when things got all to much and I caved at the expense of £3.

Indulgent, buttery sponge smothered in glossy milk chocolate and creamy Belgian milk chocolate ganache, finished with a sweet snowfall.

Guess how this smelt? You've got it it - Chocolatey! I cut myself a good chunk and although it didn't crack or crumble, I was a bit confused as to where the spiral of the roll was - It was all a bit flat and lack lustre! The texture of the cake was superb in being very soft and squidgy, which I can only assume is why it had collapsed slightly, but nothing to write home about in terms of flavour other than a very muted chocolate. Thankfully the ganache was the star of the show and boy, did it shine.. Rich and full of cocoa, surprisingly not too sickly or overly sweet, the gooey "icing" both inside and out of the log was heavenly. There was also a thin layer of set chocolate boosting the intensity further as well as adding a contrasting bite to all the soft elements. How crucial the snowflake sprinkling of powdered sugar was, I am not sure given its purely aesthetic purpose but aside from that, this was pretty brilliant - A 3.5 out of 5!

Sainsbury Luxury Chocolate Yule Log

I was uncertain if Sainsbury's actually did their own "premium" range Yule Log - I can't ever remember seeing one previously so was very happy to find a stack of these plonked at the end of an aisle with a big "Manager Recommends" sign plastered above it. Who am I to argue with the Manager so off to the express checkout I went with my £4 in hand.

Chocolate flavoured sponge filled with chocolate flavoured buttercream, covered with milk chocolate and Belgian milk chocolate fudge icing with a sweet dusting.

Folks, we have a spiral! It may not be that easy to distinguish but you can certainly see that things were much more structured that the squat offering above.. And I know exactly the reason why - The sponge was so much drier! It really was like eating the sort you use when washing up rather than the edible type and this time, even the chocolate filling couldn't rescue it. Although it was fudgy as stated, it wasn't anywhere near as smooth and tasted ridiculously cheap and artificial with a horrible sweetness that was a struggle to get down considering the lack of overall decent flavour. I am not sure if Sainsbury's just decided to ice their regular, cardboardy Swiss Rolls or what but this really was a poor excuse of a Yule Log - Its a 1 out of 5 from me.

Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log

I won't lie, this is the Yule log that has changed lives - It has been about for a few years now and has always blown me away. The packaging this year is different which unsettled me slightly when buying it for £2.50 as more often than not, when the design changes as does the goods!

Our chocolate sponge is made to an all butter recipe for a deeper flavour. It's rolled with chocolate buttercream and covered in milk chocolate, then hand finished by our skilled bakers. Rich and creamy Belgian chocolate makes the perfect glossy ganache frosting.

Now that is what you call a Yule Log - The roll was tight with a visable concentric spiral which hadn't been squished or forgotten about all together. As half expected, both texture and taste of the sponge itself was perfect in being moist and buttery with chocolatey tones. Complimenting this was the thick, smooth ganache with its rich, indulgent tones that were creamy but not to much to handle. The quality of the Belgian chocolate was second to none and made the cake feel very "real" and homemade verses an obvious shop bought equivalent. As seen in the Asda version, thin bits of chocolate were apparent throughout, once again, topping up the flavour as well as contrasting the textures. Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

We have a winner.. The Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate Yule Log reigns almighty! Who would have thought that the cheapest would be the closest to a Fairytale of New York? Not me thats for sure! Asda have done a mighty fine job in coming a close second so if you can't get to Tesco then that is also a good route to go down.. Just please don't bother with Sainsbury's - Clearly their Managers know nothing!

One thing I also have to note is that each of these Yule Logs are designed to feed 8 people which I can assure you won't happen especially since either end consists of about 1 inch of icing. I encourage you to fight over this part on our Winner and then continue to brawl over your size portion of cake itself - What is Christmas without a domestic after all? Personally, I can't think of a more worthy cause.. 

Snackmas Day 12- M&S Festive Turkey & Stuffing Pie

I love a Pie.. Specifically Chicken Pies with leek and bacon all in a creamy but not to creamy sauce - You can't beat them! I almost passed out when having a quick look-see at the various Pastry products in M&S for such a thing and proceeded to practically elbow an old chap out of the way when my eye caught this Festive Turkey & Stuffing Pie instead - Its like a Festive Sammie.. But in a Pie! The sorcerous wonder was purchased immediately for £3.50. 

All butter pastry with pieces of turkey breast and thigh, pork stuffing and smoked bacon in a cranberry gravy

I cooked my pie at 180ºC fan for 35 minutes as instructed on the box and my oven didn't do to bad of a job in scorching the thing.

Cutting the Pie in half released a glorious concoction of smells - I can't think of any way to describe it other than a full Christmas Dinner with some hot pastry thrown in for good measure.

It may look like a piece of road kill you've hit when Driving Home For Christmas but check out how crammed with meat it is - Those are some big chunks right there! Starting with the exterior, the puff pastry holding all the filling was of perfect thickness, not heavy or greasy in the slightest and very flaky with a signature buttery flavour. Remarkably, despite there being lots going on inside, every element was distinguishable and complimented one another both in flavour and texture. The meaty turkey chunks were soft and juicy and as expected went perfectly with the herby stuffing which was presented as one big lump of stodgy, comforting goodness in the centre. A sweetness came from the abundance of gravy coating the lot ensuring things were moist as well as giving a festive flare! The bacon came through as well inducing some smokey undertones and adding the ideal amount of salt to balance everything out with the spices and black pepper rounding things off beautifully too. A jam packed, wow-wee! 

I think this Festive Turkey & Stuffing Pie might have just gone and changed my life - It is out of this world good and makes for one very tasty Dinner. They are freezable too so I could very well be enjoying Christmas in Pie form for the foreseeable future which pleases me no end! My only complaint is the fact there is one massive blob of stuffing in the middle, whereas I think it would be better distributed in mini balls throughout but no dramas! M&S, today is a good day and I love you - Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Snackmas Day 11- Tesco Finest French Macarons

Does anyone ever eat so much at Christmas that they can't possibly fit in Dessert too? No, me neither - There's always room for pud! However, if the need for something a bit lighter really is necessary or a sweet Party Food option floats your boat.. These Tesco Finest French Macarons could well be the way forward. 

Made with almonds, sugar and free range egg whites, for perfectly crisp shells and soft, light centres

I found the box of 12 for £3 in the frozen aisle next to all the other regular line and Finest, Party Food items. I haven't seen them previously so only can assume they are NEW/LE for this quarter - I guess we will see if they are still about once we've seen in the New Year with Auld Lang Syne! 

3 Vanilla, Chocolate, Pistachio and Raspberry were in the box, weighing in at a tiddly 10g each - I'd say they are about £2 size for reference equating to a couple of bites really! As instructed, I defrosted the Macarons in the fridge for 2 hours until they were soft and glossy in appearance.

Vanilla

I figured the Vanilla would be the best place to start to judge the other flavours off and tucked in. The meringue was pleasantly chewy with a slight crunch to the outside with a squidgy interior. Taste wise, all I could distinguish was egg and nondescript, artificial cream that was really quite sickly due to the lack of overall flavour. I couldn't taste even a trace of almonds.. Just sweet and icky. 

Chocolate

On to the Chocolate and I had much higher hopes - Chocolate has to give it some flavour, surely! It smelt good of cocoa which was encouraging. Taking a bite through the crisp shell, I was met by the same soft chewiness as above with a filling that was surprisingly, dark in flavour to match its rich scent. Sadly, this was short lived as the aftertaste wasn't as nice and what I can only describe as "foreign" and quite cheap. So near and yet so far! 

Pistachio

The gloriously green pebble was the Macaron I was least looking forward to.. I can never be to sure how I am going to react to such a nut. Luckily, today was a good day as I live to tell the tale that the mild scent of pistachio only reflected in the taste, sadly - Bizarrely, it was more vanilla-y than the Vanilla but not anywhere near as creamy or sickly. The almond was also much more apparent so although not pistachio, went down a treat. 

Raspberry

Last but by no means least was the Raspberry which smelt of a fragrance free soap - Possibly the strangest description ever but it really was uncanny! As with all the Macarons, the texture was superb and very satisfying to chew. Mild at first but then developing into a tangy Raspberry flavour, the filling in this pink treat was definitely the most tasty and the trio didn't hang around for long! Yum! 

Overall, these Finest French Macarons are a bit hit or miss. All the flavours do have a bit of an eggy edge as well as an odd aftertaste but the Pistachio and Raspberry aren't all that terrible with the latter being particularly enjoyable. It seems that Macarons are the "in" thing this Christmas as I've seen an equivalent in almost every shop with festive labelling (None frozen apart from these though) so it would be interesting to see which are the tip top best.. Because clearly they aren't all made in the same factory. Its a 3 out of 5 from me! 

Snackmas Day 10- Walkers Sensations Cheese with Sweet Cranberry Crisps

Last week we had something a bit different on the snack front with the Maple Bacon Tortilla Rolls.. Today, we are back to a more traditional Crisp with of course a festive twist - Cheese and Sweet Cranberry Sensations! I picked up the bag in Tesco when on offer for £1.. I am uncertain if they are sold in all Supermarkets as I am yet to see them else where despite looking!

With every crunch of these thicker-cut crisps, the indulgent taste of creamy cheese melt on the tongue, enhanced by the subtle sweetness of festive cranberries.

Popping open the bag I was greeted by, what felt like a full on cheese to the face - It was that potent! As promised, these Crisps were mighty crunchy with the perfect thickness - Not to wispy thin and not at the other end of the spectrum where they were an effort to munch. The flavour was spot on. It was essentially a much stronger, cheesier Quaver which mellowed before developing the sweet undertones of cranberry. I was surprised how well balanced the seasoning was given the use of cheese and often the saltiness that goes hand in hand. Marvellously moreish! 

Joy to the World, these Cheese with Sweet Cranberry Crisps are blooming fabulous. The bag didn't see out 2 days and I've already purchased more.. Which I don't expect will last until Christmas either! A LE Roast Beef and Fiery Horseradish is also available from Sensations which I am eager to try despite not being a fan of anything with "heat" usually - I have a feeling they'll be to good to pass up! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Snackmas Day 9- Arden & Amici Almond Ricciarelli

I have a bit of a proclivity for Italian Christmas goodies.. Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy to go down the German route and stuff myself silly with Lebkuchan and Stollen but Panettone and Panforte just do it for me like no other! It was during one of my regular saunters up Tescos' Festive aisle when I came across these Arden & Amici Almond Ricciarelli - A new one to me which I am almost certain weren't there last year! 

The bright yellow box of 6 cost a rather pricey £5 but they are currently on offer with £1 off so if you've been umming and ahhing, this could be your prime opportunity! 

Traditional Tuscan Ricciarelli made with ground almonds and decorated with icing sugar - Soft and chewy in the middle, with a melt in your mouth experience.. If you like marzipan, you'll love these!

Boy, did these smell amazing. The description was bang on - It was the comforting scent of almond and marzipan that can't help but remind you of Christmas. I cut through one of the Ricciarelli and it stayed put with next to nothing in the way of crumbs. These had a "solid" yet soft bite to them with a crumbly, chewy sort of texture which felt pleasantly grainy and sugary in the mouth. It is thanks to all these packed almonds that it also delivered in terms of flavour.. It was full on marzipan and nothing but! The Winter Wonderland layer of white icing sugar on top was the perfect finishing sweetness to what was one darn delicious Italian treat!

And this is why I want to move to Italy.. These Almond Ricciarelli from Arden & Amici are flawless! As it states on the box, if you like marzipan you will love these and I vehemently suggest you go buy some now. In fact, I will push you through the automatic doors of Tesco myself! Its a 4.5 out of 5 from me - If only there were more than 6 in a pack!

Snackmas Day 8- M&S Christmas Soup

Does "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" hit home to anyone? If so, worry no more that the Big Man won't deliver as we've moved on from Festive Sammie's to what is essentially, your Christmas dinner liquified - Festive Soup courtesy of the Old Chestnut that is M&S! 

Turkey soup with pork, sage and onion stuffing, roasted potatoes and roasted parsnips

The 600g carton was part of the usual "Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price" soup offer but I bought this singularly for what I think was the around the £2 mark - Not 100% sure, sorry Folks!

As with all my Soups, I microwaved some in a bowl until scolding hot - It smelt very inviting of veggies with a hint of pepper and spice. Firstly, I was impressed by the sheer quantity of potato and carrot, not to mention the several, slightly larger than Malteser size, stuffing balls! After it had cooled a tad, I digged in.. Texture wise it was a bit strange. The Soup itself both felt and tasted more of a Broth with chunky veg running throughout which although were soft, didn't really compliment the liquidy texture. Things got even more bizarre when it came to the whopper, stuffing balls.. They had a good meaty, sage and onion flavour but once again, didn't go with the other elements - By no means were they hard but it was a bit like drinking water and trying not to choke on an impending "solid" foodstuff. A very odd one! 

Overall, I am not to sure about this Christmas Soup*. Don't get me wrong, if you enjoy Vegetable Broths, you probably will enjoy this - Its tastes pleasantly of vegetables with a lingering pepperiness and if you're really lucky, a lonesome piece of pork will be waiting for you at the bottom of your bowl but I personally, can't get past the mishmash of textures.. And the fact it really isn't all that festive.. And the potential choking hazard. Alas, its a 2.5 out of 5 from me. 

*Once again, 5% of the sale goes to the charity Shelter which I've already ranted and raved about previously so I'll spare you the spiel again. Sort it out M&S.