Ok so three mediocre to bad products is a bit of a bad run
really isn’t it? Clearly these occultish treats have been sent to torment me.
Or companies aren’t really that concerned with the standard of their products
when dealing with a semi-popular holiday.
Either way I’ve decided it’s time to try a change of tact to
break this bad spell. Today I thought I’m going to go for something fresher for
review. The idea came to me as I finished work and bleary eyed I searched for
caffeine. My search took me reluctantly to Gregg’s “the bakers”. I say
reluctantly as I try not to go to Gregg’s usually, I’ve always thought of them
as the McDonalds of bakeries. True their stuff looks tempting but fast and
unhealthy is what I see behind the glamour.
However today was different as it was the nearest shop that sold
takeaway coffees. Whilst there I took a look at their Halloween treats section,
which kinda confirmed the usual Gregg’s suspicion. Yes all the monster themed
cupcakes looked good but therein lay the point. They ALL looked good and ALL
looked the same, I don’t think homemade food should or can look so uniform. That’s
why I assume that most is made off site and perhaps “baked” (or warmed) in
store. I’m sorry to anyone who is offended by this and if you know more about
their baking policies feel free to comment. You may prove my assumptions wrong
and I’ll happily become a Gregg’s regular.
 |
| It looks exactly the same as every other branch |
Anyway the point is one of their lines was different, there
in one of the baskets which I assume is meant to give the impression of a fresh
bakery (sorry sticking to the review now.) This line was the monster biscuit
you see in my photo, what made them different and stand out to me wasn’t
however the design or the colours. No I saw that they had inconsistencies, some
were off centred and slightly dog-eared. I t gave me hope that these were
prepared by the fair people of this one store. Slightly hypocritically I picked
up the best looking one and purchased it, in the hope that not only my review
luck will change with a fresh approach (pun intended) but perhaps my opinion of
Gregg’s too.
Now I’m not sure what type of monster this is, at first
glance you may assume a green faced witch. However I’m taken to understand that
a black hat is a requirement of witches so that can’t be true. I think I’ll
refer to it as a fuzzy monster as the sprinkles give the impression of
something with slightly more than an eight o’clock shadow. Either way it is a rather cool and tasty
looking biscuit treat.
 |
| It kinda felt like I was eating a Sesame Street puppet. |
The base is some form of butter or shortbread biscuit, atop
this sits a rather large marshmallow dome. The marshmallow has then been
decorated with green sprinkles and a nice icing paper decal. Now these decals
feel a bit like cheating to some, after all it’s not too hard to do eyes and a
mouth with icing. I however love this stuff and get addicted to it worrying, so
I’m not complaining.
The biscuit alone is ok, it’s got a nice crumbly texture to
it, however it’s a bit bland in taste and doesn’t taste very sweet or buttery.
This was slightly disappointing until I dipped a piece in my coffee which took
on a transformation, absorbing the caffeine woke it up and gave it a nicely
subtle sugary taste. Then I got to the marshmallow and the surprise really began.
The marshmallow was delicious, the outside is nice and firm
so I’d assumed it to be your typical mallow. How wrong I was, prepared greatly
so that whilst the exterior did hold its shape but making the inside greatly
gooey to the point where it’s almost a liquid. Both the mallow and the biscuit
combine well, the mallow adds sweetness and melts just as well as the biscuit
in my mouth. Clearly the biscuit alone wasn’t meant to be sweet as the
sweetness comes from the marshmallow and sprinkles, Oh yeah and the jam!
 |
| Showcasing the awesome jammy goodness! |
For you see hidden deep within the cellar lies a
terrifyingly good secret. Underneath the marshmallow is a thin but adequate
layer of jam. This creates an amazing combination with all the layers intertwining
beautifully. The sprinkles are great too adding both crunch and sugary taste
that fits nicely.
The experience is a bit similar to that of a Tunnock teacake.
Instead of a chocolate layer and thin biscuit however we just have a thicker
biscuit and a layer of sprinkles. The marshmallow itself is very similar and it’s
not often a mallow can be prepared almost as good as the mighty Tunnock. As we
know from my earlier review HERE I am a big fan of Tunnock's so it was a four
gone conclusion when the jam and realisation hit.
Overall these have beaten my expectations; maybe I have been
too harsh to Gregg’s. Indeed in this case they have succeeded in both turning
me and this bad spell around. I still can’t quite get over the feeling of unease
I get when entering their stores, the attempts to feel like a local bakers when
I know there’s thousands exactly the same just doesn’t sit right with me.
Score
7 out of 11
Found
"My local" Gregg's the bakers.
Final Thoughts
There are three local Gregg's all within one mile and all look exactly the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment