Holland & Barret mincemeat Flapjack

Wow, day fifteen already. I can’t quite believe it if I’m honest, only ten days left now until the big nights finally upon us. All this build up and excitement leading to a single day. Problem is once you pass that day all you have left are the remnants. Quite literally on Boxing Day, the day we now observe basically for the purposes of eating leftovers and not feeling lazy. At one time Boxing day was a time to leave a festive tip for your post or milk man. Now who even has a milkman? And the postman’s always late anyway.

Still another day brings another festive item in line with my advent challenge. I’m doing well so far and despite a rather hectic schedule (that doesn’t mean I have a social life, believe me) I have posted each and every day. Today of course is no different and I have two traditional treats for you today, well not amazingly traditional. Not at all really apart from the fact that contain festive iconology (fancy word right?), really I just like the phrase traditional treats.

Why would he need a wand, he has teeth

First up we have something that doesn’t exactly pop into one’s mind when I think yuletide and that’s a jelly lolly pop. These things are great for seasonal holidays however as you can pretty much put any form of icing on top and deem it appropriate. This time in light of the holiday they have chosen a stocking and Polar bear motif. Polar bear seems to be an odd choice, odder still is he seems to have a fairy wand. Truly this embodies the spirit of the season perfectly, No I’m not buying it either.

It has a nice solid jelly texture to it with a nice dusting of sugar; the icing is rock solid royal icing and definitely has teeth shattering potential. The jelly tastes really nice actually, which is a nice change from the usual quality of the bargain jelly pops you get near the counters. Even more surprising is when you consider there is no sign of a company name on the product. It has a nice sweet strawberry taste to it that tastes rather fruity. The icing of course just tastes of sugar but really its only purpose is to differentiate the product from the Easter version that comes out next week. Possibly a Triceratops with some kind of diving rod, if this one’s decoration is anything to go by.

Doesn't look it but it is nice

 Next up we have a festive flapjack from Holland and Barret. Again flapjack isn’t really what I picture this time of year. But like the jelly pop you can pretty much add anything to a flapjack to make it current.  Quite a good unintentional pun was made there when you consider this bar has currents in it. Basically it is a normal oaty flapjack with some mincemeat added for Xmas measures.
That isn’t to say it’s not nice, it is and indeed since finding these I’ve taken advantage of the stores two for one mix and match policy while these are around. The flapjack has a soft and crumbly texture to it. Maybe a bit too sticky but that’s thanks to the syrup. Which is needed as it makes it taste beautiful, honestly these melt in your mouth first with the taste of a mince pie and then with a syrupy aftertaste. There is a nice dusting of icing sugar on top too, invoking a sense of snow… or dandruff.  

Overall both of these products whilst not exactly quintessential for Christmas are a nice little passing attraction.

Score
Polar bear jelly pop - 7 out of 11
Mincemeat Flapjack - 9 out of 11

Found
Polar bear pop came from Superdrug and the Mincemeat Flapjack can be found in Holland and Barrets

Final Thoughts
Why were the company too ashamed to put the name on it?

Nestle Snowcaps and Cadbury Snow Bites

‘Snow is falling, all around… simply having a wonderful Christmas time’. Except it isn’t snowing and let’s face it, it definitely won’t be on the twenty fifth. I think the nearest I’ve ever got to a white Christmas was the year I knocked over a bottle of talcum powder. Anyway why would we want snow on Christmas day?

I’m not a kid anymore and snow doesn’t hold endless possibilities for me. No I know what will happen, I’ve seen it before. I could attempt to build a snowman, but I’ll probably give up have way through and that’s not fair on either of us. I could have a snowball fight, and then I end up cold, damp and probably having a stone lodged in my eye.  Then there’s sledding which is always rather short-sighted really. Yes, it is fun to slide down the hill, but remember you then must walk back up it, in the snow, when it’s cold… and possibly icy.

 

What exactly is a Nonparcil?

Nope, if it snows this year I’m going to hunker down, make some soup and wait for it to blow over. Worse still is it doesn’t even just send the kids crazier than a blue Smarties. Adults suddenly have the urge to go out and purchase half of Sainsbury’s or Tesco. Then I’m stuck not being able to buy my essentials for hunkering. Essentials of the food variety, specifically sweetened ones. Luckily I have a solution to this as my cupboard is a Dragons horde of confectionary.

Why all this talk of snow before even a fleck passes my nose? Well it’s a good way to start my post containing two snow type items. We have Cadbury Milk chocolate snowballs to try and some Nestle Snow caps. Starting with the Dairy Milks I must say the white dusting on these whilst a nice touch does rather get everywhere. When I opened the bag a ploom of the stuff erupted out and coated my room.  Still as I say it’s quite nice and I have fond memories of these from last year.

They are essentially Christmas themed mini eggs, with Dairy Milk chocolate being encased in a sugar shell. Except as I pointed out they are dusted too, which in product logic makes them completely unique. You can fool my but you can’t fool my tongue. I pop one in my mouth and allow the outside coating to melt to the point of brittleness that makes it fall apart. Leaving the chocolate exposed and slightly warmed. It tastes, well rather disappointing, as I say I had these last year and got through many a bag I can tell you. This year they taste a bit stale if I’m honest, I don’t know if they’ve changed or if I have a bad bag, but something’s different.

 

Look how proud he looks of his skills!

Well with that disappointment I moved onto the Snowcaps, something I truly haven’t seen before (brand wise). They are small chocolate chip drops sprinkled with tiny white candy balls. A bit like very small jazzles. This should worry me, after even a single jazzle my stomach usually feels like I’m punishing it. These though are different, for a start they are dark chocolate, so the bitterness alone should in theory off set the sweet sugar pieces. Which it does each drop is actually quite bitter but in a rich way that’s not unpleasant. They don’t melt very well, which is a shame, but they are still rather moreish.

Overall I much prefer both of these to the real cold thing itself, much more useful. Wait. I know this year I’ll make a snow angel! Probably won’t snow at all now.

Score

Snow Bites - 5 out of 11

Snowcaps - 7 out of 11

Found

Snowbites are in most stores like Tesco, the Snowcaps I found in an American candy store in Southampton. 

Final Thoughts

I may put a bet on it being a white Christmas after all!

Cherry Cordial m&m's and other balls

            What’s an iconic Christmas shape? One, that’s also very happy dangling from your Christmas tree,. That’s right I'm talking about spheres, or to most of us balls. Today’s review deals with all kinds balls, in three whole varieties.

            Okay so once again that opening is perhaps a bit more innuendo filled than I would have hoped. However I bet all those balls caught your attention. Wait; scratch that, although they do kind of stick out innuendos, that is. What does that say about the human mind, I wonder?

            So moving on the point is todays review concerns three sugar coated spheroids. Also as this is day four of my Christmas advent challenge so they are all festively themed too. We have Cherry Cordial m&m's, Reindeer noses and some white chocolate type sugar candy.

          

Wish I had a fetching pair of tights like those.

  So first up let’s look at Cherry Cordial m&m's. Yet another case of a favorite brand not releasing all available versions in the UK. I know it’s a small point but seriously it does bother me. Over here we only really have three types and even then we only got crispy in the last year or so. I had to order these from Ebay and a guy shipping isn’t cheap.

          

  Although I'm glad I did, as these are very nice. Unlike the Pumpkin spice ones these actually have a bit of a flavor to them. As soon as you reach the center you get an intense taste of cherry. Then again this does overpower the chocolate taste slightly, leaving the cocoa as more of an afterthought. If you give these a chance for this to melt in your mouth you do get the best of both worlds.

          

I think the crispiness is about all they had going for them!

  Next up the White chocolate drops that I found at a local market. They caught my eye quickly as you don't often get sugar coated white chocolate (unless your American and you can buy Candy Corn m&m's, Not bitter at all). The white chocolate itself tastes nice, almost like a Milky bar nicely sweet and milky. The shell itself adds well too, as if you erode the shell away the insides warmed to a point that melts perfectly.

        

    Lastly we have Reindeer noses; I've seen the usual 'hilarious' Reindeer droppings (chocolate covered raisins). But these are new to me, and perhaps that’s not a bad thing. The chocolate tastes very cheap and the sugar shell just adds to this. Not much I can say except these were disappointing.

          

Behind today's door was a melting snowman, how festive.

  Overall I enjoyed most of these, except the noses, although the idea was there. The worst thing here is the reminder of the m&m's I miss because I don't live in candy central.  

Score

White Chocolate drops - 6 out of 11

Reindeer Noses - 3 out of 11

Cherry Cordial m&m's - 8 out of 11

Found

Local market

Co-operative food store

and EBAY

Final Thought

 I really don't want to now have to try Reindeer droppings!

Christmas Fete fun

Do you know one of my favourite things about Christmas? You know apart from: gift giving, gift receiving, family time, holiday, turkey, roast, present wrapping. Right this is getting ridiculous! I’ll just tell you, its Christmas fetes. Although even then I prefer summer fetes but that’s mainly because they come with added BBQ.

There’s something about this time of year that churches, town halls, schools and generally any big public hall like space that’s big enough for a few trestle tables. They then fill those tables with second hand goods, toys, gifts, crafts and more importantly food. No wonder my heart starts to flutter when I see glorious signs that inform me of the prestigious events.

Top one is coffee, bottom one plain, as you can plainly see.

That’s what happened the other day when I passed a sign advertising just such an event at my local church. So of course I took a wander in, looked over the wares and took part in the raffle. Then I bought myself some homemade fudge in coffee and plain flavour and headed off to get a tea, where I also had the opportunity to purchase the obligatory shortbread biscuit. Hey presto what do you know I had a review in the making. Not only have that but a review that fits my advent challenged.

Its day three after all and I’m really getting into the festive spirit. In fact as I type this I’m listening to a playlist of Christmas songs and loving every one of them (apart from Cliff Richard of course).  Anyway on to the items. First up the fudge, which I was assured was homemade. It’s an odd colour for fudge this as its pretty much snow white, the texture too is odd very much like fondue filling rather than fudge. It literally melts as you place it on your tongue. Unfortunately the plain one did live up to it’s name a bit and other than a subtle taste of vanilla had little to offer.

It looks nice and the icing tasted great!

The coffee tasted much nicer with a great sweet coffee taste, no bitterness. In fact it was just like eating the centre of a coffee crème, which is great. Until you eat too many and I ended up with a bit of a cloying sensation in my throat. I attempted to combat this with a sip of tea and a bite of biscuit.

The biscuit looks nice, simple but nice you can tell it’s homemade with love. I ate the thick icing star first of course and got a nice hit of royal icing. Then I tried the actual biscuit, it had a great crumbly texture to it as I bit in and it too melted in my mouth. However yet again it was rather plain, with no sugar dusting and not much butter in the recipe it was quite bland. I tried dipping it in my tea which brought out some sweetness but still rather disappointing.

Behind todays (or rather yesterdays) door a drum!

Overall whilst the treats on offer where a bit of a low point the fete itself was great. Also I won the raffle, I won an Antiques Roadshow board game, still can’t complain, a wins a win right? 

Score

Plain fudge - 4 out of 11

Coffee fudge 5 out of 11

Biscuit - 4 out of 11

Fete - 7 out of 11

Found

Ummmm round the corner

Final Thoughts

Who should I inflict the board game on first?

Rice Krispies Squares - Cookie Crunch

I have a funny relationship with breakfast bars, come to think of it I have a funny relationship with everything. But, breakfast bars and me are curious occurences, mainly because I never actually have them for breakfast. I'm not sure whether this is the same for all of you, its' not like I've done extensive research.

Breakfast bars for me tend to be a bit of an impulse buy, usually at lunchtime when energy levels are flagging. they tempt me in with the promise of a possibly healthier alternative than the flapjack next door. However in truth I know that most bars are just as bad if not worse than the alternative. Take todays item a rice crispy square, on face or shelf value my thought process goes like this. Rice crispies are meant for breakfast, breakfast stuff is good for you. Then E=MC2 must mean that these are a healthy lunch option, after all I'm basically having more breakfast.

Not quite sure why I even think its good for me!

Except I'm not and it was all a ruse, as soon as I've bought, paid and eaten half I remember that Rice crispies are kids cereal and therefore have the nutritional values of  a lump of sugar... dipped in chocolate. Which is essentially the idea of all breakfast squares. Take sugar laden cereal replace healthy milk with sticky syrup or marshmallow. Top with chocolate and any additional thing knocking about the factory and then market it like it's golden. As their advertising campaign says "It's all lies... They arn't even square" bloody true they are rectangles!

However I am still a sucker for new and limited edition products, especially if they are cheap too. So when I saw this new range of Cookie Crumble Squires I thought I'd be "healthy" and try them. To be fair to them they don't state on the packaging that they are even attempting to be healthy it's just my mixed up mind that perceives them as such. Instead they identify themselves as Crispy grains of toasted rice with cocoa biscuits and a chocolate coating... Yeah no health benefits to be seen here then!

Ok so it definitely doesn't look healthy!

As ever the adventurer I unwrap and inspect regardless, immediately I'm met with my old friend dissapointment. This looks exactly the same as the normal variety of Rice Krispie "squares". The cookie crunch feature being very small balls of biscuit very sparsely distributed throughout. It's still got the syrupy and chewy texture that I dislike and makes me question why I even bother to give them another go.

I take a bite any way and actually it's not bad. I tactically took a bite that would give me a bit of biscuit and it actually does have a cookie taste to it. It is still rather sickly sweet and the usual flavour of these bars overpowers it to some extent (the mixed taste of sugar, condensed milk and overly sweet chocolate). However ther is an intial cookie type flavour present, it just doesn't make these any more appatising to me in general. They are still far too chewy and sticky for my liking and I regret buying the pack of four. If any one has any suggestions for uses of these things comment below. I'm thinking doorstops, or table legs.

Overal I don't know what I was expecting, these were hardly going to be different were they?

Score
3 out of 11

Found
Poundland

Final Thoughts
I hate being impulsive... sometimes.

National Nut Day

Happy national nut day everyone! I bring you great and might I add nutty tidings for today. Hope your cashews remain crunchy and your hazelnuts hard. Whats that you have never heard of national nut day! Well actually neither have I, in fact I thought I had made it up as a exciting and engaging hook for todays post.

Howver as it turns out on the 22nd of October this very year (2013), the Uk celebrated not it's first but forth National Nut day. After a little research, (if I'm honest it was literally just reading the side bar on the official website.)  I found out that actually this is an American holiday brought over here recently to encourage healthy eating and environmental responsibility. Not sure how much of that actually applies to todays items, If I'm realistic the nuts here probably haven't even heard of sustainable!

Just how many m&m characters are there now?

Todays two nutty products are both m&m's and both clearly are on the nutty side of the fence. I have a bag of Almond m&m's which you don't find here in England. So when I saw a pack I knew immediately I wanted to compare them to the standard peanut m&m's. Surely I though they can't be that different to warrant two different sub products, please don't point out the fact that there are both a dark chocolate and milk chocolate m&m's. Nor the fact that there is actually a dark chocolate peanut m&m variant, can we just agree that perhaps that MARS are a bit m&m happy in their ideas department.

So bright and attractive and well nutty!

So let's look at these and make a decision, Do we need both? I'm going to throw a wild guess out there and say no. Lets not be too hasty ,however, after all perhaps they taste completely different (doubtful). Ok so firstly in mascot we have two guys here in the peanut corner we have classic Yellow guy (voiced by J.K Simmons, think we have a clear winner already!) and in the Almond alley Blue guy. Yellow wins he's one of the first thing that springs to mind when you think m&m, other than good old red. Next in size, which believe me matters people, well in candy at least it does. Yeah the Almond wins this round rather although remember no more chocolate is on offer it is just because almond is the bigger nut.

The important part now taste!the peanut has a great peanut taste that mixes with the chocolate in the best kind of way to give a nice sweet and nutty taste. Almost like nutella but much more subtly chocolatey, it's very nice and very more-ish. The shell adds slight sweetness and extra crunch. It's not quite as smooth as peanut butter but it's close and thats never a bad thing.

Remember folks size doesn't always matter!

Next the almond, as I've mentioned almonds are the bigger nut. Yet they don't usually have such a good and intense taste as peanuts do, after all who would buy almond butter over peanut butter (nutters thats who HAHAHA... sorry). I was right, barely any discernable nut taste but I was also wrong turns out there is more chocolate here. This just ends up tasting like a blander than average m&m with an odd texture inside. Not unpleasant but definately not enough of a nut hit for any fan.

Overall it's a clear winner in the Yellow corner, but than again what did I expect it's peanut after all!

Score
Peanut - 8 out of 11
Almond - 5 out of 11


Found
Peanut ones can be found pretty much anywhere, literally these are more availeable than the normal ones. The Almond ones I bought from an import store.


Final Thoughts
Hope non of you guys have a nut allergy and suffer as a result of my post

Problems with Pumpkins

Hey folks well as promised I'm here today to review what I consider  traditional American Autmnsweets. By this I mean stuff I've found that has a vague connection to this time of year as far as I know from over this side of the pond. In reality you guys probably won't agree but when I think of Americans pre-hibernation I think pumpkin and Turkey. I'm a sweet blog (not to mention sweet in general *wink, wink*) so this means I've gathered some products with added pumpkin.

The image of what would happen if sweets incorporated turkey flavouring. I think we can all give thanks that the candy companies haven't quite got to that stage. Although by the standards of recent Wonka bars that could well be round the corner. Today I have an example of pumpkinny goodnes (and therefore one of my five a day) in the form of poptarts Pumpkin limited edition. I also have some pumpkin m&m's which I recently received through my mailbox.

Love how they try to convince them as a healthy, a whole 6 vitamins!

Lets start, however, with something all Americans apparently consuming by the boat load this time of year Candy Corn. It seems weird to me that these are so popular because half the time I hear people complaining how dull they are. I have some of the traditional corn today but there will soon be a Candy Corn post as I have got my mits on a few specimens. I have tried candy corn m&m's and have been looking forward to seeing how authentic they are. The answer... not very, whilst the m&m's were very sickly sweet (though not in a bad way) these have very little flavour to them. With a slightly waxy texture they arn't bad, just bland. I can see why people complain these things can be dull. After all I still have a whole bag to chomp through.

After two or three, or you know ten more of these I started to get a bit of a scratchy feeling in my throat and a sugary upset in my tummy. Clearly this bag will last a while and I too felt the burden you guys must get every year. I think I definately prefer the m&m version although clearly a pittyfull representation of the genuine article.This leads me nicely onto the pumpkin spice m&m's and a reoccuring problem; lack of flavour. (It's like I plan these posts!)

Ohhhh Autumnal? Not really

Pumpkin is a troublesome flavour in general, it has a rather lack of it on its own and the spices that we put with it tend to overpower it. On the other side is the fact that the flavour it has when its going solo is rather earthy and unpleasant. Case in point with these m&m's They are pretty much all spice (literally) and no pumpkin. They just taste of all spice and chocolate really which is still really nice just not pumpkin as described.

A trait unfortunately shared withe the pop tarts, although in this case there is a sugary sweet taste initially that fades into a bare hint of sweet pumpkin. They are nice just not flavourful. The frosting too only serves really to add a nice crunchy topping. When I tried the filling alone I did detect a sweet earthy tone but very vague. Interestingly when I froze one tart to try (for I have to try one cold: pastry too doughy, one heated: the main way and one frozen. To ensure they get the proper trial they deserve.) I found the pumpkin flavour to be more apparent.

Still rather proud of this

Overall these three were ok if a bit disappointing. I find it odd that we have become so attached to such a tricky flavoured vegetable. Then I remember how awesome they look!

Score
Candy Corn- 4 out of 11
Pumpkin Pop-Tarts- 5 out of 11
Pumpkin spice m&m's- 8 out of 11

Found
Various online places.

Final Thoughts
I think I've picked up on a serious topic of debate here, Pumpkins whats your views guys?

Hellish Halloween Hamper

Right I'm back from the mystical Isle of Wight, slightly earlier than I had hoped but safe at least which I guess is what matters. I almost didn't make it! I could have been stuck there for eternity without hope, without escape and without internet! It doesn't bear thinking about really.

The reason I had to rush home is that if you believe the weather reports the UK is about to be blown away by a coming storm. Considering how I needed a ferry to return home I thought it would be best to beat said storm, turn tail and run. I don't feel like a sissy because at least it allows me to bring more reviews to you my adoring

fan (no plural needed).

I seem to remember before leaving that I'd do a bumper review in return for my absence so here we go. This could get quite intense hope you can keep up!

First up lets consider some cookies, I have a terrible trio here for your delights. Another pumpkin shaped ginger biscuit from the folks at Costa coffee. Now it wasn't too bad but a bit bland and lacking in fire as usual. Nowhere near as bad as This, but certainly not as good as This. The biscuit itself was overall nice however the incing has no taste in itself and is a bit hard. When dunked it added a little sweetness but little else.

We have a chocolate cookie from Morrison's with a weirdly worried looking marshmallow skeleton. It has a nice chocolate hint to it and tastes quite fresh despite not being part of their freshly baked range. It dunks really well and the chocolate is brought out quite nicely when it's slightly damp. The marshmallow is a nice chewy offering, good level of sweetness and a subtle hint of vanilla. 

Lastly we have a cool idea from McVities in these snaptastic biscuits. basically one big chocolate digestive that you snap into individual characters. The chocolate layer is good quality and tastes superb with the dreggs of my coffee. The biscuit underneath is nicely oaty and has it's own distinct flavour once the chocolate has melted away.

With the biscuits and their crumbs brushed under the carpet let's have a blast from the past in the form of the last treat from Mark's and Spark's. These are called Super Scary Skulls, basically little jelly sweets. When I pulled one out the bag I was slightly unnerved as they have a weird ancient Mayan look about them in my opinion and one of the freakish things I've tried so far. I popped it in my mouth regardless and was pleasantly surprised. They taste rather nice, a good subtle blackcurrant and raspberry taste to them. Not too sweet and definitely not artificial tasting. I was disappointed that the jelly inside wasn't runny as it was the impression I got from the packets description.

The last product in this bonanza is some weird little chocolate critters. I can't actually remember where I found these however I'm afraid, clearly more of an impulse buy than usual. They are kinda cute although they lose points for using redundant cardboard just to add to their design. The chocolate itself is quite nice not quality as I clearly got these from a cheap store somewhere. They have the look and smell of advent chocolate and my tummy turned at this thought. However when I actually tried one  I found it tasted rather nice. Not amazing quality by any means but nicely chocolaty and milky, it didn't taste like sweetener or additives which is always nice.

Overall most of these Halloween goodies are good. Clearly my brief and slightly shortened holiday weekend has subdued my cynical and critical side. Now how will I write reviews, The world sucks like that doesn't it!

Score

Costa Biscuit- 5 out of 11

Morisson's Skeleton- 6 out of 11

McVitie's gang- 8 out of 11

Jelly skellies- 7 out of 11

Creepy critters- 5 out of 11

Found

Numerous places some I don't even remember!

Final Thoughts

I'm tired out, still have a lot of stock left too!

Candy Blood Bag

I’ve reached a worrying point in this review. I have real concerns that today’s item could do me some serious harm. Perhaps if it does and I do go belly up after consuming this… interesting specimen I’ll be in the ground in enough time to rise again on the big night itself (Halloween). If the worst does happen I hope you, my valued and varied reader knows that I did it for them.

Furthermore I hope someone will pick up my mantle and carry forth the torch o everything I stand for. To be honest it will be a pretty easy task as I stand for very little (I don’t even give up my seat on the train). What could possibly be causing me to have such concerns for my health? Is it worth it? Not really to be honest but in the interest of my self-made challenge when I saw this for as little as a pound I had to purchase. It’s an interesting item to say the least, it’s a blood bag!

To be fair on them they put effort in.

 Before you all throw up your breakfast I’ll point out this is a candy blood bad containing what it claims to be strawberry flavour liquid candy. This is a first for this blog so at least if this challenge item does kill me it has done its job in getting me to try new things. While this looks like a product I wouldn’t trust usually I must commend them on getting into the fun of the festivities. From the packaging to the product itself the thing screams Halloween.

The brand is called Murder Motel, which makes me wonder what they produce the rest of the year. I can’t imagine that one good season can cover them for the entire year. There are a few “hilarious” puns too. It’s apparently owned by DR. Acula, oh as in Dracula. I see what you did there how witty, Oscar Wilde would be green with envy at not thinking this himself. Furthermore it appears to be the blood of victim no. 505 AKA Will B.Back, pure genius clearly. The best joke however is the slight attempt to appear healthy with the proud proclamation that it’s “Fat Free” that’s hilarious. I did notice on the back the notice that “E129 may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. OH GOD, WHAT WILL IT DO TO ME THEN!

Yeah, doesn't look too confidence filling

 I can’t put it off any longer and in the interest of science and all things candy blogging I snip the end off and prepare myself. Sucking on the end I watch the gooey substance slowly inch towards my mouth. The build-up and tension is killing me, what the hell is this stuff? Why it is so slow and why am I doing this? Then it hits me!

It tastes about as expected, terrible. Although initially not too bad I thought perhaps I had misjudged it, then realisation comes in. It tastes sickly and sour and way too syrupy, like drinking pure sugar water with some artificial strawberry flavouring added for bad luck. Which I fear is essentially what it is. It gets worse as once it hits your throat it creates a burning sensation. Needless to say this went in the bin quickly and definitely won’t B.Back (see what I did there).

Overall this is terrible but then again I knew it would be. I bought it because it was cheap and I have yet to review anything liquid based. I’m really regretting this decision. Hope you guys appreciated this, because I didn't.

Score

2 out of 11

Found

Halloween section in a newsagents

Final Thoughts

If the Overlook had been named Murder Motel perhaps the shining would have been completely different!

Jelly Belly Bean Day

How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man? That famous question/song can never truly be answered can it? Well readers what if I told you that today, in this very review, I will not be answering it either!

What I can offer is what you call someone who goes down the wrong road or more accurately mistakenly walks down a road. He feels bloody stupid is how he feels. I’m clearly speaking from recent experience here, which I’ll explain. Today I visited the lovely village of Howarth, in which I knew resided a sweet shop to trek to. I asked for directions from a greatly helpful café owner and set off on my adventure.

Beautiful, yes. Sweet shop however it is not!

Half an hour into said adventure time I’d reached the edge of town and a field full of uninterested sheep, clearly not what I’d set out for. My doubts about my direction had been growing but I really didn’t want to admit I’d gone wrong. Mainly because there was only one road that went through the village, yet I’d somehow got lost. Now this is good in one way as it meant I could just turn back and ask again for directions. In another way however it meant going back the way I’d came, past the same shops, the same people all of whom would know I’d got lost. I did not feel like a man, I felt a damn fool (not much change really).

This was only made worse when I approached the café and the man who had directed me. Turns out I had turned right when I should have turned left upon exiting. Bless him though for he didn’t laugh at me. At least not to my face.

I did eventually reach the shop and it had been worth my roundabout journey there. With a retro sweets in jars style pick and mix, wooden style décor it looked pretty amazing. These sweet shops are awesome on so many levels and the people who work there often share my passion for sugary goodness. I took a good look around believe me then asked for some recommendations from the owner. When he replied with “something sweet” I could have hugged him.

Not much I can say really, Oranges woo!!!

I ended up buying a packet of Jelly Bean chocolate orange Dips, not unique I know but they were on offer and I have wanted to purchase some. I also pointed to various jars to form a pick and mix bag, because well you just have to.

So the Jelly Beans are on trial today, I’ve seen them before in a chain sweet shop where they were much more expensive. They sounded great, I love chocolate orange but just not at the over inflated price they had wanted. So when this shop had them going cheap I almost bit his arm off (if it had been sugar coated almost certainly so)! Coupled with this is a recent craving for Terry’s Chocolate Oranges I have been experiencing, however they should really only be consumed at Christmas. This makes them special, an annual treat to be savoured like turkey.

When I opened the up I was met with an awesome scent similar to Terry’s but a bit more artificial. My hopes that these could satisfy my cravings for a few months were building. It’s not just the whole pack either; each piece positively reeks of the heavenly combination. My mouth began salivating I don’t mind telling you.

I took one in and immediately got sucking (giggidy). The chocolate melts immediately, and I mean immediately. Honestly it must be paper thin, lovely while it lasts. Blink however and believe me you’ve missed it. For a few seconds though you can achieve a mixture of chocolate orange but just not on par with my desire. The bean underneath is good on its own thankfully, a tangy orange that’s very similar to strong marmalade.

Batten burg update, I bought some... Couldn't help it.

Next I tried chewing one, hoping by mashing them together I could better incorporate the flavours. Unfortunately this soon failed, the chocolate performed even worse. It crumbled away and disappeared with no flavour at all. Worse still when chewed the bean gets stuck in your teeth and flavour wise loses potency. It probably lasted as long as sucking it however, as I was finding it in every crack and crevice.

Overall, these are really nice. Just not enough chocolate and not close enough. I would buy them again only however at the price I paid. I’m glad I missed my first opportunity as the dent to my wallet would have been an insult to injury. I guess I will have to wait until December to truly satisfy my cravings. Although to make it worse Terry’s have released two “limited edition” oranges and a mini bag. Life’s tough sometimes.

Score 
6 out of 11

Found
Mrs Beatton's sweet shop

Final Thoughts
Tomorrow I do battle with Bownessie, anticipation levels rising.

Nano Bytes

This feels pretty important. I mean it’s probably not (certainly not in the grand scheme of things). If I’m honest I feel a bit out of my depth too. Like the kid who’s found Daddy’s work trousers, nothing really fits but it’s a great leap forward none the less. Just a bit too soon.

I better clarify quickly before you all read something else probably about cats. Recently I was contacted by a representative of the “Lots of Little Sweets!” company. They were offering to send me their new product “Nano Bytes” to try and possibly to review. A company approaching me and asking me to try something new absolutely gratis (free) I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it, I assumed initially it was a scam, someone wanted to trick me and harvest my organs. I asked my girlfriend to have a read through, she has all the internet know how between us after all (you can all blame/thank her for this blog!) She confirmed that to her it seemed legit, plus I’d seen other reviewers had also been approached. I quickly replied that I would be honoured to try Nano Bytes and soon they were on their way to me.

The packaging feels rather appropriatly space age and keeps them fresh too!

That’s when it began to sink in. After all I’d been blogging for little over a month by then, it all felt a bit sudden. Why had they chosen me? I felt honoured and excited but at the same time out of my depth. Doubts started to creep. How do I approach this review? Technically they are free, dodgy thoughts of biased reviews sprang to mind. No! I must remain true to my style, my voice and myself (too preachy?) If a company wants me to review their stuff (hint head over to here for more info hint) then they should expect me to be honest. Therefore, dear reader I’d like to assure you that the following review is completely unbiased.

So what are Nano Bytes? Well on the back they reference mini bon bons and call themselves flavoured mini candies. Essentially they are tiny little flavoured chews. When they launch very soon they will be available in bubble-gum, cola and strawberry flavours in packs of 25 grams and 65 grams. I was sent three 65 gram bags to try and believe me they live up to their name of Lots of Little Sweets. They could I should think keep little Timmy happy for a while, although they I rather moreish so watch those handfuls.

I better address the elephant in the room before he tramples me. Aren’t these essentially Millions? Yes pretty much they are, even they current flavours are well within the vast range that Millions offer. However they are cheaper than Millions and hopefully will provide healthy competition in a market rather dominated by one brand. We may see something new emerge if we are lucky, they may have trouble but their price could give them a selling point.

This is literally in the resort I'm staying in both coincidence and shows the problem with how established millions are!

Let’s move on to the review shall we, first up the classic bubble-gum. Quick congratulations on packaging. Coming in space age feeling pouches with a built in reseal able zip lock (much needed). The pieces themselves look like you’d expect like tiny coloured boulders or meteors if you follow the space theme here. I try a handful and chew away, after all these be chewing candy! They have a good strong flavour to them and a very chewy texture. A small handful goes a surprisingly long way and the flavour of bubble-gum is the nice. Not however new or exciting but of good quality.

Next flavour cola is slightly disappointing. Not quite as powerful as the bubble-gum and a bit dull. Tasting worryingly of flat cola, not unpleasant they still have a nice sugary taste. I think something could be done perhaps to make these fizzy; this is also something I haven’t seen in other brands. As they are this flavours a bit dull and my least favourite.

By this point I'd eaten half the bag yet there are still plenty more! Shame its Cola

Lastly we have strawberry; this one was instantly my favourite. Upon opening I was hit with a very strong aroma of artificial sweetness and slightly wary. However once I’d had a handful I was hooked, very moreish. They don’t as you’d expect taste like the fruit strawberry no, they have the very familiar artificial flavour we have associated with the fruit. However I think these are some of the nicest tasting “strawberry flavoured” sweets I’ve tried. Not too sweet and with a hint of something I could relate to the fruit.

Well I’ve got to say (not literally remember unbiased) I like these. I mean I don’t know if I’d buy them as I’m not a big fan of this type of sweet. However given the choice between these and Millions I’d defiantly pick these. Although that’s after trying them and I really think they are going to have problems launching against such an established name. Something they do have over Millions I will mention is a cool little interactive story on their website (Here).

Overall I really like these sweets and would recommend giving the ago at least. I hope they go on and add to their flavours and offer some that will make them stand out. Also some improvement is needed on the cola flavour but the strawberry is just right. 

Score
Cola 6 out of 11
Bubble-gum 7 out of 11
Strawberry 7.5 out of 11

Found
In an envelope on my doorstep.

Final thought
I wonder if they can be used in cooking, I have a lot to get through.

Explaining my Hiatus (This is not late at all)

You got anything excited planned for the next weekend? Oh yeah, right, that sounds good. Good to have plans and keep busy when you can I suppose. Me? Thanks for asking, I’m touched. Nothing much really just some volunteer work… at the READING MUSIC FESTIVAL!!! How cool am I?

Well so cool that amongst all the packing and preparation I still manage to find time for sweet obsession. Sometimes however these two seemingly conflict events overlap, when these glorious moments happen it’s like the planets aligned. That’s how I felt when whilst buying essentials I spotted this festival pack of Tic Tacs. Wow isn’t that spooky and ummm colourful!

All the colours of a multipack!!!

Boasting a whopping four different flavours (whoop di doo) what more variety could you want to get you into a festive mood? This pack combines the tastes (though none are new) of lime, orange, passion fruit and cherry. Now the cynic in me would like to point out these packs is mere lazy rebranding. Essentially it is the box of Orange& Lime mixed with the box of passion fruit &cherry. However the excited child in me slaps the cynic and points out not only how colourful the mix is but that these are my two favourite packs of Tic Tacs. Furthermore he explains by buying this pack of 100 I am saving money, so shut up!

One problem however with both of these packs is that I prefer one flavour over another. I’m sure we all would right? What we may not all do however is refuse to consume the favourite flavour until all of the lesser favoured have gone. Now when we are talking about four different varieties and not just two the problem just gets worse. However I soon worked out a preference order of lime, passion fruit, and orange leaving cherry for last. Even to me this begins to move away from a charming quirk into the realms of keeping dead road kill in the freezer style OCD. On the plus side the pack does last slightly longer.

Right so the flavours, these won’t come to any surprise to anyone who has ever tried these flavours as all like coloured Tic Tacs taste the same. So starting with lime we get the usual overly sweet and sharp taste of clearly artificial lime. Very chemical and not at all like any lime you would find roaming in the wild.

How my Tic Tac OCD starts.

As I write this I struggle to come up with a reason as to why I actually buy Tic Tacs. The most I can think of is out of habit combined with the ease of being able to carry them in my pocket to chug in times of boredom. I don’t particularly enjoy the flavours and have tried all of the current ones several times over. Yet I’ll catch a glimpse of Tic Tacs in the corner of my eye and throw them in with the rest of the shopping, only realising I’ve made the decision once I’ve left the store and eaten half.

Not dwelling on this rather predictable behaviour I move on to passion fruit. Again very sweet and chemical, unlike lime however I have never tried passion fruit and therefore I can’t compare these to the real specimen. I’m going to bet though that these have been no nearer said fruit than I have. Same procedure for both orange and cherry like overly perfected versions of their real life counterpart in pill form. They are like the sort of thing sci fi media will have you believe are dinners will be like any day now.

Yeah all festivals are this organized... right?

Tic Tacs are basically like super soldier version of the fruit they are meant to be impersonating. They taste like how you would describe the perfect version of the food to someone who’s never heard of them.  However they are missing something that fresh fruit has, every piece of fruit is different and has their own character about them. One apple will taste very completely different from another. Tic Tacs don’t instead the flavours don’t differ and this makes them, well just a bit dull. Hence why I tend to just buy these out of habit, in the newsagents I will just subconsciously add the pack to my purchases. I wish I could end this with a bit more enthusiasm, maybe if I do find a new colour I can be excited over Tic Tacs again. Until then we are just going through the motions.

Overall these are just the same Tic Tacs just mixed together. Also now that I rethink it do I really want a new flavour? After all new flavours means more sorting, I could just do a jigsaw. I'd like to add that I am now back from the muddy, druggy, smoke filled wasteland of awesome fun and hope to go back to regular blogging behaviour. If anyone missed me that is.  

Score 
5 out of 11

Found
Boots cash chemists

Final Thoughts
I feel slightly conned and used by Tic Tac