Lindor Strawberries & Cream

So today is my birthday, the day when I deserve to do whatever I want to! Want to know what I choose? Well being a now 21 year old student at university I think the answer is pretty much expected. I want to stay in doors eat chocolate and blog about it. Admittedly not the most exciting ways to celebrate but considering the weather today and my boring nature I think it's rather understandable.

Plus there is some excitement to be had indoors, actually quite a lot, in fact most excitement happens in doors. Anyway back on task, yes there is excitement to be had. As I have found the elusive Lindor Strawberries and Cream limited edition I mentioned in my last post. Admittedly it didn't take me long, although I bought them from somewhere selling them at practically double the price of Sainsbury's. I hope that they are worth it, if not I'll be doubly depressed in money and taste buds.

What a beautiful day!

To be on the safe side at the same time I also purchased a box of the coconut Lindor's too, again at a slightly inflated price. Then again I am a sucker for an impulse buy and still have access to a student loan, lets face it who needs good food when baked beans are 25 pence? So first up the coconut Lindor's in their baby blue foil. which after unwrapping allows me to take in a very sweet coconut aroma that signals good times ahead.

For once the coloring isn't dictating gender

Biting through the usual thick and creamy milk chocolate shell, easily melting like fudge on the tongue I gain access to the coconut core. A smooth and also creamy ganache which whilst appearing solid has a thick liquid like texture to it. The taste of coconut is intense and very sweet without becoming sickly. Together the flavours become very rich and suffer from Lindor's usual problem of feeling a bit heavy. I often can't and won't have more than a couple at a time because they can become sickly and filling.

This won't, however, stop me from popping the next one in my mouth. Contrasting the baby blue theme with a pale pink I unwrap the foil. The smell isn't quite as powerful with only a hint of strawberry. Throwing one in my mouth whole in excitement I'm met with an amazing taste of subtly sweet strawberry and milky white chocolate. Whilst not tasting exactly as it title suggests, more of strawberry milkshake than the summer dessert, it still tastes amazing. I hope this one isn't too much of a limited edition and carries on long after valentines day.

Though I didn't feel very manly nomming these, damn you society!

Overall both were nice if a little expensive. It's my own fault I could probably have got these on offer in in a week, but it is my special day so I pampered myself.
poundland

Score
coconut 7 out of 11
strawberries 8 out of 11

Found
Superdrugs

Final Thoughts
Celebrating birthdays always seem odd to me, yay I survived another day... Again!

Toffee Time Troubles

Remember, remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason and plot. If your English this phrase will be a clear sign of something for you, that Autumn is well and truly upon us. You know as if the Christmas stock banaza that begins in June hasn't already given you clues.If your American I don't know what your reminder is perhaps giant inflatables floating past your window or every product incorporating pumpkin.

Apples wrapped in anything, another tradition

Well what ever your idea of what it means to be Autumnal, I have a couple of appropriate products today ready for review. Both of these products are traditional firework night treats here in Britain, toffee. To those who don't know fireworks night is when we celebrate a man who failed to kill our king and government, I don't know why everyone views us British as a cynical bunch. I understand how we choose to celebrate with fireworks, there is a clear link there to the attempt to blow up Parliament. Not quite sure why Toffees traditional candy for the day though, surely it should be popping candy.

Anyway so today's item is a British tradition and tomorrow I'l do some American traditions for Autumn, see I'm not biased. The toffee in question is rather special too and comes from my recent trip to Cumbria, where I found a shop called 'The Toffee Shop' in Penrith (know your product well I guess). According to the tourist information this was the place to go for toffee treats. Disappointingly the shop only does two types of toffee and three types of fudge. Although by the signs of the fudge samplers I had I was in for a treat.

It's all in the name

The first type is your typical treacle toffee, handmade on the premises they proudly proclaim. I'm not a big fan of treacle but when in Penrith do as the... Penrithians do? I found the chunks to be very sweet and very hard. Exactly what you want in toffee really, it had a great bite and it didn't take too long to soften enough to be chewed. The taste was very much treacle but it managed to be the right level of sweetness throughout and I saw why these guys were experts in their craft.

They don't really look appetizing, but they are!

The next piece was some of their butter toffee and this is when their love of toffee clearly lies. Again these chunks are pretty solid and my dentist was on hand ready to fix breakages. The taste was amazing at first I got a kick of sugar. This was soon complimented by a creamy, salty butter taste that created a sublime combination. Again it's no wonder these guys have a name for themselves, even if it is rather product restricting.

Overall these were nice, although the fudges they make were to me much nicer. I did buy rather a lot of fudge to keep me stocked if I'm honest. See you tomorrow for Pumpkins galore!
Score
Treacle Toffee- 6 out of 11
Butter Toffee- 9 out of 11

Found
The Toffee Shop, Penrith

Final Thoughts
Hope everyone's celebrations went off with a bang over the weekend!

Hotel Chocolat- Trick or Treat

Fourteen days until Halloween guys. Have you got your costumes and carving pumpkin yet? I hope you have you don’t want to be rushing in the last week and end up with a rotten pumpkin and child’s pirate suit. That’s pretty much been my last five Halloweens but this year it will be different. This is mainly because this blog is making me think of Halloween each day when I do my review. Sometimes I don’t even have to go out looking for these reminders as they are thrust upon me.

Take today’s reviews for example which came to me through the post courtesy of Hotel chocolat. This is where I lay the cards on the table and state that today’s review was sent to me by them. I was yet again honoured to receive their email asking me to try one of their new autumn ranges.  With my current challenge in mind I opted for their Trick or Treat! Pouch which fits my Halloween themed posts of late. I will state here that just because I received these for free I am going to stay as impartial as I can be.

I think the presentation itself is the treat

Upon opening the rather large parcel I found the item inside to be equally as big. These chocolates are presented in an amazing and beautiful velvet bag. Embossed with a glittery purple spider that made my girlfriend squeal, take a photo and stake claims for it in the event of my death. I am impressed already, although not entirely surprised after all Hotel Chocolat is meant to be connoisseurs of luxury chocolate and considering the retail price of this product (£21.00). I just hope that this extends to the chocolate (sorry chocolat?) and isn’t just decoration.

Inside is 32 pieces of milk chocolate and white chocolate in five freakishly festive shapes. As is natural I felt the packets and opened a bunch to assess the shapes and you know eat them. I do this not for fun you realise but for the pursuit of science. The different shapes I found were: a cat, a bat, a ghost, a skull and my favourite a gravestone. They are all nicely moulded and the reason the gravestones my favourite is that the owners demise apparently occurred by chocolate. Considering this bag contains a hell of a lot of choccy I think it may be my own.

The skull is pretty chilling for chocolate!

Although I do realise that really these are meant to be handed out to the wee trick or treaters who may turn up on my doorstep in a few weeks’ time. Cleverly they are individually wrapped for this very purpose. It seems the good folks have thought of everything but remember at that price you would expect them too. I’ve seen Haribo treater packs in my local Poundland for well a pound. I think given the choice of the two and the fact that I’m handing them out for free I know which I’d choose. It is however a good idea for a party or get together with friends or kids Halloween party, may sound harsh but at least then the expense goes on people I care about.

None of the presentation matters anyway if the chocolate tastes foul so let’s move on to the important factor and chow down. I think I’ll break from my natural instinct and try the white chocolate first. After all if we don’t spice things up once in a while we can get stuck in a rut can’t we? So picking out my champion in the form of the gravestone I try a piece. It’s good smooth, creamy and milky whilst avoiding the usual pitfall of white chocolate by being sickly. However I’ve tried their usual white chocolate and have to say this isn’t up to their luxury tastes. It seems that they are using a cheaper variety here. Although again it’s still a very good standard of white chocolate, however between this and 25 pence milky bar I know what I’d buy for a small snack.

I hope that death by chocolate doesn't exist and is just a trick.

Next I picked the milk chocolate ghost. This was impressively thick and rather big slab considering their treat like purpose. This piece again tasted rather luxurious surprisingly rich and creamy with a nice sweet taste. Definite quality milk chocolate however yet again tasting slightly cheaper than their slab chocolate. It melts really nicely with a good chocolaty milky taste. Both of these varieties will impress when compared to the usual standard of Halloween candy. One point I find odd is the fact that there is no dark chocolate pieces you think they would want to include the entire trilogy.

Overall this product looks and tastes great but at the price they are asking for it, it needs to be. It seems a lot of that expense goes on look too which goes against its purpose a bit of giving this away to strangers. It depends how much of an impact you want to leave on your guests who at the end are getting free candy out of you in either situation.

Score

9 out of 11 for taste, 

5 out of 11 for price and purpose! 

Overall 7.5 out of 11

Found

In a box, in a beautiful bag, in the post

Final Thoughts

Why do they leave the e off of chocolate