Cartmel Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble

Product name: Cartmel Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble
Country of origin: England 

To my knowledge, this Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble is a relatively new addition to the Cartmel Village Shop – I certainly don’t remember it being around a couple of years ago. Either way, this was certainly my first ever experience of it. The nearest I’ve got is my sister’s homemade banoffee apple crumble where she does actually use a jar of their Sticky Toffee Sauce. 

This particular 500g pudding was a gift from my parents and, as a result, I’m not sure of the purchase details. However, I suspect they got it in Booths as it’s possible I mentioned in passing (ahem) that it was on offer there at the time they bought it.  

The cardboard sleeve was very similar to the design of the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Sticky Toffee Chocolatesbut, this time, the bottom strip was an apple shade of green. Again, no nutritional information was provided, so I stored this dessert in the freezer until a day when I wasn’t following my diet plan.

Having been thoroughly defrosted, the ‘yummy’ crumble was supposed to be cooked in its takeaway-style foil container (minus the lid) in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes so I opted for the full 25 as I prefer more of a golden brown topping. 

Prior to cooking, the crumble topping that, among other things, contained the usual rolled oats and Demerara sugar, looked very pale, and there were actually some quite large bits in the mix. I have to say the pudding was very well-covered and it was only the buttery shortbread aroma of the topping that I could detect. After being removed from the oven, the very buttery scent remained, and I was also pleased to see a small section of bubbling sauce seeping through the browned crumble at the edge of the dish.

When breaking through the crunchy topping, the combination of apples and toffee sauce (together accounting for 60% of the product) felt really mushy, so I was surprised to see such large slices of sauce-coated apple inside. This rich brown toffee sauce even managed to look warming on a cold night! I also found that exposing the inside of the pudding released a very slight brown sugar smell, although I can’t say this was quite up there with the aroma that the original Sticky Toffee Pudding boasts.

The sauce contained butter, cream, sugar and vanilla flavouring – not exactly healthy but at least you get a portion of fruit (it counts, right?!) in a pudding like this! In normal circumstances, I always prefer the topping of crumbles to the insides, but I did wonder if the inclusion of Cartmel’s sauce would sway me on this occasion.

I have to admit I raised an eyebrow when I saw the packaging describe the ‘crunchy apples’ used in this product – I figured it meant they were crunchy at the point of manufacture! However, they really did have a crunch rather than the slimy, slithery pieces that usually feature in crumbles. That said, they were, of course, a lot softer than raw apples. They also, unusually, maintained the sweet tang of the fresh variety whilst the sauce, although not tasting specifically like Cartmel’s other Sticky Toffee products, added a lovely sweet dimension. The quantity of the sauce included did also mean that it was possible to have it on its own, here and there, and this resulted in a darker toffee taste.
 

The topping was just how I like it – the upper edge was very crisp with an almost caramelised, sugary biscuit taste, whilst the inner edge was soft, buttery and moist from being in contact with the filling.

The packaging suggested serving the pudding with a ‘big dollop’ of ice cream or cream, and I’ve always been a fan of allowing a basic, neutral-flavoured ice cream to melt into hot crumbles. As a result, and obviously in the name of research(!), I tried this too. As expected, this produced a lovely, smooth and cooling effect, with the vanilla offsetting the sweetness of the dessert.

Since this Sticky Toffee Apple Crumble served four to five people, I decided to share it for once, and I gather from my Mum that it was also ‘lovely’ cold. I didn’t sample it that way, on this occasion, but I did scrape out the foil tin, and the sauce, at least, was just as scrumptious!

This was definitely a hit and, whilst I can’t honestly say that I’d have recognised the toffee flavour as Cartmel’s, the resulting dessert was still fantastically delicious. Can they do no wrong?! 

Appearance: 9.5/10
Aroma: 8.5/10
Taste: 8/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 8.5/10

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Chocolates

Product name: Cartmel Sticky Toffee Chocolates
Purchase details: £3.50 for a box of 12 chocolates (Cartmel Village Shop stall at Holker Winter Market)
Country of origin: England 

Earlier this week I returned to Cumbria for the first time in over two years. It had always been the plan to visit the Winter Market at Holker Hall and I was super-excited when I discovered that Cartmel Village Shop had a stall there. Whilst I’ve had Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding many times before, I’d never managed to try the Sticky Toffee Chocolates, despite having been on my wish list for a long time.

This box of chocolates’ packaging was very similar to the Pudding's – just with a more detailed illustration of the real-life Cartmel Village Shop. There was also a little cut-out in the top right corner of the cardboard which allowed a sneaky peek at one of the 12 Chocolates inside that were served on a cellophane-wrapped plastic tray.

The reason I’d wanted to try these milk chocolates for so long was because they contained the same Cartmel Sticky Toffee Sauce that makes their Puddingso rich and delicious. Really, it was quite a simple concept, yet I knew I’d never had anything quite like it before.

I did find it slightly annoying that there was, as usual, no nutritional information provided and, since MyFitnessPal also drew a blank on the number of calories, I had to limit this treat to non-diet days. The packaging did state, though, that there were ‘strictly no fake flavours, colours or preservatives’, and the chocolate contained a minimum of 31% cocoa solids and 20% milk solids. I was also surprised to see that the chocolate itself made up the majority of each piece (66%) whilst ‘only’ 34% was the sauce.

The Chocolates were shaped as rounded mounds with slightly bumpy tops and they had thick, glossy shells. The inner sauce was gooey and a darker shade of brown than the chocolate.

Smell-wise, the chocolate had quite an ordinary, milky scent. I couldn’t detect the sauce through this, but once I’d cut into a chocolate, there was a very slight sugary toffee scent. Whilst pleasant, this was not nearly as strong or mouth-watering as the Pudding, although the fact that they were served cold rather than warm was probably a significant factor in this!

The chocolate tasted very similar to Nestlé in that it was quite a basic milky, chocolatey flavour. It felt smooth on the tongue and was also really crunchy. However, it was the sauce I was more interested in! This provided the sweet and slightly dark syrupy taste I’d expected, although I found it strange consuming it cold. The combination of flavours, combined with the runny texture of these Chocolates’ centres, almost made me think of chocolate liqueurs. These were far nicer, though, since there was no overwhelming alcohol taste.

These Sticky Toffee Chocolates were, understandably, rich. I did wonder if they could do with a little less chocolate since there was a lot of it but I figured this might lead to the currently well-contained but dense sauce leaking out. As an alternative, I thought it may be nice to have a nut in the centre of each chocolate just to take the edge off the sweetness but, to be honest, I’d be just as happy to continue eating them as they are!

Being the fan of Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding that I am, it’s impossible for me not to make comparisons here. I found that the toffee flavour from these Chocolates was not as strong as the one on offer from the Pudding but it was still very present. I also thought the addition of the chocolate was a nice, welcome touch. I’d definitely prefer the warm, sauce-absorbing sponge as a dessert option but these Chocolates were definitely a good take on the classic. 

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 8/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.75/10

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding

Product name: Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding
Purchase details: Cartmel Village Shop
Calories: Unsure – estimate 530 per 150g pudding
Country of origin: England

For the majority of my life, I liked sticky toffee pudding, but it didn’t excite me, and I certainly never classed it as a favourite. That was until a few years ago when I was introduced to the delights of Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding which originated 20 years ago in the small Cumbrian village of Cartmel. I can honestly say that this version is unlike any other sticky toffee pudding I have ever eaten and, as a result, I have refused to eat any other kind since!

Unfortunately, I hadn’t actually had this wonderful pudding for a year or so, by my parents kindly brought me back this 150g pudding after their latest visit to the Cartmel Village Shop, so I was really looking forward to tonight’s snack time. My excitement built further on reading the cardboard sleeve which recommended that the product is served when it is ‘warm, sticky, and the sauce is nice and dribbly’ – the memories this description invoked caused my mouth to water. I also noted that this packet contained one to two servings, but there was no way I sharing this with anyone!

On removing the foil container’s lid, I was hit with a strong, syrupy smell. Some of the smooth, runny toffee sauce had stuck to the lid so I couldn’t resist trying this cold. Its dark colour was reflected in its flavour which was a rich, buttery toffee that was like a nicer version of a Werther’s Original. This sauce was lovely and sugary with a very slight granular texture and, when looking at it en masse (covering the pudding), it was almost a chocolate shade of brown.

Although this pudding can be microwaved for 40 seconds, I decided to enjoy mine the ‘proper’ way, by cooking it in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. One of the best things about this method is the fantastic butterscotch-scented heat that floods over you when you open the oven door.

When I retrieved my hot, bubbling pudding, I wasn’t quite sure how to remove it from its foil case without completely ruining its appearance. I decided to tip it upside down into a bowl, but then realised the error of my ways when the toffee sauce, which made up 37% of the product, was now almost completely underneath the sponge. Despite my picture showing what appears to be a lack of sauce, I can assure you that it was very much present, and it turned out to be a bonus having it at the bottom of the cake as it saved the best bit until last when it came to the taste experience.

One of the most surprising thing about this pudding, for me, is that the sponge contains a lot of dates (they make up 19% of the whole dessert and the packaging even warns of ‘cheeky’ stones that may have been missed in the production process)...I hate dates! However, I still struggle to believe that this is what I was eating since the flavour didn’t suggest this. There was a slight tang to the sponge which, I suppose, may have been caused by the dates, but the main flavour was that of the toffee sauce that had been absorbed by the sponge. The colour of the pudding was also largely affected by the sauce, with the innermost sections of the sponge being a slightly lighter shade where the sauce hadn’t seeped as deeply. Texturally, it was beautiful: hot, soft and moist.

It is, of course, the sauce that made this Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding what it was (it’s so good that it can be bought on its own!), and it also provided the main flavour which was a very rich and sweet, dark sugary one. It had caramelised, in places, which provided an additional twist on the flavour, as well as a slight chewiness to the texture.

I’m pleased to report that this pudding was as delicious as I remembered it and it was a real treat. I was eating this as part of my diet plan (I’m hoping MyFitnessPal's calorie estimate wasn’t too far out!), but if I hadn’t been, I would have gone the whole hog and added cream for an extremely indulgent treat. The addition of ice cream is also great when combined with the hot pudding, but personally, I find this takes away from the pudding’s amazing taste.

If you’re ever in or around Cartmel, I highly recommend you popping along to the shop to sample this original dessert, or some of their other local products. If not, you may be lucky enough to find one of these beauties in an independent supplier in other parts of the country, or you can buy online here. Enjoy!

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 9/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 8.25/10