Tesco Ice Creams: Cookie crumble

Product name: Tesco Ice Creams: Cookie crumble
Purchase details: £1.50 for a box of three ice creams (Tesco)

Calories: 273 per 100ml ice cream
Country of origin: UK

I wanted to try these new Tesco Ice Creams: Cookie crumble all Summer but never quite got around to it. Thanks to The Orchard, though, I’ve finally managed to do so...for free!

The picture of the ‘vanilla ice cream with dark cookie pieces coated in white chocolate with dark cookie pieces’ looked phenomenal on the icy blue box, with an abundance of ‘cookie crumble’ (8%, in fact). The reality wasn’t too dissimilar but the Belgian white chocolate (34%) did look pretty yellow which was a shame.

Due to being a frozen product, the ice creams didn’t produce any kind of scent when removed from their very simple plastic wrappers. However, I was pleased to find there was more going on in the taste test. The chocolate was very sweet and quite creamy, and it had a great snap, as well as a solid crunch from the cookie pieces. This cookie was an ever-present since it could also be found throughout the ice cream, although the moisture had softened it, here.

I was a little disappointed by the ice cream itself. The crumbs from the cookie had caused the ice cream to be on the grainy side which, in itself, wasn’t a big issue, but I also found it was watery rather than thick so the quality didn’t feel wonderful. Furthermore, whilst it had a slight milky flavour, it wasn’t creamy, unfortunately.

Overall, I felt a bit torn by these Cookie crumble ice creams. The cookie crumbs themselves didn’t noticeably add a specific flavour but the overall experience was in-line with the flavour inspiration. I also really enjoyed the white chocolate shell but the quality of the ice cream meant I felt unable to give the product a higher score.

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 6.63/10

Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles

Product name: Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles
Calories: 236 per 40g serving (660 per 112g box)
Country of origin: Belgium

So we’re over half way through August, and it’s nearer to next Christmas than last, but I’ve finally got around to eating the last edible gift I was given in December 2013!

These Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles were part of the Walkers Chocolates brand and, like many of their other products, I’ve seen them in discount stores quite a lot. As was the case with me, this made them a good add-on present!

The ‘truffles covered in Belgian milk chocolate’ came in a royal blue box that featured a photo of the chocolates but, despite this looking promising, I was a bit apprehensive on opening it as it rattled quite a lot and I was convinced almost all of the flaked chocolate would have become detached from the truffles themselves. As it happens, I was pleasantly surprised to find things hadn’t got as messy as I feared, and there were also more truffles inside than I’d expected – 11 (although this would have been frustrating if I’d been aiming for the quoted three servings!).

I was disappointed to see that, after the main ingredient (sugar), the truffles mainly consisted of vegetable fat. However, there was a strong smell of cocoa powder, and the chocolate itself contained a minimum of 25% cocoa solids and 14% milk solids.

Whilst widely the same in appearance (generally round with flat bottoms and coated generously in chocolate flakes), the truffles were slightly different shapes and sizes, and they were lovely and soft to cut through. They seemed to consist of three layers: a truffle centre that looked a bit like a fluffy  mousse, a chocolate coating, then the flaked chocolate. However, unlike what the picture on the box suggested, these layers were all the same shade of brown.

The chocolates had a nice texture – they were really soft and squidgy and had a melt-in-the-mouth feel as the different elements melded together. Even the flakes were soft, although they did add a contrasting bumpy surface.

Unfortunately, I really wasn’t a fan of the flavour, which is unusual for me with chocolate! It just tasted weird and, although there was a chocolatey aftertaste, the overall feel was one of staleness. As is often the case with truffles, there was a slightly bitter aspect to the flavour, but I just felt that the chocolate’s taste could have been so much stronger and better. Furthermore, although there was no denying that the truffles were rich, the absence of cream in the ingredients didn’t go unnoticed.

I wasn’t expecting great things from these budget Flaked truffles but it was a shame that the area where they fell short was, for me, the most important: taste! I’ve definitely ‘spent’ my calories on better snacks...

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 4.5/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.63/10

Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates: La perlina (milk truffles)

Product name: Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates: La perlina (milk truffles)
Purchase details: £1.00 for a 66g box of eight truffles (Poundland)
Calories: 53 per truffle (424 per box)
Country of origin: Belgium

I’d never had these ‘Belgian milk chocolate truffles’ before but, since they were made by Guylian, I wanted to give them a go.

The white and gold box tied in nicely with the branding of the seashells products and there was also a brief history of the company on the inside cover which taught me something new – it was named after the founders, Guy and Liliane...clever!

Despite being ‘premium chocolates’, their cylindrical appearance made them look quite standard. Decorated with simple lines, the chocolate shells contained a ‘smooth truffle filling’ that looked a bit like a mousse and made up 55% of the product. Free Translation told me that ‘perlina’ means ‘bead’ but I couldn’t quite see the connection!

The milk chocolate contained a minimum of 31% cocoa solids and 23% milk solids and was quite slippery to the touch. Up close, it did smell simply of chocolate, but this wasn’t detectable from a distance.

The product description of ‘a delectably smooth milk chocolate filling’ that had been ‘enrobed within the finest Belgian milk chocolate for an exquisite taste sensation’ suggested that it was the truffle itself that was the star of the show. These centres were really smooth and moist and melted in a way that was not dissimilar to Lindor, although they were more solidified, despite appearances.

The main flavour was cocoa and there was a slight bitterness mixed in with creamier elements of the product. If I’m honest, whilst very rich, I didn’t think the truffles had the best taste in the world. The centres were very nice, if a bit plain, but there was something about the chocolate shells that, initially, didn’t quite seem to match up to their contents. However, the taste did quickly become addictive, and the chocolatey buckets were by no means unpleasant.

The downside of the shape was that the chocolates weren’t great for melting as they were a bit too tall to comfortably suck on. However, doing so did seem to improve the cocoa’s flavour before reaching the filling.

There was certainly nothing wrong with these Guylian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates: La perlina (milk chocolate) but there wasn’t really anything about them that stood out as special either. They may not have matched up to my enjoyment of the Original praliné bar but they were still a substantial treat. I hadn’t thought eight in a box sounded like many but they turned out to be more than enough!

Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.13/10

Marks & Spencer Best of British Baking: Toffee fudge & Belgian chocolate hot cross buns

Product name: Marks & Spencer Best of British Baking: Toffee fudge & Belgian chocolate hot cross buns
Purchase details: Two packs of four buns for £2.50 (Marks & Spencer Simply Food)
Calories: 207 per 68g bun
Country of origin: UK 

I’ve been wanting to try a more exciting hot cross bun for a while but I’m from a more traditional family who just don’t do things like that at Easter. Imagine my delight, then, when I found this packet of new Marks & Spencer Best of British Baking: Toffee fudge & Belgian chocolate hot cross buns in the freezer! I know these were purchased on a multibuy offer but, since I didn’t get them myself, I don’t know how much they would have cost for a single pack. 

These hot cross buns contained 8% ‘dark Belgian chocolate chips’ and 17% fudge and toffee pieces. They were presented on a cardboard tray in a simple clear plastic wrapper which allowed their standard appearance to be viewed clearly. Whilst these looked like ordinary hot cross buns, though, the dark bits were the chocolate chips rather than raisins. The buns’ outer appearance was mid-brown with a sticky-looking gloss and, inside, they were like brown bread rolls that had been flecked with chocolate.

The buns were sticky and moist to the touch and had a cinnamon cake scent that was strengthened when heated. There weren’t actually any serving instructions on the packaging and, whilst I enjoy microwaved hot cross buns, I know a lot of people toast them, so I decided to try them both ways. I also wasn’t sure whether or not to add butter (they already contained 2% unsalted butter and I expected the chocolate and fudge to be luxurious enough!) so I had each bun ‘half and half’. (This additional butter obviously wasn’t included in the above calorie count but I wasn’t worried about that on this occasion!)

I found it difficult to fit a bun’s halves into my toaster but their doughy texture did mean I could squish them in – they did get a bit stuck when I tried to remove them again though! I toasted them on the second lowest setting which resulted in a slightly burnt chocolate smell and, I thought, a hint of sweet raisins. However, I think this may have been my brain making a connection with the presence of cinnamon. The chocolate pieces looked a little burnt rather than melted but I could see where the toffee and fudge pieces had become molten.

The plain toasted half bun had remained surprisingly doughy and moist but had an added crisp too. Its flavour was familiar and not dissimilar to standard hot cross buns but there was an extra sweetness that was more like brioche. I definitely could have eaten a whole bun like this but I just had to go the whole hog in the name of research! The only downside was that I didn’t find either the chocolate or toffee fudge flavours were very noticeable as distinct elements.

On spreading the other half of the toasted bun with unsalted butter, its surface felt a little crispy, like actual toast. The butter melted in quickly and, understandably, added an extra level of flavour to the bun. However, this seemed to go beyond the butter itself, and actually brought the dark chocolate’s flavour out a little more – possible due to providing a greater contrast for the slight bitterness.

I microwaved my other bun on full power for 20 seconds. This made the chocolate look a lot more melted than burnt (you can see the mess it made on the plate!) and the dough just tore apart. This texture was just as enjoyable in the mouth – it was so soft and doughy that it stuck to the roof of the mouth beautifully. I still didn’t find the toffee fudge’s presence to be obvious but I did find the chocolate’s flavour more noticeable in this format. The bun was very sweet but this chocolate added a welcome undertone.

The butter melted in even more quickly on the microwaved bun and this was my favourite method of consumption. The texture was truly incredible. It was the same as the plain microwaved half, really, but it was just that little bit more special due to the butter making it slightly more dense. The chocolate’s flavour remained relatively subtle but it did add an enjoyable warmth too.

One thing I really don’t like about standard hot cross buns is the presence of mixed peel so the absence of this in these buns was an added bonus. Aside from that, these hot cross buns were very pleasant in their own right. The flavours weren’t as powerful as I’d expected (particularly the toffee and fudge pieces) but the separate elements presumably added to the overall warming sweetness on offer.

I probably enjoyed these more than normal hot cross buns but I know this was down to personal preference (more so than normal). My Dad also tried one of these buns and didn’t really enjoy it at all. He felt it lacked the spicier flavours that are present in the traditional version and, since this variety did taste very similar to brioche, he felt he may as well have been eating one of those instead. However, I would argue that the superb texture provided by these buns made them superior to brioche!

Appearance: 7/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 8/10
Texture: 10/10
Overall score: 8.13/10