Posts tagged chocolate
Review: New Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Bars
12 days ago
Whenever anyone tells you that chocolate is good for you (and they’re not just trying to help you in a crisis moment…) then they are probably talking about good quality dark chocolate, eaten a little at a time(!). I do enjoy a bit of proper dark chocolate, there is normally some in the fridge at home and also often some in my desk drawer (no stealing!!).
These two bars have come from Elizabeth Shaw – both are based on their lovely dark chocolate (that I’ve reviewed before) but with some surprising (and definitely not mint) flavour additions.
To start with I must mention the lovely packaging. I know it’s only chocolate but the card outer sleeve is lovely – it makes this chocolate good enough to give as a gift and keeps it more intact than the usual waxed paper packaging you get on nice dark chocolate.
To the chocolate, then. There are two bars here – Blackberry and Ginger, and Pear and Almond. Elizabeth Shaw have chosen two very different fruits to impress your chocolate taste buds.
The Blackberry and Ginger one has a real sharpness to it courtesy of the fruit, and a warmness thanks to the ginger. The flavours have been added by way of little bits set inside the chocolate, which gives it some texture as well as added flavour. You get little bursts of blackberry and hits of ginger in every little nibble. Lovely.
The Pear and Almond chocolate (pictured above) has the same rich dark chocolate as the Blackberry version but because of the choice of fruit it is much less sharp. I adore pear and dark chocolate together anyway, and Elizabeth Shaw have really hit on something here with this bar. The tiny nuggets of pear and slices of almond are quite gorgeous. Definitely my preferred choice of the two.
Both of these bars are still all about the chocolate, but the addition of the fruit and nut is impressive and makes these lovely treats. A square or two of one of these is an ideal way to end a day.
Disclaimer: I received a couple of bars of Elizabeth Shaw chocolate so I could try it and tell you about it. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Review: Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations
21 week ago
I keep doing this. I walk into the corner shop next door to my office planning on buying a sandwich or salad for lunch. I do well to avoid the crisps, sweets and cakes. I get to the checkout and there is a box of something new… and there’s an offer on… and I’m intrigued. So I give in. And in an attempt to justify my giving into temptation I put together a short blog post to try and make those extra calories worth it. It cancels them out, right?!
This time it was the new Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations. I’ve seen lots of stuff about these new bars of chocolate on twitter and in various other blogs I read. Of the two choices it was the Jelly Popping Candy Shells one that has really caught my attention – but they were two for £1 so naturally I also bought the Cookie Nut Crunch just because it would have been rude not to.
They are very Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a bit quirki, right down to the not-so-square-squares. The unusual shapes and different textures on the top made me smile – they look even better on the larger family sized bars but I didn’t need that much chocolate!
The Cookie Nut Crunch has biscuit pieces, crunchy caramel and caramelised nuts.
This was rather like eating any other chocolate-and-biscuit bar actually, I was a bit disappointed. The nuts were nice, but they were overpowered by the bits of caramel and the large chunks of biscuit. I liked that the bar was all uneven – biscuit in some segments, nuts in others, but it didn’t make me sit up and take notice.
It’s partner, on the other hand, stopped me from what I was doing so I could really concentrate on the chocolate…
…which doesn’t usually happen for me with chocolate to be fair. Jelly Popping Candy Shells is Dairy Milk chocolate filled with jellies, popping candy and candy shells. My first bite included all three – I absolutely loved the combination of the milk chocolate melting, the chewy jelly sweets, the crunchy candy (little Smarties) and the way the popping candy stuck around for a few seconds after the rest had gone. Lovely, really lovely.
But it turns out that I was lucky with the first square. Sadly, after that, I was left disappointed. The random nature of these bars meant that the only bit of jelly in the entire bar was in that first piece, and in fact one of my squares had no crunchy candy in it either, so I was left with chocolate coated popping candy. Such a shame! A great idea that really made me smile, but could do with a whole load more jelly! I say get rid of the little Smarties and go with chocolate, jelly and popping candy as the combination. That would be awesome!
I’m not sure if I’ll bother getting these chocolate bars again, I might consider it but they haven’t gone to the top of my need-a-chocolate-fix list I’m afraid. I guess I’m asking Cadbury to make their quirky uneven bars with more filling and more evenly spread through the bar.
Review & Giveaway: New Kelloggs Cereals
1181 month ago
A while ago I said you’d be getting three breakfast cereal posts in quick succession. That was a month ago now. Oops. Anyway, here’s the second!
Kelloggs have introduced four new cereals with lower sugar to give us a good balanced start to the day. Aimed at children (and considered healthy enough to be advertised on children’s telly), they are made with wholegrain, are high in fibre, and are a good source of Vitamin D. The range includes new Coco Pops Croc Prints, Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes Strawberry, Honey Loops and Honey Pops.
I might not have children but I do enjoy a bowl of cereal (at any time of the day!) and so Kelloggs sent me a box of each of the new range to try. I’ve been singing this ever since they arrived…
Well ok they’re not honey NUT loops – just miss that bit out – but they are really tasty. Both the loops and the Honey Pops have a nice sweet-with-honey flavour. Between these two similar cereals the loops are easier to eat – softer in texture – but the pops last longer in the milk without going soggy.
The Coco Pops Croc Prints were lovely. Just like Coco Pops in taste, turning the milk suitably chocolaty, these were just as I’d hoped they’d be. And if they’re better for me than traditional Coco Pops then I’m happy.
It was the Strawberry Rice Krispie Shapes I was most concerned about. I mean I love (love love) Coco Pops but I wasn’t at all sure about a Strawberry flavoured cereal. And to be honest I’m still not. I think they’re designed to be to strawberry what Coco Pops are to chocolate, but for me it doesn’t work so well. The thing that puts me off them is they go grey – food just shouldn’t be grey.
Giveaway
You don’t have to take my thoughts on the new Kelloggs breafast cereals for granted as I have one of each of the new range to give away to one of my readers.
One winner will receive a box each of Coco Pops Croc Prints, Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes Strawberry, Honey Loops and Honey Pops.
That should keep you going for a few days!
To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is comment on this post with the answer to this question, making sure you leave an email address or twitter name so I can contact you if you win:
My favourite time to eat breakfast cereal is… ?
I will leave the giveaway open for a week so you have until next Sunday 7th April to enter. Make sure you give the rules below a read through, and tell your friends and family to enter too.
Good luck!
The Rules
- This competition is open to UK residents only.
- You must be aged 18 years old or over at the time of entry.
- The competition closes at 8pm on Sunday 7th April 2013.
- Entry is by making a relevant comment answering the given question.
- Entrants must include a valid email address or a twitter ID in the box provided (will not be published). This is so I can contact you if you win.
- You can only enter once. If you post more than one comment only your first will count as entry into the competition.
- Members of my immediate family cannot enter (sorry!).
- The winners will be picked at random from all eligible entries and be announced on Splodz Blogz soon after the closing date.
- The prize is some cereal from Kelloggs.
- The winners must respond to their email from Splodz Blogz within two days or I reserve the right to re-draw.
- Your details will only be used for the purpose of this competition. The prize will be sent directly by Kelloggs.
- You don’t get any extra entries for tweeting or posting about this competition anywhere, but I don’t mind if you do (go on… you know you want to!).
- Oh… and my decision is final (I like saying that!).
The best way to find out first who won this competition is to subscribe to Splodz Blogz by email or in a reader. Use the links over on the right to do this. You can also connect with Splodz Blogz on facebook and twitter if you fancy it!
Disclaimer: I was sent a some Kelloggs cereal so I could tell you about them (and run a giveaway too). I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Review: Weight Watchers Instant Hot Chocolate
13 months ago
I love hot chocolate. But I am totally fussy. It has to be proper hot chocolate, made with hot milk.
Weight Watchers sent me some of their instant hot chocolate to see what I thought. Instant hot chocolate like this is a great way to warm up and get a sweet chocolate fix without many calories – about 40 in each mug full. Made with boiling water it’s easy to grab quickly when only chocolate will do.
I was given three flavours to try. The usual hot chocolate, a caramel one and a mint one. The sachets are really easy to take to work, and are made using water from the kettle.
Unfortunately Weight Watchers have been unable to change my mind. Instant hot chocolate still tastes horrid to me. It certainly smells of chocolate, but it doesn’t taste like it. It’s watery. It’s disappointing. I should add it’s not just Weight Watchers… they have only failed where all other instant brands have failed before. Sorry.
Hot chocolate will remain a high calorie treat made with hot milk for me. I would rather drink it much less often than have an inferior instant product.
Disclaimer: I was sent these hot chocolate sachets to try out and review here on Splodz Blogz. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Review: Special K Biscuit Moments – Chocolate
13 months ago
When I reviewed new Special K Biscuit Moments last year I instantly became a regular purchaser – I loved the strawberry biscuit bars, they are sweet, satisfying, and remind me of Pop Tarts.
I received a box of the newest flavour in the post the other day – chocolate – and I couldn’t wait to give them a try. Would these remind me of Pop Tarts too? Would they be as nice as the strawberry ones?
Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. I opened the packet and instantly smelt chocolate. Mmmmm chocolate! I bit into one of the two bars and there it was, chocolate hit, yum. It’s a bit like they’ve smoothed a bit of chocolate spread in the middle of the crispy biscuit casing, it’s that kind of texture and flavour. The bars went perfectly well with a cup of tea as a mid-morning snack. And at only 98 calories per packet (two biscuits) they are a pretty good snack time treat.
For me, though, the strawberry ones still wins, it has that fruity sharpness that I like from a snack bar like this.
Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Special K Biscuit Moments to review. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
Weight Watchers: Getting Organised
34 months ago
It’s 1st January 2013 and so the start of a brand new year. You already know my New Year’s resolution is about being true to myself. Part of that will absolutely be about being more healthy – eating better, exercising more, you know the sort of thing. So the fact that I’m a Weight Watchers Blog Ambassador starting this very day will come in quite handy!
As I mentioned in this post back in December, I have been given a three month subscription to the Weight Watchers website, including the iPhone/iPad app, so I can give the new approach to Pro Points a go. I have input all my details and have started tracking my weight and food. It should be interesting to say the least!!
Part of being a Weight Watchers Blog Ambassador involves weekly challenges that should help keep me motivated, and this week we have been asked to sort out our fridges. As soon as I got the email yesterday I opened my fridge and took a snap of what was inside… not bad I don’t think. There are apples and grapes, vegetables and salad, no sugar drinks, water, semi-skimmed milk, low fat bits and bobs, left over turkey and gammon (now all gone). It’s not exactly full – it is the end of Christmas week after all – but it could have been a lot worse. Phew.
Well, it’s not bad if you ignore the cheese – soft, goats, mature cheddar, Wensleydale; the Double Barrel Lincolnshire Poacher is particularly excellent. Mmmmm I love cheese. It is suggested that I put our cheese in an opaque container and hide them at the back of the fridge, but it’s ok, I can resist the temptation. I’m not the sort of person who will open the fridge and cut herself a lump of cheese just to nibble on. I might have some for lunch but I don’t just snack on it. And anyway, I’m not about to start hiding things – I know out of sight is out of mind and all that, and it certainly does help if you can’t see things – but I want to change my life and my habits not just temporarily forget them. So the cheese stays in the fridge door, I just have to learn to be good!
Apart from checking my fridge I’ve also been through all my food cupboards, chucked away anything that was out of date (which was an awful lot actually, shame on me), and so now I know exactly what I’ve got. I’ve made a shopping list full of healthy bits and bobs like yogurts and jellies and fruit, and worked out how many Pro Points there are in that stash of chocolate I have left over from Christmas… three chunks of Dairy Milk with Oreo is two points, I can work with that. Actually there is some help on the Weight Watchers website if you want to sort out your cupboards and fridge with healthier eating in mind – I’ve not been completely true to the list but it helped.
I’ve also planned my menu for the week. This is something I used to do all the time but laziness got in the way and I haven’t for a while now. I sat and looked through a Weight Watchers recipe book and picked out some things to try. Tonight I used up my slow cooked gammon in a risotto (no cream, no butter, lots of veg, I’ve worked it out as being worth 10 Pro Points per portion, mainly made up of the basmati rice). I am still planning on enjoying my food, especially the curry I shall eat on Saturday night, but I will track everything I eat and hopefully learn how to keep those calories down.
I should say that although I do need to lose a couple of stone to be my “ideal” weight, weight loss is not what this is all about. It’s about feeling good about myself, eating right and hopefully losing a couple of inches from my belly and butt. I have no intention of posting my weight here on my blog, but I will let you know how I’m getting on and post regularly with those challenges.
If you’re planning on sorting out your eating habits as one of your New Year resolutions then good luck!
Disclaimer: I have been invited to be a Weight Watchers Blog Ambassador and have written this post with that hat on.
