Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate, Salted Caramel & Hazelnut Ice Cream

I have a weakness for buying items in the supermarket when they have the word "new" on them. Such is the case with this Tesco Finest Belgian Chocolate, Salted Caramel & Hazelnut Ice Cream, which is currently on offer for £2.00. I've learnt that just because something has the word "new" does not actually make it so. I really have no idea how long this ice cream has been out but I get the feeling that it is only masquerading as a new product.

The tub looked nice enough, the packaging fits in with the premium ice cream brands out there, although slightly more subdued and grown up. The flavour combination is classic but with a twist; chocolate and hazelnut are great together and the addition of salted caramel sounds divine.

When I took off the lid the chocolate ice cream seemd to be quite aerated, almost as if it was a mousse. However once I started to dig in, the texture was very creamy and smooth and not aerated at all. The ice cream is not as dense as brands such as Ben & Jerry's, it has a lighter consistency. I was able to serve it quite quickly without having to wait an age for it to melt a little. I know that "patience is a virtue" but this is ice cream on a Friday night we are talking about!

I couldn't get a decent photograph of the salted caramel sauce as it was virtually the same colour as the chocolate ice cream. In the middle of the spoon above there is a section of caramel sauce but as you can see, or rather not see, it's very hard to make out. The chocolate ice cream was very good, it had a rich chocolate flavour and a lovely smooth texture. The hazelnuts had a good nutty flavour, and retained a nice crunch, some more so than others. There weren't enough hazelnuts overall and I would have preferred more hazelnut flavour within the ice cream itself. The salted caramel sauce was gorgeous with a good balance of salt to sweetness, it's not overly salty. Again, I would have preferred more of the caramel sauce within the ice cream.

Overall the combination of flavours was very good, if a tad too sweet, but for £2 it's a bit of a bargain. It's especially good if you don't like too many "bits" in your ice cream.