Review: Cornetto Vanilla Shake Ice Cream Cone

The Cornetto Vanilla Shake ice cream cone is part of the Enigma range and I believe this one was first released last year alongside the Cornetto Cheesecake Glory. Despite that, yesterday was the first time I've ever spotted one instore (in a local newsagent) and I've still never seen them available as multipacks. Let me know if you've spotted them!

The ice cream itself has a classic Cornetto appearance - with it's swirled chocolate coating and nut pieces on top. The flavour is also quite similar to a regular vanilla and chocolate Cornetto Classico, but with a few changes (and an extra tall peak too). There are caramelised almond pieces on top, instead of the usual hazelnut pieces, which add a flavourful initial crunch. The ice cream is described as "Madagascan vanilla" and it does have a much sweeter and richer vanilla flavour than the Classico version.

As with the rest of the Cornetto Enigma range, there is a core of chocolate sauce that runs all the way through the cone. I was quite surprised to find that the core in this Cornetto Vanilla Shake is a dark chocolate, but it's still rich and sweet enough to complement the vanilla ice cream. Overall, it's definitely an ice cream that's worth a try - if you can find it!

Grocery Gems Review: Cornetto Vanilla Shake

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition: 160 calories per cone.
Purchased: Local newsagent.
Price: £1.60 (for one cone!).

Review: Müller Light Coconut Sprinkled with Dark Chocolate Yogurt - Limited Edition

Thank you to Amber who emailed me about this new limited edition Müller Light Coconut Sprinkled with Dark Chocolate. Müller are constantly bringing out new limited editions, and it appears the popular Müller Light Cappuccino has been replaced replaced with this latest coconut flavour (which I believe was previously released as a limited edition a few years ago). 

The Müller Light Coconut Sprinkled with Dark Chocolate has a slightly runny texture and light creamy taste. The coconut flavour here is very strong, possibly the strongest in a yogurt I've tried so far. It has that artificial, and very sweet, type of coconut flavour rather than a fresh, natural coconut flavour. To be honest I'm a fan of both types of coconut and I didn't mind the sweet and strong taste here. The chocolate flecks are very small but somehow they still manage to give subtle bursts of chocolate flavour. Overall, it's an enjoyable pairing, but not an especially exciting one.

Grocery Gems Review: Müller Light Coconut & Dark Choc Yogurt

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 100g):  54 calories.

Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £0.68p.

Review: Müller Corner Hawaiian Dream Pineapple Yogurt

I've previously reviewed the Müller Corner Hawaiian Dream multipack which contains Coconut and Mango flavoured yogurts with a side serving of crunchy chocolate cereal. There is also a fruity variety available (in single pots) in this Hawaiian Dream range - the Müller Corner Hawaiian Dream Pineapple. 

This is a very simple Müller Corner with a serving of plain yogurt and a side portion of juicy pineapple compote. I enjoyed the fresh tasting and creamy plain yogurt and it certainly makes a good partner to the extra fruity portion. The pineapple compote has lots of chunky fruit and a gorgeous fresh and fruity flavour. It's a lovely combination that's not too sweet overall, and although the flavour is not as interesting as the Coconut Crunch and Mango Crunch yogurts in this range, it's still a tasty yogurt in it's own right. 

Grocery Gems Review: Müller Corner Limited Edition Hawaiian Dream Pineapple Yogurt

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 100g):  109 calories.

Purchased: Asda.

Review: Doritos Roulette Chips

Each bag of Doritos Roulette contains a number of Ultra Spicy Doritos hidden amongst the rest of the chips which are regular Tangy Cheese flavoured. The seasoning used for the Ultra Spicy flavour is said to be ten times hotter than jalapeño peppers. It's a unique idea and I was keen to give them a try (and more than a little scared too!).

The great thing about Doritos Roulette is that it really is completely impossible to tell which chips are the Ultra Spicy ones. They all have exactly the same colouring and appearance, but more than that, they all have the same Tangy Cheese scent too. I have to admit that I was half hoping that it would be easy to spot the hot ones but it's really not! 

When it comes to flavour, all the chips start off with the well known Tangy Cheese Doritos flavour with varying amounts of heat kicking in too (even in the ones that aren't extra hot). The Ultra Spicy Doritos start off tasting just like the Tangy Cheese but the extra heat only really kicks in when you start chewing. I have a sneaky suspicion that the liquid seasoning Doritos have used for the Ultra Spicy flavour is actually within the corn chips themselves rather than in the outer seasoning. The flavour is pure heat, a real burning heat, rather than a tasty chilli spice. It's quite fun at first but soon becomes unpleasant if you get too many hot ones in a row. 

The problem for us was that we seemed to have far too many of the Ultra Spicy Doritos within our pack. It's supposed to be one Ultra Spicy chips per handful of Doritos, but for us it was more like half. I don't know if we had a dud pack but right from the start we were all picking the super hot ones. It spoilt the fun somewhat because once you've eaten a few of the hot ones you don't really want to eat many more. Mr Grocery Gems had three hot ones in a row, whilst I had two of my first four chips being the hot ones. To be honest we didn't really continue anymore and perhaps the rest of the chips were Tangy Cheese flavour, but we didn't finish the rest of the pack to find out.

Overall, this is a hard one for me to review. On the one hand, they are brilliant because they do exactly what they say on the pack in terms of not being able to guess the hot ones. However, we needed to have more of a balanced selection within our pack to really enjoy the chance aspect of whether the next chip would be a Tangy Cheese or Ultra Spicy flavour. There wasn't really much of a Roulette for us - they were just mostly hot!

 Grocery Gems Review: Doritos Roulette Chips

RATING: 7 out of 10 (Mr. GG says 5 out of 10).
Buy them again?: No.
Nutrition (per 30g): 150 calories. 
Purchased: Tesco. 
Price: £1.00p for 180g.

Review: Müller Kids Corner Yogurt - Summer Edition

Just a quick post on this cute new summer themed Kids Corner yogurt from Müller. There have been lots of limited edition in this range, such as the recent Müller Kids Corner Easter Eggs and the previous Müller Kids Corner Blast Off! yogurts. 

This new summer edition features another bright and colourful theme and consists of a vanilla flavoured yogurt with a portion of white chocolate coated cereal dolphins (that are actually blue!). It's not really necessary to describe the flavour here in too much detail as it's the same as all the previous vanilla yogurt/white chocolate cereal combinations from Müller mentioned above. It's a lovely sweet yogurt and one that my kids really enjoy (and so do I!).

 Grocery Gems Review: Müller Kids Corner Summer Yogurt

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 100g): 137 calories. 
Purchased: Asda. 
Price: £2.38p for multipack of 4 (half price offer).

Yogurt Reviews Megapost: The Collective Dairy, Müller, & Liberté

I've bought so many yogurts to review recently that I thought I would put them all in one post, starting with the new Liberté Seeds & Mixed Fruit.

Liberté Seeds & Mixed Fruit Yogurt: This pairs the delicious thick texture of Liberté strained yogurt with a layer of mixed fruit and seeds. I was surprised by just how many seeds there were within the sauce and how much they dominate the flavour. The fruit flavour itself is actually a little bland, the combination of pineapple, apple and banana didn't really have a very strong taste. Perhaps I was just expecting more of the pineapple and banana flavour to come through. However, it's still an enjoyably thick yogurt with a pleasant crunch from the seeds. 7 out of 10.

The next one is a yogurt I've been meaning to try for a while. I finally tried it after seeing a smaller size pot in Waitrose for £1.00p.

The Collective Coconut + Lime: This yogurt has a gorgeously thick texture. with a tangy and fresh flavour. The dessicated coconut adds a sweet flavour and a little extra texture to the thick yogurt. I really enjoyed the generous helping of lime sauce too, it has quite a sharp flavour but it makes a change from the sweet yoghurt's I usually eat. 9 out of 10.

It's been difficult to track down the latest Müller Light Limited Edition but I finally found it in Waitrose last week.

Müller Light Inspired by Fiji Mango, Papaya & Banana: This has the usual slightly runny texture of Müller Light yogurts but I still really enjoyed the flavours here. The combination of mango, papaya and banana is a delicious one, with all three flavours blending together to create a lovely tropical mix. I'll definitely be buying this one again in future. 8 out of 10. 

If you've tried any of these yogurts too then I'd love to know what you thought of them in the comments below.

Review: Iceland Bellissima Chocolate Italian Gelato

I bought this a few weeks ago after blogging about the new ranges instore at Iceland. This Italian Gelato was particularly appealing to me as it's a combination of three different chocolate flavoured ice creams; White Chocolate, Chocolate & Cocoa, and Hazelnut & Chocolate. There is also a fruity version available too.

The ice cream looks gorgeous with it's swirly peaks and sprinkling of white chocolate curls decorating the top. It has a lovely creamy ice cream texture too, whilst still being quite light and fluffy. The flavours are all absolutely delicious too - I was seriously impressed with just how good all the flavours are here. I was expecting the "White Chocolate" portion to just taste like vanilla ice cream but instead it has a lovely melted white chocolately flavour. The Chocolate & Cocoa ice cream has a rich and intense chocolate flavour whilst still being sweet and creamy. However, it was the Hazelnut & Chocolate quarter that was my favourite, it's not quite Nutella in ice cream form, but it still captures a chocolate and hazelnut combination successfully.

Grocery Gems Review: Iceland Bellissima Chocolate Italian Gelato

RATING: 9 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.

Purchased: Iceland.
Price: £2.00p (for 850ml tub).

Reader Review: Ski Mousse Limited Edition Peach Swirled With Raspberry Sauce

Welcome to a new Reader Review! Today's review is once again courtesy of Aaron R:

I love Yoghurts and Mousses, I'm always on the hunt for new brands and flavours, I also love looking at the vast array on offer in the dedicated aisle of whichever supermarket I happen to be frequenting! Nestle Ski Mousse's seem to have had a bit of a revival the last couple of years with more flavours coming to market and are popular as a quick snack throughout the day.

The flavour I'm going to review is the New  Limited Edition Peach Swirled With Raspberry Sauce Flavour (they come in a 4 Pack). I love these Mousse's they are low in calories and the new flavours really do make them a guilt-free tasty treat! I especially like another of the flavours - Coconut Swirled With Chocolate Sauce (I know Katherine is a lover of all things Coconut much like myself!!).

The first thing I noticed about this Mousse wasn't the taste but was actually the smell, a really sweet Peach scent. The Mousse itself has a familiar fluffy texture with a super creamy taste and is extremely smooth. The peach taste isn't particularly artificial tasting, I enjoyed it (peach can be a hard taste to replicate in Yoghurts/Mousses). 

What gives this Ski Mousse an extra sweet kick is the Raspberry Sauce which I found made the overall product quite refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable. The sauce wasn't particularly runny either it was perfectly swirled and embedded into the Mousse.

I usually match what kinda Yoghurts/Mousses to seasons/weather, something lighter in the summer and more luxurious in the colder winter months (not saying I haven't been known to have the odd indulgent moment in summer too!). This is definitely the type of sweet treat dessert that is ideal to pop in a chiller box for warm days in the park or even to take to work (like I do!).

Overall it is quite a sweet desert so I would say if your inclined to have a sweet treat & you want something different then a chocolate based dessert pot, this could be the one for you!

Grocery Gems Review: SKi Mousse Peach & Raspberry Sauce

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per pot):  74 calories.

Purchased: Asda.
Price: £1.38p  each or 2 packs for £2.00p.

Note from Katherine: A big thank you to Aaron R. for the great review! I'm certainly a fan of the Coconut & Chocolate Ski Mousse and I'm looking forward to trying this Peach version too.

Review: Haribo Starmix Frenzy Edition - New Flavours!

I've often said in my previous Haribo reviews that it's a shame that we don't get some of the more interesting Haribo flavours that are released in Germany. Well, that's certainly not the case with the new Haribo Starmix Frenzy Edition which features a variety of different flavours.

The new flavours listed on the back are Apricot (yellow bears), Pineapple (orange bears), Mandarin (green bears), Grapefruit (blue hearts), Passion Fruit (pink eggs!), Watermelon (purple soda bottles), Passion Fruit & Grapefruit (pink and blue rings), Passion Fruit & Lime (pink and purple rings), and Grapefruit & Pomegranate (yellow and blue rings).

I know Haribo have released Watermelon flavoured sweets before in the UK - but I don't think I have seen Pomegranate, Apricot and Mandarin flavours from Haribo before!

The packaging for the Haribo Starmix Frenzy Edition and sweets themselves are extremely colourful and eye catching. I love the bright and summery theme here.

I started with the green bear (mandarin) and although the flavour is initially a bit subtle, it does have a burst of a sweet and distinctive citrus flavour at the end. The yellow bear (apricot) has a light flavour that is a cross between peach and apricot. The orange bear (pineapple) has a good fruity flavour with a tangy edge.

The blue rings (Passion Fruit & Grapefruit) are dominated by a sweet and zesty grapefruit flavour. I was most curious about the yellow rings (Grapefruit & Pomegranate) but I found these the blandest of the bunch, and I couldn't really detect any pomegranate flavour. The pink rings (Passion Fruit & Lime) have a lovely tropical flavour with the passion fruit coming through strongly here.

Lastly, the three odd shapes in the pack. The blue foam-backed heart (Grapefruit) has the same zesty citrus taste as the blue rings but the sweet foam back mellows out the flavour. The pink eggs (Passion Fruit) are my favourites from this Frenzy Edition - they're just so cute! The flavour is similar to the pink ring with a tropical sweetness in the centre pink "yolk". I also really enjoyed the purple and pink soda bottles and their super sweet watermelon flavour.

As I mentioned in a previous New Instore post there is also a Haribo Tangfastics Frenzy Edition available, also with new flavours.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Haribo Starmix Frenzy Edition

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Primark (in their sweets section).
Price: £0.80p for 200g bag.

New Instore: Sweet Treats & Savoury Bites

A round up of a few more new products spotted instore!

KP XL Crunchy Coated Peanuts: Thanks to Richard W. for letting me know about these on Twitter. The interesting aspect of the new Crunchy Coated nuts from KP is that they are a "McCoys Flame Grilled Steak" flavour. There is also a Sweet Chilli flavour available. I'll have a review up soon. £1.00p at Waitrose.

Waitrose Tropical Pineapple, Passion fruit & Coconut Colada Ice Lollies: Not sure if they are new for this year or if they are returning from last summer. It's certainly an appealing combination of flavours! £2.99p at Waitrose (four pack).

Waitrose Coconut Water Ice Lollies: These coconut water ice lollies come in two flavours - Coconut & Lime and Mandarin & Yuzu. The latter is an interesting new combination. £2.99p at Waitrose (four pack). 

Yeo Valley Limited Edition Black Cherry Yogurt: At first glance, Black Cherry might not seem the most exciting flavour for a Limited Edition yogurt. However, Yeo Valley explains that they have been searching for organic black cherries that meet their standards. £1.50p at Waitrose. 

McCain Spicy Peri-Peri Fries: Thank you to Aaron R. for the next couple of photos. I don't normally buy oven chips but I really want to try this new Peri-Peri flavour from McCain. Spotted at Asda (will update with price once it's online).

McCain Steakhouse Ridge Cute Fries Beef Flavour: These are described as being "Jam Packed with Great Flavour". The flavour in question here being Beef - but don't worry these are suitable for vegetarians. £2.50p at Asda.

A couple of food news items too (although I haven't spotted these instore yet!):

Image: Danone

Danone Disney Frozen & Star Wars Yogurts: A new range of Disney Frozen and Star Wars yogurts and "Shaker Yogurt Drinks" from Danone. The yogurts are both Strawberry & Mixed Berries flavour and the yogurt drinks are Strawberry flavoured. Both available at Sainsbury's - £1.60p for the yogurts, £1.30p for the drinks. 

Aero Mousse: A new chocolate bar from Aero which is due to be launched next week. It consists of the familiar Aero bubbly chocolate with an added layer of chocolate mousse. It's a shame that the mousse isn't flavoured but I'm still looking forward to giving the new Aero Mousse a try. 

Thanks again to Aaron R.! As always, if you've spotted or bought any interesting new products then I'd love to hear from you - grocerygems@gmail.com or @grocerygems.

Mr Kipling Milkshake Slices - Banana Milkshake and Chocolate & Vanilla Milkshake Slices

Mr. Kipling have launched a range of milkshake flavoured cake slices in Banana Milkshake, Chocolate & Vanilla Milkshake, and Strawberry Milkshake flavours. They are available in four-packs and contain a source of calcium with lower fat compared to other Mr. Kipling cake slices.

Mr. Kipling Banana Milkshake Slices: These are described as banana milkshake flavoured sponge cakes with a vanilla filling and and a banana flavoured fondant on top. The cake has a wonderfully sweet and creamy banana flavour, with a hint of vanilla, that really is reminiscent of a banana milkshake. Some might find the banana flavour too sweet but it's spot on for me. Everything about these is just delicious - the cake itself has a perfectly soft and moist texture too. I haven't always been a fan of Mr. Kipling Slices but this new Banana Milkshake flavour is going to be hard for me to resist! I much prefer these to the previous Mr Kipling Banoffee Slices which had a much lighter banana flavour.

Mr. Kipling Chocolate & Vanilla Slices: These are made up of chocolate and vanilla flavoured sponges with a vanilla filling and decorated with fondant icing. I have to admit I only bought these because the range was on a 2 for £1.50p deal but I'm really glad I did! They're much tastier than I was expecting. Both the chocolate and vanilla flavours come through nicely with a creamy edge. The combination of chocolate and vanilla sponge works well and reminds me of a classic marble cake. Perhaps the "milkshake" theme is not as evident in the actual flavour here but I still enjoyed these little cakes.

Overall, these new Mr. Kipling Milkshake Slices were surprisingly good and I'll certainly be buying them again - I might even try the Strawberry Milkshake flavour too. In fact I would have given them slightly higher scores (and a 10 out of 10 for the banana flavour) if the packs hadn't been reduced in size from 6 to 4 cakes. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Mr. Kipling Milkshake Slices

RATING: Banana Milkshake: 9 out of 10, Choc & Vanilla: 8 out of 10.
Buy it again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per slice): 140 calories. 
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.29p or 2 packs for £1.50p.

Review: - Müller Light Layers Chocolate Fix - Chocolate & Caramel

A recent addition to the Müller Light range of yogurts and desserts. The Müller Light Chocolate Fix is a simple dessert made up of separate layers of chocolate and caramel. The small pots (only 80g each) and layered flavours remind me of the Cadbury Pots of Joy range, especially the Caramel variety.

The texture here is fairly thick and creamy, although perhaps not as rich as other desserts of this type. The chocolate layer has a lovely flavour with the caramel layer underneath providing a sweeter and milder taste. I enjoyed the combination of the two flavours, it's fairly simple but still tasty. The Müller Light Chocolate Layers are not as indulgent or thick as the similar Cadbury Pots of Joy and have a lighter flavour overall, however, it's still an enjoyable little dessert.

Grocery Gems Review: Müller Light Layers Chocolate Fix - Chocolate & Caramel

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per pot):  99 calories.

Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.00p (four pack).

Around the World: Iceland - Nizza Lakkrís Chocolate

A massive thank you to Danielle who sent me a selection of three different Icelandic chocolate bars for my Around the World Challenge. I've been trying to find a snack from Iceland to include in this challenge for a long while now so I'm extremely grateful to Danielle for her kindness in helping me out. 

Sirius Nizza chocolates are available in a range of flavours such as Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Crispy Corn and this Licorice "Lakkrís" flavour.

Licorice is not a flavour I usually enjoy but I was still curious to see how well it would work in a chocolate bar. It's an unusual combination here in the UK but one that is very popular in other parts of the world. The Nizza base milk chocolate has a lovely creamy and smooth flavour. It's quite sweet but still offers a decent cocoa hit. The licorice itself comes in the form of small soft and chewy balls within the chocolate itself. I really enjoyed the texture of the licorice here, it's initially chewy but soon melts away almost like a caramel. The flavour was surprisingly good too, a mild and sweet licorice with a slightly salty edge - it actually tastes delicious with the creamy milk chocolate. This is exactly why I love trying out products from around the world and discovering new flavours that I haven't tried before!

Many thanks again to Danielle for sending me the above Icelandic chocolate bars. Look out for my reviews of the Nóa Kropp and the Sambó Sæla (love all these names) soon!

Around the World: Nizza Lakkrís Chocolate Bar

Country of Origin: Iceland.
Made by: Nói Sirius - www.noi.is
Rating: 8 out of 10.

New Instore: Doritos Roulette & More!

A few more new products spotted instore recently:

Doritos Roulette (above): I mentioned these before but I finally found them available instore at Tesco. Each pack is made up of Tangy Cheese Doritos with a few Hot Chilli flavour thrown in too. I'll have a review soon! £1.00p at Tesco.

Onken Greek Style Apple and Spiced Cinnamon: This is a combination that really appeals to me. I'll definitely be trying it at some point. There is also a new Onken Greek Style Rhubarb with Fiery Ginger available too (see photo below). £1.79p each at Tesco.

Yeo Valley Greek Style with Ginger (centre): Thank you to Lucy W. who sent me this photo of the two new Onken Greek Style yogurts and also the new Yeo Valley Greek Style with Ginger. £1.80p at Tesco.

Rachel's Inspirations Organic Yogurt: I think these have been out for a few months. Rachel's Organic launched this Inspirations range as an "evening yogurt". There are two flavours; Cherry & Dark Chocolate and Apple & Butterscotch. £1.99p each at Waitrose.

Haribo Tangfastics Frenzy Edition: I took a quick photo of these but I didn't get a chance to take a closer look at them. It says "New Flavours" but I'm not sure what those are - if you have any idea then let me know in the comments below! £1.00p at Primark (by tills).

Maryland Mix'ems: Two varieties for this new range; Fruit Jellies & Candy Shells and Popcorn, Caramel & Candy Shells. As Danielle pointed out on Twitter, these look quite similar to the recent Chips Ahoy cookies. £1.00p in local discount store.

The Fabulous Bakers Bars: This is a great looking range of popcorn and fruity bars in a variety of interesting flavours. There are Raspberry & White Chocolate Popcorn Bars, and also Apricot, Almond & White Chocolate Popcorn Bars, aswell as Mango & Pineapple Bars. £1.79p at Asda (four pack). Thank you to Lucy W. for the photo.

The Fabulous Bakers Banana Brunch Bars: There is also a Banana Brunch variety available too. I actually bought this variety and found it quite disappointing, mainly because of the lack of any banana or cinnamon flavour! £1.79p at Asda.

M&S Victoria Sponge Muffin: There are lots of new British inspired products for summer at M&S. The Victoria Sponge Muffins have a jam and cream centre with extra cream on top - they look delicious! £1.00p at Marks & Spencer.

Nakd Fruit & Nut Nibbles: I've mentioned these in a previous New Instore post but here is a photo of all 7 varieties together. Thank you again to Lucy W. for the photo and for letting me know that the Nakd Nibbles are currently available on their website for £6.50p for the whole range including delivery.

As always, if you've spotted or bought any interesting new products then I'd love to hear from you - grocerygems@gmail.com or @grocerygems.