Review: E. Wedel Polish Chocolate Bars: Karmel Love Wafers & Dark Chocolate with Coconut

The lovely @Banjo_Chocolate recently sent me these two chocolate bars from Polish brand E. Wedel - and as always she's managed to find some delicious treats! Take a look at some of my previous posts courtesy of the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate campaign, from this Chocolate Megapost to even more Polish treats. 

One chocolate bar that you can't find any more in the shops is of course the much missed Banjo Chocolate - if you remember this bar from the 1980's then be sure to take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Facebook Page and please sign the petition here. There seems to be a trend for bring back retro snacks and chocolates so let's make it happen for Banjo too!

When I first saw this I thought that I had already reviewed it before, but on closer inspection this Karmel Love with Wafers is different to the salted nuts version I tried previously here.

The Karmelowa Z Wafelkami has the same sweet and creamy caramel flavoured base, but also contains little pieces of wafer throughout, which add a lovely light crunch. This is such a delicious sweet treat, I found myself unable to stop from having just one more piece! I love the super sweet caramel flavour here - it's definitely one for fans of Caramac. RATING: 8 out of 10.

The E. Wedel Gorzka Kokosowa is a dark chocolate bar with a coconut filling. As a fan of anything coconut flavoured this is instantly appealing!

This is another wonderful chocolate bar. The inner filling has a lovely creamy flavour that is combined with dessicated coconut to give it a deliciously natural flavour. The dark chocolate coating here is just amazing; it has such a rich dark flavour that perfectly compliments the sweet and creamy centre within. I just loved everything about this one and I'd recommend it for any coconut fans. RATING: 10 out of 10.

Thank you again to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me these chocolate bars. Please don't forget to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook Page and sign the petition here! Thank you :)

Grocery Gems Review: E. Wedel Chocolate Bars

RATING: See end of each individual reviews above.
Buy them again?: Yes - both!
Purchased: Check out your local Polish grocery shops or Tesco Polish section.

Snack Haul & Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar!

A while ago I was sent a gorgeous parcel of goodies from the lovely @BanjoChocolate who's running a great campaign to get Mars to bring back the much missed Banjo Chocolate Bar. More support is always needed so please take a look at the dedicated Facebook page and sign the petition HERE. Retro comebacks are growing in popularity all the time and I really do hope that the Banjo can have a new release too!

Here's a closer look at the amazingly tasty selection of snacks:

Eridanous Soft Nougat Selection: This was available during Lidl's "Taste of Greece" week. There are three flavours of soft nougat included; Cranberry, Strawberry & Hazelnut.

I've never really tried flavoured nougat before so this whole product was a real revelation to me. The nougat has a lovely soft and melt in the mouth texture without being too sticky. 

The different varieties were all incredibly good too, with plenty of added fruits and nuts providing plenty of flavour and crunch. My favourite was the super sweet strawberry!

Flipz White Fudge: If you read this blog regularly then you might assume that I've tried most the big-name confectionery from the US, but the truth is that there are plenty of popular snacks from both sides of the Atlantic that I haven't tried yet. One of those is the Flipz range of pretzels - it's one of those products that I keep meaning to try but just hadn't got around to yet.

And I'm so glad I finally tried them because they're just my type of sweet and salty treat. The white fudge coating on each snack is quite thin but still provides a super sweet contrast to the inner salted pretzel. These are just too good, I could easily have eaten the whole bag by myself.

Walker's Banana Split Eclairs: @BanjoChocolate described these as being similar to the long gone banana flavoured Toffo sweets. If you were a fan of the Banana Toffos then you really need to find these Walkers Banana Split Eclairs. They're soft buttery toffees with a delicious sweet banana flavoured filling - so delicious and perfect for any banana fans.

Tesco Crispy Seedy Nutty Bites: These are deliciously crunchy biscuits made with sunflower seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, oat flakes, honey and currants. I was expecting these to be quite hard in texture but the crunch is very satisfying without being too dense. The flavour is very sweet and sugary but so good at the same time. They're a bit like Sesame Snaps but with added nuts and currants - dangerously moreish!

Thank you so much to the wonderful @BanjoChocolate for sending me such an awesome selection (and I still have the Polish Limited Edition Lindt to try!). All these products were incredibly tasty and I thoroughly recommend giving them a try if you spot them.

Once again please take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Facebook page - all Likes, Comments, and Shares are greatly appreciated!

Around the World: Chocolate Megapost

A few weeks ago I received a gorgeous parcel of chocolates from the lovely @BanjoChocolate - she knows just how to find the most interesting chocolate bars. I always enjoy her selections, from Polish Chocolate bars to great Discount Store finds! Even though many of these chocolates are from other countries, they are all fairly easy to find in UK shops.

One chocolate bar that you can't find any more in the shops is of course the much missed Banjo Chocolate - if you remember this bar from the 1980s then be sure to take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Facebook Page!

Gnaw Banoffee Pie: @BanjoChocolate knows that I'm always looking out for banana flavoured chocolates and she managed to include two banana chocolate bars that I've never tried before. I've heard lots of good things about the Gnaw range of handcrafted chocolate bars and I can't wait to try their Banoffee Pie flavour.

Figaro Banana In Chocolate: The packaging and concept looks a bit like the Czech chocolate bar, Banány v Cokolade that I've previously reviewed. This Banana in Chocolate bar is in fact from Slovakia and is made by Figaro, a chocolate brand established in 1906. The filling looks like it's a foamy marshmallow affair, and it will be interesting to see how this works will the banana flavour. 

Simply Swiss Milk Chocolate: A milk chocolate bar produced in Switzerland with added ground hazelnuts and caramelised macadamia nuts. These bars can often be found in discount stores but they look very similar to premium ranges of Swiss chocolates. The addition of ground hazelnuts into the chocolate itself adds a delicious background flavour. There are plenty of caramelised macadamia nuts throughout the chocolate that provide a buttery sweet crunch. I'm sorry I didn't manage to get any photos of the chocolate itself because someone *cough* MR GROCERY GEMS *cough* practically ate the whole thing in one sitting. 

E. Wedel Karmel Love - Caramel with Salted Peanuts: This is such a gorgeous chocolate bar -  it's seriously good! It can be found in Polish grocery shops and consists of a caramel flavoured white chocolate with added salted peanuts. 

The caramel chocolate base is extremely sweet and by itself would probably be too sweet for me. However, the salted peanuts add just enough salty and nutty flavour to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate. It's such an unusual combination of caramel and salted peanuts, but it works so well and is just so tasty. This is a chocolate that is well worth trying to track down.

Lidl Deluxe Cappuccino White Chocolate: Another interesting looking bar is this Deluxe Cappuccino White Chocolate which is available at Lidl. It's unusual to find white chocolate and coffee combinations. I have to admit I don't often take time to look too closely at the chocolates in Lidl, I'm often just rushing through for basic groceries rather than treats, but there are plenty of hidden gems to be found there!

Prince Polo XXL Karmelowe: A new limited edition flavour for the Prince Polo range of wafers from Poland. This massive bar is a combination of wafers, milk chocolate and caramel. Another great find from @BanjoChocolate! Look out for my review coming soon.

Many thanks again to @BanjoChocolate for sending me such a gorgeous selection of chocolate bars - all of which were new to me. I've really enjoyed the two I've tried so far and I'm looking forward to trying each of the others!

Please don't forget to check out the Facebook page for Bring Back Banjo Chocolate and sign the petition here too! Thank you :)

Review: Walker's Yummy Banana Toffee

This Yummy Banana Toffee by Walker's was sent to me recently by @Banjo_Chocolate, who always seems to find the most wonderfully different snacks! I love anything banana flavoured so this is right up my street :) If this is the first time that you're reading one of my posts from Banjo Chocolate then please take a few seconds to take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition here. It's a campaign to get Mars to bring the much missed Banjo chocolate bar back in production - quite a few brands from the 80s have been resurrected so it can be done!

The first thing I noticed about this Walker's toffee was that it's quite an odd shape. I appreciate that it's segmented but it's a very hard toffee so it's not as if the pieces can be snapped off. There is only one way to approach a hard toffee slab, even a small one like this, and that's with a hammer... or in my case a heavy book. 

Smashy! Seriously though, the banana flavour in this toffee is simply wonderful, it's similar to the flavour in a banana milkshake. I love this banana flavour here combined with the creaminess of the toffee, the classic flavours work together really well to create a super sweet treat. Now, if only they could put this flavour combination in a softer caramel or fudge - that would be heaven.

Thank you again to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me these chocolate bars. Please don't forget to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition here!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Walker's Yummy Banana Toffee

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Check out your local sweet shops.

A few more East European snacks - Tiramisu Cream Biscuits & Deli Raspberry Chocolate

Some more of the delicious Polish snacks which were recently sent to me by @Banjo_Chocolate. These are all available in the UK, check out your the World Foods section of your favourite supermarket, discount stores, or local grocery shops.

Also it would be great if you could check out the Facebook page for Bring Back Banjo Chocolate here and sign the petition here! All support for @Banjo_Chocolate's campaign is much appreciated, thank you :)

Firstly are the Tago Kardynalki with Tiramisu Cream from Poland. Apologies for the crumbly photo, as these biscuits actually have a very pleasant appearance. The chocolate on top has a distinctive logo and writing that gives it an appealing look. This thick milk chocolate is also simple but tasty, with a smooth flavour. The biscuit on the bottom has a slightly spiced and caramelised edge to it, a bit like a speculoos biscuit, whilst the inner tiramisu layer is creamy and has a mild coffee flavour. These don't have an alcoholic taste at all, but really do have a delicious flavour reminiscent of a tiramisu dessert.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Tago Kardynalki with Tiramisu Cream
RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.

The Deli Malinova (Raspberry) is made by Nestle for the Czech Republic and Slovakian markets under the Orion brand. I've tried an Orion bar before, the Banány V Cokolade (see my review HERE), which I did not like at all, so I didn't initially have very high hopes for this Orion Deli. However, I'm pleased to say I was wrong and found the Deli Malinova much more enjoyable.

This is a really unusual bar, it's a bit like a raspberry flavoured milky bar, with a similar type of soft nougat filling, except a bit chewier.The raspberry flavour here is tasty enough, quite candy-like but in a good way. There is a thin layer of caramel at the top of the nougat layer too, but it didn't really add anything in terms of flavour. I simply felt like I was eating a soft raspberry sweet that was covered in chocolate, sounds strange but somehow it worked! The whole bar is quite sweet, but moreish at the same time.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Orion Deli Raspberry
RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: I'd try more from the Orion range now!
Nutrition: 154 calories (35g bar).

Thanks again to @Banjo_Chocolate who has introduced me to so many lovely new products and brands!

Blood Orange & Mango Chocolate! Wedel Exotic Duet (Polish)

A massive thank you to the wonderful @Banjo_Chocolate who sent me some truly fabulous chocolates a few weeks back. I've so enjoyed trying everything she sent me, including these Oreo Peanut Butter wafers!. This chocolate bar from Polish chocolate makers, E. Wedel, immediately stood out to me in the package because of the interesting combination of flavours promised - blood orange & mango! It's hard enough to find a decent mango chocolate let alone such an intriguing prospect as this Exotic Duet bar. 

What's even better is that this bar was absolutely delicious - seriously you all need to visit a local Polish grocery store to track this one down. The filling is a fruity cream layer topped with a jam/jelly layer. Most of the flavour came from the jam layer, which has a distinctive blood orange taste but with a tropical twist. The orange is definitely the stronger flavour over the mango but the two still work together to create a very unique experience. I love the fact that these are not overly sweet, unlike a lot of fruit centred chocolates these days (Quality Street ones especially!). In fact I didn't get any kind of throat burning sugary overload from this, even though I ate quite a few pieces in one go! The fruit flavours have enough tanginess to keep them from being too sweet, and the milk chocolate is not overly sugary either - I'm sure this is how all soft centred fruit chocolates used to taste! 

Thank you once again to my fellow snack friend, the lovely @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me this delicious Wedel chocolate bar. Please take a few seconds to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition here! All support is greatly appreciated :)

Review: Oreo Peanut Butter Wafers (China)

Many thanks to the wonderful @Banjo_Chocolate, who recently sent me a brilliant selection of hard to find chocolates and snacks. She's simply the best at awesome finds! Take these Oreo wafers from China for example. They're such an unusual product, which I've never seen before, but it's exactly the type of product I would snap up if I did spot it! It was also featured on the recent Choc It Out youtube video of best foreign chocolate bars of 2013 (linky). 

There are some really unique products under the Oreo brand in China. Check out this fab round up on Kotaku here.

This peanut butter Oreo wafer is very crumbly in texture (making it quite messy to eat!), with a creamy peanut filling between two wafers. The wafer has that same sweet chocolately flavour as the more famous Oreo cookie, but just in a lighter wafer format. The peanut butter filling consists of a fairly thin layer, but it still manages to pack a punch in flavour. As soon as I unwrapped the wafer the peanut scent was immediately evident. It adds a lovely sweet, and slightly salty, flavour to the wafers. Definitely worth a try if you can track one down!

Please don't forget that @Banjo_Chocolate is running a campaign to get Mars to Bring Back the Banjo chocolate bar. Public support has worked for other discontinued products in the past, including Funny Feet Ice Cream which were re-released recently, so every bit of support is very much appreciated! 

Take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page here and sign the petition here! Thank you :)

Review: Glico Pejoy Red Wine & Chocolate

These curious sounding Pejoy Red Wine & Chocolate sticks were sent to me last month by the lovely @Banjo_Chocolate, alongside a selection of Polish chocolates (see review here). @Banjo_Chocolate is running a campaign to get Mars to re-release the much missed Banjo chocolate bar - please take a look at the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition here!

Even though I'm not usually one for liquor or alcohol themed chocolates, I am still a big fan of these types of biscuit sticks, so I was keen to give this Red Wine & Chocolate flavour a try. I hadn't realised until I got these, that they're the first Glico Pejoy sticks I've had (although I've tried plenty of Glico Pocky ones!). The main difference between Pejoy and Pocky is that Pocky sticks have their flavoured cream or chocolate on the outside, whilst Pejoy contain this flavouring within the tube of the stick itself.

The Pejoy sticks look quite different to the Pocky ones, and not quite as appetising - they look a bit like dry twigs! The scent is immediately of a very strong red wine, with not much coming from the chocolate. The flavour is also of a full on red wine but with a really sweet edge from the fruity grape flavour, and an added creaminess in there too. The outer biscuits gives these a lovely crunch, and even though it's a strange sensation at first to have the flavour of red wine in a crunchy stick, the flavours do compliment each other. I couldn't eat too many of these in one go but if you're a wine lover then these are definitely an interesting snack to keep an eye out for!

Thank you again to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me my first Glico Pejoy! Please don't forget to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition here!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Glico Pejoy Red Wine & Chocolate

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Maybe.
Purchased: Asiana Limited.

Around The World: Polish Chocolate Bars Round Up

This lovely selection of Polish chocolates bars was sent to me recently by @Banjo_Chocolate, who is extremely knowledgeable about many snacks, past and present. If the name Banjo chocolate sound familiar to you then please take a few seconds to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and sign the petition to get Mars to bring the much missed Banjo chocolate bar back in production!

This Limited Edition Szkolny released in September 2013, is made by one of the most well known Polish based chocolate companies, E. Wedel. Apparently the name Szkolny translates as "School" with this chocolate bar being described as an ideal snack for young people. The mix of milk chocolate with peanuts, orange candy bits and crispy pieces is certainly an unusual one.

The combination however, is ultimately very successful. The milk chocolate has a deliciously sweet orange flavour running throughout. This base of chocolate orange is joined by a scattering of orange pieces, which have a soft candy like texture and add lots of extra orange zestiness. There is a lovely crunch from the "crispy pieces", which I'm assuming are rice crispy pieces, they certainly have a similar texture. To finish there are lots of small peanut pieces, which at first don't seem to add much flavour, but they do  add a subtle nuttiness as the chocolate melts. Essentially this is a chocolate orange bar, with a crunchy texture and nutty undertones - delicious! 8 out of 10.

The Pierrot, also made by E.Wedel, is a real Polish classic. It's a simple combination of milk chocolate with a peanut praline and peanut pieces filling.

The milk chocolate (minimum 31% cocoa) has a sweet edge which works well with the peanut flavours within. The peanut itself is very well defined in terms of taste and is not just a vaguely nutty flavour. This is definitely a full flavoured peanut praline, and it creates a very moreish chocolate bar. 9 out of 10.

The lovely @Banjo_Chocolate knows that I'm slightly obsessed with coconut, and I couldn't wait to try this Prince Polo XXL, a coconut wafer bar. The reason for the XXL in the name is obviously because, at 52g, this is larger than the usual Prince Polo bars.

I loved the gorgeous light coloured wafer layers within, they look instantly appealing, with their snowy white appearance. The wafers are packed full of creamy coconut flavour, making this the most coconutty wafer I've tried yet! 8.5 out of 10.

Grocery Gems Verdict

RATING: See end of each individual reviews above.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Check out your local Polish or East European grocery shops.

Review: Amadeo Solo - Milk Chocolate with Banana Filling

This lovely looking Amadeo Solo chocolate bar, is made by Edbol in Poland, and was sent to me by @Banjo_Chocolate, who as usual knows my tastes very well! I'm always on the lookout for banana flavoured chocolate so this is exactly something I would buy if I ever saw it. I like the bright banana-yellow outer wrapping, although I'm not sure why there is also a musical theme going on!

The Amadeo Solo is a fairly standard shape for a 100g bar. The outer chocolate has a good flavour, it's very sweet and quite creamy, with a slightly strong aftertaste. The centre is made up of a banana flavoured, soft chocolate filling. Usually when I try banana flavoured chocolates I end up disappointed with the lack of banana flavour, however that is not the case here. The banana is definitely prevalent, with it's fruitiness providing the main flavour, despite the fact that there isn't any banana listed in the ingredients! I can only assume that there are some sort of flavourings added, although that is not listed either.

The filling is not completely smooth, and has a slight texture to it, due to the surprising addition of dessicated coconut. A banana & coconut chocolate bar is probably my all time dream bar, but in this Amadeo the coconut is there for texture only and provides no flavour. Overall, this was a tasty chocolate providing a much appreciated taste of that elusive banana and chocolate combination!

Thank you so much to @Banjo_Chocolate, who also sent me some other delicious looking treats - reviews of those coming soon. Please support the campaign to get the Banjo Chocolate bar back in production! Check out the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page and please add your name to the petition!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Solo Banana

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition: (100g) 537 calories.

Sedita Attack - Hazelnut Wafer bar

Another interesting chocolate wafer find from the fab @Banjo_Chocolate. Similar to the Sedita Lina (reviewed HERE), the Sedita Attack is also a wafer bar from Slovakia and comes in lots of different flavours including this Hazelnut. The yellow and black packaging might look more akin to a warning symbol but I like the commitment to the Attack theme with this bold look.

The wafer layers are lovely and light, with a a good crunchy quality. The chocolate covering and layers have a decent amount of hazelnut aroma and this continues through to the actual flavour. Chocolate and hazelnut is always a winning combination and that is certainly the case here too. An all round great snack for wafer fans.

Thank you so much to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me this Sedita Attack. Please like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page to get Mars to bring the Banjo back in production!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Sedita Attack - Hazelnut

RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: I'll definitely try to find some of their other flavours.
Purchased: Check out your local Polish or East European grocery shops.

Jack & Jill Magic Creams - Peanut Butter Cream

These Jack 'n' Jill Magic Creams might have a nursery rhyme sounding name, but they're not your average snack for kids. These are delicious little peanut butter filled crackers from the Phillipines. They were very kindly sent to me by @Banjo_Chocolate, and add a new country to my Around the World challenge.

Once I opened a pack I was genuinely surprised by their appearance. I was expecting these to be either a custard cream type biscuit, or a basic wafer, with a flavoured filling. Instead, these are triple stacked, thin layers of savoury cracker.

Each pack has three segments which are easy to snap off along the perforated lines. The actual crackers are very light and are quite similar in taste to a simple water cracker but with a more buttery edge. Inside there is layer of delicious peanut butter which has the perfect balance of sweet flavour and saltiness. Even though the layers are quite thin they still pack in lots of peanut butter flavour.

I have to admit I loved these Peanut Butter Creams. They're completely different to anything I've tried before. These usually come in packs of 10 individual portions and can be found in many Asian grocery stores.

Thank you once again to fellow snack fan, the lovely @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me these Jack & Jill Magic Peanut Butter Creams. Please take a few seconds to like the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page. All support is greatly appreciated :)

Grocery Gems Verdict: Jack & Jill Magic Creams

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Absolutely!
Nutrition: 150 calories per pack. 
Purchased: Available from many Chinese grocery shops.
Price: Usually around £1.50 for 10 packs.