New Instore: Butterkist Gingerbread Popcorn & Fox's Chocolatey Mousse Biscuit Bars

Thanks to Lucy W. for the photos!

Butterkist Limited Edition Gingerbread Popcorn: I've been looking for this in various supermarkets for a few weeks now and finally found it today in a discount store where everything costs £1. Lucy was able to get her pack for a far more bargainous price of 69p at B&M Bargains. I'll have a review soon.

Fox's Chocolatey Mousse Biscuit Bars: Lucy also sent me this photo of these new Fox's biscuits - the Fox's Chocolatey Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Mousse Biscuit Bars. Apparently they are also available in a lemon variety. If you've tried these then let me know what you thought in the comments below - thanks! Spotted at B&M Bargains.

Many thanks again to Lucy W. If you've spotted any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email grocerygems@gmail.com or tweet me @grocerygems.

Review: Kellogg's Star Wars & Frozen Multi-Grain Biscuits

The recent Star Wars and Frozen cereals have obviously been a hit with kids and film fans alike, with September seeing the launch of another Disney themed product from Kellogg's. The new Kellogg's Frozen and Star Wars Multi-Grain Biscuits feature fun Disney designs and are high in fibre with no artificial colours, flavouring or preservatives.

Each box contains 6 individually sealed packets of 4 biscuits. The Star Wars Multi-Grain Biscuits are chocolate flavoured biscuits with added chocolate pieces.

The Kellogg's Star Wars Biscuits all feature either a TIE Fighter or X-Wing design (totally didn't need to look that up on google...). The flavour here was not the simple chocolate and oaty combination that I was expecting. The chocolate has more of a cocoa flavour that is quite milky. It's hard to describe but my son said it was like a creamy hot chocolate in a biscuit. The cereal base is not too sweet and the added chocolate pieces provide an extra pop of chocolatey flavour.

The Kellogg's Frozen Multi-Grain Biscuits are described as cereal and milk flavoured. The designs featured are Olaf the snowman and Sven the reindeer which are both really cute. The flavour here is sweeter than the chocolate version, with a lovely vanilla aroma and taste, against a wheaty and oaty background. This was my kids' favourite of the two biscuits, although I wasn't surprised as they usually favour vanilla flavour over chocolate.

I love how the boxes have images on both sides and can be displayed either way. The Star Wars boxes have Darth Vader/Yoda sides, whilst the Frozen boxes have Elsa & Anna/Olaf sides. I'm sure these Multi-Grain biscuits will be very popular with fans young and old, especially with the upcoming release of the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, in December.

Grocery Gems Review: Kellogg's Star Wars Cereal

RATING: 8 out of 10,
Buy them again?: Yes - especially the Frozen biscuits.
Nutrition:  96 calories (per 2 biscuits).

Vegetarian: Yes.
Purchased: Available at most supermarkets.
Price: RRP - £2.49p (box of six packs x 4 biscuits).

Check out my previous reviews:

Kellogg's Disney Frozen Cereal Review

Kellogg's Star Wars Cereal Review

PR Samples.

Review: Belvita Soft Bakes - Golden Grain & Red Berries

Belvita Soft Bakes are the newest addition to the popular Belvita range. As the name would suggest, the Belvita Soft Bakes, have a softer texture than traditional breakfast biscuits. Each Soft Bake is made with 5 wholegrains and provides a source of fibre. They're available in three flavours; Chocolate Chip, Golden Grain or Red Berries. 

Each box has five large soft bakes which are all individually foil-wrapped. 

Belvita Soft Bakes Red Berries: This one looks great, with plenty of visible berries and a lovely fruity aroma. The texture is soft, but not crumbly at all, it's more of a chewy softness. There is also an added texture from the inclusion of puffed cereal pieces and the chewier dried fruit. I really loved the fruity flavour here, which is mainly of a gorgeously sweet raspberry. 

Belvita Soft Bakes Golden Grains: The rest of the Grocery Gems household (who are not really fans of dried fruits) preferred the less sweet oaty flavour of the Golden Grains variety. I thought these had quite a strange texture at first. Without the added fruit pieces of the first variety, the crispy, yet chewy, cereal pieces in this Soft Bake seemed to be more prominent. It would have been better if these pieces were crunchier as the chewiness slightly spoils the overall soft texture somewhat. I was hoping the flavour might be similar to an oat flapjack, but since these don't contain any golden syrup they're not as sweet or buttery as a flapjack. The texture is also much lighter than a flapjack, but each Belvita Soft Bake is still very filling for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. 

Grocery Gems Review: Belvita Soft Bakes

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes - especially the Red Berries variety.
Nutrition:  Golden Grains - 193 calories; Red Berries - 191 calories.
Purchased: Available at Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tesco. The Chocolate Chip variety is available exclusively at Tesco until Jan 2016.

Price: RRP - £2.79p .

PR Samples.

Arden & Amici Almond & Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

It's the semi-final of The Great British Bake Off tonight and way back at the start, in week two, the bakers were asked to make traditional biscotti. These delicious, twice baked Italian biscuits have a crunchy texture that is perfect with a good cup of coffee. Arden & Amici has long been my favourite brand for Italian baked goodies and their Almond and Chocolate Chunk Biscotti especially is always a popular treat. 

Inside the box there are six individual biscotti. Each Almond & Chocolate Chunk Biscotti is quite large, the perfect size in fact for dunking in a cup of coffee! 

There are large almond slivers and chocolate chunks visible throughout each biscotti. They have quite a hard texture and feel but don't be deceived into thinking they will be too dry or hard. I tried a bite of the biscotti without dunking it into coffee and it was slightly crumbly with a lovely crunch from the almonds. The chocolate chunks are also full of flavour and delicious, whilst the biscotti itself has a subtle citrus flavour throughout.

However, it's once dunked in the coffee (I made my usual strong Nespresso), that the magic really happens. The biscotti obviously becomes softer but it still holds it's shape and there's no danger of breakage. The coffee really tastes delicious with the biscuit, it seems to bring out the citrusy notes and gorgeous chocolate and almond flavours. It's just a perfect pairing and a must try for any coffee fans!

For more information take a look at: www.ardenandamici.com

There's also a lovely new recipe this September for a sweet Biscotti Chocolate Salami:  

www.ardenandamici.com/recipes

Grocery Gems Review: Arden & Amici Almond & Chocolate Chunk Biscotti

RATING: 9 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes
Nutrition:  128 calories per biscuit (approx.)
Purchased: Available at Waitrose and Tesco.

PR Samples.

New Instore: Mini Summer Round Up

Just a very quick post to highlight some new products instore. I've been away for a few weeks but over the summer fellow new product fans have been getting in touch to send me photos. Here's a round up of what I've been missing!:  

Belvita Soft Bakes Red Berries: The latest breakfast biscuit from Belvita are these Soft Bakes which are available in three varieties: Red Berries, Chocolate Chip or Golden Grain. £2.79p per pack at Tesco.

Owl's Brew Coco-Lada: Lucy W. picked up this American Owl's Brew tea crafted for cocktails from Marks & Spencer food hall. The flavour combination sounds amazing - it's a blend of black tea, coconut, chai spices and pineapple. Lucy says it's definitely one she would buy again.

Müller Corner Caribbean Dream Limited Edition: This looks very similar to the Müller Corner Hawaiian Dream yogurt but it's actually slightly different. It's a smooth coconut yogurt with a side portion of coconut clusters coated in milk chocolate. Actually Lucy sent me this photo last month but it still seems to be available so I thought I would include it here! £0.68p at Morrisons. 

Oreo Peanut Butter & Golden Oreo: Nathan S. sent me this photo of the new UK release of Peanut Butter flavoured Oreo and Golden Oreo which were released last month. Thanks to Kirk N. who emailed me about these too - it seems from the packaging that they're actually made in Spain. I still haven't tried these yet! £0.54p at Morrisons.

Thorntons Chocolate Caramel Wafer Rolls: Thorntons have extended their range to include biscuits. There are quite a few varieties available: Thorntons Wafer Rolls in either Chocolate Caramel or Double Chocolate flavours; Thorntons Melts in either Mint Chocolate or Double Chocolate flavours; and Thorntons Caramel Squares Biscuits. Let me know if you've tried these! £1.80p a pack in Asda.

Cadbury Heroes new pack: Thank you to Luci J. for also sending me this photo of a new smaller pack size for Cadbury Heroes at 185g (shown next to the 323g size in the photo).

Tesco Finest Scones: In Red Berry or Triple Chocolate flavours - these look delish! Thanks to Richard W. for the photo via Twitter. £1.00p at Tesco for a pack of two.

Milkybar Mousse: Lastly this new Milkybar Mousse which is different to the smooth custard style Milkybar Dessert. Hazel K. sent me the photo above and described the Milkybar Mousse as being creamy, delightful and low in calories so it's a win, win. 

Many thanks again to Lucy, Nathan, Luci, Hazel K. and Richard W. for the photos. If you've spotted any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email grocerygems@gmail.com or tweet me @grocerygems.

Review: McVitie's Breakfast Oaty Breaks

A quick review for the new breakfast biscuits from McVitie's - Breakfast Oaty Breaks. They're available in Porridge Oats & Golden Syrup or Porridge Oats, Raisin and Cinnamon flavours. 

Each box has six individually sealed packs with two attached biscuits. The biscuits are made with oats and golden syrup with added vitamins and iron.

They have quite a knobbly, oaty appearance that is not too dissimilar to Hobnob biscuits, but just in a rectangular shape. The flavour is very similar too, and they also reminded me of plain flapjacks with their simple oats and golden syrup combination. The texture however is nicely crunchy and holds it's shape without being too crumbly. They're basically a crunchy version of an oat flapjack!

Grocery Gems Review: McVitie's Breakfast Oaty Breaks

GROCERY GEMS RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: I'd try the other flavour.
Nutrition: 190 calories per pack.
Purchased: Sainsbury's.

Price: £1.50p (medium size).

Review: Cadbury Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch

The Cadbury Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch is the latest addition to the Dairy Milk biscuit range which already includes the Dairy Milk Lu and Dairy Milk Ritz bars. It's a welcome idea, combining Dairy Milk chocoalte, biscuit, and oats to create an appealing snack.

Each bar has 150 calories and is made up of two easily breakable oat crunch biscuits. Cadbury describes the Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch as a wholesome new bar that makes the ideal mid morning snack, providing a boost to take you straight through to lunchtime. 

The flavour of the biscuit here is actually quite simple, with a golden oaty flavour that is not too sweet. It's a nice oaty base for the thick layer of delicious Dairy Milk chocolate that lies in between two layers of biscuit. It's interesting that the Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch is being pitched as a mid morning snack, and it's definitely more of a biscuit than a chocolate bar, so I wouldn't feel guilty about eating this earlier in the day as a treat. It provides a lovely chocolate hit without all the calories of a chocolate bar. 

Compared to the other biscuits in the range, the Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch is not as sweet as the LU version or have the salty edge of the Ritz variety - it's more of a breakfast biscuit type of flavour but still with the sweetness of Dairy Milk chocolate. It also has less calories than the other two varieties which makes it a very welcome alternative as a chocolatey treat.

If you've tried the new Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch then I'd love to hear from you in the comments below - thanks!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury Dairy Milk Oat & Crunch

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Available nationwide from March 2015.
Nutrition per 35g: 150 calories.
Price: £0.58p each or three bar multipacks for £1.49p RRP. 

PR Samples - products sent for an honest review. 

New Instore: Ben & Jerry's Speculoos Ice Cream, Easter Cakes & More!

A round up of new products spotted instore - let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these!

Ben & Jerry's Speculoos? Specu-love Cookie Core: Any regular readers will know how much I love Speculoos as a flavour. I'm barely over the excitement of the Krispy Kreme Biscoff doughnut and along comes another awesome speculoos biscuit inspired product. There are two other new varieties available in this Cookie Core range; What-a-Lotta Chocolate Cookie Core and Utter Peanut Butter Clutter Cookie Core. I'm sure I'll try those last two eventually but look out for my review of the Speculoos variety soon! £3.00p at Sainsbury's.

Limited Edition Fab Tropical: I didn't get the best picture of the box - it shows lots of tropical fruits along the bottom. I'm a fan of the Fab range, especially during the summer, as it's a relatively low calorie choice for an ice cream/lolly and I'm looking forward to trying this new Tropical variety.  Review coming soon! £2.00p at Sainsbury's.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Ice Creams: For some reason I'm not that excited about these ice creams from Cadbury, and I wasn't really tempted to buy them at £4.00p a tub. The flavours above are; Zingy Raspberry Choc Brownie and Jelly Popping Candy. The first one doesn't sound too bad but I think I'll pass on the second one. £4.00p each at Sainsbury's.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Ice Creams: There was also this yellow tub which is a bizarre Salted Caramel & Sour Cherry concoction. I was disappointed that this wasn't a banana ice cream instead! If you try any of these varieties then I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. £4.00p at Sainsbury's.

Magnum Pink Raspberry: I've posted about the new Magnum Pink and Magnum Black before. I had heard that they were available at Tesco but I haven't been able to find them in a Tesco near me. I finally spotted them today in Sainsbury's at £3.40p.

Magnum Mini Pink & Black: I was hoping that the new Magnum Pink & Black would be available as Mini version but I didn't expect to find them both in a Multipack too. I much prefer the mini sized Magnums, as I find the large ones a bit too much to eat in one go, but the smaller sizes are perfect. I picked up a pack of these too - my freezer is now well stocked with ice creams! £2.00p at Sainsbury's.

Walls After School Family Favourites: Not new, but an interesting new rebranding as "after school" snacks for this selection of classic Walls ice creams. £3.00p at Sainsbury's.

Walls Push Up with Haribo Gold Bears; I think these have been available individually in freezer cabinets and from ice cream vans but I don't remember seeing them for sale in a multipack before. I wonder if they are replacing the Walls Haribo Dino Candy Ice Lollies? £2.50p at Sainsbury's.

Walker's Limited Edition Linda's Chicken & Chorizo: I can't find any information about these but they don't seem to be part of any new Walker's flavour competition. I tried these today and they're very tasty with a distinctive smoky chorizo flavour, I'll have a full review soon. £1.50 at Sainsbury's.

Bahlsen Choco Leibniz White: These are white chocolate covered cocoa biscuits. I've tried the Choco Liebniz Milk Chocolate and Caramel varieties before but never this White chocolate version. I picked up a pack while they're on special offer. £1.00p at Sainsbury's.

McVities Marie Biscuits: I was quite surprised to see McVities branded Marie biscuits in the UK. Marie Biscuits (also known as Maria in Spain/Portugal) are the European version of Rich  Tea biscuits. They have a slightly different taste and I always used to pick up a few packs on holiday. At least McVities didn't release their Finger Marie version here in the UK! £1.20 at Sainsbury's.

Mr Kipling Lemon Fancies: Once again there are lots of lemon and orange flavoured cakes for Easter. I'll refer you my post last year "New Instore: Easter Cakes" as I spotted most of the same products - just with different packaging. Also back are the Mr. Kipling Lemon Whirls and Mr Kipling St. Clements Slices. £1.00p at Sainsbury's.

Shape Pineapple & Coconut Special Edition: A tropical inspired 0% fat yogurt with 63 calories per pot. £1.00p at Sainsbury's. 

Müller Light Inspired by Barbados Piña Coloda: This is quite similar to the Müller Light Inspired by Bali yogurt from last year, except with added Rum flavour! £0.70p each at Sainsbury's.

Lidl Jolly Choc Spreads: I'm not sure if these are exactly new but it's certainly the first time I've seen them. These are chocolate spreads with added chocolate drops - basically mini Smarties - in either Chocolate Spread or Milk Spread. They're available this week as part of the Lidl "Taste of the USA" promotion. £1.29 at Lidl. £0.99p each at Lidl.

Don't forget if you spot any new products in store please let me know via email - grocerygems@gmail.com. Thank you!

New Starbucks Oats and Nutella Cookie & Create Your Own Nutella Coffee!

Starbucks recently launched a Nutella Cookie just ahead of Nutella Day a few weeks ago. It's described as a chewy and perfectly balanced oat cookie, delicately spiced with cinnamon and filled with a generous dollop of smooth, delicious Nutella chocolate & hazelnut spread.

Excitingly, the press release also included a recipe for how to create your own Nutella Coffee at Starbucks! If you've heard of the "secret Starbucks menu", then you'll know that there are plenty of drinks to order that aren't available on the standard menu. Keep reading below for exactly what to ask for in Starbucks to create a Nutella inspired coffee!

I couldn't wait to try out the new Oats & Nutella Cookie for myself and I was pleased to find just how generously sized the cookie is, and also how much Nutella filling there is inside! The outer oat cookie itself is absolutely delicious, it reminds me of a home baked cinnamon oat cookie, with a slightly soft and chewy texture. The inner Nutella filling is essentially a thick amount of chocolate hazelnut goodness within the cookie, and it adds an extra indulgence to the traditional oaty base. It's a winning combination especially when paired with a lovely hot drink too. 

The photo above is actually of the new Starbucks Triple Hot Chocolate, which I couldn't help trying out at the same time (especially as the Junior Grocery Gems members were with me). For myself, I ordered a stronger coffee, which I always prefer when I'm having a sweet treat too.

Next time I'll definitely be taking the instructions below to my nearest Starbucks and asking the barista to make a Nutella coffee!

How to create your very own Nutella coffee at Starbucks:

With 80,000 different flavours to personalise your Starbucks, why not try a Nutella coffee on your next visit? Simply pop into your nearest store and ask for the following:

·        Tall Cafe Misto (filter coffee with plenty of hot milk)

·        Add Mocha Syrup (1/2 pump tall)

·        Add Hazelnut Syrup (1/2 pump tall)

·        Add a few drops of caramel drizzle

·        Sit back and enjoy!

Let me know if you've enjoyed the new Starbucks Oats and Nutella Cookie or if you try out the Nutella inspired coffee above!

Grocery Gems Review: Starbucks Oats & Nutella Cookie

RATING: 9 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Starbucks.
Price: £1.89p (instore) or £1.59p (take away).

I received a voucher to try the Starbucks Oats & Nutella Cookie for an honest review.

Review: Tesco Red Velvet Cookies

Another new addition to the Tesco bakery range. These Red Velvet Cookies with a white chocolate filling are a similar concept the the Tesco Melting Snowman Cookies which were available in the run up to Christmas. I've always been a fan of red velvet cakes and it's often our first choice of cake for family birthdays (like this Tesco Finest Red Velvet Cake), so I was interested to review this cookie version.

The Tesco Red Velvet Cookies have a reddish brown colour with a scattering of small white chocolate chips. The centre of each cookie contains a soft white chocolate filling.

The cookies have the same soft and chewy texture as any of the other fresh bakery cookies at Tesco. The overall flavour is similar to the previous Tesco Melting Snowman Cookies, especially in the creamy white chocolate centre, although the outer cookie itself is slightly less sweet. They don't really taste like red velvet cake, perhaps a cream cheese flavoured filling would have recreated more of a red velvet flavour, but they're still tasty cookies nonetheless. Unlike the Tesco Lemonade & Cola Doughnuts, the Red Velvet Cookies all disappeared fairly quickly!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Tesco Red Velvet Cookies

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.00p.