Kit Kat Vegan Review

A quick review of the new Kit Kat Vegan which has hit the shelves this week in Sainsbury's. I managed to find a stand full of them in a smaller Sainsbury's Local store after having no luck in the larger stores near me.

Kit Kat has always been one of my favourite chocolate bars and as a kid I would annoy everyone around me by nibbling all the chocolate off the edges first before eating the wafer layers. Thankfully I've outgrown that! 

I had high hopes for the Kit Kat Vegan and it mostly delivered a very similar flavour to the original Kit Kat - even my kids found it hard to tell the difference. The vegan chocolate is well done and what it lacks in milky flavour it makes up for in sweetness. I was worried that it would taste like a dark chocolate Kit Kat but the sweet chocolate here is not bitter at all. I do wish the chocolate had a creamier flavour but understandably that is quite hard to acheive in a vegan chocolate.

Overall this is a successful vegan alternative of a classic chocolate bar and that's great news for anyone following a dairy free or vegan diet.

Grocery Gems Review: Kit Kat Vegan Review

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy it again?: Yes.
Purchased: Sainsbury's, £1.00p each.

News: Ruby Kit Kat Pink Chocolate to be released in UK!

Image: Kit Kat

A quick post with some exciting news that I just had to share - Nestlé UK is going to release their gorgeous looking Ruby Cocoa Beans Kit Kat bar in the UK next week! 

'Pink Chocolate' was first developed by chocolatier Barry Callebaut amidst claims that it was the first natural variety of chocolate since white chocolate was created. Apparently a unique way of processing the cocoa beans creates the distinct colour and an intense berry-like flavour.

This ruby chocolate Kit Kat collaboration was first unveiled in Japan and Korea but thankfully the UK will be the first country outside of that market to try the ruby treat. It's available from next week - Monday 16 April at Tesco. Who's excited? I know I am!

Review: Kit Kat Chocolatory Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée with Madagascan Vanilla Seeds

A Kit Kat Chocolatory opened up in London this week at Westfield Stratford. It's only there for 5 weeks but luckily Westfield is fairly local to me and I was able to pop in. I've only ever heard of Kit Kat Chocolatory stores existing in Japan so I was very excited to see this pop up store. 

The concept is simple - create your own unique Kit Kat, from the chocolate coating to the toppings, or buy one of the ready made new flavours. The limited edition creations are; a Chilli & Mint, a Black Forest Gâteau, a Sticky Toffee Popcorn, Almond & Salted Caramel Brittle or the Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée with Madagascan Vanilla Seeds.

I decided to go for a couple of the limited edition flavours  rather than making my own - I just couldn't resist them. Creating a bar is more of an 'experience' so I'll save that for when I'm with my husband and kids.  

The Kit Kat Chocolatory Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée with Madagascan Vanilla Seeds is a four-finger, white chocolate Kit Kat. I have to admit it didn't look too impressive when I took it out of the box - there's just a hard caramel brittle that's been stuck to the top and on the bottom. Thankfully the flavour was spot on. The white chocolate especially was delicious, with a gorgeous vanilla flavour from the visible flecks of vanilla. The added salted caramel is extremely sugary and creamy at first but ends with a complimentary hint of saltiness. The whole thing is actually much tastier than it looks, although it's a bit too sweet overall! 

I also bought the Kit Kat Chocolatory Sticky Toffee Popcorn, Almond & Salted Caramel Brittle which is a milk chocolate Kit Kat. It looks more impressive in the box (above) so I have high hopes for this one - review coming soon!

Prices are £3.50p for the special editions or £7.00p for the bespoke bars.

Review: Limited Edition Kit Kat Toffee Treat

It's great to see a new Kit Kat flavour in the UK that isn't for their Chunky range. I much prefer the regular four-finger variety and I was excited to spot this new Limited Edition Toffee Treat Kit Kat. At first I though this might be just a larger version of the Toffee Treat 2 finger variety that came out last year (available at Tesco in multipacks - see a review here), which was half toffee and half chocolate, but as you can see from my photos this Limited Edition appears to be a bit different.

Once I opened up the Toffee Treat I was greeeted with a toffee flavoured white chocolate covered Kit Kat. On the packaging the chocolate is actually described as "a blend of toffee flavour white (53%) and milk (13%) chocolates". It looks so appealing and completely different from any Kit Kat I've reviewed before. It reminds me a little of some of the awesome Kit Kat flavours from Japan.

The toffee chocolate itself is very creamy and sweet. It has a subtle caramelised sugar edge that gives it a smooth caramel like flavour. It reminds me a bit of the sugary sweet Caramac bars with their caramel flavoured chocolate (although I haven't had one of those for years so I may be wrong!), which might be a plus point for anyone who misses the Kit Kat Caramac bar of a few years ago. The whole thing, whilst very enjoyable, is extemely sweet, almost a little throat burningly so. Luckily I was sharing this bar, so I could really enjoy the few pieces I ate. I recommend having a strong cup of coffee to hand when eating one to counteract the sugariness!

Have you tried the Kit Kat Toffee Treat? I'd love to know what you thought of it in the comments below.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Limited Edition Kit Kat Toffee Treat

RATING: 8 out of 10 - sugary sweet but still awesome.
Buy them again?: Yes (already have!).
Purchased: Local newsagent.
Price: £0.70p.

Oishi Fun - Japanese Candy & Snack Box

Oishi Fun is a surprise subscription based candy & snack box, that ships direct from Tokyo, Japan. Each month Oishi Fun send out a box crammed full of different treats and goodies, often with limited edition and seasonal products included too. The boxes cost $25 (around £15) and unlike some other subscription boxes, you don't need to sign up for a set number of months - the subscription can be cancelled at any time. More details: http://www.oishifun.com

It was exciting to be asked to review the October Oishi Fun box, and once it arrived, I was staggered by just how many items were crammed into the medium sized box (it was like the Tardis in there!), including some awesome Halloween and kawaii items. There were plenty of full sized products along with lots of individual sweets and snacks. I've already decided to sign up for a few more boxes because the selection was just amazing and I can't resist the lure of these limited edition items. Check out the photos below for all the items. A little warning here - there are a LOT of photos!

Lotte Koala Halloween Pack: I'm going to jump straight in with the seasonal items that I was delighted to find included in the box. Lotte Koala are little biscuits with a chocolate fillings. This limited Halloween pack is not just cute packaging as the little biscuits are also printed with Halloween images. I've been eyeing this up on Facebook recently so I was thrilled to find it in the Oishi Fun box. I'll have a review up soon!

Kit Kat Pumpkin Pudding Bake-able: These look like the same Pumpkin Pudding flavour that I reviewed last year HERE but this time they are also bake-able. Take a look at my review of these baked Kit Kat HERE and you'll get the idea! As such a limited and coveted item (these sold out really fast last year), I was very surprised to see them included in the Oishi Fun box! Having such limited edition items really puts the Oishi Fun box ahead of other subscription boxes in my opinion. 

Halloween Treat Bag: There were also more sweets and chocolates included in a little cello treat bag put together by the lovely people at Oishi Fun. I loved the Halloween cello bag used  here - it's so cute. 

Inside were even more Japanese treats. I couldn't quite believe just how many were in this little bag, and amazingly there was another Kit Kat Pumpkin Pudding in here! There were also two Halloween themed lollipops (these are so cute!), some Hello Kitty sweets, Banana Milk Caramel and other candies.

A very scary looking gum. Okay, so here's the spooky thing - this gum has gone missing. I know it was in the box earlier today, but when I went back to write this review... it's gone. I have a feeling I'll find it on top of my pillow one day. It's seriously creepy looking but perfect for Halloween. Once I find it I'll update with more details!

Calbee Jagarico Crunchy Potato Sticks: These crunchy Jagarico potato sticks are so tasty, they have a deliciously buttery and salty flavour.

Tirol Chocolate Mix 9 Pack: This is an adorable box of nine different chocolate each with a unique flavour, including; Strawberry Jelly, Hot Cake, Coffee Caramel and White Cookie Crunch. I was so surprised to find this is in a subscription box, it's just fantastic!

Glico Collon: These were also wrapped in a cello gift bag (which you can see in the top left corner of the above pic) - it was lovely to find these individually wrapped items in the Oishi Fun box. 

Baby Star Ramen Chips: These are a classic Japanese snack that have been around for many years. They're chicken flavoured dry ramen noodle chips - I'm looking forward to trying them.

Kanro Puré Fruit Gummy: I've been wanting to try this range for quite a while. There were two different flavours included in the box; Lemon and Grape. 

Umaibo Pizza and Umaibo Corn Potage: Umaibo snacks are really tasty corn snacks that come in lots of different flavours (see my previous review HERE).  I always make sure to include a few different varieties whenever I order from my favourite online Japanese stores. However, I've never tried the Corn Potage flavour before so I was pleased to find these in the Oishi Fun box.  

Riska Choco Snack: These are chocolate biscuits in a long tube shape. I haven't tried these yet but they look like a sweet version of the above Umaibo snacks! :)

Glico Watering Kiss Mint: This is an interestingly named gum! Going by the packaging this one is pear flavoured but if you know more about this product then feel free to leave a comment below!

Morinaga Milk Caramels & a Popcan Disney Lollipop: I've reviewed the Morinaga Milk Caramels before HERE - they're deliciously creamy, soft caramels. The lollipop is so cute because it's shaped with two ears like Mickey Mouse. It looks like something that would be quite expensive to buy.

Meiji The Chocolate: Two individually wrapped Meiji chocolates. 

Even more Japanese candy!: And these are the rest of the smaller candies that were in the box. There are several different jelly based sweets, mini chocolates from Lotte and Meiji, a Fujiya grand nut and just too many other sweets to mention. There are actually a few chocolates missing from the picture above which gives you an idea how much was in the box! 

There was even this cute little kawaii cat in the bottom of the box (I seriously don't know how Oishi Fun managed to fit everything in). This cuddly cat is actually a small bag as there is a long strap that unfolds from the back and it has a little pouch too. Just adorable!

Overall, I'm extremely impressed with all the items in the Oishi Fun box. Not only is it stuffed full of exciting products, but it also has the feel of a gift that has been packaged up and sent by a friend. This is not something I've come across with any other subscription box before and I really can't wait to see what goodies the next Oishi Fun box will include! On the basis of this October box, I think the Oishi Fun box would make a fantastic gift too. 

Subscription Box Details: Oishi Fun

Rating: 10 out of 10 - I'm signing up!

Price: $25.00 each month (just over £15).

Delivery:  Free shipping. Parcels are sent out on 15th of each month.

More details: http://www.oishifun.com/faq

New Kit Kat Chunky Double Caramel (UK)

There's a new Kit Kat Chunky in town - the Double Caramel! It's a really interesting chocolate bar that has two contrasting fillings; a smooth caramel side and a crunchy caramel pieces side. It reminds me of the Australian Kit Kat Chunky 3 range which also had each chunk with different filling (I reviewed the Cookies & Cream version HERE in the early days of my blog), and it's great to see a similar idea making it to the UK.

Crunchy caramel versus smooth caramel - it's such a great idea! 

Unlike most Kit Kat Chunky bars, the Double Caramel is made up of two large chunks, rather than three smaller ones.

The two different sides both have a generous amount of filling on top of the wafer, although the smooth caramel side is not as deeply filled. 

The crunchy caramel side consists of a sweet cream that is filled with very small crunchy pieces. These caramel bits reminded me of Daim pieces, with the same initial crunch followed by a slightly chewy texture. I really enjoyed the delicious combination of these caramel pieces within the smooth cream, alongside the classic element of a Kit Kat Chunky - simple wafers and thick outer milk chocolate. I'd quite like to eat a whole bar made up of just this crunchy caramel side! 

The smooth caramel side is a much more straightforward affair, consisting of a simple soft caramel layer. It's very different from the previous Kit Kat Chunky Caramel, from a few years back, which turned out to be more of a fudge than an actual caramel. The soft caramel layer in this new Kit Kat Chunky Double Caramel is much more appealing! The texture itself is a bit firmer than the caramel in something like a Wispa Gold, it's quite soft but not runny or too gooey. The flavour is good too, it's not rich and buttery like you might find in a more expensive chocolate bar, but it's comparable to most other mainstream caramels. It has a vague butterscotchy undertone to it that I liked. 

The whole thing is of course, VERY sweet. This Kit Kat Chunky Double Caramel is definitely one for the major sweet tooths out there! I don't buy Kit Kat Chunky's very often (unless they are new!) because I do find them too sugary for me, but I'm still impressed with this new release. I know it's not as interesting as some of the Kit Kat flavours from the past (or even the ones in Japan for that matter) but the dual format is a winning twist and one that I hope Kit Kat will use again in the future. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Kit Kat Chunky Double Caramel

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: I'm sure I will pick another one up at some point.
Nutrition (per ½ bar): 109 calories.
Purchased: Local Premier Stores newsagent
Price: £0.70p.

Hyper Japan 2014 & my mini haul!

This weekend I visited Hyper Japan for the second year in a row. I had a great time last year with my eldest son and this time my youngest wanted to come along too. Once again the Tofu Cute store (above) was one of the highlights for me, but we also enjoyed meeting the various characters around the event (Mario & Luigi for example), and trying out Shaved Ice for the first time!

Lots of Hello Kitty cuteness to be found - I was good and resisted buying anything Hello Kitty related.

There's always so much adorable stationary, including a vast array of stickers.

I'm not sure what the fascination is with poop shaped stationary though! There were poo erasers, sharpeners, pens, in lots of pastel colours...

My boys are both big Nintendo fans so unsurprisingly we spent a lot of time in the large gaming zones. They even got to play a game that was only recently announced for release - Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. It looked really good. I didn't take too many photos in the gaming area as it was always so busy and very crowded. The nearby Nintendo Store had loads of fun merchandise (above), all quite expensive though.

I wish I could have spent more looking at the beautiful kitchenware, unfortunately this was the closest I got! Maybe next time. 

We tried Shaved Ice for the first time and it was totally delicious and refreshing, perfect on a hot and humid afternoon. The ice is shaved so thin it's melts in the mouth instantly and the added fresh fruit and syrups were gorgeously flavoured. We also ate Chicken Katsu Curry and a chicken noodle dish from one of the food stalls, but I found this type of food to be very over priced and disappointing in taste. I had the same experience last year so maybe I'm just unlucky with the stalls I picked. 

And of course there was lots of cool Japanese candy and chocolate to look at. A new Snoopy Pocky!

I could spend days just looking at this stuff but here's what I bought in the end - my Hyper Japan mini haul:

There was lots of Pocky to choose from but in the end I went for this Berry Carnival flavour as it seemed the most unusual and is certainly one I've never seen before. I could have bought lots of different Kit Kat flavours but after lots of indecision I eventually chose this Raspberry flavour from their "adult sweetness" range. I was also very excited to finally get my hands on the Meiji Rich Banana 70% bar. This is one I've been wanting to try for ages and I can confirm it's extremely tasty!

I couldn't resist picking up a few sweets too. The Puccho Cola and Soda flavours are ones I've tried before but the Puccho Pyramid Blue Soda Candy Balls are new (top of the photo above). They have awesome triangular shaped packaging.

In the end I did buy a little bit of stationery too, there was just so much temptation. The syringe pens are filled with colourful liquid and are very odd I admit, but funny at the same time. I figured I can't have too many notepads and these mushroom ones are just so bright and fun. 

My Hyper Japan round up seems quite shopping obsessed but there were lots of other cool Japanese events that we enjoyed. There were wrestling fights, singers, dancers, karaoke, cosplayers everywhere, kawaii dress up, and lots more :)