Review: Müller Kids Corner Halloween Yogurt

I started writing a review for the latest limited edition Müller Kids Corner (a Christmas edition) and soon realised that I hadn't posted the Halloween version yet. So apologies for this out of date review! It's more for reference at this point, although I saw that these Halloween yogurts are still for sale in my local Tesco today.

As with the previous Müller Kids Corner limited editions, there is no new flavours here. It's the usual combination of white chocolate covered cereal pieces with a vanilla flavour yogurt. The only difference is the seasonal packaging and the shapes of the cereal pieces. 

I won't go into the flavours here as I've covered that in my previous Müller Kids Corner Yogurt reviews. The 'crunchy pumpkin' are really just round orange-coloured cereal balls. I was expecting them to be a bit more pumpkin shaped but the overall effect is still fun.

Check back later today for a review of the Müller Kids Corner Christmas limited edition!

Grocery Gems Review: Müller Kids Corner Halloween Yogurt

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 100g): 137 calories. 
Purchased: Tesco. 
Price: 2 for £3.00p (multipack of 4).

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: 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 :)

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.

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.

New Cadbury Crispello Vanilla Velvet

The Cadbury Crispello Double Choc was released to some fanfare last year (review here), as the first new counter chocolate from Cadbury for 15 years. Even though I enjoyed the Crispello, I have never purchased it again since that initial review. I was pleased to see this new Vanilla Velvet Crispello and decided to give the Crispello bar another try. I've already reviewed an almost identical version of this, the Milka Crispello Vanilla Cream (review here), which was quite disappointing, so I was curious to see how the Cadbury one would compare.

The Cadbury Crispello Vanilla Velvet comes in the same format as the previous Crispello bars. There are three individual milk chocolate covered pieces, each with 55 calories.

The inner filling consists of a vanilla cream surrounded by crispy wafer and covered in milk chocolate. Each chocolate is a decent size, with the deliciously familiar Cadbury chocolate scent. The wafer is light and crunchy and provides a lovely background to the vanilla centre. I was pleased to find that there was no horrible artificial vanilla flavour, as I found with the Milka Crispello. Instead, the vanilla centre has more of a creamy flavour with a subtle vanilla taste. The overall effect is not dissimilar to a Kinder Bueno, but without any of the nutty flavour of that bar.

Without a doubt this Vanilla Velvet is my favourite of the Crispello bars I have tried thus far. It might be a bit foolhardy of Cadbury to release a new chocolate in the middle of a heatwave, but I think this Crispello Vanilla Velvet will do extremely well regardless!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury Crispello Vanilla Velvet

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (each piece): 55 cals, 3.5g fat, 4g sugars.
Vegetarian: Suitable for Vegetarians.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £0.60p.

Around The World: Slovakia - Sedita Lina Milk Chocolate & Peanut Wafer

The lovely @Banjo_Chocolate has once again sent me a fab parcel filled with some great finds. This Lina milk chocolate and peanut wafer is a Slovakian import, adding another new country to my Around the World challenge. It's made by traditional biscuit and wafer brand Sedita who have a long history in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

There are quite a few different varieties of these Sedita Lina wafers, such as dark chocolate & peanut, hazelnut, and this milk chocolate and peanut. It's a simple wafer bar but a very tasty one! The inner wafer has a lovely crunchy texture and is layered with a milk chocolate flavoured cream. There is a generous sprinkling of chopped peanuts on top of the first wafer layer, which gives an added crunch and nutty flavour to the sweet milk chocolate.

Thank you so much to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me this delicious wafer, and the other bars too (reviews coming soon!). Please support the campaign to get the much missed Banjo Chocolate bar back in production - further details about the campaign are on the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Sedita Lina Milk Chocolate & Peanut Wafer

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: I'd try some of their other flavours. 
Purchased: Check out your local Polish or East European grocery shops.

Garden Peanut Wafers

I spotted these Cream Wafers in the World Foods section of my local Tesco - actually I spotted the Coconut version of them but then got distracted by the Peanut ones. After an eternity of trying to decide between the flavours (this seems to happen to me quite often!), I decided to go for something a bit different. These wafers are part of an extensive range made by Garden, one of the largest producers of biscuits and bakery products in Hong Kong.

Inside the pack I was greeted by a brick like slab of wafers, about three deep and eight across. At first I thought it was a shame that they weren't packaged into individually sealed portions - but in the end it wasn't a problem as these all disappeared VERY quickly. Not just on my part I hasten to add, these were popular with all members of the family!

They're quite simply flavoured but it just works very well. Layers of plain and slightly salty wafer are filled with a very thin layer of sweet peanut butter. Each wafer is 18% peanut butter which is in turn made of 100% pure peanuts. This simple combination turned out to be surprisingly moreish and lovely to eat during the hot weather over the weekend. The wafers are very light and slightly dry, so they taste great with a cold drink! I'll definitely be back for the Coconut variety :)

Grocery Gems Verdict: Garden Peanut Wafers

RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per serving of 2 wafers): 90 calories, 5g fat. 
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.50p.

Milka Nussini Cocos - White Choc & Coconut Wafer.

I purchased this Milka Nussini Cocos bar from Monster Sweets recently. I couldn't resist the lure of the white chocolate and coconut combination! It's also available in a Hazelnut version too (see here). These chocolate covered wafer bars are originally from Germany.

The appearance is fairly basic and very pale. The outer chocolate coating looks quite thin and there are lots of visible coconut flakes within it. I usually find white chocolate and coconut work very well together and that's happily the case in this Nussini Cocos. From the start it has a lovely sweet and creamy coconut scent.

This continues in the flavour of the thin covering of white chocolate, which is very tasty in it's own right, and provides the bar with a delicious background flavour of creamy vanilla. There is also lots of sweet coconut coming through in the chocolate and of course within the wafer layers themselves. The wafer is quite soft and crumbly, as it's completely flavoured and embedded with coconut. The wafer layers are not clearly defined between wafer and coconut cream, but rather seem to have slightly blended together into one. It's all very similar to the Polish Nestle Princesa Kokosoawa, another white chocolate and wafer bar, but I would say that I slightly prefered the Milka version, especially in regards to the delicious outer chocolate.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Milka Nussini Cocos

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes - the Hazelnut is on my hit list!
Purchased: Available at Monster Sweets.
Nutrition: 220 calories.
Price: £0.99p.

Review! Meito Puku Puku Tai Strawberry - Wafer & Chocolate

A fish might not seem the most obvious choice of shape for a strawberry flavoured wafer but this is actually based on a Taiyaki - a traditional Japanese fish shaped cake. Instead of the the traditional filling of red bean paste, these are filled with an aerated chocolate similar to Aero. I was sent the Meiko Puku Puku Tai to review by Oyatsu Cafe who also stock a milk chocolate version.

The large wafer is very detailed in it's unique fish design. Immediately there is the strong and appetising scent of strawberries - it's super sweet like a strawberry milkshake.

The inner chocolate filling is very airy to the point of being quite crumbly, but it looks so pretty against the outer pink wafer!

I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from the flavour, I thought it would just be an average strawberry wafer but I'm glad to say it was so much nicer than that. The inner chocolate is light with a lovely milky strawberry flavour. The wafer is also light but with a satisfying crunch. Together it makes for an extremely delicious, if a little on the sweet side, snack. The unusual fish shape adds an extra special touch too!

This product was very kindly sent to me by Oyatsu Cafe for review but all views are my own. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Meito Puku Puku Tai - Strawberry

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition: 89 calories.
Price: $1.99 (approx. £1.32).

Ferrero Hanuta Review - Chocolate Hazelnut Wafer

The Hanuta consists of a layer of hazelnut chocolate, sandwiched in between two crispy wafers. The name comes from the German word Haselnusstafel meaning hazelnut bar. This is a new addition to the range at online chocolate and candy specialists, Monster Sweets, and they kindly sent me it to review. Seeing as it's made by Ferrero, I can't help but see it as a larger, simpler, version of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate!

Inside the pack there are two squared wafer bars, each sitting in their own little gold foil packaging. The appearance reminds me of the fabulously named Knoppers Bar which I reviewed here.

The wafer layers are a lovely golden brown colour, there's no horrible cheap cardboard tasting wafer here. These are crispy, sweet and delicious. The inner hazelnut chocolate is quite dark in colour and tastes just like the rich chocolate centre of a Ferrero Rocher, whilst being much denser in texture. There are lots of hazelnut pieces in there too, giving it that classic chocolate and hazelnut combination that we all love so much here at Grocery Gems.

It's fair to say that Mr. Grocery Gems absolutely loved these Hanuta wafers. They were crunchy hazelnut chocolate perfection for him. So much so that he kept asking me if we had anymore even though he knew the answer was no - which is basically the universal code for "buy some more". At least I know what I'll be getting him for Father's Day now!

Overall, these are fantastic wafers that are definitely worth a try. I love that it's now easier to find these delicious German treats at reasonable prices in the UK. I reviewed another similarly flavoured bar from Ferrero called Duplo here, which is also available at Monster Sweets.

Monster Sweets kindly sent me this product for an honest review but all views expressed are my own. Check out Monster Sweets online to view their full range of US and European chocolates and sweets.  

Grocery Gems Verdict: Ferrerro Duplo Chocolate Bar

RATING: 9 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Available at Monster Sweets.
Price: £0.89p.

Meiji Uji Matcha Wafers Review

I was sent this intriguing looking box from online Japanese store Candysan. It's described on their website as simply "Uji Matcha", which refers to the green tea powder used. The actual snack is a green tea flavoured wafer with a creamy filling.

Inside the elegantly designed black and green box, there are eight pieces which are usefully wrapped in individual portions.

I loved this diagram on the back of the box so I just had to share it here!

The outer layer is made of a light wafer that is brightly coloured by the match green tea. Underneath that is a darker green layer which is where most of the green tea flavour resides. Unfortunately it's got quite a bitter edge to it that i didn't enjoy. Inside the wafer is a creamy filling that is quite solid and almost like a white chocolate. There are milky vanilla undertones that thankfully help to curb the bitter edge of the green tea. The whole combination is quite unusual, although still pleasant, but I would say it's one for fans of green tea only.

The Meiji Uji Matcha were very kindly sent to me by Candysan for review but all views are my own.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Meiji Uji Matcha

RATING: 6 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Only a maybe.
Nutrition (64g): 371 calories.
Price: ¥270 (approx. £1.73).

Polish Chocolate Bars: Jezyki Kokos & More!

A whole selection of Polish goodies for you today courtesy of @Banjo_Chocolate. There are two chocolate bars made by Goplana, the Jezyki Kokos and Grzeski, and also some miniature chocolates by E. Wedel.

Starting off with the Jezyki Kokos, which is a fabulous biscuit, caramel and coconut combination - exactly the type of bar that would catch my eye!

This is such a fantastic chocolate bar. It has a layer of biscuit in the centre that is surrounding by a soft caramel, crunchy rice pieces and lots of coconut flavour. The best way I can describe it is as a cross between a Twix and a Boost. The biscuit layer in the Jezyki is softer and crumblier than a Twix but the caramel is very similar. There's a nice added crunch from the rice crispy pieces in the chocolate and caramel and a decent amount of coconut flavour. This is the closest to a Coconut Boost that I'll ever try and it's one that I would definitely recommend!

The Grzeski is a wafer bar which comes in a variety of flavours. Usually they are completely covered in chocolate but this "Skrajnie Fajne" version features plain wafer on the largest sides.

The wafer layers are quite simply flavoured and not too sweet. The whole thing tastes quite light, with the dark chocolate adding a little hint of sweetness. As a plain wafer it's a pleasant enough snack. Grocery Gems Verdict: 6 out of 10.

Also a very quick review of the Pierrot and Batamutka chocolates made by E. Wedel in Poland.

The Pierrot was recommended to me as being similar to the Bajeczny, also made by E.Wedel, which I enjoyed when I reviewed it last month. It's very similar, with a praline filling and chopped peanuts. The praline filling is very smooth and has a lovely nutty flavour. Grocery Gems Verdict: 7.5 out of 10.

The Batamutka has a coconut cream flavoured centre. The texture is slightly dry and crumbly owing to small pieces of dessicated coconut. The flavour is very creamy with a nice sweet coconut edge to it. Grocery Gems Verdict: 7 out of 10.

Thank you so much to @Banjo_Chocolate, for sending me all these delicious Polish chocolates. Please support the campaign to get the much missed Banjo Chocolate bar back in production - further details about the campaign are on the Bring Back Banjo Chocolate Bar Facebook page.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Jezyki Kokos

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes - if you see it buy it!
Purchased: Check out your local Polish shops.
Nutrition: (30g) 140 calories.