New Cadbury Pots of Joy - Caramel Review

There are three varieties in the new Cadbury Pots of Joy range and I've already reviewed the White Chocolate Buttons and Dairy Milk (see below for links). Today it's the turn of the Caramel which is the only pot to feature two separate layers.

Each variety of Pots of Joy has it's own unique style of packaging and the Caramel is no exception with it's long time mascot, the Caramel Bunny, adorning the pots.

The Caramel Pots of Joy is described as a "smooth & creamy dessert made with melted Cadbury milk chocolate with a rich caramel layer".

If you've read my reviews of the other two varieties of these desserts then you'll probably know what I'm about to say now. This Pots of Joy is smooth. Super silky smooth in fact. The consistency is much thicker than a chocolate sauce, and this thickness means that the dessert easily holds it's own shape on the spoon. The top layer is essentially the same as the Dairy Milk variety, a lovely rich Cadbury milk chocolate. The caramel layer has the same amazingly smooth and indulgent texture. It has a delicious butterscotch brown sugar quality, that gives it a greater depth of flavour than a standard caramel. The overall combination is delicious and works together very well.

Without a doubt my favourite flavour from this range was the White Chocolate Buttons Pots of Joy. The lovely texture is matched by an equally fabulous flavour and I don't think there is any other white chocolate dessert like it. Let me know which one is your favourite in the comments below! :)

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury White Chocolate Buttons Pots of Joy

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Maybe.
Nutrition (per 70g): 150 calories. 1.8g protein,  19.0g carbohydrates, 7.7g fat.
Vegetarian: No - contain pork gelatin!
Purchased: Co-Op.
Price: £0.64p (on half price offer for 2 x 70g pots).

New Cadbury Pots of Joy - White Chocolate Buttons Review

Following on from my review earlier today of the Dairy Milk Pots of Joy is this White Chocolate Buttons variety. It's simply called "buttons" on the packaging but all the promotional material I've seen refers to it as the White chocolate Buttons so I'll go with that, for now!

The packaging has a fun look with it's wide eyed cartoon penguin, who you might recognise as the character featured on the little bags of Cadbury white chocolate buttons. The pots are described as a "smooth & creamy dessert made with melted Cadbury white chocolate and whipping cream for maximum smoothness".

Just like the Dairy Milk version, this dessert had a silky smooth texture that was absolutely gorgeous. It's different from any other similar chocolate dessert that I've tried before, it's just utter perfection texture wise. I'll say it again - it's smooooth.

The flavour here is just fantastic too. I must admit I was expecting a fairly average and very sweet white chocolate with perhaps some vanilla to it, but it's so much more than that. It's a deliciously indulgent white chocolate that has a rich caramel, rather than vanilla, undertone to it. The white chocolate is sweet without being overwhelmingly so, and it's very creamy without being too milky. The combination is just delicious and anyone who's a fan of white chocolate should try to track this down immediately.

There are three varieties in the Pots of Joy range; Dairy Milk, White Chocolate Buttons, and Caramel. I didn't think the Dairy Milk Pots of Joy was special enough to buy very often but I know that I won't be able to resist buying this White Chocolate Buttons variety again in the future. Look out for my review of the Caramel coming soon!

Note: I would have given these a much higher score based on taste, but unfortunately they contain pork gelatin which is a bit off putting.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury White Chocolate Buttons Pots of Joy

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes!
Nutrition (per 70g): 160 calories. 3.4g protein,  21.3g carbohydrates, 6.6g fat.
Vegetarian: No - contain pork gelatin!
Purchased: Co-Op.
Price: £0.64p (on half price offer for 2 x 70g pots).

New Cadbury Pots of Joy - Dairy Milk Review

This new range of Cadbury chilled desserts, Pots of Joy, are made with melted chocolate and whipping cream to create "maximum smoothness". There are three varieties in the range to choose from; Dairy Milk, Caramel, and White Chocolate Buttons. 

I bought all three varieties from Co-op where they're currently on an introductory half price offer - £0.64p for a twinpack. The pots are quite small at 70g each (for comparison an Activia yogurt pot is 125g). I like the simple packaging with it's distinctive Cadbury purple, however, I'm not totally sold on the name "Pots of Joy" (or on the whole "Joyville" theme in general). 

I decided to try the Dairy Milk Pots of Joy (nope, still not working for me) first. I was interested to see how these would differ from the Cadbury Mousse desserts that are already available (I reviewed the Mint version here). This new Dairy Milk dessert is wonderfully glossy and looks silky smooth. The whipped cream certainly gives the melted chocolate a lighter feel and flavour. But boy are these smooth. They really couldn't have made them any smoother and the result is absolutely delicious. The Dairy Milk flavour is just perfection here too, sweetly chocolately but not too cloying. 

Even though this Dairy Milk Pots of Joy was extremely tasty, I have to point out that I probably wouldn't buy them very often. The calorific content is very high for such a small pot. I'll stick to the mousse versions which have almost half the amount of calories. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury Dairy Milk Pots of Joy

RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Maybe.
Nutrition (per 70g): 160 calories. 4.2g protein,  25.6g carbohydrates, 11.7g fat.
Vegetarian: No - contain pork gelatin!
Purchased: Co-Op.
Price: £0.64p (for 2 x 70g pots).

New Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses Review (Crisps)

I must admit I'm quite partial to this kind of puffed corn snack, it makes a change from regular crisps and they tend to be quite light and less greasy in texture. These new Baked Hoops and Crosses from Walkers come in three different flavours; Roast Beef, Salt & Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail. Each bag has 85 calories, making them a slightly healthier option compared to other crisps. They're also made from wholegrains, have no artificial colours or preservatives and all three flavours are suitable for vegetarians.

The snacks themselves have a fun shape, although I'm not sure why they are called Hoops and Crosses rather than "noughts and crosses". It might be because there is already a snack called Noughts & Crosses  aimed at young children and toddlers, from the Organix Goodies range. The texture of these new Hoops and Crosses is very similar to other puffed corn snacks, with their light crunch followed with a quick melt in the mouth feel.

The Salt & Vinegar flavour is very tangy, with quite a sour kick from the vinegar. This will probably be a bit much for younger children, but older kids and adults will appreciate the full flavour. It's also worth noting that there seemed to be a generous portion of snack in each bag. It wasn't the usual half empty bag that I've come to expect from this type of snack.

The Roast Beef were the favourite of almost everyone who tried these snacks. It's a delicious flavour that is very similar to the Roast Beef from Monster Munch. It's just a good old fashioned meaty taste with no messing about with any seasonings apart from salt!

The Prawn Cocktail was my personal favourite of the three (I was the exception to all the above Roast Beef lovers in my household!), as they just had that tangy and sweet combination that I love. All the crisps were full of seasoning, making the prawn cocktail flavour strong and delicious.

Overall I'm loving this new range from Walkers. I don't think anyone will actually play noughts and crosses with these, my children certainly weren't interested in that, but they did love the fun shapes and the flavours. It's also great to know that these snacks have more fibre and less fat than regular crisps.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Walkers Baked Hoops And Crosses

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: 99p Store (Multipacks of 6 bags).
Nutrition: (per 18g bag) 85 calories, 1.3g protein, 11.0g carb., 3.8g fat.
Vegetarian: Suitable for Vegetarians.

Bajeczny by Wedel - Polish Chocolate Bar Review

This Bajeczny chocolate bar is made in Poland by one of the oldest confectionery brands in that country, E.Wedel - established in 1851 no less! It was very kindly sent to me by a lovely Twitter user by the name of @Banjo_Chocolate otherwise known as Bring Back Banjo Chocolate! 

I should tell you all straight away that Bajeczny means "Fabulous" in Polish - it's a great name for a chocolate bar but one that sets expectations quite high! (Update: Please see comments below for correct translation).

The Bajeczny is described as a "traditional combination of wafers with nuts and milk chocolate". From the outside it does look like a fairly average wafer bar, however the inside reveals the true fabulousness of the Bajeczny :)

It's certainly not an average wafer that's for sure! The centre is more akin to a milk chocolate praline, with lots of small nut pieces and a delicious wafer and chocolate combination. The wafers have been densely packed in the chocolate centre, almost ground up into it, which gives the filling a crispy and slightly aerated texture. The nuts are flavoursome, crunchy, and generously distributed in the filling. The chocolate is quite sweet but it's well balanced by the surprisingly rich cocoa flavour (there is 31% cocoa solids in this bar). All the flavours and textures here work together incredibly well to create a very tasty chocolate bar. Without a doubt the best Polish chocolate bar I have tried and one I'll be looking out for in my local Polish shops!

Thank you so much to @Banjo_Chocolate, who also sent me some other delicious looking treats, all from different countries - 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 where you can also watch the original adverts for Banjo from the 1970/80s!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Bajeczny

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Check out your local Polish shops!
Nutrition: (45g) 247 calories.