HEMA Dutch Breakfast Cake

Quick review of this Dutch Breakfast Cake from HEMA. If you haven't heard of HEMA stores before, check out my previous post here. If you're lucky enough to have one near you (or ever go through Victoria station in London) then it's definitely worth checking out their food section. I've picked up this Dutch Breakfast Cake a few times now. It's a cinnamon spiced bready cake that's a bargain at only £1.00.

The cake is also presliced which I find very useful (pictured above is only about half the cake). The texture is nice, it's not moist but it's not dry either, it's a bit bready. It's not a super sweet cake either, but it has a lovely flavour from the cinnamon and a little bit of extra sugar sprinkled on top. The cinnamon flavour is strong all the way through and makes this a firm favourite with Mr. Grocery Gems. It's lovely with a cup ot tea or coffee in the morning. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: HEMA Dutch Breakfast Cake

RATING: 7 out of 10 - good value.
Buy It again?: Yes.
Purchased: Hema.
Price: £1.00p.

New Instore: Pumpkin Soup, Desserts & more Gingerbread products UPDATED

Häagen-Dazs Vanilla & Florentine Limited Edition: This is such a sophisticated sounding combination from Häagen Dazs. It's a vanilla ice cream with orange flavoured caramel swirls and orange flavoured almond florentine biscuit pieces. £3.20 at Waitrose (special introductory offer).

Carte D'or Raspberry, Vanilla & Biscuit: The photo does this no justice at all. It's a large (about twice the size of a Viennetta) celebration ice cream with gold decorations. It looks absolutely gorgeous! £4.00 at Waitrose. 

New Covent Garden Soup Pumpkin Ghoulash: I've been waiting for the Halloween themed soup from New Covent Garden to appear instore and it's great to see that it's once again pumpkin inspired. This Pumpkin Ghoulash soup is a vegetable soup made with tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, red and green peppers, and smoked paprika. I don't think I tried this one when it was around in previous years but I've already bought a pack this time. Review coming soon. £1.50p at Sainsbury's. 

Rachel's Organic Apple & Butterscotch Yogurt: Rachel's Organic always come up with interesting seasonal limited edition flavours for their yogurts, and this Apple & Butterscotch looks very appealing. £1.85 at Waitrose. 

Sainsbury's Cappuccino Swiss Roll: I couldn't quite get a decent photo of this but it looked interesting - a cappuccino flavoured sponge roll. £1.50p at Sainsbury's.

A big thank you to Lucy W. who sent me some the following photos of products that she spotted instore and also a few that she bought. Thanks Lucy!

Tesco Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Muffins: Tesco has a new range of muffins in a few different flavours. The muffins come in packs of two for £1.50p which is quite expensive for supermarket branded muffins.  They look good though, especially with their coffee-house style brown muffin wraps, and I'm keen to try this Salted Caramel variety. 

Tesco Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins: I like the sound of this flavour too! Lucy also spotted Lemon & Poppy Seed and Mississippi Mud Pie flavours in this range. Also £1.50p for a twinpack at Tesco.

Philadelphia Duo Cremoso: Available in three varieties: Garlic & Fine Herbs, Vine Ripened Tomato, and Cracked Peppercorn. The Duo Cremoso range has a dual texture with creamy Philadelphia on the outside and a softly whipped flavoured centre. £2.50p at Tesco.

Tesco Gingerbread Cupcakes: I remember buying these last year but I didn't actually review them. They're gingerbread flavoured cupcakes with a gooey sauce centre. They reminded me of a similar gingerbread cupcake that appears in Costa Coffee around Christmas time. 

Gü Hot Chocolate: These new ready made hot chocolates from dessert makers Gü are currently on a 2 for £3.00p offer in Tesco. There are three varieties of hot chocolate: Gü Mocha, Gü Chocolate, and Gü Salted Caramel.

Gü Maple & Pecan Pies: Mr. Grocery Gems is a fan of pecan pie so I'll be tracking down this dessert version from Gü for him. £3.00p at Sainsbury's.

Gü Hot White Chocolate Melting Middles: These are coconut and white chocolate! Yes, pretty much my dream combination. I love the idea of the melting middle too.

Gü Salted Caramel Melting Middles: And if coconut is not your thing then there is also this Salted Caramel version.  I'm still fully onboard with the salted caramel trend, and it doesn't look like it'll be ending any time soon...

M&S Salted Caramel Brownie Slices: These look good too! I love the idea of a salted caramel and brownie combination.

M&S Tiramisu Cream Liqueur: Oooh this is like Bailey's meets dessert! I think M&S will be selling a lot of these in the run up to Christmas. If you've tried this one then I'd love to hear from you in the comments! 

Thanks again Lucy for all the brilliant photos!

Now for a few products that should be available instore soon:

Ready Brek Gingerbread: My kids pretty much start every day with a bowl of Ready Brek and even though I don't usually buy the flavoured versions, I'll have to make an exception for this Gingerbread variety - it just sounds so warming! £1.99 at Tesco.

Walls Gingerbread Sandwich: This gingerbread ice cream sandwich looks awesome. If you spot these instore anywhere then please let me know! 

Oreo Chocolate Ice Cream Cones with Oreo Biscuit Pieces: I really enjoyed the original vanilla version of these cones. Asda now has these new chocolate versions in store for £1.50.

As always if you spot any new products instore do drop me a line - grocerygems@gmail.com. 

New Instore: Halloween Yogurt & Bonfire Cakes

A few new products spotted instore.

The Collective Dairy Limited Edition Spiced Pumpkin: Thanks to the commentator on a previous post who alerted my attention to this yogurt. I spotted the spookily decorated pot instore a few days ago in Sainsbury's. Given how much I've complained about the lack of pumpkin spice products, it's ridiculous that I haven't give this a try yet. In the meantime check out the verdict from someone who knows exactly what real pumpkin spice should taste like - read Creamy Steaks review HERE. £2.40 at Sainsbury's.

Ritter Sport Rum Raisins Hazelnuts: I know this is not a new flavour for Ritter Sport, but it's the first time I've seen this flavour in a UK supermarket. It's currently on offer for a bargainous £1.00 at Sainsbury's.

Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup: Looking like a wonderous herbal potion that belongs in a travelling 'doctors' medicine cabinet is this Mushroom Ketchup by Geo Watkins. If you've given this one a try, first of all, BRAVO, and secondly please leave a comment to let me know what the heck it's all about! £1.79 at Sainbury's.

Greggs Hot Dog: Yeah so THIS happened. Greggs are now selling New York style hot dogs in their bakeries from 11am onwards. They're £2.50 and absolutely massive (for reference they're at least double the size of Ikea hot dogs). 

Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Wonderland: The festive edition from last year is back, see my original review HERE. The packaging is slightly different (last year's was much nicer in my opinion) but I'm assuming it's exactly the same bar inside. £1.00 at Asda. 

Lyle's Golden Syrup Bonfire Toffee Cake: Also back are these Bonfire Bakes from Lyle's Golden Syrup. There are two flavours to choose from Bonfire Toffee and Sticky Toffee Apple. It's nice to have a few products designed with Bonfire Night in mind, and I like the new firework inspired packaging. £1.00 each at Sainsbury's. 

Lyle's Golden Syrup Sticky Toffee Apple Cake: I've never tried either of these cakes before but I'd like to give them a go this year. If you've had them before then please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

Big thanks to Lucy W. for the last two photos! If you spot any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email me: grocerygems@gmail.com.

I was sent a voucher to try the new Greggs Hot Dog. 

Review: Nakd Christmas Pud

I finally found the new Nakd Christmas Pud bar in a local Sainsbury's. It's such a great sounding flavour and one that fits in perfectly with the Nakd raw fruits and nuts bar range. There is also a new Nakd Bakewell Tart bar that looks gorgeous too, but I haven't spotted that one yet - let me know if you see it anywhere! Like the rest of the Nakd bar range, the ingredients list for this Nakd Christmas Pud bar is wonderfully simple. It contains Dates (49%), Cashews (35%), and Raisins (16%), aswell as a hint of natural flavourings. Nothing else!

I've always been a fan of Nakd bars but this Christmas Pud bar has instantly become my favourite from their range. The flavour here is just spot on - it has all the spiced loveliness of a real Christmas pudding, with lots of warming cinnamon and hints of mixed spice and nutmeg. The soft and chewy texture of the bar also makes it a perfect match for the Christmas pudding flavour too. It has a light crunch and squidgey texture that is very satisfying, but without any of the bits of peel or whole raisins that Christmas puddings can have. It's similar to the real thing, but even nicer! I just loved everything about this one and I just hope that it stays around after the festive season.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Nakd Christmas Pud

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy It again?: Yes!
Nutrition (per 35g bar): 137 calories, 5.9g fat, 16.0g sugars.
Vegetarian: Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Purchased: Sainsbury's.
Price: £0.75p each.

Review & Discount Code! Beech's Dark Chocolate Mint Creams & Mint Crisps

Thinking about Christmas food always brings to mind mint chocolates, they make a refreshing end to a big meal! The lovely people at Beech's kindly sent me through boxes of their After Dinner Dark Chocolate Mint Creams and Mint Crisps (both suitable for vegans) to review. Once again, Beech's have matched high quality ingredients to classic chocolates, and I was delighted to give them a try.

10% Discount Code:

Beech's have kindly offered my readers a 10% off all purchases for the next three weeks. It's time to stock up for Christmas! Simply enter this promotional code at checkout - BFC04061410

They offer a full range of chocolates on their website, delivery is free on purchases over £12.00. 

www.beechsfinechocolates.com

Beech's After Dinner Mint Creams are rich mint fondant centres covered in dark chocolate. I love how Beech's uses all-natural British ingredients in their flavourings, and that is the case with the mint used here - English Mitcham Mint oil, grown in Hampshire. 

The result is a delicious after dinner mint. The cream fondant centre and dark chocolate centre have the same quality as the rest of the Beech's creams range (see my review HERE), it's a very smooth combination. The addition of the refreshing mint is just delicious, it works perfectly here. The overall flavour is a zingy and fresh peppermint that is softened by the sugary fondant to a lovely smooth finish. 

The Mint Crisps are thin dark chocolate rectangles filled with crunchy little sugar crystals. The mint used here is also English Mitcham Mint oil which gives it a lovely fresh and natural flavour.

These rectangular chocolate are quite large and are speckled on top with lots of the crunchy bits. The Beech's dark chocolate used here is just delicious, with it's 55% minimum cocoa solids. It has a smooth creamy flavour that is sweet rather than bitter. The texture has a light crunch that bursts with refreshing peppermint flavour. These are less sugary than the Mint Creams and have more of a chocolately edge to them - perfect for a more indulgent minty treat.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Beech's Mint Cream and Mint Crisps

Rating: 9 out of 10.
Buy it again: Yes.

Nutrition (per choc): 39 calories (Mint Creams), 32 calories (Mint Crisps).

Vegetarian: Suitable for vegetarians.

Purchased: Available online www.beechsfinechocolates.com

Price (150g box): Mint Creams - £3.99, Mint Crisps - £3.75p.

Products sent for an honest review.