Big Turk Review (CyberCandy)

Turkish delight chocolates are one of those love/hate products. I know a lot of people (my whole family included) would not even contemplate eating a single bite of one. But that's alright by me as it means I got this Big Turk chocolate bar from CyberCandy all to myself.

The packaging is a very bright red, white and blue, which doesn't really convey what is inside, but somehow manages to look both plain and distinctive at the same time. There is a prominent yellow banner highlighting the fact that this bar has 60% less fat than the average chocolate bar.

Underneath the wrapper, the Big Turk chocolate bar has a unique undulating appearance. Even though it isn't really segmented; the curvy shape provides an inbuilt biting guide!

The thick chocolate covering is a very basic milk chocolate with not much cocoa flavour, however, it does provide a creamy backdrop to the jelly filling. Inside the chocolate is a bright pink Turkish delight centre. The texture is quite squishy but is nowhere near as soft as a traditional Turkish delight. It looks, and feels, like a gummy sweet version of a Turkish delight, all wrapped up in milk chocolate. 

I loved the bright pink colour of the Turkish delight. It was just asking to be cross sectioned with some light behind it! The flavour is what you would expect from a commercial Turkish delight covered in chocolate: it's sweet and with only the barest hint of traditional rose flavouring. It's obviously not for Turkish delight connoisseurs, but if you're a fan of Cadbury's Turkish Delight chocolates then you should definitely give this a go. It has a similar sweet flavour, but the firm jelly like texture makes the Nestlé Big Turk a very different experience.

My Big Turk is actually Canadian which explains the dual English/French language on the packaging. I got mine from CyberCandy and I would definitely buy it again.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Big Turk

RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 60g bar): 230 calories. 1g protein,  49g carbohydrates, 34g sugar, 3.5g fat.
Purchased: CyberCandy.
Price: £0.99p.

Bear Mango Yo Yo Review

My kids are fans of the Bear Yo Yo range, and they're a pretty cool way for them to get an extra portion of fruit. Each Yo Yo fruit roll is made with pure fruit and no added sugar or... anything else at all. The ingredients for this new(ish) Mango fruit variety are simply: mango, apples and pears. That's it.

I really love the bold design and of course, it also made the kids giggle - a lot. The bear has a fig leaf to cover his... modesty. It is 100% Naked Nature after all!

Inside the packet there are two fruit rolls, which look very much like sweets rather than fruit, and two collectible fact cards. The Human Body Fact No. 76 is: "It isn't possible to tickle yourself, even if you are really ticklish". I haven't tested this out yet, but let me know how it goes if any of you decide to give it a go!

My kids loved the fun factor in unwinding the fruit rolls to eat them. They had a deliciously sweet taste with a distinct and strong mango flavour. Since I love mango I couldn't resist trying one myself and it's definitely something that I can imaging buying as a snack in the future. There are only 27 calories per yo yo which is fantastic for such a yummy sweet treat. The texture is chewy but quite soft at the same time, without any stickiness - making these much easier to eat than similar fruit roll up products we've tried. Overall it's a thumbs up from us; they're fun, fruity, and most importantly, tasty.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Bear Mango Yo Yo

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Without a doubt.
Nutrition (per yo yo): 27 calories. 0.19g protein,  6.2g carbohydrates, 4.8g sugar, 0.02g fat.
Purchased: Waitrose.
Price: £0.49p each (also available as box of 5 packs for £2.29p).

And The Winner Is...

A BIG thank you to everyone who entered the competition on Twitter and Facebook. The winner who will receive the two boxes of Cadbury Egg 'n' Spoon in the picture above is...

@butterflytails 

Congratulations! I have sent you a DM on Twitter to ask for your address details.

Don't worry if you haven't won this time, there will be another chocolate competition coming up next week!

ChokaBlok Cookie Dough Mon-Star Ice Cream Cake

Some of you who read this blog may know that I love anything star shaped, so I was hardly likely to resist this star shaped ice cream cake. I was looking for a celebratory dessert, something that wasn't just a tub of ice cream but not a cake or cheesecake either. This ChokaBlok Cookie Dough Mon-Star Ice Cream Cake was the perfect find.

I haven't tried too many ChokaBlok products before but they have an extremely extensive range which encompasses ice creams (tubs and sticks), brownies, hot chocolate, and even Easter eggs. They are probably best known for their delicious chocolate slabs which are packed (or even chock a block) full of ingredients.

The ice cream cake certainly looks impressive; it's a large size that would easily cater for at least six people, perhaps even more, as long as some of the number were little people! The ice cream comes displayed on it's own gold backing which adds some extra sparkle to the starry theme.

There are a smattering of star shaped chocolate sprinkles on top of the thick layer of chocolate that covers the entire "cake". Once cut, the inner ice cream is a creamy white colour with dark brown flecks. It's easy to see why ChokaBlok has become so popular for it's chocolate. Here, the chocolate layer has a deliciously strong cocoa edge with a surprisingly rich flavour. Of course, the chocolate cracked slightly when it was cut, but not into unmanageable amounts. It just makes the chocolate pieces even more appealing - they are just asking to be taken off and nibbled!

The ice cream provides a nice balance to the rich chocolate. It's smooth and creamy, with a mainly milky flavour. Despite the name, there are no large cookie dough chunks within the ice cream. The cookie dough pieces are quite small and sweet, without the salty edge that cookie dough ice cream sometimes has. There are also some dark chocolate flecks throughout the ice cream which add a little bit of extra chocolate flavour.

Overall this is a stellar (couldn't resist!) looking ice cream that makes a lovely family dessert. My kids loved the star shape - it provides a great wow factor. They also enjoyed the creamy ice cream and rich chocolate. If you're looking for a more intense cookie dough dessert then you should probably try ChokaBlok's Cookie Dough Mon-Star tub ice cream.

The ChokaBlok range is available at Tesco's. At the moment there are lots of great offers on the range including this Mon-Star Ice Cream Cake which is only £2.00, half the usual price of £4.00, which makes this a fantastic bargain.

Cadbury Mint Chocolate Mousse Review

Here's another bubbly Cadbury review today, to follow on from the excitement of the new bubbly Cadbury Wispa Hot Chocolate. I don't often buy chocolate mousse, but seeing as both my children love mint chocolate I thought this new Cadbury Mint Chocolate Mousse would make a nice weekend treat for them.

The Cadbury Mint Chocolate Mousse comes in a multipack of four small pots, each containing 90 calories - perfect for a light chocolatey snack. The small pots make my teaspoon look massive!

The mousse had a lovely fluffy texture, it was very airy and bubbly, with a smooth melt. The chocolate flavour is quite light and is reminiscent of Dairy Milk chocolate, but even sweeter. The mint itself is quite subtle, much lighter than I was expecting, which may disappoint some mint fans. However, it was an enjoyable level of mintiness for my kids. Overall these are a sweet little chocolate treat; they're not very filling, but they are sweet enough to satisfying a chocolate craving.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Cadbury's Mint Chocolate Mousse

RATING: 7.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Kids will enjoy these.
Nutrition (per 30g): 90 calories. 2.7g protein,  11.5g carbohydrates, 3.7g fat.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.19 (for 4 x 45g pots).