Pocky Rare CheeseCake Review

Another intriguing Japanese product from my recent Oyatsu Cafe parcel. Apparently Rare CheeseCake describes a creamy type of cheesecake rather than the darker baked kind. If anyone knows more about this flavour then please leave a comment below! There also seems to be a lemon influence to this Rare CheeseCake judging by the picture on the front of the box. It's all part of the new summer range from Glico, which includes the Coconut Pocky that I reviewed earlier this week here.

As usual the packaging is unique to the Pocky flavour, I love how no two packets that I've reviewed have looked the same thus far. For the Rare Cheesecake it's a sleek blue and white theme.

Once I opened up one of the inner packs I was immediately surprised by the cheese scent which greeted me. It's a savoury and almost cheddar like scent, but not in an overpowering way. The flavour however, is completely different, it's sweet rather than savoury. The sweetness and creaminess of the icing instantly come through followed by a very subtle hint of lemon, with a slight aftertaste of cream cheese. Ultimately it's quite a simple combination of flavours, but it still creates an unusual and enjoyable Pocky experience, and one that has pushed my powers of description to the limit!

Even though I'm not an expert on Japanese snacks, I've been loving trying all these new varieties, and I'm very thankful to Oyatsu Cafe for sending me some fantastic products. This weekend I'm going to the massive HYPER JAPAN show at Earl's Court and I cannot wait! I hope to come home laden with even more Japanese snacks and lots of kawaii ornaments. :)

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

Grocery Gems Verdict: Rare Cheesecake Pocky

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably not. So many Pocky, so little time.

Price:  $2.99 (approx. £1.96).

New York Bakery Co Recipe Book

I recently received a lovely parcel of bagels from the New York Bakery Co, which also included a copy of their free recipe book; "The Nation's Favourite Bagel Recipe Book: Start Spreading". This is a collection of recipes for fillings submitted by bagel fans across the UK. It features ideas for every meal from breakfast to dinner, and from savoury to sweet.

The recipe book is completely free to download from the New York Bakery Co Facebook page.

Some of the recipes include; classic fillings such as this 5th Avenue Fill-Up recipe, which uses pastrami, guerkins and red peppers to create a New York favourite.



Or for a meaty breakfast I love this Wakey Wakey recipe which uses ham, chorizo AND bacon, with some scrambled eggs in the middle.



Or keep it simple with a sweet bagel and a peanut butter and banana filling!

There are lots of bagels in the New York Bagel Co range, check out my review of their latest varieties HERE.

Beyers Chocolates South Africa: Chocolate Couture Selection (Woolworths Food)

I was recently sent a superb selection of chocolates to try from the largest independent chocolate manufacturer in South Africa - Beyers Chocolates. See also my Amarula Chocolates review HERE. This box of 16 Chocolate Couture Selection immediately caught eye not just because it's so visually stunning, but also as it's made by Beyers Chocolate for Woolworths Food. I soon discovered that there is a successful Woolworths chain in South Africa that had no affiliation with the Woolworths chain that existed in the UK. I certainly don't remember my old Woolworths selling such gorgeous chocolates!

The individual chocolates all look sensational. There are eight different varieties in all, each topped with embedded ingredients; Hazelnut Chocolate Delight, Chocolate Lava, Vanilla & Strawberry Caramel, Hazelnut & Lemon Curd, Strawberry Caramel, Burnt Orange Caramel, Raspberry Caramel, and Cherry Pavlova.

Each one is like a mini dessert in it's own right! Having tried all of them I can say that they are also some of the most interesting and tasty chocolates I've had the pleasure of trying. The creamy milk chocolate used in each, has a lovely cocoa flavour which provides a perfect base for all the different flavours within.

Vanilla & Strawberry Caramel: The separate layers within this chocolate all look stunning. There's a strawberry cream layer on the bottom, with a middle layer of caramel, all topped by a dome of strawberry infused white chocolate and decorated with larger freeze dried strawberries. The vanilla and strawberry flavours work beautifully together.

Hazelnut & Lemon Curd: At first I didn't like the idea of this flavour combination but I was proved wrong, because it's completely delicious, and one of my favourites from this selection. The sweet lemon cream layer is topped with white chocolate and a crunchy nut brittle. Just yummy!

Cherry Pavlova: This is visually one of the most striking chocolates in the selection. The bright pink coloured chocolate with white meringue pieces peaking through looks fantastic. I was expecting this to be very sweet and sugary but I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous cherry flavour. The ingredients contain dried cherries, cherry paste and cherry pulp, which all combine to create cherry perfection! The meringue on the top is nicely crunchy but still melts away very easily. An outstanding cherry chocolate.

Raspberry Caramel: Again the fruity flavour has been done exceptionally well here. There is lots of fresh tasting raspberry flavour within the caramel layer, and it's all topped off with a lovely white chocolate and decorated with dried raspberries. Loved it!

Hazelnut Chocolate Delight: This is another great looking chocolate, with it's whole hazelnuts embedded in the top. The dark chocolate base, is emphasised by an extra layer of soft dark chocolate too. This is topped with a hazelnut flavoured white chocolate, the flavour of which is somewhat dominated by the dark chocolate. This was one of my husbands favourites.

Strawberry Caramel: Similar to the first chocolate (above) but obviously without any of the vanilla creaminess in between. This is pure strawberry and caramel flavour! The inner caramel is sweet and delicious and is topped by a strawberry white chocolate filled with dried strawberry pieces. Again, the fruity flavour is fabulous and remarkably, the whole thing is well balanced in terms of sweetness.

Burnt Orange Caramel: A classic chocolate orange with candied orange pieces on top. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate and orange combinations but the buttery caramel centre here adds a unique and interesting touch. (My camera has done strange things to the orange colour - it's not so neon in real life).

Chocolate Lava: I love the name! The little chocolate curls on the top of this domed chocolate do make it look like a little volcano. This is a pure chocoholics delight. Simple and sweet, with milk and white chocolate and a dark chocolate soft centre.

Overall, I absolutely loved this whole Chocolate Couture Selection. The chocolates are gorgeously presented and provide pure sweet indulgence. I know that Beyers make chocolates for several UK companies and I hope they can bring this selection over here soon!

I received this product for an honest review but all views expressed are my own.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Chocolate Couture Selection

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes, if I could find them!
Nutrition: 304 kj (info given in kj not calories) per serving. 
Purchased: Available on the Woolworths website but only in South Africa

Fruyo Greek Fat Free Yogurts Review

It's been far too long since I last reviewed any yogurt, so I was very pleased when FAGE, known for their Total range of Greek yogurts, came to the rescue by offering to send me some of their Fruyo fat free range to try. There are four flavours in the Fruyo strained yogurt range; Cherry, Peach, Pineapple and Vanilla. They are all free from artificial colours and preservatives, and suitable for vegetarians.

Strained yogurts seem to be the next big thing in yogurts. I've previously tried them in the super thick Danio range (review here) and loved the dense texture. Fruyo yogurts are very similar texture wise but they have the added bonus, in my opinion, of having the fruit flavour within the yogurt rather than layered separately at the bottom. I much prefer the yogurt being fruity and not just plain.

Cherry

Cherry Fruyo- The fat free strained Greek yogurt creates a luxuriously thick experience with lots of fruity flavour. There are generous chunks of cherry pieces throughout the yogurt too, adding extra bursts of satisfying fruitiness.

Pineapple Fruyo - The super thick yogurt is again bursting with fruity chunks. The pineapple is extremely sweet and very moreish. This was my husbands favourite of all the flavours.

Peach

Peach Fruyo - Peach is usually one of the first flavours I try from any yogurt range and this Fruyo did not disappoint. This was my favourite fruity Fruyo flavour, closely followed by the Cherry.

Vanilla Fruyo - I love the fact that there is a vanilla in this range. It might seem to be a simple flavour but I find it quite hard to find a simple vanilla yogurt in individual servings. There are little black specks from the vanilla seeds throughout the yogurt. The sweet flavour and thick texture makes this taste more like a dreamy dessert rather than a yogurt!

I also tried the Total 0% Fat Free Greek yogurt. This unsweetened yogurt, with it's deliciously thick texture, is perfect for enjoying with a drizzle of honey in the morning. The large tub goes a long way and provides several servings.

The Fruyo strained yogurts are all extremely generously sized and due to their thick nature, I find them very filling to eat. On several of these recent very hot days I've been having a tub for lunch and it keeps me full for ages. It's not often I say something like this, but I'd actually like to see these tubs available in smaller sizes too - my kids love the flavours! Edit: The Total 0% range is available in smaller 170g tubs :)

Grocery Gems Verdict: Fruyo Yogurts

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Absolutely.
Vegetarian: Suitable for vegetarians.
Purchased: Available at Waitrose.
Price: £1.09p per 170g pot (also on 4 for the price of 3 offer).

Double Fruit Oreos - Raspberry & Blueberry and Orange & Mango (China)

When it comes to handing out exciting Oreo flavours, it would seem that the UK is at the bottom of the list. If you want anything more interesting than vanilla or chocolate cream fillings then you're going to have to look further afield. These Double Fruit Oreos for example are from China. When I spotted them in a shop in London's Chinatown, their dual coloured centres instantly reminded me of all the fantastic varieties I've only ever seen on American blogs such as The Impulsive Buy (Watermelon Oreos anyone?).

The outer packaging for these Double Fruit Oreos is certainly bright and inviting, but the inside of the box simply consists of 9 Oreos sitting in a plastic tray.

Raspberry & Blueberry Oreos

The filling looks fantastic, at least to my only-ever-had-plain-Oreos-before-eyes. The scent is immediately extremely strong and fruity but intensely artificial at the same time - verging on a fruity bubblegum scent. The actual taste continues in the same vein with quite an artificial undertone to the generic berry flavour. The difference in taste between the raspberry and blueberry creams was not as strong as I hoped, as they both have a very similar fruity flavour. However the blueberry side does have an extra sour edge to it that is thankfully missing in the raspberry cream.

Orange & Mango Oreos

Again the filling looks very colourful. Happily, the scent here is slightly less artificial than before, with a sweet citrus fruitiness. The flavour works quite successfully with the outer biscuit, creating a classic chocolate & orange combination. The mango component is not particularly strong in itself, but it does add an undertone of tropical flavour to the dominant citrus notes. The result is an extremely sweet cookie, but it was ultimately my favourite out of the two Double Fruit Oreos.

Overall, I'm not disappointed in these Oreos. They're one of those products that I'm just pleased to have found and had the opportunity to try!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Double Fruit Oreos

RATING: Raspberry & Blueberry - 5.5 out of 10. Orange & Mango - 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably not.
Nutrition: Unable to read the information.
Purchased: Sweetshop in London Chinatown.
Price: £1.99p each pack.