Tesco Banana Bliss & Berry Blast Fruity Bars Review

I spotted these new Fruity Bars in the cereal bars section of my local Tesco. They're described on the box as being 'cold pressed fruit and nut bars with dates' that are also milk free. They look like a supermarket version of Nakd bars so I had to give them a try.

The Tesco Fruity Bars are great value (I bought both boxes on a 2 for £2.00p offer) and contain four bars per box. The bars are slightly smaller than a Nakd bar at 26g for the Banana Bliss and 28g for the Berry Blast bars (compared to 30g for Nakd). 

Tesco Banana Bliss Fruity Bar: The main ingredients here are a mix of dates, soy protein crispies, raisins, cashew nuts and banana. Each bar is 87 calories and is high in protein with 5.3g per bar. I really enjoyed the flavour here - it's very sweet with a lovely ripe banana taste. Overall, they're very similar in flavour to my favourite Nakd Banana Bread bars so I'll definitely be buying them again. Rating: 9 out of 10.

Tesco Berry Blast Fruity Bar: These are slightly different to the Banana Bliss bars above as they don't contain the soy protein crispies. Instead the main ingredients here are oats, dates, raisins, cashew nuts and cranberries. Each bar has 95 calories. The Berry Blast bars have a denser and drier texture. The overall flavour is very sweet with the  dates and berries coming through nicely. Even though these bars are pleasant enough, I much preferred the softer texture of the Banana Bliss bars. Rating: 7 out of 10.

Overall, it's great to see an alternative option in the fruit and nut bar range and I especially like the fact that these are dairy free. 

Grocery Gems Review: Tesco Fruity Bars Review

RATING: 9 out of 10 (Banana Bliss), 7 out of 10 (Berry Blast).
Buy them again?: Yes - Banana Bliss.
Nutrition: 87 calories Banana Bliss), 95 calories (Berry Blast).

Purchased: Tesco.
Price: 2 packs for £2.00p.

Review: Walkers Max Cheeseburger Flavour Crisps

I've mentioned before on this blog that I have a peculiar obsession with cheeseburger flavoured crisps. It's such an unusual flavour for crisps and if I see a packet then I always have to buy it. I'm pretty sure this obsession started with the release of the Walkers American Cheeseburger flavour to coincide with the 2010 World Cup (one of my favourite crisp campaigns ever). Anyway, I was ridiculously excited to see a new Cheeseburger flavour from Walkers, this time under their Max Deep Ridged Taste range.

The crisps are thick cut (although not too thick) with a ridged appearance. There is plenty of visible seasoning on each crisp. The flavour here is just as I remembered, and just as delicious, with a combination of cheese, meat and pickles being the dominant flavours. The overall taste is just like cheeseburgers in crisp form, and the seasoning is just spot on. I especially love the sweet gherkin flavour that comes through at the end. I really hope these are here to stay and are not a limited edition!

I found the Walkers Max Cheeseburger flavour in a local newsagents where they had a large new display for them. The bags are 50g so they're larger than the usual packet of Walkers but I hope they will be available in multipacks with smaller bags soon. There is also a Flame Grilled Steak flavour and a Paprika flavour available in the Walkers Max range. If you've tried these then let us know what you thought in the comments below!

Grocery Gems Review: Walkers Max Cheeseburger Flavour Crisps

RATING: 9 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 50g serving): 266 calories.

Purchased: Local newsagent.
Price: £0.69p for 50g.

Review: Cadbury Eggciting Layers of Joy

The new Cadbury Eggciting Layers of Joy is a fun looking dessert that is made up of several different layers. There's a milk chocolate mouse at the bottom, a thin layer of sponge cake in the middle, all topped with a fondant layer that looks just like an egg.

The overall dessert is certainly very impressive looking, especially the 'egg' on top!

The fondant layer on top is actually much firmer than it looks and  holds it's shape well. The flavour here is extra sugary and sweet, which is balanced out by the plainer sponge layer below. The whole thing is finished off nicely with the creamy and fluffy chocolate mousse at the bottom. It all combines to create a very satisfying sweet treat and it's even more enjoyable than the smaller Cadbury Creme Egg Pots of Joy.

Grocery Gems Review: Cadbury Eggciting Layers of Joy

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition (per 90g serving): 204 calories.

Purchased: Co-Op.
Price: £1.00p per pack (two pots).

Review: Kinder Joy (UK Release)

 

A quick review of this new release for the UK. I previously reviewed Kinder Joy in a post about German candies a couple of years ago and it's great to finally see this product available here. 

The Kinder Joy is quite different to the more familiar Kinder Surprise chocolate egg. Instead of a foil wrapped chocolate, the Kinder Joy is made up of two plastic halves, that are individually sealed. 

The foil covered side contains a sweet treat of creamy and milk chocolate layers with two crispy chocolate and wafer balls There's even a little plastic scoop included to make it easier to eat. The other half contains a toy that is usually a bit bigger than the ones you'd find in a Kinder Surprise. Ours had a little tennis set with two little rackets and ball. (UPDATE: In our second Kinder Joy, the surprise was a kids plastic ring (like costume jewellery) with a large colourful flower). Overall, the Kinder Joy is a nice treat for the kids and I'm sure it will be a popular product over Easter.

Grocery Gems Review: Kinder Joy

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.

Purchased: Co-Op.
Price (updated): £1.00p each or 2 for £1.60p.

New Instore: Galaxy Golden Eggs, Kinder Joy UK release and more!

New products spotted instore:

Galaxy Golden Eggs: There are plenty of new Easter chocolate instores at the moment but the most exciting are the new and shiny Galaxy Golden Eggs. They're covered in a gold coloured dust and, from the pictures I've seen, they look really impressive. I'll have a review soon. £1.00p at Co-Op.

Kinder Joy (new UK release): These might look the same as Kinder Surprise eggs but they're actually quite different. I reviewed the German Kinder Joy version a couple of years ago after I was sent it in a Candy German subscription box. It's great to see them finally released in the UK! Check back later today for a review and photos. £1.00p at Co-Op.

Cadbury Eggciting Layers of Joy Egg: I've been on the look out for these ever since I saw instagram photos from Amy Seeks New Treats. The fondant 'egg' on the top of the dessert just looks so realistic! It's certainly more impressive than the original Cadbury Creme Egg Pots of Joy (which surprisingly are also available this Easter). I might get these for the kids nearer to Easter. £1.00p at Co-Op (twinpack).

Tesco Frozen Avocado: On a healthier note, I noticed quite a few interesting new frozen products at Tesco this week. These frozen avocado halves would be useful for smoothies. There were about six in each pack from what I could see. £2.50p at Tesco. 

Tesco Healthy Living Lime Coriander Rice & Quinoa Mix: There were also lots of frozen products available in the Tesco Healthy Living range such as this Lime Coriander Rice & Quinoa Mix. I also spotted an Indian Style Superfood Mix, a Mexican Whole Food Mix and a Lemon & Coriander Quinoa mix. Each bag is only £1.50p so I'm sure I'll try these out at some point. £1.50p at Tesco. 

Müller Corner Florida Inspired: Many thanks to Lucy who sent me a few of her recent finds too, including the new Müller Light Peanut & Caramel flavour and also one that I haven't seen yet, the Müller Corner Florida Inspired yogurt. The latter is a lemon flavoured yogurt with a pineapple and pink grapefruit compote. Both found at Asda.

Good4U Super Bites: Lucy also spotted this new range of healthy treats at Asda in two flavours; Coconut or Cocoa & Orange. There is also a Banana & Cocoa flavour in this range too. Let me know if you've tried these! 2 for £1.50p at Asda. 

Many thanks again to Lucy for the last two photos. As always if you've spotted any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email grocerygems@gmail.com or tweet me @grocerygems.