De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums (Sweets Without)

Last month Sweets Without sent me those lovely Diablo cappuccino sweets to try - which I'm rather gutted to have finished. Luckily for me, Peter has since sent over a different brand of sugar free sweet for me to try. In fact, Peter gave me a choice between the vast range of sweets made by Dutch confectioners De Bron, and although I was tempted by the exciting sounding Caribbean Mix, it was the gummy cherries that caught my eye. I do love a good jelly cherry sweet! Could a sugar-free version be anywhere near as tasty though?

The sweets looked exactly like their regular, full sugar, counterparts but are made with Maltitols to sweeten them instead. They were soft and chewy like the regular versions too, with a strong yet sweet cherry juice flavour. In fact, they were really rather good!

I wafted one under Bert's sceptical eyes. He doesn't buy into sugar-free/low-fat/low-carb/high-protein anything. He eats what he likes and never contemplates having any healthier alternatives. He also adores sweets. Whilst he's never tempted by my excessive chocolate collection, he can't help but dive into the sweetie jar that resides on our coffee table in our living room. The sweetie jar was empty though (a very rare occurrence) and so he tried one of the De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums. 

"Oooh they're nice."

I promise you, that's high praise from Bert -for reference, his response to the banoffee cheesecakes was "yeah, they're ok".

I think he's since aten more of the pack than me! 

You can find these sugar free Cherry Gums, and the rest of the De Bron range on Sweets Without's website. Thanks for the samples Peter.

8/10

Efectiv Pro & Oats High Protein Flapjacks (Online)

There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t eat oats in some form or another. In fact, it was the food I missed most when in Malaysia earlier this year. Almost every morning is kick-started with a bowl of protein oats (proats if you will), but I also love granola and flapjacks too. Protein flapjacks however are often disappointing, and tend to be so far removed from real flapjacks that I’d rather have a real flapjack and get my protein elsewhere. I’m not averse to trying new products though and so when Efectiv contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if I’d like to try their new protein flapjacks and Dual bars, I accepted their kind invitation. After all, the protein bar market is rapidly evolving. Gone are the days of chewy bricks, thank goodness! 

Their flapjack range currently consists of three flavours: Chocolate Orange, Toffee Oat & Cherry Bakewell. Each 70g bar is less than 270 cals and contains 14g of protein (check the bottom of the review for the full macros). They’re made with gluten free oats and whey, with no palm oil or gelatine. Efectiv have also used natural flavours and sweeteners, and the flapjacks are GMO free and certified Halal. One massive bonus for me is that they contain no soya protein or polyols, making them much kinder on your stomach. This makes them higher in carbs, but also the perfect post-workout treat. I say treat, but that’s only right if they taste good… 

Cherry Bakewell

I’d normally save the flavour I’d anticipate would taste the best until last, but my preconceptions on what these bars would taste like wasn’t especially high and so I thought I’d give Efectiv the best chance possible. 

The first thought that struck me was how much closer to a real flapjack this bar looked. It was also a decent size too. The second realisation was just how soft the bar was - often protein flapjacks are either super dry or gluey, but this was neither. 

The texture was spot on. Soft and gooey, with a pleasant chew that wasn’t hard work. The cherry flavour however was milder than I’d have liked and I couldn’t help but think that either a layer of jam or chunks of dried cherries would improve the taste. It was still the best protein flapjack I’d tried to date though. 

8/10

Chocolate Orange

Unlike the Bakewell bar, this flapjack was dark in colour. Texturally it was very similar though. 

As for the flavour, this time it was much punchier, although I’d describe it more as cocoa orange as it lacked the milkiness that I’d associate with eating a bar of orange flavoured chocolate. In fact, the flavour kind of reminded me of something that Trek might make, but it was much tastier than Trek’s protein flapjacks. 

8/10

Toffee Oat

I saved this bar until last and found myself really looking forward to it. 

I wasn’t disappointed either. The bar tasted like a proper flapjack! It was gooey, sweet, soft and chewy with a lovely toffee undertone. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that I’d happily eat the Efectiv toffee & oats pro&pats flapjack instead of a normal flapjack and I’ll be hunting down more to try in the future!

9/10

All in all, I was mightily impressed with these protein flapjacks from Efectiv. I do feel like the flavour of the Cherry Bakewell bar could be improved slightly, but that’s just a mini moan! Thank you to Efectiv for sending me the samples. The flapjacks (and the new Dual bars, watch out for the review) are available from their website.

*as promised, here's the Macro breakdown:

Milka Cherry Creme (Polish Deli)

I was on an unsuccessful hunt for more of the Karmelove bars in our local Polish delis last week when I came across a couple of treats that did catch my eye. 

One of which was a spread version of the KarmelLove bars, which seeing as it's pretty much the equivalent of Caramac you can top your toast with, I feel it should really be renamed crack. If you see it, buy it*. We have an abundance of Easter European shops in Hereford and I've only found the one jar in one shop. It's also short dated, so I'm not sure if E.Wedel is still making it. The lack of availability is the only reason that I'm not doing a full review, but do let me know if you find it and try it! 

The other product that got my attention was a cherry flavoured Milka bar, which was far more readily available. I first fell in love with Milka on holiday in turkey almost twenty years ago, but now it's pretty easy to get hold of (the only benefit of the Mondelez takeover I guess). Some of the funkier flavours are still resigned to the Polish delis however, but I found this 100g bar for a very reasonable 79p. Normally I prefer my fruits paired with white chocolate, but given my affinity towards anything Black Forest, I was happy to give it a go. 

The Milka bars, as you probably know, are a lot slimmer than the Cadbury large bars and so I wondered how they would fit the cherry within the squares.

Snapping it in half however revealed a generous jammy layer atop a Creme -all surrounded in the typical Milka alpine chocolate. The Cherry oozed, emitting a tangy, fruity scent. 

As expected, the Cherry jam was super sweet, but there was enough of it to pack a punch. The chocolate was also good and far silkier than Cadbury. As for the Creme, it reminded me of the vanilla mousse filling in Cadbury's seasonal products -such as the egg n spoon and Snowman. On its own or in small doses, it's fine, but combine it wish jam and creamy chocolate and you've got one sickly concoction. 

Normally I can eat 50g+ of chocolate without batting an eyelid but even I was struggling with the sweetness by the time I'd even eaten half of this bar. It's tasty, and one to try as it's so different to what the British mass market chocolate offers, but it probably should be eaten in smaller portions than I'm used to! 

7/10 

*this is the crack spread...

NEW! Spirit of Summer: Summer Macaroon Selection (M&S)

I was truly on the bargain hunt yesterday. I started the day at the Malvern Giant Flea Fair (a must for antique lovers nationwide) and found myself in Marks & Sparks just before close. The trouble is, those yellow stickers are just too appealing, and despite not being initially tempted by the summer macaroons, the 65p sticker was irresistible. My last experience with M&S macaroons wasn't that great, and so I felt annoyed with my lack of self-restraint. 65p wasn't too much money to waste I suppose...

"A selection of French almond macaroons in 3 flavours -1 peach and apricot, 1 lemon and 1 cherry."

At least I could tell which macaroon was which this time around thanks to their bright colourings. I couldn't see much in the way of fillings peeping out, so split them in half for a better look. The centres seemed to be saucy as opposed to cream based like the Festive ganache filled macaroons. 

Wow, I was impressed. I didn't think I was a massive macaroon fan, but I indulged in the delicate texture but bold flavours of these miniature French-style treats. The macaroons were light, with a crunchy exterior and fluffy centre. I loved the prominence of the almond, which came through in all of the three flavours. 

The centres were like a solid jam, and were wonderfully well-flavoured. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite because apricot conserve is usually my favourite, but I also adore cherry Bakewell and am going through a lemon-loving phase at the moment. 

I can't believe that I thought I might be wasting my 65p! M&S have created a sensational summer treat here that simply screams of sunshine.  I'll be certainly sure to buy another pack  if I'm lucky enough to find them reduced again, and may even treat myself to them at their full price.

9/10

NEW! Müller Light Cake Shop Inspired Cherry Bakewell & Treacle Tart Yogurts (Iceland)

I almost swore off Müller yogurts. Every time I buy them I end up disappointed by their gelatinous insipidness. But then they went and released Cherry Bakewell & Treacle Tart inspired ones didn't they? My other half was on a diet when the pack of six first came out, and as a fan of both British desserts, was keen to try them. 

The only trouble was they were a consistent £3 in Iceland, and we just weren't prepared to pay that - especially when there are so many other good yogurts on the market. This week they're finally the subject of Iceland's weekly deal and are half price (the offer lasts until Tuesday 7th of Jan) so finally we got around to trying Müller's new offerings.

Cherry Bakewell
If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll appreciate that I'm an avid cherry Bakewell fan. I really hoped that the yogurt would taste of almond as well as cherry.

The bright pink yogurt was very runny, but then I expected that. What I wasn't prepared for was the accurate flavour representation. I could taste the sweet cherry & almond, and was certain that there was a butteriness that resembled pastry -although that might be my wishful thinking. The chunks of cherry that were swimming in the yogurt were a welcome addition too, and I found myself really enjoying this pot.

8/10

Treacle Tart
It might surprise you to hear that as far as desserts go, I'm not a huge treacle tart fan. I find the overwhelming sweetness and claggy texture too cumbersome and so it would never be my first choice on the dessert menu. It's Bert's favourite though and so he was really looking forward to trying this Müller light.

Well it's just a bit odd. There was a generic toffee flavour that barely concealed the taste of artificial sweetener. I didn't really get the connection to golden syrup though, and neither did Bert. To be honest, I'd rather have a standard Müller light.

5/10

At half price, they're not too bad and make a change to the normal flavours (especially if you regularly consume Müller lights) but I wouldn't pay 50p per yogurt -unless they released the Cherry Bakewell as a single. 

NEW! Rich & Buttery Cherry & Almond Hot Cross Buns (Waitrose)

Well it didn't take me long to return to Waitrose to buy the cherry and almond full size buns after the mini chocolate orange hot cross buns. The minis hadn't quite scratched the itch and had perhaps aggravated it instead. I found myself just needing to sink my teeth into a fruity bun (it is Humpday after all).

I couldn't even get a bargain in Waitrose this time around, although most of their hot cross buns are currently on offer for £1.26 per pack (normally £1.50) or 2 for £2.50. I avoided saving myself a whole tuppence by buying two, I restrained myself and bought just a single pack of cherry & almond buns. Some of the packs on the shelf didn't look particularly fruity, but of course I dug around to find the most aesthetic of the bunch. 

 "4 fruited hot cross buns made with californian raisins, cherries, cranberries and almonds. Enriched with butter and egg."

I couldn't get over how soft and light these buns were. The texture probably had a lot to do with the enriched dough, technically making them more like a brioche. They were also a beautiful glossy golden brown and smelt wonderfully of almond extract. Oof. I was instantly pretty sure I'd made a good choice this time around, but then I recalled my experience last year with the similarly flavoured humongous Hot Cross Buns under their Heston label which were somewhat lacking in the flavour department. I crossed my fingers and toes.

I sliced my first bun in two, and discovered just how fluffy it was. It was so delicate that I thought I would destroy it with my clumsy knife skills, but just about managed to dissect it respectably. Then came the usual quandary.. toast it? Cover it in butter? Or jam? I couldn't make my mind up (no change there then) and opted for one half toasted, one half ambient and then covered both slices with a haphazard array of jam and butter. Oh dear.

I sampled the toasted half first -before it went cold- and was instantly pleased by the super melt in the mouth texture. It was pretty damn perfect and tasted so fresh that I could pretend that Waitrose's master bakers (oo-er) had made my batch that very morning.

As for the flavour, the almond element is much more prominent this year, and penetrates every morsel of the dough -despite it making up exactly the same proportion of the ingredients (only 1.5%). Even better was the abundance of big juicy cherries that were embedded within the bun, offering additional flavour and moistness. The raisins and cranberries were also welcome, meaning that most mouthfuls had some sort of fruit in. Mmm heavenly. If anything, the butter and jam I used as toppings were extraneous because the taste and texture were so well executed.

Normally I prefer my hot cross buns toasted, but the softness of the bread leant itself to an equally delicious ambient bun. The jam and butter complimented the dough but I shall try another one tonight completely naked (what's with me today?) so that I can completely appreciate one of my all-time favourite flavour combinations: cherry and almond.

9/10

Mulled Wine Fruit Loaf (M&S)

I was my normal scroogy, scrimpy, student self and bided my time when buying this fruit loaf from M&S. At £2 it seemed a little on the steep side, and if I was going to treat myself to full-priced goods from their bakery section you can bet your bottom dollar that it was going to be their boobie buns (sorry Christmas Pudding Buns). Yesterday afternoon though I popped back into my local branch -second attempt at buying another bottle of Chocolate Opal -this time successful- and detoured via the bakery on the way out where I spotted a single loaf reduced to just 70p. The packaging informed me that it was freezable, so I hastily nabbed the pack and added it to my basket. 

"Spiced fruit loaf with port soaked dried vine fruts, sour cherries, citrus peel and ginger."

The first thing I noticed about the bread was its density. For a fruit loaf it wasn't very risen or fluffy -but then I told myself that perhaps it was meant to be more like a stollen. The pale dusting on top marked a further stollen similarity, and I kept everything crossed that it would be as tasty as Lidl's luxury chocolate version. 

The bread was shockingly tough to slice into, revealing a very compacted interior with a plethora of fruits -the only plus point thus far. The packet suggested toasting the slices, so I popped both of mine in for a minute so that it just begun to tan. I slathered both slices in butter, and got stuck in.

Eurgh. All I could taste was burnt fruit. If you've ever made raisin flapjack or rock buns at home and caught them in a fierce oven then you'll know how awful burnt dried fruit tastes. The thick crust round the edge of the bread made it very chewy too, so much so that I almost gave up eating it. I'm very determined however, and hate wasting food, so I gave the second slice a generous coating of apricot jam -which I hoped would inject some much needed sweetness and counteract the acrid burnt raisin taste.

Nope. The second slice also felt like a punishment, and the rest of the loaf went in the bins -even the poor birds shouldn't suffer this.

I'm really hoping that I got the worst of a bad batch, so I'm extremely eager to know if any of you have tried M&S' Mulled Wine Fruit Loaf this Christmas, and if you're experience was similar or vastly different! Be a dear, and leave me a comment to let me know...

2/10 

Black Forest Dome Gateau (Tesco)

Are you a savvy shopper? I certainly think I am. In fact, I'm obsessed with finding a bargain -so much so that I drive poor Bert nuts when doing the weekly shop. If I know a product is cheaper in another supermarket, I won't even consider buying it in the one I'm in. See, told you I'm a pain. I'd like to think that it's because I'm a student, but actually I've always been this way. My mum even managed to buy her (convertible) car entirely through Tesco clubcard points. Yes really. Anyway, the point is, I love to find ways to get things cheaper, and one of the ways I've been doing this for the past few years is through Tesco's Orchard scheme. If you ever shop with Tesco, and fancy trying some of their ranges for free (in exchange for giving them some feedback) then it's definitely worth signing up.

This Christmas Tesco gave me the opportunity to try some of their party food or cakes and desserts for free. No prizes for guessing which option I chose.

Lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago I received £6 worth of vouchers in the post to use on any of Tesco's fresh or frozen cakes and desserts. I'd got my eye on their chocolate and hazelnut stollen, but when I did the Christmas food shop yesterday the store was completely out. No bites, no slices, no chocolatey stollen, in fact no pannetone or pandoro either. Humf. I couldn't complain though really because the vouchers were freebies, so I head to the frozen dessert section instead. 

Christmas day desserts in my house are already sorted: Christmas pud for my dad in-law, and a homemade cheesecake for the non-traditionalists (i.e. everyone else)! This just meant that I got to £6 worth of free desserts and not have to wait until the 25th -double win! 

I still headed towards the Christmas desserts and spotted the most amazing looking Black Forest Dome Gateau, and although it serves 8 (there's just me, Bert and the dog at home), I just had to have it. I'm partial to a sport of the 80's retro flavour combo and have reviewed quite a few black forest foodstuffs this year (muffins, dessert pots, low fat biscuit snacks, and most recently lebkuchen of course if you want to check them out). At just £3 my vouchers more than covered it, so I also picked up some other desserts to try at a later date.

"Dome shaped chocolate sponge cake filled with Kirsch chocolate cream mousse and cherry sauce on a short crust pastry base. Covered with a chocolate flavoured glaze, decorated with chocolate decorations and Morello cherry."

I didn't expect the dome to contain 8 reasonable sized portions, but it certainly did (take note Iceland). I was also impressed by the careful packaging that surrounded the dessert -not good for eco-warriors but it certainly enabled a very clumsy me to get it home in one piece. The packet suggested a defrost time of 3 & 1/2 hours, but I cut out our portions and left it on the side for an hour and it did the trick. 

The centre of the dome looked just as impressive as the photo on the box, and I mentally gave another point to Tesco. My knife easily slid through the layers too, which helped as I'm the worst at plating up, although I imagine it would be messier when defrosted.

The chocolate cake was light and fluffy, lacking the density of a good fudge cake, but admittedly was a good choice to surround the mousse innards. Said mousse however was a bit disappointing, in fact I thought it was just a vapid chocolate mousse until I wrote this review. Tesco seem to have fallen into the same trap as ASDA did with their muffins; neither the chocolate or cherry was dominant and therefore the mousse just tasted odd.

Fortunately the cherry sauce was wonderful, perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, and working well with the central cake layer it sat upon. The pastry base was also good, and added an extra textural element. I also thought the chocolate glaze was tasty too, although to be honest I was just pleased to find that it wasn't the horrid hotel jelly stuff that often graces the buffet table in continental hotels. 

Overall, it's not the most delicious dessert I've ever had -but it's one of the better frozen puds and it looks damn good. If you haven't done your Chrismas food shop yet and are after an alternative centrepiece without the faff of homebaking (or M&S's prices) then I suggest you have a think about picking up Tesco's Black Forest Dome Gateau. 

7/10

Schlute Kirsch Lebkuchen (TKMaxx)

Last year I was obsessed with plain Lebkuchen, but this year it's the turn of the jammy, chocolate dipped variety. Thus far I've tried the Lambertz version, but then I spotted this curious Kirsch version from a company I've not heard of before in TKMaxx.

I don't make a regular habit of buying food from the discount retailer (mainly because it's actually more expensive than most supermarkets) but I've recently made a habit of checking my local branch because I've discovered that they regularly stock Jordan's skinny syrups- and they're much cheaper than I can get them online.

Now that TKMaxx have their Christmas foods in stock I'm finding it even harder to make my was to the syrup shelf without being distracted by the continental treats -and Kirsch Lebkuchen sounded just to good to resist. At £1.49 for 100g bag they're more costly than the Lambertz version, but they sounded so much more exciting and I felt that the extra expense was justified.

Have any of you tried Schlute's products before? Their website leads me to believe that the company are a quality German manufacturer of biscuits, waffles and pastries who use only "old, tried and tested recipes and exquisite ingredients" and "carefully selected ingredients".

"Juicy gingerbread with fine apple-cherry-fruit filling (18% and plain chocolate (28%).

Gah. The bag obviously hadn't been looked after on its travels. Unlike the Lambertz Lebkuchen, most of the hearts were smashed. I certainly wouldn't have been happy if I'd received them a present in such a questionable state. Still, I hoped that the taste would make up for their sorry appearance.

Alas! Compared to the Lambertz versions, these were pathetic. The gingerbread was fairly well spiced but was noticeably less soft and more tough -which in itself wasn't a deal breaker. Add poor quality chocolate and so-so jam into the equation however and you're left with a pretty disgruntled Amy. I was hoping for a lovely, black forest vibe (or at the very least a good quality German gingerbread) but these missed the mark entirely -especially as the jam was distinctly lacking in the Kirsch department. Perhaps I should've read the bag before I'd bought (or even tasted) the hearts, as then I would've realised that the ingredients includes 10% apple pulp and just 1% morello cherry juice concentrate. Very misleading.

I can't blame Schlute entirely for my experience with their Kirsch Lebkuchen though, after all I have no idea how long these have been kicking about the TKMaxx system (but they were in date until April next year) and I also imagine they looked far prettier when leaving the factory floor. 

4/10

NEW! Fresh Stollen Cookies (Morrisons)

What are the flavours and foods you look forward to over the festive period? I'd love to know. Personal favourites include Lebkuchen, mince pies and stollen -as well as pigs in blankets of course.

Tesco have stopped selling their Mince Pie Cookies this year, opting for a Black Forest version instead -which I'm dubious about. I thought Tesco was the only supermarket producing festive cookies, but yesterday I was early for the train so popped into Morrisons (where I promptly fell in lust with many of their fresh bakery lines) before spying these Stollen cookies. What caught my eye initially was their festive little bag -c'mon, how cute is it? At £1 for 5 they were pretty good value too, especially considering that they're a limited edition. 

"Spiced cookies with sultanas, currants, cherries and marzipan flavoured fudge pieces."

The pale little misshapen rounds looked rather delicious, although the smattering of dried fruit was all embedded on one side in my first cookie to bite the biscuit -pardon the pun- but admittedly the others were better spread out.

I'm not sure how you like your bakery cookies, but for me they have to be soft and chewy. Fortunately Morrisons must agree with me as these were perfect in consistency. There was a delicate spice to them, which perhaps could've been a bit stronger (they've certainly not been as heavy handed with the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as Graze, that's for sure) but then Stollen does tend to have a subtler flavour than many of our British Christmas treats. I enjoyed the currants, cherries and sultanas, and the fruitiness gave the cookies a lighter flavour.

Of course the star of the Stollen Cookie show should be the marzipan, and it was this element that I was most excited about. The trouble was, it wary much lacking in quantity. I thought Morrisons had once again pulled the wool over my eyes and sold me a dead dog. Then, just as I had almost finished, a lovely almondy flavour greeted my tastebuds like a long lost friend. There you are marzipan, it's a shame you couldn't stick around.

These cookies are very sweet, but not as much as the discontinued Mince Pie cookies. They don't scream stollen at me, but they're a novel idea, and a welcome addition to the 2016 Christmas treat line up.  They would be getting very high marks if they contained more marzipan, but I still think an 8 is pretty respectable, don't you? I'm certainly looking forward to my next one this evening...

8/10

Christmas Pudding Buns (M&S)

M&S's Christmas Pudding buns are one of last year's Christmas products that I wish I had got around to trying. I even posted them up onto instagram, but still they never made it home. I hoped the buns (that look remarkably like boobies with nipple tassles -surely it's not just me with a childish mind?) would be back this year, and so I have been dutifully scouring Marks & Sparks' bakery aisle at regular intervals. Yesterday my patience won out, and although I initially baulked at the £1.80 price tag, I got a grip and grabbed my buns*.

"2 Spiced and fruited buns filled with a brandy sauce, topped with a soft vanilla icing, hand decorated with a glacé cherry and a sugar paste holly leaf."

Now I should probably let you know that I really don't like Christmas cake. It's not the spices (I've told you how much I love them) it's not the dried fruit (again, I'm a big fan) or even the richness (Mince Pies are pretty rich aren't they?). I think it's more about the claggy texture -every spoonful seems to stick to previously undiscovered crevices in my mouth, lodging itself between teeth. Also, I make a mean boozy cheesecake, and cheesecake almost always wins out in any dessert war!

So why did I buy Christmas Pudding Buns? For the same reason I bought the Christmas Pud Nakd bars last year: the flavours of Christmas without the stodge.

I'll tell you now, the buns smelt incredible. Their warm spices emanated from them, and it must be a strong scent because I'm full of cold and can barely breath at the moment. The buns felt relatively light despite their brandy sauce filling -which I hoped meant that M&S hadn't skimped on the filling.

They certainly did not; Marks & Sparks did me proud. As you can see, the buns encapsulated a large pocket of golden brandy sauce, which oozed out enticingly once sliced into.

The buns were super soft, sweet, and generous with the cinnamon. There were plenty of moist currants and cherries in every bite too -yet not enough to make the dough heavy. 

The brandy sauce should be the star of the show but I had my concerns about how well it would work against the wonderful bun dough. Fortunately it was creamy and smooth, delivering a warmth from the alcohol (without the throat burn) -I loved it! 

The icing on top was in generous enough proportions to add an additional texture and sweetness, but not enough to render the bun sickly. Well played Marks and Spencer. 

I'm so annoyed that I missed out on M&S's Christmas Pudding Buns last year, but I guess I've got the 'lost time to make up for' excuse to buy them in abundance now. I don't know about you but I've really missed Mr Kipling's brandy sauce Mince Pies since they were discontinued a couple of years ago, but these buns more than make up for the loss -they're absolutely incredible. If you're a fan of M&S' fabulous Lemon Curd Whitby Buns (also absolutely delicious) and/or traditional Christmas flavours, then please treat yourself to these wonderful creations ASAP. 

10/10

*Not those buns. The Xmas Pudding buns. Obviously. 

NEW! Haribo Scaremix (ASDA)

It's October and finally cold enough to stick on my parka and pull up the big fluffy hood before leaving the house in the mornings, which means that it's perfectly acceptable to publish a Halloween themed review! Hurrah!

Do you get into the spirit of the festivities and look forward to the dressing up and trick or treating? Or are you of the opinion that it's a gawdy, dangerous American holiday that facilitates begging and makes children greedy? To be honest, Halloween doesn't really bother me. I quite look forward to seeing the little'uns dressed up as witches, or putting a bed sheet over their heads pretending to be ghosts (the pesky teenagers don't have the same effect, and just cause me to roll my eyes and ignore them). Perhaps my ambiguity is because I live in a rural city where there's not a huge deal of crime (or trick or treaters for that matter). Halloween does however bring a few seasonal products and releases, and that's what I do welcome with open arms.

Last year the only Halloween Haribo I spotted was the scary minions edition, which seemed a bit pointless, and I didn't even bother picking up a bag. This year the company have had the good sense to seize the opportunity and bring out two new 'Spooky Editions' -which are available in both Starmix and Tangfastics style selections and appear to have replaced the Frenzy Carnival bags of the summer.

The 'spooky flavours' are shown in the picture below:

As usual there seemed to be a lot more bears in the packet than anything else, which always annoys me! Surely everyone reaches for the foamy sweets first?

That's exactly what I did anyway. First up was the toffee apple 'Monsters Eyeball' (fried egg to you and me) which had a strong, pleasant apple flavour, but a rather odd and slightly synthetic toffee taste. I wasn't keen. It was a Good job there wasn't too many of them -although my other half disagreed and really liked them. Next I tried the 'Vampire Hearts' which were also rather peculiar thanks to the inclusion of bubblegum and blackcurrant. Also not my cup of tea. Bubble gum should be kept to gum not sweets OR ice cream for that matter. Fortunately, I liked most of the gummy sweets; especially the cherry bears (although not as good as the banana bears), and blood orange 'witches brew' (aka cola bottles). The other sweets left me feeling a bit meh. The apple and blackcurrant rings tasted like squash, and the blackcurrant & blueberry rings and lime bears weren't anything special either.

All in all, I'm not prepared to begrudge the option of new Haribo. It's lovely to see a new concoction of flavours, even if they aren't particularly 'spooky'. The Little Cupcakes were far more ingenious, and I much preferred the summer edition of Starmix.

6/10

Cherry Bakewell Hipster Fudge (Etsy)

Did you watch GBBO this week amid the traumatic news that our much loved programme is channel hopping next series? Forget all the M.Bezzer stress for a moment, because I want to know if the episode had you hankering after a Bakewell as much as it did me -although maybe not Val's soggy bottom, eh? Hipster Fudge must've predicted my longing for all things cherry-almond because earlier this week they offered to send me a pack of their new limited edition fudge to try. I actually debated it for a second, because my last experience (Matt & Ben's Espresso Fudge) left me believing that I didn't like the sweet treat any more. Then I reconsidered, reasoning that I would share the Hipster Fudge at work, sampling it around the office to get a more balanced view.

If you haven't heard of Hipster Fudge yet, let me fill you in:

Hipster Fudge is relatively new. The company was born after the owner, Jonny Craft, made some fudge one day for his main business 'Sweet Pizzas'  to use as toppings . He sent some to his friends to see if they liked it and a lot of them said it was the best fudge they have ever had. He then started making more wacky flavours and posting them on a Facebook page he set up for the brand and the orders came flooding in. Hipster fudge has been trading on Etsy for a month now, and already has 60 orders. Jonny believes that Fudge is seen as an older persons treat, however Hipster Fudge aims to make it trendier, a bit like the current gin revolution. Flavours change regularly and currently include Oreo & Cashew, Aero, Reese's Pieces, and Ferrero Rocher -to name just a few.

The bar arrived just a day later, comprised of six squares -each topped with white icing and a single glace cherry. Notices on the back of the packet warned me of the inclusion of nuts, and also a polite memo to let me know it's better enjoyed from the fridge. 

That evening I was so curious to try the pretty looking bar now nestled among the chocolate bars in my fridge, that I broke off a couple of squares to tuck in to (forgetting the office ladies and gents in one fell sweep, sorry all). Despite being cold, the fudge had remained soft and malleable -just how I remember loving it as a child.

The flavour was bolder than expected, with the almond shining through the sugary sweetness. I loved the glace cherry on the top, which imparted the bakewell element into every bite. Perhaps that flavour may have been slightly more impactive if the fudge itself included chopped cherries -although I'm not sure if that would change the consistency, which squidgy and absolutely perfect.

I'm so grateful to Jonny at Hipster Fudge, not only for sending me the sample, but also for reminding me that I do love fudge. When I was a small child, my granddad used to walk up a steep hill to buy me fudge from a specialist shop in the town where we lived every day (even when he was dying from cancer). Hipster Fudge has brought back those lovely decades old memories of us sitting on the sofa together enjoying our delicious, golden, sugar-laden treats after his outing. 

Please do pop over to Hipster Fudge's Etsy Shop, and if you don't see something you fancy today then continue to keep an eye out, the flavours are changing on an almost daily basis! 

9/10

*You must go check out @sweetpizzas on Twitter, but it'll leave you salivating!

R Bar Flapjack Protein Bars: Cherry Almond, Apple & Blackberry Crumble & Maple Syrup (Cardiff Sports Nutrition)

A couple of months ago I received a lovely parcel full of goodies from the team at Reflex Nutrition. Inside the box was the protein coffee (which I loved and am now addicted to, check out my review if you want to find out more) and a box of each flavour of the new R Bar Flapjacks. I have to admit that I was super excited by the flavours, all of which appealed to me. 

I was informed at the time that Reflex's primary drive with the flapjacks was to produce a quality product in terms of being nutritionally sound. It was never intended to be a confectionary type bar, instead Reflex say that their "protein flapjacks offer unrivalled quality, incorporating nutritionally uncompromised ingredients. Each bar contains 18g protein, 7g fibre, 21g low GI carbohydrates, and just 2g sugar to keep you sustained before and after your training." If you want any more information on the thought process behind the flapjack bars, please pop over to their blog.

The first thing I noticed when I unwrapped the bars, was just how little they looked like traditional flapjacks. I had a horrible flashback to the PhD peanut butter bar at the beginning of the year, and hoped I could stomach them better.

Fortunately, all of the bars are soft, although they taste much more like traditional protein bars than traditional flapjacks. I much prefer them once warmed through in the microwave for 20 seconds -the same way I like my Quests & Carb Killas. My biggest issue is that the flavours in the Cherry Almond and Apple & Blackberry bars aren't very strong at all, meaning that they disappear somewhat against the more prominent taste of the milk protein. I appreciated that the fruit flavour comes from real freeze dried fruit, but it accounts for only 1% of the ingredients, so it's unsurprising that it lags behind. The Cherry Almond bar is also slightly oily to the touch, but it didn't taste greasy in the slightest. 

My absolute favourite bar by a country mile is the maple syrup, which was far bolder in taste. I love this bar warm, and it's one that I really look forward to. As far as macros go, the R Bar Protein Flapjacks are a winner, and as a bonus they're 'clean' and very filling after a good work out. You can buy them from any reputable sports retailer, my favourite being Cardiff Sports Nutrition (where you can buy them for just £1.49 per bar). 

Maple Syrup: 8/10
Cherry Almond: 6/10
Apple & Blackberry Crumble: 5/10

*A huge thank you to Reflex for sending me the samples to review.