Muller de Luxe Corner - Creme Praline [by @NLi10]

Muller de Luxe Corner - Creme Praline [by @NLi10]

Muller have a new range of slightly posher corners.  These ones come as a pack of two banded together, and have black plastic containers so you know they are Deluxe (or de Luxe as the trademark says).

I took my half of this to work to have as a nice pudding at lunch time. It got quite a few comments, as it stands out on your tray and isn't the kind of thing that a hospital stocks.

The corner is basically giant rice crispies covered in rough chocolate.  These are very nice and add the texture but the flavour individually isn't much.  The white stuff is a sweet creamy substance.  I worried it would be a bit trifley but actually is was really nice - it's made with whipping cream and it definitely shows.  Underneath this is a thick chocolate substance which is stickier and thicker than the cream so even during the trip to work everything was where it was supposed to be.

I'm not a fan of the sickly sweet M&S style pudding portions, but this has just enough balance to make it nicely edible.  I liked the cream the best, but at the end I had a lovely marbled mixture of swirls with the balls floating in it which I guess is the intention.  Very much worth a look.

Innocent Caribbean Veg Pot: Caribbean Jerk Curry (Tesco) [By @SpectreUK]

I’m always on the lookout for a healthy and quick to cook snack at lunchtime or dinner when I’m home late from work or after a trip to the theatre. This Innocent Caribbean Veg Pot: Caribbean Jerk Curry flavour seemed a perfect find in my local supermarket. Although the Caribbean is famed for somewhere not to act so innocently when you go there on holiday! At four minutes to cook in the microwave this promised to be a quick meal. It sported on the label that this meal contained three of the required five portions of fruit and vegetables per the day, so it sounded pretty healthy too. The 380g pot consisted of 334 calories, with 22g of sugar and 10.6g of fat. The vegetable pot was vegetarian and vegan friendly with ingredients that included; cooked coconut rice, carrot, tomato, onion, red pepper, sweetcorn, mango, pineapple, pimento beans, coconut, demerara sugar, corn flour, coriander, vegetable oil, curry powder, ginger puree, red chilli, garlic, white wine vinegar, sea salt, pimento, paprika, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, black pepper and cinnamon. Phew! Quite a mouthful of ingredients there then...

After heating and stirring the meal and leaving it to cool, I found it had a medium spicy jerk flavour with a touch of mango and some pineapple pieces to cool any chilli heat down. There was plenty of vegetables and rice making it a very tasty and healthy feeling filling treat. I would definitely have this again. The pot’s cardboard label had heating instructions on the inside, as well as one of 101 things to do with your pot suggestion of filling it will dried beans, little stones and old buttons to make a maraca. There were also instructions with a little folding and cutting of the label to make a desk goal to while away the boring hours stuck at work after enjoying this spicy Caribbean Jerk Curry Veg pot for lunch.

By Spectre

Eton Mess Muffin (@CostaCoffee) [By @cinabar]

Costa is my coffee chain of choice. There is something about the friendly nature of the shop, and the fabulous cakes that always draws me. On a recent visit I spotted that there were one or two new goodies on the menu, and picked up myself an Eton Mess Muffin as an afternoon treat.
The muffins are very pretty to look at, it is decorated with a white icing, which is topped with berries and sugary meringue pieces. Some of the ones on the shelf had quite a few berries adorning them, but the one the server picked for me just had a couple. That is the perils of having cakes which someone else chooses for you! Oh well, it still pretty good to me. The soft sponge has soft berries speckled throughout anyway, with the centre piece being a lovely dollop of fruity berry jam in the middle. The fruit within the muffin is mixed, but it does have a predominantly strawberry taste which is fitting for Eton Mess. The topping with its mix of icing and crunchy bits does add the essential meringue, and add a lovely sweetness to the muffin. The sponge is moist and soft, and the berry blast that it delivers is wonderful and summery. I enjoyed this with an Iced Latte, and pretended it wasn’t raining buckets outside!
The other item that caught my eye in Costa was a Giant Belgian Chocolate Teacake, but that will have to wait for another day... another day very soon. :-)

By Cinabar

Quorn Simply Add - Carbonara [by @Nli10]

I love Carbonara - it's my baseline Italian dish.  If I want to see if a restaurant 'gets' what Italian food should be like then I choose the Carbonara.  If I've had a long day and just want something I know that I will enjoy I make it myself.  I've concocted veggie versions too - I replaced the bacon/ham with with either quorn bits or sun-dried tomatoes.  When I saw that Quorn themselves had a go I thought I should be open-minded and try it.

Turns out it's a bit different from carbonara's accepted recipe.  There is cheese in the actual sauce, which isn't supposed to be there - and they even declare that it's got 4 kinds as if it's a bonus.  There is pepper in the sauce, but it's a small amount of white pepper - the 'carbon' in the carbonara is generally considered to be the cracked black pepper.  This has none.  This leaves us with a sachet of Quattro Stagione sauce, which doesn't really have many herbs at all, but does have little pink cubes.

I've not seen pink Quorn before.  I didn't think to see how they coloured it, but it does psychologically help to make you think this is a meat based dish.  Unfortunately this has probably been taste-tested by people who haven't understood that the saltiness of the bacon is it's only reason for being there.  The zing of this in the creaminess of the sauce creates a lovely contrast and none of that is here.  

The texture of the Quorn cubes is good, and these are very edible, but even Mabel the cat wasn't fooled into thinking these were meat.

If you want an instant, lightly cheesy cream sauce to go with pasta for a vegetarian meal then this is fine.  Be prepared to season it heavily to get any real flavour out of it (Schwartz to the rescue!) but it's edible and it's 1 portion claim is a little generous if anything - I think with sufficient pasta this could be shared.

I added one sun-dried tomato which I had left over to the bottom and it brought the thing alive.  I suggest cutting them into thin strips and stirring them liberally so that the flavour comes alive.  If Quorn did the little pink cubes separately you'd probably just be better off buying and frying those with some cream and black pepper then adding any cheese you want to the top of the dish as intended.  

I guess the point of this is quick and convenient though so it fails in that respect if you want authenticity, but not if you want speed.

Rowntree’s Rip’ems (Boots) [By @SpectreUK]

These new Rowntree’s Rip’ems came in a flat packet with two sets of four flavours of stuck together strips. First of all you have to rip open the packet, and then you rip off each yummy strip. Pretty violent sweets these. They’ll help take away any stress and strain you may have during your working or school day. There’s even a “serving suggestion” on the back of the packet for lassoing your finger before eating it (the lace, not the finger). With no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and 25% fruit juice in the ingredients, these sweets were pretty healthy sounding at 58 calories per strip. The orange coloured lace had a mild orange flavour, whereas the yellow lace had a lovely fruity pear flavour. The pink lace had a decent strawberry flavour, which was very pleasant, mild and natural, whereas the purple lace had a strong fruity and juicy blackcurrant flavour. Although I didn’t try any lassoing whilst at work when I ate these fruity strips, these Rowntree’s Rip’ems had the fun aspect of ripping and slurping them into my mouth, which made me feel young and gave me a cheeky giggle whilst I tried to concentrate on the many reports piling up on my desk. Next time I’ll try tying the laces all together to lasso a report or two into the bin!

By Spectre

Ice Cream Free Ice Cream Products - Cornetto, Magnum & Mini Milk (Tesco) [By @cinabar]

In Britain we are never guaranteed a good summer. In fact I’m struggling to remember when the last one was! This puts ice cream companies in a bit of an awkward position as everyone knows ice lollies sell better when it’s hot. Unilever (who seem to manage some of our bigger ice cream brands) have allowed their ice creams to be turned into chocolate treats so they can be enjoyed whatever the weather. Seems quite sensible given the climate, but on the other hand it may be missing the point. When I spotted them in Tesco (by the tills) I decided to pick them up and give them the taste test.

Magnum – 3 Chocolates
I decided to try the Magnum first, and found that there were three Magnum chocolates inside the wrapper. Although obviously a lot smaller than a Magnum ice cream they did have the right shape. The chocolate was quite thick, and had a rich taste which was pleasant but certainly not the best chocolate I’ve ever tried. It was the filling that made them though. The fluffy vanilla creamy centre worked like a dream. It was smooth silky and had such an indulgent creamy taste that all thoughts about the quality of the chocolate coating where forgotten, it made them pure yum.

Cornetto
In terms of cuteness or novelty out of three products this one wins the award. It looks just like a miniature Cornetto and even opens in the same way. I.e. you unwrap the sides and have a cardboard circle protecting the top.
The filling in this seemed to be remarkably similar to the filling in the Magnum chocolates, it had the same fluffy texture and ultra creamy vanilla taste, and was absolutely gorgeous! The wafer is crunchy and pleasant and lined with chocolate which is a nice extra touch, as are the nuts on top. Both in terms of taste and novelty this ticked both boxes.

Mini Milk
This last bar was the one I felt was not quite true to it original ice cream form. The ice lolly is creamy and this is more on the side of sweet. There is a good thick chocolate coating, underneath which there is a smooth soft chocolate filling. The chocolate is good, and the filling is enjoyable, there is plenty of chocolate flavour but quite a bit of sugariness too. I liked it, but it seems less sophisticated than the other two products and not quite similar enough to the original ice lolly.

I actually enjoyed all the new products, and would certainly pick up any of them again. Yes they are a novelty, but they were still rather nice. It has to be said though; only in the UK would you get ice cream free ice creams! Oh come on British summer – please make your presence known and prove these companies wrong!

By Cinabar

Cadbury Pots of Joy – White Chocolate Buttons Dessert (Tesco @CadburyUK) [By @cinabar]

When I was a kid I used to love white chocolate mousse. I think my favourite must have been a Sainsburys own brand, but I know at some stage it got discontinued and I’ve been missing it ever since. When I saw these new Pots Of Joy desserts from Cadburys, I snapped up the white chocolate version. There was also a milk chocolate version and even one with Cadbury caramel, both of these are on my list try in the very near future.
Once the lid was off the pot, I realised that the dessert was smooth and thick, and not quite a mouse, but this moment of disappointment was soon over come. The texture works really well, it was slightly thicker than expected but this made if feel quite sumptuous and added to the indulgence. The flavour was just divine too. It was full of the creamiest rich white chocolate flavour I could have imagined. I guess the fact that it was made with real white chocolate buttons really does shine through. There was a good creamy vanilla background taste, but the it was the sweet taste of white chocolate that made it work so well. I found myself scraping out the pot, to get every last bit out!
I’m looking forward to trying the other varieties but I think have a preference for white chocolate desserts may have made me a little biased on this write up, and I can’t imagine them coming anywhere close. I have to say, I do hope I’m proved wrong though! :-)

By Cinabar

Pipers Crisps & Zest Pesto [by @NLi10]

We recently visited local shop One Earth in Birmingham  and raided their snackables.  The last few things we picked up are here below.

First up are these by Pipers Crisp Co with the flavour Anglesey Sea Salt.  I hadn't seen these before but the Pub we were in yesterday (in the historical city of Lichfield) much to my surprise they had them behind the bar.  These are like a thinner Kettle Chip with the similar sparse ingredients list and basic flavour.

I had to double check the front part way through eating as my brain is so accustomed to having posh crisps in blue packs having vinegar too.  These have the strong saltiness that you'd expect but also a warmth to the potato which is very tasty.  I think I'd appreciate a large bag of these!  And if they are in pubs and cafes that I like then I will probably slowly trek through the flavours.

I chatted about Pesto recently, in it's super convenient squeezy form  which we finished eventually, but it was surprising amount of effort to get that last little bit out of the squeezer and we had to open them up and use a knife.  Here we are at the other end of the scale.

This looks great as it's another one of those 'free from' brands that basically gives you the rawest form of the product without all the artificial stuff.  Here the oil is almost completely absorbed into the pesto and it's more of a rough-textured paste than I've ever experienced before.  It's also gorgeous.  As pictured I popped it on a freshly baked baguette with a few sun-dried tomatoes and had an amazing lunch.  This is a little bit luxury and possibly harder to locate than the typical varieties, but if this is available I think it maybe worth it.

I can't wait to try this with salads and mixed into a few different kinds of pasta.  There is not much to say about it, but it's one of my most favourite savoury things I've reviewed in a long time.

Quorn Lunch Pots (Tesco) [By @SpectreUK]

I am a meat eater, always have been. I can understand people who don’t like foods of varying kinds, one of which being meat. Some people don’t like red meat, some people don’t like fish, and some people don’t like particular meats like plaice from the local chippy. It surprises me if someone doesn’t like any kind of meat at all, but I can understand that. Many people out there just don’t eat meat on principle. I guess some of these people like or miss the taste of meat, but don’t like the idea of an animal dying to feed them. I guess as a meat eater all my life, I can understand that. I’m not a hunter and don’t like the idea of killing what I eat. I’m too lazy for that, and besides bashing something fluffy’s brains out with a rock doesn’t hugely appeal either. I even send Cinabar and her mom to the local supermarket as I’d prefer to do just about anything else. Created by Marlow Foods and Vegetarian Society approved, these Quorn Lunch Pots would appeal to those people who have morals for the rights of animals to live rather than feed themselves with the animals, but still crave the feel and taste of real meat. They are made with mycoprotein which is a member of the fungi family and is low in fat at less than 3%, and high in fibre and protein. So as a meat eater (I know, I may have said that a few times during this paragraph) I wanted to see if this mycoprotein really does taste like real meat and mixes well in any kind of TV dinner.

Chicken Style Biryani

This Chicken Style Biryani was served in a 300g plastic pot with a colourful outer card label. This meal contained 345 calories, with 10.5g of sugar and 15g of fat, and had to be kept refrigerated. The ingredients consisted of Biryani sauce, which included tomato, water, low fat yoghurt, coconut milk, onion, refined rapeseed oil, sugar, garlic, ginger, coriander, savoury stock, red chilli, turmeric, maize starch, salt, garam masala, cumin seeds, cardamom, nigella seeds and cinnamon. There was also basmati rice, caraway seeds, mustard seeds, red and yellow peppers in the pot mixed in with the chicken style pieces of mycoprotein. Recommended at three and a half minutes microwave time for 800w microwave ovens, I took a chance at cooking it for nearly three minutes in Cinabar’s 1000w machine. Stirring the pot proved quite a challenge as the portion filled the container admirably, but once I had eaten some “chicken” pieces and some rice it was easier to mix the sauce and rice together. The sauce had a spicy medium heat and I was most impressed with the “chicken” pieces, if someone had put the meal in front of me and said; “enjoy your Chicken Biryani TV Dinner.” I’d have said; “thank you, that was lovely,” afterwards without a murmur or accusation of it not being chicken! The meal was very tasty indeed and very filling. I’d definitely have this again. I can heartily say that no animals were injured whilst eating this meal, but my meat eating persona took a bit of a pounding!

Pasta Bolognaise

Again served in a 300g pot and requiring refrigeration, this Pasta Bolognese contained 285 calories, with 7.5g of sugar and 6g of fat. So if you’re looking for the healthiest option between these two TV dinners, this would be it. The ingredients included the Bolognese sauce, which consisted of Quorn mince, roasted barley malt extract, natural caramelised sugar, tomatoes, sunflower oil, spirit vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, red wine, carrot onion, olive oil, celery, garlic, thyme, and basil. There was a whole cherry tomato on the top of the sizable portion, bits of diced red pepper, and lots of curly pasta. The sauce had a lovely rich tomato and red pepper spicy flavour. The beef mince style Quorn didn’t taste exactly like meat though, but was still very tasty. This mycoprotein mince was a good substitute for beef mince, but not precise enough to fool. If you made me taste a beef mince Bolognese against this TV dinner in an “eat off”; I reckon I’d notice the difference pretty quickly, where with the Chicken Style Biryani you could mix them up and I doubt I’d be able to pick between the two. Still, having said that I’d have this meal again and besides it’s the principle damn it!! ;-)

By Spectre

Win A Giant Slice And Share Snickers Bar!!!

When I saw this epic sized ‘Slice and Share’ Snickers Bar I couldn’t resist picking it up and offering it up as a competition prize. I've never seen anything like it before, it’s such a huge bar of chocolate, it is totally stunning. The bar is far too big to be eaten in one sitting; even the greedy would want to pace themselves over a few days! It is however designed to be sliced and shared, and would be perfect for a treat between friends watching a film or on a special occasion.
Given the size (and weight) this prize is only open to UK readers – purely on the grounds that the postage would cost too much to send overseas (sorry folks).

In order to enter all you have to do is LIKE our Facebook page or join our mailing list (there is a link on the right where you can enter your email address). Then email us: admin@foodstufffinds.co.uk with “Comp” in the subject line, let us know your name as per Facebook or if your email address is registered on our mailing list and answer the question below:

Email: admin@foodstufffinds.co.uk
Subject Line: Comp

Question: Of all the products reviewed at Foodstuff Finds which other one would you like to see in giant format?
Include the name you used to like our Facebook page or use the email address you used to subscribe to our mailing list (link on the right).

Terms/Conditions
• One winner will be chosen at random
• UK residents only
• Entrants must include the name of a product reviewed on Foodstuff Finds that they would like to see in giant format, any item will do there are no wrong answers.
• Entrants must have liked our Facebook page or have joined our email mailing list (link on the right).
• Competition closes 31st May 2013 at 10pm
• If we can’t get in touch with the winner in a reasonable amount of time to obtain an address another winner will be selected.
• If you have any questions about this competition, please send me an email or leave a comment below.