Today's Review: Lemonheads

In the wake of my Boston Baked Beans review the other day, I present another candy by the same guys. These are Lemonheads, a collection of spherical lemon flavoured candies. They're pretty much the same as Boston Baked Beans, but instead of peanuts, there's just more candy. Well, I do like a bit of bitterness at times, so these were a must buy, again priced at 50p.

On the whole, these are indeed quite lemony. There's a bold, bitter flavour throughout that I could certainly get on board with. The only problem is I wasn't sure how to go about eating them. Do I suck, or chew? You see, the outer layer is quite soft, and somewhat powdery, suggesting these candies are made to bite right through. But upon doing so, my teeth quickly struck the solid interior, forcing me to change my strategy and switch to sucking. by the end of the box I was quite adept at biting off the outer layer and swallowing it before working on the inside, but overall it was quite an awkward eating experience. About as awkward as it was writing that last paragraph without sounding dirty.

These candies have a nice flavour, but the differing textures just got in the way of it. There are better lemon sweets out there, but for 50p a box of these aren't bad. I wouldn't go out of my way to get one though.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Snickers Rockin' Nut Road

While Snickers certainly doesn't rank in my top chocolate bar list, I am partial to a twist on the original, and spying this Rocky Road variety at Mr. Simms certainly piqued my interest. Almost everything in this bar is slightly different. Aside from the regular caramel, it also contains almonds and marshmallow flavoured nougat, all wrapped up in dark chocolate.

While the elements may be quite different, this is unmistakably a Snickers bar. The nougat is as soft as ever, and the marshmallow flavour is actually very authentic, and very delicious. The almonds make for a good replacement for the peanuts, giving a more mellow, nutty flavour, but remaining satisfyingly filling. The part I was most concerned about was the dark chocolate, fearing it would be too bitter. However, it works well, balancing out the almost overly sweet interior, while still remaining sweet of its own accord. This is a well balanced Snickers bar, and the variations on the classic ingredients are well crafted. It's definitely one of the tastiest varieties I've tried.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Spooky Shreddies

Halloween is just around the corner, and there are finally some good seasonal goodies lining the shelves. Granted, one of them is the Halloween edition M&Ms, which are the same old thing but in different colours. But there are also some mighty interesting offerings, like these "Spooky Shreddies", which are, quite simply, cinnamon flavoured Shreddies. A good choice for Halloween (aside from pumpkin of course), but my relationship with cinnamon cereal is somewhat strained, as detailed in as far back as my second ever review. But cinnamon and I have started to become allies, so I was willing to give these a shot.

There's not much to say about these, to be honest. They are cinnamon flavoured Shreddies, and they taste like cinnamon. At first I was quite put off by the spiciness, being used to purely sweet varieties for so long. But as I continued through the bowl, I actually found them to be quite alright. The spice is not too overwhelming, but it's definitely flavoursome. It provides a nice sweetness that blends in with the Shreddies quite well, but the spiciness still put me off a bit until the end of the bowl.  Certainly not the best flavour by any stretch of the imagination, but that's probably my adversity to cinnamon talking. These Spooky Shreddies are a neat idea, and cinnamon lovers will certainly have a good time. They're just not quite for me.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Big Hunk

I can't say chowing down on a Big Hunk was on my wish list, but I found a bar for a reduced price, so of course I was going to have a go. This is a massive nougat bar, a snack food that is quite underrepresented in the UK. This one contains honey flavoured nougat, but is also packed with peanuts for good measure. Honey and nuts works, we know that, but nougat too?

Well, it's quite nice. The honey flavour is somewhat subdued, but certainly present throughout, and blends nicely with the peanuts to create something akin to Crunchy Nut. The only slight problem is with the consistency. The nougat is chewy and long lasting, of course, but the peanuts are quickly broken down. This leaves some remnants to mix in with the rest of the bar, which leaves it somewhat powdery. Still, it tastes nice, even if it is a little unpleasant on the tongue. Whether that's true of most big hunks, I'm not sure, but I think this is the only one I'll be trying.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Boston Baked Beans

Of all the American snacks I've tried over the years, the Boston Baked Bean is one that's avoided me. Until today. I managed to find a packet in Mr. Simms for a mere 50p, and I certainly couldn't pass it up for that price. Basically, this is a tiny box of candy coated peanuts. Why are they called Boston Baked Beans? Well, because they look like baked beans, specifically ones from Boston, apparently. But why peanuts? I don't know, stop asking questions, that's just the way they are. The real question is, do they taste good?

If you're fond of peanut M&Ms you're in familiar territory here. There may be no chocolate involved, but these peanuts are coated in a nice thick layer of crunchy, sugary goodness. The candy is very sweet indeed, and would certainly be too much on its own, but it's nicely counteracted by the taste of the peanuts, and the hard texture of the shell quickly gives way to the softer peanut interior, making it satisfying to chew through as well. I quickly polished off the packet, and I'll probably be picking more up in the future. Boston Baked Beans are a tasty peanut candy treat, and while I did compare them to M&Ms before, they're quite unique in their own right. Sweet, nutty, delicious.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Monster: The Doctor

I was scanning the regular drink selection today when this garish yellow can caught my eye. A new variety of Monster? Well, I had to check to make sure. At first glance it's hard to tell what it's all about, as the can is emblazoned with random phrases and symbols. Apparently they hold some meaning to fans of Motocross, but I don't know anything about that, so this design looked like a colourful Doctor Who/celestial bodies mashup. Thankfully there's a short passage on the back that informs me this flavour was designed (I'm sure) by Valentino Rossi, and that it has a "light, crisp, refreshing citrus flavour", as well as a "full load of our legendary Monster Energy blend". So without further ado, I took that full load in my mouth.

I was pretty excited at the prospect of a citrus flavour Monster, the Relentless lemon flavour is one of my favourites, so hopefully the tradition would continue. Sadly, it's not quite on par, with the Monster variety opting for a more varied citrus taste rather than focusing on the bitterness of lemon. Still, it's quite tart, and certainly flavoursome, but it does feel a little mish-mashy, and not nearly as crisp or clear as the alternative. This is certainly a better effort than Monster's other cryptically named flavour, such as Ripper or Assault, and it's one I'll be picking up again. Certainly not perfect though.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Ka Sparkling Pineapple

Walking past the corner shop this afternoon, I found myself parched, but also only in possession of 50p. Thankfully, underneath the highly priced Coca-Colas and Pepsis, I found this can of Ka for a mere 49p. I've tried some Ka stuff before, and while it's certainly not awful, I can't say it's the best I've had. This can of "Pineapple flavoured drink" carries on that tradition.

They call it "pineapple flavoured", because they certainly can't label it as sparkling pineapple juice. No, this is more like they've taken some of the good old fashioned pick 'n' mix pineapple cubes, dissolved them in some fizzy water, and then heaped some more sugar on top for good measure. Sickly sweet, extremely sugary, and generally un-pineapple-like. I choked it down, and I suppose it left me feeling a little more refreshed than before, but I certainly didn't enjoy myself. That'll teach me to fork out the extra pennies next time.

My rating: 1/5