Today's Review: Moon Pie

Moon Pie, what a time to be alive. That small Simpsons snippet was all I had to go on regarding Moon Pies, and I've seen them around in the UK a few times, but they've never appealed to me all that much. They just looked like the standard chocolate marshmallow sandwiches you can get from elsewhere. But one I found out that there was supposed to be Graham cracker inside I just had to try it out. It's like a s'more without the effort of making a s'more!

Well, sort of. It's certainly not as warm and gooey as a handmade s'more, and it really doesn't like up to my experiences with making them. The chocolate outside is a nice coating, smooth, slightly creamy, not too fake tasting like some American chocolate. The marshmallow inside has a nice gooey consistency as well, but the problem lies with the crackers. They're not particularly cracker like, they're quite soft and chewy, and there's a lot of cracker compared to the other elements. Sure, I got the flavour of all three as I made my way through this thing, but the cracker part wins out in the end, becoming quite dry and not very fun to chew. It looks like I picked up a double decker Moon Pie as opposed to an original, so that may explain the imbalance of ingredients, but I'm not sure I'd spring for the original in the future. It's a dry, chewy, slightly disappointing sandwich, only made better by the presence of some nicely made chocolate and marshmallow. If only there was more of those bits.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Rockstar Freeze: Frozen Lime

I am writing this review while drunk, a few days after the fact, but I think I can accurately convey my experience with this Rockstar energy drink. I've tried a few in the past, and had mixed experiences with many flavours. But when I spied this lime variety I thought it was worth a go. After all, I love the lemon flavours of both Monster and Relentless, and lime is a close relative of the lemon, so why wouldn't I like this one?

Turns out this is pretty good. Certainly not on the same level as the lemon flavours of the other big brands, but it is a distinctly lime flavoured drink. I'm not sure what the emphasis is on the "frozen" element, but I don't really think it came into play here. It doesn't taste particularly frozen, but it definitely tastes like lime. It is a little too sour, I had to take a bit of time out for the tartness to wear off, but overall it's pretty tasty, and somewhat refreshing, it doesn't have the syrupy thickness that some of the other Rockstar flavours possess. This is an energy drink that's worth a try, not quite up to the standards of the big boys, but certainly a tasty drink. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Jolly Rancher Crunch 'N' Chew

I do love Jolly Ranchers. They're great hard sweets with fantastically bold flavours, far more flavoursome than what's available in the UK. Even the chewy versions are good, retaining the same great flavours with a different texture. But if you can't decide between the two, you can also get these Crunch 'N' Chew ones, a chewy Jolly Rancher wrapped up in an original hard one. The best of both worlds, right?

I've written before about my dislike for distinctly different textures in sweets, and this one is no exception. Chewing straight through these results in a bit of a mismatch, a chewy sweet with crunchy shards throughout. Sucking on it first makes it a little better, but I certainly prefer just having the one kind of sweet. As for the flavours, they're pretty faithful to the originals, but they're kind of weak in comparison. It's almost like the chewy and hard sweets taste slightly different, and the transition is somewhat jarring. These don't taste awful, but having tried the other varieties I know what they could taste like. These just seem pretty unnecessary, if you're going to try Jilly Ranchers, I'd say stick with the originals.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Kettle Chips Chef's Signature

I thought Kettle Chips were already pretty fancy, but apparently they can go even more posh. So here we have the Chef's Signature range, where Kettle Chips have partnered with some top notch food brands to deliver some right proper flavours.

Cheese crisps. I normally find cheese crisps so inherently boring, but I thought this one was worth a go. After all, it's not plain old cheddar, it's proper Yorkshire Wensleydale, and there's some chutney thrown in there to boot. So the end result certainly isn't your average cheesy crisp, it's a far more flavoursome one, and the Wensleydale actually works really well in crisp form. The chutney also provides a bit of fruitiness, but there was something a bit off about these. There's a bit of spice thrown in that I found far too strong, not in a hot way, but in an overpowering flavour way. I know ginger is part of a classic apple chutney, and it's not a bad thing to throw into the mix, but the balance seemed a bit off here, and it threatened to take over the nice cheesy and fruity flavours that I was already enjoying.

We've got meaty crisps too, Gressingham duck crisps to be precise. I might not have been sold on these if there wasn't some plum sauce thrown in there, but just look at that packet, these look delicious. Unfortunately the plum sauce isn't quite pronounced as I'd hoped. There's certainly a nice fruity undercurrent though, and it works well with the meaty flavour that's at the forefront. It didn't automatically scream "duck" at me, so I guess there's just not enough flavouring overall to satisfy me. There's a little hint of spring onion in there as well, not all that noticeable, but at least it didn't overpower all the other elements. I wouldn't say this is a bad bag of Kettle Chips, but it did fall a bit flat on my taste buds. 

These Chef's Signature bags aren't bad, but they don't quite live up to the fanciness promised by the packaging. I think I'll stick with the original range from now on, especially if they keep churning out some nice seasonal flavours. These ones certainly are different though, so they may satisfy you if you're looking for a specific kind of crisp.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Propercorn Smooth Peanut & Almond

With all the savoury popcorn flavours lining the shelves these days, it's nice to see some thought is still going into the sweet varieties. I was immediately drawn in by this bag, a peanut and almond popcorn. I can't say I've ever heard of peanut popcorn before, which is strange as it is such a great idea, and it fits in with the madness surrounding peanut butter products lately. This bag contains all very good, natural stuff, as evidenced by the very short ingredients list. Corn, rapeseed oil, some sugar and salt, peanut flour and ground almonds. Well, that's all you need really, isn't it?

While it only says "peanut" on the bag, I was hoping more for a peanut butter flavour, and this popcorn actually delivers pretty well on that front. I thought the choice of peanut flour was interesting, but I guess it's the best way to get it to stick to the kernels, and it actually lends a nice thick texture on top of the corn. The oil goes some way to lending a bit of moisture, and it does at times taste just like popcorn covered in peanut butter. The balance is a little off, however, and a very floury texture does start to dominate. Still, it didn't stop me devouring the whole bag, it's a very tasty and original popcorn flavour. I couldn't quite pick out the almond in the overall flavour, but given the strength of the peanut flour I'm led to believe it was working in the background to balance out the flavours and lend a bit more nuttiness to the overall taste. I can't complain, I came for the peanut, and this popcorn is a delicious peanut offering. This will definitely accompany me to the movies in the future.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Walkers Salt & Vinegar Crispy Crackers

These cracker snacks are popping up all over the place aren't they? We've had Jacob's and Ritz, and even Walkers Sensations versions, but apparently Walkers can't get enough, as they've churned out some less Sensation-al flavours (har har). These Crispy Crackers come in tow flavours, the other being cheddar cheese, but as a salt and vinegar fiend I couldn't pass these up.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised. After being disappointed with the Sensations version, I figured I might be in for another let down. But the flavour packed into these is pretty good, a very bold, salty cracker with a fairly strong underlying taste of vinegar, They are perhaps a little too tart, but I think that's because the texture of the cracker itself is a little thin. They're the same kind of thickness as the Sensations, very crispy, but a fuller, thicker cracker might have done well to balance out the flavours a little. Still, these are some good crackers crisps, and probably some that I'd pick up again. 

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: The Good Dinosaur

Two Pixar movies in one year, how lucky are we? After the quite sublime Inside Out that graced our screens this summer, we're now treated to another original movie, The Good Dinosaur. The premise when it was first announced was certainly very interesting, asking what would happen if the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs had instead completely missed Earth? Set millions of years after the cataclysmic event never happened, The Good Dinosaur follows Arlo, an Apatosaurus who is the runt of his litter, struggling to prove his worth on the family farm. After he accidentally falls into a nearby river and is washed far downstream, Arlo must learn to survive and find his way back to his family. Fortunately, he finds an unlikely ally in the form of a feral human boy named Spot, and together they face the harsh wilderness.

I'll start off by saying this movie looks absolutely amazing. I wouldn't expect anything less from Pixar, but the visuals are top notch. Trees, clouds, animals, expressions, they're all flawless, and the water is the best I've ever seen in an animated movie. All of the character roles are very well voiced as well. Although there's not a wide array of characters, everyone fits their part, and there is particular praise to be given to the voice of Arlo, Raymond Ochoa, who did an astounding job at only 14 years old. 

So it looks good, it sounds good, but how is the movie overall? Well, it's very enjoyable. The characters are well written, despite some only having a small portion of screen time, and there are some genuinely funny moments when they pop up. There's also an abundance of action scenes that are very well put together and provide a real sense of dread at several points throughout. The relationship formed between Arlo and Spot is uniquely touching, and there's a particularly poignant scene not too far in where they communicate beautifully. But for everything it does right, I feel that there is a little less magic in The Good Dinosaur than in other Pixar movies. It's perhaps a little too formulaic, there are no real surprises, and the concept isn't as fleshed out as I feel it could be. Don't get me wrong, I certainly came out of the cinema satisfied with what I saw, this is still a great film, but having grown up with wonderfully executed concepts like Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles, The Good Dinosaur just doesn't quite live up to that standard. Maybe I've been too spoiled, but as I said, it certainly didn't ruin my enjoyment of the movie, I was just left with a nagging feeling that it could have been that little bit more. Still, this is probably the best family movie that will be out this festive season, and it's definitely worth a watch.

My rating: 4/5