Nestle Orange Smarties Limited Edition are back!

Just a heads up...Orange Smarties are back in small tubes for a limited period! Stock up while you can! (I spotted these in McColls)

And in the meantime, take a gander at my review of Orange Smarties Mini Eggs. Easter is nearly over but you may still be able to find some of these in shops! (try Tesco Express stores where they seem to still have a lot in).

New Nestle Orange Smarties Mini Eggs Review

I never thought the day would come but at last, Smarties have not only made their mini eggs gluten free for this Easter, they have also launched their much-loved Orange Smarties in mini egg form. Hurrah!!!

I had vowed not to touch any sweets after New Year's but I just couldn't resist the temptation of these, everyone knows the orange Smarties were the best (hence why Nestle did an Orange Smarties Sharing Tube last Christmas).

The eggs are described as "milk chocolate mini eggs in a crisp orange flavoured sugar shell" and the bag weighs in at 90g. I found them for £1 in WH Smiths. Opening the bag, the eggs looked all shiny and glossy with a sweet orangey aroma.

Crunching into one I was met with the orange shell, which was strongly flavoured and very yummy indeed. It seemed more prominent than in regular Orange Smarties, probably because of the different proportions, but I'm sure regular Orange Smarties have orange flavoured chocolate rather than shell? Anyone know? (I can't eat regular Smarties to do a comparison since they contain gluten).



The chocolate is standard milky Nestle chocolate, very sweet and non descript but it goes perfectly with the orange shells and makes for a delicious, if not super sugary, treat.

Overall, as far as Mini Eggs go these are a lot of fun and a great novelty, provided you like orange chocolate of course! I would buy these over Cadbury Mini Eggs any day since those just aren't so great anymore.

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, dried whole milk, whey powder, butterfat, glazing agents (gum arabic, carnauba wax), emulsifier soya lecithin, flavourings, colours (curcumin, beta carotene).

Nutrition Information (per 5 mini eggs): 85 calories, 3.1g fat, 13.3g carbohydrates, 12.2g sugars, 0.8g protein.

8.5 out of 10.

Marks & Spencer Dark Chocolate with Clementine

Since my last review was for the poor quality Terry's  Dark Chocolate Orange, I thought I'd brighten things up and spread some festive joy by reviewing a much better quality orangey chocolate - and not just any orangey chocolate - Marks and Spencer's Dark Chocolate with Clementine! Yes, regular old oranges are not posh enough for M&S and they've flavoured their bar with clementine instead, so how does it fare?

I've had this in the archives for a while now, just waiting to be reviewed, and what better time than the festive season? This is a single origin Peru dark chocolate with 52% cocoa solids, blended with clementine oil. A bit different from the usual orange oil found in most orange dark chocolates! The bar I bought was in the mini 35g range for around 80p, although you can buy larger 100g bars for £2.

The 35g bar is just the right size for a nice chocolatey hit, I really enjoyed it. The clementine oil is a bit zestier than regular orange, slightly tarter and blends well with the rich Peruvian dark chocolate. I'm glad it's semisweet chocolate though as anything darker might have clashed too much with the clementine. Make no mistake this is far better quality than the Terry's Dark Chocolate Orange, and a lot more suitable for dark chocolate and orange chocolate lovers. It's also dairy free, vegan and contains zero vegetable fat - hurrah!

If you want some good quality orange chocolate this Chrsitmas invest in one of the larger 100g bars - they might cost a little more than Terry's but are well worth it!

8.5 out of 10. 

Tesco Cocoa & Orange Bites

Tesco are taking on Nakd Posh Bits with their own range of healthier snacks made with dried fruit, oats, nuts etc but at a lower price point. How do they compare?

There's a few varieties in the range; Almond Bites, Cranberry, Coconut and Strawberry Bites and these Cocoa & Orange bites. The best thing about these is that they're nut free, so unlike Nakd Posh Bits are suitable for those with nut allergies - hurrah! Unfortunately though they're not suitable for vegans as they contain honey.

Described as "A tasty blend of dates, blossom honey and cocoa nibs" and costing £1.50 for 110g, these come in cube shapes and felt a bit more substantial than Nakd Posh Bits. They have a slightly pale appearance thanks to a dusting of rice flour which isn't such a bad thing; it prevents them sticking together too much.

They tasted nice, very chocolatey and the cocoa nibs certainly give them a lot of crunch. They're a very filling snack indeed, but do become bit one-dimensional after a few pieces.

Are these as good as Nakd Posh Bits? No, to be honest they're not but they're a decent and cheaper take on the healthier snack bites. I would recommend them if you want a healthier snack but are on a budget. That said, you can easily make such snacks yourself from scratch with dates, coconut, nuts and a good blender!

Ingredients: Date Paste, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Nib (7%), Orange Powder (3%), Honey, Rice Flour, Flavouring.

Nutrition Information (per 6g bite): 21 Calories, 0.5g Fat, 3.7g Carbohydrates, 3.3g Sugars, 0.2g Protein.

7.5 out of 10.

Daim Limited Edition Orange (Poundland)

It was only a year ago now that I reviewed the Limited Edition Orange Daim Minis, and those were only in Poundstretcher for a limited time. Now Daim Orange is available again as a limited edition in regular sized bars in three packs, from Poundland. Hurrah! I don't know if these are an official UK launch or imports, but they do list the UK Cadbury website on the pack so I'm guessing they must be official.

Described as "Orange flavoured milk chocolate with a crunchy almond caramel centre", there's 3 x 28g bars per pack.

They had the same chocolate orange aroma as the Daim Minis did, and I couldn't wait to get stuck in!

They tasted glorious! Lovely creamy orangey milk chocolate, with the crunchy almond caramel centre making them super duper moreish. As much as I enjoyed the Daim Minis last year, I think this bar form is much better - it's more satisfying and feels like just the right amount in one go. Not that it didn't stop me from reaching for another bar...of course I did!

Overall, these are some excellent chocolate bars and definitely ones for the chocolate orange fans out there. Do keep an eye out for them in Poundland, they're perfect for the festive season!

Ingredients: sugar, palm oil, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, blanched almonds 3%, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, milk fat, whey permeate powder, sweetened condensed skimmed milk, salt, emulsifier soya lecithin, orange oil, flavourings.

Nutrition (per bar): 148 calories, 8.6g fat, 17g carbohydrates, 16g sugars, 0.8g protein.

9 out of 10.

Green & Blacks Velvet Edition Orange & Almond Dark Chocolate

I've been skeptical of this new "Velvet Edition" range from Green & Blacks since it suddenly started popping up on shelves over the last month or so. It seems to be a ploy to move away from the Organic ethics of regular Green & Blacks bars, since these are not organic or fairtrade certified. Instead they are part of the "Cocoa Life" program, that supposedly invests in sustainable farming and improves the lives of communities. Exactly how much they pledge towards such projects is anyone's guess.

Velvet Edition chocolate is supposedly crafted by "Taste Specialists" using the delictate character and soft texture of the finest Ghanian cocoa balanced with sweet Madagascan vanilla. It has "a rich cocoa content yet exceptionally smooth flavour".

This variety is combined with Sicilian blood orange oil and chopped caramelised almonds. It contains no soy lecithin, which is a plus for those with soy allergies. I found it in Waitrose on an introductory offer of £1.79.

The bar comes in a different block shape to regular Green & Blacks bars, and is actually a bit easier to split apart. One of the pieces is longer than the others. The chocolate smelled nice enough, although without that distinctive earthiness that regular G&B chocolate is well known for.

It tasted pleasant, the blood orange wasn't as strong as I was expecting, whilst the chopped almonds were most prominent. The chocolate is definitely smooth compared to some 70% cocoa bars, but I wouldn't say that's a good thing as it seemed to lack any real distinctive flavour. It was a bit non descript to be honest. The almonds brought a nice savoury flavour, blended with the orange, although something about it didn't taste quite right. It was neither orangey enough or nutty enough, certainly not as good as the similar Lindt Orange and Almond bar.

Overall, as my first introduction to G&B's Velvet Edition range I can't say I'm too impressed with this bar. It was okay but a bit middle of the road for something billing itself as oh-so-fancy.

Nutrition Information (per 18g row): 8.7g Fat, 5.9g Carbohydrates, 4.9g Sugars, 1.7g Fibre, 1.2g Protein.

6 out of 10.