Marks & Spencer Achachas Fruit Review

I've been trying lots of new and exotic fruit varieties over the Summer since reducing my sugar intake, from flavoured grapes to melons, but one fruit I hadn't heard of before were Achahas. I spotted them in Marks & Spencer recently reduced in price so thought I'd give them a try.

Achahas are a fruit related to the mangosteen that grow in the southern part of the Amazon basin in the central area of Bolivia, with tough shells that must be split open with a knife...or your teeth. Apparently. Removing the rind reveals a somewhat fluffy looking fruit with seeds.

The fruit is awkward to eat, you can bite it and then suck the seeds out. It tasted a bit like banana to me with a slight citrus edge.

To be honest I wasn't that impressed with these, they're a lot of effort for not much payoff. The taste is pleasant I suppose, but there's not much in them to eat. I didn't feel they were worth the £1.75 never mind whatever the full price is.

Apparently traditionally you can use the rind to make a refreshing lemonade style drink, so if you're using them that way I suppose you'll get more bang for your buck. But personally I ain't got time for that...

Marks & Spencer Seedless Sable Grapes Review

Another day, another grape review...and slowly but surely I am joining the "let a grape just be a grape!" team, led by Nibbles 'N Scribbles, since most of the "flavoured" varieties have been such a disappointment for me. This time, I'm reviewing a darker variety, one that was recommended to me in the comments of my review of Marks and Spencer Tutti Frutti grapes.

I do love some darker grapes, especially when they are not just any grapes, but "expertly sourced for Marks and Spencer" grapes. At £3 a box these promised to be something rather special indeed.

I have to say, they weren't quite as amazing as I was expecting but they were certainly very tasty. Full of flavour and not as sweet as most varieties, I did enjoy these a lot but I guess I was looking for seomthing "more". Maybe that's my problem - a grape should just be a grape! Albeit good quality grapes. Compared to the Tuttu Frutti ones I would say these are just as nice, but I did prefer those slightly more for the sweeter flavour.

Overall, would I recommend these? Yes, absolutely, and while you're at it try the Tutti Frutti ones too! They're worth paying an extra pound for when compared to grapes from Tesco.

8.5 out of 10. 

Marks & Spencer Orange Candy Melon Review

As well as various varieties of grapes I've been busy trying lots of different melons recently, you could say I've developed a slight obsession with the delicious fruits. Going sugar free does that to you! One intriguing melon I just had to try recently was this Orange Candy variety "expertly sourced for Marks & Spencer", which seems to also be available from Waitrose under a different name.

It's basically a Honeydew melon but with a darker orange colour, and is smaller in size.

The taste is very different from a Honeydew. I do love Honeydew's, they're so sweet and satisfying, but it's nice to have something a bit less sweet now and then. This one has a more muted sweeteness and a slight tartness, more flavour than a Honeydew and less empahsis on its sweetness. It's hard to describe really, but it's a very refreshing and tasty melon!

Comapred to a Honeydew, this certainly makes for a lovely change, and if you can get them at the reduced price of £2 I would highly recommend trying one! I probably wouldn't pay the full price of £3 but if they stay at this price I'll certainly go for one over a Honeydew.

8.5 out of 10. 

Tesco Candy Floss Seedless Grapes Review

Following on from my review of Marks and Spencer's Tutti Frutti Grapes last week, I thought I'd try out some more "candy inspired" grape varieties, one of them being Tesco's Candy Floss Seedless Grapes. These cost £2 a box for 400g and are widely available from most Tesco stores. There's also a Strawberry flavoured grape variety.

After the disappointing fact that the Tutti Frutti ones didn't taste of tutti frutti whatsoever, I wasn't really expecting much from these except sweeter than average grapes. And that's exactly what I got! Most white grapes are usually pretty sweet anyway - they're practically nature's candy - but these babies are even sweeter than regular. So if you're trying to curb your sweet tooth with natural foods, they might be delightful for you, but I personally found them too much and the sweetness detracted from them being enjoyable. I would much rather a good box of black grapes with some actual flavour in them as these had very little. They were just very sweet.

Overall, these aren't bad or anything they're just not much different to regular grapes. I've heard other brands such as M&S and Waitrose do better ones so I may check those out, but I won't be holding my breath.

6 out of 10. 

M&S Tutti Frutti Seedless Grapes Review

Today's review is another departure, for once I'm reviewing actual food - grapes to be precise! I've been eating a lot more fruit recently since cutting down on refined sugar, so when I saw these Tutti Frutti grapes in Marks and Spencer I couldn't resist giving them a try. "Grapes that taste of sweets?", I thought. I was rather excited indeed.

They're expertly sourced for Marks & Spencer from vineyards around the world, and the grapes are ripened longer on the vine than regular grapes. Yes, these are not just any grapes...

I was disappointed to find that they weren't in fact tutti frutti flavoured (whatever that is) they were simply a sweeter, juicier variety of grapes. Which isn't to say these didn't taste good - they tasted DELICIOUS. Seriously some of the best grapes I've ever had. But they weren't tutti frutti flavoured.

After trying a few varieties of "flavoured" grapes now from Candyfloss to Strawberry, I've come to the realization that they're just descriptions for various sweeter variations of grapes. I suppose it's similar to how wines have different descriptions for their flavours ("woody", "tobacco" etc) that have nothing to do with the actual wine.

Overall, should you buy these grapes? If you fancy a treat in grape form, yes absolutely! They're excellent quality and very tasty. Just don't go expecting the flavours promised from them.

What's your experience of flavoured grapes? Have you discovered one that tastes of what it's supposed to? Let me know in the comments!