Good morning Twisties,
This post is later than it should have been, so apologies for that. I have had an eventful few days, which I mentioned in my earlier post.
Very occasionally, repeats like this box are bound to happen. We’ve tried Swedish snacks through SnackSurprise before, and then ta-da! SnackCrate decides to cover Sweden, too. We sort of anticipated that something like this would happen sometimes, and so when it did, it hardly comes as a surprise. I’m still trying to get Matt to give up on SnackCrate because there are a lot of red flags which make SnackSurprise just so much better, but that’s a whole other post that I will be sure to cover another time.
Unfortunately, I cannot bring you this month’s “Recipe From Around The World” because I cannot source any whitefish caviar anywhere! I mean I can, but at more than a third of what I pay for our annual WordPress plan, it feels a little much for one ingredient. We love you guys, but £100 for some fish eggs is far more than we can afford! I’m also a little disappointed in SnackCrate for the way they’ve kind of assumed that people could or would head on out and spend so much money on some caviar. I fully appreciate SnackCrate bringing people recipes from other countries but in doing so, they need to use ingredients that are both easily affordable and readily available for customers everywhere. It might be easy for them to purchase as a business with a huge global customer base, but for the every day individual hoping to cook up a little something else Swedish? This is unreasonable. Of course, we could have cheated with some faux caviar, but hey, we like to think we’re honest people!
In today’s box, we had a lot of snacks that we’ve tried before and for that reason, we didn’t feel the need to try them again. It will make today’s post a little shorter too, so sorry about that. Repeated snacks are Dill & Gräslök crisps, Bilar, Kex, Dumle Snacks and Marabou Nougat. If you’re interested in reading our thoughts on our previous tasting of Swedish snacks, you can find that post here. For now though, let’s get onto even more Swedish snacks!
Estrella Grill Potato Chips
Despite their name, these crisps are flavoured with salt and onion, a similar and yet distinctively different taste to that of the popular cheese and onion flavour which is readily available in the UK. Will it work, or won’t it? Only one way to find out!
Winner or Binner? This so interesting! They taste remarkably like cheese and onion crisps, and yet, the onion flavour is different. Far from the fresh onion flavours that we’re used to, these have more of a salted fried onion flavour. They’re almost too salty, but they’re not. They’re very crispy but they’re also light at the same time, an oddly addictive Winner. Not one for a date, but we could still get on board with these!
Bubs Skalle
We had a lot of confusion with these cute little gummies. First of all, I was absolutely convinced that they’re supposed to be little pink octopi and it took me researching and forcefully remembering to know that these are actually supposed to be shaped like a skull and crossbones. These sour gummies are supposed to have a strawberry flavour which we’re curious about given we couldn’t think of any sour strawberry sweets in the UK (it’s usually blue raspberry or cherry). Sour isn’t my favourite thing, but hey, let’s give them a go.
Winner or Binner? Initially, these are rather tart. If you like sour candies then you’ll like these, but if not, well, watch out. While the sour is short-lived, the flavour that they give way to is not one of strawberry. It’s more like an artificial bubblegum flavour which I don’t really care for. Texturally, they also feel a little bit bubblegummy, which plays with your mind when you’re expecting a foam sweet. They’re not for me, but Matt enjoyed them. They’ll either be a WInner or a Binner for you.
Marabou Oreo
Ahh, Marabou. The last time we had a Marabou chocolate bar, it was all very, very good things. This bar converges with another good thing, Oreo, so the expectations will be high. Although I personally find Oreo quite sweet, just occasionally, some brands manage to do things well.
Winner or Binner? First of all, there is that classically smooth, creamy Marabou chocolate, and secondly, there is the crisp, rich crunch of the Oreo pieces. It’s creamy, it’s crisp, it’s chocolatey, it’s all good stuff. It’s a Winner for us, but we couldn’t eat it all in one!
Plopp
We must be mature here… we must be mature! Plopp is a chocolate and caramel bar that features caramel encased in individual little squares of milk chocolate . It breaks easily and without much much mess which makes it perfect for sharing, if you even wanted to!
Winner or Binner? There are a few things that didn’t sit right between us and Plopp. The chocolate itself is okay, but the caramel is grainy in texture, and then there is a taste of some other additives that just aren’t the basic components of a simple, good ol’ fashioned caramel. There wasn’t much to go wrong here, and yet sadly it tasted like Cloetta had somehow managed it. Sorry Sweden, it’s a Binner for us.
Daim
Who can go wrong with a Daim? Not us! From the original bars to the minis and even Daim ice cream, technically, Daim isn’t something that we’ve not seen already in the UK. Regardless, We’re certainly not against giving them another go!
Winner or Binner? From the smooth, creamy milk chocolate to the rich, crunchy almond caramel, it really is almost impossible to go wrong with a Daim. If you like chocolate and rich caramel flavours, you’ll love these – just mind your teeth on the armadillo alternatives! It’s a Winner.
Banana Skids
I know, I know, first we had Plopp, now we have Skids. It’s hard to be mature at this point, but Banana Skids are a banana flavoured taffy. They’re made by Swizzels Matlow, a UK-based company acting on behalf of Sweden, so that was slightly disappointing to have that secret spoilt so soon. As a British company, we were hoping to keep this one firmly under wraps in the event that we can ever ship British treats internationally. Even still, let’s check it out.
Winner or Binner? This one’s a mixed bag again. Initially, I was thrown by the presence of a brown stripe on this taffy, especially with it being banana flavoured. The flavour is also more like ripe banana, which I’m not crazy for. However, Matt gave these the seal approval, once again giving them a neutral vote. If you like artificial banana flavours then you’ll probably like these, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
What surprised us most was…
I think that has to go to the salt and onion potato chips. It doesn’t seem like a flavour that could possibly work on its own and yet, it completely does. It seems remarkably similar to cheese and onion crisps, while also being distinctively different from them at the same time. Matt was of the opinion that he wouldn’t hunt them out unnecessarily and yet, for me, I’d probably miss them once they’re all gone!
Alright Twiaties, I hope you enjoyed this next taste of Sweden. Which snacks have you tried, or would you like to try? Why not share your thoughts in the comments?
Until next time!
Stay safe & have fun.
Helen & Matt xx
