Hello Twisties,
It’s that time again when we try out some more snacks from another part of the world, and this time we’re visiting the faraway lands of New Zealand! Of course, relations between the two countries is steadfast anyway and as such, this review will probably be a bit biased. New Zealand is also home to my favourite cider – Old Mout Cider, kiwi & lime – so I already have a good word in for treats from New Zealand, but why not try out couple more?!
Let’s go!
Lemon & Paeroa
So it is said, this carbonated beverage is made from water from the village of Paeroa. Unfortunately, a Google search returned not much other than pictures of people with a statue of a bottle of Lemon & Peaeroa, though the countryside in the background looks beautiful. How does it taste? Let’s give it go.
Winner or Binner? Why is this drink not clear or cloudy in colour? What has been added for a water and lemon juice combination to have an orange colour? New Zealand, I have questions! It’s not too fizzy, which I like, but it’s not got anywhere near enough lemon for me. Sorry New Zealand, we’re calling this a Binner.
Bluebird Green Onion
Apparently, these are a really random choice to include. Whilst I can’t really pass judgement for obvious reasons, again, for us, ridge cut crisps promise good things. We couldn’t decide what species the bird on the front is, either. Is it a bluebird? Is in a penguin? Kiwi friends, please let me know.
Winner or Binner? At first, these don’t smell of a lot and usually where there’s little smell, there’s also very little flavour. Fear not, these had plenty of flavour, and the green onion was really there. If you’re a fan of cheese and onion crisps (and I am!) then you will enjoy these. Maybe pass them up ahead of a date, though. A Winner.
Bluebird Rashuns
Cheese and bacon corn snacks? Oh, this feels naughty! Bacon or cheese, yes, but together? Naughty naughty! Still, we’re curious to see how these work out. Okay, scratch that, we’re actually pretty excited!
Winner or Binner? Hmm… there’s a bit too much flavour powder on these, we keep having to dust our fingers off between bites. We tried two or three, and there’s still more cheese to these than bacon, which is disappointing, they also look a bit squished and sad. Okay, but we prefer Wotsits. A Binner.
Cookie Bear Mini Stripes
Talking of random, these feel like another slightly random throw-in. The text on the back also says they’re not for individual resale too and there is no nutritional information, so again, it looks like SnackSurprise have been a bit cheeky there. Still, these are little round cookies rings with what a chocolate drizzle. Cool!
Winner or Binner? You do only get six in a packet which is slightly disappointing, but hey. They’re quite crumbly and quite sweet, making them ideal for kids. There’s nothing bad about them, but they definitely do feel and taste as though they are aimed at a younger audience. The big kids in us like them though, so for that, it’s a Winner.
Pineapple Lumps
I just love this. There’s something about names and definitions down under that are just… it’s simple, and I’m all for it. There’s no fancy names like “Ripple” (A UK chocolate bar with airy, layered chocolate) or “Bounty” (a chocolate-covered coconut bar, nothing at all to do with pirate bounties) to confuse you, “Pineapple Lumps” just cuts to the chase. These are soft chews made with real pineapple juice, then covered in dark chocolate. It sounds interesting, but does it actually work?
Winner or Binner? Hey Kiwi friends, you know, I’m a very reasonable person, and I noticed quite a large increase in my readership recently with some fans from down under. You want something from me and I want something from you, right? We can negotiate a good deal, I’m sure. Seriously. these are moreish, and best of all they gave Matt a sore tongue, so he can’t eat them. They have bloomed a little bit, but it doesn’t affect the taste at all. I could get through these very, very easily, and I nearly already have! We were also told to put these into the fridge, which again I did, and it definitely makes them even better. Another big Winner from us, too bad Matt has to pace himself 😉
Peanut Slab
They aren’t kidding with this one, I feel like I could build houses with a delivery of these! Apparently this is chocolate and peanuts, which is always a good combination. Now to work out how the hell we’re going to get into it…
Winner or Binner? A sharp blow with a sharp knife was all it took to chip a couple of pieces of this bar off, and you know what? It’s a really good combination. The chocolate is smooth and not too sweet and it melts in your mouth without melting too quickly. I think these would be great as a stocking filler, though perhaps for the slightly older generation. That wrapper feels luxurious and more adult, so it’s more for Granny or Grandpa, or someone with classier tastes. Still, we’ll give it a Winner.
Cadbury Moro
As a Brit, this looks an awful lot like a Mars bar, except with a chocolatier nougat. Again, going back to descriptions here, I love the use of the words like “packed” and “then”, almost as though the packaging is telling us the manufacturing process. This uasn’t travelled at all well, and I’m quite anxious to see how it looks inside.
Winner or Binner? Gah, this is far, far, far too sweet for me. The nougat doesn’t seem chocolatey at all, and the amount of sugar overpowers it. We had to half this one (because of it’s condition) and Matt had to finish off my half. A Winner for him, a Binner for me. If you like your chocolate sweet, you’ll like this. If you like richer, darker chocolate, stay away.
Pixie Caramel
Pixie? Nothing about this bar feels very “Pixie” to me! “The longer lasting chew” sounds a bit intimidating to me too. I best go careful with this one and, ahem, not bite off more than I can chew.
Winner or Binner? I’m liking this. The chocolate is plenty rich and dark and the caramel has a slightly coconutty flavour. We agreed that we couldn’t eat this bar all in one go but it’s great for nibbling on. A Winner.
Fabulicious
Ooh, magic wands! When I was a kid, we used to get sherbet-filled magic wands all the time in the pound shop (think Dollar Tree gone British!). The difference between these wands and ours is that ours are made with black liquorice and so you can’t eat too many at once, you know, for obvious reasons.
Winner or Binner? Eh, the fruit liquorice is nice, but I feel let down. The picture on the packaging depicts lots of bubbly, fizzing action and I didn’t get even so much as a tingle. The centre is also soft fondant, more like a candy pencil than what I know as a magic wand. They’re okay as a candy pencil but we were promised fizzy magic and neither of us got any fizzy magic. It’s a Binner for us.
Milkshakes
A mlkshake flavoured chew? I’m curious. I love spearmint chews, but I’m open to new ideas. We only got sent three of these which is a bit disappointing, what if we really like them?
Winner or Binner? I don’t know that I’d say these taste like a milkshake exactly, but they do still have a nice, sweet, creamy vanilla flavour. Perhaps more of a vanilla caramel than a milkshake, but I ‘d definitely pick these up again if I saw them available in a store. Another Winner.
What Surprised Us Most Was… You know, we associate Australia and New Zealand with warmer weather and yet, when I checked the weather in Wellington, NZ, it’s only 12°C – a bit like spring in the UK! I thought that this box contained a lot of chocolate for a country with a lot of warm weather, but there’s really not that much between the two. The more you learn, I suppose!
Alright lovelies, that’s it from us for now. Which of these snacks would you like to try? Have you ever visited New Zealand? What are your favourite memories?
Until next time,
Stay safe & have fun,
Helen & Matt xx
