I was recently sent some of Tesco's Christmas chocolate range to review. I know, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it. The Christmas range at Tesco has been made by the same chocolatiers behind Harrods and Hotel Chocolat. The ingredients used are all of a high quality and are fantastically affordable, ranging from £4 to £20. I was sent two different products from the range, a Chokablok Cracking Christmas Pud and Tesco Milk Chocolate Gingerbread Stars.
I am going to start my review with the Chokablok Cracking Christmas Pud. This is a large tree shaped chocolate block with glittery gold sparkles on.
What they say
At Chokablok headquarters it's not about what Santa leaves us under the tree - but what we can pack onto it that counts. And nobody, but nobody can decorate a tree like a Chokablok chef. It just wouldn't be Christmas without an avalanche of rich, creamy chocolate, packed with all sorts of sweet goodies. Break off a whole branch, or bite straight into a delicious mouthful of the sweet treats we know you love. Meet the reason nobody will have room for pud this year. We've packed every single mouthful of this, Christmas pudding flavour milk chocolate with sparkling golden flakes and sweet raisins, with a giant swirl of thick dark chocolate. This one lights up all on its own. This retails at £5 and you can find more details here.
My review
This is a large block of chocolate, and I didn't think I would manage to eat it all by myself. I opted for the obvious choice and I went to London Zoo, to see if I could find an animal which could help me review it.
I offered it to the giraffes, but they were already eating their tea, so I moved on.
I offered it to the green tree monitor, but it was looking for a leaf so I moved on.
I offered it to the gorilla but he was busy ruling the roost, so I moved on.
I offered it to the snake, but it was too busy shedding its skin, so I moved on.
I offered it to the zebras but they were too busy lining up for some kind of dance, so I moved on.
I offered it to the turtle but it was underwater, so I moved on.
I was going to offer it to the tiger, but he was a bit too scary, so I retreated slowly and moved on.
Just when I was about to give up, I found two wild animals in a small office underneath the zoo. They had been in an enclosed space all day and were desperate to help me review the chocolate.
"It tastes of Christmas" the first animal said. "I love the gold sparkly bits on your fingers" said the second, through a mouthful of chocolate.
And then it was gone. Honestly, it disappeared in less than five minutes! It really was delicious and somehow managed to taste exactly as you would imagine Christmas to taste. I would be perfectly happy for this to replace Christmas pudding in my house, because I'm not a fan of the real thing!
Milk chocolate gingerbread stars
What they say
Tesco Gingerbread Stars Square Box. Milk chocolate topped with caramelised biscuit and ginger crumble and white chocolate. Retails at £4.
What we think
I decided to keep these for my family to try, mainly because they were in a smaller box and appeared more manageable. Also I am completely addicted to ginger, so I was very excited to try these. They are thick milk chocolate with white chocolate drizzled over them and gingerbread crumble sprinkled on top.
We each had one after dinner and the children really loved them. My daughter would usually just lick the top off, but she ate the whole lot. I wasn't sure if my husband would try them, because he really dislikes gingerbread. So I didn't mention the fact they had gingerbread on them and he honestly didn't notice. In fact, there was only a subtle taste of gingerbread, which I found slightly disappointing but my husband really liked. These retail at £4, making them a very affordable gift.
From what I tried of Tesco's Christmas range, I think it is incredibly good quality, affordable and the whole family will enjoy them (even if the animals in the zoo weren't bothered). These would make a fantastic present for a loved one, a stocking filler, or perhaps Father Christmas might like some left out for him? I would definitely recommend having a look at the range.
Disclosure: We were sent these items for the purpose of review. All opinions are the reviewers own and are honest and fair.
