When I discovered that Nestlé had brought out this new assortment box of Quality Street Fruit Cremes I got very excited, probably more than anyone should be over chocolates! That's because I've always been a fan of the fruit cremes in tins of Quality Street, ever since I as a kid, and have very fond memories of them. There's just something about biting into the rich, dark chocolate to find the soft, sweet fruity creme underneath that has always appealed to me. I even remember when they introduced a "Fruits of the Forest" flavor one year, which I've mourned the loss of ever since!
Sadly, like many of the sweets from my youth I now think Quality Street taste too sweet. This is true of most chocolates I used to love - Milkybar, Kitkat, Dairy Milk, Rolos, Mars Bars...the list goes on. I'm not sure if manufacturers are adding more sugar nowadays or if I've just developed better taste (I seriously doubt it's the latter! ;) )
When I heard these were reduced to £2 at Tesco recently I sought them out straightaway. My sense of "Fruit Creme nostalgia" was just too strong to ignore!
Orange Creme
When I bought them I was excited to find they contained a new flavour, one that's never been done by Quality Street before - a lemon creme! This made the big kid in me all giddy and excited. A new variety of Quality Street is always something to celebrate, or at least it was when I was younger...
Lemon Creme
Unfortunately, my excitement was shattered when I tasted them. They're not awful, but they were just too sweet, boring and one-dimensioanl. I couldn't really taste anything other than sugar with a hint of fruit flavouring.The Orange Creme was a lot sweeter than I remember it used to be, so much so I couldn't eat more than one.
The Strawberry Cream was my favorite as it still retained some of its original charm and had a decent strawberry flavour, although again; it was very sweet.
The Lemon Creme was the big disappointment though...rather than providing a zingy, citrusy hit, it just had a faint whiff of lemon flavor. It was also very sweet, which dominated any faint lemon flavours that might have been there.
Strawberry Creme
Overall, as someone who used to be a huge fan of the Fruit Cremes in Quality Street, this assortment was a big disappointment. Not only was the new lemon variety a letdown, but the other flavours I used to enjoy seem to have gone downhill in quality too. I will now have to find my fruity chocolate fixes elsewhere... (probably in the direction of Hotel Chocolat!)For those who prefer the toffees and fudges in Quality Street, they're now available in their very own box too.
Price: I paid £2 on special offer, RRP is £4.
Suitable for vegetarians?: Yes.
Allergy Information: May contain milk and nuts.
Nutrition (per 3 sweets): 124 Calories, 2.5g Fat, 24.3g Carbs.
RATING: 5 out of 10.
