Crime Laboratory Taste Testers (CLTIIs) have made it through our first snack box from none other than the United Kingdom.
A coworker and I decided it would be fun to invest in trying new snacks, so we sought out a subscription service and landed on SnackCrate.com. Our original intention was to look at subscription services offering Asian countries only, hoping for Japan, but we decided to go around the world (in more than 80 days).
The United Kingdom, the nations of deliciously smooth chocolate, less chemically altering ingredients, and gross licorice.
The box came with more than just snacks, it came with some fun facts! Favorite ones included, nowhere in the UK is more than 75 miles from the sea and apparently no portrait was ever painted of William Shakespeare when he was alive!
Okay back to the snacks…
It’s time for the snack pack shakedown!
aka the final ranking.
Taking the #1 spot is the Cadbury Double Decker! It is a decadent chocolate double decker delight (major alliteration happening for this candy bar). Best described as the American milky way sans caramel and Crunch bar smashed onto one another. Now let me tell you American Cadbury chocolate cannot compare. This chocolate is much more smooth and has a robust chocolate flavor.
The #2 snack is Walkers Worcester Sauce Crisps
According to the info pack, Walkers is “arguably the most popular chip brand in the UK” and we can see why. These are similar to American salt & vinegar chips, but evokes more of an umami flavor (hence the Worcester).
Snack #3 is Hula Hoops BBQ Beef Big Hoops!
Other than being very fun to shout “BIG HOOPS,” the flavor and texture is exactly like having dry ramen noodles with a beef flavor packet.
Snack taking the #4 spot is the Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar with Popping Candy
The chocolate is rich and creamy! The popping candy is more auditorily stimulating than it is to our taste buds. This is barely a “Marvelous Creation” as stated on the wrapper, it’s just a pretty darn good block of chocolate.
Snack #5: Raspberry Jammie Dodgers
Similar flavor to a raspberry poptart, a dry shortbread cookie with a slightly tart jam. The cookie itself had good flavor, but it was a bit dry and crumbly. The jam was well-distributed. Would pair excellently with a cup of tea. I wonder if that’s how they are commonly consumed in the U.K?
Snack at the 6 position is Strawberry Millions
These individual dots are small, but mighty! Each dippin’ dot sized piece has a very intense strawberry flavor! They look like they would be hard candy, but once the outer coating was breached they became extremely chewy…then almost too sticky. They are so small I feel like I could eat a million… (maybe that’s how they got their name?)
#7 Barrett Wham Original Bar with sour crystals
The original Wham bar is raspberry flavored and you absolutely can tell. It is packed with the tartness of raspberry, but not too sour. The sour crystals are laced within the chew, but not in an overwhelming abundance. They looked like an airhead, but surprisingly much softer and chewier. This is much more pleasant to the waxiness of the Airhead. They rank lower because they didn’t live up to the sour description.
Approaching the loser snacks is #8 Maynards Juicy Chews
Described as “bite-sized fruit flavored chews with a burst of liquid fruit in the center.” Immediately our minds went to gusher, but instead it tasted like a lackluster orange starburst with no juicy center. Let down. The only thing I really appreciate is the lack of artificial dyes; when I think orange I expect that color, but what it ended up being was white.
#9 was Cadbury Fudge
Sadly it was not even worthy of a picture because it was lackluster. I was expecting a big ole log of that great creamy Cadbury chocolate….no. It was a thin layer of chocolate housing what we believe to be a clotted cream center…which basically tasted like super sweet white chocolate to me. I am biased, but I cannot tolerate the sweetness of white chocolate.
#10 Jaffa Cake, the original
I love chocolate and orange. I am a supporter of those chocolate covered orange things you get around the holidays, but this thing! Oh no! The chocolate covering the light cookie is overwhelmed by the tiny gelatin disc of orange flavor in the middle. I ate around the disc because the chocolate and cookie were solid, but the orange ruined it.
#11, or second to last, are Barrett Black Jacks
Black licorice must be an acquired taste…one we would like to never acquire. We bit down once into the starburst-like square and then into the trash it went.
Unranked: Sherbet Fountain because the black licorice fun-dip stick is repulsive
I hope you enjoyed learning about UK snacks! We found it to be a fun way to explore another country while COVID-19 has us stuck stateside. We’re hoping that changes soon, but in the meantime stick around to see where Snack Crate transports us next!
Stay Messy,
The Okayest Chef
The Okayest Chef 