A new package has arrived from Australia! Inside are some interesting looking snacks, and the one that I am trying out first is called Violet Crumble. I have heard that it is a bit like the Crunchie bar that is available here in the UK. The name doesn’t grab me, though. The colour ‘violet’ evokes in me an idea of some scented oil, which doesn’t sound particularly tasty when mixed with chocolate. In fact, I wonder if the colour is linked to the snack at all, but checking the ingredients doesn’t give any clue as to colouring agents. This suggests either that there are no colouring agents in the snack or that Australia has less strict laws about listing ingredients in foods. I may find out soon enough. But maybe not.
The packaging has a slogan on it that is deterring me a little from trying it. ‘It’s the way it shatters that matters’ is catchy enough from an rhyming angle, but I’m not endeared towards eating something that is likely, or almost guaranteed, to ’shatter’. I am concerned that I’ll be picking shards out of my cheeks with tweezers after the first bite. But I’m doing this for SCIENCE, so I’ll open the package up and give it a taste.
Erk. This ‘delicious shattering choc coated honeycomb’ is perhaps more volatile than it first makes out. On opening the package and pulling out the chocolate bar I am presented with only a fraction of the bar. It has been pre-shattered, either in transit or part of its shattering half-life. I’d better start eating it before it spontaneously shatters some more. It smells awfully sweet, and the honeycomb isn’t quite as golden as a Crunchie. The good news is that the ‘violet’ description seems to be misplaced, as neither the chocolate nor the honeycomb are the wrong colour. Maybe that means the marketing men also lied through their teeth about its shattering nature too.
Num num num. Eating a Voilet Crumble is quite a pleasant experience. The chocolate is a bit different to what I am used to, but it’s nice enough. The honeycomb is sweet and crumbly, not shattering at all. It almost promises to melt in the mouth, but actually requires light chewing to achieve smooth passage down the throat. It’s a bit of a tease in a way, tempting you to leave the honeycomb in your mouth to dissolve, and even though you know you must chew it it still seems a cheat to start chewing.
The Violet Crumble is a tasty little chocolate bar. I’m not sure quite how it compares to a Crunchie, they seem pretty similar to me and I don’t have one to hand to make a direct comparison, but it certainly stands quite well on its own. To end, I’ll just point out that I got confused by the ‘best before’ date, wondering what ‘15 10 20 08′ could possibly mean before realising that it was referring to the year ‘2008′ but with ambiguous font spacing.
Phillip, where were you when you were eating the bar, they are far better than crunchie. Crunchie is a poor poor excuse for honeycomb, it is sticky on your teeth and only gets its flavour from being burnt in the centre, poor production technique.
Phillip, I think the only thing you didn’t criticise was the glue they used on the wrapping. Then again, the English like soggy chips and fatty battered fish, enough said.
Comment by john osterman — 28th October 2008 @ 6.31 pm