Tuesday 3 January 2017

Smarties Sharing Block - Does it taste good?

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to revisit the iconic kids animation that is Tom and Jerry, for the old and proven reason of Why The Hell Not®. When I watched the show avidly 10-15 years ago, the classic antics of cat and mouse used to almost literally send me rolling across the floor in fits of laughter. To me, it was near perfection. Fast forward to today, and I didn't have quite the same reaction. I was smiling, and perhaps even sharply exhaled through my nose a couple of times, but I had obviously outgrown the show somewhat. But as I sat through a couple more episodes, the old charm wiggled its way back into me. After half an hour, I was laughing once more, though perhaps this time at the casual racism more than the slapstick violence.


A couple of days ago, I decided to revisit the iconic chocolate bar that is the Smarties Sharing Block, for the old and proven reason of Why The Hell Not®. When I used to eat this bar avidly 10 or so years ago, the blend of Smarties surrounded by creamy chocolate used to almost literally send me crazy, craving for more. To me, it was near perfection. Fast forward to today, and I didn't have quite the same reaction. I was appreciating it, and perhaps even enjoyed the sensation of hitting a Smartie, but my taste buds had obviously outgrown the bar somewhat. But as I munched through a couple more lines, the old charm wiggled its way back into me. After half the bar, I was satisfied once more, though perhaps this time at the casual racism more than the slapstick violence. Wait, what?

Yes, if you didn't quite get the message through that slightly convoluted introduction, the buzzword I'm likely to use the most in this review is nostalgia - at least from my (admittedly relatively young) perspective. You see, I remember always having these Smarties chocolate bars when I was younger - it would always be my go-to treat, both the milk and white versions. And yet, for reasons I can't quite fathom to this day, it just sort of stopped abruptly. I can only assume the chocolate bar more or less vanished from the shelves, because I didn't see it for quite some time. I never forgot that taste, though.

If we jump back to the present day, we can find the Smarties Sharing Block bars more or less in any decent sized shop these days, though I'm struggling to find the individual bars still. They've been back for at least a couple of years now from what I remember, but only now have I decided to take the plunge and revisit the bar. I have to be careful here, as rose-tinted glasses can be one hell of a manipulator. Time to be serious... to the best of my ability.


The wrapping is the classic 'LOOK AT ME' Smarties deep blue, with all the colours splattered on and the logo looking reassuringly familiar. It is one of those pseudo-foil wrappers that are actually just plastic, and therefore have zero re-wrapping abilities for later consumption. Considering how patronisingly Nestlé points out the servings on the back, you'd think they'd provide some sort of 'save for later' thing. Even Cadbury does that, and that's impressive, considering they're basically Satan now. Thanks Mondelez.

One thing you also note on the packaging is just how many smarties are supposedly in each chunk. It's a bit of a stretched truth though; there's nowhere near as many Smarties as the image suggests, but with that being said, you never go through a mouthful with no Smarties at all. So I guess there's nothing really to complain about there.

The chocolate is creamy - really, really, really creamy. It's unmistakably Nestlé - which is to say unremarkably OK - but it's like someone was pouring cream into the mixture and, whooooops, accidentally poured the whole lot in. It's a decent taste overall, and I can see clearly why my young self liked it, because it reminds me a lot of Kinder chocolate. It's also the kind of chocolate that grinds on the back of the throat after a little while. It's not amazingly moreish either, but I guess I shouldn't complain about that really.

For 120g, expect to pay £1, which is a decent price for what you're offered. You will never be fooled into thinking you're eating something premium, but if you like your Smarties and milky chocolate, then there's not too much to go wrong with here. You can accept no imitations for this one. Oh, speaking of imitations, stay tuned for future posts...

Buy it?     If you like creamy chocolate, go for it



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