Heavenly dessert! (Angel Delight)

Member Name: jo1976

Product:	Angel Delight
Date:	30/08/09 (108 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes lovely, great storecupboard standby, quick and easy to prepare

Disadvantages: Artificial-sounding ingredients, high sugar content

Like most adults who grew up in the seventies, I have fond memories of Birds' Angel Delight. Nowadays, there is no shortage of pudding ideas especially marketed at kids but there is still nothing that really compares to the delights of the original Angel Delight.

We haven't bought the stuff for years, probably because the ingredients list doesn't appear particularly wholesome, but a BOGOF offer at the supermarket the other week convinced me to overlook the nutritional issues and I picked up a handful of the sachets for a bargain price. That said, they don't exactly break the bank at full-price with Angel Delight selling for around 20p-45p per packet. Flavours available include Chocolate, Banana, Raspberry, Strawberry and, the undisputed loveliest flavour according to our household, the Butterscotch flavour. The Butterscotch and Chocolate flavours are now also available in a 'low sugar' variety but I haven't tried any of those as yet. Personally, I'd prefer to buy (and eat) the original varieties. Providing these are an occasional treat and part of as 'balanced' a diet as your kids will eat, I wouldn't worry too much about the ingredients, just eat and enjoy!

The main benefit of this stuff is that it can sit in your cupboard for months (unless the kids spot it) and, unlike yoghurts and mousses and other perishable desserts, you don't need to worry too much about them going out-of-date. On those days when I realise that all the yoghurt has been devoured by my pair of human locusts, Angel Delight can literally be whipped up in five minutes! All that is needed is half a pint of milk, a stir with a fork and a little bit of patience as you wait for it to thicken. It doesn't even need to be chilled while you wait but I always do, usually because it stops the kids asking if it's ready to eat yet.

The Butterscotch flavour wins the taste test hands down - even before you actually taste it, although all of the flavours have gone down well. The smell of the stuff as you wait for the five minutes for it to set is absolutely divine and fully worthy of its angelic namesake. It is reminiscent of the honeycomb centre of a Crunchie bar. (Sniff it and see if you agree.) Those five minutes will be the longest you've had to wait! Thankfully, the taste of the stuff is no less delicious. It has the consistency of a thick, creamy yoghurt or mousse and almost melts in the mouth as the angel delight is so light and flufffy. Lots of mousse-like substances contain gelatine, which make them unsuitable for vegetarians like me. Angels Delight remains gelatine-free and I only have the limitations of how much I can eat before I am physically sick! The stuff is admittedly very sweet and quite sickly and my oldest couldn't quite finish the extra-large helping he asked for yesterday, leading me to devour the leftovers for him. Each packet provides enough for around 3-4 servings, depending on your appetite for all things sweet.

These are a great store cupboard standby for any busy families out there. If you have a bit more time and imagination it would be quite easy to add a few extra ingredients to the mixture and make your own trifles or similar but we prefer to eat it as it comes.

Ingredients (Butterscotch flavour only) - Sugar, Modified Starch, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Emulsifiers ((propane 1, 2- - Idol Esters of Fatty Acids, Soya Lecithins), Gelling Agents ((diphosphate, Disodium Phosphate)), Lactose, Milk Protein, Colour (Plain Caramel, Annatto, Beetroot Red, Beta Carotene), Whey Powder, Flavourings, Salt.

Allergies Information
Contains Milk, Lactose, Milk Proteins, Whey Powder, Soya & Soya Lecithins

Summary: A classic storecupboard dessert for all the family