Looks Like a Turd...Tastes Like a Dream (Cadbury Picnic)

Member Name: mattygroves10

Product:	Cadbury Picnic
Date:	28/10/05 (271 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tasty and filling

Disadvantages: Looks like a turd . Fattening.

Here I have in front of me a cup of coffee and a chocolate bar.

Now, I know that a chocolate bar is not the healthiest of breakfasts, but it's what I have. You see, a few days ago, I came into possession of a four pack of CADBURY'S PICNIC BARS for the very reasonable price of 99p for the four (I know it's 99p, because that fact is splashed all down the right hand side of the four-pack).

"I'll try one," thought I. Well, my little Picnic was very nice indeed, so I bought some more.

Anyway, moving swiftly on to...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAR - The Packaging
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like many other Cadbury's products, the packaging is dominated by purple. Since the look of the outer packaging really only differs from that of the actual bar packaging (except for the 99p PACK shout on the outer), I'll just briefly describe the wrapper on the bar...but you should be able to find the four pack from the description as well.

To recognise this bar, the most important information is on the front. That's because it's where it says Picnic in letters so large they cover most of the front. Furthermore, the word Picnic is surrounded by what looks like a jam splodge. Or maybe blood. Which is odd, since the bar has neither jam nor blood in it. If you look carefully to the left and right, you can see what it DOES have in it - peanuts and raisins. It even informs you in gold writing that it's 'Packed with Peanuts and Raisins' (would someone PLEASE tell me why they capitalise Peanuts and Raisins? Maybe that's the name of the people they minced to get the blood-coloured splodge on the front...)

In fact, hidden on the side, it tells you that the bar is indeed 'Milk chocolate with caramel, peanut, crispy cereal and raisin centre.' Clearly not suitable for nut allergy sufferers then.

Turning the bar over, you get the usual bumf - nutritional information, barcode, best before date, weight (48.4g, if you want to know), ingredients and contact information - none of which I will repeat here, except to say that there are 230 Kilocalories per bar. Ouch!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAR - Appearance upon Opening
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, I'm getting hungry now. I've just spent ten minutes looking at the packaging - I want to open the darned thing!

Around five inches long, the bar does indeed appear to be packed with SOMETHING. There are large bumps all over the upper surface of the rounded bar. The chocolate is...well...milk chocolate coloured (brown). The shape is...well...this is where I have a problem.

You see, usually, I hold the bar in the packaging, open just the top, and nibble down, thus avoiding a mess on my fingers. However, in the interests of completeness, I've taken the whole thing out of the wrapper.

And it looks like...a turd. It really does. Like a turd after you've had corn on the cob, or something else that tends to come out the same way it comes in. I think I'll eat it my normal way from now on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAR - The Smell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, I am being anal...but it kind of suits the theme *grin*. It smells weakly of chocolate. I needed to hold it right up to my nose to smell it (oh, the visions you must be having - I am, of course, talking about the Picnic bar, not anything else it might resemble).

Anyway, I feel that's about enough said on the smell. Suddenly, I don't seem to feel quite so hungry...ok, I'll press on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAR - The Taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is where Cadbury's atone for the rather unpleasant appearance (didn't anyone NOTICE how the damned thing looks??).

I bite into it. Through the chocolate (which is Cadbury's typical yummy milk chocolate) It's crunchy (at the top teeth) and chewy (bottom) (due to the cereal and nuts for the crunch, and the caramel and raisins for the chew, I assume). It's sweet, but not too cloying (I think the peanuts help cut some of the cloying caramel sweetness.)

The peanuts are not as predominant a flavour in the Picnic as they are in a Snickers; in fact, I'd say the raisins have a stronger flavour. The cereal is the most noticeable crunch texture, and the caramel the most noticeable chewy (damn peanut just fell out on my desk...munch).

Forgive me, the flavour is difficult to describe, perhaps because there are so many different flavours and textures competing for attention. However, the blend DOES work. The flavours do meld together, providing a very nice taste sensation indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAR - Matty's Verdict
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, I like Cadbury's Picnic Bar. I've finished the bar, and just taken a slurp of (now lukewarm) coffee, and, not surprisingly, the flavours work well together. Perhaps it's not the healthiest of breakfasts, but...hey, it's tasty. It's given me a boost of energy. What more can a gal ask?!

Summary: Tasty. Ugly. Butt ugly!