Tarnished Treasure? (Walls Magnum Temptation Chocolate Ice Cream)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Walls Magnum Temptation Chocolate Ice Cream
Date:	01/06/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Indulgent chocolate blend. Filling.

Disadvantages: Fattening. Textures and flavours not defined enough.

I recently saw a television commercial advertising the new 'Temptation' range of ice-creams from Walls' Magnum. The ice-creams are presented as being as seductive as the forbidden fruit was to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden! Designed to be an extra special treat and packed with rich, indulgent ingredients they are marketed like an erotic adult pleasure object!

There are two flavours in the range: Chocolate and Caramel and Almonds. I bought the 'Chocolate' flavour from my local Asda supermarket after failing to find them anywhere else. They were £3.50 for three large lolly ice-creams. The packaging is fairly exquisite. The outer layer is a thick black plastic sheeting whose dark mystery seems to hold a secret inside. Within this each lolly is encased in it's own 'treasure box' - a stiff cardboard rectangular case etched with silver and bronze markings. These are sealed with a sticker of a lock which must be peeled off to gain entry. Inside the ice-cream is presented in a mirrored silver space and is even lying on an extra mini cardboard tray to look extra posh! I really enjoyed opening these ice-creams as it felt like I was taking part in an important ritual or ancient feast. Each layer of packaging or seal increases expectations and ignites my hunger!

The ice-cream bar is shaped a little differently from your regular tear shaped Magnum bars. These are still tear shaped except they are twisted with it so there are two extra bulbous bits on the side of the bar. The stick is sturdy and thumb width across so is easy to grip. The ice-creams are about 3 1/2 inches long.

Magnum describe the outer layer of chocolate on the bar as being 'Belgian Dark Chocolate'. I would say that it was not as cocoa rich as I would have expected for it being classified as 'dark'. It was not milky but not bitterly cocoa tinted either. The chocolate has a rich, musky aroma and is layered thickly around the icecream.

The actual ice-cream is mild and creamy with a pale brown colour and a thick, gelatinous consistency. I have always liked the fact that Magnum can create the Mr Softy effect in their recipe and these are no different. Excellent quality ice-cream with a dreamy, creamy texture.

The bar is described as containing brownies, white belgian chocolate and chocolate sauce. I was very dissapointed at the way the brownie pieces were shredded throughout the ice-cream rather than being in individual chunks. Basically, the ice-cream is blended with tiny shards of brownie cake. There is an occaisonal lump of tender, gooey brownie but mostly the pieces are too small to appreciate. The white chocolate chips are pleasant to taste but are really overwhelmed by the rest of the chocolate flavours. I was also dissapointed by the fact that they had a very ordianary shape - a neatly cut chip which looks rather conventional and cheap. I would have hoped to see more of a rugged, randomly shaped chocolate chunk! One slither of chocolate sauce spirals down the centre of the ice-cream (the illustration of the bar shows several lines of sauce) and provides a rich, treacley taste quite sweet and distinct from any other flavour. By the time you have eaten or licked to the end of the bar though the sauce has melted into the ice-cream and is much less effective. The amount of ice-cream bar is very generous and I feel full after eating one of these.

I would say that this ice-cream did not fully live up to expectations and did not provide the range of flavours and textures that I hoped for. One of the main problems is that there are so many chocolate flavours combined that it is almost overkill. I stop appreciating one flavour because it is drowned out by another similar taste. The textures were interesting but disspointed me on the whole - the added brownie failed to be of much impact because it was overblended into the ice-cream; the white chocolate chunks (about one every mouthful) were too uniform. Overall I enjoyed the ice-cream but I feel I can enjoy a simple chocolate flavoured ice-cream just as much.

Full nutritional values are listed on the packet although mine seem to be listed in Italian only. A 68g sized bar provides 240 calories and 14g of fat.

For more information about the Magnum range go to :

www.LoveIceCream.com

or

www.mymagnum.co.uk

Summary: Enjoyable ice-cream but not as special as it claims to be!