IT'S A CREAMY, DREAMY CUSTARD CONFECTION HIDDEN BENEATH THE RICE! (Muller Rice Vanila Custard)

Member Name: totalserenity

Product:	Muller Rice Vanila Custard
Date:	07/04/09 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: TASTY, LUXURIOUS IN TEXTURE, A WINNING COMBINATION OF FLAVOURS.

Disadvantages: QUITE CALORIFIC FOR THE HEALTHY EATERS AMONGST US...

Did you know 'Muller' yogurts actually originate from Bavaria, and was devised by a Ludwig Muller, in his little village dairy way back in 1896?

Well neither did I until, just out of general curiosity, I 'Googled' the company's world famous name...

Sometimes, we, the consumers, love buying, then munching away at a tasty creation - knowing the company's logo off by heart, plus 'Licking The Lid of Life' eye-catching TV adverts, without really knowing anything about the background to the product.

Upon scanning a prettily designed little webpage on the informative Muller website, I also learned that Ludwig's descent, Mr. Theo Muller, took over the running of the small company concern in 1970.
Then a mere decade after, having astutely transformed the family affair into a big national, then international business, the 'genesis' of the famous 'Muller Rice' range was devised in 1980. The inventive idea of placing both rich, creamy rice with a fruity base in the same round, chunky pot was extremely popular, as it gave us both convenience and taste in the same container.

Now as we all know the rest is history, with the advent of some rather unusual flavours combined together in one dessert offering!

Obviously the one I want to review today is the 'Vanilla Custard' variety as it's both one of the newer flavoursome mixtures as well as being one of my personal favourites - yummy!

I seldom pay the RRP of 54p per pot of Muller's rice or yogurt products, but the entire range can regularly be found on various Special Offers at pretty much any retail outlet that stocks the brand.
During my weekly big food shop last week I got mine at Morrisons: 'Buy 4, get 4 Free' - a smashing offer as you can mix and match any of their many varieties, including the diet items, if you can manage to get your dirty little paws on them!

The rice options come in 200 gram pots, my vanilla custard one is predominantly yellow in colour against the pot's plastic, white background. The top peel-back lid is foil, and these products tend to have a good few weeks Use By date on them - this one for example has four weeks shelf life from date of purchase.

Muller's brand logo is found in white against a red labelled backdrop, the front of the pot advertised 'Low Fat' with 'No Artificial Colours or Preservatives', in addition this foodstuff offers '20% of Calcium RDA' (the average person's recommended daily amount).
Amazingly enough there's only 7% rice, along with the usual sugar, milk, egg, and thickening ingredients to be expected for a sweet of this nature.

Calories amount to 115 per 100 gram with a fat content of 2.5 gram - so not the lowest choice for me as a dieter, but I also buy the reduced fat versions of almost any flavour available in the Muller rice and yogurt ranges...

A huge advantage to this product is that it can be eaten hot or cold. If nuked, the foil lid needs to be removed carefully for obvious reasons, and is to be heated on full power for approx 90 seconds depending on the wattage of your particular microwave - not forgetting to stir it halfway through.

Personally, I much prefer mine cold; especially for the convenience of having something easily accessible to have a spoonful to wash my many daily tablets down with.

Hmm, now here comes the most important part of the review - the smell, taste, texture, etc...

Well, needless to say, on opening the tub it smells rich, milky and custardy.

I would say the vanilla essence of the thick, rich custard far outweighs the aroma of the creamy rice piled atop the yellow coloured smooth sauce. Most people I know instantly stir the two Muller combinations together in this type of snack, but I eat almost all my food flavours separately, so this tasty combination is no different.

It's kind of like leaving the best 'til last - the big kid in me I guess?!

The rice is very soft and quite gooey in texture; very filling if you can manage all the helping on one go and very creamy in both texture and colour.
I always find Muller rice quite sticky, unlike a lot of home-made rice pudding versions where the grains are still quite firm in shape, although soft to the palate.

The custard, however, is the buried treasure to me - rich in golden yellow shade, plus incredibly thick and smooth to the tongue. This substantial confection is enough of a contrast to the mellower rice, smelling deliciously appetising hidden beneath its grained captor... It is almost the vibrant end of the rainbow hue found within a pot!

Mmm, salivating now, I really must stop writing these foody reviews!

Vanilla seems to be a 'love or hate' flavouring; I myself love It, unless it's in its purest form straight off the pod.
Processed like this I find it quite pleasantly palatable, and perhaps surprisingly the custard isn't too sweet in this confection; therefore I think the two textures and flavours compliment each other very well.
This Muller snack I think is a very successful addition to the family name - satisfying, nutritious, not high in fat, and with many different varieties such as bold couplings like this I believe I will be enjoying these desserts for a long time to come!

N.B
****
This does keep incredibly well for up to 48 hours once opened in the fridge.
Just keep the foil lid as intact and airtight as possible.

Am not one for wastage, therefore it's another plus in this product's flavoursome favour!

Summary: A MUST-HAVE FRIDGE AND TUMMY FILLER FROM THE MAKERS OF MULLER!