A bit too bitter! (Rosemary Conley Low Fat Belgian Chocolate Mousse)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	Rosemary Conley Low Fat Belgian Chocolate Mousse
Date:	16/09/08 (415 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good sized portion

Disadvantages: Unpleasant after taste

We're trying to be really good in our house at the moment, cutting back on all the naughty foods in an attempt to improve our diet and also save some pennies in the process. They do say that 'a little bit of what you fancy does you good' though, so hubby popped to the supermarket for a little treat for us both. He came back with Rosemary Conley's Low Fat Belgian Chocolate Mousse - £1.50 for a pack of two.

In brief, for those who haven't heard of her, Ms Conley is a diet and fitness expert who has been well known in her field for the last 20 years. She has a diet plan, similar to Weightwatchers etc, but incorporates exercise as part of a healthy regime. She now endorses a small range of foods to coincide with the plan.

I've never followed a Rosemary Conley plan or tried any of her products but as we're watching what we eat, these mousses sounded great. As the cardboard sleeve around the pots states "...a really indulgent and tasty treat whilst looking after your fat and calorie intake". With only 122 calories and less than 3% fat per pot the words guilt-free sprang to mind. Perfect!

I must admit each 110g pot appeared quite substantial in size and the content looked tantalisingly chocolatey through the clear perspex. Peeling of the foil lid and scooping some of the mousse onto my spoon, it was instantly very promising. The mouse looked extremely nice...just the right amount of firmness with a light and fluffy texture, complimented by a mouthwatering chocolate aroma. Quite rich and enticing to say the least!

Plunging the spoon into my mouth, the mousse felt delightful...smooth on the tongue with a slight bubbly texture. Now, Rosemary Conley promises "a melt in the mouth texture" which I'd agree with, but not in a positive sense. The mousse certainly melted in the mouth but it quickly dissolved into a weak, watery consistency. No where near as creamy as I'd hoped it would be.

Onto the taste now and I was initially impressed with the mousse as it provided me with a rich chocolatey hit - delicious. But unfortunately this was then followed by a bitter aftertaste which remained (quite annoyingly) on the palette for quite a while after consumption. Not like a bitter Belgian chocolate though - more like the kind of bitter sweet taste that I associate with artificial sweeteners. It wasn't particularly pleasant if I'm entirely honest.

Looking at the ingredients (listed below for those who are interested) there is no mention of sweeteners as such, although I did notice that the sugar content is high with 20g per pot. Sugar appears second in the ingredients list with only skimmed milk before it. This suggests that there is more sugar than chocolate in the mousse! It seems to be quite a common occurance that a product low in fat has high amounts of sugar to compensate, creating an argument that these 'healthy' options aren't quite so healthy after all. Regarding allergy warnings, this product contains cows milk and soya.

Overall I was disappointed by the Rosemary Conley Low Fat Belgian mousse. The size of the pot and it's content was satisfying but the flavour of the mousse just didn't hit the right spot for me. In my opinion I would say that it is ideal for people who regularly eat this kind of dessert as you can do so without consuming lots of fat and calories - you just have to make a sacrifice when it comes to taste and texture, and be aware of the sugar levels.

For someone like me who only occasionally succumbs to a tempting treat such as chocolate mousse, I'd say avoid this product. I wouldn't really call this mousse a treat. Next time I'll be going straight for the full fat alternatives to guarantee a really indulgent and tasty offering. And no, I won't feel guilty about it!





www.rosemaryconley.com


Rosemary Conley Low Fat Belgian Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
Reconstituted Skimmed Milk, Sugar, Chocolate (3%) (Cocoamass, Sugar, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Flavouring), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Gelatin, Emulsifiers: E472b, E471; Modified Maize Starch, Stabilisers: E412, E417, E410.

Summary: Low fat and low calorie choc mousse - but with high sugar content