Whittards Gingerbread Coffee Syrup

Too soon for something quite Christmassy? I love gingerbread and am already counting down the days until the gingerbread lattes grace the coffee shops again. However, on a recent trip to Whittards, amongst their other delights (they were sampling a peanut butter hot chocolate, which was amazing) I spied their own gingerbread coffee syrup.

At £4 a bottle it's not cheap and pricier than Monin but worth noting that this is the first coffee syrup I've seen that isn't made with sugar but with fruit extract instead (which yes is a form of sugar but at least a natural one). It's simply fruit extract, flavouring and concentrated lemon juice).

The golden glow of the bottle looks warming and wintery cosy alone but the smell when you open it, is even more beautiful. Spicy, sweet - it's smells like Christmas and made me excited for it already and cosy afternoons in front of the fire.

I added one spoon to my latte (with a little Nakd nibble on the side) and it was perfect - as good as any Costa gingerbread latte with a warming, rich spicy scent that added a touch of sweetness withot tasting too sugary or syrupy. It's warming and comforting and just an absolute treat. I might even try adding to porridge and seeing what that's like. My mouth is watering at the thought already. Worth every penny.

Price: £4.00
Bought at: Whittards
Nutrition per 10g: 29 calories, 5.6g sugars

Score: 9/10

Marks and Spencer Gingerbread Teacakes

Well my self control at not buying these until at least November lasted barely a couple of days. After seeing all the delicious new cakes and treats in M&S last time I was there, it was these gingerbread teacakes that really played on my mind. Gingerbread is one of my favourite things whether in the form of a spicy biscuit, sticky loaf cake or as a flavoured latte. It is a rich, warming, spicy scent, which is tied to Christmas and the cold for me so it seems a little odd M&S have launched this as an autumn treat as I'm sure they'll be even more treats coming out in a few months time for Christmas as well.

Like I said, these played on my mind ever since I saw them as I just love all those cinnamon, treacle, and ginger notes and I also love traditional stodgy, rainy afteroon, teatime British treats and so teacakes are another of my great loves. A wet day, snuggled up inside with a good book or film, a cup of tea and a teacake is a glorious thing.

 This teacake shuns the traditional currants and fruits instead opting for 14% toffee pieces as the only inclusion along with the cinnamonm,ginger and spices. Opening the pack, the lack of ginerbread scent conerned me. Yes, you can kind of get a faint glimmer of spice if you really sniff it but it's weak at best. The teacakes looked very attractive though with a glossy dome and they cut nicely in two with a good teacake texture.

As I toasted them, the gingerbread smell I wanted increased a little but it's certainly not strong. Cinnamon bagels have more warming scent to them than these. However, they toasted beautifully with a slightly crisp top with a soft, luscious bread underneath.

The texture of these is great but that is the best I can say as the gingerbread flavour is so weak it's barely there at all. You barely can detect any spice at all yet alone getting any hint of the sticky, gingery treat I wanted. The toffee is completely lost and I wouldn't notice it was there at all unless I was told. No cinnamon or ginger is identifiable. It's not sweet, which is what I want and expect from a teacake and as a teacake it's okay...except it's missing the fruit. In the end I had to put some banana peanut butter on it just to give it some flavour.

I am so disappointed with these - the base is right but this is no gingerbread teacake. I appreciate as a teacake it's not supposed to be sticky or sugary but there isn't even spice. I guess I'll have to wait until November for the proper gingerbread to come around. I've seen other people like Nibbles N Scribbles have really enjoyed this so maybe it's just me?

Price: £1.00
Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Nutrition per teacake: 175 calories, 3.8g fat, 1.2g sat fat, 8.2g sugars, 0.33g salt

Score: 5/10