Review: Mieszko Fudge

I have rarely been let down when trying Polish confections, and that still stands after trying some delectable and unique Polish fudge…

Mieszko fudge…and cows

Mieszko (say meersz-sco) company was formed in 1993 as a result of two long standing confectionery companies having merged, however the historic origins of these companies date back to the 1800’s. Based in Racibórz, southern Poland, Mieszko specialises in chocolate and caramel production, but are best known for their praline selection.

‘Krowka’ translates as ‘little cow’, and is a name used to market this type of fudge by several Polish companies. These ‘soft, delicate milk fudge’ (translated from the wrapper) pieces are individually wrapped in cow-adorned wax paper, and once unfurled release a sweet and recognizable fudge scent. Where it differs from fudge however, is the texture – slightly gritty, but with a very soft chew, it sits somewhere between fudge and traditional Scottish tablet. Their centre is not quite liquid, but is an even softer consistency than its outer shell. It is buttery and creamy, all thanks to that wonderful Polish milk that makes so many of their confectionery products so tasty. Perhaps a little too sweet for me after several blocks, but was once again great to taste another good Polish product.

‘Little Cow‘ Polish fudge

I’ll certainly be on the look out for those famous praline chocolates next!

Wrapper Wednesday: Black Thunder

Welcome to Wrapper Wednesday! I started collecting foreign sweet wrappers when I was ten after my aunt sent back a care package full of American candy while working abroad – I was fascinated by not only the candy (what ten year old wouldn’t be) but also their wrappers. The array of fantastical colours, designs, mascots and graphics appealed to my childhood creativity, and knowing that they were ‘rare’ over here in Britain, I couldn’t bare to throw them away. I’ve always been an arty-type – and collecting and enjoying these wrappers has partly inspired my path to pursue graphic arts in school and as a career (I’m a part-time sign painter don’t you know).

Along with Beano annuals, gem stones and Ty Beanies (90’s child), I started to collect any foreign wrapper I could get my hands on – the only rule was I had to have tasted the sweet in order to save it! This was no mean feat as I didn’t have a computer in the house until I was fourteen, and even then, the craze for American candy in particular, hadn’t really taken properly taken off, so having the convenience of ordering sweets to my door wasn’t much of an option. I sought my goodies through traveling friends and relatives, looking in specialty and ethnic food shops, online when it came about, and my first trip to the USA when I was eighteen. I treated it as some kind of confectionery treasure hunt – and you only have to look on Instagram at the amount of food/snack reviewers and spotters to see that I am not the only one to still enjoy the thrill of the chase.

Eating sweets and chocolate is an affordable and accessible modern day luxury. I suppose that joy is embellished for me by the thrill of finding something not widely available in my home country, but it is also a way to get to know other places, their history, their tastes and language.

And so almost over two decades I have amassed a terrifying amount of sweet wrappers from all around the world; USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Poland, Russia, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Thailand, Sweden, China and Japan are all represented in my quirky collection.

So! If you’re like me – someone with a sweet fetish/ interested in graphic design / a collector / an artist / loves history / sweet tooth / or just a bit curious, watch out for Wrapper Wednesday as I attempt to go through my alarming sweet wrapper collection!

Black Thunder (Japan)

Black Thunder is a popular dark chocolate, cookie and biscuit chocolate bar made by Yuraku Confectionery in Toyohashi, Japan. This wrapper contained the mini bite-sized chunk version, supplied to me by a visiting friend-of-a-friend.

I remember the confection being a rich and satisfying mix of cocoa and crunch…I just wished there was more in the bag!

Review: Creme de Coconut Ovation

The Ovation range by Swiss chocolatier’s Frey is a segmented spherical ball with a range of flavoured fondant creme centres, in this case coconut…sound familiar? It’s pretty much like that British classic the Terry’s Chocolate Orange…but with filling!

Frey’s was established in Switzerland by brothers Robert and Max Frey in 1887. In 2014 the company successfully took over the US firm SweetWorks Inc, Buffalo NY, where this candy is now produced – Swiss chocolate made in and for the US market (and this is where I picked up my Ovation).

Break and separate!

After giving the un-boxed chocolate a firm whack on a hard surface (the edge of a table is usually a good chocolate smashing tool) and the foil is pealed back you can definitely smell the sweet, creamy, subtle scent of coconut as the segments begin to unfurl. The milk chocolate is fine and the coconut isn’t overpowering, but personally I would like it to be stronger – I love coconut – but after a while the taste of the chocolate slowly takes over the delicate tropical seed. Not too sickly or too sweet – with the signature taste reminding me of the smooth flavor of coconut milk, I just wish it was a little more impacting.

I’ve found the coconut Ovation to be an enjoyable and exotic chocolate treat and somewhat of a novelty as I had never seen another chocolate brand before that parodies the Terry’s Chocolate Orange (a Christmas staple here in Britain), and available in so many different flavours!

You can also by Ovation break-a-part chocolates in pineapple, orange, pumpkin spice, creme de menthe, key lime, raspberry and amaretto!