World of Snacks has traveled the globe in search of the best snacks in the world.  We have searched high and low in hopes to locate inventory for our international snack store.  Guess what?  We have found some amazing snacks!  Starting January 1st you will be able to purchase our favorite snacks from England and each month following a new country and their treats will be added to our store.  Leading up to the launch of our US based online store we will be reviewing a different British Snack everyday.  Today we review our first cake from Britain. 

A company called McVitie’s produces our British cake under review.   McVitie’s initially got their start in the biscuit (cookie) business way back in 1830.  At first McVitie’s was a Scottish snack company until they merged with MacFarlane Lang and became the English controlled company known as United Biscuits.  For usability purposes when we add Scottish Snacks to our international snack shop we will also include McVitie’s products in that category.  Today McVitie’s produces a variety of snack items that are mostly biscuits and cookies.  Our snack under review is the Original Jaffa Cakes by McVitie's.

Unfortunately in 1927 when McVitie’s developed the Original Jaffa Cakes they did not trademark the name and now there are a variety of companies in the UK and elsewhere producing a similar snack known as Jaffa Cakes.  We are reviewing the true original, which come in a blue box with orange writing that reads “McVitie’s The Original Jaffa Cakes.”  Inside there is a clear orange colored tube for freshness and 12 cookie sized cakes.  Enough of the history and appearance, let’s sample these mini cakes from the UK!

For our taste test of the Original Jaffa Cakes by McVitie’s we did no research prior to our sampling and were not familiar with this cake at all.  Upon first impression we thought we’d be testing a cookie, after opening the box, still we thought we’d be sampling a cookie.  It wasn’t until our first bite that we realizes this British Snack is indeed a cake.  A Jaffa Cake is a light sponge cake that is coated with a crackly chocolate and a tad bit of what tastes like orange jam.   The first impact of the very orangey flavor awoke our taste buds!  It’s so zesty and powerful that the chocolate smooths the taste out and the cake returns your taste buds back to normal.  We really enjoy the Original Jaffa Cakes by McVitie’s!  We have yet to try another foreign snack that is similar and the fluffy texture of this treat makes it’s truly enjoyable and unique.

In just a few weeks you will be able to by McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes in USA and have them shipped to you anywhere in the world.  If you are reading this review and are interested in trying snacks from other countries we encourage your to vote for your favorites so we can be sure to add them to our international snack shop.  If you have not done so already be sure to leave your details to right to stay up-to-date with our progress and to be notified of any promotions. 

01/01/2014 UPDATE:  The Original Jaffa Cakes are now available for purchase online in our international store.

Our search for the best snacks in the world continues!  Today our international snack blog touches down in Scotland.  Last time we reviewed a Scottish treat we received several comments and a poster by the name Auntie Dave recommended we give Tunnock’s Caramel Log a try.  Sorry Auntie Dave, we have not yet received our shipment of Caramel Logs, but we have the next best thing.  Our international snack review today is on Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Biscuits.  

Tunncock’s has a long snack history dating back to 1890.  An interesting side note the founder’s father was a coffin maker, good thing he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps!  Thomas Tunnock (the Founder) finished up school and became an apprentice of Aberdour Bakery.  Tom worked hard and saved up 80 pounds (the currency, not the weight) and purchased his very own bakery.  Fast-forward to today and Tunnock’s is known as Scotland’s Favorite and has a 300,000 square foot factory and employs over 500 staff members!  Also did we mention, it’s still family owned?

Our sample of Tunnock’s Real Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits is an 8 pack that features individually wrapped bars.  The top call out reads “Still Original Size” but I am not so sure if that’s a good thing.  By American standards this candy bar is on the smaller side.  Though, I personally prefer smaller candy bars (it’s labeled a biscuit but could be both). The main container is shinny red and gold and looks very patriotic.  The Tunnock’s logo appears to be very similar to the centerpiece of the Scottish Royal Banner Flag.  Do you really care how this snack from Scotland looks?  Let’s move on to the taste test.

If you’ve been following along you know we are searching for inventory for the upcoming release of our international snack store.  Will World of Snacks offer Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Biscuits for sale in the US and shipped around the globe?  Yes, we plan to include most of the Tunnock’s products when we add Scotland to our selection.   Staring January 1st you will be able to purchase Snacks from England and we will add a new country every month.  To stay up to date with our progress please leave your details to the right.  Keep on snacking!  

Fresh off our US review of the finalist for Lays Do Us a Flavor competition we were ready to steer our global snack blog back out of the country and across the Atlantic Ocean.  Today we are heading to the United Kingdom and to the country of Scotland. We choose to sample Tunnock’s Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes, a well loved snack created by a long standing family run business.

Tunnock’s boasts they have a “tasteful past” and after starting in the business way back in 1890 they more than deserve the slogan.  Originally a bakery and purveyor of confectionery items, Tunnock’s didn’t get into the full blown snack business until the 1950s.  They now employee approximately 550 loyal staff members and operate out of a factory that stands only 100 yards away from their first location. 

Our first treat that we chose to sample is a true Scottish Icon.  We ripped open a box of Tunnock’s Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes and dove right in.  This snack from abroad is a cookie topped with marshmallow and covered in milk chocolate.  At this time we’d like to apologize since we currently do not offer these Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes in our international snack store, how could these not taste good?  We are talking about a cookie with marshmallow and chocolate!  They are outrageously delicious and even though there were six in the box they did not last more than a few seconds.  In fact being they are tea cakes I put a kettle on and attempted to pair it with a cup of hot tea, but once I took a bite for the photo I didn’t wait for the water to finish boiling.  I did opt for glass of milk and so did our 10 year old Director of Taste.  The chocolate is soft and milky, the marshmallow is creamy and smooth, and the cookie is moist and well flavored.  Our taste testers unanimously agreed that Tunnock’s Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes are truly a snack worth bragging about.

Although we love this Scottish snack we unsure if we will offer Tunnock’s Tea Cakes for sale on World of Snacks as a normally stocked item.  We do hope to do so but we must first determine if Scotland offers enough variety of sought after snacks and unique candies to warrant a full time position.  We felt sophisticated eating this treat and we know we will for sure offer it for sale in limited runs and as a special feature.  The full time position will remain up in the air until the launch of our international snack store toward the end of this year.