When I started this blog and page, I saw it as a way to promote and advertise my book. If you scroll back through the previous posts, you will see it is just that, a list of effectively advertising. It is the same with my other social media feeds.
I have come to realise, however, this blog should be more than just a glorified advert. Partly because few people care about seeing another promotion, but mainly because I want it to be more than that. I do not want your only impression of me and who I am to be a series of promotional posts, so with that in mind…
I think I am becoming obsessed with Muller (Müller?) Rice!
I am trying to lose some weight again, and so I have cut back on the usual sweet treats and chocolate which are my Achilles heel. Just before I started to lose weight, I had begun to buy Muller Rice from the supermarket again, having not ordered any for years, and discovered once more how much I love them.
For those of you who have never heard of Muller Rice, it is basically a rice pudding dessert in a pot. You will find it in the yoghurt aisle at the supermarket, and I suspect most people eat it as they would a yoghurt. It can be eaten hot, but I have never tried it myself, and given my microwave exploded yesterday, I will not be trying them heated any time soon.
Inside the pot, you get rice pudding of course, but most of the pots also come with a layer of flavour at the bottom. What I have decided to do in this post, for no other reason than I want to, is give you my review of the different Muller Rice flavours. The flavours I have reviewed are the ones currently available in the UK. I know there are other flavours available (in the past I seem to recall a delicious raisin flavour but cannot for the life of me find it anymore) so if I have missed your favourite it is because I cannot get hold of it easily. If you do know of other flavours I should try, then let me know in the comments, and of course if Müller some how end up reading this and want to send me a lifetime supply of Muller Rice to review, then message me and I will send you my address…*
The flavours below are in no particular order other than how they came to mind when I began listing them. I was thinking about ranking them, but realised it was too difficult to decide my favourite flavour. So instead I have given them each a rating out of 5. What I am looking for in a Muller Rice upon which I have based my ratings are; a creamy rice pudding, a tasty flavour layer and that the rice pudding and flavour layer mix well together.
Original: this is a pot of plain rice pudding, without the flavour layer, and seems like as good a place as any to begin. Personally I would never buy the plain pot as I want the flavour layer as well, but if you are looking for a thick and creamy rice pudding then this is the one for you. And obviously, as there is no flavour layer, you get a little bit more rice pudding for your money. Perfect if you want to add your own flavour.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 3/5
Strawberry: on paper strawberry should be a firm favourite of mine. I love strawberries and I love strawberry based desserts. The rice pudding itself is as creamy as the original, but the flavour layer is unfortunately lacking a punch. Mix the two together and the creamy rice pudding almost overpowers the strawberry flavour. For those of you with fond memories of rice pudding and strawberry jam, this is not it.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 2.5/5
Raspberry: usually, I would chose any flavour other than raspberry when picking a dessert, but somehow Müller have made me think again about ignoring raspberry. The flavour is intense, with just a hint of sharpness to compliment the creamy rice. While it is still not a favourite flavour, it is certainly a pleasant surprise.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 4/5
Vanilla Custard: we come now to the first contender for the top spot. I love custard, both in its own and on desserts, so this was always going to be a popular option. You might think the vanilla custard and creamy rice would be very similar in flavour, but the custard is definitely distinct and compliments the rice well. Mix them together and they are divine. My only issue, I would prefer the custard to be a little thicker, as it can be fairly runny in contrast to the rice.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 4.5/5
Apple: the second contender for the top spot, apple desserts are always a good choice, and this Muller Rice is no exception. The flavour is sweet and a little sharp, and the apple flavouring even has small pieces of apple in it. My only complaint, I would prefer to have more apple pieces if this is what they are going to supply.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 4.5/5
Chocolate and Hazelnut: I found this flavour by accident in a limited edition set with Salted Caramel (see below). Chocolate and Hazelnut should be a firm favourite, but I must admit I was disappointed. The chocolate flavour had spread through the rice pudding before I had even mixed it, meaning the whole thing tasted vaguely like someone had poured a hot chocolate in rice pudding. It will not be making my shopping list again.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 1.5/5
Salted Caramel: in general I think salted caramel is overrated and if anything a bit of a fad. My wife on the other hand loves the stuff, so we often get salted caramel snacks. It was a pleasant surprise then to find I loved Salted Caramel Muller Rice. Unlike Chocolate and Hazelnut the rice and caramel flavours had been kept separate, and the sweet caramel complimented and mixed well with the rice pudding. Not quite a favourite, but another surprise entry.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 4/5
Cherry: I think cherries and cherry flavoured desserts are my all-time favourites. So I was more than a little disappointed to find the Cherry Muller Rice lacking a little pizzazz. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty enough, but the cherry flavour was a little mellow and easily became lost in the creamy rice. Once again unlikely to find it’s way back into my shopping trolley.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 3.5/5
Honey and Walnut (Limited Edition): the Honey and Walnut Limited Edition Muller Rice is the reason I decided to write this post in the first place. I found it by chance in the supermarket yesterday and had to give it a try. I expected the honey and walnut layer to be similar to the vanilla custard, so was disappointed to find out it was more of a walnut-flavoured rice and a layer of honey. Individually they were lacklustre, together they just about worked. On the plus side, I was expecting chunks of walnut which it actually does not contain. Some my see this as a negative, but for me it definitely is a plus. I am glad I gave it a try, but once the limited run is over I will not be pining after more.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: 2.5/5
Tiramisu (Limited Edition): this is the only flavour readily available to me which I have not tried. I do not drink coffee, and find the idea of coffee desserts bizarre. Really for the sake of completeness I should probably try the Tiramisu, but so far I have avoided buying it. If I change my mind and bite the bullet I will report back and let you know.
Jamie’s Muller Rice Rating: tbc
*Just to be clear, this is not a sponsored post, I have nothing to do with Müller or their desserts. I wrote this post because it is something I have been thinking about over the weekend.
Self-Indulgent Twaddle 