Arnott’s Wagon Wheels

Mostly, the ‘tone’ of chocolates sampled here at Chocablog reside proudly at the upper end of the quality/quirky ingredients/boutique brand spectrum, but even we critics like to downscale when we’re off duty.

As such, I thought it was high time the faithful Aussie classic, the Wagon Wheel, got its turn in the spotlight. During my childhood (before CDs, fax machines and microwaves were available), Wagon Wheels were sold at every school tuck shop, every petrol station and corner store and were always one of the cheapest snack lines available. Even today it’s good to know that, thirty years later, they still are – only 99c from my local Foodland supermarket. Television advertisements from a few years ago featured a nervous Lobster hiding in a fishtank at the local Chinese restaurant, urging us to ‘Pick the Wagon Wheel, Please, pick the Wagon Wheel!’

Essentially the Wagon Wheel is just two biscuits sandwiched together by a thin layer of strawberry jam and marshmallow coated in chocolate and yet the overall result is delicious. The original size is 48g, but Arnotts Biscuit Company also have ‘minis’ weighing 25g each. I’m sure they are just as yummy, but as a great chocoholic once wrote, “Why call a one inch Mars Bar ‘fun’ when a foot long one would be much funner?”

I thought it was appropriate to take a photo of the 48g packet on a magazine that ‘our (clearly air-brushed and tightened) Kylie’ is on, celebrating her fortieth birthday. And yes, there is a ‘shop for your shape’ article in the publication that probably doesn’t include any suggestions for proud chocaholics. I doubt that Kylie ate as many of these choccy circles as I did, yet when I mention them to other grown-ups they all remember them fondly and then decide to go off in search of one to have with their morning tea.

Being an old Aussie standby that hasn’t altered over the years, taking a peek at the ingredients list doesn’t make inspiring reading because it contains the dreaded C-word – compounded chocolate. All is forgiven however because they are a long-standing favourite and the chocolate is but one part of the entire snack. On the plus side, at 7.9 grams of fat per pack they’re not too much of a threat to the waistline and they do go a long way towards making the clock-watching until lunchtime a little more bearable. Even more so if you eat two.

Posted by Kath on 10 Apr 2008 at 10:04 AM | Leave a comment
Filed in Reviews under arnotts, australia, biscuit, jam, marshmallow, milk

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