Holland & Barrett Chocolate Coated Goji Berries

These have been languishing in the back of my fridge for a while (note the ‘Best Before’ date!) so I thought I had better review them while they were still edible.

I’m sure most of us will have heard of Goji berries by now – they’ve been marketed as a ‘superfruit’ for some time now, with numerous claims being made for the high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they contain. What I didn’t realise until I researched for this review was that these are in fact Wolfberries. The name ‘Goji’ comes from a mispronunciation of the Mandarin word ‘gouqi’.

Chocablog isn’t the place to go into an in-depth analysis of the Goji berry/Superfood cult, but if you’re interested it’s easy enough to find information claiming all kinds of magical properties for these small, pink berries. For the purposes of this review, I am more concerned with how they taste when smothered in dark chocolate. Obviously, if they’re also good for you then that’s a bonus.

When I opened the bag and poured a few out onto the table, I must confess that my first thought was “sheep poo”. These small, shiny pellets of dark chocolate just happened to put me in mind of camping trips and hill walks. Not, perhaps the best start.

Now I’ve never personally tasted Wolfberries (other than in a strange alcoholic drink I bought on a Finnish ferry) so I was intrigued to know what they’d be like. My first mouthful was something of a surprise – the berries vary in texture from very chewy, raisin-like texture to rock hard, almost crispy little nuggets. They require quite a bit of chewing to release their flavour, by which time most of the chocolate is a fading memory on the tongue. The chocolate itself is dark and quite rich, but there isn’t so much of it that it overpowers the berry flavours which follow. The taste of the berries is rather lovely. I can best describe them as having a similar flavour (and colour too, for that matter) to rosehips. A light, fruity taste that can only be released with some good, prolonged mastication.

Assuming that these little things are actually good for you, I’d recommend them as a lunchtime snack or an ’emergency’ boost for when you’re having a tough day or involved in some physical activity, but only if your teeth are in good working order!

You might also like...