Review | Snack Surprise – Netherlands

It's that time again – another Snack Surprise Original Box review, and this time it's from the Netherlands. Now, I've been to Amsterdam once and I don't recall seeing, buying, or certainly eating any snacks... Too busy dining at Michelin starred restaurants!

So, what was in this box and how did I rate it?

Sweet

• Ontbijtkoek – “Tender gingerbread with a delicious taste. It’s appeared on breakfast tables for more than 130 years.”

I didn't need telling twice and had this for breakfast – no regrets! It was quite a dense and rich gingerbread, but so good. I do love a good gingerbread.

• Stroopwafel – “Enjoy this Dutch classic. Soft toasted waffle with a sweet caramel filling.”

I adore these waffles and have bought them plenty of times in the past. I often rest them on top of my coffee to soften the caramel. Leave it for up to a minute and it's just delicious.

• Smoeltjes – “Put a smile on your face with these speculaas smiley cookies.”

Mini biscuits with different facial expressions, which tasted exactly like Lotus biscuits. Always going to be a winner in my eyes.

Savoury

• Croky Bolognese – “Crunchy potato crisps with the unique flavour of bolognaise.”

To me, these were more like tomato or paprika flavour, with a slight tinge of spice. Still tasty, but definitely not bolognaise.

• Nibb-it Sticks – “Colourful and crispy Cheetos sticks with a ready salted flavour.”

These were like a lighter version of Wotsits, and strangely, came in three different colours. They just weren't very cheesy, which I had expected.

Confectionery

• Knetter Sticks – “White chocolate sticks with popping candy rocks that crackle in your mouth.”

I expected this product to be a bit like Mikado. But they were literally just white chocolate matchsticks (with no biscuit) filled with popping candy. Nice enough.

• Salmiak Knotsen – “The sweet taste of liquorice with these hard candy lollipops.”

I didn't expect to like these lollipop – and I really didn't. The flavour was quite weird and not really like a strong liquorice. You could see the brown in the middle of the lolly, but the outside was white and left a claggy feeling in my mouth. I didn’t dare bite into it. Not pleasant at all and they went straight in the bin.

• Hopjes – “Originating in the 18th century, these coffee and caramel sweets will give you a classic Dutch taste.”

Quite sticky once unwrapped, but these hard-boiled sweets tasted exactly like espresso martini. I loved them.

• RedBand Frisse Flesjes – “Bottle shaped gummy sweets coated in sugar.”

With a strong fruity flavour and the sugar coating, these were actually quite sweet. I’d compare them to a slightly harder version of Fruit Pastilles. Still tasty.

• Droste – “Melt in the mouth milk chocolate pastilles, made by Droste.”

Decent quality chocolate. These were delicious and very moreish.

• Tony’s Chocolate – “Irresistible milk chocolate filled with crunchy caramel and a hint of sea salt.”

Well, we get these bars in the UK, but I’ve never had this particular flavour. I loved the crunchy caramel crystals and could definitely taste the sea salt. I'd buy this again.

Drink

• Fernandes Cherry Bouquet – “Sweet and sparkling cherry soft drink, that is popular throughout the Netherlands.”

While I was expecting cherryade, this was more like a combination of lemonade, and cherries. It was too sweet and artificial for me. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, which was a shame.

What a box this one was! When it came to the ratings. I didn't score any products down the middle. I loved most of the box, and there were only two products I disliked. It’s going to be another high scorer. The Netherlands Snack Surprise box received a total of 34/36 points. So where does it rank on the leader board?

1. Netherlands – 94%
2. Spain – 94%
3. Italy – 92%
4. Portugal – 89%
5. Australia – 87%
6. New Zealand – 87%
7. Hungary – 84%
8. Greece – 82%
9. Sweden – 82%
10. Turkey – 81%
11. USA – 79%
12. Germany – 75%
13. Austria – 73%
14. Bulgaria – 69%

It goes straight into first place on alphabetical order, level on points with the Spain box, which I thought would never be beaten (or equalled!).

If you wish to subscribe to Snack Surprise or even fancy gifting a box, you can check out the website.

Love, Lucy xx