Nut Nougat by Primadonna

i know what this looks like.

and i am sorry to confess that - yes - my elitist, chocolate-loving-self did succumb to the call of the much-cheaper-by-the-gram faux nutella manufactured by primadonna (who, incidentally, makes a lot of other chocolate products) and sold at lidl right next to the much pricier and smaller jars of nutella.

ingredients: nutella, while predominantly composed of sugar, also contains a whopping 13% hazelnut, no small feat for such a tiny 400g overpriced jar of deliciousness. nut nougat, a whopping 750g (i figured i would run out of this much less quickly than nutella), is a mere 2% hazelnut.

you might wonder whether or not that 11% makes a difference, and i can assure you, yes, it does. nutella tastes like hazelnut and chocolate heaven, while nut nougat, though not without its redeeming (read: sweet and chocolate-y) characteristics, tastes like glorified chocolate icing.

don't get me wrong - i love chocolate icing - but in terms of a nutella substitute, there's maybe only the faintest whiff of hazelnut. that 11% gives nutella a lot more leverage on my tongue than this nut nougat business. so if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to nutella and frankly, my dear, don't give a damn about how hazelnutty something is, then go for this (and if you're even more of a cheapskate, go find the asda brand. that probably has an even more miniscule %age of hazelnut).

i don't know how long it's going to be before i finish this beastly thing (i've been going through about one 400g jar of nutella per month), but as soon as i do, it's back to ferrero's nutella.

until then, i'll make-do with buenos.