I was recently reminded of the Soreen Banana Malt Loaf, something that I recall trying not long after it was first released in the UK. I seem to remember that I enjoyed it at the time, so was pretty happy when I was given the reminder via a facebook post. What could possibly go wrong? It's made by Soreen who make the delicious staple that is the Malt Loaf, that I have enjoyed for years, with the added bonus of Bananas! What a great combination.. or so I thought..
I got myself one on a recent shopping trip and eagerly tore open the wrapper when I got home. The first sign of disappointment was immediate.. instead of a beautiful Load of Banana Malty yumminess, I was greeted with a sunken & burnt facsimilie. Clearly something had gone badly wrong in the bake somehow and the Soreen Quality Control had failed badly. The taste was alright (well, I had to try some), but it looked completely unappetising, so much so that I actually made an email complaint to Soreen. I should point out that I have never gone this far before, but I really was that disappointed.
After a short email exchange, it was explained to me that the likelyhood was that there had been a problem on the production line and it was possible that the loaf that I had purchased was probably stuck in the oven when the line was stopped, leading to the burnt appearance (I'm not sure how this led to the cake sinking like a bad soufflé, but I'm no chef). This explanation and a couple of vouchers recompense and I thought I all would be well with my next purchase.
As it happens, my housemate, on a shopping trip, picked me up two more as he felt sorry for me after the problems with the first one. These ones were much better in appearance compared to the first one, they weren't sunken for a start and although the top was darker than I would have expected I was anticipating some gooey loveliness.. again, disappointment reigned.. both of these loaves weren't so much gooey as dry. I tried them with both peanut butter and almond butter, but it wasn't enough to save them, so I'm afraid I will, for now, consign them to the nice idea box and perhaps give them another go when my luck turns. That said, I am rather more enamoured with the results of my own Banana Loaves, which have been delicious.. perhaps it was unfair to try these so soon after baking my best ever home made Banana Loaf? ;-)
To balance this out a little, other people have found the Soreen Banana Malt Loaf to be really nice - here's an alternative viewpoint : Porridge & Parsnips Blog (scroll down a bit for Lucy's positive opinion).
I got myself one on a recent shopping trip and eagerly tore open the wrapper when I got home. The first sign of disappointment was immediate.. instead of a beautiful Load of Banana Malty yumminess, I was greeted with a sunken & burnt facsimilie. Clearly something had gone badly wrong in the bake somehow and the Soreen Quality Control had failed badly. The taste was alright (well, I had to try some), but it looked completely unappetising, so much so that I actually made an email complaint to Soreen. I should point out that I have never gone this far before, but I really was that disappointed.
After a short email exchange, it was explained to me that the likelyhood was that there had been a problem on the production line and it was possible that the loaf that I had purchased was probably stuck in the oven when the line was stopped, leading to the burnt appearance (I'm not sure how this led to the cake sinking like a bad soufflé, but I'm no chef). This explanation and a couple of vouchers recompense and I thought I all would be well with my next purchase.
As it happens, my housemate, on a shopping trip, picked me up two more as he felt sorry for me after the problems with the first one. These ones were much better in appearance compared to the first one, they weren't sunken for a start and although the top was darker than I would have expected I was anticipating some gooey loveliness.. again, disappointment reigned.. both of these loaves weren't so much gooey as dry. I tried them with both peanut butter and almond butter, but it wasn't enough to save them, so I'm afraid I will, for now, consign them to the nice idea box and perhaps give them another go when my luck turns. That said, I am rather more enamoured with the results of my own Banana Loaves, which have been delicious.. perhaps it was unfair to try these so soon after baking my best ever home made Banana Loaf? ;-)
To balance this out a little, other people have found the Soreen Banana Malt Loaf to be really nice - here's an alternative viewpoint : Porridge & Parsnips Blog (scroll down a bit for Lucy's positive opinion).
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