Home > Categories > Food > Rice > Alexandra's Rice Pudding - Raisin & Toasted Almond review
Traditional ingredients of raisins and freshly toasted almonds spiced up with Alexandra's spices give an exciting flavour in this wonderful gourmet rice pudding.
GLUTEN FREE
Handmade in New Zealand
Serves: 4
Product reviews...
Growing up I remember my nana's rice pudding she always made that or bread and butter pudding and as a kid you think if only it was chocolate cake or icecream or something more exciting but as you grow up you would give anything to have that rice pudding. My nana used to cook it in the oven so you would have a great big skin over the top which I would always push to one side it was the stuff underneath that was the good stuff.
I was very excited about cooking this up for the family it seemed different doing it in a pot but I followed instructions and the benefit is you don't get a skin from all the stirring bonus!! I thought 1 litre of milk seemed like heaps as it seemed like it would be so runny and a few times during cooking I thought there is no way this is going to thicken up but it did surprise me and did thicken on standing like the packet suggested.
The aroma coming from the pan was delicious I think I picked out sugar and cinnamon as well as the raisins and almonds so there were some great flavours. I really liked the taste and it was a beautiful creamy texture as though it had been cooked with cream not milk. I do have a sweet tooth and found I would of probably liked a bit more sugar so I did add a bit of golden syrup to my second serving it didn't really need it but I overload the sugar in my desserts.
I would definitely buy this again and am very keen to try the other flavour varities rice pudding that tastes just like I remember home made rice pudding tasting.
Having tried two other rice puddings in the Alexandra range, I was quite keen to try this one as well. I like rice pudding. My husband likes rice pudding but hasn't been 100% sold on the Alexandra flavours so far. So he was the guy I had to get over the line.
The rice pudding comes in a great packet. It's clear plastic so you can see all of the ingredients right there through the pack. The raisins and almond slices looked great and I couldn't wait. I made this pudding up with some farm style milk, so it was extra creamy.
The kids tried a little. My eldest likes rice but not as a dessert and she couldn't get passed that to give me a good opinion. My littlest daughter did like it and thought it was really good. My husband said that it was the best flavour that I had made recently, which tells me that this raisin and almond flavour was the best fit for my family's taste buds.
I found that the flavour was a little bland for me. The raisins were great, the creaminess of the rice and milk was excellent. The almonds added a wee crunch to the mix, but not a lot of flavour. I added a little maple syrup after my first half a bowl, just to see what that would be like. The addition of the syrup was nice, and just took it up a notch for me. I could have added more raisins or some sultanas and that would have been good too.
Overall, I think if we were going to buy another one for a whole family dinner this would be the one I would get. It suits almost everyone, and I can modify it. It's far more flexible for making little additions here and there.
I absolutely adore rice pudding, especially the home made kind that my mum and nana used to make when I was growing up. Unfortunately, it is not something I have ever mastered properly, and so my kids have been raised on rice pudding in the can. It is a little embarrassing, but for me it is guaranteed and no fail. So I was very excited to see Alexandra's rice puddings being offered up for review, and sincerely hoped I was chosen to review some.
I have to say that when the package arrived, and I read the instructions, I did wonder if it was going to be as easy as the instructions claimed. Add the mix to one litre of water, simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. That was it! And ya know what, it seriously is that easy! I did panic mildly when after about 15-20 minutes it did not seem like the rice was cooking and it just seemed like a pot of simmering milk, lol, but then as if like magic, it suddenly turned into a thick, creamy, rice pudding. And I couldn't have been happier.
It does say the pudding will thicken on standing, so by the time it was dished out, it was even thicker and creamier. As per my children's request, we added fresh cream to it, and it was really very nice. I did note however, that the flavors were very subtle. I expected the spices to be a lot stronger than they were, but to be perfectly honest, I could not really taste much spice. I also found the raisins and toasted almonds to be quite bland. My two children really liked it though, so perhaps I was being a bit picky.
The packaging is great. I absolutely love that you can see exactly what is in it when looking at it. The directions of use are simple and to the point, and even children would be able to accomplish making this pudding with supervision where needed. It is easy to open, easy to make, and perfect for a cold winters day. The other big plus for me is that you actually get a generous serving, and although it says it serves four, we were able to successfully serve a 9yo, 2 teens and 2 adults. This impressed me, as the bags are only small, and my teenager did say he didn't believe there would be much pudding lol he was wrong.
At $6.95 it may seem slightly more expensive than one would want to pay, but I actually think it is worth it, and I would have no issues in purchasing it regularly.
I loved the look of this rice pudding. The packaging is incredibly simple and I really liked being able to see exactly what was in the packet. Also this meant minimal waste as well as I could recycle the packaging.
As per instructions I put the ingredients into a pot with a litre of milk. I made the mistake of being distracted whilst cooking and went through two browned bottoms of pots before succeeding with cooking it in the third pot. After it had cooked the requisite 25 minutes I left it too cool and thicken on the stove for a while before offering it to the children for pudding. I had a sudden realization that I have never made rice pudding from scratch for my kids when Miss Five said "thats not rice pudding rice pudding comes out of a can"! She refused to try it but Miss Nine and Miss Eight agreed to try it. They liked the taste though said they liked the canned rice pudding better.
I on the other hand absolutely loved this. The taste of the spices and the raisins and Toasted almonds give a fantastic texture and flavour. I really couldn't stop eating this. Its like rice pudding for grown ups. I really love this and think that this is the perfect product for the cupboard on a winters night to serve up for yourself or to impress guests. The amount that this packet produces is probably equivalent to two or three cans of rice pudding which makes this good value for money without any extra additives or preservatives. I love that it is gluten free. The one thing I struggled with is that the print is quite small. Probably a sign of my age that I require a larger font but that would be useful. I would definitely recommend trying this and I will definitely look out for this to add to my shopping trolley.
Rice pudding is an all-time favourite of mine and is a dessert that I will bend over backwards for. I do find however to get a nice creamy rice pudding it does take time - time as a busy mum I do not have. When I saw Alexandra's rice pudding flavours I got excited as I am not normally one to add flavours to my rice pudding and normally will save these for when I am eating out.
I feel that Alexandra's has the perfect packaging. One that can not only be recycled but I love the way you can see the product you are buying rather than it be hidden in a box. There did not look to be a lot of product however the packet did say that it served 4 - to be on the safe side however I decided not to tell the kids there was dessert so that I could eat as much as I liked. By mixing the one litre of milk (I was lucky enough to have raw milk in the fridge) with the packet of rice pudding this made a very simple gluten free dessert with just a little bit of stirring over the 25 minutes cooking time.
Well the results were amazing, not only was there enough to share with my husband and the kids the taste was divine. It was really creamy which was partly due to the milk we used and the raisins I felt added the sweetness. The toasted almonds added more of a texture than a flavour which I quite liked. This is definitely a product that I will be stocking in my cupboard and also taking on camping trips with us for an extra special dessert. It is definitely worth the price for how easy and flavoursome it is and knowing that these also come on special at times even makes it even better value.
I am what you call a lazy cooker. I love meals that look extraordinary and taste fantastic but I hate putting any effort into it unless it is really called for. I love my food and I love fancy meals I just hate the preparation, so when I saw a whole pudding in a packet which only required the addition of milk what could be simplier. Anything that makes me look amazing to my family is a godsend!
Extremely easy to prepare. Mix one litre of milk with the whole packet of Rice Pudding and boom you have a very quick (besides the stirring) easy dessert - add cream to make it look that bit fancier and next minute I am 'the best cook in the world'.
Only critism I received was there were not enough raisins included in the dish, which I have to agree with. I love the addition of raisins because to me it always makes it taste all the better, unfortunately my dish was also lacking as well as my youngest daughters. In all honesty it did not require the cream as it was creamy on its own. It reminded me of mums rice pudding when I was younger, although she never added raisins or almonds and I think she should of! I would of liked some more zing to it but it was still yummy and was quickly finished by the four of us.
Random listing from 'Food'...
Available in three varieties:
• Dark Wafer Rolls with Chocolate filling (Red pack)
• Vanilla Wafer Rolls with Vanilla Cream filling (Orange pack)
• Vanilla Wafer Rolls with Hazelnut Cream filling (Green pack)
Great as a guilty snack, always welcome as a treat for the kids, amazing for stirring your hot drink, or just as something to leave on the coffee table for guests to enjoy.
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