A Which? taste test names the best chocolate hazelnut spread in the UK

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Chocolate hazelnut spread has established itself as a kitchen essential with numerous Britons savouring it on toast, stirred into porridge and poured over pancakes. However, the most well-known brand, Nutella, can be costly and isn’t consistently stocked at your neighbourhood supermarket.

Recently, a fresh taste evaluation from the UK’s consumer champion, Which?, has revealed which chocolate-hazelnut spread reigns supreme in Britain – and the victor wasn’t Nutella or any of the prominent brands.

To determine the champion, 60 committed taste testers delivered their judgements after trying 11 chocolate-hazelnut spreads. Three leading brands were assessed alongside eight supermarket own-label products from Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and others.

Waitrose Essential Hazelnut Chocolate Spread emerged victorious with an overall rating of 82%, reports the Express.

Priced at £2.50 for a 400g jar, it remains somewhat expensive but costs 40p less than a 350g jar of Nutella.

The supermarket spread earned acclaim for its chocolate and hazelnut tastes and its texture. Additional testers noted it achieved the ideal balance of sweetness.

Waitrose’s spread represents the most costly option among the supermarket brands, yet it secured first preference from the taste testers, earning it Which? Best Buy status.

Nutella’s famous hazelnut and chocolate spread secured second position with a rating of 81%. Priced at £2.90 for 350g, it’s certainly expensive, but it delighted the testers with over 75% declaring their affection for the spread’s chocolatey taste.

The brand’s hazelnut taste and level of sweetness also received commendation from the testers. However, more than half of those sampling found the texture to be overly thick.

The brand has received Which? Best Buy recognition, and fans of the product can purchase larger 630g or 1kg jars if they wish to get better value for money.

Tesco Hazelnut Chocolate Spread secured joint second position with a rating of 81%. Tesco’s spread achieved both Best Buy recognition and the Which? Great Value badge, priced at just £1.65 for a 400g jar.

The chocolate hazelnut spread received acclaim for its taste and appealing look. Three-quarters of the testers also appreciated the sweetness level, and most commended its texture.

Asda’s Hazelnut Chocolate Spread achieved joint third position alongside Lidl’s Choco Nussa Hazelnut Chocolate Spread.

Both spreads achieved 80% but vary marginally on cost, with Asda’s product priced at £2 for a 400g jar and Lidl’s priced at £1.65 for the equivalent quantity.

Asda’s chocolate hazelnut spread received praise from three-quarters of the testers for its chocolate and hazelnut tastes, with even more appreciating its sweetness.

Views on the texture were divided: more than half of evaluators considered it perfect, but others deemed it overly dense.

Asda’s spread ranks among the more affordable choices and comes in 750g jars, which offer better value per 100g.

Lidl’s spread received praise for its sweetness levels and visual appeal, while two-thirds appreciated its chocolate taste and consistency. The spread’s hazelnut flavour was appreciated by just over half, but more than a quarter felt it should be more pronounced.

How do other chocolate-hazelnut spreads compare?

• Sainsbury’s Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 75% £1.65 for 400g
• Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 72% £4.10 for 360g
• Jim Jams Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 72% £3 for 350g
• Marks & Spencer Smooth Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 72% £2.50 for 400g
• Morrisons Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread – 71% £2.09 for 400g
• Aldi Nutoka Hazelnut Chocolate Spread – 62% £1.65 for 400g

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT A worker at Destiny Development Center in Inglewood, California, was filmed removing her shoe and throwing it at the child, who cried after being hit

A childcare worker has been caught on camera hurling a shoe at a five year old girl as fellow staff members watched and laughed.

The shocking incident took place at the Destiny Development Centre in Inglewood, California, with the footage, recorded on 16 January. It shows the unnamed employee taking off her shoe and throwing it at the child, who burst into tears after being struck. Two other members of staff witnessed the incident and laughed.

The girl’s mother, Michelae Jones, exposed what happened, telling local station KTLA she was shocked and outraged. “I’ve been with these people for three years. I really thought my baby was safe with them,” Jones said.

Jones revealed her daughter informed her about the incident that same evening. Jones immediately challenged the childcare facility’s director, but claims staff were far too sluggish in their response.

It took a fortnight before Jones was allowed to view the CCTV footage from that day. The child’s aunt, Kira Townsend, raised multiple concerns about the facility’s safety protocols and how it operates reports the Mirror US.

“I want to know how often are they reviewing the footage?” Townsend questioned. “How do you have a business and you don’t review the footage unless a parent says something? Why do we have to wait for my niece to come and tell us, ‘Hey, my teacher hit me in the ear with a shoe?’”

The nursery’s director, Danielle Williams, reportedly told Jones that she was initiating an inquiry. She subsequently explained to Jones that the carer who hurled the shoe was allegedly “throwing shoes into another room that weren’t supposed to be there and [the child] accidentally got hit in the head with the shoe.

“My school, what we stand for, it’s not child abuse,” Williams insisted. “We don’t hire child abusers.” Following her investigation, Williams sacked the shoe-throwing carer, identified only as “Ms. Emily.”

The two other women present during the incident were initially suspended for failing to report it, but after examining the footage, Williams decided to dismiss them too.

Williams emphasised that all her teachers and staff have undergone thorough background checks before joining. “We go through every procedure for people to get employed at this facility – a caregiver background check, FBI index, everything and then the training that goes along with it. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody’s child. We don’t stand for it, we don’t agree with it.”

The child’s mum said a simple apology isn’t enough and fears this may not be a one-off. Jones says she wants the carer arrested for assault and child abuse, with criminal charges brought forward.

“You need to be in jail like any other child abuser. That’s what I want. Justice,” the mother said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is presently probing the incident.

The Newcastle show at The Stand Newcastle on Sunday, February 8 is part of Natalie’s UK tour, taking the popular podcast from the studio to the stage for an intimate Sunday matinee filled with laughter, honesty and candid conversation, featuring family members, celebrity guests and audience interaction.

Natalie says performing in the North East always feels special. “I’ve always found people in the North East incredibly friendly and warm. It feels very different to London. You smile at people up here and they smile back – and I’m really looking forward to coming up and feeling that warmth again.”

The Newcastle date will feature a special guest appearance from TV favourite Scarlett Moffatt, who Natalie described as “brilliant, hilarious and just such a laugh.”

Scarlett will also be bringing along some of her drag queen friends, adding what Natalie promises will be “a real bit of fun and camp” to the afternoon.

“Scarlett and I are just going to have a really lovely chat about life, love and what we’re all up to,” Natalie said. “It’s very much the normal Life With Nat podcast chat, just in front of a live audience – and with a glass of wine.”

Natalie added that the live format allows them to explore their very different journeys into fame. “I’ve known nothing different, whereas Scarlett had a completely normal life and then was suddenly catapulted into fame through reality TV,” she said. “We’ve both done reality shows, so we’ll definitely have a good old chat about that – including whether I should ever go into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity.”

Alongside Scarlett, Natalie will also be joined on stage by her brother Tony and her fiancé Mark, making the show a particularly personal one. Natalie believes the mix of people is what makes the live show stand out.

“My brother is 57 – he’s a builder and a fisherman and he doesn’t hold back,” she said. “He’s very no-nonsense and really down to earth. So for any blokes thinking there won’t be anything there for them – there absolutely will be.”

She added: “My fiancé Mark and I talk quite openly about relationships, and we’re very dry with each other, so anyone who’s a bit nosey about other people’s lives will enjoy that.”

Natalie, who left the hit BBC soap last year, said the live show is not just for regular podcast listeners, but also for EastEnders fans curious about life behind the scenes.

“I’ll talk about EastEnders, about the past, about being famous and how that’s affected my family,” she said. “People are always really interested in how it impacts the people around you, especially when you’ve been in it from such a young age.”

The Stand Newcastle offers an intimate setting – something Natalie says was a deliberate decision.“I think it’s really important to start with smaller venues, it’ll feel a lot more intimate conversation but it’s also so people can get to know what you’re about,” she said.

“I was really nervous before my first live shows, thinking, ‘Why would people want to come and watch us chat?’ But the feedback from my live shows last year was that it felt like a really lovely afternoon.”

Natalie is no stranger to the region, having previously toured the North East in productions including Bedroom Farce and The Vagina Monologues.

Life With Nat Live promises an afternoon of laughter, heartfelt stories and honest conversation, delivered with Natalie’s trademark warmth and down-to-earth charm.

Tickets are on sale now via The Stand’s website.

AT LEAST three people have died after a car collided with a cyclist and smashed into a supermarket in Los Angeles.

Some of the victims were trapped underneath the car as it ploughed into the 99 Ranch Market on Thursday afternoon with six others left injured.

An elderly woman in her 70s was behind the wheel of the silver Toyota Prius in the Westwood area when she lost control of the car, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed.

Police Lieutenant Anthony Espinoza said they believe the driver lost control after hitting a cyclist.

The car then swerved towards the 99 Ranch Market and crashed through the bakery section of the store.

Three people were pronounced dead at the scene including two men, aged between 30 and 55, and a woman, 42.

Two men, both aged 35, were rushed to hospital in a serious condition, the LAPD confirmed.

A 37 and 38-year-old suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital as a precaution.

The other two injured were treated at the scene and walked away okay.

The female driver is undergoing a medical evaluation but isn’t thought to have been injured.

She is coopering with a police investigation who don’t believe it was an “intentional collision”.

LA Mayor Karen Bass said a crisis-response team was headed to the scene after the crash.

She said in a statement: “My heart is with the victims, their families, and all who were impacted by the deadly crash.”

The street corner was cordoned off as firetrucks and police cars assessed the damage.

The back of the sedan was visible to bystanders as they walked past hours after the fatal smash.

A woman ended her marriage after believing her husband was on dating apps – but was devastated when she discovered it was their neighbour’s catfishing scam

Discovering your partner has cheated is devastating – but one woman experienced an extraordinary twist regarding her husband’s alleged betrayal.

The distraught wife ended her marriage after discovering her husband was on dating apps, only to later learn their neighbour had created the fake profile using his photographs to catfish women online.

She accused her neighbour of stealing from her family “our love and happiness” and whilst she hasn’t spoken to her husband in over a year, she’s now hoping to salvage their relationship after uncovering the truth.

She turned to Reddit’s Relationship_Advice forum to share her harrowing ordeal, explaining they are currently “not on speaking terms”.

In her anonymous post, she explained receiving a Facebook message last September claiming her “husband was talking and exchanging naked photos with other women on Tinder”.

After viewing screenshots of the images showing her ‘husband’s’ exchanges with the woman, the wife downloaded Tinder herself and stumbled upon her ‘husband’s’ profile – which indicated his location was “nearby”

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when she confronted him.

She wrote: “I was convinced that he was cheating, and we had a terrible fallout that evening which led to my family coming over to calm the situation, but instead, it escalated when my brother punched and grabbed hold of my husband.

“The neighbours called the police and my husband was asked to pack a few things and stay elsewhere for a while. We separated shortly after, and he has since moved to Sydney to be closer to his ailing father but sees our kids for a weekend twice a month.

“It has now been 14 months since the woman separated from her husband and she was finally moving on, only for the neighbour’s wife to knock on the door.”

She then discovered her neighbour had been catfishing a woman online – when someone pretends to be another person online – and had been using her husband’s photos to do it.

The post went on to say: “[The neighbour] downloaded these photos from a Macbook that we lent him during COVID, and some of these photos were of intimate nature…and of me. The police are currently dealing with this.”

The shocked wife confessed she now wants to reconcile with her ex-husband but has no clue how to go about it as she’s concerned it might be too late.

She explained: “I am so scared that we might be down too far the rabbit hole and that he will likely push for a divorce, even though I know that we love each other deeply, but this took a massive toll on our mental health, finances and the wellbeing of our three kids.”

One Reddit user responded: “Your husband experienced something that you will never understand: A false accusation, an assault from your brother, spousal alienation….I am afraid there is no going back for you. You chose to not listen to him when he said it was not him.”

Whilst another addd: “You two got screwed over, not just by your neighbour, but also by your brother…being married is being part of a shared family. The fact that your family got in the middle of it and bodily hurt him would make anyone think twice about getting back in.”

The woman then returned to the same post several months later to provide an update. She revealed that following a sit-down discussion about everything, he remained determined to proceed with the divorce.

“It was decided that our marriage was beyond repair and that we should go our separate ways.

“He is currently in therapy and has requested we have a clean break with no further contact in the future – I intend to respect his wishes and will continue to communicate through his lawyer on matters that concern our kids.”

She then disclosed her brother had apologised and was “extremely remorseful” and added: “It is a series of unfortunate events that has changed many lives and robbed my family of our love and happiness.”

Savannah Guthrie’s family has issued a fresh plea to their mother’s suspected kidnappers after the deadline listed on an apparent ransom letter connected to the 84-year-old’s disappearance passed.

“Whoever is out there holding our mother. We want to hear from you,” the “Today” show co-host’s brother, Camron Guthrie, said in a second video posted to Instagram Thursday evening.

“We haven’t heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you, and we are waiting for contact.”

Police believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her Arizona home, where she was last seen Saturday evening. As searches continued for a fifth day with no suspects identified, investigators revealed new details about a ransom letter sent to multiple media outlets earlier this week.

The ransom note listed an initial deadline of 5 p.m. Thursday and a second deadline next Monday, FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke said at an earlier press conference. Nancy’s family members are “still waiting for communication” and have not received “proof of life,” he noted.

Investigators also arrested one person in connection with an “imposter” ransom demand, Janke told reporters.

Sipho William Mdletshe, from South Africa, was in his 20s when he ended up in a serious car crash alongside his partner and knocked unconscious, only to wake up in a mortuary

A fiancée was left grieving for her partner after the couple were in an apparently fatal car crash – only he was still alive.

Sipho William Mdletshe was declared dead after a serious car crash in 1993, but just 48 hours later he was screaming to be let out of the freezing cold morgue he suddenly found himself in. The man in his 20s, from the township of Sebokeng south of Johannesburg in South Africa, was soon taken to a mortuary.

He was then placed in storage, as is routine following such declarations. But the story took a chilling twist two days later when workers at the morgue heard creepy noises coming from inside one of the metal drawers.

Realising something was terribly wrong, staff opened the compartment and to their shock Mdletshe was alive, having regained consciousness and called out for help from inside.

His survival was nothing short of extraordinary and, according to published reports, he slowly awoke after the crash, became alert enough to realise where he was, and then began shouting. This act ultimately saved his life.

However, the ordeal didn’t end there for unlucky Mdletshe, reports Unilad. When he later tried to reconnect with his fiancée – who herself suffered a few injuries in the crash – she reportedly recoiled, believing he was something other than human after being told he had died. She even thought he was a zombie back from the dead.

In a separate tale of someone returning from the dead, the loved ones of Essie Dunbar were devastated when she died aged just 30 after suffering an epileptic seizure.

Her funeral was quickly arranged and she was buried six feet under the ground inside a wooden coffin in South Carolina, US in 1915. However, her grieving sister was late for the service and asked for the coffin to be dug back up so she could see her sibling one last time.

What happened next beggars belief. After prizing open the lid, Essie was very much alive and smiling back at the world. The ministers conducting the service panicked and they all fell into the grave, with one of them breaking some ribs, according to ‘Buried Alive’, published in 2002.

Even Essie’s own family fled in terror, believing they were witnessing something supernatural as the undead woman climbed out of the coffin and tried to follow them. Remarkably, after her horrifying ordeal, Essie returned to her quiet life. Reports from decades later describe her working in the fields, picking cotton and living independently.

More recently, a woman who was declared dead at a hospital horrifyingly ‘came back to life’ en route to her own funeral last year. After taking a turn for the worse, she was found to have died and was moved from the mortuary to the funeral parlour in preparation for her burial.

But staff were reportedly horrified when they discovered that the elderly woman actually had a pulse. Compounding their panic, she is said to have moved her fingers.

Paramedics at the funeral home in Son Valenti funeral parlour in Palma, Majorca confirmed she was alive and rushed her back to the city’s Juan March de Bunyola Hospital.

The gilet can easily be thrown over any outfit for some extra warmth.

The end of winter is in sight, which means the weather will soon be getting sunnier. It can be hard to style chic outfits in between seasons when the weather is likely to be more unpredictable.

If you are looking for some new spring clothing to add to your wardrobe, you might want to visit a Tesco store to check out its clothing brand F&F. The brand has just launched the F&F Edit Sleeveless Gilet in Khaki that is a “cool and comfortable layer” for throwing on over a jumper.

The gilet has “two flap pockets and a concealed zip fastening” and has a “loose fit style” that is great for layering over long sleeved tops. The gilet is currently being sold for £29.50 and will be a staple piece to have in your springtime wardrobe.

The gilet was posted to the Tesco F&F Instagram page, which currently has 886K followers, in a video with a few of the brand’s other spring pieces. The video was captioned: “Outfits of the week with @debbielegrainger. Which one is your fave?”

Fans of the clothing brand have already taken to social media to share their opinions on the new springtime items. One commenter said: “So many gorgeous pieces,” and another said: “Love the blazer suit.”

If you want to get the gilet or any of the new pieces, you can go to the Tesco website to browse all of its clothes. You could also go to a Tesco store with a clothing department.

If this gilet is not quite in line with your style, you might want to check out Boden instead. There is this Gloucester Mac, which would be a trendy addition to your wardrobe, or this Linen Scoop Neck Waistcoat that can be worn with the matching Kensington Linen Trousers.

New Look also has plenty of options to look through. There is this Brown Double Pocket Belted Short Belted Mac that is great for throwing over a nice outfit when going out or this Blue Mid Wash Denim Jacket, which is a staple to have in spring.