The limited edition pack from Allen's, named the 'Proudly Aussie Mix', contains gummy products in an Australian theme. The graphics on the front show a smiling kangaroo (or wallaby) waving an Australian flag while holding onto a sleezy-looking surfboard (?). There's also a creepily-cheerful koala hanging out in the top right corner.
The description on the back assures us we'll have "a bonza time" (yes, really), with "Kylie the koala, Sammy the surfer, Kenny the kangaroo and all their deliciously proud Aussie friends." They even gave the pieces names. I find it odd to personify things I'm about to eat.
Inside we've got six different shapes of gummies: kangaroo, koala, Sydney Harbour Bridge, a boomerang, a surfboard, and a silhouette of Australia. There are five different flavours according to the back of the pack, and the flavours and shapes were randomised; any shape could come in any flavour.
Sadly I didn't get many blackberry (purple) gummies. I think there were three in the entire packet. The piece smells mild, like jam that has been left to dry out on a plate. It's vaguely floral, but very, very mild, and I would never peg it as anything beyond generic 'berry' flavour. The taste is much the same; it's mild, a little bit sweet and one-dimensional.
Strawberry (red) dominated my packet, along with the orange gummies. Strawberry smells a lot like raspberry cordial; very bold and inviting. In taste, it's bright and warm, and a touch medicinal in that I keep waiting for the aftertaste that occurs when taking medicine (but thankfully never comes when eating this piece).
Lemon is the flavour of the yellow pieces. I tried very hard to try and get a scent from the pieces but the other flavours in the packet were too dominating. Luckily, lemon has a good strong taste to it. It's a little bit sweet, but not like lemonade or any of the other flavours. It's refreshing, with a weeny bit of citrus tang that makes it an interesting piece to eat.
The orange pieces are apricot, and they smell a little bit like peach iced tea. In taste, they are a surprisingly good representation of a dried apricot. There's sweetness of course, but even without reading the packet I could probably have picked this as apricot. It's quite rich (almost like a Starburst gummy), but not overwhelming.
The last colour is green, which means it must be pineapple flavour. But it sure doesn't taste like pineapple. It's a generic and uninteresting piece, so much so that I'm wondering if maybe this is meant to be lemon. But a green lemon-flavoured piece doesn't make any more sense than a green pineapple-flavoured piece!
Despite the somewhat odd flavours, I enjoyed the shapes (even if I did feel odd eating Kylie the Koala during this review). Some of them, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, are skillfully sculpted, with great detail. (Seriously, click on the photo and look at the close up.) The boomerang is kind of cute, with what looks like some sort of flower on the front. The Australia silhouette includes Tasmania, and there's a bit of a crevice between Victoria and Tassie so you can see they aren't actually joined. The koala and kangaroo are generic and boring, and as for the surfboard, well - let's just say I only noticed now that there are actually feet prints on the front of the board.
Depending on level of squished-ness, the pieces are about 0.75cm thick, and are roughly about 4cm long. They are a good size for a little bite, or you could combine a few for a mix of flavours.
Interestingly, a serving size is four pieces (I ate more than that writing this review). These gummies are a glucose product, and they contain wheat starch. They are made on equipment that also processes products containing milk powder. The pack notes that it includes "up to five lolly varieties. Quantity of each lolly may vary." I love that they used the word lolly!
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