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We were all delighted to be picked for this trial, especially my 5, 4 & 2 year olds! We decided to make the banoffee pie first as its Daddy's favourite dessert! I had used Nestlé Carnation condensed milk a good while ago to make Banoffee pie so I had to boil the tin to make the caramel. Being able to skip his step totally was brilliant and saved so much time. The kids had a great time bashing the biscuits and stirring to make the base.
I used a few more biscuits than said in recipe as it didn't look like there was enough. Maybe I'm just used to a thicker base. Bananas chopped and put on base and covered in ready caramel and then cream and grated chocolate! Mmm Mmm, absolutely delicious and went down a treat in this house and a very happy daddy! Really quick dessert to make and quite impressive I think if you have to rustle up something if you have visitors. I'll definitely be keeping a tin of this in the press.

Next recipe we tried was the Chocolate Smarties Cupcakes for my 4 year olds birthday party. This recipe was quite easy but definitely messier than the Banoffee recipe! I had only used the nestle Carnation Condensed milk to make banoffee pie in the past so was interested to see what it would be like in cupcakes!
Recipe was very straightforward and I had a lot of help with stirring and licking the spoon. The icing was easy to make but would recommend using decent butter and not marg! We didn't have mini smarties as in recipe as shop didn't have them but got mini marshmallows instead. They were delicious especially when still warm out of the oven. When cooled they were slightly drier and crispy around edges but yummy! They didn't last long in this house, kids devoured them.
Overall I found the Nestlé Carnation products really easy to use and a good store cupboard ingredient to have for all occasions. Next I will be trying out the Strawberry cheesecake as its another popular dessert in this house. Thanks so much for letting us try out these products.

I was delighted when I got the box full of Carnation products and couldn't wait to try them. I love baking and my 4 years old daughter loves helping me with all the cakes.

First we made the Banoffee pie. I've never made this before so I was really looking forward to it. I love, love the taste of the caramel. So easy to use and tastes great, the kids just wanted more and more on the spoon, but I managed to save some for the pie :-). The cake was gone in 1 day and everybody loved it.

Second we tried the recipe my daughter picked - Smarties chocolate cupcakes. This recipe was easy to follow as well and the kids loved the result, so did the adults. We will definitely be making these again!

I was happy when I found out Carnation started to sell the Caramel. I always buy the condensed milk but it just takes too long to get caramel out of it. Now it's so handy to have it straight out of the tin without cooking the condensed milk tin for 3 hours.

I checked the Carnation website and can't wait to try more of the delicious recipes.

I would definitely recommend the Carnation condensed milk and caramel to all the mammies and kiddies that love to bake, because they taste delicious and are easy to work with.

Firstly, thank you for the opportunity to take part in this trial for Nestle. Secondly apologies for the late submission but we've had a very sick house here the past two weeks and we're just getting back in our stride.

So first I tried the cupcakes. I have made alot of cupcakes and muffins in my time and this has to be the easiest ever, little prep required, one bowl, and more importantly not much washing up. It was easy and quick to mix and baked and rose very well. The icing I made the next morning, Easter sunday and that two took a mere 5 minutes and I loved the texture and taste..I never knew you could make icing any other way than with sugar! So I iced them with my icing bag and nozzle as if in shape of nests and added 3/4 Mini Eggs on top. They were pretty darn cute and went down a treat in the in-laws after the big feast that was Easter dinner! I will definitly be adding this recipe to my little recipe book.

The second recipe is one I have made before but was told I had to make it or else!!..the old favourite Banoffee, quick n easy, caramel worked out a treat and its easy once you've done it a few times.

The only slightly critical thing I have to say if I have to be honest is I was very surprised that the tins still require a tin opener. It would be pretty perfect if you had the ring-pull mechanism on your tins for ease of opening as I dread whenever I have to dig out the tin-opener..

Anyway, thanks again. Both my family and I will be using the products again for sure. In fact I have looked on the website and have plans for making a Millionaires shortbread and Key Lime pie over the coming weeks.. yum!

And thank you for the little extras, the apron and cake tin! Lovely surprises!

A

Hi and thank you for choosing me to take part in this trial for Carnation products. I am new enough to the baking world and am really enjoying trying new recipes and this trial gave me more confidence in my abilities. The smartie cupcakes were yummy. Usually when I make cupcakes I would ice them using ready icing. However this recipe was easy to follow and tasted delicious. Definately one to be used again as my little boy loves them (he is 16 months).
The next recipe I tried was the banoffee. I had tried this previously but must admit it was so much nicer this time round. Used my husbands birthday as the perfect time for making this as he really likes banoffee pie. It was so easy to make and we both really enjoyed the depth of the base. Not too thick. Caramel was so easy to spread in the base. The pie was devoured and I am so excited to make it again when we have guests.
I will definately be purchasing Carnation products regularly and using them in my baking pursuits.
Thanks again for choosing me to give my opinion on these products.

Before this trial the only Carnation product I used for baking was the condensed milk which I’ve used to make cookies and key lime pie. I didn’t know that you could get tins of caramel until I opened the box with the recipe cards, tins and apron.

Despite Banoffee Pie being one of my husband’s favourite desserts, one of the reasons I never attempted to make it was because I always thought it took too long to make. I have vague recollections of boiling condensed milk for hours and yet never quite getting the right caramely consistency! However, this recipe was very simple and quick (20 minutes), particularly because of the ready made caramel - I just had to pour it over the biscuit base. This dessert was a big hit, though the addition of Baileys to the cream may have had something to do with that….
I’m definitely going to be making this more often in the future and it’s a dessert that is quite flexible – for an informal family meal (perhaps without the addition of alcohol in the cream!) or for a dinner party presented in individual ramekins.

I next tried the Strawberry Cheesecake. I have made a few different types of cheesecake before but I would never have thought of using condensed milk. I did wonder if it would turn out a little too sweet, however the lemon balanced the sweetness. I didn’t have any strawberry jam to mix with the strawberries, so as a substitute I just boiled some strawberries with sugar, reduced them down and then blended them. This was probably my favourite of the three desserts I attempted and I will definitely be using it more often in cheesecakes in the future.

On the other hand, I think my least favourite and least successful dessert was the Sticky Toffee Pudding, but I have never even tasted it before so I’m not sure if it was my attempt at baking it! I found it a little dry, although the caramel really rescued this.

Overall, I found the recipe instructions very good – they were short and extremely easy to follow. The list of ingredients isn’t very long so these desserts are relatively inexpensive to make. The condensed milk and caramel are both definitely cupboard staples to have and there are plenty more ideas for cakes and other treats on the website, www.carnation.co.uk, which I look forward to trying. I particularly like how they categorise the various recipes into categories, specifically the preparation times (15 minutes and under, up to 60 minutes and under).

Firstly thank you so much mummy pages for choosing me as a tester of the nestle carnation brand!(apologies for the delay) I was delighted to be able to partake and put my baking skills to the test! The complete set that came to try out the recipes was amazing, thank you! I myself hadn't used the Nestle Carnation brand before but I have tasted it as my sisters makes a delicious banoffee pie with it so I was hoping that the recipes I was about to take on would be as good!I made the quick banoffee pie first . To my surprise it was one of the quickest recipes i ever made!!! The steps are so easy to follow , its definitely fool proof! My daughter helped me and she is just under 2 and she loved every minute of it...its simplicity meant she could partake in every step!Once it had chilled in the fridge I took it out and divided it. And now for the taste test! It was fab. I thought the caramel might be a little too sweet but it wasnt it was just perfect. Its so smooth and complimented the crunchy biscuit based underneath. Its was so easy to use in the recipe, over the can and pour! Its so brillant that you dont have to mix or stir to get the perfect caramel, open the can and go! Its really did taste great....you'd nearly want to grab and spoon and eat it alone!!! Its so easy and so yummy! All the family loved this one ...and when I told them how quick and easy it was to make we have decided that this will be a quick dessert for the family to enjoy every few weeks!
The next recipe I made was the Smartie cupcakes. I couldnt wait to try this one as I coudlnt believe that you could use condensed milk in a cupcake recipe. I had never heard of it before! Again this recipe was so easy. Everything was put into one bowl, mix and ta da done, ready to pour into the cases! I was full of excitment making this one as I couldnt wait to see how the muffins would turn out- condensed milk in muffins!I also loved the fact that I could use some of the condensed milk to make my frosting.The frosting surprised me, was sweet but I love sweet things so i liked it. The frosting is nicer when first sone as its creamy, the following day its sets and is a bit harder but its still good! My family again loved them and was amazed at how moist and light the muffin was. The sweet topping just put the icing on the cake!I will definitely use Nestle Carnation products again. The ease of use in recipes is amazing and it has a great taste too. In the next few weeks i'll be tryign out the next 2 recipes and im also going to take a look at their website for new ideas ans what else they can be used in as I was impressed with what I produced so far! Anything that makes life easier as a mum and tastes great I'm all for!

Hi All, bit delayed with this review too busy using the tins !
I have to say I loved both products, the caramel tastes fab straight out of the tin, my nearly 3 yr old molly was eating it before I could spoon it onto the banoffee base! the instruction were very straight forward and we had the dessert made up in little over an hour even with chilling the base.
the banoffee recipe was a huge success for the adults and kids alike, i made it again to go to a dinner party and to mix it up used dark choclate to bind the base and it was divine with the sweetness of the caramel!. I had used the boil tin method before and have to say it had put me off making banoffee so love this new caramel.
for the condensed milk, we made the strawberry cheesecake, again molly loved being able to get involved and taste the cake in its different stages. very straightforward recipe and all easy ingredients to pick up, if not in the press / fridge already. we have already been on the caranation website and have the hazelnut and choc cookies recipe pulled out to make.
i would recommned both the condensed milk and caramel and will definitely be buying them both again. check out the website site as some nice recipes there and loads are very child friendly for your budding nigella's!! :)

Baking sweet things is my weakness, I just love it. But on the other side of it, I have lots of people to feed - between family, friends and neighbours, there’s always somebody calling to the house, so I don’t have to be my own best customer. Although sometimes, just sometimes, with the really special treats, I have been known to hide some things away.
Anyway, on to the trial. Thanks so much for allowing me take part. I’m a big fan of Carnation Condensed milk, my mum was too, I guess it was handed down. I haven’t really used the caramel before, so this was a great chance to try it. And I have to say it’s fantastically easy to use. Makes baking, when you do a lot of it, really easy and quick. We used it for Banoffee – and it really was simple and so incredibly tasty. It did not last long in the house, and on the last slice, my DH wanted to know when we’d be having another one baked?!
Next I made the cheesecake – just divine. Again, it was really easy to use, and absolutely perfect for entertaining. We had friends over for dinner and it was a resounding success – all the plates were cleared, and everyone wanted the recipe!
Thanks again, will definitely be buying Nestle Carnation Condensed Milk and Caramel again –they’re a life saver.

This was a great trial to be picked for thanks so much, we really enjoyed it.
I have heard Carnation Condensed milk before, but have never really used it that often, and I don't think I've ever used the caramel – although I had heard of that too. And I’m now a total convert.
First recipe we tried was the Smarties cupcakes - I’ve got to admit, I never knew you could make cupcakes with condensed milk, but you can and they were just gorgeous. The kids helped making them and eating them. We really enjoyed it, easy recipe and great results. What more could you ask for.
I then decided to bake the banoffee pie. Again it was a really simple recipe to follow and the carnation caramel sauce is to die for. If somebody had said to me that I could make a banoffee pie with my eyes closed and in very quick time, I’d have been very surprised, but you really can (well almost with your eyes closed - it really is that easy). I made it very last minute before my friends arrived for our girlie night in. Everyone was equally impressed, and I have them all under strict order to buy a can of both condensed milk and caramel.
Thanks again for letting us take part, Carnation Condensed milk and caramel will from now on be a regular in my cupboard, and I now find myself interested in doing more baking - I’ll have to check out the website for inspiration.

Hi...This was a wonderful opportunity to try baking in a different light!!!!I was thrilled to get the box with all the goodies
Initaly I tried the muffins..they were a huge suuccess with kids and thier mates...did the recipe twice and both went down a storm.This recipe will be part of the household form now on!!!
Next I tried the banoffi pie...have tried this before and ended up with burnt saucepans....so was delighted wit the ready made caramel...brought to work on night duty and a life saver at 4am ...the deadly hour!!!It kept us all happy and awake!! My little girl wants this dessert now for her communion day.We added lemon juice on the banan a..a tp from a dear friend and this gave the banoofi an edge!!!
We also used the caramel over icecram and made a biscuit cake with rest ot tin.....YUM!!!!
Neatle Carnation will definitely be in our store cupboard from now on...it is an ingrdeient i didnt know what to do with it....but now hav been given so many new tips and ideas form Nestle.Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to try...other Mams that I know have also loved the recipes and will try in the futureGo riabh mle maith agaibh......

For years we have used the condensed milk to make the most delicious Banoffi that EVERYONE in our family loves. So much so that at every occasion we are asked to make one for dessert. It seems to have become a family tradition :-) I was thrilled to be included in this trial especially with Easter coming up I thought it would be nice to try something new.
My choices were The Chocolate Smarties Cupcakes (Condensed Milk) & Sticky Toffee Pudding (Carnation Caramel).
With the Condensed Milk the instructions were easy enough to use although I did encounter a problem on two occasions. I just assumed that the 250g required for the cupcakes was the whole tin :-( Needless to say I realised this after spooning the whole lot in so I had to start from scratch again. Also I used full fat butter for the frosting and that was a nightmare! I had to restart again using a spread. I hadn’t noticed the asterisk sign (*) suggesting a 70% fat spread. Maybe you could put in brackets after that direction “NOT FULL FAT BUTTER”! After doing it the correct way they turned out perfect. Really light, fluffy & soooooo yummy !!!! The kids loved them & so did we :-)
As for the Sticky Toffee Pudding (Carnation Carmel), the instructions were so easy to use that I had no problems whatsoever. It was the nicest pudding I had ever tasted and we couldn’t get enough of it! It was delicious. Texture was moist, spongy and FULL of taste. Everyone came back for seconds. It disappeared very quickly.. YUM :-)
I will definitely continue using these products with my baking from now on. My family were surprised at how many recipes are online. There is so much you can bake, it’s fantastic and so easy!!
It’s my son’s first birthday is in July & I can’t wait to make plenty of birthday treats for my guests. I think I may try the Banana, rum and walnut tea loaf, The Millionaires Shortbread, Blueberry Mallow Rocky Road & maybe Raspberry and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They look amazing!!! Here’s hoping they turn out just as nice :-)
Everyone should look on the website at the recipes: http://www.carnation.co.uk/RecipesThey are so easy to follow!
Thanks for giving me this opportunity. I really enjoyed it. There’s one happy Mummy here..
Best Regards,
Ciara XX

I made the banoffi pie with the caramel as I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake that isn't lemon or lime. It was not only a huge success, it was unbelievable simple too. Literally foolproof. I had always wanted to make it and knew it was a basic recipe, but I didn't like the idea the condensed milk had to be boiled in the can so its so amazingly handy to have it ready straight from the tin now. Definitely recommend it as a recipe to anyone, even a child can make it with little help.

Next up I tried the smarties cupcake because I was intrigued as to how they would taste with co denied milk. I used just plain butter too, as I try not to eat or give my kids hydrogenated oils, but the recipe worked perfectly. It was a little sweet for my taste, but the kids loved it. The icing worked well too and really, there was no problems whipping the lot together.

Will make both again.

I was never much of a baker. Although I really enjoy baking, I never seemed to be any good at it….generally whatever I made tended to be burnt/undercooked in the middle/missing some key ingredient that I decided wasn’t that important. Once I even made cookies and forgot to put in the sugar…they tasted like porridge.
So while I was looking forward to taking part in this trial, I was a little nervous that my efforts wouldn’t do the recipes justice. I had never used Carnation products but after this trial I will definitely be keeping both the condensed milk and caramel in my press at all times!
First I made the banoffi pie. I had never tried banoffi before as the thought of making caramel from scratch kinda scared me! Well it couldn’t have been easier. The caramel was so easy to use and it tasted amazing. When my hubby came home from work he actually didn’t believe that I made the banoffi myself! We all had it for dessert after dinner and everyone, even the kids who generally don’t like bananas, loved it.
I let my kids chose the next recipe and they opted for the smarties cupcakes. I had never used condensed milk for cupcakes before (in fact I’d never used condensed milk full stop!) so I didn’t really know what to expect. The recipe worked perfectly and the buns were so delicious. Usually I find icing a bit tricky but this time it was really simple. The cupcakes were all eaten within a day so I took that as a good sign!
Thanks to MummyPages and Carnation for letting me take part in the trial. I really enjoyed it and will be trying lots more recipes from the Carnation website. The Millionaires Shortbread looks amazing so think that’s next on my baking list :-)

Thanks for choosing me to take part in the Carnation trial…I’m delighted to be trying the products.


First I made the Strawberry Cheesecake…this is a favourite in our house but I had never used condensed milk before so was curious to find out what it was like. I was worried it might be a little too sweet, but I was perfect! The recipe was really simple and I think I will use the condensed milk again…it seemed to make the texture of the cheesecake extra smooth.


Next we tried the recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding. This is my favourite dessert of all time EXCEPT for the fact that I hate dates in desserts. So I left them out! The pudding was lovely but what really made it was the caramel sauce… I actually could have eaten this straight from the can with a spoon. It was so easy…just heat up and pore on top of the pudding . Yum yum yum!


I excited to try more recipes from the Carnation website. The next recipe I want to try is the lime and coconut cake. I love lemon drizzle cake so I’m curious to see what this will be like!
Really enjoyed taking part in the trial!

I would like to thank you for picking me for the Carnation Trial. I was delighted when the package arrived and my 2 kids aged 4 and 6 were dying to get stuck in. I am a very basic baker, fairy cakes, flapjacks and choc bisc cake is normally the best I can do but I have to say the recipes were so easy to follow, I had never used Carnation products before, being honest I thought they were for the more experienced bakers among us. I started off with the smarties cupcake and I have to say they were so easy to make - I misread the recipe and used the full tin of condensed milk but it didnt make a difference - they were fab, I would never have been one to make icing and i have to say I was delighted that the icing turned out so well and so professional......was v proud of myself and they were eaten in minutes.

The second one I did was the banoffi pie which was soooo simiar to make and once again everyone loved it and was disappeared in minutes.

Using these products has opened my eyses as to how easy baking can be, I also tried the strawberry cheesecake and it too was lovely. I will definetly incl them in the shopping again when I am getting ready to do some more baking.



Thanks again

Helen