George, 2, and Violet Stevens, 4, taste test the new L&P-flavoured Fruju. Photo / Nick Reed
George, 2, and Violet Stevens, 4, taste test the new L&P-flavoured Fruju. Photo / Nick Reed
Our biscuits are in our ice-creams, our ice-creams are in our chocolate and our fizzy's now in our ice-blocks.
Food purists might hate it, but mashed together Kiwi favourites show no sign of disappearing from our supermarket shelves.
The latest combo — Fruju L&P — has just landed in freezers in time for summer.
The Tip Top and Coca-Cola Amatil collaboration ice-block joins a growing tradition of favourite Kiwi flavours coming together, from L&P-flavoured Whittaker's chocolate to Choc Bar Mallowpuffs and Mint Choc Chip and Hokey Pokey-flavoured Primo drinks.
Kiwi original L&P fizzy drink had made it into our biscuits, chocolate and now, our ice-blocks. Photo / File
Over the ditch, sweet and savoury has come together with a Vegemite-flavoured ice-block inflicted on our Aussie cousins - prompting Marmite to late this week turn their test kitchen hand to making Marmite ice-cream.
A panel of taste-testers gave a mostly positive review, but the combo remains firmly a "science" experiment only and is not in shops.
University of Auckland business school senior lecturer in marketing Mike Lee said the trend was new.
"These ingredient type brands, the way they work in terms of Fruju and L&P, and previously L&P and Whittaker's, it's a nostalgia effect that people are quite fond of.
"[It] kind of reminds them back in their childhood L&P was what you drank by the pool in the summertime and Fruju was the popsicle that you had, so they see the two brands that are familiar to their childhood combine and they hopefully have a positive response ... and are therefore more likely to buy the product."
Tip Top group marketing manager Katie McClure said the company, which also worked with Griffin's to launch the Squiggles ice-cream in October, had to be careful when seeing what combinations could work together.
"The consumers have really high expectations of collaborations. We have to take a lot of care when bringing things together."
K Bar chocolate sparks a nostalgic feeling relating to our childhood memories of the chewy Whittaker's treats. Photo / Supplied
Squiggles ice-cream had launched with a bang, knocking vanilla off its reliably No 1 perch by its second week, she said.
Interesting flavours usually captured the attention of customers.
"People just like new things, there's this novelty factor."
Whittaker's marketing manager Holly Whittaker said of their collaborations, which have also included a Hundreds and Thousands block with Griffin's, Lewis Road Creamery & Whittaker's Chocolate Milk as well as their own brand Toffee Milk and K Bar creations, the Jelly Tip block had been especially popular.
"When it launched in mid-2015, the block completely sold out within 10 days."
The Whittaker's and Tip Top Jelly Tip chocolate block sold out in 10 days after its launch. Photo / Supplied
People loved products that are "quintessentially Kiwi and a little bit nostalgic", she said.
"An example of this is the Toffee Milk block – Kiwis have been enjoying the Whittaker's Toffee Milk toffee bars from their local dairies since the 1930s, so when we announced that we were creating a new block featuring [it] ... people really wanted to try it."
A Bluebird spokeswoman said they had also done a number of collaborations over the years, including with Wattie's for Tomato Sauce and Mince Pie flavoured chips and other Kiwi favourite flavours with Mainland and Tegel.
Bluebird's Kiwi As campaign saw the Wattie's tomato sauce and mince pie flavour reach our shelves. Photo / Supplied
But not everyone's a fan.
Celebrity chef Michael Van de Elzen said he wouldn't buy the treat combos for himself or his kids.
"You can see why they do it, because brands sell. Mrs Mac's [Australia] has just created a cheeseburger pie - what is that?! I'm a chef and have been for 30 years and it's about flavour combinations and texture and to think that [people believe] bringing a cheeseburger into a pie will taste good ... but I can guarantee one thing, it will sell."
Chef Michael Van de Elzen won't be queuing up for the new sweet food collaborations. Photo / File
Instead The Food Truck TV show host encouraged Kiwis to create or re-create Kiwi classics in a healthy way. He'd already done so with the Jelly Tip ice-cream in one of his cook books, and had other suggestions for new favourites.
Half a dozen kiwifruit could be blended, liquid honey added and the mixture then put in ice-block moulds to set. Strawberries would also work and if a third colour could be found, such as passionfruit, the result would be colourful, fun and tasty, he said.
"There you go, we've just made a traffic light."
What combos do we want to see?
Yes please!
Marmite and onion dip chips Lamingtons flavoured milk Fish & chips & tomato sauce chips Whitebait fritter pie Anzac biscuits with chocolate fish pieces Pavlova ice-cream Cookie Time cookie dough ice-cream Avocado, Vegemite & red onion on toast-flavoured crackers Goody Goody Gum Drops Lewis Road Creamery milk Denheath Custard Square milk Croucher craft beer ice-cream
For the love of god, no!
Marmite & pineapple lumps anything Kiwifruit & Manuka honey ice-cream Marmite chocolate bars L & P-flavoured Lewis Road Creamery milk
