I tried flavoured coffee from Devon family business that tasted just like Quality Street

As a 23-year-old joining the workforce, I knew it was time to quit energy drinks and start enjoying coffee...somehow. I've tried everything from an Americano to a flat white, but coffee was not as good as breakfast tea (in my humble controversial opinion).

However, my opinion on coffee drastically changed when I discovered flavoured coffee. My eyes widened when I first had a Starbucks caramel macchiato - it is true what they say coffee is a great way to start your day.

In an effort to expand my palate, I tried Little's Strawberry Delight. Little's is a family-based business in Devon that started 30 years ago. The company deliver quality, convenience and taste that doesn’t cost the earth by using premium beans which are expertly roasted and freeze-dried.

The company specialises in flavoured instant coffee as well as capsules and grounds. According to the Attest survey in 2022, instant-flavoured coffee is the new rage.

Half of millennials and Gen-Zs regularly buy flavoured coffee out of the home and 75% of all the coffee bought in stores is instant. Little's offers fantastic flavours such as double chocolate, French vanilla, creamy caramel, maple walnut and gingerbread cookie.

In March they launched their brand new flavour, Strawberry Delight. The coffee is said to taste like a "strawberry milkshake or everyone's favourite Quality Street crossed with a flat white." For just £3.50 per jar, the guilt-free coffee is vegan with no added sugar and is 100 per cent recyclable.

Strawberry and coffee initially sounds strange but when having a strawberry and cream frappé at McDonald's I was convinced it would be delicious. When I first opened the jar, I was immediately reminded of Quality Street's Strawberry Delight, the essence of the summer berry was so strong I was so excited to try it!

I made this coffee into three different versions, two hot coffees one with oat milk the other with instant coffee mate creamer, and one frappé with semi-skimmed milk. Both hot coffees immediately smelt like strawberry but the frappé had a subtle smell.

The hot strawberry delight with creamer was delicious, it tasted like a smooth coffee made by a fancy barista with subtle hints of strawberry. But once you swallowed, the fruit really kicked in which was more pleasant than having the aftertaste of coffee.

I was surprised how the flavour matched with the smell, I was transported to Christmas ripping off the Quality Street lid and indulging in a strawberry delight.

I am somewhat lactose intolerant (I refuse to be defeated by milk) so the ultimate test was the oat milk version. The taste was very similar, the oats did not clash with the strawberry flavour but again the flavour was very subtle.

If you have a sweet tooth I recommend using more sugar than you think, despite it being strawberry flavour, it has no added sugar which was apparent when I started drinking. The next day I tried the coffee as a frappé, I blended some cow's milk with ice and then added the instant coffee.

This was my favourite version, the coffee blended well and created a smooth and creamy texture. However, the strawberry flavour was not as powerful compared to the hot coffee. This could have been my error, I should have added more coffee compared to the ratio of milk.

If I could have added anything to the recipe, it would be strawberry sauce for an extra flavour boost. Little's have offered a Strawberry Delight Whipped Ice Coffee recipe for their customers to try, including 1 tbsp strawberry sauce or strawberry purée, you can find the recipe here.

Overall, I would rate this coffee a 3.5, the quality and taste are definitely worth the price of £3.50 but I wish it had a bit more of the strawberry flavour, It is still a delicious coffee, and I can't wait to purchase the other flavours. You can buy the Strawberry Delight at their website here.

You can also purchase the other flavours on Amazon. You can buy three flavours of your choice for just £12.99, over 100 people have purchased this and given it a 4.6-star rating.

One person said: "I originally bought some vanilla coffee and really liked it. I then branched out and got the double chocolate, rum, walnut and maple. They might not taste exactly as you'd expect, but they're all really nice and definitely hit all the right flavour notes.

"I will continue to buy them (and the I use the screw-top jars for storage afterwards). They might seem a little expensive, but just think how much you'd spend on a single coffee on the high street."