Hestonmania strikes again!

Waitrose has launched the latest in its line of Heston Blumenthal products - Black Forest Buche. Genius or marketing overkill? We want to know what you think.

Following the complete sell-out of Heston Blumenthal’s Hidden Christmas puddings, Waitrose has unveiled another festive product from the gastronomic colossus. This time, Heston has offered his unique take on not one but two classic desserts – the Black Forest Gateau and the yule log.

Heston’s Black Forest Buche is based on the French chocolate dessert, Buche Noel. It combines kirsch-infused chocolate sponge, chocolate mousse, kirsch-soaked cherries and cherry confit.

It's sounds delicious, and will probably sell out too. Which rather begs the question, is all this Hestonmania is getting a little too much? There’s a danger of these products becoming adult versions of Christmas ‘must have’ toys like the Buzz Lightyear figure and cabbage patch dolls.

Twenty-two of Heston’s products are already on Waitrose shelves (with the exception of the Christmas puddings), and we found 38 online, including his vanilla salt, vanilla mayonnaise and ponzu dressing. And a further 40 more are due to arrive in April 2012.

The Christmas puddings are for sale on auction site eBay for between £20 and £200 (good luck to that seller). But is the food really that good or is it just the combination of celebrity cachet and interesting ingredients that is making it fly off the shelves? Or are Waitrose simply giving us what we want?

We want to know your thoughts. Share them in the Comments box below.

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