KF Chillers

Having been pestered for some time I have reluctantly agreed when an opportunity presented itself to allow an acolyte to make a KFB submission. From here on in, I'll let her work and pictures tell the story:

Upon recently informing DG that I would have an afternoon to kill in Reading, he immediately exclaimed

“are you going to go to KFC??”.

Surprised by the excitement with which he asked his question I asked why, as it was not on the top of my to-do list. He advised me that the Reading Broad Street branch was one of those chosen to trial the new milkshake, and if I could please try one. I duly obliged.

The product is known as a ‘Chiller’ and comes in four flavours, (Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Crumble, Cookie Crush & Caramel Crunch. ed.) all of a sweet variety. I opted for the Strawberry Shortcake, and watched as it was prepared. The young man serving me first filled the cup with what appeared to be the milk/ice cream, then squirted in some strawberry syrup and scooped in some shortcake. He then put it under a big whisk like thing which mixed it all together. As he was bringing it over to me I dug out my £1.99 to pay. Imagine my delight when he told me it was actually only £1.79 – there had apparently been some confusion in relation to the advertising.


However, this delight was quickly dampened when I looked at the Chiller properly. It was served in a clear plastic cup with no branding or name on it whatsoever. Further, there was a slight waste of packaging in the domed lid that came on the cup. This would only be necessary if cream on the top was an option which I do not believe to be the case. But fear not, I am reliably informed that this is due to an ‘ops shakedown’ and I imagine that the situation will be remedied if they decide to launch it across the country.


The next hurdle was the megastraw, which was an unusually large 1cm in diameter. It felt very strange in my mouth at first, if not slightly uncomfortable. Yet I persisted and tried some of the milkshake. It was much thinner than I expected but had a lovely flavour; sweet and fruity but not artificial or overpowering. There was no danger of it becoming sickly and I don’t generally have a sweet tooth. The need for the megastraw quickly became apparent due to the chunks of shortcake that it had to carry to my mouth. It performed this task flawlessly with no clogging whatsoever.


The shortcake itself was also delicious and the chunks were just the right size with a texture remarkably similar to, well, shortcake. And I was particularly impressed to note that when I was finishing my Chiller a good twenty minutes later (by which time I had become comfortable with the megastraw) the shortcake had retained its crunch. I suppose the thing I was thinking was

“would I want this to wash down my Zinger Tower?”

and the answer I quickly came to was no. This is no accompaniment to a meal, as it would not complement zing in the way Pepsi max does (as is my preference). Further, I think that the Chiller deserves to be enjoyed in its own right, perhaps as a dessert option or, as it was for me today, a nice alternative to an ice cream on a hot sunny afternoon. Next time you’re in Reading, check it out.

Chillers are currently being trialled in selected Reading and Birmingham branches and are based on a successful Australian product the Krusher. To be more palatable to the British market some name changes were made notably the dropping of the "Golden Gaytime" variety made using a popular Australian dessert clearly not carrying the same connotations as it would here in the UK. We may see a nationwide roll out this summer.