Fox's Party Footballs

Party Rings are such a snazzy biscuit what with their decorative and sweet icing on top of a crunchy biscuit base. It is easy to see why they are a packed lunch staple for both children and adults alike! Well, at least this adult enjoys them and I am a proud advocate of them (the see no evil monkey emoji would have been perfect here but alas I feel that would undermine my authority as an adult…)

Party Rings, around a year ago, became not only vegetarian but vegan. Therefore they contain no dairy, eggs or anything else derived from animals, despite this change, they still have the same great taste I remembered from being younger. 

Shall I stop boring you all and finally move onto the review? I better had. Now, these Party Footballs are basically Party Rings without the hole, same basic sweet flavour and crunchy yet somehow buttery biscuit. The biscuit is a little different in appearance because on the back, it has football related things imprinted upon the back, the icing is also only green or blue, this had no impact upon the flavour but it was a nice variation albeit a bit of a step back in gender stereotypes. Overall, I really enjoyed these biscuits and found them a rad easier to eat when they were in this shape!

Rating – 8/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 111 per Bag

Buy Again – Yes!

Nak'd Nibbles Part 1

Tooty Fruity

Initially I was worried that these would be sickeningly sweet and artificial, thus lacking in the typical flavour that I associate with Nak'd products. Thankfully my fears were unwarranted as they tastes delicious! The prevalent flavour was strawberry I think, and it was lovely! I really enjoyed this as party of my breakfast!

Rating - 8/10

Fruit Salad

I enjoyed this flavour a lot more than I expected, it actually tasted just like a Fruit Salad sweet but without all of the teeth breaking, plus, you know that you are eating nothing but good stuff. It is filled with fruit and nuts, it is really impressive that they can make these taste so much like a Fruit Salad! But without all of the nasty additives! Overall, a delicious treat to enjoy!

Rating - 8/10

Coconut Bliss

This flavour was rather mild in taste when compared with the others. I felt that the coconut was too mild but regardless of this, I still enjoyed them as part of my breakfast and I would still buy them again! Maybe it needed a cocoa element to it? 

Rating - 7.75/10

Freedom Mallows Strawberry

Marshmallows like most sweets, typically contain gelatine which is derived from animals, therefore it is suitable for neither vegetarians nor vegans. Marshmallows are my all time favourite sweet and I miss them dreadfully (perhaps the allure is primarily there because they are off limits).  But thanks to Freedom Mallows I can once again enjoy my favourite treat! I have been looking everywhere for the strawberry variety of these sweets because after trying the original vanilla I was hooked! 

Upon opening the bag, I was greeted with a lovely smell of strawberries mixed with the classic marshmallowy sweetness, the marshmallows themselves were soft and squidgy and brought back many a childhood memories of eating Flumps. They have a very moreish quality to them that means it is very difficult not to eat the whole bag, obviously I have very little restraint… Although, I did allow my mother to try one, and she actually said that they taste better than the regular variety, so a glowing recommendation indeed!

Rating – 9.5/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 342 per 100g

Buy Again? – YES!

Cadbury's Dairy Milk Puddles - Smooth Mint

Cadbury’s seem to be on a roll with the release of new products, and this by far has to be the best. The Cadbury’s Puddles. They are quite snazzy in appearance with their unique and interesting design, this does however make it a little difficult to break even bits off and to portion it out properly, but with its moreish quality, it is difficult to not eat the entire bar in one go! It is made with the classic Dairy Milk chocolate so it is sweet, creamy and smooth. This works very well with the puddles of mint filling, the mint filling has a lovely flavour, it is fresh and gooey, similar to caramel in consistency.

Overall, it is a really good product, unique yet a combination of classic flavours that we all know to be a wonderful match! The only criticism is that it is not yet available in small bars!

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – No

Calories – 448 per Bar

Buy Again – Yes!

Sweet Freedom Chocolate Orange Shot

I have heard rave reviews about the products from Sweet Freedom, what with their wide variety of uses and ever expanding flavour range. So you can imagine my delight when the kind people of Sweet Freedom sent me their brand new flavour to try! I honestly cannot believe that their products are all vegan, they have such a good and indulgent taste to the chocolate. All of the ingredients are natural so there is absolutely no guilt involved in eating this (not that food should ever really be associated with guilt, but I won't bore you with that rant today).

My favourite flavour was the deliciously spiced chocolate orange, and oh my goodness. It is delicious! It has such a rich flavour to it, whilst still being light enough to eat an abundance of it. It can be enjoyed on porridge, yogurt, over granola, over ice cream or to create a delicious hot beverage (this was my favourite method of use). I added it to a cup of almond milk and whisked it together to create a cup of vegan chocolate milk, initially I never put enough chocolate syrup in it and it tasted a little weak, but then being the dope that I am, I had put only a quarter of the amount required! So no wonder it didn't taste great… 

After adding the correct amount, I was rewarded with a simply divine drink that tasted natural and had a good amount of depth to the flavour. I was very impressed indeed!

Rating – 8.75/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 14 per teaspoon

Buy Again – Yes!

Reese's Pieces

Peanut butter has to be a favourite of mine, although I am normally put off eating it because of how calorie dense it is. So that for me is a bit frightening (I'm a tad odd I know).

Because of my love for peanut butter, it is no surprise that I am a big fan of Reese's products then seeing as they specialise in peanut butter. I was however surprised when I found out that their Reese's Pieces were vegan (as far as I can tell anyway). 

Basically, Reese’s Pieces are tiny buttons of peanut butter coated in a crispy sugar shell, the peanut butter is classically salty with a sweetness to it. They are incredibly moreish so I try to make them last as long as possible by eating them one by one and letting them melt in my mouth. My dad looks at me with disdain whilst he eats them two packets at a time ( I will let you decide who the mad one here is… )

I am a big fan of these and they are actually pretty low in calories considering the large serving size of 43g. A chocolate bar of this size would probably come in at about 250 calories whereas these are only 214 calories. I know calories aren't everything and taste is the most important thing so I won't go on about it anymore!

Overall, I love these and I have added several bags to my stash and can't wait to eat my next bag!

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 214

Buy Again – Already Have!

Trek Banana Blast

As you have probably worked out from my reviews, I am a bit of a sucker for raw food bars. This is probably because as a vegan, or a sufferer of a lactose intolerance,  many biscuits and cakes become off limits to you so you have to get your sweet fix from somewhere else. Trek a branch off from the well known Nak’d brand,  are probably one of the most prevalent companies to offer these types of products. Today I am going to review the Banana Blast flavour that was so kindly sent to me by the people of Trek.

It has a subtle banana flavour to it that worked well with the nuttier base flavour of the bar. It was very filling and a very substantial treat, perfect as a snack for anyone on the go or in need of a power boost in the afternoon to keep themselves going! I did really enjoy this bar but maybe the banana flavour could have been a tad stronger, but then again, that may be difficult to achieve without artificial flavourings. I think I would rather have a natural bar that has no additives and has a subtler flavour rather than an obnoxiously strong banana taste and be full of strange chemicals!

Rating – 8/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 170

Buy Again - Yes

Geobars

Geobars are made by a company called Traidcraft who fights poverty through trade, helping people in developing countries to transform their lives. We're the UK's leading fair trade company. All of their products are fair trade and a good majority are vegan. They kindly sent me a sample of their two new products, the Beetroot Cocoa bars and the Carrot with Stem Ginger bars. Now I know what you are thinking: 'vegetables don't belong in cereal bars!' But oh my goodness, it works perfectly.

Beetroot Cocoa Bar

Now, the beetroot flavour her is very subtle and adds a good amount of sweetness to the bar. It wasn't like eating pickled beetroot so worry not, it was more like a slight earthy sweetness that just worked incredibly well. The cocoa was perfect, strong but not overpowering. Overall, a brilliant bar!

Rating - 9/10

Calories - 112

Vegan - Yes

Buy Again - Yes

Stem Ginger & Carrot Bar

This one had a strong ginger flavour and actually reminded me a lot of ginger bread. The carrot helped to tone down the ginger whilst adding a bit of sweetness to it. It was a nice addition with my usual breakfast of overnight oats! Overall, I enjoyed this bar and the company have been really clever in the way that they have incorporated vegetables into these bars.

Rating - 8/10

Calories - 112

Vegan - Yes

Buy Again – Yes