IQ Chocolate

As you will have noticed from my reviews, I eat a lot of chocolate, and you know what? I don't care, because I eat a really healthy diet and I am allowed a treat at the end of the day before I go to bed. So you can imagine that when I came across this brand of chocolate that boasted a menagerie of health benefits, I just couldn't resist trying it! They are all dairy free, nut free, gluten free, vegan, and low GI so the main question is, can something so healthy taste any good?

Well the answer is yes, but be warned, this chocolate isn't for the faint of heart or for those that see Dairy Milk as the perfect bar, because this is as far from Dairy Milk as you can get. The flavour of the cocoa is raw, it hasn't been processed or sweetened, it is an acquired taste, I myself wasn't a huge fan, so I decided to split the bar with my Dad and he couldn't get enough of it, he said that it was the perfect addition to his cup of coffee and that you only needed a few squares to satisfy your need for chocolate. It was a little bitter but somehow still creamy in a way. It was a nice change from my usual evening snack and it was good to know that I was eating something so full of healthy ingredients so there was no reason for me to feel guilty about enjoying this bar. The coffee flavour was probably my favourite but that is because I have a soft spot for coffee, I particularly enjoyed how there were pieces of raw coffee in it, it added a lovely texture to it.

Rating - 7/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 197

Buy Again - Probably

Cheetos Flamin' Hot

Cheetos are a major brand in America, and I am pretty certain that they used to exist here in the UK a good while ago, I vaguely remember them being advertised when I was little but I may be wrong… Anyway, they have been relaunched here and I was excited to discover that the ‘Flaming Hot’ flavour appear to be suitable for vegans.

Maize , Rapeseed Oil , Flamin' Hot Flavour [Flavourings (contains Soya, Wheat), Sugar, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'Ribonucleotide), Fructose, Salt, Dried Onion, Soya Sauce Powder (contains Wheat), Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Dried Garlic, Colour (Paprika Extract)] .

I really enjoyed these, they were softer than Wotsists and melted in your mouth, the flavour was nice because it wasn't too spicy but there was enough heat to add interest to them, it was more of a warming quality and I really enjoyed that, as did my Mother. Thankfully they never stained your hands or left much of a smell on them (a massive pet peeve of mine!)
Overall I think that these are a really nice snack to have, lots of taste and few calories l they are perfect for those on a diet (my mum insisted that I let everyone know that they are only 2 pro points on Weight Watchers).

Rating – 8/10
Calories – 69
Vegan – Yes
Buy Again - Yes

Sainsbury's Free From Choc n Crispy Bar

I love chocolate. It is just fab. But unfortunately for those of who don't eat dairy for whatever reason, we are often limited to dark chocolate and although I do love a bit of good quality dark chocolate, sometimes I am craving something so much more simple, like a Cadbury's Crunchy or something like that. So I was quite excited when I found this whilst perusing Sainsbury's. It is a dairy free chocolate crispy bar! 

The bar itself is nicely sectioned off so it can be broken easily into nice sized chunks. The chocolate flavour itself was pretty decent, it was quite creamy and had a good melt and wasn't like plastic which is always a bonus. The crispy bits were nice although I felt like they could have put more in so that it would add a bit more of an intrigue and whimsy to the texture of the bar itself.

Overall this makes a nice snack to enjoy of an evening with your night time snack. It was a change from my usual dairy free buttons and I would probably have this again.

Rating - 7.5/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 165

Buy Again - Probably

Heinz Spaghetti Hoops

I know that this will sound daft, but I only recently discovered that Heinz Spaghetti Hoops were vegan. For some bizarre reason I was under the impression that the pasta was made with egg, but upon further examination I realised that they are in fact vegan (or at least as far as I can tell). Heinz Spaghetti Hoops are a staple product in most households, and it is no wonder because it is quick, easy, healthy, and most importantly, super yummy! I love them, they are perfect for lunch because of how filling they are, plus a big tin is only 214 calories which is pretty darn amazing in my opinion! Okay I do realise that they are quite sweet and not to everybody’s taste, but I really like the sweetness because it works well against the starchy spaghetti. The spaghetti itself is of a good quality and has a nice flavour to it. Basically, I love Heinz staple products, I don't tend to like it when they try weird new flavours and variations. Stick with what you know and you can't go too wrong, although, if Heinz are reading this I would really appreciate a vegetarian/vegan sausage and beans or spaghetti! Or maybe a vegan spaghetti bolognese? 

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – Yes (As Far As I Can Tell)

Calories – 107 per ½ a Tin

Buy Again? – Already Have!

Starburst

Starburst are a staple sweet in the UK and from what I have seen they are very popular in the U.S. With a larger variety of limited editions than we get here, but when do we ever get the exciting flavours ? Anyway, that's enough of my pet peeve, I will get onto the review.

Now I do realise that most people will have tried Starburst before (or Opal Fruits as they were formerly known) but I feel that they deserve a review seeing as they are a national treasure and accidentally vegan! 

Blackcurrant

These had a good strong flavour, and unlike many Blackcurrant flavoured things, it wasn't unpleasant. I tend to avoid Blackcurrant flavoured things for this very reason because often they are too tart or just flavourless but these Starburst seem to have perfectly mastered the combination. Sweet but with a slight sour tang. 

Lemon & Lime

I think that these are my absolute favourites in the pack. I love the fresh flavour of the citrus and how the flavours are so natural tasting. They taste so refreshing, which I one is an odd description to apply to a sweet but it is true. 

Orange

It is shocking how much this actually tastes of fresh oranges. The flavour is just wonderful, I am a lover of all things orange but it is very rare that it is done well and by done well I mean tasting natural. It is obvious that the people at Starburst have used real fruit juice to flavour it rather than artificial additives and it really does shine through.

Strawberry

This flavour was sweeter than the others, but because this was strawberry it worked perfectly. The flavour shone through brilliantly and it is obvious why Starburst are such a well loved sweet all over the world.

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 182

Buy Again - Yes!

Twining's Fudge Melts Green Tea

I really do enjoy green tea, but it isn't to everybody's taste because it can be quite bitter, but the wonderful people at Twining’s have found a solution to this problem by infusing the classic taste of  green tea with the modern favourites such as Fudge Melts. I was a tad sceptical, because how can they combine these two flavours together which are usually worlds apart?

But somehow Twining’s manage this beautifully. The flavour is subtle enough that you can still taste the green tea, but you can still enjoy the indulgence of creamy, rich, and caramelly fudge. The smell is simply heavenly and even had my mother wanting to try a cup (despite her hating green tea usually). The fudge flavour is so authentic and natural tasting, this also helps to get rid of the bitter after taste. It also helped that I have finally learnt how to brew tea correctly! My best tip is not to squeeze the tea bag, instead just pull it out without squeezing it because that is where the bitterness comes from.

Rating – 9/10

Calories – 1

Vegan – Yes

Buy Again – Yes!

M&S Apple Crisps

I am a fruit lover, I mean I seriously love fruit. It makes me happy and it makes up about 2/3 of my diet. I have it in many different forms; fruit in juice, dried fruit, frozen fruit, and regular fruit. So it was only a matter of time before I tried the Marks & Spencer's dried Apple crisps. These are thinly sliced apples baked in an oven with just a little bit of lemon juice on them to stop them from browning (I think). They are totally healthy, full of goodness and most importantly, they taste great! The flavour is strongly of apple, just as it should be. There is nothing artificial about this and the crunch is fantastic, they are so crisp, far superior than when I attempted to make my own which some how managed to be simultaneously burnt and uncooked... As you can guess they were pretty awful and went straight in the bin.

Anyway, overall I really enjoyed these as an addition to my lunch, it was a nice variation on my normal popcorn, they are quite pricey but to be honest you are paying for quality so they are worth the price tag.

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 105

Buy Again? - Yes

Peanut Butter Oreos (UK)

Oreo’s have quickly become a staple biscuit in the UK, but despite this there has been very little variety on offer except for double stuff, which let’s be honest are nice nice enough but far from revolutionary or exciting, especially when compared to what is on offer all over the globe. I would love to try some of the more adventurous flavours like s’mores or red velvet, but finally the UK has got a bit of variety! We have peanut butter!
Unfortunately these are not vegan which meant that I couldn't try them so I have given that job to my brother, the lucky lad!
So this is his opinion not mine and his tastes are very different from mine, but hopefully he will give you a good idea of what these are like.
The combination of crunchy chocolate biscuit and a creamy peanut butter centre worked well, but that was no surprise because it was a tried and tested pairing. The peanut butter had a nice hint of saltiness which worked well with the sweet chocolate biscuit. Overall these are a tasty snack and the UK is lucky to have them! It is a shame that they have whey powder in them, but other than that they are pretty good!

Rating – 8/10
Vegan – No
Calories – 53
Buy Again - Probably