M&S The Dark One Bar

So I took a little break from blogging this week because I have been overwhelmed with coursework and knew that it was important that I focus on my studies for a little bit. I hope that you all have had a wonderful Christmas and got everything that you wanted and so much more! Now, time for the good bit, the review.

My mum was desperate to get me some chocolate for a stocking filler and she managed to get me a few delicious bits and pieces, the first that I am going to review is this little bar from Marks & Spencer's. It is a simple bar, just plain dark chocolate, but I know that when dome well this can be an indulgent treat that can have you counting down the hours until your next fix of the stuff, and this bar is surprisingly really good.

It is really creamy with a good melt, the cocoa content isn't particularly high so you don't have much of a bitterness. The bar is nice and smooth and a perfect serving size with enough sweetness to be delicious. Overall I thought this was a tasty treat and I am sort of craving another bar if I'm honest!

Rating - 8.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 184

Buy Again - Definitely

Sweet Freedom Choc Orange Shot

As you may have read the other day I have recently rekindled my love with the deliciously warming drink that it hot chocolate. Thanks to the wonderful people at Sweet Freedom I am able to have this tasty drink once again! 

Today I am trying the Spiced Orange flavour, I had high expectations for this but at the same time I was a little sceptical because surely it couldn't live up to my high expectations. 

The flavour of the chocolate is just incredible, it is so rich it works perfectly when added to milk, although I would quite happily eat this off of a spoon... The orange spice is incredible, it has enough spice to add intrigue without being overwhelming and the Orange shone through beautifully. I think that I enjoyed this even more than the regular flavour! I can't convey how much I loved this and I would love to try the coconut flavour next!

Rating - 9.25/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 14 per 5g

Buy Again - Definitely!

Good Full Stop Vegan Bars

The very kind people of Good Full Stop sent me a lovely package of all their bars to sample and review. I love when this happens because it gives me the opportunity to try new things and share them with all you lovely people! All of the bars are vegan and are in the form of a raw food bar, they are moist, soft and squidgy. I loved them!

Choc Orange

This one had a very lovely cocoa flavour that worked well with the fresh and fruity citrusy orange. It reminded me of a Jaffa Cake a bit but a little milder and more cocoa flavoured.

I would definitely recommend this bar!

Rating - 8.75/10

Choc Mint

I am a massive fan of mint chocolate because I find it to be a refreshing combination whilst also being indulgent. The flavour of the mint was much stronger than that of the orange but that certainly isn't a complaint. I loved how minty it was without it tasting like toothpaste, the cocoa shone through nicely and pulled the who,e bar together. Very tasty!

Rating - 9/10

Double Choc

This was a simple and plain cocoa flavour which worked very well with the fruity goodness that makes up these bars. I really enjoyed it because it had the natural sweetness like the other bars with a slightly bitter flavour from the cocoa, but this was a really nice depth that it added!

Rating - 8.75/10

Cherry Maple

I was a tad sceptical of this flavour initially because most cherry flavoured things have a horrible medicinal quality to them and I hate it because I love fresh cherries! And I had never thought to pair it up with maple either but upon my first bite I realised that this was a perfect combination. The cherry was strong and natural, just how it should be which worked well with the sweetness brought to the bar by the maple. I think that this bar is great for anyone who wants a sweet snack whilst still being healthy!

Rating - 9.25/10

Mixed Nuts

I was a little sceptical about this flavour because I am not normally a fan of nutty bars because they can be quite bland and tasteless, but this bar was far from flavourless! It was sweet and nutty with a greatly moreish taste that left me wanting another bar! I was really impressed overall by the rich nutty bar.

Rating - 9/10

Raspberry

This flavour like all the others was absolutely lovely. The raspberry shone through very nicely and tasted natural and fresh. The bar itself was soft and chewy which simply added to the overall experience! Absolutely loved it!

Rating - 8.75/10

Smooze Coconut & Mango

For obvious reasons there is very little frozen delights on offer in the freezer sections during the winter months, but I find this to be a bit of a nuisance because I love to have a lolly ice of an evening! Unfortunately the vegan options become nearly non existent, so when my mum came home with a box of these I couldn't help but smile.

I had heard many good things about these lolly ices but I was a tad nervous about trying something new (I know it's odd but that is just who I am).

The flavour is incredible, it is very creamy with a lovely strong coconut flavour coming through, it combines well with the mango to create a perfectly refreshing combination. I was concerned that it would be really icy and a bit rubbish but I was so very wrong! I loved this and I can't wait to try the other flavours in the range, especially the pineapple!

Benefits

Smooze is a low calorie, freeze-at-home, tropical treat that is perfect for the whole family. Made simply from freshly-pressed coconut milk and pure fruit juices and purees, with one taste, you'll know you're eating something good.

Free from dairy, gluten, soy, nuts, artificial sweeteners, colourings and flavourings, Smooze is a portion-controlled, guilt-free indulgence guaranteed to delight; you'll fall in love with Smooze.

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 66

Buy Again? - Already have!

Sweet Freedom Choc Shot

I absolutely love hot chocolate, but after giving up dairy I found that I had to give up my beloved hot chocolate. This is mainly due to my laziness more than anything else because most instant powders like Options or Weight Watchers contain milk powder, and ones that don't can be a little rubbish. 
I was really craving a nice warm cup of hot chocolate last week and realised that I had some of this delicious Freedom Chocolate Shot in my fridge, so I read the instructions which to,d me that I could just add it to hot water but I wanted some indulgence on this cold winter day so I decided to use unsweetened almond milk instead. It used 200ml of milk with 20g of Chocolate shot and this created a delicious drink! It was rich and creamy with plenty of flavour! You would never guess that it was dairy free and even my mum and grandmother said that it smelt really nice. 

It was easy to make and took maybe two and a half minutes at most. I would strongly recommend this to both vegans and non vegans because you really can't taste the difference, plus you aren't left with all of the horrible gritty bits at the bottom which won't mix despite my best efforts!

Rating - 9/10
Vegan - Yes
Calories - 14 per 5g
But Again? - Definitely!

Leaf Liverpool

Leaf is an integral part of Liverpool Bold Street, without it the street just wouldn't be whole, with its buzzing atmosphere and delicious range of food and drink you can't give it a miss! They offer a large selection of vegetarian foods and a generous selection of vegan varieties, so you certainly aren't short for choice here! 

They specialise in serving tea (as you will have worked out from the name...) and they certainly do not disappoint with their variety, there is almost a whole page dedicated to it so there is a flavour for every mood. 

I have tried the Oolong Green Tea and I can say that it is perhaps the best cup of green tea I have ever drank, perhaps that is because it was loose tea and of a very high quality? I don't know what they do but it tastes amazing.

Onto the food. Today I decided to play it safe and go with the Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, I thought that the soup may be a bit generic and bland in flavour but boy was I wrong! The soup was thick and full of flavour, it came out in this massive bowel with a huge slice of bread to go with it (I forgot to ask for it without butter so I couldn't eat the bread but it did look delicious!)

They have two other soups on the menu, both the regulars are vegan and they do a speciality soup of the day which could be vegan, it all depends on the day.

They also offer a vegan breakfast option which consists of two falafel sausages, roasted vine tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and toast. There are several items that could easily be made vegan with a slight alteration of asking for it without cheese so don't be disheartened if you don't immediately see something vegan because you can always ask! 

I am a big fan of independent cafe's and things because I like to support my local businesses so I wanted to spread the word to all of my readers that Liverpool does have a lot to offer!