Marks & Spencer's Vegan List - Part 2

Smokey Bacon Lentil Tubes

Lightly Salted Popped Potato Chips

Coconut Rice

Garlic Roast Spiced Cauliflower

Quick Roast Onions and Butternut Squash

Mexican Rice, Quinoa & Avocado

Plain Soya Pot

Coconut Cream Frozen Dessert

Watermelon & Dragon Fruit Lollies

Fruit Fritters with Coconut Caramel Sauce

Mixed Vegetable Masala

Super Rice & Quinoa

 

 

Super Grains & Beetroot

 

 

Mediteranean Orzo & Buckwheat 

 

 

Vegetable Couscous

 

 

Lentils & Wild Rice

 

 

 

Various Dairy Free Milks

 

 

Tinned Vegetable Curry

 

 

Dairy Free Chocolate Box

 

 

Iced & Spiced Buns

 

 

Belgian Chocolate Mini Corn & Rice Cakes

 

 

Fizzy Orange Popcorn

 

 

Dairy Free Chocolate Easter Eggs

 

 

Dark Chocolate with Clementine

The Dark One Chocolate Bar

Rose & Violet Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate with Liquorice & Blackcurrant

Intense Dark Chocolate 85%

Dark Chocolate with Chilli

Dark Chocolate with Raspberry

Kentish Bramley Apple Hot Cross Buns

Sea Salt and Black Pepper Crisps

Good Hemp Milk

​There are so many dairy free milks currently available that it can be a little difficult to know which is the right one for you. Whenever I go to the shops, I find myself overwhelmed for choice, but ultimately going back to my favourite which I've religiously drank for almost a year.

But it is time for change. We are in a new year, Britain is leave the EU. America has a new president, and once again, we have a female Prime Minister. So I thought, why not try a different milk in my coffee?

Was that not perhaps the most inspirational and life changing thing that you have ever read about milk? Anyway, it was rather a coincidence when I was contacted by the kind people at, "Good Hemp" , asking if I would like to do a blog post on them. I jumped at the chance for it simply had to be serendipity. I myself didn't know much about Good Hemp, so I thought that I had best do a little bit of investigation! 

Good Hemp is a nutritious dairy free alternative to milk. Made from the natural goodness of hemp seed it can be used on cereals, in tea, coffee, natural protein, porridge, cooking or simply as a refreshing drink on its own.
Just one 250ml glass provides 50% of your recommended daily intake of Omega 3, which many experts believe can help support good heart and brain health and circulation.
There are currently 3 varieties in our range all of which are naturally high in Omega 3 and are fortified with Calcium and Vitamin D2.

 Hemp Health 

• 100% Natural Ingredients
• Free from Dairy
• Free from Lactose
• Free from Soya
• Free from Nuts
• Free from Gluten
• Enriched with Calcium & Vitamin D2
• Natural source of Omega-3 & 6….just one 250ml glass provides 50% of your recommended daily intake of Omega 3
• Suitable for Vegetarians & Vegans

But then I was a little stumped, shall I create a recipe? Or shall I simply see how well Hemp milk works in place of dairy milk or another milk? I decided on combing the two somewhat creating the ultimate weekend breakfast! 

We shall start with the healthy sustenance which has been a staple part of many diets for hundreds of years. A bowl of porridge. Yes this may not be the most difficult or convoluted of recipes that you could show off on Masterchef, but really, unless you are being judged by Greg and John, who can be bothered with all that drama? So I decided to keep it simple yet full of flavour! 

Erin's Hemptastic Porridge

50g Oats

250ml Hemp Milk

Agave or Maple Syrup

Seasonal Berries

Toasted Coconut Flakes

Flaked Almonds

1. Throw the oats and the Hemp milk into the pan and simmer.

2. When it is the desired consistency, add in some coconut flakes, but leaving some for garnish.

3. Remove from heat and pour into your favourite bowl.

4. Drizzle your preferred syrup to suit your taste.

5. Toss on the rest of the flaked almonds and toasted coconut and berries!

6. Enjoy! 

Graze Pick a Punnet

The idea of a Graze box was quite a revolution when it came out all those years ago-to have healthy snacks delivered to your home when you choose. Each box tailored to fit your lifestyle. The addition of frivolity involved in not knowing what you are going to get created a unique selling point for the brand.

I always found it to be somewhat annoying though. You would finally found a punnet of flavour goodness, and you would have to wait another six months before you would get it again! Yes, that may have been all part of the Graze fun to open the box and be surprised at what little delights awaited you, but when you had a craving for a specific punnet. That sense of excitement tended to fade when you got something you were only okay with.

But alas that problem has been somewhat rectified with these individual Graze boxes which you can buy. There are only a limited selection of flavours currently available, but this is still pretty brilliant.

As you all probably know by now, I have a ridiculously sweet tooth, so it’s unsurprising that I decided to go with the sweeter boxes over the savoury ones. The two that I’ve tried so far is the, ‘Cocoa and Vanilla Protein Flapjack’, and the, ‘Chocolate Cherry Tart’.

Cocoa & Vanilla Protein Flapjack

 

I found myself checking the ingredients of the flapjack repeatedly. Worried in case I had missed some vital non-vegan ingredient to ruin my excitement, but to my intense surprise, there was none! So I allowed myself to get excited about this Cocoa and Vanilla Flapjack!

The packaging is rather lovely, it comes in the classic Graze style with natural looking sturdy brown cardboard. The decoration on it is nice and quite snazzy with the various fonts. The flapjack came sealed in a little plastic container that you could easily open and see the three little slices of flapjack in.

The serving size does look a little lacking, but do not be fooled, it is incredibly filling. Presumably due to the high protein content. I enjoyed them with a cup of coffee, it made quite a pleasant addition to my morning ritual. They were fresh and soft with a nice chewy texture. The flavour of the oats was good and worked well with the sweet vanilla and smooth cocoa taste. It had an indulgence about it without being sickly or cloying. A problem I often find with flapjacks!

Overall I really liked these Cocoa and Vanilla Flapjacks and was impressed by the flavour!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Tart

The Dark Chocolate Cherry Tart was an interesting box of treats. As with all Graze products, the packaging was a delight to look at and recyclable, so all is good on that front. The punnet contained a selection of whole pecan nuts, dried sweet cherries, and dark chocolate buttons. This made for a taste sensation, which although not quite like a Dark Chocolate Cherry Tart, it was still very nice.

I never thought that I would be such a big fan of pecan nuts, but they were actually delicious! They have a unique flavour which lends itself to desserts, so it is unsurprising that Graze decided to utilise them here. The dark chocolate was of a high quality and must have had a decent cocoa content. Lastly the dried cherries. These were sweet with a strong flavour, I did have concerns that these may have been sour, but thankfully they were delicious!

Overall I enjoyed this punnet, and can imagine that it would make for a tasty topping to a bowl of porridge! Or just a little snack on its own.