M&S Hot Cross Bun Loaf

Hot cross buns, 

Hot cross buns, 

One a penny, 

Two a penny, 

Hot cross buns. 

Have you guessed what this review is going to be about yet?

I am the biggest fan of hot cross buns, may it be in their traditional guise of plain with fruit, or maybe a bit more out there and not even in bun form! M&S seem to be the ones to beat when it comes to limited edition baked goods over the past few years-unsurprisingly, this year seems to be no different. They have put out a wide range of fruit buns and loaves (sadly with only one or two actually being vegan friendly), so with such a limited selection, for once I found myself untroubled in deciding what to pick! 

What M&S is lacking in quantity they are certainly making up in quality with this loaf. The bread is incredibly fresh and soft, unlike many other fruited breads out there, which I feel have a tendency to feel a tad stale. The freshness of the bread worked well with the pieces of dried fruit, encompassing all of the flavours you would expect and want in a hot cross bun. 
They remained moist and juicy which made it a tasty treat at any time of the day. I loved this first thing in the morning with a steaming cup of hot coffee, definitely one of my favourite ways to start my day! 

I was impressed by the detail that was put into the loaf. It wasn't just fruited bread given the name of hot cross bun, they bothered to actually put the signature cross on the loaf. I know this is only a little detail but it definitely added to the overall loaf experience. 
Basically this is a delicious breakfast or snack to have, which leaves you feeling adequately satisfied and ready for Spring! 

Rating - 9/10 

Vegan - Yes 

Calories - 110 ish (I genuinely can't remember)

Buy Again? - Definitely

Jamesons Raspberry Ruffles

​Who doesn't enjoy a bit (or a lot) of chocolate at the end of the day? Personally it's one of the highlights of my day, you know, other than speaking to my favourite people...

Being a vegan makes you no different, although it can feel that your choices are heavily limited, or blooming expensive!

 

But fear not dear readers, for there are indeed an abundance of options out there, some less expected than others. This brings me to the humble Raspberry Ruffle.

A classic chocolate which doesn't seem to get much love anymore and is often found only in bargain stores. This, albeit good for my pocket, is a bit sad because they are absolutely delicious and really quite unique in a land of boring chocolates.

 

Raspberry Ruffles, as far as I know, are available in little bars, and in these little individually wrapped mouthfuls. They are Raspberry flavoured desiccated Coconut covered in dark chocolate.

The filling reminded me a lot of a Bounty bar in texture and consistency. The dedicated Coconut is actually a bit drier and more crumbly in texture, although I wouldn't have minded a lighter texture, it still was a delight to munch. 

 

The ruffle definitely packed a bigger punch in terms of flavour! The raspberry was a really tasty and interesting twist that added another depth to it all that I absolutely loved! It was a little tart and a little sweet, perfectly balanced.

These flavours worked marvellously with the dark chocolate coating which wasn't overly sweet, but far from bitter. It isn't the best quality dark chocolate, but really that didn't take anything away from the overall flavour, it probably worked to the advantage of the filling as it let that be the main flavour. 

 

 

 

Overall I blooming loved these, but be warned, they are incredibly moreish and you could easily find yourself chomping through a whole bag of these in less than an hour...

 

 

Rating - 8.5/10

 

Vegan - Yes

 

Calories - 135 per 3 Sweets

 

Buy Again? - I already have two more bags

Trek Protein Chunks

The Natural Balance food company, is easily a vegan's best friend. With their constant innovation of healthy snack foods, it is difficult to beat. They aim to provide a delicious and nutritious alternative to other products on the market. They are immensely popular with both vegans and non-vegans alike because when something tastes this good, how can you not love it?

Okay, I may have gone off on a little bit of a tangent about how much I love this company, but they genuinely do provide some of my favourite products going! They seem to bring out new products and varieties quite often which I absolutely love because I always have something new to review!
This week I am reviewing a brand new product from their Trek branch called, 'Protein Energy Chunks'.

They come in three varieties but so far I have only been able to track down the two that I'm reviewing today. But I am not deterred, I shall find the elusive Cranberry Kick Chunks!
They come in a 60g bag filled with these rather large chunks. They actually reminded me of a souped up bag if Nak'd Nibbles, but much firmer and with crunchy bits in. I was left extremely satisfied and full after eating-I actually got through a seven hour shift thanks to these so they must be pretty decent! There is 12g of protein in each of these bags which provide slow release energy.

Trek Cocoa Peanut Peak Chunks

I really enjoyed this flavour. We all know that cocoa and peanut is a tried and tested flavour combination which cannot be beat. As you can imagine, Trek absolutely smashed this out of the park. The cocoa was delicious, it added a tasty richness, and complimented the naturally nutty peanut flavour. There was just enough sweetness to make it feel like a treat, but not so much that it felt sickly. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed these and can't wait for the next time I munch on these!

Rating - 8.75/10
Vegan - Yes
Calories - 232
Buy Again? - YES!

Trek Toffee Triumph Chunks

I really wasn't expecting just how good that this flavour was going to be. The toffee flavour was incredible, it actually tasted remarkable like actual toffee which is pretty impressive seeing as there was no actual dairy or chemicals involved in the creation of these snacks. The flavour was just fabulous, and the added crunch in the chunks really made it something else. Trek really have outdone themselves this time!

Rating - 9.5/10
Vegan - Yes
Calories - 213
Buy Again? - YESSS!!!