Asda Vegan 'Chicken' Popcorn

I used to absolutely adore chicken popcorns. The spicy, crispy, crunchy coating, with the soft filling. Doesn't sound quite as nice when I think about what was actually in the filling now... 
But my woes have been answered by the fantastic product team at Asda! They have done the impossible and created vegan popcorn 'chicken'. I was as stunned as you are, my dear readers, when I came across this on the vegan chat forums (I assure you that this isn't as weird or as boring as it sounds!). Instantly my attention was captured, and I knew that I needed to try them. So, I ventured out to Asda, a woman on a mission, determined to find these almost unreal promise of vegan chicken popcorns! 

I quickly located them in the frozen section and grabbed three bags, praying they would indeed be delicious and I wouldn't be left with three bags of deeply unpleasant faux chicken balls... 
So I opened the bag as soon as I got home and popped them chickens in the oven (I'm extremely talented in regards to puns). And let the cook. They took only about twenty minutes, and the smell was rather enticing. They were good sized balls, with a good crispy coating that was even and didn't crumble or fall off. They cooked evenly which was good, so I didn't end up with half of them burnt. I took the plunge, and took a bite. I was not disappointed! The flavour was fantastic, it was quite convincing in regards to the chicken flavour, with a nice southern fried spice. It had enough of a kick to provide intrigue, without being unenjoyable spicy. The heat was perfect and I couldn't help but enjoy every mouthful! The texture was good and once again, was somewhat unnervingly reminiscent of actual chicken popcorns, after munching the first one though, I wasn't that bothered because the taste was just brilliant.

They do not remind me exactly of eating, let's say, KFC, but I honestly don't think that is a bad thing. My brother and mother both tried them, and gave them a massive thumbs up, saying that they were actually better than the meat version! High praise indeed I would say. Basically, vegan, vegetarian, or meat eater, I would certainly recommend these! I cannot wait to see what other delicious thins that Asda, and other supermarkets bring out for the summer! 

Rating - 9/10 

Vegan - Yes 

Calories - 188 per Third a Bag

Buy Again - Much Man

Nak'd Caffe Mocha

​Nak'd bars are an integral part of vegan life (although certainly not an exclusively vegan product!). As an avid fan, and a bit of a connoisseur of the brand, if you will, I pride myself in trying all of the flavours available. However, there are some bars which are notoriously more difficult to get your paws on! 

The elusive Mocha bar being one of them!

You can imagine how my little eyes lit up when I saw these sitting there in my local health food store. I found my feet toddling towards it, unable to resist the urge to purchase several bars at once.  'Matta's' is a fantastic little health store in Liverpool, that stocks an impressive range of products! If you are ever in the area, I strongly urge you to venture in!

I may have gone off on a bit of a tangent about how much I love Matta's, but it honestly is, a fantastic shop! Now, I best get onto this review, hadn't I?

The wrapper was in the typical Nak'd style. Simple, clear, and as enticing as ever. Upon opening the appealing wrapper, I was instantly hit with the deliciously enchanting scent of freshly ground coffee. The actual taste of the bar, believe it or not, was somehow even better. I was utterly shocked. How could Nak'd improve upon such a tasty smell? I loved the bar. The flavour was rich with a subtle nuttiness coming from the rest of the healthy and natural ingredients of the bar, then there was a hint of cocoa which just made the whole bar even more indulgent. 

I really did love this bar, it was absolutely amazing and it took an awful lot of willpower not to then eat the other four bars that I had bought, but somehow I did!

Rating - 9.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 130 per bar

Buy Again - Definitely already have

Go Ahead Oaty Breaks

Go Ahead are a pretty snazzy brand. They make a wide variety of biscuits and snacks all claiming to be somewhat healthy. They may not be truly healthy in that they have all sorts of health benefits, but they have very little fat in, and are quite reasonable in terms of calories.

Whilst mooching around the shops, as I so often do, I came across these bars. Initially I didn’t realise that they were new, as the packaging seems to blend in incredibly well with the rest of the range. Despite this I was drawn to them, perhaps for fatalistic reasons, I do not know. But anyway, onto the review itself!

The bars come in duo form, which are easy to break down the middle, a bit like a KitKat. They are supposedly intended for you to eat on two separate occasions as the calories on the pack state that one finger is considered a serving size! I found this to be quite sneaky of Go Ahead because the packaging proudly boasts of there being only 98 calories! This obviously was too good to be true… Unless you do have fantastic willpower and can reseal the pack to prevent the other half from going stale, this two-serving suggestion just isn’t going to happen. 

 So I began my munching.

They are ridiculously crumbly biscuit bars, so I decided it was best to break them up into easy to eat portions to create minimal crumbage. This didn’t really work as well as I would have hoped, but better than a face full of crumbs. I enjoyed both bars but preferred the Cinnamon and Raisin flavour.

The Cinnamon and Raisin flavour was packed full of dried raisins which helped to break up the crumbly dryness. The sweet spice of the cinnamon added something a little different, it worked to create a warmth and depth to the flavour that I thoroughly enjoyed! 

The Golden Syrup was also yummy, but did have a bit of a strange burnt flavour to it. I’m not sure if I did just get a slightly burnt pack, or if this is part of the whole intended taste experience. It certainly wasn’t unpleasant, just a bit odd. 

Both flavours worked perfectly with a cup of coffee and were surprisingly filling, leaving me feeling extremely satisfied. Overall I liked these and found them to be very moreish, good as a mid-morning treat, or simply because you fancy something sweet!

Rating – 7.5/10

Calories –190/200 per pack

Vegan – Yes

Buy Again? – When on Offer