Quorn Vegan Nuggets

Quorn really are doing fantastic with their vegan expansion. Every time that I spot a new product added to their range, it instantly goes into my trolley as I hastily make my way home to try it! So as you can imagine, exactly that happened when I spotted these Quorn Vegan Nuggets. They are not exactly a vegan translation of their non-vegan range, as they are in batter, whereas these are in breadcrumbs. I presume that the egg white is a vital part of the batter mixture? Anyway, they reminded me more of rounded goujons rather than traditional battered nuggets. I wasn’t particularly bothered by this (surprisingly since I have gone on about it for about five lines). 

The nuggets were a good size, with a sturdy coating that thankfully never crumbled off everywhere, causing a massive mess! There was a very slight spiced flavour to the coating, which I enjoyed. The crunchy and crispy texture of the coating against the soft and tender Quorn filling. The Quorn filling had more flavour than that of the fillings, although I can’t quite pinpoint what this flavour is… But I think it is surprisingly convincing of chicken. 

These bring back a sense of childhood nostalgia, with a more sophisticated and adult vibe which helped whilst I munched half a pack with tomato sauce! Maybe not the most exciting or posh, but then again, I am a student and taste counts more than pretence! I really do love these, and thoroughly enjoy munching on these most nights, as do most of my family! 

So thank you Quorn for this fabulous expansion, and I cannot wait to see what other exciting products hit our shelves in the next few months!

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 200 per 100g

Buy Again? – Already have another three bags in my freezer

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

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!!!