Douwe Egberts Caramel Coffee

I absolutely adore coffee, I used to have a really bad addiction and was drinking about three or four large mugs(equivalent of two regular mugs) of the stuff every day, but then I decided that I should really give it up because I was drinking it with about two sugars each time and I no longer slept. So I went about five or six years without a cup of the stuff, until I saw this little jar of Douwe Egberts Caramel Coffee. I was intrigued, it was the same calories as regular black coffee but with a caramel twist, could it really combine two wonderful flavours together to create a taste sensation or was it merely advertising to make you buy the same coffee that you always do for a higher price in a smaller jar?

I was wary of this but decided to treat myself regardless, when I got home I thought that the best way to sample it would be black, but if I'm honest it just tasted like regular black coffee, with perhaps the smallest hint of caramel, but I wouldn't say that it would be worth it to get, so I decided that to be fair I would try it with milk and sugar as I would normally take it. 

So I decided to make it with 200ml of almond milk, and a teaspoon of sweetener. It was actually quite delicious, the smell was so enticing and wonderful, even my mum who hates coffee said that the smell was amazing. It was rich and sweet with the warmth of coffee. The caramel shone through very well when combined with milk, and you could actually appreciate the taste much more. I now have a small cup of this every morning with my breakfast in order to perk me up enough to face the day!

I have a cup of this to someone who generally only drinks plain black coffee and he genuinely couldn't tell the difference, except that it had a slightly richer after taste, he said it didn't particularly make him think that there was anything different, just maybe a different brand to what he usually had.

Rating - 8/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 2 when served black

Buy Again - Now a weekly staple!

Vegan Quorn Pieces

If you are vegetarian, quorn will most likely play a massive part of your life, but unfortunately as a vegan your options quickly dwindle down to absolutely nothing. But thankfully quorn has heard our pleas and answered our prayers! 

They have brought out two items that are vegan friendly, there are these simple and versatile, easily to use in a variety of different meals. The other product is a hot and spicy chicken style burger, perfect for those craving a big of spice and excitement in their meal.

Today I am reviewing the Quorn pieces, these are chicken in style and when incorporated into a sauce or curry type of thing it is quite difficult to tell the different taste wise, the texture is different to chicken but that's not a bad thing, it is firmer and a bit denser but by no means dry because of how it absorbs flavour so well. Personally I couldn't tell a difference between these and the regular non vegan Quorn pieces and these so I see no reason for anyone to have qualms with this progression. 

They are easy to cook and take about ten minutes in the frying pan with a bit of oil, or just cool throw it in with the sauce and put it in the oven if it is like an oven cooked thing.

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 104 per 100g

Buy Again - Indeed!

Inspiral Raspberry Coconut Pecks

Okay, I have been absolutely rubbish recently as my life has been crazy to say the very least so I have decided to write about twenty review that I can keep on back up and anything new that come out I will make it a priority to write about. So I am sorry for being useless, but this time I am back and committing! 

Today, the first of many review are these Inspiral Raspberry Coconut Pecks, initially I didn't really know what to expect at all if I'm honest, was it just going to be bits of coconut flakes with a few bits of freeze dried raspberries in it, I wasn't particularly excited by that prospect and as a result put off trying them for a while, but when I finally got round to them, oh how I regretted not trying them sooner!

They were such a unique flavour and concept, I have never had anything quite like this, it is like little coconut clusters combined with raspberry pieces and it is quite magical. They were crunchy and just really a delight to eat, now, the most important thing, the flavour is divine, it is sweet with a slight tartness from the raspberries, there was a lovely natural vanilla flavour coming through which I really liked. I let my friend have a try of them and he agreed with me, initially he thought it was a bit weird but after having a second he said they were really nice (or maybe he just wanted a sneaky extra piece haha!)

These are quite expensive for what they are but they are a delicious treat and are fabulously healthy so I can't complain!

Rating - 8.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 149

Buy Again - Yes

Good 4 U Super Bites

I am such a massive fan of Nak'd, they provide healthy, sweet, tasty, and nutritional products perfect for vegans and non vegans alike, but I am always open to trying new products who boast to have similar qualities. 

I had seen quite a few reviews on these from my favourite people, and I had seen how negative they had all been, and me being a fool thought, 'sure they can't be that bad'. Oh goodness me how I was wrong. They have to be some of the worst things I have ever eaten, they taste like dirt, there is no real sweetness, just this strange and unpleasant dirt like flavour to it. I understand that it is all natural and healthy but that doesn't mean that it has to taste horrible! 

It is things like this that give vegan food a bad reputation and it is infuriating because these are such a great and simple concept, they do different flavours from Nak'd so there is a gap in the market for these little 'treats' (a term I use loosely because these are anything but a treat to eat...)

Personally I wouldn't even bother buying these, they are only a few pennies less than Nak'd and with Nak'd you know that what you are getting is absolutely delicious and full of yummy goodness! Overall, I didn't enjoy these at all, I was tempted to give them to my vegan friend but I felt that would be cruel because of how awful they were. I am now somewhat regretting buying several packs of these now.

Rating - 2/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 160

Buy Again - NEVER

Fabulous FreeFrom Factory Vegan Chocolate Raisins

Does anyone else get cravings for things that they used to love as children? Recently I have been desperate for chocolate covered raisins but as a vegan it is near impossible to find any alternative what so ever, but whilst wandering about in Holland & Barratt's I came across these tasty looking treats! They are made by the Fabulous FreeFrom Factory, I was a bit concerned that the chocolate wouldn't be of a very good quality, but I was very wrong! I honestly couldn't tell the difference between these and regular chocolate raisins, even my mum and dad agreed that they couldn't tell that they were vegan. They aren't quite like eating milk chocolate, they are a bit darker but personally I think that worked even better, it countered the sweetness of the raisins nicely without making it bitter or an unpleasant experience. 

Basically I loved these. They were such good quality and so incredibly moreish and I only regret not trying them sooner!

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 324 per pack

Buy Again - Already bought five more...

Tesco Banana Bliss Bars

I am a massive fan of Nakd bars but I do think that they can be quite expensive averaging in at about 75p a bar, and whilst I don't mind paying this much for such a delicious and high quality nutritional snack, it just isn't feasible to do all the time, especially because I eat several a day... 

Anyway, when I became aware of these tasty bars (courtesy of the incredible Amy) I couldn't wait to try them! I went straight to Tesco and bought a pack so that I could have one with my evening snack. I liked the packaging on the box how it clearly labelled that the bars were dairy free, because it is an absolute nuisance sometimes checking the ingredients to absolutely everything you buy, and even then you can still easily miss something! I am rambling so I shall get onto the important stuff, what it tastes like.

The flavour of the bar is absolutely lovely, it tastes very natural like a perfectly ripened banana with a nice nuttiness that rounds the bar off well. This is complimented by the texture of the bar, it was soft and squidgy with little crunchy bits scattered throughout which was particularly nice. Overall I can't actually fault this bar, it was delicious, filling, healthy, and an all round great snack! I would strongly recommend it to vegans and non vegans!

Rating - 9.25/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 87

Buy Again - Already Have!

Fabulous FreeFrom Factory Crunchee Bites

I used to love having a Cadbury Crunchie bar, they were easily one of my favourite bars going, with their mix of smooth and creamy chocolate with a crunchy chewy honeycomb! But obviously this is not quite vegan and I have never been able to find something to replace my long lost love!

That is, until now! My mum managed to find whilst out on her travels this wonderful little shop in Liverpool called Matta'sfood so I strongly recommend it to anyone in Liverpool! The serving size is really good and makes a delicious treat that can be enjoyed in one sitting or had a few handfuls at a time if you have some semblance of restraint (something which I have none of...). These were tiny clusters of vegan honeycomb enrobed in vegan milk chocolate. The chocolate was of a really good quality and had just enough flavour to be there but not overwhelm the delicate flavour of the honeycomb.

The honeycomb itself was simply divine, it was sweet, crunchy, and chewy. I can't believe that this is a vegan treat because it doesn't taste that way! I really enjoyed this and can't wait to have another bag!

Rating - 9/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 483 per 100g

Buy Again - Yes!!!

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!