Seed & Bean Lemon and Cardamom Dark Chocolate

Today's review is for Seed and Bean, a brand I have featured on occasion before - I particularly loved their White Chocolate, Lemon & Poppyseed Bar. This time I've been trying out some of their dark chocolate varieties.

Their dark chocolates are suitable for vegans, fairtrade, dairy free and gluten free, as well as organic. This one contains 58% Cocoa and is flavoured with lemon and cardamom, a bit of a unique pairing for chocolate!

It tastes nice, with rich, good quality dark chocolate that has a slightly acidic edge. The cardamom certainly makes for an interesting flavour profile combined with the lemon. I enjoyed this bar, it's not something you'd want to eat on the regular, but for "something a bit different" at Christmas it would make a nice variation. I would recommend this to vegans or anyone dairy free looking for something a bit different.

I also like that it's organic since Green & Blacks seem to be downplaying their organic range now with their Velvet Editions, which surely isn't a good sign for the organic chocolate market. Please people, support organic products, not only are they good for the environment they're better for your health too!

8.5 out of 10.

Goupie Lemon Meringue and Date & Walnut Review

A big thankyou to Goupie for sending me some of their lovely chocolates to review recently. They are "A devilishly moreish chewy chocolate confection with a hint of crunch", hand produced by a small team in Kent. They come in triangular pieces and are freshly made to order every week. There's 17 individual flavours, 13 of which are vegan friendly, whilst 7 are gluten-free. For more info do check out Goupie's website: https://goupie.co.uk/

I got the Lemon Meringue and Date & Walnut as these are both gluten free, but they also make varieties such as Hazelnut, White Chocolate & Lavender and the intriguing "A Taste of Christmas" based on the humble mince pie (only available from October to December).

Lemon Meringue (Gluten Free):

Described as "A citrus cocktail of zesty candied lemon and rich marshmallows " these had a delightful lemon aroma when I cut into them. The centre is light and chewy, very sweet and oh so moreish. The Belgian dark chocolate is the perfect coating, with the marshmallow being a nice finish. These had me hooked! Before I knew it they were gone...oops. 8.5 out of 10.

Date & Walnut (Gluten Free, Vegan):

Described as "A priceless pairing of succulent dates and creamy walnuts", these are dairy free and vegan as well as gluten free.

The centres in these were very sticky, no doubt thanks to the dates, and oh so moreish. They also have a rich chocolate flavour going on.

They're the perfect ooey, gooey munchy snack that will keep you reaching for more. Super rich and full of flavour, with the walnuts adding a slightly savoury edge, these would make a perfect end to a meal. 8 out of 10.

Out of the two boxes Goupie sent me, it's hard to pick a favourite because both were so moreish and addictive, but as you can see the Lemon Meringue scored higher, purely because I prefer zesty fruity flavours. Both are great though, and boy do I wish I wasn't gluten sensitive so I could try the other varieties!