Ombar Centres Raspberry & Coconut Raw Bar

I do love Ombar chocolates, if you can’t tell by now from my previous reviews of their bars! Not only are they dairy free and vegan they’re also made with “raw” cacao which is quite a rarity amongst chocolates. This gives them a sharper more authentic cocoa flavour, although it may not be to all tastes I personally rather enjoy it.

I’ve been keen to try this Ombar Centres Raspberry for ages now, I've seen it in shops locally but kept umming and ahhing over whether to buy it. Luckily I was offered some of the range along with the new Karma Bites snacks to review recently so I couldn't say no to that!

Weighing 35g this usually costs around £1.99. It’s a lot, but bear in mind this is high quality organic raw cacao made by a small company. It’s worth the price, and nicer than other raw chocolate bars on the market. The bar contains a centre of coconut cream and raspberry powder and is coated in 60% cocoa chocolate.

I cut a piece off the bar so you can see the centre - look, it’s pink! It reminded me of a Raspberry Ruffle bar. I took a bite, and at first I could taste the punchy flavour of the raw chocolate - kind of earthy and very flavoursome. The coconut sugar used in place of white sugar further adds to this flavour. The centre is where it’s taken to a new level - it’s creamy thanks to the coconut, but with that characteristic tart edge of raspberry. It’s the perfect pairing; not so strong that it's overpowering, but just enough to get a good fruity hit.

All in all, this bar is delightful and I’m so glad to see Ombar going from strength to strength since I first reviewed them several years back. I hope to see more varieties in this Centres range and dare I say a large bar version too?!

Are you a fan of Ombar? Which is your favourite dairy free/vegan chocolate? Let me know in the comments!

Nutritional Information (Per 35g Bar): Energy 837kj (202kcal), Fat 15g, of which saturates 9.9g, Carbohydrates 16g, of which sugars 11g, Protein 2.9g, Salt 0g.

Organic ingredients: creamed coconut*, coconut sugar*, raw cacao*, coconut oil*, cocoa butter*, raspberry powder*, ground vanilla pods*. *certified organic. Cocoa solids 60% minimum.

9 out of 10.

Marks & Spencer White Chocolate, Raspberry & Matcha Bar

Whilst buying the delicious Swiss Blond Chocolate bar from M&S recently I thought I'd also try one of their new smaller "treat" bars with "healthy" additions. I went for this White Chocolate with Matcha tea and raspberry added because it sounded pretty unusual if not delicious. It's in the same range as the Latte Coffee Kick and Turmeric Coconut treat bars and costs 60p for 25g.

Described as a "matcha green tea flavoured white chocolate bar with freeze-dried raspberries" it's split it into two chunks - one for the AM and one for the PM. Really, M&S?! This may not be just any chocolate, but I certainly ain't saving half for later!

The dried raspberries were clearly visible on the underside of the bar. I can't say it looked all that appetizing to be honest.

Starting with the AM square (it was actually in the PM - so I had a good excuse to eat both pieces!) I took a bite, and thankfully it tasted a lot better than it looked! The chocolate is super creamy but this is offset by the sharp flavour of the matcha tea, which actually blends really well with it. Opposites attract it seems! The raspberry pieces added some nice crunch and bursts of tart flavour, which complimented the chocolate well. All in all this is a strange bar that's actually pretty tasty, a nice mix of creamy, sharp and tart flavours all in one.

Overall, would I recommend this bar? If you're a white chocolate fan then yes, definitely, it's something a bit different and not quite as odd as it sounds on paper. Only for the adventurous though!

Ingredients: Sugar, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, freeze dried raspberries (2%), dried matcha green tea, emulsifier soya lecithin, vanilla extract. Milk solids 21% minimum. 

8 out of 10. 

Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer Original & Scottish Raspberry

A big thankyou to Crabbie's for providing me with these bottles of alcoholic gluten free ginger beer for todays review, they were very much appreciated! What with the hot, changeable weather recently it's always nice to have something refreshing on hand to cool down with, especially when it's alcoholic.

Crabbie's have been going since the 1800's when Scottish pioneer John Crabbie started creating drinks from steeped ginger and exotic spices from the far east. For more info on their history, do check out Crabbie's website: www.crabbiesgingerbeer.co.uk.

The Original variety is made to Crabbie's "unique steeped ginger recipe" and contains 4% alcohol. I chilled it in the freezer, before pouring into a glass to drink ice cold. It was lovely; super refreshing, spicy and fiery with a lovely ginger warmth. The low amount of alcohol was just right, enough to make you feel a slight merriness but not keel over. Great for a summers day! 8.5 out of 10.

The Scottish Raspberry variety had a lovely pink hue to it, with that unmistakable aroma of sweet raspberry. I was worried this wouldn't mix well with ginger beer but to my surprise it was lovely, it gave a nice tart refreshing edge to the more fiery sweet ginger. It somehow works really well! I would definitely try this again. 8.5 out of 10.

Hats off to Crabbie's, these are two lovely drinks for the summer months. I would highly recommend them if you're in need of a light, gluten free alcoholic refreshment - they're perfect for picnics and barbecues. I'll be seeking out their other flavours now!