Coco Caravan Caramel Vegan Easter Eggs

A big thankyou to Coco Caravan for today's review. They kindly sent me some of their Raw Vegan Chocolate Caramel Eggs recently so I was super excited indeed - it's rare to get a vegan caramel! These are available from Coco Caravans website and consist of 8 raw dark chocolate eggs, containing a runny caramel made with coconut blossom sugar, coconut cream and oil and cashew nut paste. A caramel made without dairy - yay!

I like the simple and non pretentious packaging - they're wrapped in simply brown paper which feels rather rustic, plus makes it easy to recycle.

When trying to take a pic of the innards I accidentally squashed it - oops! As you can hopefully see above the caramel is super sticky and runny.

The eggs are two halves stuck together rather than a whole shell completely filled with caramel. I took a bite, and it wasn't quite what I expected. The flavour is earthy and punchy, and definitely that of a raw chocolate. It was nice and flavoursome and definitely made a change from regular dark chocolate. The caramel had that distinctive coconut sugar flavour, quite earthy and it tasted nice and sweet but I did feel the texture was just a little bit too runny to be a proper caramel.

Overall, these are very nice and a real treat if you're avoiding dairy, although personally I would prefer a chewier caramel. (I'm a sucker for chewy caramel, admittedly!)

Find them on cococaravan.co.uk

8 out of 10. 

Ingredients: Raw cacao butter, cacao powder (cacao mass 72%), coconut blossom nectar, ground vanilla pod. Soft Center Caramel: Coconut blossom sugar, virgin coconut oil, cashew nut paste, coconut cream.

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.

The Primal Pantry Double Espresso Protein Bar

When I'm trying to eat healthy (#thestruggleisreal!) I do like a nice refined sugar, gluten and dairy free snack to munch on. There's always the trusty, tasty Nakd bars on hand in most shops, but a lesser-known brand is The Primal Pantry, who make Paleo and Vegan approved bars with ingredients like nuts, dried fruit, coconut sugar etc. I've tried their stuff before and really enjoyed it. So when I spotted this caffeine infused Espresso variety in the Co Op recently I got very excited indeed - probably too excited, must have been the thought of that shake-inducing caffeine!

Described as simply a "Double Espresso Protein Bar" it contains real coffee beans and seemed to be promising an energy boost in bar form - protein AND coffee all at once?! Can't get more #fitfam than that ey?

Unfortunately, the bar turned out to be a bit pants. Overlooking the fact it looked like something you'd find in your pants, the texture was my first point of contention: it tasted gritty and unpleasant, no doubt due to the hemp used to boost the protein content. If that wasn't bad enough the density was neither firm nor chewy but sort of soft and squidgy, because Primal Pantry have used coconut nectar as the sweetener and it didn't work well to hold the texture of the bar. On top of that, the espresso flavour was not a strong shot of the good stuff but instead tasted of cheap coffee.

Overall, I don't really care how much protein or caffeine this contains, those are just bonuses because the most important thing is the taste, and it just didn't deliver. Sorry Primal Pantry - as much as I liked your other bars this one really falls short.

Ingredients: Dates, hemp protein 26%, coconut nectar, almonds, coffee beans 5%, caffeine extract from coffee beans (0.18%).

Nutrition Information (per bar): 196 Calories, 4g Fat, 24g Carbohydrates, 21g Sugars, 3g Fibre, 15g Protein.

5 out of 10.

Nakd Blueberry Muffin Review

My first post-Christmas review...hurrah! And in typical fashion it's for something healthy, which is just what the doctor ordered after all the rich food and sweets over the festive season.

This new Blueberry Muffin flavour Nakd bar caught my eye in a local Sainsbury's Express only a few days after Christmas, and being a huge fan of their other varieties it went straight into my basket. How would it compare to previous editions like Lemon Drizzle and Carrot Cake?

The bar cost 85p and consists of a mixture of dates, cashews, raisins, almonds, blueberries and a hint of natural flavouring. Opening the wrapper it had a super strong blueberry aroma - wow it smelled like a blueberry muffin alright!

Taking a bite, it tasted even more of blueberry muffin than I'd expected. I mean yeah I expected blueberry, but the cashews and almonds actually gave it a muffin-like taste and texture. This was a real treat indeed, and better than some of the previous limited editions, in my opinion, including the Lemon Drizzle. 

Overall, a very tasty bar indeed that feels like a genuine treat, perfect for any healthier eating new years resolutions, as well as the upcoming #veganuary season! 

8.5 out of 10.

Nakd Berry Bliss & Cocoa Twist New Recipe Bars

Amongst the Nakd bars I was sent recently were the New Recipe Apple Danish and Banana Bread bars, as well as these Berry Bliss and Cocoa Twist varieties. They're made with a mixture of oats, raisins, cashews, dates and "fruit extract" which consists of apple and carob. All are vegan and gluten free, as well as refined sugar free. Thankfully they're not flavour free!

The Berry Bliss variety is lovely; so fruity thanks to the raspberries and strawberries, it feels like a real summery treat indeed, in fact it'd be perfect for the Wimbledon season! But it would also be good for those times in Winter when you want to remember the Summer months too, haha! 8 out of 10.

The Cocoa Twist bar is a more simple affair, but very satisfying and has a nice rich cocoa flavour. It's the closest to a natural brownie bar you're going to get, and makes for a very filling snack. Highly recommended. 8 out of 10.

Overall, these are another two great snacks from Nakd, perfect for a low sugar, gluten free vegan treat. The addition of oats makes them extra satisfying and filling compared to regular Nakd bars - I'd recommend them for a healthier mid morning snack fix!

Nakd Apple Danish & Banana Bread New Recipes

Recently, I was sent a batch of snacks to review including some of the new Nakd bars with a "New Recipe", so I thought I'd start with some of the more interesting flavours from the selection: Apple Danish and Banana Bread! The Apple Danish replaces the previous Apple Pie Nakd bar and I wasn't sure what the difference was so I looked it up...seems that this Apple Danish contains cashews rather than peanuts and almonds, and it also contains "fruit extract and concentrate" which consists of apple and carob.

Nakd Apple Danish:

This one tasted lovely with a subtle apple flavour and nice chewy texture. The natural spices are gentle and comforting and give it that authentic Apple Danish flavour. Although you could still pretend it's Apple Pie too! I really enjoyed this. 8 out of 10.

Nakd Banana Bread:

The Banana Bread one was perhaps even more exciting, replicating the classic banana cakey treat in bar form. It contains real bananas as well as walnuts and the same "fruit extract" of apple and carob. It tastes delicious, with a realistic and yummy banana flavour that is very comforting.The oats make it feel very satisfying and substantial. If you love banana flavoured treats this is definitely one for you! 8 out of 10.

Overall, these are two excellent bars from Nakd that feel like real treats indeed despite being healthy. The fact they're made with all natural ingredients is great, plus they're suitable for vegans and gluten-free! Highly recommended.

Nutrition per 30g bar:
Apple Danish: 98 Calories, 1.4g Fat, 18.8g Carbohydrates, 14.9g Sugars, 1.8g Protein, 1.5g Fibre.

Banana Bread: 94 Calories, 2g Fat, 16.6g Carbohydrates, 13.2g Sugars, 1.8g Protein, 1.2g Fibre. 

Ingredients:
Apple Danish: Dates, Gluten Free Oats, Raisins, Fruit extract & concentrate (apple, carob), cashews, apples, a hint of natural flavouring cinnamon & nutmeg.

Banana Bread: Dates, Bananas, Gluten Free Oats, Raisins, Walnuts, Fruit extract (apple, carob), A hint of natural flavouring cinnamon & nutmeg.