Kev's Snack Reviews

So I thought it about time I do a Free From version of Spotted In Shops (with a side dose of Vegan Snacks News), featuring some of the latest Gluten/Dairy/Egg Free & Vegan products, since the demand for these foods is ever-growing. Without further ado, let's take a look at what's come out in recent months... First up - Freaks of Nature, makers of Dairy Free desserts, have launched into the Dairy Free Yoghurt market with Blueberry and Strawberry flavours. These are made with Cashew nuts and are currently available from Sainsbury's for £1.50 a pot. It's not available in the UK yet (Sweden and Finland will get them in September), but a Vegan Magnum now exists in both Classic and Almond varieties! No doubt these will be on sale here soon if they're popular - I personally reckon they'll be on shelves by next year. The Coconut Collaborative are still going strong with their Dairy Free desserts, and have added a Mango and Passionfruit Panna Cotta to...

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 organ...

I've been trying a lot of dairy free chocolates lately, it's always nice to find more vegan and dairy free options in shops. One brand I've been buying quite a bit of is Seed and Bean, who make a variety of Organic Vegan chocolates in many different flavours. This particular variety contains 70% cocoa solids, and smoked cornish sea salt. It costs around £2.49 in various health food stores as well as some WH Smiths stores, where I bought this one. I do like the blocks on Seed and Bean bars, they're a lot more interesting than your average bar and the cocoa pods are a nice touch. The chocolate is very rich and flavoursome, with a nice melt in the mouth texture. The smoked sea salt gave it a tasty edge, lifting it from average dark chocolate to something a bit more special. I was skeptical initially that the combination would work, but it's actually really nice! I soon demolished a hefty portion of the bar. Overall, if you're vegan, dairy free or jus...

This delicious bar of Lemon and poppy seeds white chocolate is made by Seed & Bean, a company specializing in organic, ethical and fairtrade chocolates. Described as "Italian inspired dreamy white chocolate infused with organic lemon oil from Italy, with a gentle dusting of poppy seeds" it is also hand made and has won a "Great Taste Gold 2011" award. I'm not that familiar with Seed & Bean but I've seen their bars in Holland and Barrett plenty of times, which is where I bought this. I've wanted to try it for ages now because it's always made me wonder: how does white chocolate, lemon and poppy seeds taste together? Really nice, as it happens! Opening the wrapper I was met with a delicious creamy lemony scent, like lemon cheesecake. Infact, that's how I would describe this chocolate: "like lemon cheesecake in a bar". I've never had poppy seeds in chocolate before so this was a new experience for me. And despite ...