Kev's Snack Reviews

It's been a while now since I first reviewed Real Handful snacks , and since then they have rebranded a little bit. They now produce "unruly" flavours, and are sick of snacks that are "good" or "bad", so instead their snacks are "better". This might sound confusing but I get what they're aiming for - the healthy snacks market can tend to be a bit black and white, but in reality people have so many differing dietary needs it's never that clear cut. They recently offered me some snacks from their new range to review and of course I couldn't say no to that! As well as bagged fruit and nut mixes they've diversified into snack bars, with flavours like Choc Orange and Sea Salt Caramello which I'm reviewing today. The bars are made with a mix of nuts, coconut sugar, rice syrup, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed protein and more. They're a little similar to Nine Bars and are gluten free and vegan, although produced in a factory t...

Last week I reviewed the Orange and Mint bars from Pana Cacao, but wait...there's more! A big thankyou to the UK importers for sending me samples of the range recently - there's flavours such as Cherry, Strawberry & Pistachio as well as today's review: Fig & Wild Orange and Raw Cacao. Pana Cacao is an Australian company producing raw, organic and handmade chocolates using minimal ingredients and sustainable materials. They're suitable for vegans, dairy free, soy free and use coconut nectar and agarve syrup instead of white sugar. You can find them in the UK in various health food stores, as well as Pana's UK webstore: https://panachocolate.com/uk/shop/ The bars each comes in boxes containing 45g in paper wrappers. Each has an individual design, which I think is a nice touch and makes it feel more special (see above). Starting with the Fig & Wild Orange variety, this contains 14% figs as well as wild orange essential oil, plus spices like car...

As well as the new Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cup Halo Top I reviewed recently, I picked up the Sea Salt Caramel variety as part of the special offer at Tesco (2 tubs for £7). I was tempted by the Toasted Coconut one and will probably try that at some point too, but let's crack on with today's review... The ice cream is soy free, vegan and gluten free, although has been processed in a factory that uses nuts, milk, egg and wheat - so beware if you are sensitive to any of those. It's described as "Sea salt caramel flavour ice cream with sugar and sweeteners". Opening the lid, there seemed to be some nice pockets of caramel tucked into the ice cream. I scooped some into a bowl. It tasted lovely! I preferred this one a lot more to the Peanut Butter Cup variety, it tastes exactly of salted caramel and is the perfect creamy consistency. The texture is nice and light, and the pea and rice protein in the ingredients didn't seem to be as noticeable as in the...

Just a quick heads up on some important snacks news today...Cadbury are going to launch a new 30% Less Sugar version of Dairy Milk! Strangely, it won't be available until 2019 so don't get too excited. The new bars are not replacing the regular variety but are an alternative for those wishing to reduce their sugar intake. They will not be made with artificial sweeteners, but added fibres instead. Personally I think it's a pointless exercise, if you're eating Dairy Milk in the first place you probably aren't too concerned with your sugar intake, and a 30% reduction is hardly a lot.  As well as the new Dairy Milk, Cadbury are also launching a "Boost + Protein" bar, aimed at gym bunnies in need of an extra source. Luckily they'll be available this year so you won't have to wait too long to try them! Let me know your thoughts in the comments...do you want to see reduced sugar versions of your favourite chocolate bars or would you prefer a ...

This week Tesco have introduced a variety of new Halo Top flavours, from the likes of Birthday Cake , Oatmeal Cookie , and Red Velvet , as well as a trio of Dairy Free varieties: Toasted Coconut , Sea Salted Caramel and this Peanut Butter Cup. I was super excited by this, since I've been trying to avoid dairy for a while now. How would it compare to the likes of Perfect World or Booja Booja vegan ice creams? Described as "Peanut butter cup ice cream with sugar and sweeteners", this costs £5 in Tesco or you can get two tubs for £7. The ice cream is suitable for vegans, as well as being gluten free and soy free, however it is made in a factory that processes wheat, milk, eggs and nuts. I must admit I did chuckle at the lid! (see above) By the time I got the tub home it was somewhat melted and soft, and the perfect temperature to eat. It had a nice peanutty aroma. I scooped some into a bowl and took a bite... It tasted pretty good! The ice cream is quite light ...

I was recently sent a selection of chocolates from the UK importers of Pana Cacao, an Australian company that produces raw, vegan, organic and handmade chocolate bars without the use of dairy or sugar. Instead they use agave and coconut syrup, cacao butter and raw cacao. Today I'm reviewing the mint and orange bars, which are some of the simpler flavours in the range but very tasty ones indeed. The bars come in recyclable boxes printed with vegetables ink, and each contains a 45g bar with a paper inner wrapper. The chunks have messages printed on, such as "Love your insides" on the orange variety... And "Love the earth" on the mint one: I've tried a few Pana bars previously, and was a big fan so I was super excited to try these flavours... The Orange variety contains raw cacao, dark agave nectar, tangerine and orange oil and spices like cinnamon and carob. The first thing I noticed biting into it was just how fudgey and soft it was, it was more li...

Recently, Tesco Express stores have been selling a range of snacks from Emily Crisps, and one that caught my eye were these Sweet Potato Sticks. They cost £1.10 for a 35g bag. The bag contains both purple and yellow sweet potato chips, sprinkled with sea salt and fried in sustainable palm oil. I opened the bag, and was a little disappointed there didn't seem to be much in it - little more than a handful. I wanted to like them, I really did but they were just somehow lacking. They tasted too greasy, and seemed like they had been overcooked, spoiling any natural flavour of sweet potato. I think they made a mistake in using palm oil rather than a lighter oil like sunflower, and it really shows in the taste. Overall, these were a let down for me and not something I would buy again. I feel they're overpriced for what they are - the larger bags are over £2.50. Have you tried Emily Veg Crisps? Are you a fan? Let me know in the comments! 5 out of 10.

Since Donald Trump is making his controversial UK visit this week (and there will be the amazing Donald Trump Baby balloon, pictured above, flying over London to mark the occasion!) I thought I'd post something topical, not a review but a Spotted In Shops with these Donald Trump inspired novelties that can be found in Home Bargains stores. They're pretty genius items to poke fun at the man, and include... Build That Wall Chocolate Bar: This says it all really! Maybe Mr Trump would like a goody bag of British sweets with one of these in... Make America Save Again Money Box: In need of need a pot of dreams? Make America save again! Donald Trump Rubber Duck: Imagine having that thing in the bath with you...it's the stuff of nightmares! *shudder* There were a few other Trump-themed items in Home Bargains although I didn't get pictures of them all...if anyone spots them, let me know in the comments!

Considering the heatwave we are experiencing lately I thought I'd review something appropriate for the weather - ice cream! Not just any ice cream but vegan, dairy free, gluten free and organic ice cream made by Booja Booja! I've reviewed their Caramel Pecan Praline Ice Cream before and really loved it, so how does this "Hunky Punky Chocolate" variety compare? I found this reduced to £2 at a local market stall which is an absolute steal (it usually costs around £6 at Waitrose) so naturally I stocked up. It's made with a blend of reverse osmosis water (how fancy!), agave syrup (a type of cactus), cashew nuts and cocoa powder. Pretty simple ingredients and no weird fillers or stabilizers - can't get more natural than that! I scooped some into a bowl. It had a nice chocolatey smell and I couldn't wait to get stuck in! It tastes very good indeed, super creamy and chocolatey, with a light sweet edge from the agave syrup. It's certainly on par with...

Following my review of the Munchy Seeds Salted Caramel Topper, today's review is for some of the smaller packs from the Munchy Seeds range. I was sent a variety to review but today I'll be focusing on the Honey, Salted Caramel and Choccy Ginger. The Salted Caramel Topper is the same thing as these smaller packs, so click the link above for that. Moving onto the Honey Seeds, these have won a Great Taste Award and are coated in a mixture of sugar and honey. And they're pretty nommable! (is that a word? I'm pretty sure it is nowadays!) They taste crunchy, sweet and slightly savoury all at once with the delicate honey flavour giving them a lighter edge compared to the Salted Caramel. They taste just as good and I suppose you can even pretend they're healthier since honey is more natural than sugar ;) Regardless, it's pretty easy to get through the bag, although they are a lot more filling than similar products like Nakd bars. 8 out of 10.  The Choccy Ginge...

Today's post is a first for Kev's Snack Reviews - I'm doing a joint competition on Instagram @kevssnackreviews  with @InstaBics ! The prize will be a box of some of the latest and greatest snacks, including: 1. Kinder Bueno Mini Mix 2. Cadbury Freddo Faces Cakes 3. Nutella B-ready pack 4. Oreo Thins 5. Twix Soft Centres 6. McVities Moments Salted Caramel Billionaires  7. Orange Smarties Limited Edition 8. Smarties Unicorn Edition 9. Cadbury Freddo Biscuits 10. Limited Edition Skittles 11. Kitkat Senses Mixed Box 12. Jaffa Cakes Lemon & Lime 13. McVities Digestives Chocfilled Thins Double Chocolate 14. Oreo Thins Coconut 15. Maltesers Buttons 16. McVities Hobnobs Nibbles Hazelnut 17. Galaxy Chocolate Rounds 18. Cadbury Dairy Milk Oreo Sandwich 19. Nestle Kitkat Ruby 20. McVities Digestives Thins Milk Chocolate 21. Mr Kipling Unicorn Slices 22. Galaxy Wafer Curls Conditions of Entry - you MUST: 1. Like the Instagram post for the competition...

I reviewed Vita Coco Original Coconut Milk last year when they launched it, and am quite a big fan of it now. I buy it whenever it's on special offer and prefer it to most nut or rice based milks, as the taste is fresh and the consistency pretty similar to regular milk. However Vita Coco have brought out a new "Light" version, meaning it is lower in fat. It seems a bit unneccesary to me, but I know people are still concerned about fat even in natural products, so I can see there's a demand for it. I picked up this bottle for £2 on special offer in Waitrose recently. There is half the fat in this version compared to the Original, so the consistency is of course thinner and the taste is not as creamy. I found it very refreshing, just like the original version, but I still much prefer the original. And there's not really much to say about it other than that...it's good for those watching their fat intake I suppose, although IMO I don't think there's ...

Following my review of the Grown Up Fruit & Nut in milk chocolate , today's review is for their Nuts! Oh, Hazelnuts! A bar containing, you guessed it...nuts! This is essentially their version of a Cadbury's Wholenut, but one just for grown ups of course! Opening the foil wrapper, the chocolate smelled very inviting, with the whole hazelnuts clearly visible embedded in the bar. They looked very plentiful indeed! And what a delight they were! They tasted super fresh and go perfectly with the creamy, good quality milk chocolate which is a whopping 38% cocoa solids. It's creamy whilst being rich and satisfying, with the nuts being the icing on the cake quite literally. Overall, this is another fantastic bar from The Grown Up Chocolate Company, although I have to say I did prefer the Fruit and Nut Bar just because of the variety of tastes and textures on offer there, but this is definitely one for the hazelnut lovers. For more info and to buy check out The Grown U...

If you've never heard of the Grown Up Chocolate Company before allow me to introduce you. They produce a range of "grown up" chocolates that are aimed more at adults than children and have a variety of bars based on classics, but with an indulgent twist. For example they have their own versions of Bounty, Snickers and even Twix! They've recently branched out into solid slabs with a variety of fillings, such as Dark Chocolate with Salted Caramel , Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts and today's review which is Fruit and Nut in Milk Chocolate. How does this differ from regular fruit and nut chocolate bars? Well instead of just raisins and almonds it contains apricots and cranberries as well as almonds and hazelnuts, which is pretty unique for a fruit and nut bar! Opening the foil wrapper the fruit and nuts were clearly visible on the underside of the bar and looked very plentiful. This bar was certainly jam-packed with fruit and nuts, as you can see above the cr...

Today's review is the last bar I was sent from the lovely Charlene's Chocolate Factory, whose bars I previously reviewed included  Bubblebum Blonde chocolate , Mint Choc Chip , Beetroot Chocolate and Coffee Chocolate . Today's is somewhat more "normal" in comparison, but just as tasty as the other bars. Based on the film Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Charlene's Chocolate Factory make unique and colourful bars in a variety of flavours and varieties such as Gin and Tonic, Salt & Pepper Caramel, Cherry Bakewell and even...Rosemary! Yes, they certainly have something for everyone and you can check out their unique range here:  https://www.charleneschocolatefactory.co.uk/   They do a lot of bars suitable for vegans; this one is part of the range and is a blend of dark chocolate with freeze dried raspberries. One side is portioned into blocks whilst the other is flatter and patterned.  It tastes lovely; the dark chocolate is just the right level of r...