Kev's Snack Reviews

I recently spotted some new funky looking bars in Lidl, and instantly they reminded me of Tony’s Chocolonely bars, the ethical brand that launched last year donating money to helping end slavery in cocoa production. I’ve always loved the Tony’s brand and I think in 2020, more than ever, we need more ethically produced products - it should be expected, let’s be honest! So it’s always nice to see another brand like this even if it’s essentially copying Tony’s. I got the dark chocolate version to try as I was curious how it would be compared to other dark chocolates. In hindsight this was a mistake, as the actual chocolate is nothing extraordinary. It’s nice enough and good quality don’t get me wrong but it has no particular distinct flavour to make me buy it again. I’ll certainly try the other two flavours which are Milk Chocolate and Almond and Sea Salt, and I do like the chunky haphazard block design that mimics Tony’s Chocolonely. It’s a shame through that Lidl don’t just stock...

Today's review is rather special, it's for a new range of Organic "Rich Dark" high cocoa bars from Divine, makers of Fairtrade ethically-sourced chocolate. The bars are certified Vegan, Soil Association Organic and verified by the Non GMO Project. Some pretty high credentials right there! I was offered the range to review by Divine recently and of course, couldn't say no since I'm such a convert to darker chocolates. What intrigued me by this range was the inclusion of various flavours like Ginger, Lemon, Turmeric etc...all very healthy and super food-ish, and interesting pairings for dark chocolate! The fairtrade cocoa is sourced from Sao Tome, a forest-covered volcanic island off the west coast of Africa. It was the first African country to grow cocoa and in 1913 was the biggest producer in the world, earning it the title of "Chocolate Island". Mmmm, who wouldn't want to live on a Chocolate Island? Starting with the Refreshing Lemon var...

I do enjoy Madecasse chocolates, ever since I was introduced to them a few years back I've been a fan. Their range is made with Heirloom cocoa - "Earth's original and most flavourful variety of cocoa", which is quite the claim but may just be accurate. Madecasse work directly with farmers in Madagascar, making them "Direct Trade". To learn more about their story visit www.madecasse.com . Madecasse have changed their packaging recently, and I have to say I do prefer it over the previous look. There's now a monkey holding a cocoa pod on the front which is very fitting. This Honey Crystal variety caught my eye in a large Waitrose store - but it's also available from waitrose.com . I found it on special offer of £1.99, and if you hurry it might still be on offer! As well as a new packaging design they are also using gold foil to wrap the chocolate, which I love - it makes the bar feel super special! The chocolate contains 63% cocoa solids, with hon...

I'm a huge fan of coconut products, so it's just as well they're the hot new food trend at the moment. There's an increasing variety appearing in shops, with the gem of them all being coconut butter. If you haven't tried this stuff you seriously need to invest in some - it's delicious! Coconut butter isn't the same as coconut oil or the butter you refrigerate; it's more like a nut butter that can be spread on toast or eaten from the jar. It's made from whole coconut flesh and tastes creamy and sweet, and is usually smooth in texture depending on the weather. In fact I would describe it as a coconut version of white chocolate spread...only much healthier of course! I've bought a few jars during the the heatwave and found it to be quite oily and gooey due to the temperature, but in cooler weather it sets to become a firm "paste". It can be rather chunky in it's natural state, as shown here: Unfortunately there's not mu...

Whilst in Tesco Express recently I was mulling over which two chocolate bars to buy since they had a special offer on. It was either a Snickers Duo, or try something new! I went for this Divine Caramel Milk Chocolate and wasn't sure what to expect as I've never really paid attention to Divine chocolate before. I was pleasantly surprised to find this bar was very delicious, in fact it's head and shoulders above most of the chocolates on offer at Tesco Express! I ate it as soon as I left the store, hence the poor quality pic above! The chocolate is of course fair trade which is what Divine are known for, and unlike most of the chocolates in Tesco Express (I'm looking at you Dairy Milk, Kitkat and Snickers!) it contains ZERO vegetable fats - hurrah! This is important to me because vegetable fats are a cheap filler and also damaging to health, plus palm oil is unsustainable. So finding chocolate that doesn't contain any is always a plus in my book! (for more i...