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...

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 - lo...

Following on from my review of Ombar Centres Coconut & Vanilla , today's review is another bar they sent me recently; Ombar 90% Cacao, made with organic Ecuadorian raw cacao. This is gluten free, dairy free, suitable for vegans and made with coconut sugar rather than refined white sugar. The chocolate packs quite the cocoa punch, it's somewhat fruity and sour and a lot richer than regular chocolate. It was nice and I appreciated the different flavours compared to regular cacao, but it's not something I would neccesarily eat as a snack. It's something to be appreciated with a glass of wine or strong coffee. Overall, a nice but very intense chocolate, this is one for the chocolate connoisseurs rather than an everyday indulgence. For that I would stick to the Ombar Centres. Nutrition Information (per bar): 201 Calories, 18g Fat, 9.1g Carbohydrates, 3.6g Sugars, 3.5g Protein. Organic Ingredients: raw cacao, coconut sugar, cocoa butter.  8 out of 10.

I was recently sent a few chocolate bars from Ombar to review, which made me very happy indeed - I am currently avoiding dairy and trying to cut back on sugar a bit (let's see how long that lasts!), so these really made my day when I got them in the post. They're completely vegan, dairy free and gluten free and made with organic raw cacao. This particular bar contains a truffle filling of creamy coconut flavoured with vanilla. The filling looks somewhat like the centre of a Lindt Creamy bar, and it tastes de-licious ! It's extremely rich, and melts in the mouth perfectly giving an indulgent taste experience. The chocolate is rich and earthy tasting - you can definitely tell it's made with raw cacao, and it contrasts nicely with the creamy centre. If you're dairy free or vegan, these are bars you will want to stock up on and eat all to yourself. They're so rich and satisfying that a little goes a long way, I do wish they came in larger bars though. I couldn...

Ombar recently contacted me about reviewing their Dairy Free Vegan Raw Cacao Bars, and since these are technically refined sugar free (they contain coconut sugar instead) I thought I'd give them a try. Not only do they contain coconut sugar, the "milk" varieties also contain coconut milk instead of dairy, making them dairy free and suitable for vegans. They also contain "live cultures", making them good for your tummy too! I've actually reviewed Ombar before - I tried their Strawberry Mylk bar - but I was delighted at the chance to try the Coconut Milk and Lemon & Green Tea varieties, especially as these bars usually cost £2 each in my local health food store. They're definitely only an occasional indulgence, which chocolate should really be anyway (Who am I kidding?!) I tried the Lemon & Green Tea variety first, which contained real lemon powder & oil, and matcha green tea powder. I wasn't sure what to expect from this bar but ...

Whilst in my local organic store recently I fancied something a bit different and decided to give this "Ombar strawberries & cream" a try. It's an organic raw chocolate bar, sweetened with coconut sugar and enriched with strawberry powder and coconut cream, as well as containing live bio cultures. It's also suitable for vegans. It cost me £2.20 for a small 35g bar so I was expecting something amazing...and it didn't disappoint! The bar is split into fairly thick sections, and on opening the wrapper I was met with a delightful fruity strawberry aroma as well as some very rich cocoa scents. Popping a piece in my mouth I was met with the delightful taste of fresh strawberry and rich cocoa. The chocolate was a lot stronger than the average bar thanks to the addition of raw cacao, with a more complex flavour. The coconut sugar wasn't as overly sweet as regular sugar and was much better for it, whilst the strawberry powder added a fantastic fruitines...