Kev's Snack Reviews

My apologies to Degustabox for being so late doing a full review of their boxes lately. They've sent me a few so far which I mentioned on Instagram but haven't found the time to do a full review of. The February box I've already mentioned so I'll skip to the March box which was quite interesting, with a nice mix of both healthy and naughty snacks and some drinks and even a beer for good measure. If you haven't heard of them before Degustabox are a surprise box delivered each month on a subscription basis - although you can opt out at any point. The products included work out as being cheaper than what you'd pay in shops, and they showcase small producers, unique products and brands you may not have had a chance to try before, which I think is a nice idea. To check them out see their website:  https://www.degustabox.com/en/ This months box was an interesting mix...from Chum Fruit Bites which I'd never heard of before, and the packaging is amusing with ...

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...

Waitrose recently did a special offer on all Willie's Cacao bars, and as a fan of unadulterated chocolates I just had to give them a try! I've tried the White "El Blanco" bar before but one I've never sampled was this Ginger Lime variety. What I like about Willie's Cacao is that they don't use soya lecithin, and raw cane sugar instead of refined sugar. Considering the estrogenic effects of soya, as a man it's not something I really want in my chocolate. Apologies for the above photo - it was late at night when I was eating this bar! Like all Willie's Cacao bars it comes in a square block and weighs 50g. It contains 70% cocoa solids, and is hand-crafted in Willie's factory based in England. Yay for locally produced chocolate! It contains 12% crystallized ginger which is pretty impressive, plus 0.1% lime oil. It tasted delicious. The ginger flavour is very strong and fiery, giving a pleasant warmth that is nicely balanced with the ta...

Here we have the El Blanco bar from Willie Harcourt Cooze, famous for his "Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory" TV show. I was intrigued by the El Blanco because other blog reviews suggest it's one of the better quality white chocolates around. Looking at the ingredients list I could well believe it; cocoa butter is the first ingredient, followed by milk powder, and sugar is last. Now that's very rare for white chocolate! It also contains no vanilla flavouring, another rarity for white chocolate. I found this in a local department store for £1.90. It's very well presented, with a classy looking box design and matte foil wrapper. The blurb on the back says:  "This is white chocolate as it should be, light and milky. The secret is beautiful ingredients and balance. Natural Venezuelan cacao butter, sugar cane from Guadaloupe and British milk, all in perfect harmony". The chocolate itself looks great - very clean and smooth, with "Willies f...