Redwood: Beef Style Pasties

I was surprised how much I enjoyed these. Everything just seemed well balanced, although I probably had quite a low expectation... I thought they might be like the Frys Pepper Steak pies which I didn't much like. The filling is nice, beef style things are ok and you get a good amount of potato cubes. And the pastry is good too for a frozen item. They are also a good size, and as they aren't boxed you can size them up in store. The ratio of filling and pasty too is good, everything is good - nice seasoning, size, not too dry or moist. It's hard to fault to I'll stop, say 5/5 and let you know if anything changes! Thanks

Cat and the Cream: Cupcakes review

Ok so here's a mini review, today I'm having some cupcakes. Cat and the Cream (notice I can't use the 'and' symbol in blogger) make a variety of different flavours which can be found on their website. I've tried the Chocolate, Pear Hazelnut + Choc Chip, Banana Walnut + Choc Chip with Butterscotch, and the Chocolate Coconut with Raspberry. And as it says in small writing on the package it's best to leave these out of the fridge for 30+ mins before eating it. Otherwise their a bit hard and cold. These cakes have almost as much icing as there is sponge, which may be a bit much for some people. But you don't have to eat it all, and it's better than being under iced. The icing is very sweet though, and I mean really sweet, even if you have a sweet tooth. The icing also has a little thing or two in it at the top like a chocolate swirl or nut etc, which is nice. There is also things in the sponge (not sure if true of all cakes but most), like nuts or banana pieces. In a nicer way than it sounds. Because the icing is so tall, and the sponge quite moist, they are quite messy or tricky to eat properly. Your fingers will get sticky, and icing will go on your nose/beard.
But they're fun and quite nice to eat. I found the pear one didn't have much of pear taste, but the chocolate was really like eating a classic chocolate cake. The banana butterscotch one is also very good, although I have to be up for it, because its so rich and sweet. It's deceivingly small, in that you might find one is more than enough. So yes I will recommend these as a treat, with a good 4/5.

Food Battle: Alpro Vanilla Soya Custard VS Provamel Organic Soya Custard

I'm back with another food battle... and this time it's all gravy. Yellow custardy gravy. Well this battle is a bit more clear cut I think. One is a nice custard the other is just a bad impression of custard. Which one is which? Well this battle goes to alpro soya. Which despite being a soya product tastes really good, not too soy-ee, and more importantly just like normal custard. It's sweet, creamy, yellow, smooth, and smells nice. The Provamel one on the other hand, and I'm sad to say, is none of those things. It's quite pale, has a weird lumpy slop texture, only has a weak vanilla soya taste and just wasn't enjoyable. And I had a the whole carton in a bowl so was really trying to enjoy it, but it didn't happen. Provamel gets 2/5, Alpro gets a 4 or 5 - I'll make my mind up next time.

Redwood Vegideli: Bio Curry Style Sausages

I don't have much to say about these really. I wasn't sure what to have them with (well curry...obviously) so I had a couple with a korma, and they were ok. I also had the other two on their own to see what the flavour was like. Don't get me wrong they taste quite nice, the texture is good and they're kinda meaty. But I'm just not sure how they would be the best ingredient. So, having them with a curry was ok, but the curry taste in them is a little odd. I could just think of much better things to go with a curry than these sausages, and I can't really think of anything else that these would make better than something else. Maybe it's a personal preference. They were nice, but just not really fitting in. 3/5

Nakd: New Flavour Bars

Nakd Bars, which I have reviewed before - have released a couple of new flavours. These are 'Rhubarb & Custard' and Caffé Mocha. I haven't tried the mocha one yet because I'm not much into coffee - but the Rhubarb one is really good. It has a distinct flavour from the other ones which is more rhubarb than custard, but it is sweet and very tasty! Maybe I'll try the mocha one later...

Jord's Vegan Recipe - New Blog

I've started a new recipe blog which can be found here: jordsveganrecipe.blogspot.co.uk

The Really Interesting Food Co: Sri Lankan Lentil and Coconut Soup

A quick look at this soup then. Texture is smooth, not really any bits other than the odd coconut fragment, but when you open the tin it might be split (water and paste) so give it a good stir. Taste is nice and interesting too, it's a nice flavour combo. I'd prefer a bit less heat, but it's not fiery hot. Really good with bread, I wouldn't eat it without some kind of bread because of the lack of texture (that would be boring). It tastes kind of fresh too, mainly in comparison to other tinned soups. If that sounds good then I'd recommend it. Not quite sure how much really maybe between a 3 and 4 this time but nice all the same.

Eskal: Noble Choice - Mint

I'm quite impressed with this one, a lot of the vegan chocolate out there is dark (which some people may or may not like) - this is dark too but it's quite creamy and doesn't have that bitter after taste. The mint isn't just a flavour either, there are small pieces of crunchy mint chips inside (not like choc chips, I think they're white kind of sugar ones). The triangle shape is little annoying but that's me. So if you like chocolate and mint - this bar is ace 4/5.

Everfresh: Stem Ginger Cake

This is quite a good cake to have with something else. On its own its a little firm and dry, which is to be expected, but with something like a granovita pot of soyage the two go together really nice - better than on their own. The ginger flavour is quite nice, it's got small pieces in, so if you like ginger its pretty good. Nothing much more to say really, 3/5 on its own but with something else pretty good 4/5. Sorry this review is quite short - it's just a simple cake ;)

Food Battle: Taifun Tofu-Wiener VS Wheaty Veganwurst ToRo

I've decided to start a new comparative review called food battle which will look at two similar products by different brands. In this battle I'm comparing Taifun's Tofu-Wiener with Wheaty's Veganwurst ToRo, they are both frankfurter type sausages and come in packs of 4. Below I've included another image so you can see the size difference. I'm also basing this review on eating the products cooked (shallow fried).

The Taifun sausages are about an inch or two longer which is good, and they might need a bit less time to cook. Once cooked the inside is quite soft, with a contrasting skin that's quite crisp although not as much as the Wheaty. The flavour is a little meaty and has a more smoked flavour. As well as a soft inside it tastes a little more oily, and like I said there is more difference between the skin and the inside.

The Wheaty one is more chewy (or not mushy) and it skin is better as crisping up. The flavour I think is a bit more succulent and for me is really moorish, it's richer and a bit meatier. It's also one of those rare foods which you think you could eat any time and not get bored of it. I couldn't say the same for the Taifun one because I was getting a bit bored of it. Having said that I know someone who prefers them over the Wheaty so it may be down to personal taste (and less of clear cut winner). I enjoyed them both but the Wheaty ToRo wins this battle - but I do wish they were bigger.

*Update 30/08/14 - I have since become much more a fan of the Tofu-Weiner sausages, buying them quite a lot. I think because you can eat them raw and also I haven't seen the others for sale in a while.

Amy's: Organic Bowls - Brown Rice, Black-Eyed Peas & Veggies

Ok, so out the box you get a fairly small portion, I would have liked a bit really it's almost like a child portion. Anyway, I quite enjoyed this, I took the mushrooms out because they're not my thing but what you gonna do. Once it's cooked it looks a little watery but it tastes good, I'd recommend stirring all up before you eat it because some of the bits are clumped together and the top layer needs to mixed in the watery base. I'm not too sure what the overriding flavour was, quite veggie and earthy, and certainly quite moorish. I think it had a little coriander but it was just right. And the texture of the dish was good too. I mentioned the base being watery but mix up it's a bit juicy but in a nice way (tastes nicer than it looks). 4/5

Wheaty: Spacebar Pumpkin Seed Sausage

I suppose the idea of pumpkin seed sausage is quite weird. This bar is quite nice though. It has an essence of the chorizo one, by that I mean you can tell it's made by the same people - it has a similar meaty texture and a similar, although toned down flavour. I was expecting it to be disappointing in comparison to the chorizo, but honestly it's really good. The flavour is broader, like a herb sausage served cold. There is some texture differences, namely seeds, but don't get the idea that this is like eating seeds, they seem to be far between and blended in. I'd buy them again, perhaps a nicer alternative if you didn't want to destroy your breathe with chorizo. 4/5

Amy's: Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada

From the frozen box you get 2 enchilada's in a tray that you can microwave or cook in an oven. I microwaved them for timing reasons but they still good. One of those foods where it doesn't really matter how you cook them they taste about the same. But anyway, how were they? Good, and nicer than I anticipated. I haven't had enchilada's before, so they could be bad enchilada's, but after reading about them and knowing these are a ready meal they're pretty tasty. The filling is good because there's lots going on, it's rich and it all kind of goes together really nicely. The sauce too is nice, its rich and flavoursome, and for someone who doesn't really like hot food that much for me this has a nice kick without overpowering the dish. You could probably tell when served that they weren't cooked fresh, but they're quite close and I think for 5 mins waiting they're worth it. 4/5

Biona Organic: Spelt Tortellini

As  fresh pasta is usually egg pasta there isn't a great deal of choice for vegans, almost no choice. And here is that choice. Green spelt and vegetable tortellini from Biona. Out the packet, smells like bread crusts, but I'm not complaining. It's a difficult to review to make, because there isn't much to compare it to, I'm not sure I've eaten much spelt pasta before and so I'm not sure how good this is in terms of how good it could be. It is nice, I had it with quite a rich sauce because on their own, while nice, they aren't oozing with flavour. Texture of the parcel is little rough and harder than you might expect but it tastes healthy, inside some veg which make it more dynamic and interesting than just eating dry pasta. So I will be eating it again, as it's nice to have filled pasta and I'm not the master chef. Taste wise for a fresh pasta, I'd say around 3 because it could taste nicer; I think 1 mark is for the filling and the other for the parcel. Maybe a low 4 though because changing the pasta part probably wouldn't make it green spelt (I hope that's right). 4/5

Natural Cool: Chili non Carne

Pleasantly surprised by this one. Wasn't sure it was going to be for me but it was actually really nice. Pain that it takes 40 minutes but if you're not cooking I suppose. The only other downside is that it's quite small. The tray itself is filed just under half way, so a small dinner maybe in need of an accompaniment blah blah. Taste wise really nice and fresh, strong flavour with some kick (I think spiced just right). It doesn't look like the picture on the box, there's more sauce, but you can taste all the veg and with the beans and sweetcorn it's a nice texture too because it doesn't get boring. 4/5

Meridian: Korma Cooking Sauce

Not seen any other vegan korma sauces yet, but I have had this Meridian one a few times so should be able to make a good review. The jar is enough for 2 if you've got some other bits to eat, and slightly more than a normal portion if it's just you. If you make this with just some rice and mock chicken then it's not too bad, tastes like a shop ready meal. Taste is quite nice, its got some flavour, with a range of different mild spices and a slight sweet taste to it. It's also got a few small pieces of blitzed veg in there like onion I think. It's quite thick too which is nice until the end of the meal. What I mean is that it doesn't taste as good cold/luke warm. And it seems to taste the same cooked in a pan or microwaved, though I'd pan it if you cooking mock chicken etc that way. It's also less good at the end because it's one of those foods that taste's nice at the start but after you've eaten a lot of it kind of tastes less appealing, a bit sweet sicky (though this one isn't that bad). That's why I'd recommend having just half a portion and making some other bits like samosa's. One of the main problems is that it does taste shop bought and not fresh at all. So mixed feelings really, it's not something I want to have every week, but I'll buy again at some point. High 3, low 4? 4/5

Forest Foods: Middle Eastern Style Filo Wrap

I didn't read the description of this before I ate it so it was different to how I though it would taste. It's description is "Soya mince seasoned with cinnamon, chillis and lemon in filo pastry".  Which makes more sense than the samosa type thing I was expecting. And it's very nice too. Not that hot, the mince does take a substantial amount of the filling, but it's a good tasting one and is seasoned really well. The filo is quite fragile, much of mine was broken as I put in the oven, but I don't mind picking up the broken bits. It's hard to say what it tastes like though, you can taste the cinnamon a bit, which may not sound nice with mince but it is. It's not sweet, and it's balanced with other spices I think. Nice to try something different. 4/5

Biona Organic: Mini Spring Rolls

It's about time I reviewed these, lost count now how many times I've had them. These are amazing, I'm really not sure how they could be improved. Biona also sell a packet of two larger spring rolls, which taste the same, but I prefer these because mathematically you get more crispy skin to vegetable mix! I usually oven cook these - which I don't think it gives instructions for on the pack but about 10 minutes at 220 is right. And they still taste nice and oily when they've been oven cooked too, just wait until they start brown up. Both the filling and wrap, if cooked properly, are just awesome. It's got a really nice, really strong flavour. A nice balance of texture, and they taste like takeaway food. 5/5

Primal Strips: Texas BBQ

One last extension to the previous review as this is the only other flavour I have, but there are 3 others - Mesquite Lime, Hot & Spicy and Hickory Smoked. So here goes... I'd recommend using scissors, they're pretty easy to open but it can go a bit to one side... It's quite good, I think a little bit more to it than the teriyaki one but actually not quite as full on as the thai. I should have reviewed them all together really - next time. So yeah kind of the same, definitely has a nice BBQ taste, texture is same too maybe a little harder. 4/5

Fry's Vegetarian: Hearty Vegetarian Cottage Pie

I need to write some more Fry's reviews, so here's another. Tonight I'm having this ready meal, their cottage pie, as I try to save time for an essay I'm writing. So yes, ready meals aren't bad, it's nice to have the option to not cook your dinner at home. But how good is this one? Well first thing I have to say is that it's quite small, if I was serving myself up a portion of homemade cottage pie this would be about half that size so bear that in mind - get some garlic bread or something. But you have the choice of oven or microwave which is cool, and this time microwaving it still tastes fine. The mash is ok, there isn't really any praise for the mash it alone doesn't have much flavour or taste creamy or anything. The flavour all comes underneath in the mince layer, which is just thinner than the mash (the mash being about 1cm high - so its pretty flat). The mince has a strong peppery taste, and includes carrots and peas etc, with their mince which if you haven't tried tastes much the same as their burgers. The texture is good too, and really helps that the vegetables are there with the veggie mince. So rating wise, in terms of how it tastes against how good I think it could taste its probably about 3.5/5, but the small size (like a kids meal) means there is another element for improvement. The mash should be a bit creamier to counter the pepper taste (the pepper taste is nice btw). So it's 3/5 (but I would still recommend this for when you just want an easy hot meal that isn't soup)

Primal Strips: Teriyaki

Here's my review of the Thai Peanut version which this one is just going to comment on. It's the same texture pretty much, but I don't think this one is quite as good as the peanut one. It tastes fairly similar, without any hint of peanut obviously, but the flavour isn't quite as strong. Which means it tastes a bit less meaty and once you've almost finished chewing the flavour runs out a bit faster. I'd still have to give it 4 stars though, it is really nice, but slightly short on the thai peanut. 4/5

Swedish Glace: Pearl

I was both very exciting about trying these and disappointed. Swedish Glace, as far as I'm concerned at this moment, probably make the best vegan ice cream (at least the raspberry tub anyway). And last time I was ordering these were out of stock so I bought the Peak cones instead. Finally I got hold of a box today! And you get 5 in the box. BUT... they are tiny lollies and that makes me sad. Going purely on taste these are great. The ice cream inside isn't like the tub variety, it's smooth without any sauce (which is a bit of a shame) but its very tasty and creamy still and this one is strawberry too. And then it's covered in a thin layer of chocolate like a posh choc-ice with some fruity little pieces on the outside (just like hundreds and thousands but a bit nicer). Together it's great, a really tasty sweet lolly that nobody would suspect is vegan. But it's not enough - it's like one scoop worth and it needs to be at least 2! As you can see below it makes my hand look some giants hand. 4/5

Forest Foods: Smokey Vegetable Burrito

This burrito has some good points, I decided to heat mine in the oven for a crispy tortilla which was nice as it tasted quite fresh and homemade. But the filling was quite what I expected, though I'm probably just being very fussy. I liked the cooked beans and occasional BBQ taste, but there was a lot of coriander in it, and some of the vegetables were a bit hard (and crunchy which you might like). It was also a bit too hot for me, the main overriding flavour was hot/coriander, like a vegetable curry and I was kind of hoping for BBQ beans. Which makes me think that some people will really like this because it is well made, flavoured etc. Maybe a change of description would suit it. I finished it, but I think this ones not for me so 2.5 - 3/5

Just Wholefoods: Strawberry Flavoured Jelly Crystals

This is delicious and highly recommended vegan jelly mix. All you need is to mix the powder in boiling water and leave to set. The result is a jelly with both a sweet and strong flavour but also one that tastes quite natural. Which is good. The density and flavour though will depend on how much water you use. I use just a tiny bit less than recommended to concentrate it up a bit. And it works with large jelly moulds too. They also sell lemon, raspberry and tropical jelly. I haven't tried lemon as I don't think I'd care for it, but I've the other two and raspberry is just a nice, with the tropical I didn't enjoy it quite as much I think the flavour was a bit weaker or less sweet.
4/5

Primal Strips: Thai Peanut

These are essentially a vegan jerky, that come in a range of flavours, and today I'm eating the Thai Peanut (others to come later in the week). I haven't tried these before and I'm going for the peanut one as I think it will be my least favourite. Once you open the packet the strip feels very bendy but fear not they aren't that soft. You can see the strip on the rear side and it looks like braised tofu, the smell is like peanut butter and spices I think (I can't really breathe through my nose at the moment), and the taste is... much nicer than I had anticipated. It has a nice strong flavour which is spicy but not too hot at all, with a subtle hint of peanut. Texture wise this thing is really strange. By that I mean tastes very much like meat, not quite in a way that some beef jerky does but its tough like some overcooked chicken might be or beef (sorry for that description) but quite juicy. And it takes some chewing, but you get after a short while. I think I would like to see it a bit harder so that the bar lasts a bit longer but other than that I would have to recommend them and I can't wait to try the others. 4/5

Lovemore: Jammy Wheels

These dodger type biscuits are a great deal more fun that most of the other shop biscuits you can buy which are vegan friendly, usually the plainest ones. I never ate too many jammy biscuits before I went vegan, but tbh they taste... really good. They are sweet, have a nice smooth texture which is crisp but melts in the mouth. So the biscuit part alone is good, then the rich jam flavour just makes them even more moreish. You get 8 in a pack, and can get them at Waitrose and some online stores so far as I know there are probably others. So get some. 4/5

Wheaty: Spacebar Chorizo Sausage

These are awesome. The texture is good, and the flavour is really strong (won't do your breath much good). It's quite hard to find a mock meat that you can just eat on it's own and still taste nice, and these are really moorish. Not sure how healthy they are but I don't really care. It's basically a vegan version of a popular meat snack. Packaging on these can be annoying, the plastic has little slits to tear but they sometimes just bend, so sharp teeth or scissors might be needed. They are also housed in a small amount of oil so plan on eating it near a bin. And finally, make sure you eat it fridge cold. At room temp they're only half as good, they go a bit soft and it's odd. I haven't tried the other styles of Spacebar yet, as I doubt they will be as nice as this one but reviews will be up some point in the future. Another 5/5, one of them days.

Green People: Peppermint Toothpaste

Time for a non-food product, this is the tooth paste I usually buy. It's quite a friendly make, I think some of the profits go to charity, and the tooth paste itself is organic and has no fluoride. I'm not really a fan of peppermint, but this has quite a mild flavour to it. Which is good if you don't like strong toothpastes, but bad if you're breath is kicking. Texture is quite chalky (in a good way), so I would recommend it. Maybe 4/5

Dragonfly: Organic Beany Tomato Burger

The organic Beany comes in a pack of two burgers, inside a plastic sheet because they are protected in oil. These, as the picture and name suggests aren't meant to be mock meats, rather a proper vegetable burger. I'm reviewing the tomato one, though I have to say it tasted just like lots of vegetable's rather than distinctly tomato. It was very nice though, and that's I'd give it 5/5. It tastes homemade, in a good way, like fresh and flavoursome. Texture is nice, quite consistent not too hard or anything (like a potato). These can hold their own, what I mean is that they would be enjoyable to eat by themselves unlike some other burgers which need buns and sauces etc. And they work really well on a bbq too!

Essential: Organic Red Pesto

I've tried a few vegan red pesto's, and while there are some things about this pesto it is my favourite by far. I like to mix this up in a pan with tofutti sour supreme and some vegan chicken bits and pasta. Texture wise - pretty standard really its pesto - but it is quite oily so shake well. And taste, quite good. When you open it or cook the smell is quite bitter, and taste wise its quite vinegary. So I'm not sure if I eat it ok it's own, but for the chicken dish I make it's just great! I don't think it has any vegan cheese in, I could be wrong, but there's always a good cheezly alternative which is parmesan style and can recommend (basically a bit harder than their cheddar one). 4/5

Rice Dream: Hazelnut Almond Milk

Original Rice Dream isn't really for me, it's ok and I prefer it in tea/coffee to soya, but it's kind of watery and flavourless. But their hazelnut almond milk is good stuff. Probably not for everyone, by that anyone who doesn't like the taste of nuts. I think the flavour is just right, not too strong or bitter, it's creamy and refreshing. I can happily have a glass (kind of like a mild milkshake), or it makes a great addition to cereal and hot drinks. Once I found a bit of something in it, but i think it was just a nut skin or some kind of something. But don't let put you off, it's a nice fairly sweet drink with flavour.
It also lasts a long time - I had one open for over two weeks before it curdled in my coffee so bonus points for shelf life.
5/5

Tesco: Free From Coconut & Chocolate Milk

It's worth me pointing out that not all Tesco free from range makes me want to vom, and I'm not trying to bash them. Their coconut & chocolate milk for example is pretty good. But I will make this review short because there is a but, and that is this. If you see my review of kara chocolate milk, which is also made from coconut, it's basically just like that. This has the same nice flavour - it just tastes a bit more watered down or less creamy. And if you're in a big Tesco, you might find that Kara one is a bit cheaper (it's not in the cold aisle). Still nice though 4/5

Tesco: Free From Creamy Original Spread

So, reviewing another free from cheese from Tesco. Maybe this one will be my last. Tesco have a few varieties of this cream cheese creation, there's a garlic and herb one, something else and plain. I went for the plain this time. Now texture wise, quite good, compared to some kind of non-vegan cheese the colour is more matte. I'm not sure that's relevant though, flavour is. It's not for me, I had one bite on some nice baguette and I wished I hadn't. I didn't spit it out like that medium cheddar, like it wasn't making me wretch, but still not nice for me. Cream cheese is probably hard to make vegan, although Le Sojami's seemed quite alright, perhaps I need to try their plain there version. To me, I don't like it partly because it doesn't taste like cream cheese, but mainly the flavour is too strong, and it's the wrong flavour to begin with. I couldn't eat it on it's own, and with bread I'd rather just eat bread. 2/5

Redwood: Cheezly and Tomato Pizza

I've been waiting for this day, being able to buy a vegan pizza in shop. Redwood have a few different styles, I went for the plain one just to see what it what it was like, and I'll probably buy it again to use my own toppings. Now the pizza itself is only child size or snack size, but thats not too bad, I mean if you want to have a pizza dinner you could get two or get something else. And it was quite nice. The base was certainly nicer than I expected, not like in a equisitic way but I thought it might be hard or something and actually it was quite soft. And the cheezly tomato base was nice too, nothing like fine dining just nice like supermarket quality. Definitely be buying them again. 4/5

Mrs Crimble's: Dutch Apple Cake

Ok, I have to state at the start of this that I don't really like fruit cake. Sometimes carrot.... but. Anyway, as there isn't much on the market for shop bought vegan cakes I thought I'd give it a try. And it's not too bad, nicer than I expected. It's sponge is quite firm, it topped with a fruity goo that has crispies and raisins stuck to it. There is also a good cineman flavour running through it too, which is maybe why I like it. The apple taste is quite... faint, and it tastes quite cooked down like a less sweet apple sweetened with sugar. If you're a fan a fuit/apple cake you might give it a 4/5, but for me its 3/5.

Tofutti: Rock 'n' Roll Cones

These cones might say Tofutti or Triano, I think they're the same, but the ones I'm reviewing didn't have a chocolate sauce I think it was toffee or caramel. The tops have sprinkled nuts too, and they're a bit bigger and better than the ones on Peak cones. However, overall the cone isn't quite as good as the Peak ones; the vanilla ice cream, like the tub, tastes a bit cheaper and the cones too they're a bit more soggy. Flavour isn't bad though and I still enjoy them. So it's 3/5 (maybe plus a half).

granoVita: Deluxe Soyage Banana

As it says on the label this is a 'non-dairy cultured soya protein dessert' which alone doesn't really sell it, but maybe this will. YES, I have to buy a crate of these. BUT, I think they may not be for everyone. The reason I like it so much, is because it's really 'bananary' and clean. The texture is smooth. And it has a nice fruity taste. I say not everyone would like it because it tastes a bit like mushed food, the kind you might feed to a baby, but I like that. Best served cold. Mark downed from 5 because the pot is so small, and it's too moorish, but I could bump it up to 5 for a crate ;-) 4/5

Swedish Glace: Peak

Mmm, these are good. I'm eating one as a type, which is hard, so I've made a makeshift holder but will not say how. Anyway... I'm quite impressed with these, though they're not perfect, they are very nice indeed. Start with the flaws, like most ready made cones the cones are chewy, which I personally don't mind but sometimes a crunchy one can be nicer to add a depth of texture. And the raspberry sauce is always bang on one side at the top and a bit more frozen than the raspberry tub. There are also some nuts and chocolate on the top. To me the chocolate doesn't really add anything other looks, but the nuts are ok. Again not quite as they would be fresh.
On the good side, the flavour is awesome, and the ice cream isn't really that drippy. I think the cone is also chocolate lined, maybe to help it stop getting soggy, and there's a nice crunchy bit at the bottom. I'll certainly be buying them again. 4/5

EcoMil: Hazelnut Milk

I've tried this milk on it's own, with cereal and in coffee. On it's own it's a bit strange, the hazelnut taste is nice, but it's one of those drinks where you're left more thirsty after you've drank some. There's also a mild flavour in there that reminds me of tcp. But don't let that put you off. It's quite nice with cereal, as long as the cereal is a flavoursome one and preferably sweet. In coffee it was ok, I certainly prefer this milk to soya milk, it's just that I'd rather have something else; something sweeter; something creamy. 3/5

Swedish Glace: Juicy Raspberry

If you like raspberry ripple ice-cream, this is it. I cannot fault this, it's simply amazing. Swedish Glace do an amazing job, this is basically a vanilla ice-cream with raspberry sauce running through it (no bits in case you were wondering) which sounds kind of... simple, but it's perfection. It's the kind of thing you don't stop eating until you feel sick because you've eaten too much. And this guy is 750ml, so probably not a good idea to try and eat it all. Texture is rich and creamy, and the flavour is sweet in a creamy and fruity way (much different to the Tofutti one which tasted artificial).

5/5

Lizi's: Treacle & Pecan Granola

Wow, this is some good cereal. I had some this morning with Ecomil organic hazelnut milk, which I will review later, and I have to say it was a lot tastier than I expected. Maybe because it's a dry cereal I expected it to taste more dry and boring but it was actually really flavoursome, and I think would make an amazing base if you like to add other things to your cereal. I've tried a couple of Lizi's other cereals before and they are pretty consistent, and I would recommend them for the taste and texture. This one is for those with a sweet tooth, like me, so I will give it 5/5. Because I can't see a different treacle and pecan one being able to top it.

*update* Well that being said maybe a 4/5, I think I should save 5/5 for perfect products with a real wow factor. This is really good, but I guess it could be a bit crunchier.

Fry's Vegetarian: Vegan Pops

Fry's make some of the best mock meat style products around, especially the 'chicken-style' ones. Today I'll just be writing a quick review of their popcorn style version with chutney. Firstly, it does state on the back that you can microwave them - DON'T. The best way to cook these is shallow fry with a small amount of oil, this blends the powder in nicely and they go nice and golden brown. If you microwave them they go soggy and weird. I've only eaten them as a snack, but they would be great for BBQ's or when you are trying to recreate your own vegan fast food chain with chips and other unhealthy delights.

For what they taste like alone, I would rate them 4/5, but I will rate them 5/5 because in terms of what they are trying to be I'm not sure they could be improved.

Orgran: Mini Outback Animals (Vanilla Cookies)

This little cardboard lunchbox comes with 2 packets of vanilla cookies, that are pressed into animal shapes. They taste kind of like cookies, kind of like biscuits. With a strong cereal flavour. They're free from a lot things so quite good I guess if you have an allergy. Texture is quite soft, and like cereal too. The flavour of vanilla isn't too strong, well actually I couldn't really taste it, tasted like a plain biscuit. They look quite fun though and they're healthy(er). Not sure I would buy them again, for me, but they would be nice is a kids lunchbox or something like that. 3/5

Nakd: Raw Fruit and Nut Bars

In this review I'll be covering all 7 editions of the nakd bar. All of them have a similar texture but the taste varies a lot even though the ingredients are fairly consistent with dates and cashews etc. These bars are cold pressed and despite the small size each one counts as 1 of the '5 a day'. Overall I'll give them a 5/5 but I like some of them a lot more than others.

Cocoa Delight - This bar is really nice, just a chocolate flavour with fruit? I managed to convince two people it was a brownie so it's worth trying even if you don't like dates or that dried fruit taste. 5/5

Ginger Bread - This one is quite nice, it's less chewy than the others, but the ginger doesn't overpower it luckily. The nuts go well with the flavour. 5/5

Berry Delight - Berry has a really fruity flavour, well like berries. It's a nice contrast the others which all have a non-fruit flavour. 5/5

Cashew Cookie - This one is ok but not my favourite, for me the other ones are just better. I'm not sure the flavour works as well or is as moreish. 3/5

Cocoa Orange - The Orange just as good as the cocoa one, and if you like an orange zing its even nicer. Just adds that extra dimension to it. 5/5

Pecan Pie - Pecan flavour is quite nice, it works well texture of the bar. But it's less moreish, and I'm not sure why (personal taste perhaps?) 4/5

Cocoa Mint - The Mint and the Orange are my favourites, the mint is different in that it takes the cocoa and tastes more healthy (even though that makes no sense). If you're not sure about chocolate and mint combo, I would still recommend it as its not a dark chocolate taste with strong mint, its toned down and quite sweet (in a non sugar way). 5/5

Provamel: Organic Soya Strawberry Flavour

Not much to say in this review. I had this the other day, and it was ok. The milk is thin like you would expect and as it's soya you can taste the soya. The strawberry flavour isn't that strong, it's there but not intensely sweet (which I'm not saying is a bad thing). So I would have given 3/5, but towards the end the straw sucked up some yoghurt material. I did shake it quite well beforehand, and it had 6 months left on the date. So it was an unpleasant surprise and I had to spit it out. It was a bit like a skin. So I would have to give it 2/5 now as I'm not sure I would buy it again.

Redwood: Super Melting Cheddar Slices

Also - I've finally tried to cheddar style slices from Redwood. So in response to my review of their mozzarella slices... yes these too taste like cheddar (when cooked - I'm not eating them raw they look wrong). But I didn't try them at the same time so I can't really tell the difference. Maybe these ones were a little more yellow? They might have been less mushy too but it's only marginal I think. Next time I make a pizza I will probably pick these ones now, but like I said I couldn't really tell them apart so I wouldn't mind. 5/5 again.

Le Sojami: Dairy Free Speciality' Garlic & Mixed Herbs

So, here's another cheese review. This time something new that I haven't eaten before. This soft cheese by Le Sojami comes in 3 flavours, 'basil', 'cumin and tarragon', and 'garlic and mixed herbs'. I decided to go for garlic incase the cheese part was bad thinking the garlic might overpower it. That's just me though, I'm wary of vegan cheese, all too often because of the cheese flavourings it's like a stink bomb trying to emulate a fart - really bad! But this isn't, as I was pleasantly surprised to find out. Always smell the cheese (So far, all the cheeses I've liked I've been able to smell without retching). This one smelt nice, so I had it on some bread (though you can use this for cooking too).

I really liked this one, quite a nice taste, tiny bitterness to it like vinegar, but overall it is quite creamy and garlicky. And very moreish. Texture is nice and consistent too, if a little too soft. I haven't tried many other vegan cream cheeses, the ones I did try like a sheeze one did smell like death, so I don't have a lot to compare it too. But it did remind a bit of 'roule' cheese back when i ate that stuff, must be the garlic.

I will be buying this again, I'm not sure if the other 2 sound appealing to me, I might try them if this one is sold out though. 4/5

*UPDATE* I bought this again, and this time was slightly different, mainly the texture was much firmer, it seemed to have less moiture in it. I'm not sure if this effected the flavour but it did seem stronger, in a vinegar way, perhaps not as nice as when I did my first review, but I will update again on next purchase.

Tofutti: Vanilla Ice Cream (Frozen Dessert)

Tofutti vanilla is a fairly basic ice cream. It's quite cheap in comparison to other brands and as such it has a more synthesised taste and texture. That said it isn't bad for the money. It's just quite one-dimensional, the texture isn't so much creamy as marshmallowy. But that does make it nice and soft. As for the flavour, it's quite mild and like I said before it tastes quite synthesised too.

I'd give it 3/5, quite nice, but not the best vegan vanilla out there.

Amisa: Egg Free Mayonaise

I've tried a few brands of vegan mayonaise now, so again I'm reviewing my favourite one. This one by Amisa is really good, I had to double check after eating it that it was vegan because I really thought it must have eggs in. But no! In comparison to other ones I've tried this one just tastes more like 'normal' mayo, and it doesn't have a weird taste. Some of the other ones out there are a bitter sour, like vinegar, or just don't taste like mayo. I've had this one in sandwiches, but the best thing to eat it with is chips. And mixing it up with garlic puree makes a really good garlic mayo. I could eat garlic mayo and chips all day.

The only thing I would mark it down for is that is a bit runnier than perhaps it should be. If your turn the jar for example it will begin to flow out rather than staying put. But other than that I would highly recommend it. 4/5