Amy's: Chinese Noodles & Veggies

Tonight, I took a break from making fresh food to try this ready meal from Amy's. I had heard this was vegan and it said so on the ingredients list...which I should have read as it contains mushrooms which I'm really not a fan of. That being said, I barely noticed them. That's partly because there are quite a few different veggies in this, carrots, beans, broccoli, and onions, plus cashews, sesame seeds and tofu! One thing this got right is the balance of wet/dry, and I was surprised it that it tasted slightly fresher and richer than I had expected. The sauce has a good balance of flavours, it's worth stirring it up as much of my sauce seemed to be at the base so initially I thought it was quite plain. One thing though that might stop me from buying it again was that experience you sometimes get with a meal, where it starts off really nice and enjoyable, but then for no apparent reason you don't want anymore. That was how I felt after I had finished, and it wasn't a big portion. Again, I'm not sure why this was, I did enjoy it and there was nothing wrong with it. Perhaps it was the mushrooms, they really do gross me out, which sucks because I wish I liked all vegetables (yes they're fungi). So...I'd say given it's a frozen ready meal, maybe a 3/5, it would definitely be a solid 4 if it weren't for those mushrooms, but that's just me!

Food Battle: the Toastie

The other I decided I really wanted a cheese toastie so I went and bought a toastie maker... but wasn't happy with the cheese I used. In the fridge I had the cheddar style slices by Violife. These are nice and I eat them uncooked in sandwiches, or on top of a burger. This is because they have a firm texture and non-offensive mild taste - sort of like a posh american style cheese slice or a cheap cheddar. However...in a toastie it wasn't that great, the cheese melts (which I suppose is a good thing) but it turns into a thick orange liquid, like nacho cheese, rather than any kind of dairy cheddar... not stringy or firm as it should be. And the texture had a kind of slimy feel. I did manage to eat it all, but this is likely due to having sausages in it too, because I really wasn't that impressed with the cheese. Put it this way, I won't be making it in a toastie again. So I bought a couple of different cheeses to try. I got one that I've had before and liked which is Cheezly White Cheddar Style, and Violife for Pizza. I decided on getting another Violife one because I had only ever had their Cheddar slices and thought it might be different; looking at the picture on the packet it looks like mmozzarella.. it's pale and the lifted pizza slice is stringy! What followed was much disappointment...

I folded a slice of bread to make a tester of each cheese, as you can see from the picture at the end (the Violife one is on the left). I tested it against the Cheezly as I knew I liked the Cheezly one (though it's not perfect) and didn't want to do it from memory as I haven't had it in ages. The Cheezly one was good. Not stringy but the flavour was alright and nothing really bad about it (some people say it's a bit chalky, but this is more when it's uncooked). The Violife one? Nothing like the packet... it went into a yellow liquid, that picture on the front can't be right! I will try using it again on a pizza... just to see if maybe it needs to cooked with ventilation but I'm not holding my breath. It was maybe a bit better than their other one, but it had the same slimy texture... like PVA glue. So yeah, I'm still holding out for a decent vegan cheese that has some stringy-ness, be it like a cheddar style or a mozzarella style. If you have any suggestions please let me know in the comments! Many vegan cheeses I've bought don't get finished because I don't like them, so I'm hesitant about wasting money/food, especially as I don't like strong cheese smells or flavours.

For toasties only - I'm giving Violife 2/5, and Cheezly 4/5. (But remember I still like Violife uncooked).

Pudology: Banoffee Pud

Today I am enjoying this potted dessert from Pudology. The tubs are a bit small but the pudding is quite rich and they're worth getting for the taste. This banoffee one comes with 3 layers; a biscuit layer at the base, a banana/toffee layer, and a chocolate top. It's hard to really tell what the biscuit layer tastes like because the chocolate and banana are quite strong but I think it's really there for texture anyway. The banana toffee layer is my favourite part. It's very rich and creamy smooth. If you like the taste of banoffee pie this will be enjoyable for you also. The chocolate top tastes quite dark and tastes like the richest layer. It's ok on it's own, but for me the layers are best when eaten together! There are also other flavours available but I haven't tried those. It's almost a five, a really nice vegan treat 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.

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...

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.

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

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

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

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

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).

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

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