Almond Dream: Ice Cream (Min Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, Praline Crunch)

Recently Waitrose started selling this non-dairy ice cream by Almond Dream, and so, as good vegan ice cream is still hard to come by in variety and in amount in store, I had to try it! One flavour I've missed out is Vanilla, I've tried quite a few vanilla flavours from different brands, and I will get round to buying the almond dream one, but with these three more interesting choices and limited freezer space it will have to wait!
So I'll begin with a brief overview of them all, as they share the same base ingredients. I have to say it's a good base and considering it's price point it's a good quality worth the money. It's rich, creamy and consistent. It also refreezes well. The flavours:
Salted Caramel: This is a winner, one of my favourites. It's smooth, and if you're wondering no it doesn't taste like salt. This one has little aftertaste, in a good way. Out of the three it might be the most moreish! It's one of those foods you could eat until you feel really sick! The balance of flavours is spot on, I really like it and will definitely be buying it again. One improvement could be better with more caramel, as its like a sauce and would hit it with more flavour and sweetness. Be warned its very sticky too! 5/5
Praline Crunch: This one is similar to the salted caramel, and if you like to eat ice cream with two scoops of flavours I think the salted caramel would be the one to pair it with. The one thing this has over the salted caramel is two-textures, even if it's just small soft nut pieces it's nice to have them. I initially thought it had a little caramel in it but it's not on the ingredients list, so some other sweetness it must be. The amount of praline in it is just right as well, it's hard to fault this one, I again found it very moreish and delicious. Perhaps it can be improved some how but I can't what, so I'll give it 5/5 also.
Mint Chocolate Chip: I was probably most excited about trying this as it was one of my favourites as a child. Unlike typical ones marketed at children there is no green dye in it, but that's probably for the best. The chocolate chips are dark chocolate, which is fine, but... the mint flavouring in the ice cream I did feel was a little strong. The flavour is similar to an after dinner mint, which don't get me wrong, I like and enjoy, but for a whole tub of ice cream makes it very rich. So 1/3 in I felt much more need to stop eating than I did with the other two which I ate just over 1/2 (although could easily have eaten the whole tub on a fat day). I still like this ice cream, and I might buy it again, but I wasn't as impressed in comparison to the other flavours, as I didn't think the balance of flavours was as good. I'm sure other people will disagree! So the mint only gets 3/5.

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).

Shambhu's: Mint Choc Chip Cheesecake

Ok another top thing you need to go out and buy, this cheesecake. Possibly the best cheesecake I've eaten. There's a nice texture to the smooth biscuit base, and just the right ratio of 'cheese' to biscuit. Plus is has chocolate chips on top! And the mint flavour is dead on (I'm not explaining this very well) its just well balanced and sweet. Really, really moorish! I want to eat this again, I just want moarh! 5/5

Tesco: Raspberry Sorbet

Haven't been on the blog for a while now, lazy, but here's something to get your taste-buds going. This is one of my favourite frozen things in a tub, it's just so good. The raspberry flavour is really nice and strong, the texture is light and fluffy, and I can't really say anything bad about it. There's no bits, in case you were wondering, and it leaves a clean aftertaste. I like it best when it's starting to melt - try it for yourself. This is 5/5 for me!

inSpiral: Raw Banoffee Creme Tart

Today I found another banoffee dessert and decided I had to try it. This one is quite different to the pot I tried Pudology, as it's raw vegan and I'm guessing more healthier. This cake slice made by inSpiral has three layers - to copy and paste from their product page:

"Layer one: a light and uplifting coconut, sunflower seed and date crust
Layer two: banana, date & coconut cream “caramel”
Layer three: a filling creamy layer of young coconut flesh, pure raw extract of banana (from the wonderful medicine flower company) and xylitol. Xyltiol is a very low G.I sweetener extracted from the sap of the Birch Tree (yes, that elegantly beautiful silver tree from the English forest). Xylitol is also used in dental products as it has been found to aid in the prevention of cavities."

And the taste? I quite like this. The strongest flavours are banana and coconut - with coconut pieces being the aftertaste. The texture is fairly dense, much like a cheesecake. I think it would benefit from a firmer base as there's a fairly even texture running throughout. I do miss the toffee taste of banoffee - but I suppose this is raw, and that would make it not raw - plus its hard to put that in a semi-fresh product. That aside - very nice - and I can recommend it for any banoffee / raw fans out there. 4/5

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.

Organica: Vegan Dark Chocolate Bars

The golden coconut bar is really good. I found the dark chocolate but doesn't taste that dark; it's quite thin layer of chocolate and the coconut centre is quite sweet inside. The texture is nice as well. I think it could do with more chocolate around the outside,  maybe use a vegan milk chocolate and for the bar to be bigger. 4/5

In the hazelnut nougat bar the dark chocolate is more noticeable. There are no solid nut pieces  just two layers inside. One is like the nut layer kind of similar to a nut butter and the other is a pale yellow nougat layer. I would be more of a fan of it if it had nuts because it would make the texture a bit more diverse. It's still nice, but like the coconut bar its bit small and i would prefer the chocolate to be less dark. 3/5

Blue Dragon: Won Ton Soup

One of the more interesting soups I've had lately - probably one the nicest too. On the can and on the website it does say "Suitable for Vegans", though you may notice a strange ingredient listed...'Chicken Flavouring'. I also checked the website again when I bit into one of the parcels... kind of meaty. But I think it was some soy protein (I hope). Most of the soup is watery, but in a nice way. Really nice, strong balanced flavour, and a smidgen of vegetables. Then are about 4 parcels with some veg and this mince style stuff. These are also really good. And overall the soup tastes quite fresh. Though when you open the can it smells a bit pet food... slightly. But don't let that put you off, it's really nice. Maybe as small meal or shared with some other bits. 5/5

Sainsbury's: Tomato Pasta Pots

I bought a few different pasta pots from Sainsbury's the other day knowing full well they might be quite dissapointing. But - I wanted to see if there was any real difference in how they tasted. I think there are 3 different types of pot, the two pictured are the midrange 'Tomato & Basil Pasta 550g' and basic 'Tomato & Herb Pasta 400g'. I also had a roasted vegetable one which was pretty much the same and I think only 300g but the same price as the 550.
The common problem they all share is that the sauce is quite acidic, and by quite I mean very. The 550g pot was my least favourite, and I was really hungry when I ate it too which usually makes me less fussy. I did eat them all but disappointment was in the air. It wasn't nice and tomatoey just very sharp and acidic. I think the only reason I finished it was because I was so hungry. The other two pots were less bad, but they tasted like they were trying to cover up the acidic taste with garlic and some other bitter taste. Not surprisingly the sauce in the more expensive 300g pot tasted the best but only just. It had a rich flavour but was very strong in the garlic and acid department too. The basics pot was OK, at first it tastes alright and then once you've swallowed you start getting this acid aftertaste. It's just weird - it smells normal but why make them all so acidic. I can only think its the shelf life. Don't get me wrong I might buy one again if I wanted some pasta for lunch, but you'd want something else too. Half marks I think 2.5/5 (decimals over fractions I know...)

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...

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