Having food allergies can suck sometimes. Growing up I remember having take all of my own food and drinks to parties. I secretly wished that I could try the food everyone else was eating but knew that it would make me poorly. My sister knew exactly how I felt and so when my nephew was recently diagnosed as being coeliac she didn’t want him to feel the same. So at our first family get together since his diagnosis my sister decided to have a totally free from buffet. This meant that everything was gluten free and that my nephew could eat everything. She also made a special effort for me making sure that there was several milk free options for me. To be fair I’m not sure who was more excited me or my nephew. Secretly I think it was me. If you’ve seen the very clever Morrison’s free from advert that was me just like me but as a grown up. My sister did a fantastic job visiting several supermarkets and food halls to get a great range of food that we could all enjoy. In fact there may have been a bit too much food. This was fine as it meant that we spent a lovely lazy afternoon at the dinner table trying a fantastic variety of foods and enjoying each others company. So a big thank you to my sister for a fantastic afternoon. It was a true delight to be able to watch the excitement and see my nephews face light up at the possibly of being able to try everything on the table. Oh and for spoiling me too.
Review of Smoky Bacon Popchips Ridges
I quickly popped into Waitrose to grab a few essentials. Somehow I found myself drawn to their crisps aisle. Most flavoured crisps are not an option for a dairy free diet. I saw a new band of snacks called Popchips ridges that caught my attention. I noticed that were labelled as gluten free and some were also vegan. I saw a bacon flavour and decided to give them a try.
I liked the simple black packaging with hints of purple. The picture of bacon to the left and popchip ridges made me want to dive straight in. Onto the ingredients list there are no allergens highlighted on the ingredients list and there is no may contain warning. They are labelled as being gluten free and suitable for a vegan diet.
On opening the packet I was greeted by a an aroma that I associate with barbecue crisps not the aroma of bacon that I was expecting. This did not change on my famous close up sniff test. What did strike me was that the bottom of the packaging had a powdery residual, a little off-putting if I’m honest. The popchips ridges themselves were of a good size and had a good scattering of flavouring on them. However, they looked like mini rice cakes. On picking the up the popchips ridges they left a slight powdery residual on my fingers. Not very nice. On biting into the popchips ridges a nice light crunch was noted, just like eating a rice cake. As for the flavour well if I am honest was a little disappointing it wasn’t bacon more like barbecue.
So would I recommend this snack if you follow a dairy free, gluten free, or a vegan diet? No, I wouldn’t. Their flavour and powdery residual just let them down. Sorry popchip ridges but I have tried much nicer snacks that are an alternative to crisps they just were not for me.
Review of PG tips Lemon & Ginger Herbal infusion Tea
I am lady who loves her cups of tea. Sometimes I can be a little naughty and find myself having a bit too much caffeine. Despite this I am still on my mission to reduce my caffeine intake continues and I am always on the look out for a new caffeine free tea to try. I tend to find lemon and ginger a nice comforting tea. so when I was doing my weekly shop on Ocado I noticed that PG tips lemon & ginger herbal infusion tea was on offer. So I decided to order a box to give it a to try.
I loved the packaging it is the same as all of the other PG tips tea that I have had. It has a picture of a cute monkey to the back and pictures of tea leaves and orange and yellow circles to represent the lemon and ginger. There is also a comment is a about the zestiness of this perky tea’s citrus and spicy notes is sure to put a spring in your step.
Onto the ingredients list. Ginger (30%), apple, rosehip, chicory, cinnamon, orange peel, liquorice, flavourings, lemon peel (1.9%). I am always personally put off by generic flavourings and would like to know exactly what this means. There are no allergens highlighted in the ingredients list and no may contain warnings.
As with all the teas in the fruit and herbal range each box contains 20 tea pyramids. I like the design of these nifty pyramids they are designed to allow the tea to infuse easier with the hot water. I personally leave all my fruit and herbal teas bags or pyramids in my cup to allow it to continue infusing with the water. If you choose not to do this the pyramid has a nifty string attached resulting in easy removal from the cup.
On opening the cardboard box I was immediately hit by the aroma coming from the packaging once opened. There was a very strong and pleasant aroma of ginger and lemon. This remained the same on my close up sniff test and was even very noticeable on sniffing an individual pyramid. I was suitably impressed as with many teas that I have tried this has simply not been the case. I placed my tea pyramid into my teacup and added my freshly boiled water as instructed. What immediately struck me was the immediate ginger aroma coming from the tea. I infused the tea with the hot water as instructed for 5 minutes. On removing the pyramid there was a distinct aroma of both ginger and lemon noted which was eveningly balanced. This slightly intensified on my close up sniff test. On sipping the tea my taste buds were hit with what I can only describe as an equal or the same balance of flavours from both the ginger and lemon. I found this to be a very pleasant change as often it is one flavour that dominate so to have an equal balance was great. I found this tea to be comforting and soothing on my stomach and refreshing at the same time. I have personally not always been suitably impressed with PG tips other teas that I have tried but this I have to admit surprised me.
would I recommend this lemon and ginger tea? Yes I would. I liked everything about this tea from its aroma through to its flavour. It was a nice refreshing tea which also provided a soothing sensation to my stomach. So thank you PG tips for producing a lovely lemon and ginger tea.
Review of Good Full Stop Bars
Now I’m a girl who likes her mid morning snack. I have tried a few alternatives to my old favourite Nature Valley bars but I still seem to have these by default. So when I was contacted by The Good Full Stop Company and asked if I would like to try some of their snack bars I of course said yes. The snack bars which I received are suitable for a dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and or vegan diet.
CHERRY SWEET & CHERRY GOOD
Onto the packaging, I liked the simplicity of the packaging with its silver colours scheme and a picture of tempting cherries and an autumn leaf to the left hand corner. It is labelled as being gluten free, and suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. Onto the ingredients list, cashew is clearly highlighted as an allergen. There is no may contain warning.
On opening the packet there was the sweet aroma from the dates noted but intermingled with this was a hint of cherry which intensified on my close up sniff test. On biting into the bar I got the softness and slightly smooth texture intermingled with a slight crunchiness from the cashew. If I’m honest I missed the texture from the cherries. Onto the flavour well the dates and cashews were the prominent flavours, but the subtleness of the slight tartness from the cherry made for a nice balance of flavours. I personally liked this as I can find cherries a little to sharp sometimes. overall I enjoyed the aroma, texture and favour of this bar. This surprised me as I’m not the biggest fan of cherries.
VERY NUTTY AND NUTTY GOOD
Onto the packaging, I liked the simplicity of the packaging with its silver colours scheme and a picture of hazelnut and almonds to the left hand corner. It is labelled as being gluten free, and suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. Onto the ingredients list, mixed nuts and cashews, hazelnuts and almonds is clearly highlighted as allergens. There is no may contain warning.
On opening the packet their was a slight sweet aroma from the dates but this was overtaken by the generalised nuttiness from the variety of nuts within the bar. This did not change on my close up sniff test. On biting into the bar I loved the combination of textures from the softness from the dates intermingled from the nice crunch from the nuts. Onto the flavour I got the sweetness from the dates intermingled with the nuts the prominent flavour being the almonds. This was my favourite bar it was really nutty and slightly less sweet compared to other flavours. A big win with both flavours and textures.
I’M BERRY, BERRY GOOD
Onto the packaging, I liked the simplicity of the packaging with its silver colours scheme and a picture of tempting raspberries to the left hand corner. It is labelled as being gluten free, and suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. Onto the ingredients list, cashew is clearly highlighted as an allergen. There is no may contain warning.
On opening the packet there was the sweet aroma from the dates a hint of raspberries which intensified on my close up sniff test. On biting into the bar I got the softness and slightly smooth texture from the dates and raspberries intermingled with a slight crunchiness from the cashew. Onto the flavour well the flavour from the dates and raspberries complimented each other nicely. I personally love raspberries and liked how this flavour complemented the sweetness from the dates. I enjoyed the aroma, texture and flavour of this bar it unusual to have raspberry flavour. I will no doubt be getting this again in the future.
FULL OF BEANS AND SO GOOOD
Onto the packaging, I liked the simplicity of the packaging with its gold colours scheme and a picture of coffee beans and chocolate to the left hand corner. It is labelled as being gluten free, and suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. Onto the ingredients list, cashew is clearly highlighted as an allergen. There is a may contain warning for soy in the chocolate.
On opening the packet there was the sweet aroma from the dates and chocolate intermingled with the slight bitter aroma from the coffee and chocolate. This did not change on my close up sniff test. On biting into the bar I got the softness and slightly smooth texture from the dates intermingled with a slight crunchiness from the cashew. If I’m honest I missed the texture from the chocolate. Onto the flavour well the flavour from the dates complimented the bitterness from the coffee nicely. I personally do not like coffee and so would not purchase this in the future, but I think coffees lovers would enjoy this bar.
DEVILISHLY HOT AND GOOD
Onto the packaging, I liked the simplicity of the packaging with its striking black colour scheme and a picture of chills in flames to the left hand corner. It is labelled as being gluten free, and suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. Onto the ingredients list, cashew is clearly highlighted as an allergen. There is a may contain warning for soy in the chocolate.
On opening the packet there was the sweet aroma from the dates and chocolate intermingled with the slight fiery aroma from the chilli. This did not change on my close up sniff test. On biting into the bar I got the softness and slightly smooth texture from the dates intermingled with a slight crunchiness from the cashew. If I’m honest I missed the texture from the chocolate. Onto the flavour well the sweet flavour from the dates and chocolate complimented the slight fiery kick from the chilli. The chilli flavouring was pot on as it was clearly present but wasn’t too hot and didn’t spoil the sweetness from the dates and chocolate. I have tried a chilli and chocolate before and loved it sop the fact that you can get it in a snack bar is a bonus.
So would I recommend these snack bars? Yes I would. I enjoyed the aroma, flavour and textures to these bars. I will no doubt be stocking up on these bars in the near future. So if you follow a dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and or vegan diet why not give these snack bars a try. So thank you Good Full Stop for producing some nice snack bars that I can enjoy.
Disclaimer I received a free sample of these bars all of opinions in this post are honest and my own.
Review of Yorkshire Tea Breaktime Brew
As a lady who enjoys her cups of tea on a daily basis I am always on the lookout for new teas to try. I personally like a tea with a hint of citrus as it is a great tea to be enjoyed milk free. So when I discovered that Yorkshire Tea had produced a range called Breaktime Brew which had a citrus flavour I just had to give it a try. It took a little while to find some but luckily I managed to grab one of the last boxes to try.
I liked the design of the packaging which is typical of that of the Yorkshire Tea brand. There is a picture of the Yorkshire countryside and to the bottom right is two people enjoying a flask of tea. Onto the ingredients it’s a tad lengthy. I’ve included a picture of these for your reference but it does include natural orange and lemon flavourings. I personally wish that the details of the flavouring was more detailed. There are there no allergens highlighted or any may contain warnings listed.
On opening the packet I have to admit to be a tad disappointed I was greeted by the aroma that I associate with everyday black tea. I was hoping for an aroma of a nice quality black tea intermingled with a hint of lemon and orange or a least a citrus element. This didn’t change on my famous close up sniff test. I placed the teabag in my teacup and added my freshly boiled hot water. I left the tea to infuse with the hot water as instructed. The hot water soon changed to a light/medium brown colour. The aroma soon became noticeably different. The citrus aroma was distinct element to this tea, without it being too strong or overpowering. It complemented the aroma of the black tea perfectly. That said I was unable to distinguish between the lemon and orange. This remained the same, even on my close up sniff test. I was now looking forward to trying this tea. On sipping the tea it tasted like a nice everyday black tea with delicate cirtusy undertones. It was a nice refreshing tea. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by this tea. In fact I may even go as far as to say that I preferred it to my regular lady grey tea.
So would I recommend this Yorkshire Tea? Yes definitely. I liked the subtle citrus aroma and flavour of this tea. It was a nice everyday black tea with a citrus twist. So if you fancy a black tea with a subtle citrus twist , why not give this Yorkshire Tea a try. So thank you Yorkshire Tea for producing a refreshing citrusy black tea.
Review of co-op apple puffs
I popped into my local co-op to get some dinner and passed by the bakery section. My other half fancied doughnuts. Sadly, they were sold out. I noticed their apple puffs and as some of their bakery items are vegan I thought that I would grab some on the of chance. As it turns out it was a good call to make as they were indeed suitable for a dairy free diet.
I liked the simplicity of the packaging. You can clearly see the apple puffs inside. There is a simple label to the centre of the front of the packaging. There is only one ingredient listed which is wheat. The co-op also kindly sent me a full list of ingredients.
On opening the packaging I was greeted by a sweet aroma of what I describe as an aroma which I would describe as puff pastry and sugar. The apple puffs are a good size. To the top you have a flaky pastry topped with sprinkles of sugar. This becomes more compact towards the bottom of the pies. On checking underneath no soggy bottom was noted. It appeared dry I mean this in a nice way, and wasn’t greasy. On biting into the apple puff I got an initial crunch from the sugar to the top. This was followed by a nice light flaky pastry. It took a little while to discover the apple filling due to its minimal quantity. However, It was worth the wait, it was nice slightly crunchy apple pieces amongst a slightly syrupy puree.
So would I recommend these apple puffs if you follow a dairy free diet? Yes I would it is great to find an apple puff that isn’t in the free from range. I loved the light flaky pastry and the sugary topping that added that little extra. They could perhaps be even nicer if they had a little more generous apple filling. So thank you co-op for producing a nice apple puff that I can enjoy.
Review of Lidl Green Tea
As a lady who enjoys her cups of tea on a daily basis I am always on the lookout for new teas to try. Yet for some unknown reason I tend to drink very little green tea. This is strange as it is a great tea to be enjoyed milk free so it is therefore perfect for dairy free me. I have tried a couple of brands of green tea of varying qualities. So when I popped into Lidl the other day I though that it was about time that I tried their green tea.
I liked the simple design of the packaging with this tea. It was light green with picture of a green tea leaf and the Knightsbridge logo to the top. Onto the ingredients only green tea is listed. There are there no allergens highlighted or any may contain warnings listed.
On opening the packet I was greeted by a slightly grassy meadow with subtle undertones of smokiness that I associate with green tea. This intensified slightly on my famous close up sniff test. I placed the teabag in my teacup and added my slightly cooled freshly boiled hot water. I left the tea to infuse with the hot water as instructed. The hot water soon changed to a light brown/green colour. The aroma from the tea did not intensify and remained the same, even on my close up sniff test. On sipping the tea I could taste the grassy element with the smokiness element intermingled with this. In fact the smokiness element was slightly stronger compared to other green teas that I have tried. However, it did not result in bitter flavour which I have experienced with other green teas. It was a nice light and refreshing tea. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by this green tea.
So would I recommend this green tea, yes definitely. I liked the delicate subtle aroma and flavour of this tea. It was a light refreshing tea. So if you fancy a milk free tea, why not give this green tea a try. So thank you Lidl for producing a refreshing green tea.
