Pret Dairy Free Chocolatey Coconut Bite

Whenever I see a Pret I always tend to go for my lunch there as there's not one in my town and I love their on trend, healthy and fresh choices. Pret is also great for vegetarian and vegan food with ever more veggie choices. Along with one of the new coconut lattes (which I fully recommend) and a vegan salad, I bought this dairy free bar on impulse at the till.

Costing a slightly expensive but not ridiculous £1.20, this bar is vegan made only with creamed coconut, dessiccated coconut, dairy free dark chocolate, natural vanilla flavouring, carob syrup, coconut oil and salt so all very clean.

Initially what I expected was a more raw, earthy kind of bar but with my first bar, my expectations were severely overthrown - this tastes literally like a bounty bar!!! I thought it would be dry but it's so rich and creamy, really chocolatey and totally indulgent. No one would be able to tell it was vegan or dairy free, it's that tasty.

The inside is more crumbly than maybe a bounty and you do get in a slight mess with it but that's because this contains so may real coconut that is fudgy and creamy rather than fake syrups with coconut flavour. If you like coconut in any way, you'll love this. The dark chocolate is also very high quality. It's only a thin coating with the focus on the coconut inside but it adds a nice counter point and melts beautifully in the mouth with the coconut.

However, one small word of caution, this little 34g contains a whopping 15g sat fat and 200 calories so don't go thinking they're guilt free. However, it does have less sugar in that a standard chocolate bar with just 5.8g vs around 25g or more.

When vegan food this is tasty, I just wish such choices were more widely available. Nice one Pret.

Price: £1.20
Bought at: Pret
Nutrition per bar: 205 calories, 17.9g fat, 15.4 sat fat, 5.8g sugars, 0g salt

Sainsburys Deliciously Freefrom Coconut Vanilla Iced Dessert

Dairy free is all the rage nowadays and whilst I am not dairy intolerant and still love my milk and yogurts, I am very much into my almond and coconut alternatives as well. Dairy free milks and yogurts are pretty mainstream and easy enough to find now and it seems ice cream is the next area that’s set to boom. Sainsburys did a big freefrom push earlier this year with loads of new own label options across every sector from pasta sauces to bread and cakes to cereals. One thing that grabbed a lot of attention was there new freefrom ice creams made of coconut and available in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate versions.

This ice cream is made from - Water, Coconut Milk (30%) (Water, Coconut Extract), Sugar, Inulin, Dextrose, Coconut Oil (4%), Vanilla Extract, Thickener: Carob Gum, Cellulose; Colour: Beta-carotene  - so suitable for vegans and those avoiding dairy. It's also gluten free and wheat free.

Because of the coconut milk base this is actually really quite high in saturated fat. And whilst health bloggers claim it’s good for you, I’m still not convinced and think too much sat fat is bad and that the best fats are those in things like nuts, avocado and seeds which are monosaturated. It’s also just as sugary as normal ice cream at 22% - for context that’s the same as salted caramel haagen daaz and not much further behind than Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough at 25% .

What I was impressed with was just how scoopable this was after leaving out for a few minutes. Nice and soft, it felt creamy and looks quite attractive with a simple yellow colour (albeit one derived from added colour beta-carotene).  

This translates into a nice creamy, thick texture – it certainly didn’t feel like a sorbet and isn’t icy, watery or thin tasting. It’s not quite ice cream as it’s maybe a little oily and maybe a bit more girtty but this is really minor and for all extents and purposes it’s pretty indulgent in mouthfeel.

The flavour is okay…. To be honest coconut is the main taste you get and I would describe it as a coconut with hints of vanilla taste rather than a vanilla taste that just so happens to be made of coconut. It’s sweet and pleasant tasting but it’s not overly exciting. Considering the sugar and sat fat is comparable to normal ice cream, I think I’d rather just have a scoop of Ben and Jerry’s instead as this isn’t exactly a clean and pure product either. Vegans and those who can’t eat lactose will love this but it’s just as unhealthy as regular ice cream and the taste although nice just isn’t enough to make me choose this instead of my favourite brands.

Price: £3.00

Bought at: Sainsburys

Nutrition per serving: 193 calories, 8.4g fat, 7.5g sat fat, 20.7g sugars, 0.03g salt

Score: 7/10

Aldi Specially Selected Coconut and Vanilla Yogurt Drink

So as you may have gathered by my recent reviews, I went to Aldi recently hence the sudden rush of a lot of Aldi products and it's another one of my random fines I found there. This was a complete impulse purchase from the yogurt section simply because it contained coconut.

It says it's lassi inspired but it's more of a coconut and vanilla smoothie and is made with Irish milk from Donegal that is crafted in small batches with velvety coconut and fragrant vanilla for a lassi inspired drinking yogurt. It sounded pretty good and whilst it's pretty sugary at 11%, the ingredients list is pretty natural although there is added sugar in it and in the coconut and vanilla compote. However it is 82% low fat yogurt and does contain vanilla extract.

It's definitely a high quality smoothie and really delicious. It's not refreshing as such because it's not fruity and the texture is very thick because it's predominantly yogurt. Even though it's a drinking yogurt, it's still pretty and thick and what I would term 'gluggy' but this is how I love my smoothies to be. It has the most amazing thick and rich mouthfeel that you properrly chug back rather than sip and is all the better for it.

Taste is on point too with a fairly subtle exotic coconut taste and an authentic vanilla fragrance that's sweet and creamy without being sickly in anyway. Every now and then you get a bit of dessicated coconut solid in a sip but this isn't a problem and adds to the thickness. Whilst it's not something I would buy too often due to the sugar content, it's a delicious smoothie and I recommend it if you see it.

Price: £0.65 for a 250ml bottle
Bought at: Aldi
Nutrition per 100ml: 81 calories, 2g fat, 1.4g sat fat, 11g sugars, 3.2g protein, 0.09g salt

Score: 8/10

Meridian Coconut and Almond Butter Review

Anyone into their nut butters know that Meridian is king. These are nut butters made purely from buts with no added salt or sugar and 100% almond/ peanut/ hazelnut etc depending on the flavour you pick. Free from palm oil, you can't knock their quality and I'm a die hard fan of their almond, peanut, hazelnut and cashew butters all of which I've enjoyed on toast, bagels, oatcakes and in smoothies.

Capitalising on the love of all things coconut, they've introduced a coconut and peanut butter and coconut and almond butter mash up to the range Like the rest of the range, the ingredients list is stunnigly simple - 67% almonds, 29% coconut and 4% honey for sweetening. I had high hopes for this and couldn't wait to get stuck in.

Because of its natural ingredients, this, like all the other Meridian products, needs a vigorous good stir to blend when you first open it as the natural almond oil seperates and rises to the top but this isn't a problem for me. I got the scent of coconut and with the high almond content, it looked deliciously creamy and thick

Spreading some onto some oatcakes for a little energy boost, the texture is fairly thick with a slight runniness - maybe a little looser than their peanut butter but thicker than the hazelnut butter. It's rich and creamy in the mouth and whilst the coconut is obvious and fragrant, you do still get the almond richness as well so you get the best of both blends.

I'll admit I expected these to be the most luxurious nut butter I've ever had but whilst very nice it's no better than the rest of the range (not that that's a bad thing). It's not as sweet as I would have maybe liked so doesn't feel super indulgent or naughty but then again it's really a healthy product - albeit one that tastes divine.

Definitely one worth seeking out but perhaps not as treaty as some of the nut butters that contain maple syrup or cinnamon or blended with chocolate.

Price: £3.99
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per 100g: 647 calories, 56.1g fat, 19.9g sat fat, 7.6 sugars, 11.6g fibre, 19.1g protein, 0g salt

Score: 7.5/10

Nutribrex Coconut and Crispy Rice

After adding Nutribix to my ever increasing cereal repertoire (I just love the stuff and tend to eat it twice a day!), they've added a new coconut and crispy rice variant to the range and also renamed themselves as Nutri-brex. Slightly odd choice of name I must admit and at first I thought it was some kind of temporary PR thing in relation to Brexit but apparently they're actually sticking with this.

Like the regular Nutribrex it's a sorghum based breakfast cereal in biscuit form and is gluten free as sorghum does not contain gluten like wheat so I imagine very nice for coeliacs who miss their Weetabix or Shredded Wheat. What I liked about the original Nutribrex was how simple it was, allowing you to top it and customise each day however you want.

With crispy rice, coconut and cinnamon in this, this has a flavour all of its own. It's not super strongly flavoured so actually still works very well with whatever you choose to throw at it but because of the coconut and cinnamon it's also very nice just as it is. You can definitely get the tropical taste of coconut, which partners surprisingly well with the warmth of cinnamon. It's a cereal that would equally for breakfast in summer or winter.

The crisped rice doesn't add a huge amount and for me gets a bit lost but does add a little bit of crunch and textural interest. Like the regular Nutribrex these need a serious amount of milk and soaking time to soften them but it's worth it in the end.

I think I probably prefer it to the original overall and now I've got another cereal to feed my addiction to the stuff

Bought at: Asda
Nutrition per 3 biscuit serving: 201 calories, 4.2g fat, 2.2 sat fat, 4.1g sugars, 4.9g protein, 3.8g fibre, 0.22g salt

Score: 8/10

Koele Triple Baked Coconut Chips - Lemon and Chilli

More coconut reviews again today. I am trying to buy other snacks I swear. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from these coconut chips by Koele. I knew they would be a little like the strips of coconut but was interested to see if the addition of a lemon and chilli flavouring would actually deliver that savoury crisp feeling. For a small 30g bag at 130 calories, it feels huge and there are loads in here. I genuinely can’t believe they are 130 calories. Predominantly this is coconut that is tripled baked along the seasoning and coating. It’s gluten free, natural and free of preservatives. 

Opening the bag you get a good hit of aroma with lots of spiciness and a good savoury hit. The pieces are very small flakes, which are very thin and I was a little worried because of their thinness they would just be soft and flaky.

But surprisingly these are really crunchy. They have a good crunch in the mouth, feel very satisfying and actually do deliver that crisp sensation to a certain extent. If I wasn’t looking at them as I put them in my mouth, I could very easily convince myself I was eating shards of crisps. The flavouring is spot on – it’s really punchy and strong flavoured. I’ve found on a lot of these types of products (especially popcorn) the coating is really sporadic and not evenly coated but that’s not the case here. Every piece was bursting with flavour and it actually delivers on the taste it promises.

The lemon and chilli seasoning is actually fairly spicy with a nice, mild heat. Combined with the more subtle lemon it makes for a nice sweet, tangy, spice sensation. It also works very well with the natural coconut tropical taste and whilst there is the potential for this to go too sweet, it stays nice and savoury and salty.

I wasn’t expecting a lot from these but they were really nice. They actually remind me a little of all those lentil crisps or wholegrain waves out in the shops at the moment with a nice light texture with a nice crunch and a good flavour hit.

Price: £1.89

Bought at: Holland and Barrett

Nutrition per bag: 130 calories, 10g fat, 4g sat, 6g sugars, 0.16g salt

Score: 7.5/10

CocoPro High Protein Coconut Water

Coconut water is still on trend. Protein drinks are still on trend. Combine the two and you’ve got an ultra trendy product. This high protein coconut water from CocoPro adds whey protein isolate to coconut drink for a coconut water with a whopping 20g of protein. Protein is obviously essential for exercise and coconut water is famed as a great rehydrator as well so this is a gold star product for after training.

In addition the product contains some grape juice concentrate and stevia for sweetness but there is no refined sugar and in total it is only 2.8% sugars which is significantly lower than juices and many other drinks. There’s also a touch of vanilla flavouring which I guess is to counteract the whey protein taste in a similar way many protein powders are flavoured.

Pouring it out I was shocked by the colour. As a small 330ml carton you would usually drink straight from the carton so it was a bit unnerving to see such an odd coloured product. My first sip was also really strange – it tasted neither of the refreshing taste of coconut water or the creamy milkshake like flavour of other protein drinks. Instead it an odd, almost bitter and sharp taste with a quite strong vanilla flavour that clashed.

However, once used to this very different taste, I really enjoyed it. It’s a strange mix of creamy, dairy and coconut water which seem odd together at first but was tasty. It’s got quite a chalky texture and is quite drying in the mouth but it wasn’t dislikeable. It’s probably not something for the mainstream or for when you want a delicious drink but for its prime purpose after sport, it works. Very strong nutritionals, natural ingredients in a satisfying drink in an easy on the go format.

Price:  £2.79

Bought at: Holland and Barrett

Nutrition per carton: 137 calories, no fat, 9.1g sugars, 20.2g protein, 0.1g salt

Score: 7.5/10

Vita Coco Peach and Mango Coconut Water Review

Whilst I may be trying birch water nowadays, I still enjoy coconut water and vita coco is probably my most regularly bought brand - the lemonade one in particular is utterly delicious, very refreshing and zingy. Although this peach and mango one has been around for years now, I've only just got round to trying it.

There's not much point trying to convince you of the benefits of coconut water - you either love it's taste or you find it too earthy - although you can't knock its hydration and potassium benefits and it's certainly more delicious than water.

Simply coconut water, peach puree and mango puree with a little vitamin c, you expect it to be very tropical tasting and as always I love the vita coco packaging - it's just so colourful, cheering and makes me feel good just looking at it as it does to drink it.

This version has a more tropical taste and certainly seemed sweeter and more sticky than the other versions I've tried. You definitely get the mango taste with maybe a peach hint but you also get the taste of coconut water as the fruits don't override completely although they are pretty dominant.

The lemonade version is probably still my favourite but it's a nice refreshing drink as good after the gym or a run as it is sat outside on a hot day.

Price: £1.69
Bought at: Ocado
Nutrition per 100ml: 25 calories, 0g fat, 6gsugars

O'Coconut Lightly Sweetened Coconut Treat Hemp and Chia Review

I think we've reached peak saturation of the coconut trend but I still cannot get enough of it. Literally any product I see in a health food shop with even the nearest hint of coconut and I jump all over it. It's not even the good fats in it that draws me in, they're just so blooming delicious! So when I spotted this little coconut treat in Wholefoods market at the relatively cheap price of 69p I of course bought it simply because a) it was new b) coconut was involved c) so was hemp and chia.

It's made up of tapioca syrup, coconut, hemp and chia with all natural ingredients and sugars and is organic. It looks pretty small and even in the packaging but when you open it is really is a bite size treat. At 60 calories and just 3g sugars it was always going to be pretty small as coconut is pretty calorific anyway. Nevertheless it had a pleasing coconut smell and looked attractive with all the chia seeds dotted throughout.

The texture is pleasingly squidgy - akin to a soft cookie rather than the density of a bounceball or even a Nakd bar. Although very small I manage to get 4 bites out of it and each one was really tasty. In many ways it's similar to a gluten free macaroon due to the high desiccated coconut content and the texture is similar. It's not crumbly but still very soft with a mild coconut taste that is definitely not over sweet but balanced with some cereal type notes. It's definitely not going to fill you up or give you energy for a workout but it is a very simple, healthy little sweet treat.

Price: 69p

Bought at: Wholefoods Market

Nutrition per ball: 60 calories, 3g fat, 3g sat fat, 3g sugars

Score: 7.5/10

Coconut Collaborative Dairy Free Milk Little Choc Pots Review

Whilst I tend to prefer soy for my yogurts, coconut makes the best dairy free desserts. It provides a natural creaminess and richness from the good fats that make coconut products feel so indulgent. Having really enjoyed Rebel Kitchen's Coffee Coconut Yogurt, I decided to give these new chocolate ganache desserts from the Coconut Collaboriative a try.

According to the coconut collaborative - Our Little pots of chocolate ganache are the perfect thing to satisfy that sweet tooth in calorie-controlled portions. At just 105 calories per pot, they are the ultimate chocolate fix. They are rich, velvety, and extremely delicious. Our Little Choc Pots are a combination of dark chocolate and coconut cream, therefore containing all the health boosting properties of coconut milk. Coconuts are full of fatty acids, and, instead of storing them, the body uses these fats instantly for energy. Even better, they contain zero cholesterol.

All sounds pretty promising - I ordered these via Ocado so couldn't really tell what they would look like. Upon getting the pack of 4 x 45g pots, I could see instantly why they are 105 calories even though coconut is pretty calorific. The pots are absolutely miniscule! If you really wanted, I imagine you could scoop the entire pot out with a table spoon and eat the whole thing in one bite.

However, being one to want to prolong my dessert as much as possible, I went with a little plastic spoon and scraped miniscule mouthfuls out at a time. And actually this is really the best way to eat it as goodness these are rich. I thought the coconut yogurt from Rebel Kitchen was rich but these are even moreso. They are definitely up there with any kind of resturant dessert for pure indulgence mouthfeel. It is so thick that you would have difficulty spreading it with a knife and is almost solid. But this makes them feel so creamy and delicious.

Even people not interested in dairy free would find this utterly indulgent. It is a really intense, chocolatey hit and it's nice to see the ingredients use proper dark chocolate - one containing more cocoa mass than sugar. There isn't really much of a coconut flavour - it's pretty darn chocolatey so it's pretty accessible for all but the coconut fat does add that richness.

Frankly any more than a 45g pot and you would feel sick. I actually wouldn't be able to make my way through a whole pot by itself as it's so decadent. I ended up having it with a banana to lighten it up a bit and to spread the chocolatey mouthfuls with a bit of freshness. It's also fairly sweet, which I would like to see tempered down a bit but it is a very special dessert.

Utterly naughty feeling and satisfying but at 105 calories, it's a pretty guilt free dessert.

Price: £2.99
Bought at: Ocado
Nutrition per 100g: 234 calories, 14.4g fat, 11.2g sat fat, 22g sugars, 0.1g salt

Score: 8/10

Rebel Kitchen Organic Coffee Coconut Yogurt Review

After enjoying Tesco's own label coconut rice puddings, I decided to this coffee coconut yoghurt from Rebel Kitchen a go. It was a riduculously expensive purchase from Ocado (£2.49 for a single 125g pot) but I'm a sucker for something new and whilst there are more and more coconut yoghurts on the market, I've never seen a coffee one before.

Opening up my tiny little pot, I did get a rich sense of both coconut and coffee. It's actually a much thinner texture than I was expecting and fairly runny. Slightly thicker than maybe a dairy yogurt but definitely not a Greek style one and it almost reminded me of a runny caramel.

It had a smooth texture and although not particularly rich, it is extremely rich. And I mean rich. It tasted pretty indulgent and was very enjoyable but would definitely be on the sickly side if you ate too much. Even though it's a small pot, I couldn't finish a whole pot but luckily for a single serve product it comes with a lid so I was able to save the other half for another day.

The ingredients list is very clean and all organic - Raw Coconut Meat (57%)*, Water, Coconut Cream*, Coconut Blossom Nectar*, Coffee*, Live Vegan Yogurt Cultures

It's also pretty low in sugars at 7.1g per 100g although very high in saturated fat like a lot of coconut products at 7.4g per 100g. Again I'll say despite all the hype around coconut fat being good fat, the fact remains saturated fat isn't good for heart health if you're exceeding your daily limits. However, I have seen many coconut yogurts that are 20g per 100g so this is pretty good.

Really it's more a dessert proposition than a yoghurt. It actually tastes pretty sweet with a nice distinct but definitely not overpowering coffee taste. I think because of the richness and fat content, it tastes maybe sweeter than it is so as said it can get a bit sickly. However, half a pot was just right and made a lovely evening dessert. It's a bit too expensive and bit too fatty for an everyday dairy free yogurt so I'd probably stick to soya ones for day to day and then have these as a kind of dessert.

Price: £2.49
Bought at: Ocado
Nutrition per 100g: 118 calories, 8.4g fat, 7.4g sat, 7.1g sugars, 0.1g salt

Tesco Freefrom Coconut Rice with Senga Senegana Strawberry

Tesco do tend to do some interesting own label products and whilst browsing the dairy free aisles, found these own label coconut rice with senga sengana strawberry pots. I love rice pudding (I have a bit of a weird love of all things old fashioned like custard, digestive biscuits and malt loaf) so was intrigued to try this modern and on trend variant to rice pudding. It's wheat, dairy and gluten free.

First thing I was really impressed with was how clean the ingredients were. It is literally just the following:

Coconut Milk (Coconut, Water) (62%), Senga Sengana Strawberry (20%), Caster Sugar, Rice (8%), Gelling Agent (Pectin)

All things I recognise, which is a really good sign. Sugar content is also ridiculously good – how many desserts contains under 5g a serving?! Although big watch out is that a pot contains 44% of your saturated fat for the day. Now I know there is a lot of hype around coconut fat being good fat and apparently saturated fat being okay now but I think it is best to advise caution with these fats. A bit of fat and a bit of sugar now and then seems more sensible than going all out on any one nutrient.

It actually feels like a slightly more premium product that the packaging suggests. The little desserts come in smart little pots that I initially mistook for glass but actually seem to be a good, thick high quality plastic. They feel nice to eat out of and I actually ended up washing the pots out and keeping them. Any dairy avoiding guest would be happy to be presented with one of these at a dinner party as they have that Gu like feel to them.

Pulling the lid I instantly got a nice sweet exotic smell of coconut. Digging the spoon I realised it was thick, very thick due to the high fat content. I tried  bit of the top half first and it tastes extremely decadent, very creamy and rich too. Coconut comes through nicely and it’s not too sweet. However, it is a fairly rich dessert and would be sickly if you had to consume it by itself.

Stirring in the fruit compote at the bottom really helps ligten it up. The strawberry isn’t jammy or sickly sweet but fresh and uplifting and when mixed with the coconut rice makes a really creamy, delicious pudding. 

The only negative aspect of the dessert for me was the rice – at just 8% it gets totally lost in the thick fatness of the coconut milk and bar the odd little bit of bite now and then isn’t noticeable. As a rice pudding I’d rather have a looser, less fatty texture with more rice in.

Overall it’s a very nice dessert and at £2 for the two pots seems quite well priced for what I  thought was a pretty premium dessert.

Price: £2

Bought at: Tesco

Nutrition per pot: 155 calories, 9.4g fat, 8.8g sat fat, 4.9g sugars, 0.1g salt

Score: 8/10