Nakd Lemon Drizzle Review

Always a fan of Nakd bars and they're pure wholefoods clean ingredients, I'm always excited to see a new flavour on the shelves. Now on the plus side lemon drizzle cake sounds delicious and it's good to see a more zesty flavour hit the shelves instead of more cocoa, berry or nutty versions but on the down side it replaces the previous limited edition carrot cake Nakd bar, which I loved. So it has a high bar to hit if it is to make me let go of one of my favourite flavours.

We all know the benefits of Nakd bars - no refined sugar, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, clean ingredients and this is no different, made up of 53% dates, 19% raisins, 11% almonds, 10% coconut, 6% cashews, 1% lemon and a hint of natural flavourings.

Opening it up, you instantly get a lovely fragrant zesty smell. I wouldn't say it was lemony and actually it reminded me more of vanilla sponge cake - especially those sharing ones for birthdays that come in big slabs cut into squares.

Initially biting in, it was lemony and sweet and very delicious but I wouldn't say it was lemon drizzle cake. It was just their usual nice soft texture with a lovely lemony twist that works well but the more I ate the more and more it morphed into lemon drizzle cake. It's scarily similar to the real deal, even texture wise. By the end I really couldn't tell the difference between this and the real deal. It's lovely and sweet and zesty and somehow for something made up of dates and raisins and nuts really feels and tastes like lemony sponge in texture. I swear I could even taste the icing of lemon drizzle cake.

Nakd have done it again, another fantastic healthier treat. I'm still really, really sad to see carrot cake (please Nakd bring this back too!) but this is another winner.

My only criticism is I think Nakd are starting to cut costs and bulking up their bars with more dates/raisins, instead of costly nuts. This means the sugar content of this is one of the higher bars with just under 18g (albeit natural sugars). However, considering their gingerbread bar is 11.6g sugars with 50% nut content and their are lots of new players like Squirrel Sisters, Bounce and Deliciously Ella with lower sugar content, I hope they don't keep reducing the nut content.

Price: £0.74
Bought at: Asda
Nutrition per bar: 133 calories, 5.4g fat, 2.3g sat fat, 17.7g sugars, <0.1g salt

Score: 9/10

Deliciously Ella Ball Review - Deliciously Ella Cacao and Almond Ball

I'm a big fan of Deliciously Ella - I've made my diet a lot more plant based over the last year and I find her recipes really simple, easy, quick and come up with tasty results. I'm also a big fan of any kind of healthy snack or energy ball and my cupboards are full of Nakd bars, Bounce Balls, Trek etc so I finally got round to buying one of the deliciously ella balls from her cafe, the Mae Deli, when I was in London last week.

The range also includes raisin and hazelnut and cashew and ginger but I went for this one partly as I love anything cacao flavoured and also it had a lower (natural) sugar content than the others. It feels like a premium product with a good quality wrapper, nice design and I love how she gives the recipe for the ball on the pack so you can make them yourself at home if you want to. This is just 3 dates, 8 almonds, 1 tsp cacao, almond butter, coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt - all very clean ingredients, natural, plant based and suitable for vegans.

Opening it up I was slightly disappointed that the ball was smaller than the pack would lead me to believe (I was expecting something bounce ball sized) but nevertheless it looked lovely and smooth.

It has a deliciously rich, fudgy texture and you get both the sweetness of dates combined with earthy rich cacao flavour with a nice salty subtle backtone which complements and emphasises the roasted almonds. It feels filling and like it's giving you energy and it was really tasty. And although I felt it was a little small, it did fill me up nicely.

I was really impressed with this and it would be great to see the Deliciously Ella brand expand and move into other foods as well!

Price: £1.99
Available at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per ball: 173 calories, 11.1g fat, 2.2g sat fat, 12.7g sugars, 2.9g fibre, 5g protein, 0.11g salt

Score: 8.5/10

Bounce Protein Energy Bites Review Coconut and Cranberry

Although I wasn't as impressed by the Cacao and Almond Bounce bites I first tried compared to their Bounce balls, I went back to try the coconut and cranberry version. My problem with the first bounce bites I tried wa that they lacked that really dense, fudgy, chewy texture that give you a real jaw workout. However, I did enjoy them as well and as I love coconut thought I couldn't go to wrong with these.

Bounce bites are little flat squat discs made up of natural ingredients and a good mix of carbs, fats and protein without refined sugars. In this case the ingredients are:

Cranberries (Pineapple Juice Syrup, Cranberries, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Sunflower Oil) (22%),
Whey Protein Concentrate (from Milk) (13%), Cashews (Nuts) (13%), Coconut (12%), Sunflower Seeds (11%), Gluten Free Grain Dextrins (from Brown Rice), Currants, Whey Protein Isolate (from Milk) (6%), Rice Flour, Water, Soya Lecithin (Emulsifier), Vegetable Oil

They smelt quite fruity and coconutty as soon as I opened the packet. Having got used to the texture of bounce bites versus bounce balls, I didn't get that initial disappointment this time around. I do still definitely prefer the texture of bounce balls, they just feel so substantial and indulgent. These are a lot firmer with a slightly odd offmilky aftertaste. But it's not altogether unpleasant just a little odd.

What I have found these incredibly useful for is quick out the door energy burst on the way to the gym first thing in the morning. I can just have four of these and I feel I have the energy to hit the gym without being weighed down. As such the mini bite format and portionability of these with a resealable bag is really useful. Looking back I think I prefer the cacao almond ones but I have enjoyed these as well.

Price: £2.99
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per 30g: 127 calories, 6.3g fat, 2.4g sat fat, 7.8g sugars. 6.3 protein, 0.03g salt

Score: 7/10

Chic P Hummus Rreview Chic P Carrot, Ginger and Turmeric Humms

One of the best things about going veggie is all the delicious, colourful lunches you get to make. All my work colleagues comment on how vibrant and interesting my lunches and I think once you start moving away from bread and start filling a container full of plant based wholefoods, it automatically just looks so instagram worthy. One thing this week, which has added a lovely burst of sunshine to my lunchboxes this week is this carrot, ginger and turmeric hummus from a lovely new brand called Chic P.

I came across this in Wholefoods where the lovely lady sampling showcased a variety of interesting new takes on hummus - including a cocoa and banana one! Chic P stands for sustainability and reducing food waste and all their hummuses are made from rejected vegetables because they're imperfect looking. In addition, the products are made from raw vegetables with no added sugars and are vegan as well.

Just look at that amazing golden colour! I know turmeric always brings a sunny glow to whatever it touches but this is still the most healthy looking dip I've ever seen. Made from carrots, chickpeas, tahini, ginger and turmeric, it's just natural ingredients that come with lots of health benefits. Turmeric is a bit of a superfood with supposed anti inflammatory and anti cancer properties and is something I add to everything nowadays from curries to smoothies - and of course I love a turmeric latte! Ginger is great for digestion but also adds a lovely depth of flavour marrying the natural sweetness of the carrot with the creaminess of chickpeas and fragrance of turmeric,

Although this has a very distinct, strong and powerful flavour, I've also found it wonderfully versatile. It's been a staple in all my salad bowls and boxes this week, I've served it with falafel, with Thai sweetcorn fritters and of course it works simply as a dip as well. I've even used it on spelt bread for toast in the morning for a punchy wake up call.

It is more pricey than your average hummus at £2.49 for 170g but one I really think is worth it as it adds something very different to what's out there, is natural, healthy and has a really good ethical background.

Price: £2.49
Bought at:Wholefoods Market

Score: 9.5/10

Aldi 0% Fat Greek Yogurt Review

After liking the genuine Greek yogurt from Aldi I tried earlier in the way it seems they listened to one criticism of wanting a 0% fat variant as well. I know fat isn't bad but it's great to have a fat free option as well so long as it's not full of sugar.

And this isn't. With a minimal 3.5g sugars per 100g, no fat, a whopping 10g protein per 100g and all for 62 calories, this product is a nutritional powerhouse. It's really useful for someone wanting to up their protein intake especially if you don't eat meat.

For a fat free product, you wouldn't know it's fat free - it's super thick, super creamy and tastes rich. It's also genuine Greek yogurt from Greece, not Greek style and oh did I mention it's a mere £1.39. I had it with some cocoa nibs and some Graze protein granola topping for lots of good stuff in the guise of a tasty dessert and it was lovely but would be just as good for fruit or with cereal for breakfast as well or adding protein to a smoothie.

I'll admit Aldi isn't my favourite shopper as their health offering isn't as varied, expansive or as interesting as other places but for healthy basics like this, you can't fault them.

Bought at: Aldi
Price: £1.39

Marks and Spencer Vegan Meal Deal - Cold Pressed Carrot and Turmeric Juice

As part of the recent vegan M&S meal deal I picked up, I went for this carrot and turmeric juice. As I've said, I hate standard meal deals where your choices are limited to basically fizzy drinks full of sugar, diet drinks full of artificial sweetener or boring old water so this is a much more exciting (and nourishing) option.

Cold pressed juices are very on trend at the moment. As they're not heat treated, they retain nutrients more and it's great to see a raw juice in a popular store like M&S. There is no fruit in this just 99% carrot and 1% turmeric so a great lower sugar juice option. The serving at a mere 150ml also means you're getting a good shot of the good stuff but without drinking much too juice. Although a vegetable, carrot juice is slightly sweeter and less earthy than a lot of vegetable juices so I found it very palatable to drink.

It's a lovely golden orange colour, bright and vivid suggesting it'll bring lots of goodness with it. Turmeric is another on trend health ingredient and something I often now add to smoothies and I enjoy a dairy free turmeric latte too. The turmeric here is done well for a mainstream product, it's not overly noticeable but adds a mild warmth to the carrot without making it too savoury or odd tasting.

The consistency is a little thin but then it is a juice not a smoothie and for a healthy choice ticks all the boxes as it's one of your five a day and you're getting a lot of vitamins and natural antioxidants in a nice convenient bottle for the on the go.

Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Nutrition per bottle: 53 calories

Aldi Foodie Market Veggie Burst Review

It's January and we're all trying to eat healthier. Luckily I tend to be healthy most of the time so I don't really go overboard over Christmas. I'd rather eat in moderation 12 months of the year so I can still have treats in January rather than swing back and forth between dieting and splurging.

One nice thing about everyone else wanting to eat healthily in January though is it means all the shops have loads of tasty healthy snacks in, including Aldi. I spied their take on a Graze box at the tills for the ridiculously cheap price of I *think* 30 something pence. Considering a Graze punnet is over £1, this is really good value.

Like Graze, this is a mix of healthy ingredients (cashews, almonds and edamame beans but with a tasty twist with salt and black pepper cashews and spicy paprika almonds. It's pure, natural ingredients and a really good source of protein with between 5 and 6g per pouch.  It tastes really nice with a good spicy flavour, a good combination of textures and flavours and the portion size is spot on  - filling and satisfying but also energising with a wholesome feel.

The pouch format isn't as nice as Graze's little punnets but at this price , who would complain?!

Bought at: Aldi
Score: 8/10

Pret Vegan Christmas Baguette - Very Merry Christmas Lunch

  

This baguette from Pret maybe isn’t the most Christmassy sandwich on the market but It’s nice to see somewhere offer a fully vegan lunchtime choice and to offer a special Christmas sandwich for vegans as well. Since opening their pop up veggie only Pret in summer, it’s been a runaway success and is still open now despite being launched as a temporary, one month pop up. Pret do really delicious veggie options – combinations I wouldn’t necessarily think of doing myself but that really work.

Here you have slices of roasted carrots, along with parsnip puree,  crispy onions and then topped with festive chutney , watercress and a good sprinkling of pistachios for crunch and a bit of apple sauce for sweetness. All of this is encased in a good old Pret baguette – pappy, mass produced bread this certainly isn’t. It’s crunchy, nutty and wholesome tasting with bits of grain for a nice mix of textures and providing a malty flavour.

This combo just really works and was absolutely delicious. Each ingredient probably isn’t that interesting on its own but together it’s a fantastic mix of flavours and textures. Nice firm carrots that are crunchy but also soft and let in the mouth, the parsnip puree adds richness and creaminess and this is all complemented by the sweetness of the apples in harmony with the natural veg sweetness. The festive chutney adds delicate spicing and tang and the watercress keeps if fresh and light.

I just wish such delicious things were more widely available. When something tastes as good as this, it hands down beats any meat based sandwich out there. Christmas food is traditionally seen as stodgy, fattening and unhealthy so how great to have something slightly festive that is so good for you and so nourishing. Definitely one worth checking out before it disappears off the shelves.

Price: £3.75

Bought at: Pret

Score: 8.5/10

Whitworths Full of Super Cayenne Chilli Flaxseed Crisps

Always on the look out for healthy snacks, I was really delighted to see these new flaxseed crisps from Whitworths. I've always associated Whitworths with cake ingredients, dried fruit and sugar rather than health but they've launched a new Full of Super range composing of raw bars, maca-roons and these flaxseed crisps.

I like flaxseed anyway and add it to my porridge every morning so was intrigued to try a crisp version as I enjoy other health crisps like kale crisps or chickpea flour crisps. My Sainsburys had both the garlic and herb flavour and these cayenne chilli ones which I went for as I like a bit of heat.

These are a genuinely healthy proposition. They're dairy free, gluten free and wheat free, soy free and suitable for vegans. Just look at the ingredients below - it's genuine whole foods.

Flaxseeds (50%), buckwheat (19%), sunflower seeds, quinoa (4%), dried red peppers, dried onion, sea salt, spices (1%) [ground ginger, ground cayenne chilli pepper (0.5%), turmeric], chia seeds (0.3%), dried garlic

Nutritionally this makes them really pretty good.  8g carbs per pack vs 6g protein and 6g fibre and with no added sugar. Flaxseed are also a really good source of omega 3 and each pack of these contains a whopping 3.9g

Pouring them out, they are nice perfect little discs sprinkled with lots of seeds. Whilst these do taste a little wholefood-ey and maybe wouldn't appeal to everyone, I thought they were really delicious and very moreish. A good crunchy texture, similar to seeded crackers with a nice good hit of spicy cayenne spice made for a really tasty snack. I said I was going to split this 35g bag into two servings but I easily ended up scoffing the lot, they were that moreish with a nice savoury flavour.

My only criticism is they are expensive. They were £1 on promotion at Sainsburys but even this is pricey for a single bag of crisps yet alone the £1.50 full price. Considering healthier options are becoming more mainstream and there are affordable options out there like Nakd which aren't inaccessible, I do feel these are overrpriced. But like I said I really enjoyed them so would probably buy them again at some point.

Price: £1.50
Bought at: Sainsburys
Nutrition pr bag: 171 calories, 11g fat, 1.2g sat fat, 8.3 carbs, 0.9g sugars, 6.3g fibre, 6.4g protein, 0.5g salt

Score: 8/10

Marks and Spencer Keta Salmon Steaks with gravadlax sauce

Whilst in a last minute dash to grab something quick for tea, I stumbled upon these new keta salmon steaks with a gradvalax sauce. Scandinavian cooking is very much in vogue and M&S as always capture where the food trends are. I love fish and salmon so this seemed an obvious choice.

The keta salmon steaks are prime cuts - great, big, chunky, juicy pieces that look attractive. They only needed cooking in the oven for 14 minutes and dinner was served (along with some homemade sweet potato fries and some peas). Then it was just a case of pouring the gravadlax sauce over; gravadlax being a mustard and dill sauce.

Honestly this is just delicious - M&S food is usually good but I genuinely thought this could have passed as a dish in a good restaurant. The salmon was beautiful - moist, succulent and quite meaty in texture with a lovely mild, fresh taste. I could have happily eaten this by itself. But it's the gravadlax sauce that brings this alive and makes it extra special. It's not a hot mustard but a subtle mild creamy taste with a hint of dill that you can taste but that isn't overpowering. It's slightly sweet and really flavoursome. It [aired beautifully with the fish and as I said I could have been served this a restaurant and I would have been impressed. A totally delicious way to get some omega 3 into your diet.

Bought: Marks and Spencer
Score: 9/10

Waitrose Frushi (Taiko) Review

Always one for a novelty, there was no way I could pass this fruit take on sushi from Taiko I found in Waitrose, called 'frushi'. Taiko exclusively supply Waitrose for their normal sushi and I have to say it's probably the best supermarket sushi out there with a nice light, clean feel to it and powerful flavours.

For those who don't like fish or for existing sushi lovers looking for something a bit different, this replaces the fish in the centre with melon and mango and. It's then wrapped in the traditional nori and sushi rice and then coated in dessicated coconut for that extra tropical edge - coconut paring vary well with the sweetness freshness of mango. Two of the frushi are then covered in a mango and mint coulis and then topped with a blueberry. It looks extremely attractive and is presented absolutely immaculately and just look at those beautiful colours and delicate arrangement.

It's not exactly a big pack at just over 100g and four pieces and all together I calculated the whole pack is around the 150 calorie mark roughly. It's not going to fill you up by any means but as a light sweet finish to lunch or dinner it's perfect.

The rice as usual from Taiko is soft, sticky, delicate and light. The fruit is refreshing and cooling and in all this heat we've been having makes a much lighter and cooling sweet option that is easy to eat and not heavy. The whole thing isn't particularly sweet and at around 7.5% sugars in total is pretty low sugar. For any sugar fiends this isn't going to curb that sweet craving and it's hard to call a proper dessert.

Nevertheless it feels very clean and makes a good palate cleanser. One or two of these after a Chinese or Japanese meal would make a lovely refreshing end to it and whilst not overflowing with flavours, it's a simple and subtle little bite that I quite enjoyed.

It's pretty pricey for what it is (I got it at £1.75 on an intro offer with 25% offer) and if I'm honest the world probably doesn't need frushi. The fruit in it is so small it's not going to be one of your five a day by an stretch of the imagination but I did enjoy it and it's quite fun and makes a good talking point.

Bought at: Waitrose

Score: 7/10

Nakd Carrot Cake Review

I think it’s fair to say when Graze announced their new launches there was a lot of excitement and hype about it. I totally bought into the hype as well as Nakd bars are a particular favourite snack of mine. They’re tasty, healthy, natural and the perfect balance of being light but fairly satisfying for a perfect sweet treat. I straightaway went overboard and got all three of the new flavours  - Peanut Delight, Apricot Crunch and the limited edition Carrot Cake.

The carrot cake was obviously the one I had to start with. Usually I try and save what I think will be my favourite until last but I just couldn’t resist this. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Generally Nakd bars are pretty authentic with their flavours although rhubarb and custard let me down a bit. I’ve also been bitten numerous times by cereal bars and yogurts promising to taste of my favourite desserts and cakes and that not delivering. So would this give me a carrot cake hit?

Like all the Nakd bars, it’s a perfectly simple and natural ingredients list – simply dates (48%) , walnuts (20%), raisins (14%), almonds (10%), cashews (5%), carrots (3%) cinnamon and a bit of natural flavouring. It’s also dairy free, gluten free, wheat free, vegan and one of your five a day. So a pretty healthy choice all round. But of course it needs to be delicious as well.

Opening up and smelling it, my heart did sink a little bit. I couldn’t really detect anything like carrot cake and it just had that familiar date smell of Nakd bars. However, with the first bite my fears were reassured. It does actually taste like carrot cake!!!

I think having things like carrot and cinnamon in the recipe really as the taste is pretty authentic and you get all that lovely sweet, slightly spiced sponge taste of a genuine carrot cake. What makes this work extra well is the texture. It’s that lovely soft but slightly firm chewiness of a Nakd bar but combined with the lovely carrot cake taste it does actually feel like you are eating a carort cake once you start chewing and it breaks down as the bar has a slightly similar mouthfeel.

The high walnut percentage also massively helps in adding to the authenticity with a good amount of little bitesize pieces studded throughout the bar. You can taste and feel the walnut in each mouthful and again they just add to a genuine carrot taste. Myabe it was my imagination but I swear even a slightly sweetened iced topping was dancing around in the background.

In a nutshell, I loved these. Nakd have got the flavour spot on. It’s delicious, healthy and in my opinion has an authentic carrot cake taste. In all honesty, I can’t see these staying as limited edition. People are already going wild for them and I think they’ll sell well. I really hope it gets added to the range permanently!

Nutrition per bar: 148 calories, 7.6g fat, 0.7g sat, fat, 15.6g sugars, 2.8g protein, <0.1g salt

Score: 9/10

Love Beets Cherry and Berry Beet Juice

I run quite a lot and have also heard that beetroot juice is good for helping improve running or cycling performance marginally and helps you work out for longer. Whether or not improved athletic performance is true or not (although most studies I've seen suggest a slight improvement) you can't deny beetroot juice is a healthy choice. Beetroot contains an antioxidant shown to lower glucose levels, increase insulin sensitivity. They also have been linked to lowering blood pressure due to being high in nitrates and are a great source of iron and folic acid.

This beetroot juice from Love Beets is blended with apple juice and cherry puree and blackcurrant juice to make it more palatable plus cherry juice is also very good for you and blackcurrants are very high in vitamin c. The ingredients list is literally these four ingredients, all of which are not from concentrate, plus a little lemon juice for balance.

Pouring it out after a run when I was hot and bothered, it is a beautiful radiant ruby red and looked smooth and refreshing. The overwhelming smell is that quite earthy smell from beetroot. Drinking it is clear it is a beetroot juice and if you don't like veg juices and green smoothies, you're unlikely to like this. However, I found it very drinkable with a nice bit of sweetness from the other fruits. Initially you taste a kind of sweetened beetroot flavour followed by a nice hint of the cherry that blends well together. At 8% sugars, it's not super sweet but enough to stop the drink being savoury.

The little 250ml bottle looks great and is really compact and easy to carry around. It's great for taking out to you with the gym or just as an easy shot to get a portion of fruit and veg into your day.

Price: £1.99
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per 250ml bottle: 94 calories, 0.3g fat, 0g sat fat, 19.8g sugars,

Score: 8/10

Marks and Spencer Crayfish, Mango and Rice Salad

Never one to pass a yellow sticker by in Marks and Spencer I bought this crayfish, mango and rice salad as a quick, easy and fairly healthy lunch. Now that it’s summer (well kind of) I crave tropical, fresh and vibrant food and this looked to fit the bill. It’s a mix of different rices, crayfish, mango chunks and peashoots and comes with a coconut and chilli dressing.

It looks very appetizing and colourful – anything with yellow in always appeals to me food wise and with yellow rice and golden mango it promises a taste of sunshine. There were a good amount of crayfish and M+S never usually skimp on the quantity of their ingredients. The crayfish is also part of the ‘Forever fish’ pledge about sourcing seafood sustainably. The peashoots looked fresh and light and overall you can’t knock the aesthetics.

The coconut and chilli dressing was absolutely delicious – slightly creamy but mostly light, spicy, zingy and just very vibrant. It paired beautifully well with the mango and especially the peashoots for a really light and refreshing tasting lunch. My main criticism was around the rice – it’s cooked well and adds need bulk and filling to the salad but it was slightly bland. I know M+S can do flavoured rice well so was a little disappointed that this was a little monotonous. The dressing wasn’t enough to soak into all of the rice and bar the odd burst of flavour from the dressing it wasn’t all that exciting.

Although not the tastiest salad M+S do, I would buy it again. It’s uplifting and light and nutritionally pretty good.

Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Nutrition per pack : 446 calories, 14.4g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 9.7g sugars, 1.45g salt

Score: 7/10

Kettle Bites Mozzarella and Pesto Curls Review

After quite enjoying the new maple BBQ wholegrain waves from Kettle, I decided to try another one of their lighter range. I went for a different shape and base ingredient this time and went for the lentil curls in the mozzarella and pesto flavour. They also do the curls in sweet chilli, which would have been my preference but my store didn’t have them. I also definitely need to locate the other wholegrain waves flavour which is coconut, lime and chilli and sounds right up my street.

But back to the mozzarella and pesto curls, they’re made predominantly from lentil flour which means you do actually increase the protein content a little vs regular crisps and like the rest of the new lighter range from Kettle, they’re lower in fat than normal crisps and aren’t very calorific with this bag at 97 calories. I also liked the fact the ingredients list is pretty natural and they’re suitable for vegetarians.

Lentil Flour (41%), Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Rice Flour, Dried Butter (Milk), Sugar, Dried Mozzarella Cheese (Milk), Natural Flavouring, Dried Butter (Milk), Dried Cream (Milk), Dried Garlic, Dried Basil, Dried Parsley, Citric Acid, Ground Black Pepper, Basil Extract

Opening up the bag I was a little taken aback by the fairly strong cheese smell. I would never choose any kind of cheese crisps normally and hate overly cheese things. Unlike the waves, the lentil curls contain quite a few in each bag as they're very thin and delicate. The individual bites are light and crispy in texture and feel fairly airy. They looked appetizing and I could tell they were pretty generously coated.

Biting in they have a great texture and are pretty hard and crunchy so you really feel you’re eating a bag of crisps rather than being soft mush. The taste thankfully wasn’t as cheesy as the smell and it was a pretty equal mix of both mozzarella and pesto. The cheese taste was maybe a little strong for my tastes but the pesto helped counteract it and the two worked pretty well together – for some reason it really reminded me of eating pizza topping.

Very enjoyable and at 97 calories, a nice little light snack that is pretty guilt free.

Price: £1.99 for 5 bags

Bought at: Tesco

Nutrition per bag: 97 calories,  3.1g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 0.6 sugars, 0.4g 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

Graze Mini Strawberry and Banana

I tend to often buy the graze punnets as part of the Boots meal deal, particularly the veggie protein power and punchy protein nuts. They're nice sized snacks, much healthier than most snacks and tend to do something a little bit different. This mini strawberry and banana box is essentially just a punnet of dried fruit but whilst typically such packs are mostly raisins and sultanas, this is a little more interesting with chewy banana coins and dried strawberries, blueberries and cranberries.

It contains no added sugar with the dried fruit sweetened with juice instead. It's a lovely mix of colours and a good spread of all the different ingredients. All the fruit is good quality and nice and juicy and sweet with no dried out bits.

However, it's hard to get overly excited about it. Whilst nice, it's just dried fruit. The blueberries are sweet and bursting with flavour, the cranberries nice and tart with a good sour hit, the banana chewy and sweet and the lovely juicy strawberries are refreshing. But I know Graze do more interesting mixes and there are more interesting snacks out there. This is great for sprinkling on yogurt or cereal but a bit dull on its own.

Price: £1.19
Bought at: Boots
Nutrition per punnet: 120 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 21g sugars, 0g salt

Score: 6.5/10

Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Quinoa, Brazil Nut and Avocado

Another one from the M+S salad range and the new Spirit of Summer – I can’t recommend these salad pots enough. They’re just a nice easy, simple, healthy lunch that is light, full of flavour and with lots going on. This quinoa, avocado and brazil nut salad pot was my latest lunch from the range and again there’s so much going on in this.

It’s just so colourful and vibrant and fresh looking with so many different ingredients for different tastes and textures. As well as the title ingredients there’s spelt, kale, sweetcorn, coriander, raisins plus a whole host of things I can’t remember! This one comes with a mango and Amarillo chilli dressing, which is deliciously. Slightly sweet with a good burst of chilli, it is a very summery feeling burst of flavour.

Everything about this worked for me – with so many different flavours and textures, each mouthful just was packed full of flavour and it just tastes healthy and good for you. Another winner from the Spirit of Summer salads!

Price: £1.99

Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Nutrition: 126 calories per half pack

Score: 8/10

Jordans Swiss Style Muesli Review

I practically live off muesi and granola - it's my go to breakfast along with porridge. If you pick the right brand they can be made of natural ingredients with only natural sugars from fruit , a good source of fibre and I just find them utterly delicious. There's something just so comforting about muesli and frankly it's as much a bedtime snack as my morning first meal.

Jordan's are a brand I don't usually buy - generally their granolas and mueslis are a little too high in sugar - though they are very tasty. However, this new Swiss Style muesli is a good healthy option. Essentially it's Jordans take on the no added sugar version of Alpen. A mainstream Swiss muesli with sweetness only coming from natural sources. However, the Jordans one is a little lower in sugar at 11.7% but essentially it's pretty similar - made up of British oat flakes, toasted malted wheat flakes, raisins, skimmed milk poweder and almonds.

Pouring it out it looked very similar although I think the raisins are more noticeable in the Jordans one as they looked more plump and juicer than Alpen. The bag is also pretty good value at the same price as Alpen no added sugar but for 800g not 560g.

I had mine with cashew milk and it was just so soothing, refreshing and delicious. The skimmed milk powder is dusted all over the flakes and initially you think it looks a little dusty as you pour it into the bowl but once wet it just adds a real creaminess and just makes everything so delicious. The raisins are extremely sweet and succulent and it's just utterly delicious.

If you like Alpen, you'll like this and it's great to have another healthy no added sugar muesli option for breakfast made of natural ingredients.

Price: £2.80
Bought at: Sainsburys
Nutrition per 45g serve: 168 calories, 2.4g fat, 0.4g sat fat, 5.3g sugar, 5.7g protein, 3.7g fibre, 0.02g salt

Score: 8/10

B-Fresh Green Warrior Cold Pressed HPP Juice Review

I do a love a green smoothie. I regularly add kale, cucumber or spinach to my nutribullet smoothies and have even gone as far as to include broccoli and peppers. I also love some of the ready made green juices on the market like Savse. Green juices and smoothies are a nice way of getting a real hit of goodness and nutrients into you and so long as you buy the right brand are natural and lower in sugar than pure fruit juices.

Some green juices are mostly apple juice with a token percentage of green veg to allow them to get away with marketing it as green but this Green Warrior juice from B-Fresh is a proper green juice. It's cold pressed and (HPP) high pressure processed to ensure every drop is bursting with nutrients and vitamins with this being a good hit of vitamin A and K.

It's also genuinely made from veg with over half of the contents being spinach and cucumber, 35% apple and then some kale, lime and ginger for a bit of added flavour and goodness. As a result it's only 4.2% sugar which equates to just over 10g per bottle. Considering a bottle of tropicana in the same size bottle is 25g sugar, that's a pretty big difference and you're getting a mix of fruit and veg in this. It's also one of your five a day.

It's vivid green colour might put a lot of people off and intially I was a little taken aback by how 'green'' it tasted. It's a little more earthy than the Savse green smoothie (although that's 7% sugar so a little sweeter). However, as I continued to drink it I got used to the taste and enjoyed it more and more. It's really refreshing, very clean tasting and quite a palate cleanser as well with a nice little end kick of zingy lime and a little mild ginger spice.

It's very much like the taste of my nutribullet green smoothies which are quite veg heavy. It might not be to everyone's taste but I enjoyed it and to repeat myself as I so often do, it's great to see these kind of products just becoming easier to get hold of. I bought mine at a Boots in a railway station - a much better choice than fizzy drinks.

Bought at Boots:
Nutrition per bottle: 50 calories, 0.5g fat, 0g sat fat, 10.5g sugars, 0g salt

Score: 8/10