Ryvita Thins Caramelised Onion Flatbreads

Ryvita Thins are something that is always a staple in my household. Ever since they first came out, I've just found them such a handy store cupboard snack - I can use them in lunch, they make an instant snack with hummus and dips and I even enjoy eating them on their own. There has never been one in the range I haven't enjoyed so when I saw they released a caramelised onion flavour, it was a no brainer.

They are essentially the same as all other Ryvita Thins - wheat and rye flatbreads that are super thin with a nice crunch, this time with the addition of toasted onion, nigella seeds and sugar. How odd for a company nowadays to call out sugar - but these aren't high in sugar with 0.5g per bite. Each one is also 27 calories and they are low fat. These Ryvita Thins are also accidentally vegan as well.

Opening my pack it was a rare nice surprise to see every single thin in the whole pack was intact as I usually find these are one of the worst products to get snapped and broken before you open them - not that this spoils their taste and I tend to break them up when I use them anyway.

I had them on their own just to get the taste and indeed there is a pleasant slightly sweet caramelised onion flavour. It's flavourful and impactful when you're eating them plain but also fades away when dipped in things as well they don't overpower whatever you top them with making them very versatile. I quite like the idea of dipping them in a fondue as per the suggestion on the front of pack.

It's another tasty addition to the range - I wouldn't say it was better or worse than any of the other Ryvita Thins out there, just another delicious one to add to the collection if you like them.

Price: £1.90
Bought at: Sainsburys
Nutrition per flatbread: 27 calories, 0.4g fat, 0.1g sat fat, 0.5g sugars, 0.05g salt

Score: 8/10

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

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

Ritz Bakefuls Sour Cream and Onion

After launching their first crisp style product last year, I found these new Ritz Bakefuls in Tesco along with lots of new other crisps and snacks. These crisp style crackers are all the rage right now and marketed as a lighter option to crisps with these bakefuls promoting themselves as 30% less fat.

The individual bags within the pack feels very light and not substantial at a meagre 23g but at 109 calories, this is kind of what you expect when a brand tries to go down the light route. Having said that when I opened the bag there's actually quite a lot of individual bakes in there.

I can't help but draw attention to Mondelez's cost cutting and cheapness. Not only have they steadily been cost cutting and ruining Cadburys but they seem to be unable to fork out for even a full pack design on the bag. Instead it's printed on the front with a blank back of packet. I can't help say but this looks really cheap.

On to the snacks themselves, they have a quite strong cheese and onion flavour both in smell and taste. They're certainly not bland but I almost find a bit too coated in flavour and it is slightly artificial. The coating is noticeable is as well with a thick, creamy, salty powder. The texture is quite nice - light and crisp but at the same time it makes them feel quite airy and not very filling.

These aren't a bad snack by any means but not super exciting. Great, if you want a low cal snack that provides a lot of flavour but if you were going for taste alone, there's so much more out there.

Price: £1.65
Bought at: Tesco
Nutrition per bag: 109 calories, 4.8g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 1.7g sugars, 0.3g salt

Score: 6.5/10

Hippeas In Herbs We Trust

I've seen a lot of praise for these chickpea based snacks and as I know I love homous and chickpea crisps I decided this would be a safe bet. What makes Hippeas different is that they act like a mainstream crisp and come in individual bags and also do a range of flavors rather than being plain. The fajita sounded tempting but fajita/spicy crisps and snacks are fairly common place whereas this herb variant sounded a bit different.

In the same way they act like normal crisps, they look like a normal crisp and resemble wotsit without the scary luminous glow and that horrible coating that sticks to your fingers. Texture wise, they're maybe a firmer than normal crisps, certainly moreso than wotsit, with a harder texture, which gives a good crunch, which I like. Although hollow, they really don't taste airy.

The flavour is also good. It's a nice mix of subtle onion, tomato, garlic, basil, oregano and thyme which you can taste but that doesn't dominate or overwhelm the crisps and with no one ingredient taking over.

At 91 calories a bag, a source of protein and high in fibre, it's a pretty healthy savoury snack choice and actually this isn't a compromise vs normal crisps because they don't taste like a diet option like Walkers sunbites and you get a good serving in a bag. They're also gluten and dairy free but they just taste good and happen to be better for you. I'll definitely be checking out more of the flavours but it would be great if they did multipacks of these as they're pretty expensive for a single bag.

Bought at: Boots
Price: £1
Nutrition per bag: 91 calories, 4g fat, 0.4g sat fat, 0.6 sugars, 1.7g fibre, 2.7g protein, 0.3g salt

Score: 7.5/10

Graze Seriously Spicy Sriracha with chilli and garlic

In my Boots meal deal I got this week, I decided to try another one of the Graze punnets. I'm trying to make my snack in the deal savoury rather than sweet at the moment and these looked pretty appealing. It's a mix of peas and half popped corn coated in a spicy thai coating and jumbo crunchy corn pieces as well.

It's a nice little punnet that is just the right size for when you fancy something but aren't really that hungry and at 118 calories, nothing too heavy. When they say seriously spicy, they actually deliver on this. For a snack it is fairly fiery, which I loved with a really moreish chilli hint with lots of powerful flavours of paprika, garlic and chilli. It never gets too hot but keeps building giving your tongue a sligthty nice hot feeling.

All the pieces are nice and crunchy but also feel quite light even though they are satisfying to bite down on. The salted corn pieces pop delightfully in the mouth and the spicy peas are crunchy making for a nice mix of textures, which works well with the spicy taste. It's got the right level of saltiness with a moreish savoury quality that make them really enjoyable. It's probably one of my favourite savoury Graze boxes (although they're all pretty good) and one I'd have again.

Price: £1.29
Nutrition per punnet: 118 calories, 4.2g fat, 1.2g sat fat, 1.5g sugars, 0.4g salt

Score: 8/10

Marks and Spencer Cajun Spiced Plantain Crisps

So summer is definitely off the cards now and M&S is fully gearing up for winter treats but that means discounted M&S summer goodies! I found a couple of bits and bobs from the Spirit of Summer range discounted in my local M&S so I'm afraid there are still more summer related M&S products for me to try and review. It's a good chance for me to try things that I liked the look of but that just didn't excite me as much as some of the other products and so got overlooked.

I managed to get a bag of these cajun spiced plantain crisps for just £1 - bargain. Well bargainish as it's only a 100g and you could quite easily eat this pack in a single sitting because they are just delicious. I was slightly wary that these are crisps made of plantain, which is a member of the banana family so was a bit worried they might be a) sweet or b) more akin in texture to the banana chips you get in health food shops.

However, I needn't have worried because these are deliciously savoury. Emptying a few out, all my pieces were nice and large and intact with no broken crumbs like you sometimes get in badly transported crisps. The pieces were a mix of long strips and coins, which do resemble banana. However, texture wise, plantain is similar to a sweet potato crisp but less sweet with a nice crunch. Texture wise they are slightly different to potato crisps with a a nice thin crisp that isn't greasy but that feels satisfying  and light.

They are unbelievably moreish and addictive. As soon as I ate my first one I knew I'd have trouble stopping. Plantain crisps actually work really well but its the cajun spicing that is addictive. A heady mix of garlic, cumin, fennel, cayenne pepper, tomato and onion - it's smoky, deep, slightly sweet, tangy and really rather powerful. It's not spicy but the taste is impactful and it lingers in your mouth long after you've eaten it.

These were utterly wonderful and I'm a bit annoyed I only bought the one bag as had I known how delicious they are, I would have stocked up. On a final note, they are also suitable for vegans as well as vegetarians and the ingredients list is simply plantain, sunflower oil and then salt  flavourings and spices with a coating of rice flour. Too good just for summer, I hope these may make an appearance again next year!

Price: £1 (reduced)
Bought at: Marks and Spencer
Nutrition per 25g serving: 130 calories, 8g fat, 0.9g sat fat, 1.4g sugars, 0.13g salt

Score: 8/5/10

Jacobs Ciabatta Sundried Tomato and Basil Crackers

As we continue to (needlessly in my opinion) shun in bread, there's been a boom in crackers and crispbreads as we look for lighter options. I buy a lot of oatcakes, crackers and savoury biscuits - perfect any time of the day for a quick less sugary nibble and equally as good as lunch option or just for dipping into houmous and dips.My favourite nowadays are the thins you get, which are perfect for dipping and I tend to favour Jacobs for these. However, thee new ciabatta crackers looked interesting and a bit different.

They had original and caramelised onion version as well but I went for tomato and basil for a more Italian flavour to go with the ciabatta style. Each box comes with five individually wrapped packs of three biscuits - a must have for me nowadays as it helps with portion control, freshness and makes them easy for taking out and about.

The little 'best thing since sliced bread' message on the packs made me smile and the biscuits looked appetising although there is a clear difference in appearance between top and bottom. The top has a more rough, rustic texture, darker in colour with an uneven surface. The bottom looks more like a standard cracker albeit with lots of visible flecks of herb and tomato.

Funnily enough upon eating them you really do get a ciabatta feel, - it has that crunchy, stonebaked, roasted flavour and there's lots of air pockets between the top and bottom for a fairly good representation of the bread. Don't get me wrong, real ciabatta is much more satisfying but these do taste very different to normal crackers. The tomato and herb was a little too subtle and the ciabatta taste was the element that came through more strongly for me.

They were perfectly delicious on their own and dipped in houmous but I'm sure there's all kinds of creative things you could do with them maybe topping them with tomato puree and cheese for a pizza style experience. At 41 calories each, I expect they'll appeal to those looking to lighter options for bread.

Price: £1.39
Bought at: Waitrose
Nutrition per cracker: 41 calories, 1g fat, 0.4g sat fat, 0.3g sugars, 0.2g salt

Score: 7/10

Graze Herby Bread Basket

I don't think I've ever had a bad Graze box. They always tick the box of being both enjoyable to eat and are a relatively guilt free snack. I do tend to stick to my favourites though so decided to branch out with this herby bread baskeet, which contains a mix of garlic crostini, sweet basil breadsticks and oregano rice crackers. The idea behind it is inspired by Italian classic flavours but with a modern twist. Visually, it's a very attractive little snack and I think they've got the mix spot on with an even amount of all the different elements as some Graze boxes can be a bit one sided.

Every piece in this box tasted great and it's really hard to pick what the stand out bit of the punnet is. The breadsticks were nice and crunchy but also easy to eat with a nice mild sweetness and savoury tomato and herb flavour. The oregano rice cakes offered a completely different texture - light but also crisp with a good umami kick and a good balance of salt with mild sticky sweetness. The garlic crostini were liked nice little mini bites of bruschetta with that crunchy, baguette texture and a good decent strength garlic flavour - although not in any way overly pungent.

Eaten individually they were all delicious and equally nice in any combination. Usually with these types of mixes I work my way around, meticulously planning the order of each bite to get the best tastes at the end but it's impossible here as every element is as good as the last. And at just 90 calories for the punnet, anyone looking for a light munch can get stuck in without any guilt and it certainly is a lot more interesting than a couple of ricecakes

Price: £1.29
Bought at: Boots
Nutrition per punnet: 90 calories, 4.4g fat, 1.8g sat fat, 1.1g sugars, 0.33g salt

Score: 7/10

Eat Real Hummus Chips Sea Salt

It's the penny sale at Holland and Barrett at the moment and whilst it can be a bit pricey, this is always a good chance to stock up on some nice little snacks. I bought these Hummus chips by Eat Natural in the penny sale, getting 2 bags for £0.86, which is pretty reasonable.

These are crisps made from chickpea flour mostly and then also some rice, potato starch, rapeseed oil, corn flour and sea salt. And that's it so pretty natural, simple ingredients. As a result of the chickpea flour, they are a little higher in protein than normal crisps and they also have 30% less fat than standard crisps as well. They are also suitable for vegans and gluten free.

The 45g bag is pretty large and you get a lot in here. Although it's worth noting when looking at the nutritional information it is per 28g as the bag apparently contains one and a half servings, which is a bit cheeky! What's the point of half a serving. Either make it one serving or two!

Inside all the chips were whole and intact and in attractive cone shaped shells. They have a nice firm texture and a really good crunch. They're fairly hard but I really enjoyed texture. The taste is fairly neutral and plain with a nice salty flavour but one that would work very well in any kind of dip. Because of the shell shape I imagine they would be great for scooping up salsa or even houmous if you want some chickpea in your snack. The crisps actually have a fairly, nutty chickpea background taste as well but I imagine no one would guess these aren't potato chips unless you told them.

The salt content is maybe a little high but these are a pretty healthy little snack and one that are very tasty to boot. Nice and light with a clean, natural flavour and excellent crunch, I might have to stock up on them.

Price: £0.85
Bought at: Holland and Barrett

Score: 7.5/10

Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Chimichurri Nuts

Back to the Spirit of Summer range from M&S today. I’ve been pretty impressed with the summer range mostly because the flavours really appeal to me – all modern, on trend, exotic with a focus on spice and lightness. It’s a bit more spice with these chimichurri mixed nuts; chimichurri being a South American zesty and herby sauce with a chilli kick.

It’s M&S so the quality of ingredients is pretty good – all the nuts were prime pieces, no broken bits or shattered crumbs, just whole deliciously crunchy pieces with tones of flavour in themselves. I really believe it’s worth paying more for nuts if you’re going to just snack on them raw as the flavour is so much better. Once you’ve tried them, you do notice cheaper ones are more stale and rancid.

It’s a really interesting mix of cashews, jumbo peanuts, macadamias and almonds with a good equal mix of all the ingredients rather than being bulked out with cheap peanuts. They’ve been roasted and you can tell as the flavour is enhanced and you can really taste the individual nuts flavour and distinguish even against the seasoning.

The seasoning is perfectly proportioned with every nut covered in its spicy, zingy taste but even though it’s got a lot of flavour, you do also get the taste of the nut. If I’m honest the chimichurri flavouring isn’t the most delicious spicing I’ve ever tried but it is tasty, just not as exciting even though it’s fairly spicy. Definitely a tasty mix overall and perfect for a little snack bag for dipping in and out of or for nibbles with drinks before a meal.

Price; £3.50

Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Nutrition per 30g:  173 calories, 14g fat, 2.1g sat fat, 2.2g sugars, 0.35g salt

Score: 7/10

Graze Veggie Protein Power

I buy the Graze Punchy Protein nuts so often now, they’re delicious, filling and good for you and it’s great to have an alternative to crisps for snacking on that contains so much protein. They also have this Veggie Protein Power punnet which is in the same vein and promises 7g natural protein. This mix contains black pepper cashew nuts, spicy chickpeas and edamame beans. 

As usual, I just left the packaging. Perfect sized portions which are skimpy but just right for a light nibble. They’re easy to carry around and the design is lovely and stands out. Everything is high quality as usual with no damaged, dry, brittle or hard pieces and everything was in great condition.

This is another nice mix. The edamame beans are the least interesting element but still tasty with a nice soft crunch and they take on a bit of the chickpea coating. The chickpeas are delicious with a nice mild heat and all were the perfect texture – no overly hard ones to damage your teeth on! The coating is tasty with a nice chilli dusting. The star of this punnet though is the black pepper cashews. Delicious creamy cashews in a peppery coating that is just moreish with a nice savoury hit. I just wish there were more of these in a punnet as it is predominantly the chickpeas and edamame.

It’s a fairly filling little snack for 132 calories and with less salt than your average bag of crisps and the 7g protein, a good choice for a mid morning or mid afternoon snack. Frankly they’re a perfect nibble any time of the day

Price: £1.19

Bought at: Boots

Nutrition per punnet: 132 calories, 6.7g fat, 1.1g sat fat, 6.9g protein, 0.9 sugars, 0.25 salt

Score: 7.5/10

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

Holland and Barrett Open Sesame Sticks Review

At work, it's nice to just have a bag od something savoury for nibbling on or for grazing on. Nuts are always a good option and very nutritious but sometimes you want something a bit different. I found these open sesame sticks in Holland and Barrett and initially whilst I did think they looked rather bland and boring, I nevertheless bought them to have at work.

An alternative I guess to crisps these are sesame noodles that are essentially made out of chickpeas. The ingredients list is very pure and simple, consisting of gram flour (from chickpeas), rapeseed oil, sesame seeds and salt. So all very natural and clean.

Pouring them out there's lots of different sized pieces ranging from long to short. They feel nice and firm in the hand and have a hard, crunchy texture that I really enjoyed. Harder than crisps but not as hard as say the roasted chickpeas I tried from garbanzo, they had moreishly addictive quality I get from satisfyingly crunchy snacks.

The flavour although fairly neutral is deliciously savoury and whilst the ingredients list is so short and they look a little dull, I have to say I really enjoyed them. There's a slight mild chickpea nuttiness along with a more dominant sesame flavour but they are quite savoury in a really unidentifiable way. I managed to get 3 servings out of the bag but it would be very easy to demolish them especially as a nibble with drinks.

As an added bonus because they're made of gram flour, they're actually 18% protein, which can't be a bad thing either. I will definitely buy these again.

Price: £0.89
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per 100g: 499 calories, 30g fat, 3.5g sat fat, 1.3g sugar, 18g protein, 1.6g salt

Garbanzo Tomato Garlic and Herb Low Calorie Snack Review

Always one to impulsively buy things at the checkout in Holland and Barrett, I bought this chickpea snack by called garbanzo after being recommended them by a friend. Essentially they’re just chickpeas that are slow roasted in rapeseed oil and coated in seasoning and spices – in this case tomato, garlic and herb. Nutritionally, they’re a pretty guilt free snack at 88 calories a pack, minimal fat and you get just under 7g protein too. They’re also a really good source of fibre at with around 5g per pack.

Dipping them out, they unsurprisingly look like dried chickpeas with a nice herby and tomatoey smell. Biting into them they are very crunchy and pretty hard – definitely not one for people without strong teeth and a few bits I had to spit out as they were to hard to buy into. However, there were only a few of these and the majority have a pleasant crunchy texture. 

The flavour Is predominantly that nutty wholesomeness of chickpea but in a crispier form with a hint of the tomato and herbs. It’s not overly seasoned and the chickpea taste is more predominant but after eating a few you do get a bit of coating build up on your finger and this is really zingy, savoury and delicious. To be honest I didn’t mind they weren’t overly seasoned as it helped keep the pureness of the chickpeas. They’re a little pricey for what they are but they are a very healthy, guit free snack and despite being 88 calories, they really are quite filling. I would look to try others in the range.

Bought at: Holland and Barrett

Price: £1.29

Nutrition per 65g bag: 88 calories, 1.3g fat, 0.3g sat fat, 0.5 sugars, 6.6g protein, 4.8g fibre

Score: 7/10

Good Stuff Super Seaweed Peanuts Review (Holland and Barrett)

Sad as it sounds, a trip to splurge on unncessary things in Holland and Barrett is one of my favourite things and a real guilty pleasure. I had some vouchers that needed spending so popped along to gather lots of healthy little nibbles and unusual and exciting on trend ingredients. One of the many purchases (I always go overboard in H+B) was these seaweed peanuts.

They're described as 'a delicious savoury snack with whole peanuts coated in a crispy seaweed coating' and looked appetising through the clear part of the bag with lots of different colours and textures going on. I also love the new look of the bags in H+B - so colourful and bright looking. They make me happy just looking at them on the desk.

What was nice when I poured these out was that they were all intact - no broken bits and all a good size. They had an excellent crunchy texture - though some might find them a bit too hard and a good savoury flavour - a nice hit of salt but not overly so in anyway with lots of umami and savoury flavour. The slightly sweet and savoury coating is a great mix of spices - Chilli, Coriander, Fennel, Aniseed and of course soy sauce. No one comes out strongly but they all work together to make these rather moreish although I wouldn't easily identify a seaweed flavour. My favourites were the ones with sesame seeds on the outside for their extra crunch, sesame flavour and mix of textures.

Funnily they feel both light and substantial - I guess as nuts, there's some protein in the peanuts but with a good crunchy outside , they don't feel too heavy either. My little 75g provided two portions and kept me going mid morning until lunch on each day I had them. Overall a good savoury snack, that's a little different to crisps or crackers but my one criticism is the sugar - at 18% this is getting into the levels of digestive biscuits and I would expect H+B as a health retailer to be cutting back on this.

Price: £1.49
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per bag (though I got two servings from it): 344 calories, 13.9g fat, 2.9g sat fat, 13g sugars, 10g protein, 0.8g salt

Score: 7.5/10

Marks and Spencer Spirit of Summer Sweetcorn Empanadas

Wow is all I can say about M&S at the moment. This weekend they've been running an event for their Spirit of Summer range with some sampling in store (the coconut and lime cake and the sweetcorn wraps in particular are gorgeous) and a 10% off extra for Sparks card holders. Needless to say I went mental in there and have bought a ridiculous amount. I just can't help it with M+S - everything always look so inviting and intriguing - so apologies as there will probably be a bit of glut of M+S reviews for a while!

One offer that was really good this weekend was the 4 deli picnic items and a bottle of wine or coolbag (let's be honest who would choose a coolbag over wine) for £10. The hard part for me was just picking four - there were just so many nice things and I love M+S' deli items. Theyre handy to make any old salad that bit more interesting or for nice savoury grazing straight from the fridge.

One of things I went for were these sweetcorn and blackbean empanadas - empanadas being very on trend with the Brazilian World cup. First thing I'll say is these are ridiculously over priced - £2.80 for four very small pieces but they did sound good with their coriander and chilli flavours and looked so dainty and nice.

Usually I just eat these types of product cold because I'm impatient and frankly they always taste delicious whether hot or cold but today I pushed the boat out and cooked them in the oven for 8 mintes as instructed to crisp up the pastry.

They smelt good when I got them out of the oven and the pastry was golden and crisp with no greasiness whatsoever. Biting in they had a decent amount of filling and the beany texture of sweetcorn and blackbeans worked well against the crunchy pastry, Chilli, coriander and turmeric added flavour albeit with no heat and little bits of pepper and spring onion add freshness.

Like all M+S products, the ingredients list is straighforward and recognisable and when you look in you can see real wholesome ingredients. They made very nice little snacks but are very overpriced as they are very nice without being mindblowing. I did very much enjoy them though and would buy them again,

Price: £2.80
Bought at: Marks and Spencer

Score: 7/10

Kettle Bites - Maple Barbecue Wholegrain Waves Review

Despite my love of snacks, I don’t tend to buy crisps that much. It’s not like I don’t enjoy them, I just don’t find them as interesting or exciting as a lot of the new innovations that come out. And for all their demonization, crisps can be relatively healthy as in the case of these Kettle Bites. Kettle Bites are a new range from Kettle, the premium handcooked crisps company. This new range is about lighter snacking made from lentil or wholegrains. There are two types available – lentil waves (in Mozarella and Pesto and sweet chilli) and whoegrain waves (in maple barbecue and the intriguing sounding coconut, lime and chilli).

My first try of this new range is the maple barbecue wholegrain waves. I’ve had similar types of snacks before M&S and have enjoyed them so figured I would like them. Each bag is 95 calories, they contain 50% less fat than standard crisps and are baked not fried so a pretty reasonably little treat for everyday.

The 22g bag did feel quite light and when I poured out the contents, it did looks a little skimpy. However, it’s nice to see all the waves were intact and they looked visually appealing. And as a lighter option you would expect there to be less in a pack. They certainly smelt really good, rich and smokey with a deep barbecue scent.

Each waves was very well coated in the seasoning and had a lot of flavour. Lighter bites like popcorn often are quite dry with pieces unevenly coated but these were pretty delicious. The barbecue was salty, tangy and accentuated by a real hit of sweetness from the maple for a nice well rounded flavour that ended on a sweet note.

My only criticism is sugar and salt are a little high. 12% of the ingredients is sugar and there’s 2.1g salt per 100g. Whilst the small 22g bag tones this down, it would be nice if these could be reduced although I do appreciate that maple flavoured snacks will have an element of sweet.

I’d buy these again and it’s nice to have an interesting , more modern alternative to crisps.

Price: £1.89 for 5x22g multipack

Bought at: Ocado

Nutrition per 22g bag: 95 calories, 2.9g fat, 0.4g sat fat, 2.6g sugars, 0.5 salt

Score: 7.5/10

Morrisons Zesty Bean Burgers Review (M Kitchen)

As I mentioned when I reviewed the Great Food carrot falafel, Morrisons seems to have recently put a lot more focus on freefrom at the moment with whole chilled spaces just for a range of freefrom products. I also bought these zesty bean burgers at the time.

These are vegetarian and based on a mixture of sweet potato and pulses and beans - chickpeas, cannellini beans, kidney beans and black eyed beans. These are then mixed with spring onions, lemon zest and a whole range of spices to product two thick and substantial bean burgers. They are nice and compact but also thick and tasty looking with lots of colours and you can see the mix of beans flecked throughout for a very appetising appearance.

They were nice and easy to cook  - just 15 minutes in the oven - and came out smelling spicy and fragrant with a nice crisp outer coating. It was also good to note they weren't breaking apart or crumbling as so often these kind of vegetarian products do. This was probably due to the fact that there is a high bean content and the sweet potato probably helps hold everything together.

Taste wise, they really stood out versus other bean burgers I tried. What I really liked about these is that they were actually properly 'beany'. As in I could both taste the flavour of the cannellini, kidney and black eyed beans and because there were whole beans studded throughout, I could feel them which gave an interesting and satisfying texture. So often with bean burgers everything is pulverished so much that they're just generic mush with nothing coming through strongly. But you do really get the bean flavour here. Apologies for the photo of a fairly meagre looking dinner - I wasn't that hungry - so just had with a mushroom, some leeks and corn on the cob.

Spicing was also excellent - not spicy by any means but packed full of flavour and the lemon zest really works. Its sharpness custs through the beans adding freshness and zing to it. Zesty is definitely the right name to put in the title.

I was really impressed with these bean burgers for a supermarket own label product and will definitely buy them again. I've said it before but it's great that Morrisons are selling more freefrom and healthy products - especially when they taste so good!

Price: £2.20 (on promo, usuall £2.34)
Bought at: Morrisons

Nutrition per burger: 207 calories, 8.1g fat, 0.6g sat fat, 7.1g sugars, 0.4g salt

Score: 8/10