Vegan review - Doisy & Dam chocolate drops and crunchy balls.

Allll over Instagram I keep seeing these Doisy and Dam vegan dark chocolate drops (aka vegan smarties!!!! vegan m&ms!!!!!) and crunchy dark chocolate balls (aka vegan maltesers) so I had to give them a try! 

I found these in Holland and Barretts, for 99p for a little bag.  Doisy and Dam seems to be a nice, vegan company with good ethics, is corp B certified and is palm oil free.  The only thing I don't like is the plastic packaging, that has no recycling info on it, it's no different to many other brands packaging, but I wish it was better.

I love the D&Ds, dark chocolate drops.  They're are soooo good!  The chocolate is dark and rich and the coating is crunchy and sweet.  They're a dark chocolate, vegan version of m&ms or smarties.  The drops in my packet were all chipped, which wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, but didn't make much of a difference otherwise.  I want to get more of these and decorate some cakes with them, when I was a kid cakes were always deocrated with simple white icing and smarties and I miss that! 

Unfortuately the Ballers weren't to my taste.  Both myself, and non-vegan-husband put these in our mouths and said 'no!', which is never a good sign.  The chocolate is really bitter and the middle is  very hard and crunchy and tastes weird, not malty and melty like a malteaser, which is what I was expecting.  Ack.  Plus you only get 10 in a packet, which would be quite disappointing, if you actually liked them. 

Have you tried these?  What did you think?

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Review, Greggs vegan sausage roll.

Ahh the famous Greggs vegan sausage roll, much rumoured and anticipated, much discussed on social media, but what's it like?

The pastry is really light and flaky, the sausage inside is a good, moist texture and is made of Quorn.  It tastes, well, sausage roll-like.  It's nice.  I've eaten more than one since they launched last week. My mum says they're too salty, my colleague says they're a bit greasy, my meat-eating husband says they taste pretty much like the original Greggs sausage roll.  

My most favourite vegan sausage roll are the Linda McCartney ones.  Comparing the two, the Greggs vegan sausage roll has lighter, crispier pastry, the Linda has thicker pastry, the Greggs has a more succulent filling and it's more salty and umami, the Linda vegan sausage roll is more herby and a bit more stodgy.   

When I went to buy mine the store had sold out, but if you ask the staff they'll pop some more in the oven for you and they'll be ready in about 10 minutes.  

Have you tried one yet?

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Review - Slab vegan artisan fudge.

Friends, I feel it's my duty to bring to your attention this amazing vegan fudge. 

This is Proper Fudge.  I've been disappointed many times by vegan fudge, it's always soft and fondant-y and a bit kind of doughy, nice enough but I can make that kind of fudge myself.  This Slab artisan fudge is still soft, but it has that crunchy, crispy, almost crystal (but not gritty), melt in the mouth texture of the dairy fudge I loved in my pre-vegan days.  Does that make sense?  I'm not sure I have the right words to describe how good Slab fudge is, suffice it to say it's satisfied my fudge-y needs in a way no other vegan fudge ever has. 

I ordered 4 flavours, classic (it's sweet and slightly vanilla-y), death by chocolate (it tastes like the chocolate fudge icing my mum used to make for my birthday cakes), maple and walnut (this is for Joe, but I've taste tested it for him and it's super sweet and maple-y with nutty bits in) and choc toffee (this is my favourite, the toffee flavour is ah-maz-ing and it's swirled with chocolate fudge).  It's all coconut based, and you can taste that slightly in all the flavours, moreso in the classic and chocolate flavours.  

I asked for my fudge to be packed with as little plastic as possible (because I'd seen this post on Instagram!).  This is how my Slab fudge order arrived.

One piece of fudge had a bit of a whoopsie and was broken, but it's going to get broken when I eat and chew it anyway, so that's not an issue for me. I've kept it wrapped in it's greaseproof paper and popped it into a Pyrex box.  Yey for plastic free fudge!  (although the box did have plastic tape and bits on it, it's so hard to do anything completely plastic free and I really appreciate the effort Slab made to reduce the plastic)

Slab vegan fudge costs £3.50 per 150g piece, and you get free shipping on orders over £10.  They also sell dairy fudge, so make sure you order from the right section!  Fudge is made to order and mine came within 6 days of ordering.  I had cause to contact their customer services with a question, and they got back to me within a couple of hours and were super friendly and knowledgeable.  

This isn't a sponsored post.  I just like fudge.  And I'm going to eat some now! 

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What I ate in a day, a day of yummy vegan food.

This is what I ate in a day, it was my day off work, with just a few errands to run and a bit of gardening to do, but mostly just chilling out at home.

Breakfast was a yummy mix of potatoes, chickpeas and onion, fried til crispy with some paprika and garlic and a splodge of ketchup.

My breakfast was super filling, so for lunch I had some home-grown salad leaves, with a few crackers, a stick of vegan cheese and a BBQ Graze box.

Followed by an apple and home grown raspberries - they're so sweet this year!

Joe made this tea.  Home-made tomato sauce, wholemeal spaghetti and sausages-pretending-to-be-meatballs.  If you cut up Linda McCartney sausages and fry them in a little paprika they make excellent quick pretend-meatballs for pasta dishes.

This vegan ice cream is supposed to be in the shape of a lion, but I think it's more like a cute little sheep!  It's not quite chocolatey enough so I like to dip it into dark chocolate chips too!

Don't forget to check out my other vegan blog posts for more vegan meal inspiration! 

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What I ate in a day, a day of vegan meals.

This is what I ate on a lazy Sunday.  All vegan and all yummy,

Breakfast was a 'bacon' sandwich.  These Vbites Cheatin' rashers are OK, but better if you sprinkle some smoked paprika on while they're cooking. In a toasted pitta with lots of ketchup and a glass of OJ.

My only real plan for the day was to pop round the supermarket with mum, which I did, then treated myself to a little crispy snack and a sit on the sofa when I got back.  Paprika Pringles are my downfall.

Lunch was organic rice with sautéed mushroom, onion, garlic, spinach and cashews.  I was even organised enough to make two portions, one to take to work for lunch the next day.

I had great plans to cook potato and leek bake for tea, but I just didn't get round to it and Joe was late back home from work, so I whipped up a quick and easy baked potato, beans and a little side salad instead.  I know there's a lettuce shortage at the moment, but all winter I've been able to pick up English grown lettuce for 75p from my local market and it's nice to have a salad occasionally! 

I bought a little vegan chocolate bar as a treat when I was in the supermarket earlier in the day.  I love these Moo Free Bunnycomb bars - they're just like vegan crunchies! 

Don't forget to check out my other vegan blog posts for more vegan meal inspiration! 

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Vegan review - all of the vegan cheese and cream flavour crisps!

One of my local shops started stocking loads of the Eat Real cheese and cream flavour crisps, and they're vegan!  It seemed the right thing to do to buy one of every variety, and then try them out.  For the blog, of course.  I'm so selfless.  I also had a bag of Ten Acre vegan cheese and onion crisps, so I've included them too.

Here we go...

Eat Real Quinoa Puffs - White Cheddar

Firstly, these puffs are huge!  They're the same length as my fingers!  They're really crispy and have a yummy, salty, cheese flavour.

Eat Real Quinoa Puffs - Jalapeño and Cheddar
Same puffs, different flavour.  I actually don't think these taste particularly cheesy, they're more jalapeño flavour, but husband has tried them and he thinks they taste of cheese.  These are my least favourite.

Eat Real Quinoa Chips - Sour Cream and Chive

Vegan sour cream and chive is a dream come true for me!  These quinoa chips have a similar texture to wholegrain or sunbites style crisps and they taste tangy and chive-y.  I don't think you'd know these were vegan if you hadn't seen the bag!

Eat Real Lentil Chips - Creamy Dill

The lentil chips are light and crunchy and the chips themselves really taste creamy and tangy, with a hint of  herby dill.  A packet of these doesn't last very long - these ones are my favourite. 

Ten Acre - The Story of when the Cheese met the Onion
 If you want vegan crisps that taste like good old Walkers cheese and onion then these are your best bet.  Crunchy little potato crisps with a strong onion and tangy cheese flavour that definitely don't taste like they're vegan friendly.  But they are.  Woohoo!

I also really, really, really like my own homemade vegan cheese and onion crisps, just take some nooch, onion powder and plain crisps and mix them all together, you can find the recipe for DIY vegan cheese and onion crisps here.

Are there any more vegan cheesy crisps I should know about?

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What I ate in a day, vegan New Year's Eve eats.

I love this nosey sort of blog post when other people write them, so here's what I ate in a typical, vegan day.  

I took these photos on New Year's Eve, I ate some fruits and veggies but some yummy treats too - my days are usually a little less heavy on the crisps!

For breakfast I had some fruit, an apple and a clementine.  I got up, dressed and had a walk into town, to the market and supermarket to pick up some supplies, and to get some fresh air because I knew I was going to spend all evening watching TV on the sofa!




Lunch was one of those picky meals, they're my favourite kind and they always feel a bit festive and buffet like to me.  I cooked up 3 Fry's vegan chicken nuggets to have with some cubed Violife vegan cheese, pistachios, paprika pringles, some Bournville chocolate and some tiny chocolate cookies.



Tea was Chinese-ish, some Iceland own brand mini vegetable spring rolls (which are really yummy, garlicky and gingery, and only £1 for 16), rice with spring onion, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds, steamed broccoli and sautéed garlicky leeks.

We saw the new year in watching Supergirl, cosy on the sofa.  I finished up my Christmas chocolate, some Bournville and the last of my Hotel Chocolat vegan chocolate reindeer.  I had a little bowlful of Walkers Max paprika crisps, and finished off the tube of paprika Pringles too!

Don't forget to check out my other vegan blog posts for more vegan meal inspiration! 

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Vegan rice krispie treat recipe, with Freedom Mallows vegan marshmallows.

These vegan rice krispie treats are sweet, light and yummy!  I was sent some vegan marshmallows from Freedom Mallows to try, they're delicious to eat on their own, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to whip up some lovely vegan treats!

You will need

1 75g packet vanilla Freedom Mallows

2 desert spoons vegan margarine

2 or 3 cups of rice krispies

Pan, spoon and a tin or tray.

How to make yummy vegan rice krispie treats

Melt the margarine in the pan over a gentle heat.

Add the vegan marshmallows and stir until they've melted.

Add rice krispies slowly into the pan, until they're covered with a light coating of the marshmallow mixture and are sticking together.

Push into a tin, tray or pyrex dish and firm and flatten out with the back of a spoon.

Chill in the fridge, then cut into squares and enjoy!

Freedom Mallows come in vanilla and strawberry flavours, and they're free from egg, dairy, gluten, gelatine, soy, GMOs and nuts, and they're suitable for vegetarians and vegans!  Phew!  They're also yummy, soft and melt in the mouth-y.  

My chief omnivore taste tester, Joe, say's the Freedom Mallows are just as good as non-vegan mallows and that my homemade vegan rice krispie treats are just as good as the Kellogs ones he buys from the shop. 

Have you tried Freedom Mallows yet?

Disclosure - I was sent the Freedom Mallows to try.  I only work with brands I like and all opinions are my own.  

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What do vegans eat?

When people find out I'm vegan they always ask me what I eat.  So here are some of the vegan meals, treats and snacks I've been eating lately,

Linda McCartney vegetarian burgers.  We've been eating lots of these vegan friendly burgers as you can currently pick them up from our local Heron Foods shop for £1 per pack of four.  They're yummy and taste quite realistically meaty.  The real star of this plate is the corn on the cob, I roasted it with vegan margarine, olive oil and a little salt and it was so delicious!

Biona organic mini fruit bears.   I love these vegan gummy bears!  They're fruity and chewy, just as you would expect them to be!

Tiger rice cakes with dark chocolate.  These vegan chocolate rice cakes from Tiger are nice.  I've never been tempted to try them before (I'd rather save my chocolately calories for a biscuit to be honest!) but I'd be happy to eat them again.

Morrisons zesty lemon sorbet.  This sorbet is really zesty, so you only need a small serving!  Lovely and cold and refreshing on these hot sticky days we've been having! 

Marks and Spencers iced spiced bun.  I rarely go past a M&S without popping in to buy some of these buns.  The icing is thick and sweet and the bun is soft and fruity and they're my favourites! 

Check out my other vegan food posts for more vegan friendly inspiration!

(Please note - these products are vegan as far as I can tell - items have suitable for vegetarians or vegan labeling, no dairy/eggs in the allergy section and the ingredients list contains no animal ingredients that I can see, please remember recipes sometimes change, please check for yourself if you're in any doubt.)

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Vegan chocolate milk ice lollies, a recipe and some inspiration.

It's been too hot this summer!  So I've been making yummy and ridiculously easy vegan chocolate milk ice lollies!

I was sent some lovely Riso Scotti rice and oat milks to try so I used them to make my lollies.  I used the rice and quinoa, and oat milk varieties of Riso Scotti and both froze really well.  

You will need

dairy free milk (I used Riso Scotti)

vegan drinking chocolate powder (I used Cadbury)

ice lolly molds (I have some silicone, push up style ones from Ikea)

a spoon

How to make your yummy vegan ice lollies

These are really easy to make!  Fill your ice lolly molds almost to the top with vegan milk.  Then add a teaspoon of drinking chocolate powder.  Use the end of the spoon to get in your lolly mold and mix it all up properly.  Pop in the freezer for a few hours and then they'll be ready! 

Because they're made from Cadbury drinking chocolate these ice lollies actually taste like Cadbury milk chocolate.  But they're vegan.  Wahoo! 

Here are some more lovely vegan milk ice lolly recipe ideas,

Chocolate peanut butter dairy free popsicles

Creamy dulce de leche popsicles

Vegan peaches and cream popsicles

Coconut milk fudgesicles 

Mexican mocha fudge pops

Vegan mango ice cream popsicles 

Key lime coconut milk popsicles

Vegan cookies and cream popsicles  

  

This month's issue of Vegan Life Magazine has loads of lovely ice cream and popsicle recipes (and Cadbury's drinking chocolate - key ingredient in my chocolate milk lollies - gets a shout out in their accidentally vegan section!)  I like the look of these green monster pops!

photo from Vegan Life Magazine.

Disclosure - I was sent some Riso Scotti to try, I like it!  I get a digital subscription to Vegan Life Magazine in return for giving them a shout out every month.  I only work with brands I like and all opinions and ideas are my own.  Vegan Life Mag is ace, you can subscribe here.

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Graze box - for vegans!

I've subscribed to Graze box, to get yummy, healthy, vegan snacks posted through my letter box every month!

When you subscribe you say your food preferences (no bananas, olives or pinapple, thank you!) and diet (Graze has 54 vegan options).  Once you've started getting boxes you rate the snacks, from 'bin to 'try', 'like' and 'love'.  If you really love something you can ask the people at Graze to 'send soon' too!

This is what I got in my second box,

Herby bread basket - this one is my fave, the garlic crostini are garlicy, the basil baguettes are sweet and herby and the oregano rice crackers are the best things I've ever tasted!  Everything is crispy and delicious in this Graze punnet and it's only 90 calories. Love.  Send soon.

Jaffa cake - this Graze box has nice big vegan chocolate buttons, tangy orange raisins and nice toasty hazelnuts.  My only complaint is that the orange flavoured raisins taste a bit artificial, like cheap pop.  Although I loved the chocolate I wouldn't try this one again.  Bin.

Sour cream and garlic crostini - I want to always be eating this. The same garlicky crunchy crostini that are in herby bread basket, and sour cream and onion cashews.  Oh mah goodness, these are too good!  I love vegan friendly sour cream and onion flavoured stuff, it makes me so happy!  Love.  Send soon.

New York everything bagel - I didn't think I'd like these, because I didn't like the sesame sticks in the other box, but they're nicer, crispier, and have a nice toasty, seedy taste and very mild onion.  Like.

Do you get Graze boxes?  What are your favourites?

Check out my other vegan Graze boxes too! 

Subscribe to Graze with my code to get your 1st, 5th and 10th boxes free - it's SUSIEE65P

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