NEW! Creative Nature Protein Flapjacks (Online)

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to receive some of Creative Nature's new protein flapjacks, you know, the ones I mentioned in my review of their superfoods bars? The flapjack flavours sounded spectacularly good too, and seeing as their superfoods bars reminded me of nakd, I thought these might pose similarities to Trek protein flapjacks bars.

Like Trek flapjacks they're made from cold-pressed fruit, are vegan, gluten and dairy free. In contrast they're smaller (40g compared to 50g) contain a mixture of vegan proteins (soya and pea instead of just soya) and contain about a third less calories, whilst delivering only about a gram less protein. 

Apple pie

Is there anything more comforting than warm apple pie (or crumble) with custard? Now don't get me wrong, I don't think that a raw protein bar is in danger of replacing the classic dessert, but surely it can't hurt to have a healthy snack with similar flavours to tickle your tastebuds when hunger strikes between meals. 

Can you see how packed full of seeds and protein crisps the bar was? It smelt incredible too with both the Apple and cinnamon emanating from the bar. It was soft, and the aromas translated into the taste. For me there wasn't enough oats to quantify it being called a flapjack, but it was certainly tasty! 

Macros per 40g bar: 152kcal P8.1/C:20.0/F:3.5

8/10

Salted Caramel 

The flavour is everywhere isn't it? So it makes sense that Creative Nature bring out their new bars in salted caramel too. 

Unfortunately whilst the texture was good, the flavour wasn't as fabulous as I'd hoped.Granted the fruity bar was sweet and had a welcome salinity to it that worked well, it just didn't scream of gooey, buttery caramel. Perhaps that's unsurprising given that it's vegan and raw. 

Macros per 40g bar: 152Kcal/P:8.4/C:19.0/F3.7

6/10 

Cacao orange

Of course I saved the chocolate flavour until last, and used it to top some chocolate flavoured skyr and served it with raspberries as part of a pre-bed treat. 

The flavour in the bar comes from a combination of cocoa fibre, cocoa butter, cacao beans and natural flavourings. It was tasty too; there was a kind of rustic feel-good quality to the chocolate which was complimented by the tangy orange. It wasn't overly sweet, but it was far from bitter either. 

Macros per 40g bar: 151Kcal/P:8.0/C:18.0/Fat3.9

9/10

If you fancy trying these protein flapjacks them please pop on over to Creative Nature's website where you can find your nearest stockist and/or place an order! As ever, a huge thank you to Creative Nature for the samples!  

Creative Nature Chia & Cacao Brownie Mix (ASDA)

Last month I reviewed Creative Nature's Superfood bars, and promised that I would let you all know how I got on with their brownie mix. Now I've been craving brownies for a while, but for me brownies must be cooked on the outside but soft and gooey in the middle, and so supermarket versions just don't cut the mustard. I could bake my own, but a mix that you just add eggs and milk too sounded far easier. The trouble is, most baking mixes are pretty pants (I'm thinking Betty Crocker here), but I kept in mind that Creative Nature's bars had been good. There was other factor that was worrying me, but it might sound a little odd: brownies are so tasty because they're so unhealthy. Could an organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, soya-free, coconut-free, sweetener-free, nut-free, 'superfood' mix really scratch my brownie itch? There was only one way to find out...

Well, kind of. I might've added Cadbury Mini Eggs. It was the Easter Weekend after all.

The instructions called for:

1) 400g Brownie Mix (the whole bag)
2) 4 large eggs (or 5tbsp chia seeds + 15 tbsp water for vegan recipe, which is on the pack)
3) 200g butter (or dairy free spread for vegan recipe)
4) 5ml vanilla essence

I whisked the ingredients together before adding the batter to 2 lined loaf tins, which I then topped with the Mini Eggs and baked for 25ish minutes. The whole process from opening the mix to warm brownies took less than half an hour, and as a bonus my house smelt like Willy Wonka's factory. Marvellous. 

The bag suggests that the entire 400g bag makes 20 servings, but I used half (plus the whole bag of Mini Eggs) and cut my brownies into 8 bars. They were certainly squidgy! Creative Nature suggest chilling them in the fridge, but I have zero patience when it comes to food and so enjoyed my first one straight from the oven with a side of Oppo's salted caramel ice cream.

Oh. my. frigging. days. They were divine; gorgeously rich, with a dark bitter-sweet flavour. Once cool they were just as good, and dare I say it, they didn't really even need the Mini Eggs. Mmm. I'm salivating again just thinking about them.

In fact they were so good that I almost didn't share my brownies with any of my family, but I had promised my sister some, so I took one each for her and her partner on Saturday. Except her partner never got one, my sister ate them both (it's ok, he always nabs her chocolate supplies) and she even blamed me for getting her 'back into brownies'. The cheek! 😉 

It's needless to say, if you are a chocoholic who wants a healthy-ish brownie hit without the faff of baking/ you're intolerant to wheat, dairy, or nuts/ you're vegan, then you must try Creative Nature's Brownie Mix. It's available to buy directly from them online, bigger ASDA stores and Ocado. A little birdie told me that it'll soon be stocked in Sainsbury's too, so keep your eyes peeled! 

9/10

Solkiki Hazelnut Cream White Chocolate Gianduja Review (Online)

One of my best discoveries of 2016 was not chocolate, or even peanut butter. I was very lucky to from strong friendships last year with a couple of other bloggers whom do happen love my favourite foods, Nat and Laura I'm looking at you. Indeed Nat writes a blog purely about chocolate, and I regularly find myself drooling over her reviews of the premium brands that I haven't even heard of -let alone tried.

One such chocolatier that Nat has written highly about on a number of occasions is Solkiki, a British family business who manufacture vegan bean-to-bar chocolate. I'd never seen their products before reading Nat's reviews, but was over the moon when she kindly sent me a bar of their Hazelnut Cream White Chocolate Gianduja at Christmas. 

I only recently discovered Gianduja in November when I bought a bar of the Grown Up Chocolate Company's Hunky Dory. I loved the texture of the hazelnut paste used in the bar, and so this white chocolate version from Solkiki sounded right up my alley. I'd never had dairy free chocolate before though, so wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

"Soaked hazelnuts and cold-pressed cacao-butter create a soft, crumbly bar of creamyGianduja that is very easy on your body. We slowly stonegrind the nuts with cold-pressed cacao butter to create a delicious surprisingly healthy bar."

White chocolate that's good for you? I was sold. 

As per the images I'd seen on Nat's blog, the bar had the most exquisite design. I almost didn't want to break the bar it was so beautiful. That's it.. I'd have to eat it in one go, nibbling my way through all 56g -what a shame ;). 

As promised the chocolate was undoubtedly smooth, melting easily in the mouth. I was surprised by the flavour of it though, for it was unlike any white chocolate I'd ever experienced. At first I was unsure about the almost floral tones, but I soon became accustomed to it and started to really enjoy the unusual qualities of the bar. The hazelnuts were a subtle addition, truly ground down and offering a slight nuttiness that penetrated the white chocolate.

I'm so grateful for Nat for the opportunity to try Solkiki. The company sell a range of interesting bars including 'strawberry, coconut and pink pepperberry' white chocolate, and even a dark chocolate made from the 'world's rarest bean' which are available from their online shop.

9/10

NEW! Nakd Peanut Delight & Carrot Cake (ASDA)

If you follow me on Instagram you'll already know that Nakd bars are one of my diet staples, and are regularly taken to work for a mid morning snack. I love them because they're bold in flavour, despite being relatively saintly. I've learned that heating the bars for 20 seconds in the microwave somehow further unlocks their boldness further and turns them squidgy at the same time -double bonus. So, it's needless to say that addition of not one, but THREE new Nakd bars got me more than a little excited. The line up now includes carrot cake, peanut delight and an apricot crunch bar. I found the first two in ASDA for 75p each, but I'm yet to spot the apricot flavour -have you seen it yet?

Peanut Delight
Out of the newbie trio, Peanut Delight was -of course- the bar I was most excited to try. I'm pretty much fuelled by peanut butter these days, and love the peanut trek bar, so I expected this bar to become my new favourite Nakd.

"Go nuts for peanuts with our splendid new Peanut Delight bar, packed with all the goodness you’ve come to know and love from Nākd.  Perfect as a pick-me up between meals or just when you feel like treating yourself, this lovely bar has a deep, rich peanut taste from chunky peanut pieces and of course, they’re smooshed together with delicious dates. Made with nothing but natural ingredients, this guilt-free delight is sure to satisfy any snack-hankerings."

Get in my belly. Now.

Somehow the bar looked different to what I expected, I thought that it would just be a mini Trek, but instead it was dark and glossy with a strong date scent.  

Taste-wise it was disappointing. I regularly stuff dates with peanut butter as one of my favourite healthy evening snacks (utterly delicious if you've never tried it) and therefore usually love the combination. Nakd seem to have got the proportions all wrong though: there's far too much date and not nearly enough peanut. In fact the only nod to peanuts were the occasional soggy chopped nut that cropped up every now and then. The resulting flavour lands the bar a long way into the sweet camp, and I found it to be longing for a good sprinkling of salt -and preferably a coating of peanut butter too. Not even warming it through could save it. I'm afraid it's not one I'll buy again.

3/10

Carrot Cake
I've mentioned a good few times over these past few months that I'm partial to a good slice of carrot cake. I was a bit dubious about this carrot cake flavoured raw, vegan and gluten free bar. After all surely nothing could compare to an indulgent homemade affair, adorned with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

"Feeling the need for something desserty without the guilt? Presenting a special guest treat, this is a crave-busting carrot cake bar that tastes just like the real thing, but with the added bonus of being super-healthy too! This Carrot Cake bar is unique and special which is why it’ll only be around for a short time, it’s bound to be snapped up quick so you’ll want to get involved as soon as you can to avoid disappointment! With the warming spice of cinnamon accompanied by soft walnuts, raisins and dates this one really takes the cake."

Can you see the flecks of carrot dotted about the bar? I could smell the cinnamon the moment I peeled back the wrapper..

Hurrah Nakd! This is what I've come to expect from you! The bar was soft and chewy, whilst packing some serious punch. They have worked their magic and absolutely nailed the flavours of one of my favourite cakes. Moveover Rhubarb & Custard, the new Carrot Cake bar might just have claimed the top spot. I microwaved the second half of my bar and found -for the first time ever- that it wasn't any better warm... which makes it perfect for eating on the go. I'm gutted that this is a limited edition flavour, so I'll be sure to stock up whilst they're still around!

10/10

Have you tried any of the new bars yet? Are you in agreement with me and Kev (find his review of both bars here) or do you like the Peanut Delight bar like the lovely Erin (read her review here).

NEW! Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate Kind Snacks Bar (Waitrose)

A few months ago I was in the process of arranging a transatlantic food swap with fellow foodie Candy Hunting -who has the biggest collection of candy wrappers known to man, honestly go see!. Our plans were vetoed however when we finally clocked that it would cost a minimum of £13 in postage for a 1kg parcel -ouch. 

Anyway, in my request list was a peanut butter bar made my nutritious snack producers KIND. Once upon a time you could buy KIND's peanut butter granola from Tesco, but not long after I discovered it *poof* the cereal was discontinued, never to be found again. I'd all but forgotten about the brand, when their snack bars started cropping up in Tesco at the start of the year -albeit at a rather eye watering £1.29 a pop. At that price I wasn't too bothered by them -particularly as Tesco weren't stocking the flavour I wanted to try. Recently however I discovered that Waitrose have also started stocking the range, including the peanut butter bar (hurrah!) and they're all currently on offer for 99p too.

The peanut butter & dark chocolate KIND bar contains 7g of protein, is gluten free, dairy free, and contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. 

"Here at KIND, we make delicious and nutritious snacks using the finest ingredients. Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate is a satisfying blend of whole peanuts, bound together with a touch of honey and drizzled with chocolate. Let's make the world a little kinder, one act and one snack at a time."

As you can see the bar isn't just made up of peanuts, there's quite a few whole almonds dotted about in there too. It was quite a tough, chewy bar to bite in to -so much so that I feared for my fillings. The bar's resilience against my teeth meant that it was indeed quite satisfying to eat, although that's probably just due to the amount of chewing involved.

Both the almonds and peanuts were perfectly fresh, although the peanut butter flavour wasn't as prominent as I'd have liked, overwhelmed by the honey which comes higher up the ingredients list. I've also got a little issue with the fact that the bar is described as being drizzled with dark chocolate -it's not- instead KIND have used a 'flavoured coating' comprised of palm kernel oil, cocoa powder, emulsifier, natural flavouring and salt.

The bar was pretty so-so, which means that I probably won't buy one again as they're so expensive.

Kev from (Kev's Snack Reviews) has spookily reviewed the almond and caramel KIND bar today, so please do pop on over to his blog and check out his opinion -which just so happens to be very different to mine! 

5/10

NEW! Bodhi Date & Cacao Cricket Paleo Bars (Online)

Have you seen snippets in the news over the past few months about how insect protein is due to rise in popularity? Indeed The Guardian reported on Friday that there are at least six insect farms either in development or under consideration in England. Why would you want to eat bugs though? Well, one of the biggest benefits is that they are an environmentally friendly alternative to meat.

Bodhi is a new UK based company who have just starting selling Paleo bars made with cricket flour. When they offered to send me some samples, I accepted, thinking that I'd take the opportunity to try something utterly different -I'd like to think that I'd try most things at least once. Each bar contains 10g of protein, and is gluten, soy and dairy free.

 A little more info on the company:

"Here at Bodhi we like to keep an eye on our diets, and make sure we're getting enough protein. While protein bars are a handy way to do that, we found most bars available were packed with sugar, artificial ingredients, and the source of protein was not a natural one. We set out to create something new, innovative and effective. We wanted to develop a bar that combined a natural protein source, all-natural raw ingredients, that fit into a paleo lifestyle.  

That's when we stumbled across a new and exciting ingredient... Cricket flour. We say new, but eating crickets and other insects is already considered completely normal in many countries around the world. However, it's only recently countries like the UK, USA, Australia and many countries in Europe are coming around to the many benefits. Crickets are actually part of the same animal family as prawns and lobsters, so the idea of eating them shouldn't be so strange."

The brown, rectangular shaped bar looked similar to a Trek bar, although it had a definite earthy aroma. The texture was firm and dry to the touch, but when I bit into it I discovered that it was crunchy. Immediately the thought of a mouthful of crickets entered my mind, and I found the bar difficult to swallow. I thought I'd got over the mental hurdle of eating bugs, but it cropped up right at the wrong moment and I couldn't continue.

I had been documenting my journey with these paleo bars on instagram, when one of my followers (macroswithmeesh) expressed an interest in trying them. I offered to send him one, curious to discover whether it was just the thought of eating crickets that prevented me from enjoying it...

His review: 

"...Having tried a fair few of the 'natural'/'raw' paleo bars it is about on par with most other products...

On the plus side, the extra protein (10g) is a good selling point and coming from crickets, it is more resourceful and what not..."

So there you have it. Two reviews in one. Macroswithmeesh may have been able to stomach it, but I woosed out. Since I stumbled at the first hurdle it seems unfair for me to score it.

Thank you to Bodhi for me the samples. If you're braver than me and are intrigued by the sound of these new Date & Cacao Cricket Paleo bars, please head on over to their website where you can find out more about the company and buy some for yourself.

The Food Doctor Pineapple & Banana Wholesome Bar (Tesco)

In an effort to combat obesity and stop us from overindulging on chocolate and sweeties, Britain's checkouts have gradually been moving towards displaying healthier snacks. It was thanks to this change that a range of snack bars I've not seen before caught by eye, made by nutritional therapists turned health-food manufacturers 'The Food Doctor'. I've been vaguely aware of the brand for a while now, gently ignoring their healthy -but expensive- products including their multi-seed pittas and quinoa pots, but I hadn't come across their 'wholesome' bars before -which Tesco have recently started stocking. A quick google search informed me that the bars themselves aren't new -infact Kev reviewed the range way back in June 2014.

The bars are wheat and dairy free, contain no added sugars, are high in fibre and Vegan friendly. I almost opted for the apricot and almond, but then I was swayed by the inclusion of my favourite fruit (banana) and chose the pineapple bar instead.

It was extremely sticky (even more so than the Perk!er goji bar), and it was an unattractive brown colour (think slimy bananas!). It  had a chewy consistency, broken up nicely with the slight crunch of the plentiful sunflower seeds that permeated the bar. Flavour-wise, I could only taste a generic fruity sweetness, which unfortunately mean it lacked the real tropical or banana punch that I longed for.

I liked the texture of the bar, but that's about it. Food Doctor have got a long way to go to compete with Nakd's products in terms of flavour, so I probably won't buy them again.

4/10

Nakd Caffé Mocha

As you might have gathered if you've read my previous posts, I've recently fallen in love with cold press snack bars, such as Nakd, Trek, and the cheap (but very tasty) Tesco Banana Bliss. I'm starting to get alarmingly excited by trying flavours I've not seen before; so when I popped into an odd little independent Health Food shop and spotted the Nakd Caffé Mocha, I ignored the fact it was more than double the price that they're currently on offer in ASDA for, and snapped it up.

The Caffé Mocha bar is just as saintly as the other Nakd Bars, consisting purely of Dates, Cashews, Raisins, Cocoa and natural flavourings. It also contains one of your five a day, and is suitable for anyone who's Vegan, Coeliac, or Lactose intolerant.

As you can see, the cashews are clearly visible once the bar is broken. I've learnt from experience that Nakd bars are lovely warmed in the microwave for twenty seconds, giving them a comforting gooey-ness. I did nibble the end before heating, and it was tasty cold (but better warm). Both the coffee and the chocolate flavours were well represented within the bar, although its far less sweet than many of the other bars within the range.

I enjoyed the bar, but it comes way down my list of favourite cold-press snacks (perhaps an indication of why it's a less widely available flavour). I missed the usual Nakd sweetness, so I'd choose the Rhubarb & Custard over the Caffé Mocha Nakd bar every time.

6/10

Trek Peanut Power Bar (Boots)

Given how much I adored the Trek Cocoa Chaos bar, I decided to pick up their Peanut Power bar this week. This Trek bar contains: 100% natural ingredients, no added sugar, 1 of your 5 a day, and they're wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and Vegan to boot. Wowzers! Does a snack get much healthier than that?

Anyway, following Erin's advice (from Guilt Free Veggie), I popped my bar in the microwave for 30 seconds so as to enjoy it warm with a cup of coffee.  

Christ. Can a bar that tastes this good really be so saintly? The bar went soft and gooey, in a similar way to hot peanut buttery toast, which made it utterly comforting. The nutty flavour was striking, probably due to it containing real peanut butter (11%) and peanuts (8%). Dates account for 33% of the bar's ingredients, which makes me believe the great things I keep hearing about the combination of peanut butter and mejool dates. 

Yum, yum, yum. Well done Trek... I'll been keeping an eager eye out for the Banana Blast bars... 

10/10

NEW! Good4U Banana & Cocoa Super Bites (ASDA)

Happy New Year! May your 2016 be healthy, happy and full of mischief!

Have you got any New Years resolutions? Are you joining the gym, the clean eating brigade or giving up alcohol? I'm bucking the trend and starting an anti-diet, which will include munching on lots of my favourite foods! However if, unlike me, you're on a bit of a health-kick, I've got a food review for you today.

ASDA have recently started stocking the complete range of the new Good4U Super Bites: Banana & Cocoa, Cocoa & Orange and Coconut. They are are all raw seed & fruit bites which are wheat free, dairy free and vegan. I chose the banana and cocoa due to my love of both flavours -anyone agree with me about the utter food perfection and heavenly nature of a banana & nutella toastie? 

The snack size pack contained 30 nuggets which convincingly resembled miniature cocoa-dusted truffles. They were squidgier than expected, and slightly chewy. The cocoa tasted dark and bitter, but much need sweetness came from the dates and raisins. The banana flavour however, was underwhelming and was completely overshadowed by the intensity of the cocoa. There was no doubting its inclusion in the ingredients, it just felt more of an afterthought than the star of the show -missing the mark in a similar way to the Meridian peanut & banana bar I reviewed at the beginning of November.

Good concept, but for a healthy chocolate hit I'd rather have the Cocoa Chaos Trek Bar (which the delectable Erin informs me is even tastier microwaved).

5/10

Cocoa Chaos Trek Bar

Today's review is not about a new product, however they're new to me and so I'm hazarding a guess that I'm not the only soul to have not tried these before. It's only recently that I've discovered cold press fruit & nut bars such as the Nakd Christmas Pud and Tesco's cheaper Banana Bliss bars. Trek is owned by Natural Balance Foods who also own Nakd so I had high hopes for this chocolate brownie inspired protein bar. 

Opening the pack, I discovered the bar was segmented into three. It didn't look very filling, but it did look very dry and I kind of wish I'd reached for the biscuits instead. Biting into it however, I was met with a lovely, deep dark chocolatey flavour. Each segment was more than a mouthful, and the chocolate seemed to intensify with each bite. Texturally it was slightly on the dry side, but considering it's lack of butter that's understandable. 

Each bar is pretty virtuous- they contain no added sugar, syrup, gluten,wheat or dairy. If that wasn't enough, they also contain 10g of protein, 1 of your five a day and are vegan friendly. I won't be replacing all of my chocolate bars with these bars, but if you're after a healthy alternative I suggest giving the Trek Cocoa Chaos bars a go!

8/10

NEW Tesco Banana Bliss Bars

As I mentioned when I reviewed the Nakd Christmas Pud bars last month, I'm having a bit of a passionate affair with their range. I've since tried the Cocoa & Strawberry Crunch bars, which are so tasty! The only problem is... I'm a bit skint. So love them as I do, I have to limit the amount of bars I buy. 

Tesco may have solved my problem however, because they've released two new cold pressed fruit bars: Banana Bliss and Berry Blast. Priced at £1.19 for four bars they undercut Nakd's approximate 75p a bar RRP by about two thirds! Similar to Nakd's Crunch range they are also high in protein and are wheat & dairy free 

Cold pressed fruit and nut bar with dates, soy protein crispies, raisins, cashew nuts and banana.

As I'm sure you'll agree though, price isn't everything, and if they taste pants then what's the point? Nakd's banana bar is my favourite of their Crunch range, so I decided to try Tesco's version. 

The bars are a similar colour, but Tesco's is more rectangular in shape. Consistency wise, I found Tesco's to be slightly more crunchy (you can see the soy crispies in the photo below) which I preferred.The flavour was indistinguishly different to Nak'd's bars, with a strong and natural banana taste. 

Nak'd I love you, but Tesco- you've got me hook, line and sinker. If you're a regular consumer of Nak'ds range I urge you to give these supermarket brand version a go! 

8/10

Nakd Christmas Pud Bar

Today's review is of another festive product first released last year that I didn't get round to trying. I didn't think it would be my cup of tea, and I feared the horrible brown rice syrup that seems to be present in a lot of healthier snack bars. The only reason I even contemplated buying them was due to Erin's blog post about the Christmas Pud bars (we seem to have similar tastes and she thinks that they are pretty damn tasty).

I tried a few different outlets but had no luck, so I ended up buying a couple of different bars instead. First I tried the Banana Crunch Bar... then the Banana Bread bar... and I really enjoyed them both! So, long story short, in the space of a week I've fallen slightly in love with the Nakd bar range. Yesterday I received a Twitter tip off that Sainsbury's might be a good bet, which was a good hint because I finally tracked them down, hurrah.

The bars are 35g each and are attractively packaged in a festive green wrapper, complete with Christmas hat. I love Nakd's attention to detail- especially the tiny little 'Hi Mum!' hidden under the seal. The Christmas Pud bars' only ingredients are dates, cashews, raisins and natural flavouring "smooshed together," which means they are Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Free, count towards one of your five a day, and are totally Vegan friendly.

Unwrapping the bar, I was greeted by a strong festive aroma. It was well spiced, and the tones of cinnamon and nutmeg were particularly pungent. Texture-wise the bar was dense and chewy, which meant that it's quite satisfying to eat for such a small snack. Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of Christmas Pudding because it's so heavy and cloying -particularly after a main meal-  but this little bar has all of the flavour without any of the stodge.

Well played Nakd!

8/10

Meridian Peanut & Banana Bar

Ive had a love affair with Meridian's almond butter for a few years now, but I didn't realise until recently (when I started following them on Twitter) that they've extended their range to include energy bars. I've been keeping an eager eye out, hoping to spot them, when I had a mini-brainwave and thought to try Holland & Barrett. I finally found all of their new bars: Peanut, Almond, Peanut & Berry and the one I really wanted to try- peanut & banana. Peanut Butter and Banana Toasties are one of my favourite lunchtime concoctions, and so I had high hopes for this bar.

The packaging proudly boasts that it contains 48% nuts and 7g of protein. They're also dairy, gluten and soy free as well as being suitable for Vegans. When I unwrapped the bar I had an instant flashback to the Peanut Butter Clif Bar and my hopes sunk. It was more regularly shaped than the Clif bar, but it was a similarly dense, sticky brown mass. 

I hoped that it would taste better than it looked, and when I took my first mouthful I was greeted with a lovely natural banana flavour followed by the same odd Clif aftertaste. It must be the rice syrup because it also ranked highly in the ingredients list of this Meridian bar. Either way, it's a flavour I'm really not keen on. I wished they would use honey instead, but I guess that would prevent it from being Vegan friendly. The other thing I noticed with the bar was that I could barely taste the peanuts, despite it claiming to be almost half nuts in consistency! 

As you can gather, I wasn't fussed on these bars. They're probably a really good Vegan choice but in future when I'm after a banana flavoured energy boost I'll be opting for the Banana Brunch bars instead.

5/10