De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums (Sweets Without)

Last month Sweets Without sent me those lovely Diablo cappuccino sweets to try - which I'm rather gutted to have finished. Luckily for me, Peter has since sent over a different brand of sugar free sweet for me to try. In fact, Peter gave me a choice between the vast range of sweets made by Dutch confectioners De Bron, and although I was tempted by the exciting sounding Caribbean Mix, it was the gummy cherries that caught my eye. I do love a good jelly cherry sweet! Could a sugar-free version be anywhere near as tasty though?

The sweets looked exactly like their regular, full sugar, counterparts but are made with Maltitols to sweeten them instead. They were soft and chewy like the regular versions too, with a strong yet sweet cherry juice flavour. In fact, they were really rather good!

I wafted one under Bert's sceptical eyes. He doesn't buy into sugar-free/low-fat/low-carb/high-protein anything. He eats what he likes and never contemplates having any healthier alternatives. He also adores sweets. Whilst he's never tempted by my excessive chocolate collection, he can't help but dive into the sweetie jar that resides on our coffee table in our living room. The sweetie jar was empty though (a very rare occurrence) and so he tried one of the De Bron Sugar Free Cherry Gums. 

"Oooh they're nice."

I promise you, that's high praise from Bert -for reference, his response to the banoffee cheesecakes was "yeah, they're ok".

I think he's since aten more of the pack than me! 

You can find these sugar free Cherry Gums, and the rest of the De Bron range on Sweets Without's website. Thanks for the samples Peter.

8/10

:Diablo Sugar Free Cappuccino & Cream Sweets (Sweets Without)

It's time for another review of a sugar-less sweet treat courtesy of Sweets Without. This time I was sent a pack of the :Diablo Cappuccino & Cream sweets. As a fan of the ALDI s/f coffee sweets I was really looking forward to trying :Diablo's version, which are sweetened with isomalt.

:Diablo instantly won extra points from the packaging. The biggest problem with ALDI's packs is that they often tip over in my handbag. I can testify to the fact that sweets are far less appetising when you have to pick lint off them. Instead the Diablo sweets are individually wrapped which makes them perfect for picking up a couple at a time to keep you going for a few hours. 

The sweets are also fairly large in size, a little bigger but a similar shape to Werthers Originals. The first flavour that greeted me was a milky, latte-esque flavour, which subsided fairly quickly to a buttery, toffee flavour with a hint of coffee. True to their name they're creamy little sweets, and more so than the ALDI versions.

However, there's another big bonus to the Diablo sweets though: their size and shape means that each pastille lasts an extraordinary amount of time. Normally I'm a boiled sweet cruncher; I get bored all too easily and end up giving into the temptation to put pressure on them and then they're gone before I know it. Each of the :Diablo sweets lasted a good seven or eight minutes before I crumbled -or should that say crunched? 

Whilst I think that ALDI deliver a more prominent coffee flavour with their sugar-free cappuccino sweets,, the size and packaging of these :Diablo sweets actually makes them a better option for me. They're a good option for those wanting a low-calorie sweet fix too, as each candy is only 12 calories. You can buy :Diablo Cappuccino & Cream sweets directly from Sweets Without for a reasonable £1.79 oer 75g bag here.

7/10 

NEW! Monarch Sugar Free Mango & Orange Fizz (Sweets Without)

I've mentioned before the pride we take in our sweetie jar. It resides on our coffee table infant of the sofa in our living room, and is regularly filled with a combination of Haribo, foam shrimps and bananas and strawberry laces. It's Bert who can't resist their call though. He is to candy as I am to chocolate. I tend to prefer the occasional boiled sweet, and one of my favourites is Aldi's sugar-free rhubarb & custards (honestly, try them, they're brilliant). This month Sweets Without offered to send me Monarch's new sugar free Mango & Orange Fizz, which I thought would be an interesting -and seasonally apt- change. As far as I'm aware I haven't tried Monarch's sweets before, but a quick look at their website revealed their huge selection of both sugar and non-sugar sweets - which are all handmade in Scotland.

The pack contained approximately 20 marble sized colourful balls. They were bigger than I imagined they would be, and were all slightly different to each other, which gave them a wonderful traditional appearance. 

Orange was the most dominant flavour, obscuring the mango that hankered somewhere in the background. In fact the taste reminded me a little of Robinson's orange and mango squash, which I loved as a child, so I was grateful for the nostalgia. As promised there was a fizziness to the sweets, but it wasn't a sour fizz like Haribo Tangfastics, rather they struck more similarities to sherbet. In fact I kept thinking (hoping) that I'd find a pocket of mango flavoured sherbet powder in the middle, but of course I didn't. 

It's quite astounding that Monarch can produce a sweet that tastes so, well, sweet, but without the sugar and only a handful of ingredients (Isomalt, citric acid, Bicarbonate of soda, flavouring, colours: E102 E110, E142). They're tasty summery sweets, and would be perfect for diabetics, or indeed anyone trying to cut down on sugar. The Monarch Mango and Orange Fizz are available for £1.40 from Sweets Without's website, and you'll even get free delivery if you spend over £10!

7/10

NEW! Discover Milk Chocolate with Peach and Mint (Sweets Without)

Last week I was invited to try a very unusual sounding chocolate bar by Sweets Without. I've been lucky enough to try some very interesting chocolate of late, but no low-sugar flavoured bars as yet. Peach & mint makes me think of sipping iced tea in the summer sunshine, but I'd never thought of it as a milk chocolate flavour. I was more than willing to give it a go though, so gladly accepted Sweets Without's kind offer to try Discover's chocolate bar.

But who are Discover? According to their website, they're a small team in Exmoor who produce handmade chocolate. They say: 

"Discover was launched with two goals, we needed to remove sugar from the ingredients and bring a range of flavours to the chocolate market which had not been done before. We achieved this using all-natural ingredients in the innovative and exciting varieties of healthy no added sugar, stevia sweetened, palm oil and Gluten free chocolate bars we have on offer. We also ensure that our chocolate is ethically sound and environmentally friendly."

I loved the wrapper to the 50g bar, and could smell the refreshing mint from beneath the brown paper. Uncovering it I was further impressed by the colour and glossy sheen to the chocolate. 

I then turned it over and discovered that the flat side was completely covered with peppermint leaves, giving it a grassy appearance. Embedded within the chocolate were a few dried peach slices too. I'd never seen a bar quite like it!

Biting into the chocolate I was met with a creaminess that I really hadn't expected. I thought that the Cavalier bar was good quality, but this was far better. The chocolate was every bit as sweet as its full-sugar compadres, however there was a big problem with the bar...

I just couldn't get over the gritty texture from the mint leaves, which although flavourful, completely counteracted the wonderful velveteen chocolate. It's a shame because the mint flavour was good and worked well as a combination with the chocolate. As for the peach slices, they offered very little to the bar apart from a slight chewiness and sweet edge. I couldn't really taste them against the chocolate and mint combination -such a pity.

I feel very glum to be writing such criticisms of what sounds like a wonderful company. I love their ethos, but for me this just doesn't quite work. Sweets Without are selling all sorts of their exciting sounding bars though so please do check out their website if you like the sound of no-added sugar fig & cashew/coffee & cardamom dark chocolate or rose petal & lavender milk chocolate. I think the cherry & walnut and cinnamon milk chocolate bars sound particularly special!

6/10

**Thank you to Sweets Without for the sample!**

Cavalier Stevia Hazelnut Milk Chocolate (Sweets Without)

Are you diabetic, simply trying to cut down your sugar intake, or following a low carb* diet? Still craving sweets and chocolate? Sweets Without might be your saving grace. Just take a look at their website and you'll discover a huge selection of sweet treats that'll help curb your cravings without the sugar content of traditional sweets and chocolate. Now if you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I eat a huge amount of sugar, and so when Sweets Without asked me if I'd like to regularly review their range I accepted, thinking that it would be interesting to compare their products to their sugar-laden counterparts. 

"Belgian milk chocolate with broken hazelnuts with sweeteners."

The first product I received was an 85g bar of Cavalier's no added sugar hazelnut milk chocolate. Stevia is used as the sweetener, which I'm sure you're aware is a natural sugar substitute extracted from the stevia plant grown in Bolivia and Paraguay. 

The 85g tablet was in a thin format, similar to Lindt's larger bars. It looked very similar to normal milk chocolate, save for the small chopped hazelnut pieces that studded it. 

In terms of cocoa content, Cavalier haven't substituted quality - the bar contains a minimum of 36% solids, as well as a minimum of 30% milk solids. 

The content is evident in the eating experience; the chocolate is silky with a pleasant melt-in-the-mouth texture, broken up by the small but crispy nut pieces. As for the sweetness, the bar was just as sweet as your usual chocolate, but did have a slightly different taste to its 'normal' sugary cousins. If you've been reading this blog since the beginning you might recall that I reviewed a similar bar by Chocologic. Cavalier's bar is far, far, superior. 

I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed with this Cavalier bar. Im not about to give up my beloved Côte D'Or, but it's a brilliant substitute for those who can't/don't want to eat sugary chocolate. 

8/10

Sweets without sells a range of Cavalier's Stevia products including a delicious sounding white chocolate, mango & raspberry bar, boxes of sea shell pralines and even varieties of 85% dark chocolate for those of you who are inclined towards the dark side! Prices start from just £2.69 for this bar, and delivery is free if you spend over £10! Check the range out here.

Thank you to Sweets Without for the sample!

*For those interested, carbs per 100g:
Cavalier's Milk Chocolate Hazelnut = 31.8g
compared to 
Cadbury's Whole Nut Dairy Milk  = 50g