NEW! Perk!er Goji & Cranberry Quinoa Bar (ASDA)

Whilst perusing Nakd Bars (currently on offer) in ASDA's gluten free section, I spotted a couple of new -unusual sounding- bars from Perk!er. Now, whilst I find the use of an exclamation mark as part of their name quite irritating, I was intrigued by their use of a grain I've not much experience of -Quinoa. Quinoa seems to be experiencing something of a craze recently amongst the clean eating brigade, and in similar vein to Chia/Flax seeds I've given it a bit of a wide berth. 

BBC good food however, informs me that it has been a staple food for the Incas and their descendants for thousands of years, and that its now being seen as a great wheat free alternative to starchy grains. Apparently it contains "twice the protein content of rice or barley, and is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium and manganese. Quinoa also possesses good levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E and dietary fibre." So there you have it!

Perk!er have created three different quinoa bars (Cashew, Chia & Pumpkin Seed, 
Goji & Cranberry, and Cacao & Cashew) but our ASDA only had the Goji variety in stock. For those who are interested, they are: gluten, wheat and dairy free, low GI, high protein and vegan friendly!

The bar was quite sticky, and I was pleased to see lots of glossy red cranberries and seeds dotted throughout. The quinoa was crunchier than expected, resulting in a satisfyingly munchy texture. The bar was also much sweeter than expected, which was a pleasant surprise for my tastebuds*. I really enjoyed the combination of flavours and textures, and I'll buy both this one and try the Cacao one in future. 

8/10

*I later read that the bars contain 15.3g of sugar, which (more than) explains the sweetness!