Kent & Fraser - Spicy Ginger Cookies

Snackly provide some fantastic food to sample, and this month I received a snack pack of Kent & Fraser spicy ginger cookies. When we got our Costa coffee takeaway I got these out to have with my latte in the office.

These biscuits are sold at Ocado where a full box retails for £2.99. I tend to find them in farm shops and garden centres too, where you can also find these smaller packets in their coffee shop and can retail anywhere from 60p up to almost £2 a pack.

They are free from gluten, wheat, eggs, and soya\soybeans so are suitable for most allergens!

Typical Values Per 100g:

• Energy -  475 kCal - 1989 KJ

• Protein 3.1 g

• Carbohydrate 72.1 g - sugars 35.6 g

• Fat, total20.1 g - saturated11.9 g

• Fibre 2.0 g

• Sodium 0.5 g - as salt 1.2 g

I found these biscuits have a good snap and had a dry crunchy feel. There were tiny pieces of crystallised ginger incorporated throughout the biscuit which gave a soft chew every now and then through the crunchiness which added some interest to the texture. 

The flavour was not too spicy and just had a subtle gingery kick. In my opinion there is nothing worse than your eyes watering and having a choked up throat over some ginger! I found that the biscuit was leaning more towards the savoury side. Of course the actual biscuit was quite sugary and sweet with the crystallised ginger but with the more bitter ginger seasoning, this levelled it out and made a well balanced flavour which wasn't overly sickly sweet. 

I would most definitely buy these in a full size box as they remind me of the Lazy Day chocolate gingers, just without the dark chocolate coating, so are perfect for when I am not in a chocolate mood! I think these would be fantastic to make a ginger snap sundae with, just break them up a bit and mix into ice-cream with squirty cream on top and some flaked dark chocolate!

Hannah x 

Sainsburys Curry Night - Gluten Free

This week has been a really bad week on the eating well front. I have been having my normal salad and fruit lunch but I have been in a very snacky mood. So to top this off I thought I would have a curry night!

A couple weeks ago I spotted that Sainsburys have a gluten free naan bread so I picked up a pack to have with my chicken korma and pilau rice. The sainsburys chicken korma ready meal is naturally gluten free, so it makes a quick meal!

The naan itself is both gluten and milk free so although the korma ready meal does contain milk, you can always make your own. From past experience almond or coconut milk makes a fantastic korma!

I found that this naan was amazing, so authentic to how I remember naan bread even down to the texture and the light dusting over it. I had some rice with my meal as I didn't know how good the bread would be, but I would definitely say you could replace the rice with the bread if you want to cut down on carbs as I know this is a calorie laden meal!

A whole naan bread is 264 calories which really surprised me for the amount of bread and the density of it, as a piece of toast is around 100 calories each!

	Per 100g	Per Naan	%RI
Energy K/Kcal	1136/296	1113/264	13%
Fat	5.6g	5.7g	8%
Of which Saturates	0.4g	0.4g	2%
Carbohydrate	48.8g	47.8g	18%
Of which Sugars	3.8g	3.7g	4%
Protein	3.7g	3.6g	7%
Fibre	3.6g	3.5g	-
Salt	1.39g	1.36g	23%
*Reference intake of an average (8400 KJ/ 2000 Kcal) – (information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

The flavour of this bread was also very authentic, the subtle garlic and coriander flavour came through but it still had the essential flavour from the bread, which I feel is the most important aspect of a naan.

At £2 a pack I think that £1 per naan is great value. If you are serving  curry with rice I think one naan could serve four people easily as it is very filling. I don't think this is something I could create myself at the same cost or taste.  

Overall I have really enjoyed the naan , and my naughty eating week! I think the supermarkets own brands are becoming very competitively priced to mainstream versions which makes my purse very happy!

Hannah x

Genuis Gluten Free - Lemon Cupcakes

After hunting all my local supermarkets for what feels like an eternity I have still yet to find the lemon cupcakes by Genius, plenty of the chocolate, but no lemon. So when Genius reached out to me, I asked if the lemon cupcakes are still around and they very kindly sent me some!

These cupcakes retail at around £2.30 for a pack of two so for £1.15 each I tend to have these as more of a treat as these are more of a luxury option! At 315 calories I find that these are a good indulgent treat.

These cupcakes are wheat, gluten and dairy free and is suitable for both vegetarians and coeliacs.

	Per 100g	Per Cupcake	%RI Per cupckae
Energy K/Kcal	2090/500	1317/315	16%
Fat	31.7g	20g	29%
Of which Saturates	8.7g	5.5g	27%
Carbohydrate	51g	32.9g	27%
Of which Sugars	38.8g	24,5g	-
Protein	2.2g	0.8g	-
Fibre	1.2g	1.4g	-
Salt	0.8g	0.5g	8%
*Reference intake of an average (8400 KJ/ 2000 Kcal) – (information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

The sponge is not too dissimilar to the chocolate version although it is plain and not lemon in flavour. This reminded me very much of a Madeira cake. The texture is beautifully light and fluffy, with a thick lemony icing piped icing although my icing unfortunately got a little squished in transit! I found that this cake had the perfect combination of sugariness and sourness of lemon, giving the sponge a well balanced taste.

As easter is getting closer, I think these would be fantastic as part of a tea party, much like the blueberries muffins I reviewed from Genius a couple of weeks ago. Served with small sandwiches, easter chocolates and a fruit platter, this would make the perfect pastel Easter party!

I would love to know if you prefer lemon or chocolate sweet treat, mine has to be lemon!

Hannah x

Snackly Open Box - March 2015

My snackly box dropped through the letter box today! I look forward to this all month particularly as I get paid on the 20th so it is very much like a pre payday treat for me!

I know I say it every month but this box has surpassed last month and there is not one thing in the box I don't think I am going to love. I must say it's cookies galore this month!

So as you're all dying to know, what is in my box?

This month I received:

Nim's - Pineapple and Mango Fruit Crisps -RRP £1.35
From many previous posts you see dried fruits are something I tend to buy quite a bit of. I am a snacker so more nutritious snacks are always on hand. These crisps are air dried and not fried, they are also only 74 calories for a whole bag and one of your five a day. Nim's are certified by the vegan society and are also partners with change 4 life. A pack retails for £1.35 which I think is on the more expensive side of dried fruit so I am hoping these are fantastic!

Easy Bean - Chickpea Crispbread - Seeds and Black Pepper - RRP £3.29 per full box 
Claiming to be naturally gluten and wheat free, these crispbreads are handmade with chickpea flour and buttermilk. They are also high in fibre and suitable for vegetarians. These two crispbreads contain around 135 calories, with a whole packet retailing at around £3.29 at H&B but prices can be found as low as £2.99 online, however there will be delivery costs.

The branding of this product is very interesting as the packaging is made from sustainable sources and is recyclable and to me feels the quintessential healthy living/ economically responsible branding. This really appeals to me as I am big on recycling, up cycling and healthy eating so I could be seen as a bit of a traditionalist with make do and mend attitude, or as my younger sister says 'you're such a granny' hey ho... you can't please everyone!

Ananda's Gelatine Free Marshmallow Grab Bag - Toasted Coconut - RRP £1.99
This grab bag is not just fantastic for me but also my veggie sister as they are vegan society approved. I will definitely get her to try some as I think a selection of these would be great in an easter basket or any gift hamper in general! It is a very squishy texture so I am hoping they will be lovely and fluffy and with desiccated coconut over the top, which I love on things like fruit salads and porridge. I think these will become quite addictive but again I think for the price they are much more of a luxury treat item!

Melting Pot - Handmade chocolate Fudge - RRP £1.90
This product is going to be well hidden from both my boyfriend and my brother otherwise I won't get a look in! This handmade chocolate fudge won a great taste gold award in 2010 so I am expecting this to be amazing! The ingredients are very basic and easy to read with no preservatives which we all know is a thing for me as I like to know what I am putting into my body. I think this will be a great treat on saturday night as it will be the last day of working 13 days solid, so I think I deserve some sweet treats, popcorn and a film after a long day, and this fudge will fit in perfectly!

Kent & Fraser - Spicy Ginger Cookies - RRP £0.60
This is the first thing I have received from Snackly that I have actually seen before, however I have never tried this flavour. A local coffee shop charges me a whopping £1.20 for these but can be brought in bulk online which averages the cost to 60p each! I have always loved the ginger biscuits I find in my local farm shop which are dipped in dark chocolate so I am hoping that these live up to them! This pack contains 166 calories so is a fantastic snack pack and can be used as a quick throw in my handbag and run!

Honeyrose Organic Handbaking - Mini Triple Chocolate Cookie Gluten Free - RRP 52p each
We received two of these cookies in this months box, and I'm not going to lie, I have already eaten one! These individually wrapped cookies are something I love because I do get paranoid about food going off before I finish it! There was huge chunks of chocolate in the one I tried which bonded the soft crumbly cookie, the flavour is fantastic and I would really recommend them! What also has impressed me with this brand is that they have biodegradable packaging and 5% of profits go to charity.

Once again Snackly have left me very happy indeed and well worth the money! I am hoping to do some mini reviews of these products in the coming days so stay tuned!

Hannah x

Sainsbury's Free From - Pancakes

For someone who isn't much of a breakfast person, I have certainly been embracing the most daunting meal of the day. Somedays I really do not know what I want to eat and I have a freezer full of miscellaneous bread based products to cater to whatever takes my fancy!

Pancakes were one thing that I got into after pancake day so I picked up some of the Sainbury's pancakes to make quick breakfasts on a weekday. These retail at £2 for a pack of six, which is only 34p per pancake and after buy the ingredients I would not be able to make american style pancakes which taste this good for that price. I found that I ate two as a serving to give a filling breakfast and at 86 calories each, this is a good light breakfast to start the day.

These pancakes are wheat, gluten and dairy free. Many of the Sainsbury's free from products are free from both dairy and gluten. This makes catering to many allergies much easier, particularly at parties, but beware this product does contain egg so isn't safe for our egg allergy sufferers!

	Per 100g	Per Pancake (86g)	%RI Per Roll
Energy K/Kcal	1105/261	365.86	4%
Fat	3.4g	1.1g	2%
Of which Saturates	0.4g	0.1g	1%
Carbohydrate	51.4g	17g	7%
Of which Sugars	19.4g	6.4g	7%
Protein	5.9g	2.0g	4%
Fibre	0.6g	<0.5g	-
Salt	1.26g	0.42g	7%
*Reference intake of an average (8400 KJ/ 2000 Kcal) – (information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

The pancakes are very aerated and have a fine texture, very much like a wispa bar in terms of air pocket size. They are incredibly soft and taste fantastic with some extra golden syrup or nutella, although you cannot beat just a little bit of butter!

Although these are flavoured with syrup I can taste a hint of vanilla which I am putting down to the sweetness of the syrup as there is no vanilla in the ingredients. I grilled these for about a minute on each side which warmed them up and allowed the butter to melt, but didn't catch the edges or start to burn them. 

I also think these would be great with some whipped cream and fruit as they quite sweet!

Overall I loved these pancakes and think they are a great staple for the cupboard! Where they are sweet they feel much more of a treat but are comparable to the calories in a slice of toast, granted not as nutritious as a seedy loaf but not a calorie blow out!

Hannah x 

La Tasca - Gluten Free Menu

La Tasca... Now I have found you I don't want to let you go! Never have I been to a place that has such a wide range of gluten free choices, which are all super delicious!

Yesterday I ventured into La Tasca for the first time and I was not let down. As you all know I much prefer snacking buffet style meals which have a little bit of everything to nibble, so tapas is my idea of heaven.

I will have to apologise in advance as I know what I ate and I can describe them like they do on the menu, but there was no way I was able to pronounce the names, let alone remember them!

To start we had the cheese and sun-dried tomato 'nibbles' the cheese was quite strong but the flavours were very complimentary. This was then followed with the gluten free bread and oils, this bread was an item I found scary as it tasted just like the real thing, with its crispy warm outer and soft fluffy middle! I would 100% recommend the bread, I think it's one of the highlights of their menu!

Moving onto the mains, there was a couple of non gluten free options on the table but on the whole we had a fully gluten free meal. Gluten free wise, we ordered:

• Chorizo 
• Chicken and chorizo in a cream and white wine sauce
• Mixed salad
• Mushrooms
• Mixed fried veggies
• Creamy potatoes
• Almond chicken
• Tomato and goats cheese
• An egg based dish which was very much like an omelette. 

I feel the dishes that really stood out to me was the chicken and chorizo in sauce, the mushrooms, these were absolutely amazing and I think I ate most of the dish! I also loved the goats cheese that was on the tomato and of course chorizo is always fantastic. 

We didn't reach as far as dessert but there was also a good amount of gluten free options too so I will have to try these! I will definitely be going again because not only were the meals gluten free it felt like a much healthier option with the amount of vegetable dishes available which I really enjoyed.  

For the quality of food, price per head averaged at around £20 each and that also included drinks, I found this very reasonable for the amount of food you receive, I must say when I saw all the little dishes coming out and all the hungry people at the table I thought this surely couldn't fill us up, but by the end we had stuffed our little faces and there was a little left over, but not too much so the recommend three dishes per person works out about right! 

Have you ever been to La Tasca and which dish is your favourite?

Hannah x

Genius Gluten Free - Blueberry Muffins

More cake today! It does seem that all I eat is cake, but I promise I don't! The people at Genius sent me a couple of products to try that I had yet to get hold of. The blueberry muffins were the first thing I got out the box as I love having these as a sweet treat breakfast with a thick fruity smoothie. I didn't even know that they made blueberry muffins until they reached out to me.

A pack of these muffins will retail for around £1.99 and contain two large muffins. I find that the price is very reasonable and is something that most people can afford, at roughly £1 each they seem like a good treat. Particularly when comparing to mainstream bakeries who would happily charge £1-£1.50 for a regular muffin.

This product is gluten, wheat and dairy free, however it does contain eggs, so it is not suitable for egg allergy suffers but it is safe for coeliacs and vegetarians.

This muffin will set you back 352 calories but are incredibly filling and kept me satisfied until lunch. See chart below for full nutritional information.

	Per 100g	Per Muffin (95g)
Energy Kj/Kcal	1564/370	1486/352
Fat	17.1g	16.2g
Of which Saturates	1.7g	1.6g
Carbohydrate	51g	48g
Of which Sugars	27.1g	25.7g
Protein	3.6g	3.4g
Fibre	1.6g	1.5g
Salt	0.38g	0.36g
(information taken from tesco.com)

I found that there was a good amount of blueberries incorporated in the muffins and to my surprise the majority had stayed whole. They were in no way sharp, just perfectly sweet and the flavour absorbed into the mixture. The sponge is very typical of a genius product, very aerated, slightly greasy in texture but in no way grease laden, more like a slight butteriness, although this product is dairy free.

I found that the flavours and textures really complemented one another and I also enjoyed the packaging, as they used the muffin wrap cases which are in a tulip style. This meant they are that little bit more presentable and wouldn't look out of place at a tea party or afternoon tea, and with little gluten free cocktail stick flags they would suit a vintage tea party perfectly.

Overall I really enjoyed these muffins and were great as a sweet treat. I would purchase them if I was having a casual last minute gathering or just as a treat breakfast as they are more of a everyday item rather than a special occasion bake where I would spend a bit more. I also think any age would enjoy these as they are very similar to a mainstream version, although I think a whole one would be too much for small children and sharing may be a good idea!

I think these will be perfect with the lemon cupcakes at an easter party. I love anything festive!

Hannah x

*This was sent to me to try, all opinions are completely my own and I would repurchase with my own money 

Love at First Bake - Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

Cake, everybody loves cake! And what I mean by that is everybody LOVED this cake. The lovely people over at Love at First Bake sent me a 6" Chocolate Marshmallow cake for my Birthday. As the cake was quite large for just me, I had my family and boyfriend partake in the eating!

Now none of my family are gluten free or typically eat gluten free food, so when they all had some and asked where it was from and if they could have more, I knew I was onto a winner. This cake is what I term as scarily good, as it tastes so legitimate I fear it could have gluten in it!

This cake retails at £11.95 and is well worth every penny. It has a lovely moist dense sponge with a chocolate marshmallow frosting which is sprinkled in chocolate swirls and mini marshmallows. This cake surpassed all my expectations and I would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of a gluten intolerance or not. It is well deserving of its great taste award!

I cut the cake into 8 pieces as I feared like most gluten free cakes it would crumble, but this was not the case so I could have cut it smaller if I had more people to cater for, but then you wouldn't get as much so I would go for the larger size!

I was told it was very much like a mainstream chocolate muffin in terms of the texture and taste and that had I served it without telling them they would have absolutely no idea it was gluten free.

My mum said she will buy these for all family events so I can join in and nobody will even know the difference!

There is such a wide range on the websites from muffins to loaf cakes and even savoury choices. I am most certainly going to try the savoury muffins in the near future because I love brie and cranberries so that option is really enticing me.

Overall I will 100% buy this cake and I am now excited to try the other flavours, because everyone loved it I know its something I can share and even have for when people come around for tea and cake as we can all enjoy it together without taste and texture being compromised!

Let me know if you have tried any other of the Love at First Bake cakes, and which is your favourite!

Hannah x

*This was sent to me to try, all opinions are completely my own and I would repurchase with my own money 

Tesco Free From Vegetable Lasagne

Another ready meal today! This time it is a vegetable lasagne by Tesco. I have loved the Amy's kitchen lasagne for years, so when I saw Tesco had created their own version I decided to give it a go.

This lasagne retails for £2.50 and contains 350g. The pack also claims that there is 2 of your 5 a day in this product and the meal totals to 445 calories. This meal is free from gluten, there are no egg containing ingredients, although it doesn't claim to be egg free. Milk is present in this dish so it is not suitable for any dairy sufferers.

	Per 100g	Per Lasagne (350g)
Energy Kj/Kcal	534/127	1870/445
Fat	4.1g	9.1g
Of which Saturates	N/A	N/A
Carbohydrate	18.1g	63.4g
Of which Sugars	N/A	N/A
Protein	3.8g	13.1
Fibre	1.3g	4.6g
Salt	0.3g	1.2g
(information taken from tesco.com)

I added a side salad to this dish as I tend to with all ready meals. I found that this meal was very filling and kept me fully satisfied. 

This lasagne is packed with chunky veggies and all ingredients are relatively clean. I can read and understand them all and is fundamentally a lot of veg with some cheese and pasta. There seems to be no preservatives labeled, which I tend to expect with frozen food as freezing is surely enough to preserve!

I followed the cooking instructions for cooking in the oven, although next time I may try it in the microwave as the cheesy top went a little film-like and I could feel it in my mouth when eating it, which I think was created by the drying out of top. The pasta sheet cooked well and was quite soft. This complimented the vegetables as they are a little more stiff in texture. I found that it was very tomatoey in flavour, the other flavour that stood out to me was pepper and onion, but in a complimentary manner, no aspect overpowered the other. 

It was much saucier than the Amy's kitchen lasagne which is much more dry in consistency, this is much more representative of a meat lasagne in texture, although it is vegetarian. I cannot place which one I prefer as although they both claim they are lasagne, they are both completely different products. Amy's is much more spinach based and has a crispy cheesy top, whereas Tesco have tried to match a typical lasagne. I guess it just depends what you're in the mood for! 

Overall I enjoyed this dish. I will buy it again to try cooking in the microwave, although if the film texture is still present I am not sure I will purchase it again as I am very fussy with textures and although it isn't a huge issue to some, it's not for me! If I can overcome this I will certainly have it on had as I do love vegetable pasta dishes. 

Hannah x 

Kabuto Gluten free Rice Noodles - Chicken

Healthy food on the go is a big hit with me as I am always running somewhere and a quick fix is sometimes the only option!

Kabuto is a brand that my Dad eats quite a bit and when he went shopping he noticed a rice noodle gluten free version and brought me them to try! I squealed in excitement when I saw them as I have said for such a long time I wished there was a gluten free pot noodle/ rice pot type product where you can just add hot water as these make quick lunches so easy. The biggest trouble is even if the carb is gluten free, such as rice, the flavouring isn't!

I know at the time of buying, they were 2 for £3 in the same mix and match deal as the regular Kabuto noodles in Sainsbury's. These are not in the free from isle, and can be found with the regular pot noodles in the dried food isle.

The two gluten free flavours are chicken and Miso, I have yet to try Miso but based on the Chicken I am expecting great things. On the allergen information the Kabuto chicken rice noodles contain milk and soya. Reading through the ingredients there is no egg or gluten ingredients.

This pot once prepared is 450g and only 280 calories. I actually found this was quite big for lunch and couldn't manage it all, but if I'm looking for something more substantial, this will be my first port of call. I would even say this would be a good quick dinner. See chart I created below for full nutritional information.

	Per 100g	Per Pot (450g)
Energy Kj/Kcal	290/68	1189/280
Fat	0.6g	2.6g
Of which Saturates	0.1g	0.3g
Carbohydrate	14.1g	57.6g
Of which Sugars	3.2g	13.1g
Protein	1.4g	5.6g
Fibre	0.3g	1.4g
Salt	0.8g	3.3g
(information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

When opening the pot, there is a whole nest of noodles and a powdered flavouring. The flavouring has no preservatives and all ingredients are understandable and relatively clean, unlike a typical pot noodle, which pleases me as I do not like too much processed food in my everyday diet! 

Once hydrated the product reminds me very much of a typical asian noodle soup. A thin flavourful water based herb infused soup with a kick to it, thin soft noodles combined and small pieces of chicken. It is very authentic in flavour and is one of the best noodle soups I have had in a long time. 

As mentioned I found that there was a huge portion in the container. They suggest pouring it into a bowl. I did not have one at work but I would assume it would be quite a large bowlful, even suitable to share for lunch or a single dinner, depending on how hungry you are! 

Overall I would 100% recommend and purchase this again as £1.50 is a fantastic price for a filling healthy lunch or dinner and the flavours are fantastic. I really enjoyed this and think even those not following a free from diet would enjoy this pot.

Hannah x