Review- Nutri-Bombz Box: Salted Caramel Protein and Coconut Flapjack Bombz & Raspberry and Toffee Apple Bitz

A couple of weeks ago, the unbeknown company to me, that is Nutri-Bombz, asked if I would like to sample some their 100% natural, gluten free, protein packed snacks which are currently wooing premiership footballers, celebrity personal trainers and a number of professional athletes. With such a list of clientele, I was hardly going to say no and a few short days later, a box arrived on my doorstep. 

Designed to fit through your letterbox, the biodegradable pack is also perfect for being delivered to your work place - Ideal if like me, you're only too tempted to go buy a sneaky Twix for Elevenses.. Followed by a Wispa to get over the 3pm slump. 

Opening up my mysterious package, I found 4 packs of different and individually segmented snacks - Salted Caramel Protein-Bombz, Coconut Flapjack Nutri-Bombz, Raspberry Nutri-Bitz and Toffee Apple Nutri-Bitz - Great for portion control and all made without added sugars, additives or preservatives. 

Salted Caramel Protein-Bombz

Dates, Whey Protein (Milk), Vanilla Extract, Coconut Oil (Nuts), Cacao Powder, Chia Seeds (Seeds), Natural Flavouring - 71 Calories Each, 10.7g Carbs, 10.3g Sugars, 3.7g Protein, 1.7g Fats, 0.6g Sat Fats, 0.08g Salt. 

I figured starting with the snack which most appealed to me was the way forward and cut into the little domed beauty using some real elbow grease - It was mighty dense and mighty sticky! This reflected in the texture as it proved to be ridiculously chewy and not to dissimilar to Date Hearts in both feel and flavour with the super sweet dates coming through prominently, a long with lots of vanilla tones. The outside of Chia seeds didn't add anything in terms of taste but did deliver a crunch to break up some of the continuous chew. A bit heavy going but overall, not unpleasant - A 3.5 out of 5 from me. 

Coconut Flapjack

Apricot, Oats, Raisins, Sunflower Oil, Coconut (Nuts), Honey, Cashew Nuts (Nuts), Coconut Oil, Linseed (Seed), Natural Flavouring - 85 Calories Each, 9.8g Carbs, 6.3g Sugars, 1.7g Protein, 4.4g Fats, 2.9g Sat Fats, 0.01g Salt. 

Moving onto the Flapjack and unfortunately the one that I couldn't eat given the use of cashew nuts.. Luckily, MSW offered up her sampling services! Very crumbly as the picture suggests, the Bombz were really quite dry and bitty thanks to being loaded with coconut to the extent of it being the only element with any flavour.. It was that potent! The vibrant orange apricot pieces added a smidgen of sweetness with help from the odd raisin but in terms of taste, didn't bring anything to the table.. Neither did those pesky cashew nuts apparently! It's a 3 out of 5 from MSW. 

Raspberry Nutri-Bitz

Dates, Whey Powder (Milk), Soy Protein (Soya), Vanilla Extract, Coconut Oil (Nuts), Cacao Power, Natural Flavouring, Brown Rice Protein - 60 Calories per 20g Serving, 10g Carbs, 9.8g Sugars, 4.3g Protein, 0.6g Fats, 0.3g Sat Fats, 0.11g Salt. 

Back to the offerings I could actually eat.. The Raspberry Nutri-Bitz! Smelling very fruity, the miniature dusted balls certainly delivered their namesake flavour which slightly bizarrely, transitioned into a Parma Violet sort of taste, mixed with the usual "earthy/dirt" flavour I always find to be present in said snacks - Not as repulsive as the grim Good4U Bites but still apparent. Texture wise, there was not much to complain about being almost fudgy combined with crispy nibs.. Perfect for eating by the handful - 3 out of 5! 

Toffee Apple Nutri-Bitz

Dates, Whey Powder (Milk), Soy Protein (Soya), Vanilla Extract, Dried Apple, Coconut Oil (Nuts), Cacao Power, Natural Flavouring, Brown Rice Protein - 60 Calories per 20g Serving, 9.6g Carbs, 9.4g Sugars, 4.1g Protein, 0.6g Fats, 0.3g Sat Fats, 0.1g Salt. 

Last up and perhaps coming with a slighty blurry picture.. The Toffee Apple version of the above. Once again, the feel and flavour was spot on - Dense enough to be a decent mouthful but plenty soft and squidgy with tons of undeniably, appley tones. I can't say I noticed much toffee but vanilla was distinguishable, pairing up with the fruit nicely and making for something which was somewhat like a sweet. One thing I have to mention however was that my tongue and throat did feel a bit weird and generally sore after eating both these and the Raspberry which I can only put down to the Soy Protein in the ingredients.. So, if legumes are an issue for you, best steer clear! It's another 3 out of 5. 

Overall, this Nutri-Bombz Box seems just about ideal for anyone who's health-conscious and/or looking for alternatives to the usual "bad" snacks - Each that I received is more than adequate in hitting ones sweet spot and filling an empty gap.. But as someone who doesn't exactly stick to the #fitfam way of life, I personally wouldn't feel compelled to order on a regular basis. That is of course just me though and if your diets are much more admirable, hop on over to the Nutri-Bombz website, create a list of your favourites from the plethora of snacks available and let the team select 4 trays to send to you at a cost of £4.99 - It may just be right up your street! Thanks Nutri-Bombz. 

Review- Thomas J. Fudge's LE Caffè Mocha Florentines

It's safe to say I am a huge, massive, gigantic Thomas J. Fudge's fan - I think I have reviewed most, if not all of their sweet biscuits now but there is always one which proves to be the most elusive and seemingly impossible to get your hands on.. In my case, it was the LE Caffè Mocha Florentines! 

Thankfully, Nibs has my back and being the wonderful person that she is, popped a box in the post for me - One that was illustrated in the usual Thomas J. Fudge's fashion I might add.. The art of balancing random objects on ones hat! 

The 8 Florentines looked a tad buffed in their staggered plastic tray although most inviting with both sultanas and nuts plain to see.. And then I read the ingredients list. Brazil Nuts!? 

Deciding to proceed regardless of a potential reaction to the nuts, I picked the Florentine which looked most lacking in the aforementioned department and got stuck into the pure coffee smelling treat. Crunchy with oodles of chew, it was packed with almonds and caramel to produce the wonderful signature feel of any decent Florentine with a sweet, buttery flavour complimented by hits of dried fruit and a tang from the citrus peel. The Mocha aspect was most definitely in the forefront and seemed somewhat artificial at first given the potency but then did mellow to allow the other flavours to come through with as always, the milk chocolate being divine - Super smooth and creamy with the never disappointing cocoa kick. As for the pesky Brazil Nuts.. MSW said they didn't add much in terms of texture or taste purely because there was so much else going on.. And I lived to tell the tale! 

Overall, these Thomas J. Fudges Caffè Mocha Florentines are perfect for any coffee lover out there. Yes, they do seem a bit questionable at first but given a chance with a hot drink (Or something stronger!), they are more than enough to get a substantial sweet fix. Here's to hoping that finding them is easier for you than it was for me! - It's a 3.5 out of 5.

*All Thomas J. Fudge's reviews.

Snackmas Day 24- Tesco Finest Cookies

One More Sleep, folks - One more sleep until Santa Claus Is Coming to Town! Who's excited? I'm excited! I don't know about you but the build up to the 25th has always been my favourite and there is no happier day of the year than Christmas Eve!

Since we are intent on Keeping the Dream Alive here on R4R.. Cookies for Santa will most definitely be being left out tonight and what better way to spoil him than with 6 of the Finest that Tesco have to offer - Salted Caramel & Chocolate, White Chocolate, Cranberry & Pistachio, Quadruple Chocolate, Fruity Flapjack, Maple Syrup & Pecan and Dark Chocolate Ginger. I realise, you can't put a price on Santa but these do cost £1.59 a pop with 8 Cookies per box. 

Salted Caramel & Choc and White Choc, Cranberry & Pistachio

L-R- All butter cookies with milk chocolate chunks and caramel fudge pieces and All butter cookies with Belgian white chocolate, cranberries and pistachio nuts. 

Salted Caramel & Choc

I appeared to pick a bad Cookie to start with as these really weren't good. Texture wise, it was more like a crunchy Maryland Biscuit than anything else with a flavour that was of caramel but really artificial. I couldn't taste any sort of chocolate but a bland creaminess was most apparent which made them quite sickly. The salted part was redundant as usual, just to twist the knife that little bit further. A 1 out of 5 from me. 

White Choc, Cranberry & Pistachio

Up next a Christmas classic combo! Once again. the texture was more of a biscuit but no where near as crisp as above and much more buttery in flavour. Big fruity chunks of cranberry were present in each Cookie which although were pleasant, I do think would have been better if they were a bit smaller and more evenly, distributed. The pistachios weren't exactly identifiable but a nuttiness did linger but sadly, the white chocolate wasn't anywhere in sight. A 2 out of 5 from me.

Quad Choc and Fruity Flapjack

L-R- All butter quadruple Belgian chocolate chip cookies half coated in milk chocolate and All butter cookies with sultanas, coconut, apricot, hazelnut, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

Quad Choc 

At first, I was a little annoyed with this packet.. Quality Control had obviously taken a break when in production as 1 of my cookies looked like it had been half eaten! I made a cup of tea to get over it and got dunking. These were amazing - Very chocolatey and rich in taste with big chunks of milk as well as sweeter white chocolate running throughout. Extremely moreish and almost perfection - 4 out of 5 from me! 

Fruity Flapjack

Anything oaty, I am sold and these certainly didn't disappoint - They tasted homemade, would you believe it? A soft bite with a super chewy texture, the buttery flavour which was slightly salted which paired perfectly with a sweet syrupyness and subtle coconut in the background. The seeds added a nice crunch and almost nutty flavour with the sultanas and dried apricot adding a gummyness. A big 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Maple Syrup & Pecan

L-R- All butter pieces with pecan nut and maple syrup and Stem ginger cookies fully coated in Belgian dark chocolate. 

Maple Syrup & Pecan

I have no idea how many recipes Tesco has on the go as these Cookies had a completely different texture to both the first "plain" Salted Caramel and White Choc versions - Very Bizarre! I would say these were the hardest of the lot and not just because of the pecans which were few and far between! Taste wise, maple syrup didn't really come to mind but popcorn sure did - It was uncanny to the sort you get at the cinema with a slight nuttiness. Not bad, but not really its namesake - A 3 out of 5.

Dark Chocolate Ginger

Last but by no means least is the spicy Cookies which really weren't all that spicy.. The heat was extremely mild and nothing compared to a Gingernut. These had a nice crisp bite which would dissolve on the tongue with chewy pieces of crystallised ginger throughout. The dark chocolate which coated the entire thing was nice and rich and went well with the not so fiery but still pleasant flavour. Another 3 out of 5 from me!

Well these are a bit of a mixed bag.. We started with rubbish in the form of the Salted Caramel and White Choc, things improved dramatically with the Quad Choc and Fruity Flapjack and then we came back to semi happy medium with the Maple Syrup and Dark Choc Ginger - Tesco is all over the place! I am thinking on that basis, I better leave out the middle duo for Santa to munch on to ensure I get a big present come tomorrow morning.. Tactics and all that. 

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas Eve and I'll be back later, to tuck you in with a Snackmas roundup!

Snackmas Day 19- Joe & Seph's Mince Pie Popcorn

What a better thing to cuddle up with in front of a film than a big bowl of Popcorn - There is no need for Mistletoe and Wine but you do need a Mince Pie in the other hand so why not go for a hybrid! Joe & Seph's have us covered..

I picked up the 80g bag way back in October for £3.15 in a little Deli in Southwold - I knew Snackmas was coming so started stocking up early! The golden sticky pieces are designed to start with smooth caramel, followed by Brandy infused fruit and nutty almond to finish - Rich and aromatic just like a Mince Pie.

Buttery and boozy was the smell of these coated nuggets which had a perfect light, airy crunch with no lurking unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bag - Something I always appreciate. Munching my way through I soon realised the description was bang on - First smooth caramel and then the kick of Brandy followed by fruity and spicey tones with a mild nuttiness and what I can only describe as a molasses sort of taste. The flavours transitioned from one another seamlessly although I do think the brandy element was the strongest which really is probably to be expected. Obviously there was no taste of pastry so it isn't exact a mince pie but Christmassy mincemeat, very much so! 

Another fine offering from Joe & Seph's - The quality of corn really is something else with a flavouring to match! It is definitely a bag to get you in the festive spirit and I, myself haven't actually seen anything similar from any other Popcorn people so get yourself a bag whilst you can! Its a 4 out of 5 from me!