Doves Farm gluten-free products. Organic!

Katie at Doves Farm was kind enough to send me some cookies and cereals to review! They are organic and gluten-free; Doves Farm actually specialise in organic flour, and organic gluten free flour, which they create in two separate mills! 

Firstly, I’d like to tell you about the packaging. I don’t know why, but it just felt more “homely” than the regular cereal boxes I’m used to. They popped open and closed without tearing, which is a plus.

I expected the cereal flakes to be like a ”special” cereal I’ve eaten many times before, but it wasn’t. It was much crispier. The taste is a little similar, but not so sweet. I really enjoyed it! I very much hate soggy cereal, I can’t make myself eat it, so the fact that this just doesn’t seem to go soggy was a real plus for me! I know some people who like soggy cereal though, so may not enjoy this. I’d recommend adding a little dried fruit, as is shown on the back as a serving suggestion. 

The chocolate starts are so good! They taste of proper chocolate, not some over-sweetened stuff. They are also really crunchy, although in a slightly more hollow kind of way. If you like chocolate cereal, I would recommend trying these.

Now on to the cookies. The lemon ones were first. They are seriously, seriously lemoney!!  I don’t like sweet things that are lemon flavoured usually, even though I love lemon - lemon cheesecake, tart au citron, all that stuff, uch! These cookies tasted like proper lemon though, and so that’s a thumbs up! I did find them a little too crispy, if I’m honest. Quite tough to chew, but on the whole a good cookie.  The stem ginger cookies were up next, and I love ginger biscuits, so given the strength of the lemon ones I was very exited! I ended up being a little disappointed though. Although softer than the lemon ones, the ginger taste wasn’t strong at all. My sister could even eat one, and she hates ginger! For me, this was a bad thing. However, they weren’t bad-tasting or anything, so I think they would be good for people who don’t like strong ginger flavours. Also, I guess they would be good for people who feel nauseous but don’t like the taste of ginger - the ginger stem is still in them to help your tummy!

On the whole, I enjoyed these products, and I’ll definitely try more of their cereals and cookies in the future. Have you tried any Doves Farm products? 

teapig - Organic teas

Review of teapig teas

teapigs were kind enough to send me some of their organic teas to try, packaged with rainforest alliance certified materials. Here is what I thought of each one:

Everyday brew: Wow. Regular tea has never been so good! I don’t usually brew a good cuppa, but I don’t think I could fail to with this! Really light, slightly sweet tea. I think I’m going to have to bulk-buy, this tea was so good. Go me! And go teapigs!

Mao feng green tea: I like green tea, although there’s not much to say about it. This one, however, deserves the review! Really light, sweet, and not at all bitter! Lovely green tea, actually one of the best I have tried! 

Peppermint tea: I like peppermint tea. I loved this one. So minty; if you’ve ever chewed on a mint leaf, you know what it tastes like. Honestly, the best peppermint tea I’ve tried. 

Darjeeling Earl Grey: I don’t usually like this kind of tea, but this time I drank a whole mug! Really strong, flowery, lemony taste. If you like darjeeling or earl grey tea, I think you should give this one a go.

Chocolate flake tea: Chocolate and tea! Mixed!! Why no one’s done this before I don’t know. It tasted really comforting, like hot chocolate but not as sweet. Brew it for the full 3 mins at least to get the most of this flavour.

Popcorn tea: It really is like popcorn tasting tea. I don’t know if I love it or hate it. It’s so different to anything I’ve tried. I recommend buying this just to let me know you opinions! I think overall I enjoyed it, but it does take a little getting used to!

Rooibos Creme Caramel: OH LORDY SO GOOD! Rooibos (red bush) tea with caramel pieces! This was my favourite. Honestly, it’s the best treat. Brew for 3-5 mins and add milk, and enjoy a sweet, luxurious brew!!

teapigs teas can be purchased at www.teapigs.co.uk, and using the code BLOGGERS12 you can get 15% off (not including gifts and already-discounted products)! Isn’t that a lovely treat? If you like discounts, sign up to the newsletter while you’re there, to get all the latest teapig information.

Have you tried their teas yet?  Which one was your favourite? 

Storm Tea - Organic!

Reviewing Storm Tea

Who doesn’t like a good old brew? Riki at Storm Tea was kind enough to send me a sample of their organic tea. They do loose leaf tea, and teabag. I got the teabags, which need a review in themselves! They’re silk, and you can use them more than once. I don’t know if that’s a thing you’re meant to do, but I used each one twice. Here’s why:

Look at that! Proper tea in a handy pouch. I usually stay away from tea bags when it comes to fruit or herbal teas because of how small and un tea-like the contents are, and the lack of flavour. These pack a punch!

Orange and Passion fruit: I don’t usually like fruit teas, but this one was really refreshing. It made the water a lovely bright pink, and is a good morning boost. As I say, you can really see the bits in these tea bags, and I think it really adds to the flavour.

Green Honeybush: There were little blue bits in this so that even the teabag was appealing! It was really nice, like sweet green tea, without being sickly, and cleansing on the tongue - no weird bitter aftertaste! I think this was one of my favourites, as I’ve never tried this one before.

 Rooibos:  Also known as Red Bush tea, you can’t go wrong with Rooibos, and Storm Tea certainly haven’t. You can brew up a proper strong cup of this, and if all you’ve tried is shop-brought red bush, you’re in for a treat when you try this! Try adding a tiny dash of cinnamon and this could become your autumn drink of choice!

Earl Grey:  This was a really good Earl Grey. A lot of flavours going on, and very fruity too. If you like your Earl Grey then you won’t be disappointed. It’s the sweetest one I’ve tried, and less lemony than they tend to be.

Chun Mea Green Tea:  Green tea’s my favourite, and I really liked this one. The tea bags make it easy to brew it to your preferred strength. Green tea in teabags is often disappointing, but this was just as good as brewing with loose leaves!

Camomile:  I’ll be honest…I don’t drink camomile tea - I use it on my hair! I helps bring out highlights as I’m a natural blonde. So that’s what I used this for, too. It’s certainly one of the strongest camomile tea I’ve smelt, so I was really impressed. Weather you drink it or use it for cosmetic use, you can’t go wrong with StormTea Camomile!

I brewed all teas with water from the kettle when it starts to boil - boiling water will burn the tea. I didn’t add milk, honey or sugar to any of them, as they don’t really need it. Storm Tea can be found at many cafes, and purchased at www.stormtea.co.uk.  These teas are great if you want loose leaves without the fuss, a tea full of flavour, and enjoy creating a right old Storm in a teacup!

Have you tried them? Which is your favourite?

Seed & Bean - Organic, Fair trade, Vegan!

Review of Seed & Bean chocolate

Stephen Rudkin at Seed and Bean kindly sent me some chocolate to review.  I was attracted to them as they’re organic, fair trade, and vegan!  Stephen is a big advocate of wholefoods too, so his chocolate bars contain plenty of nuts and fruits!

The first bar I tried was the white chocolate one. It has Lemon and Poppy Seeds. Yes, that’s how I felt too…but then I tried it. It’s good!! Not extremely lemony, not weirdly seedy; just nice! The seeds give it a little crunch. I think the contrast of slightly-sour, savory, and creamy all together really made it stand out against the usual milky, plain white chocolate! If you like white chocolate, this should definitely go on your list of ones to try! 

Next up; dark chocolate. Containing 66% cocoa, coconut, and raspberry. I really like coconut, but couldn’t see how it would work with raspberry, and was scared the chocolate would be really bitter. It was a taste explosion! Yes, there was some bitterness, but this was contained really well by the raspberry and coconut.  It didn’t really feel it had bits in either, like some fruit and nut bars you may be used to. You need to try this to believe it. If you’re trying to start eating more dark chocolate, in the hopes your chocolate habit becomes healthier, then this could be your starting-block (pun intended!). I gave some to my dad try, and his face at first was “I’m not going to like this!” followed by “wow!” He’s a convert already!

Last up, milk chocolate, with 37% cocoa. You may notice it says “Andi’s fund” on it.  This chocolate bar supports research into breast cancer genetics! Being the milk-chocolate snob I am, I tried to approach with an open mind.  I’m glad I did. I think I’ve found my new chocolate! Honestly, this is so nice. It’s got an almost toffee-like undertone to the flavour, it’s smooth, and doesn’t dry your mouth out like some chocolates can do. Thumbs up!

There are so many flavours to choose from on the website.www.seedandbean.co.uk The pumpkin and hemp is next on my list!! Have you tried any?

Reviewing Cocoa Loco Chocolates

I spoke to Sarah at Cocoa Loco about reviewing some of their chocolates – they’re organic, and many are fair trade, which already makes them appealing! The next day, I had these waiting for me when I got home:

Delicious, big, fat buttons! I tried a couple of each immediately, and this is what I thought:

Milk Chocolate: 37% cocoa solids. Milk Chocolate is always my favorite, and I was definitely not let down.  They tasted really chocolaty, without being sugary-sweet. For some reason while eating them I was reminded of Christmas; a sure sign they have a little something extra to them!

White Chocolate:  I usually only eat white chocolate if I’m given it, as I tend to think of it as childish (think: milky-bars).  This was an unexpected treat, as I actually felt I was eating chocolate! Really creamy, and without that feeling like you’re chewing on some solid cream. Very impressed with these! 

Dark Chocolate: I will be honest; I usually can’t eat dark chocolate. It’s so bitter, and I never enjoy it. These buttons say they contain 73% cocoa solids, so I wasn’t sure. After taking the plunge, it wasn’t so bad! Still not my favorite taste, but definitely one of the best I’ve eaten! They had a creamy edge, and didn’t have so much of that bitter after-taste I’m usually left with. For me, as far as dark chocolate goes, it’s a thumbs up, so if you already like dark chocolate then I would recommend them!

Cocoa Loco chocolates are made by hand, in a Chocolate Barn in Sussex, and their packaging is either recyclable or (and I was impressed by this!) biodegradable. As well as these button treats, they make bars, and all sorts of little truffles, small chocolates, and brownies. Their website is www.cocoaloco.com, and if you’re looking for a chocolate treat, from a company who cares for our little planet, I would suggest you give them a try.