Vegan Ben and Jerry's

I am so glad that a big brand like Ben and Jerry's has thrown their hat into the Vegan ring.

The three options Ben and Jerry offer are the Peanut Butter and Cookies, Chunky Monkey and Fudge Brownie.


The more accessible vegan options are the much more likely they are to change their eating habits and if not for the animals then why not for your waistline?

Since the only one I have come across in shops is the Fudge Brownie my decision was an easy one to make.

The Vegan Chocolate Fudge Brownie showing from Ben and Jerry's will save almost 200 calories if, like me you down a full tub the second ones opened, compared to the standard Brownie version.

Now this might not mean a lot but when you are wanting to spoil yourself yet keep your spare tire at bay then this might be an option to explore, certainly still calorific but it could of been worse and you might even save a baby cow or two.

With you needing to cut 500kcal a day to lose a pound a week if a tub of Ben and Jerry's is a regular fixture on your shopping list give the vegan version a go.

I can honestly say I could not tell a difference in taste or texture wise between either and believe me I researched it thoroughly.

The only thing I don't like about Vegan Ben and Jerry's , and it isn't anything to do with the product it's self but more the shops that sell it.

Where as the regular varieties are frequently on offer the vegan ones never seem to be and if you have read my previous posts you will know I am a sucker for a bargain.

I fully recommend the Vegan Ben and Jerry's I am just not so happy that it is never discounted.

Check out Ben and Jerry's full range by clicking here

Temple Donuts

I had been hearing rumours about a mysterious new coffee and vegan a quick trot from my house so I off I went searching for adventure and delicious treats

Imagine that, donuts with no animal products in them, would of thought it was possible?

Certainly not I  Crispy Creme, who are arguably the worlds most popular brand.

Tucked away on Kirkstall road you can smell the coffee well before you get inside, let that be your guide as I did find it a little tricky to find, but if you want it badly enough you will find it.

The first time I went there were people queueing out of the door and into the car park, this was a Sunday but I have gone during the week and been able to charge in, grab the donuts and get the funk out of there.

I really like the interior of Temple, I can certainly see why it seems to be a hipster haven with seating inside and out if you fancy taking a rest and truly appreciate your environment.  

I did however feel a little too awkward to take any pictures so you will have to pay them a visit or check out their instagram by clicking here .

Customer service wise, I was given what i asked for and that was about it, being from a customer service background I am probably a little picky but no major concerns.

"But are the donuts a like taste of baked perfection?" I hear you cry!

Well yes I would say that they.

I think they absolutely blow Crispy Creme out of the water, if given the choice I would pick Temple time and time again.

I found the donuts to be softer, lighter, bigger and much more generous with the fillings, the only downside would be the price.

For almost £20 you can get a box of 6 donuts but worth every penny and with the size of them you could comfortably cut them half and everyone would be satisfied.

In fact I did this with my team and everyone was amazed by the quality and were also surprised that  they are vegan, hopefully changing some attitudes on vegan alternatives in the process.

If I am honest I couldn't have a while one to myself  without feeling a wee bit sick, possibly not the best thing to write in a review but there it is

If you are on a budget sharing donuts is more than doable without either of you feeling hard done to.

Temple is certainly worth a look at if you can find them, I am hoping they look into Ubereats to get their vegan delights out to the whole city.

My last thoughts on this are that Temple are a prime example of a product is a higher quality than the main stream options that makes no use of animals to make it.

  Why are we still using animal by products when you can have something that is just as good if not better?  

I can get my head round eating a steak but then you find out they put fish in lilt it absolutely boggles my brain.

Clive's Pies

I first came across Clive's Pies at the Vegan Life Live event in London a couple of years back and didn't get the opportunity to try one at the time as proved to be so popular that they sold out.

Rude!

So you can imagine my delight then I spied a pie from Clive in my local Holland and Barrets.

Although our Clive has quite the range of flavours from Hungarian goulash to Mexican chilli, I decided to play it safe and go for a little mushroom and leek number.

Don't get me wrong I have full faith in Clive to deliver on his promise of a tasty pie but I likes what I likes and that is mushroom and leek and I haven't got the money to take any risks with my dinner plans.

I quite enjoyed my pie, usually when I dabble in foods that are vegan I usually think to myself
"this is good but it would be great with meat in it" and that did not spring to mind this time.

 This time I was completely content with having a vegan meal and didn't have the urge to rifle though the cupboards in search of chicken, green eggs or ham.

As the pastry goes it's very hard to judge it on it's own merits.

 I feel it was very good considering there is no gluten or butter as I don't have much room for comparison.

 I feel it a step or two behind dizzying quality of a Greg's steak slice but not at all bad

If you are interested in dear old Clive then please check out his website by clicking here or check out your local Holland and Barrets.

 Clive's talents don't stop at Pies either he also has a range of exquisite little tarts, gluten free brownies and the festive classic, the nut roast.

Graze snack box

Ok, well I am admittedly late to game with this one!

I think most people heard of the legendary Graze box, a magical figure appears once a week and deliveries a box of amazing snack foods and treats for your gluttonous pleasure.

First things first, I'm the realest and you get your first Graze box for free or at least discounted.

 This first hit from the Graze box lets you know that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who get a Graze box and those who don't and I know how I wish to continue my life.

I almost compare a Graze box to people with Sky TV when I was growing up, if someone had Sky they had pretty much made it in life in my eyes and the same goes to those regular Grazers.

If you decide to subscribe and a more opulent existence then you can decide on which box you would like, variety, light or protein how often your box of joy arrives, weekly or fortnightly.

I went for the variety box and a fortnightly delivery, yes I know I should of gone for protein box with this being a health and fitness blog but I have needs and feeling that protein alone just won't satiate.

If you have any dietary requirements or are just a plain, annoying picky eater you can opt out of certain ingredients like nuts or even spicy foods and highlight your favourites so you are more likely to receive them.

I received an alert to let me know they the box had been dispatched and the next day it was here, the box is designed to fit through your letter box which you don't need any form of direct human interact to get your mitts on your goodies.

Each snack comes with a little card with all the nutritious information and ingredients on it in case you wanted to see exactly what makes up each snack.

With the cost a Graze box being only £3.99 they are well worth the money and i you are going on holiday you can pause them until you get back and cancelling your box is just a quick click as well.

If you do move house make sure you do change your address, as my friends  benefited from the previous tenant not changing their details and feasted on Grazes for months as well as Sky Tv,

If you are some how reading this Natalie Reed, my friends thank you for your forgetful nature!

I completely, 100%, absolutely recommend  Graze boxes to anyone and everyone, it's like having someone send a gift each week, even though you are paying for it.

If you want to see how I got on with another box superscription service then check out the review I did for Muscle Crate, a gym supplement box, by clicking here

I actually got some codes sent with my box for a free box!

Promo code: PLK2CDWFB

Click the link here to hit up their website.

I am not sure how many people it will work for but it's worth a go for a taste of how the other half live.

Lindahis Kvarg, Lactose Free Drink

I was trotting though my local Asda and came across a mysterious product, covered in an even more mysterious language.

It was labelled  simply as Lindahis Kvarg Drink and had some coloured silhouettes of some active looking people and at only a pound a bottle I thought it might be worth my time and energy.

With two flavours on offer I went wild and grabbed one of each, Himbeere and Vanille ( Raspberry and Vanilla ) and Pfirsich and Passionsfrucht (Peach and Passion fruit)

I better clear up the packaging first.

On one side you have all the details about the drink Swedish.
 I had to google this as my own mastery of the Swedish language is a little rusty, and on the other side you have the English translation for us numb skulls out there!

The drinks are made by Nestle and have introduced Lindahis Kvarg into the UK to meet our need for healthy option and with them being the Sweden's number one Quark product they very well could be onto a winner.

The selling point of Lindahis Kvarg is that it is a Quark based, high protein, low fat,  dairy based drink that is lactose free, perfect for those that are  intolerant to diary but still wanting to make some sweet, sweet gains!

Taste and texture wise it is essentially a yogurt drink.
 I can't say i was blown away by either of them of them, hey if you like yogurt drinks you are going to like these , I myself like my milk shaken not churned

Protein wise they do pack quite the punch at 23g per bottle which would be like downing two and a half eggs I know which I would chose if given the choice.

There actual yogurts in the range as well but my feeble local Asda does not currently stock them so you will have to make do with these for now.

Flavour wise I would go for the Raspberry and Vanilla, neither were unpleasant just didn't tickle my pickle!

If you have love these then you may very well love Skyr yogurts so check them out and boost my view count.

Fresh Naturals: Bombs, Fizz and Salts

                 This post has been on the back burner for far too long.

I do feel really bad about this because I love Fresh Naturals, not only the brand but the products and customer service I have received have been outstanding.

Basically I was all set to do my write it up, made  videos, went the whole nine yards  and then disaster struck and my phone was stolen.

Thankfully Fresh Naturals kindly sent me over some images to use for my post!

Fresh Naturals are a Leeds based start up and specialise in "free from" products.

                         Free from cruelty, paraffins, parabens and SLS while also stocking  vegan friendly products.

They are essentially Lush but without the massive price tag!

But  why you don't you want SLS, Paraffins and Parabens in your products?

Well I am going to tell you!

SLS or Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, if you want to be dead fancy, can cause skin irritation and  potentially cause a hormone imbalance.
This means your PMT may be down to your favourite volumizing  shampoo.

Menfolk need to worry too because if you are dipping into your ladies beauty products then SLS may be your fertility!

Paraffins  can also cause skin irritation, Parabens can cause hormone disruption and both have links to cancer.


Now cruelty free is not the same as vegan.

Cruelty free means animals are not harmed in the development or manufacture of products.

Confusingly not every animal seems to be included under that umbrella and currently there is no legal definition of what  Cruelty free actually is.

A good example of this is any product that uses honey if you want find out why honey is not vegan then click the link here.

"Cruelty Free"  also doesn't cover farming practises such as palm oil.

PETA does have products on their website listed as vegan when they contain palm oil, naughty PETA!

If you want to know why palm oil is not vegan then please click the link here

If this is a concern for you Fresh Naturals do have a designated vegan section on their site so your shopping is much more stream lined and completely animal cruelty free.

Now the heavy stuff is out of the way let's swiftly move onto something lighter!

I came across Fresh Naturals on  twitter and won one of their competitions.

The only thing I had ever won before was a goldfish and that died after a week and since soap can't die I didn't have to worry about any heart break!

If you want to see what I thought of my prizes then please click here

Fresh Naturals also got me started onto the road to looking  into not only what I put into my body but also what I am lathering myself in.

I fell ill at the back end of last year and was generally having a bit of a stressful time so I decided it was the perfect time to revisit them.

I was originally only going to be getting a Dr De-Sniffle bath bomb to help banish my woes but Fresh Naturals were having none of that and piled on the freebies sending me Bath Fizz and Bath Salts!

 The first thing I did was throw the Bath Bomb in the bath, just in case you were unsure of the best place to use a bath bomb.

To my slight panic it didn't float like all those snap chat videos and  hit the bottom of my tub with a thud!

The water  gained a sea green hue instead of the toxic looking water you get with more famous brands bath bombs.

The scents were not over powering but still managed to completely relaxed me.
 I couldn't tell you the last time I have had such a deep, refreshing sleep.

If you are wanting the good Dr De-Sniffle to visit your bathroom please bare in mind that he isn't vegan as it has an ingredient derived from coal.

Now the Bath Fizzs are vegan so you can go absolutely wild with them.

I was sent two fizzs, Coconut and Almond and Silcillain Lemon and Calendula, it seems that the Lemon and Calendula fizz isn't available anymore but you can get your hands on the bath salt version.

Calendula is just fancy for English Marigold in case you were wondering, I know I was!

Both smelt amazing but still with a subtle fragrance and as you can imagine when you pop them into your bath they fizz then disperse.

The Almond and Coconut one being white didn't effect the colour of the water.

The Lemon and Calendula gave the water a lime sort of hue, it might be yellow you can see for yourself in the picture as my colour blindness isn't much of a help when deciding which colour things are.

Again I made a video but it went with my stolen phone but I did manage to get hold of some pictures I had transferred to my computer.

I was also sent two different bath salts, Tea Tree and Spearmint, both great when you are under the weather!

My top tip for using bath salts is to put some in one of Fresh Natural's Buffer Bags and hang it round your tap and run the water through as your bath is filling to evenly distribute the salts.

Both very relaxing and the fragrances are not over powering which can ruin bath time if you are swamped with a really strong fragrance.

After using all of the products my skin kept  the fragrance of the product.

 Almost like a gentle reminder to place another order, which I took heed of and ensured those nearest and dearest to me were gifted with a selection of Fresh Naturals products for Christmas.

Fresh Naturals don't stop with just bath products and I will be writing more about their wares in the future.

 While you are waiting with bated breath check them out on twitter, instagram, facebook and of course their online shop!

Be sure to get your loved ones some of their  Valentine's Day Soaps, not only will they undoubtedly love them but you will also be supporting a cruelty free, local business.

Win win in anybodies book!

Organic and Botanic, Cruelty Free Skincare

I was kindly sent a tub of Madagascan Coconut Preserving Day Moisturiser and  a jar of Madagascan Coconut Brightening Eye Serum to review.

Organic and Botanic are a luxury, organic, cruelty free skin care company so no paraffins, parabens or SLS  thrown into any of their range and no animals have suffered for your beautiful skin.

With paraffins, parabens and SLS being linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption and even cancer their absence more than welcome and the reason I am promoting these products on a health and fitness blog.

Their product range stems from three main plant based ingredients, Mandarin Orange, Amazonian Berry and Madagascan Coconut.

Mandarin has excellent antiseptic, anti fungal properties while also nourishing with vitamin C and E whilst also toning your skin, helping with acne and oily skin.

Amazonian Berry is a little hard to work out, I assume it is Acai berry but it's not really clear.

Now if it is in fact Acai then it is again packed full of vitamins C and E making it great for anti ageing and along with it's omega fatty acids it will help tighten and lift your skin.

Madagascan Coconut has  anti bacterial, anti inflammatory and anti fungal qualities as well promoting collagen in the skin and packed full of vitamin E to help keep your face eternally young!

Onward to the actually review!

Both products smell absolutely amazing.
I didn't know if I was supposed to eat them or smear my face in them.

The cream has such a strong a aroma that you can smell it from the other side the room if someone is putting it on, I see this a big positive, I absolutely adore the smell of it.

You don't need you use a lot either product, with the eye serum tightening the skin around my eyes almost immediately and the cream absorbing into my skin just as fast.

My skin felt both tighter and softer from day one however even though I love both products and it broke my heart doing it,
I felt I needed to give them a more rigorous review.

In steps my neighbour!

Now I hope she won't mind me saying that on occasion  she does get the odd out break of acne where as I barely even get a spot month to month.

 Within days of using the day moisturiser her skin cleared up and as the cream did with me made her skin softer.

She has been using both daily for months, loves both products and still has plenty left

The only potentially negative thing I could say is that I didn't really know what I was doing with the pipette.

When I tried to put it directly onto my face I ended up with it in my eye, luckily with all the ingredients being organic I didn't go blind.

Going forward I used a cotton pad to avoid any further accidents.

Now the awkward part the price.

Organic and Botanic are a luxury brand and you pay a luxury price to get a very definite luxury product.

The moisturiser retails for £67 and the eye serum for £69 and I feel both are very much worth the price tag.

With the quality of ingredients, quantity you need to use and the quality of the products in general you really are getting value for money.

If I had someone special in my life then I would definitely be picking some up and I think I am a bit past buying my mum a Valentines!

TrueNopal Cactus Water

2016 seemed to be all about Coconut Water and the trend seems to be still be going strong but even though I am partial to the odd carton I am hoping that True Nopal Cactus Water is going to take off in a big way!

I first came across it at the Vegan Life Live Expo and have been obsessed ever since, sadly the only place I have been able to get my hands on some is at my local Waitrose, which is almost 3 miles away!

 The best thing for me about  cactus water is the taste.

 It isn't a flavour that you need to get your head around like the first few times you have coconut water, with the cactus water having a fruitier taste,.

If you like the taste of fruit flavoured water then you will more than likely enjoy cactus water.

Cactus water is also less than half the calories of coconut water so if you are you an avid fan of coconut water and wanting an effortless way to cut some calories cactus water may be the way to go.

Cactus water seems to have a little bit of everything in it with 250ml containing 15% of your RDA of vitamins C and A.

16% of your calcium.

20% of your RDA if manganese and 13% of your magnesium.

A splash of your of all your B vitamins apart from B12.

7% of your iron and 5% of your zinc and 1.9g of fibre.

Cactus water does also have potassium but no where near as much as coconut water.

Cactus water also helps lower blood sugar, blood pressure and is anti inflammatory.

If you are near a Waitrose then pop in and treat yourself to some delicious True Napal Cactus Water!

Chop'd Salad Bar

A couple of weeks ago Chop'd Salad Bar launched at Central Square, Leeds and to celebrate they were giving away, well you probably guessed it, salads!

Before all of you salad dodgers stop reading here let me just say that there is much more to Chop'd than just boring old rabbit food!
 Their salads are fully customisable and are a sight to be hold, you won't be left feeling hungry after chomping down on one.

I hope Chop'd will forgive the comparison but the ordering system is similar to Fatsos, where you line up and select what you would like in your salad or wrap.

Choose up to three bases of pasta, rice, cous cous, house leaf or deli leaf.
Three veg options from a choice of 19.
 One deli from a choice of 16 including vegan options such as tofu, falafal and humus, I just need Chop'd to get some Tyne Chease on the menu!
You also get what appears to be unlimited amount of the 16 dressings or 12 garnishes that are on offer.

Too much pressure or too lazy to construct your own lunch?
Then you can pick one of the Chop'd's pre prepared salads, all of which sound amazing!

Salad not your thing? Well fear not!

Chop'd also do an exciting range of stews and soups  catering for those colder days when you need something hot in your belly.

Now the soups were not exactly what is was expecting, what I got was even better!

Soup and Mango + Coconut dessert

I was foolishly expecting something a kin to Heinz soup but no, Chop'd do a much better job than that with you using a pot of the soup base you would like and have the staff at the counter add the broth you would like from a choice of chicken, beef or vegetable for a fresher tasting soup.

If you are short on time you can also use their click and collect service, giving you the opportunity to take your time deciding without an angry mob forming behind you.

For Chop'd's full menu and their click and collect service then please click here

I was a greedy beast on the launch day and not only had myself a delicious Baked Chicken Katsu Curry but also a soup and a mango and coconut dessert which also just happens to be vegan!

Delicious Stew

The quality of the ingredients were all high and possibly the best chicken I have eaten in the whole of Leeds!

Chop's also do a breakfast menu serving steamed eggs with a choice of topping from gammon, cheese, salmon or avacodo.

They also sell avocado toast, porridge and sour dough or rye with a choice of spreads to go on it.

Seriously get down to Central Square in Leeds and check Chop'd out, I can't rate them highly enough, if you are not in Leeds then hopefully you are in London or Manchester where you can also find Chop'd.

Tyne Chease, Vegan Cheese!

If you were  thinking of making the seemly massive lifestyle change and going vegan then there may well be one thing you just can't be without.

The culprit is usually a big slab of cheese!
Luckily that's where Tyne Chease work their magic and they sent me a wheel to try for myself!

Don't worry, there is a reason for your cheese addiction.

 When you eat cheese the opioid receptors in your brain fire off.
"But what do your opioid receptors do?" I hear you whine!

Well my whiny friend opioid receptors are responsible for addiction, pain and reward.
I don't know about you but I certainly feel no pain when I destroy a big cheesy pizza so that leaves you with the addiction and reward response.

Dairy products contain Casein, yes the same slow release protein found in many workout supplements, including those in Decembers Muscle Crate, had to slide that link in there, sorry ( not sorry)

Casein is found in all dairy products but what makes that glorious cheddar hard to put down is the sheer amount you get per serving.

 But enough about that, you came here for some delicious vegan cheese to help break your serious  addiction and I am happy to give it to you.

Tyne Chease make their cheases from cashew nuts.

Yeah I know, who would of thought to make cheese from cashews?
The people at Tyne Cheases did!

Their chease is absolutely amazing!
It has a strong cheese taste which stays with you long after you have polished off a wheel.

I tried it on it's own, on toast and in pasta

 I was a little hard to spread it, unlike my ex's legs after a few cheeky wines, but once I got it on it tasted exactly like grilled cheese  without having to faff about grilling anything.

The chease doesn't melt like cheese does so I end up with nuggets of chease hidden among my pasta, which to be honest I prefer,

 I absolutely kid you not, it taste 100% authentic.

Tyne Chease's are available in wheels or in handy spreads in 11 different flavours with more planned for this year.

I love the branding, the packaging, the product and that in all the cities in the country for it to be made in it was made in Newcastle.

Personally I am waiting to try the first Tyne Chease Parmo.

Even if you are not vegan get your mouth piece round some of this delicious chease and give those poor cows the day off.

If you want to know the benefits of going dairy free then please click here

Once I get my hands on some more I will be attempting to make a Chease Cake so make sure to follow my twitter, instagram or blog lovin to keep updated!

Vegan Brownies

   Vegan Brownies.

Just like normal brownies but without the breast milk of a cow, the unfertilised eggs of a hen or any of the cruelty that goes into the dairy or egg industries, what could be better?

If you are interested click here for the original recipe I used but I adapted it slightly.

Ingredients:

170g of self raising flour.

170g of caster sugar.

2tbsp of cocoa powder.

5 tbsp of olive oil plus some for greasing your trusty tin of choice.

230ml of chocolate soy milk.

2 tsps of vanilla flavouring.

Method:

Pre heat your oven to 180c

Grease your tin.

Sift together your flour, sugar and cocoa powder.

Add your oil, sugar, soy milk and vanilla and mix until together, I used a manual whisk.

Pour into your tin and cook for about 25 minutes, your brownies should spring back up when you touch them gently when they are cooked.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Boom! Done!

That was pretty painless and you don't need to worry about getting salmonella from eating the uncooked brownie mix.

I am not going to say there were the best brownies I have ever made but they did the job and filled a hole!

On a side note the best brownies I have ever tasted are sold in a shop called Out of this World in Leeds, near the Corn Exchange and they are completely vegan.

Give this simple little recipe a go, it's cheap and easy just like me!

Soy Mince

Since it's Veganuary I have been dabbling with more vegan foods, alternatives and substitutes and thankfully all the major super markets seemed to of jumped onto the band waggon as well.

In the hallowed halls of my local Asda I came across a packet of Soy Mince for £1 so I snapped it up!

Unbelievably all you do is empty the sachet into a bowl, shlomp in some boiling water then wait a minute. 

That's it. Done!

I would say the taste and texture would be like meaty cous cous with a hint of oats.

If you are worried about getting your protein quota fulfilled then worry not, soy mince has 14.9 grams of protein pre 100g of mince. 

I used some to make bolognese and will be looking to make a vegan lasagne and vegan cottage pie at some point, I am sure you will all be on the edge of your seats waiting for the pictures of those.

My bolognese turned out alright, I would say the soy mince is most similar to the meat in keema.

I would be hard pressed to guess that there was no meat and found it very filling and wasn't greasy like when I cook with meat mince.

I am a convert to be honest, not only is it not massively dissimilar to meat but because it's dehydrated soy and will last for months and months in my cupboard and costs a third of what meat mince would do.

Don't be shy, give soy mince a try!

Grove Cafe, Vegan Take Away

You don't always feel like cooking everything from scratch and if you are like me, you don't have a tidy little bae to come home to who'll pop on a pinny and rustle up some delicious  and healthy grub.

Luckily Grove Cafe in Hyde Park, Leeds, will make you vegan pizzas, vegan burgers, vegan chocolate cakes and if you are willing to pay an extra £1 bring it straight to your door!

In the spirit of research I of course order a pizza, burger, cake and destroyed them all in one sitting on my own because that's what real men do!

First up was the pizza.

I ordered a Noon which has vegan cheese, garlic, spinach, peppers and aubergine.

I really enjoyed the pizza.

 The vegan cheese tasted exactly like mozzarella and the pizza had possibly the best base I have ever tried.

Next came the vegan cheese burger and chips.

Not as good as the pizza but still enjoyable. I was disappointed that the vegan cheese was melted on the burger, as a result the burger was a touch cold. The chips were great.

Now the most important course, the vegan chocolate cake!

This was my first time trying a vegan cake and I was not disappointed in the least!

The cake was incredibly rich and moist and I would of had no idea that it was vegan.

Sadly this review does have some negative points, the main one being that Grove Cafe not only sells meat along side it's vegan and vegetarian option but the meat is Halal.

Now before I am accused of Islamaphobia  my issue with Halal meat is that, although there is no kind way to murder an animal, the way meat is made halal is one of the worst ways that animals are slaughtered, religious beliefs don't come in to it for me.

Although I do eat meat I do avoid Halal as much as I can.

Maybe it's hypocritical of me but for me personally Halal isn't something I want to indulge in the same can be said with Veal or Foie Gras.

Whether this will impact your decision to order from there is down to you but I feel if I am writing a review you should have all the information.
 I will continue ordering their delicious vegan options and avoid any Halal.

Now that awkward point is out of way let's talk about the price.

Your money is not going to go as far at Grove Cafe.
 Not only are the prices slighter higher but the portion sizes are smaller than what I am used to for the same price.

I don't think that is a bad thing though.

Take aways should be a treat, vegan or not and a smaller portion size isn't going to kill anyone and if it's a product or company I really like I am happy to pay a bit more.

I really like Grove Cafe and they have a regular customer in me.

Vegan Life Live

I was kindly told about the Vegan Life Live event in London by @FreshNaturals.

 Fresh Naturals are a Leeds based company who specialise in organic, cruelty free, vegan, SLS and paraffin free products.
You should of course remember them from my Fitmas Gift Guide and the review on their  vegan soaps that I am sure you loved reading.

Not only did Fresh Naturals tell me about it, she also wrangled me two free tickets to go and check it out in that London!

"Why am I writing about veganism?" I hear you cry.

Well admittedly I am not a vegan but it is one of the healthiest lifestyles you can have.

Plus nothing has to die to make your meal so I will include vegan content in this blog so anyone who reads this will know that their are plenty of alternatives out their to eating animals or their byproducts as well as writing about all the cruelty products we all love!

"But why cosmetics, soaps etc?" You demand.

Well what you put onto your skin doesn't just sit there.
If you are putting harsh chemicals onto your skin they are also being absorbed and could potentially doing you harm.

Now that that's over with let's crack on!
 But not crack on using an egg, the vegans wouldn't approve.

I ended up blasting a  round trip to London from Leeds in a day but I am so glad I did.

Not only did I get the chance to hang out with @perfectlypolished, the woman behind me starting this blog and a successful beauty and fashion blogger ( if you fancy a gander at her blog then click here) but the Vegan Life Live event was amazing!

There were so many interesting products from vegan soaps and cosmetics to custom vegan trainers, vegan pet food, vegan oral care, the list goes on.

The big focus of the event was definitely food with a big focus on chocolate with too many stands to count!

The big ones for me were Clive's Pies, who sold out after a couple of hours.

Loving Earth Chocolate was by far the best chocolate I have ever tasted.
With no milk used how do they get their chocolate so rich and creamy?
My money is on witch craft!

Optiat, a caffeine scrub that feels, smells and does amazing for your skin and even source their coffee grounds from coffee shops around London.

Kokoa  a company that sells African Black Soap and Shea Butter and Coconut based products. The girl on the stall was also an absolute delight!

True Nopal Cactus water is fantastic, I hope it gets as big as coconut water so I can pick it up in more places than just Waitrose!

Bamboo Pillows sound like a miracle pillow.
 I did give one a squeeze and laid my head on one and have to say they are  super comfortable and with  claims of curing snoring, insomnia, asthma, migraines, lock jaw and also self cooling I had to snap one up for myself.

At the event they were being sold for about £40 but I am a slave to my bank account so hit up amazon and snapped one up for £13.

Mr Organic make the most delicious mayonnaise I have ever come across, it some how tastes more eggy than a mayo made with eggs!

I wanted some so badly I ordered a jar from Holland and Barrets.
Upon getting my jar on the ingredients list it does actually contain a non organic ingredient but with it having 30% less fat than regular mayo and no eggs I will let the  misleading name slide.

T Plus are a range of fruit and vitamin infused tea and give 10p for every box sold to Vitamin Angels, a charity that help  children and  mothers who are at risk of malnutrition.

If you buy just two boxes of tea that will give a child a years supply of vitamin A and you get to keep two boxes of delicious tea!

Tyne Chease, a vegan cheese company, cheese made from cashew nuts, who would of thought it would be possible!?

If you are seriously thinking about going vegan you might drop the line
"cheese though"

With studies comparing cheese addiction to cocaine it's hardly surprising that might be a concern but with Tyne Chease you needn't worry your pretty, cheese filled head about it.

If you are feeling curious about how I found going dairy free for my two challenge then click here and for how dairy impacts your health click here.


I am sorry to the companies that I have not mentioned, there were so many great products featured I had to limit myself to the ones that really stood out to me.

If you get the chance to attend a Vegan Life Live event then grab it with both hands, it will hopefully surprise you with the alternatives that are out there.

Fresh Natural's Vegan Soap

I won a competition on Twitter and got some amazing vegan soaps.

Not only am excited to give them a try but also because the only thing I have ever one before now is a goldfish at the local fayre, the goldfish died.

I was sent two soaps and a "buffer bag" which is a bag that you place your soap in and use to exfoliate yourself as well be able to use the entire bar of soap when it comes towards the end of it's life.

The first was made with avocado oil with cocoa butter, cold pressed avocado, olive and coconut oil and fragranced with coriander and lime.

The second was made from hemp oil, hemp seeds, cold pressed hemp oil and fragranced with lavender and rosemary essential oils.

They both smell amazing, I left them in my living room for a day by mistake and I could smell them from across the room and my sink felt equally amazing after using them.

Price wise on the whole Fresh Naturals appears to be cheaper than Lush and offer many vegan products delivered to your door.

Fresh Naturals don't only sell soaps, they also sell bath bombs, shaving bars, solid shampoo, lip balms, body scrubs, moisturisers, face masks, bath salts and accessories.

I am really surprised that these luxury products are so cheap and to the fact that they are completely vegan makes me even more surprised!

Not only are vegan products better for the animals they are also better for our bodies and the environment so when I find any products that are a high quality and just happen to be vegan I just have to spread the word.

Please check out Fresh Naturals product lines by clicking here

If you a friend or family member then you won't have to think to hard about what I will be getting you for Christmas and maybe a treat or two for myself!

2 Week Challenge: Going Dairy Free

For my latest 2 week challenge I decided to go dairy free so no milk or products containing milk for me!

Normally I would keep a brief food dairy as I have done with my 2 weeks challenges going veggie and going gluten free but with dairy there wasn't really anything interesting to write about and not really any interesting products to try out.

I buy Pure a dairy free sunflower spread for when I wanted  something butteresque and I bought in some milk alternatives, Alpro Soy Desserts and dairy free protein flap jacks but no where near enough products to warrant a food dairy.

Now the products I couldn't have include whey protein, cheese, milk chocolate, yogurts and ice cream so my calories were reduced, I don't tend to do low fat anything as it tends to upset me greatly.

I didn't find giving any of these things up hard at all.

I don't know whether this was because I knew many of the dairy products would be back on the menu once my 2 weeks were up or if my will power is just simply incredible incredible!

With cheese being apparently comparable to cocaine in regards to it's addictiveness I am going to bask in my 2 weeks cold turkey.

I am not really aware of any positive or negative impacts on my health other than weight loss and feeling quite cleansed and positive.

 I will say that once I had finished my 2 weeks I treated myself to that Northern delicacy the mighty Parmo and felt sick for the next 24 hours.

 Maybe too much too soon for my body to readjust to.

I did also get a bit of stick.
People telling they can't see the point in even attempting to give up dairy, a chorus of "but cheese though"

If you are interested in giving up dairy then check out my post on why should you go dairy free.

Like any major change in your lifestyle you should consult your doctor before undertaking anything.

I am currently reviewing some raspberry ketones and after I have completed my review on them I will be reviewing a 2 week weight loss program.

Milk Alternatives

Since I am not drinking cow's milk for my 2 weeks of going dairy free I gave some other milks a try.

Alpro make loads of different milks from plant sources so there is bound to be one that you'll enjoy.

I have tried Almond, Hazlenut, Rice, Coconut and Soy milks and I'll give my brief thoughts on each one.

Almond Milk: 

Very similar to skimmed milk with a very subtle  almond taste, if you are expecting this milk to taste like marzipan you will be disappointed.

Almond milk has next to no protein in it, if this is a concern for you then I would look else where.

Hazelnut Milk: 

Thicker than the other milks I have tried but not as thick as full fat cows milk. It has a very distinct taste.

If you like nut flavoured protein shakes you will probably enjoy this milk.

Hazelnut milk ties with Almond milk for 3rd lowest protein on my list.

Rice Milk:

I really enjoyed rice milk which really surprised me!

 I would say rice milk tastes the closest to cows milk than any of the milks I have tried and would be my top pick followed by hazelnut.

The lowest amount of protein of the milks that I have tried along with Oat milk.

Coconut Milk:

I was expecting coconut milk to be thicker but it was a lot like skimmed milk and a lot like coconut water it is an acquired taste but I did feel really refreshed after drinking it.

Higher in fat than most milk alternatives but still lower than full fat milk and has even less protein than almond milk!

Soy Milk:

I do not like soy milk at all. I have a few friends that rave about the stuff and I had high hopes but did not find it enjoyable at all. It seemed to have a slight bitter after taste not unlike natural yogurt.

Soy milk has about the same amount of protein as cow's milk with lower fat and will help reduce your cholesterol.

If you are wondering whether or not soy is good for you or not then please click here to read my post on it.






If you imagine sieving the liquid out of porridge then you have the taste of oat milk.

It may have the joint lowest protein than the other milks in this post but it also has a good amount of fibre, calcium, vitamin D, B2, B12 and a dash of vitamin A





I have only come across Cashew milk in one shop in Leeds and it was by far the most expensive milk that I have found.

I found it to be quite waterey but with a better nutty taste than almond milk and quite a lot more protein but less than half the amount of coconut milk.

The best thing about Cashew milk is that has a fair of amount of vitamin E, again more than Almond milk.




I did feel a bit naughty picking up some Hemp milk but I did check and hemp milk does not contain the ingredient that gets you stoned like marijuana.

 If you thought you were going to be having a chilled out evening after downing a carton of hemp milk you are in for a disappointment.

I really enjoyed the taste of hemp milk, it was surprisingly nutty and sweet.

Hemp milk seems to be a miracle milk with it having Omega 3 and 6, all of the essential amino acids, 2g of protein per 100ml, good source of iron, calicium, vitamins A, D, E, B12, B9, B2, Magnisium and Zinc.

Although hemp milk does contain a lot of Omega 3 it is not the kind the kind you find in fish but still has benefits for your heart and artery health.

Sadly all of these milks are more expensive than cow's milk but you are buying into something that is better for your health and not contributing to the harm of animals in the dairy industry, plus the more people buy these alternatives the lower the prices will become.

For the benefits of going dairy free then check out my post by clicking here.

Alpro Soya Dessert Hot, Chilled and Frozen

Since my post Muscle Mousse hot, chilled and frozen was so popular I decided to do the same thing with Alpro Soya desserts.

I tried the dark chocolate and the vanilla flavours, there are also caramel and milk chocolate flavours available but I haven't come across them in shops yet.

To see Alpro's full product list please click here

Hot:

I poured the dessert into a microwaveable bowl and microwaved it for a minute on full power, having a look every 30 seconds. 

The vanilla worked bested heated as the chocolate burnt slightly, both tasted great over my Cricket and Lemon Cake.

A great dairy free/ gluten free/ vegan alternative to custard.

Chilled:

Nothing to write home about, I enjoyed the vanilla flavour more than the chocolate, both were quite thin but both were nice enough.

Frozen:

I slung some the desserts in their pots straight into the freezer and left them over the night.

They froze well and the only issue I had was that I had to wait for them to defrost enough for me to eat them.

A perfect frozen vegan and gluten free dessert to enjoy in hot weather.

I think Alpro soya desserts are more enjoyable hot than frozen but give them a try for yourself for an easy treat no matter the weather.