Vegan Snacks - Marks and Spencer Vegan Cranberry and Strawberry Bar with Cacao Nibs

One of the things I've found surprisingly simple as I start my move to a more plant based journey is just how easy it is to treat yourself. I made a little trip to Wholefoods Market and found loads of great, little products, which I relished trying and got excited to. Going plant based doesn't have to mean deprivation, it's just about finding things that really excite you

These were just a few nice little drinks and snacks that I picked up - dairy free milkshakes are easy to whip up but this cacao orange drink by Rebel Kitchen is really sweet and a great little pick me up and actually really quite low in sugars. The Daily Cultures tea is just normal green tea but with good bacteria in - unlike bacteria used in dairy cultures, it's unaffected by boiling water or stomach acid. Other finds which I'll talk about in later posts are delicious ginger and turmeric oaty biscuits by Rude Health and really delicious alternatives to crisps.

But healthy and plant based doesn't have to mean trips to the health food store, I was delighted to find these cranberry and strawberry chunky bars with cocoa nibs in Marks and Spencers of all places. Now often a lot of supermarkets have vegan products but don't label them as such but this clearly and proudly states suitable for vegetarians and vegans on the back.

Initially I thought this might be an M&S take on a Nakd bar but it's a really different kind of bar. It's much bigger (hence the chunky name) and whilst 45g vs a 35g Nakd bar might not sound a lot, in size it is a lot bigger as it's made up of less heavy ingredients with no nuts so not as squat and dense as a Nakd bar.

They're a lot less firm and very sticky, it takes a little skill to peel it away from the wrapper and it's a lot softer and chewier. It's made up predominantly of dried apricot and dried cranberries with a ittle dried apple, strawberry puree and some oatflakes, soy beans and cocoa nibs for added texture, bite and a bit of crunch.

It's extremely moist and really full on fruity flavoured. The cocoa nibs don't really add a chocolatey flavour but more temper the natural sweetness. The soy beans although small in percentage of ingredients do add an unexpected texture and are maybe a little hard but help stop this being a purely squidgey eat.

It's really nice to see M&S offer a tasty, convenient vegan snack bar made up of only natural ingredients. It's a little high in (natural) sugars and could do with more oats or nuts to reduce the dried fruit sugars but overall a really tasty bar and one I bought quite a lot of