ReBlog: My Papermache Mind Goupie Review

VEGAN TOWN UNBOXING AND REVIEW

“Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you!”

– Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

http://vegantown.co.uk

If we are being honest, I don’t miss any of the meat or dairy based foods I ate pre-veganism, possibly because I now associate them with the products they are made from. In actual fact, becoming vegan has meant that I eat so many more vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, seeds, and plants which never really played center stage on my plate before. Better still, we have recently learned how to recreate some favourite dishes which may have used animal products, with vegan-friendly products and this has been such a wonderful experience.

There are so many great ingredients out there, and it really is a matter of learning new skills, and trying new recipes in order to create tasty dishes. When you’re not feeling in the mood for cooking, there are ways to eat vegan-friendly in restaurants and takeaways, if you just ask a few questions before you order. It gets easier, and then becomes second-nature.

I do know though, that giving up some of your favourite things when becoming vegan can be difficult, it takes adjustment, and the best way to alter your eating pattern is at your own pace and within your own means. Treats such as chocolate, cookies and cakes can be hard to source when you’re starting out, especially if you don’t have access to health food stores in your locality. It’s nice to have something with your tea, or when you’re craving sweet-chocolatey goodness and whether you are eating dairy free by choice, or as a requirement, many of the main cakes, biscuits, and chocolate bars in the shops are off limits for you.

We have found a few good bits in our local health store, and some supermarkets here in Ireland. Plus a friend of mine makes great vegan cakes locally which are always delicious, but in the main shops we are still a long way off the variety offered in some other countries. In particular, I watch some UK based vegan youtubers, and I’m continuously amazed by the dairy-free and vegan-friendly sections in the shops and main supermarkets in England.

This is often linked to supply and demand, plus awareness raising, and I would encourage you to contact your local stores about the products you would like to see on the shelves. I’m always keeping an eye out for new vegan bits, and thanking businesses when they do stock vegan and alternative products.

Low and behold, my hard work ranting about all things animal, people and planet friendly paid off this week when a wonderful UK company Vegan Town offered to collaborate with my little blog. I was lucky enough to receive one of their amazing vegan treat boxes full of delicious dairy-free goodness to review, and I was so excited because first of all, post is fun and second of all, chocolate in the post has the potential to be even better.

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So who are these magical creatures who bestow chocolate upon you via the mail? Vegan Town is a company which offers a monthly subscription service in which a big box of treats is delivered right to your door. If you like, you can also buy a once off box, or send one as a gift to a friend. Plus the website itself has a store full of vegan-friendly treats such as biscuits, sweets, chocolate bars, spreads and much more. There is so much variety available. It’s a good spot to find vegan versions of your old favourites too, which can certainly help as you change to vegan-friendly products.

If you follow my Instagram you might have seen me peek inside what was in my delivery, and have a little chat about the surprises I uncovered. Thanks so much for all the lovely comments, I’m happy so many of you were inspired by what you saw. You may have noticed that the box itself was cardboard, and I am going to reuse it. Plus the filler in the box was also cardboard which can be recycled, and that was lovely to see.

I decided it would make sense to write a more indepth feature here so you could learn a little bit more about Vegan Town and the lovely treats I received. In my box there were so many interesting things I had never tried before, and also a few products which I’ve already enjoyed with a cuppa’. I shared them with friends too, to see what other people thought, so you’d know my review wasn’t blinded by the chocolatey-goodness.

If you buy vegan/dairy-free/gluten free chocolate bars, treats or products you’ll know they can sometimes be quite pricey, so to get a bulk box of chocolate delivered to our very vegan household worked out wonderfully for us. It was also a great way to try out a few products, support a vegan friendly business and in turn promote small vegan friendly companies. It was also a great way to see which particular treats I would like to buy in the future, and it opened my eyes to so many other wonderful vegan companies.

Each box usually contains 10-15 items and you can get a larger size if you wish. Here is a list of what I found inside my £20/€23 Vegan Town box:

and one of each of these small treats

As you can see, there were so many treats in the small box, and when I calculated the cost of the products you’re definitely getting value for your money through buying them this way. It was perfect for us to share in our household, and I’ll definitely look into getting another one, or making my own custom order from the website.

Also, I was pleased that I had only previously tried the Moofree chocolate, Booja-Booja truffles, and Vegoline chocolate praline, as they are all available in Evergreen, everything else was completely new to me and I was impressed with the variety of new treats we discovered. It really made us very happy to see companies who are succeeding in making lovely animal friendly treats. With that, here is a little breakdown of my favourite finds in the box.

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Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free Fudge

The first snack which I really enjoyed were these delicious dairy-free fudge pieces. Fabulous Freefrom Factory make brilliant dairy and gluten free treats using traditional methods. If you want a sweet treat, I would suggest trying these, I was able to make them last quite a while and I even had some with my hot chocolate.

These could also be a great ingredient for baking into your own home-made vegan treats. Fudge usually has milk-based products in it, and it was something I used to really enjoy in the past. These fudge pieces have all the creaminess and flavour, but ‘no udder ingredients’. I mean, buy them for the pun alone, please.

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Ananda’s Caramel Crisp Round Up

Ananda’s is a little company based in Derbyshire, UK. They make all their marshmallows by hand in small little batches, and they have both vegetarian and vegan friendly products. What is even better is that 90% of their waste is recycled and they also reuse outer packaging whenever possible. I am so delighted that I have no been introduced to Ananda’s and I hope to try many more of their products. I was lucky to get an amazing caramel round-up in my box, which was so decadent, and luxurious.

It also reminded me so much of Alice in Wonderland, with the little ‘Eat Me’ inscription on the top. Many sweets, particularly marshmallow have gelatin inside, and if you don’t know what that is, let me just say it isn’t pretty. Not only is Ananda’s vegan, but it is also very delicious and I think you should give it a try. Well done Vegan Town for including an eco-conscious small company in your selection.

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Rapunzel Nirwana Vegan Chocolate Praliné

I ate all of this on the first day I opened my delivery and I will not apologise. I do miss it, yeah. The creamy praline flavour is so good, especially with a cup of tea, and it would be perfect for someone who thinks that vegan chocolate probably tastes terrible. Give them this bar, or try it yourself and I’m sure you’d be delighted with it. I keep peeking into the box in the hope it will come back.

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Goupie Minis Salted Sticky Toffee

These hand made chocolates are the result of a wonderful fifty-year old family recipe, and there are so many flavours available. Another family business, Goupiemakes delicious vegan treats which can be enjoyed by so many.

They were in an adorable little box, so Goupie also gets some major points for presentation, but they definitely deserve an even bigger applause for the taste. Sticky, chewy and decadent, the new salted sticky toffee treats with a marvellous centre are absolutely delicious with your tea, and they have a wonderful salty kick which makes them that bit more unique. I’m so happy these were in my treat box, and I’d definitely suggest them as a present for someone you love.

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Vegan White Chocolate and Almond Hero

This was so enjoyable. Packed full of whole almonds, and covered in a sweet white chocolate, this amazing bar offered variety to the box. I can’t eat too much dark chocolate, so it was lovely to munch on this while out for a stroll around the city, and I didn’t mind sharing the other treats with people when I could have this all to myself.

I decided to give it a little photoshoot in the West End, and I believe it looks marvelous with the newest street art addition behind it, but it definitely looked better with my tea.

I think this treat box would be a pretty cool birthday gift for someone who likes alternative snacks, and it would definitely brighten up the day of a vegan. It makes me happy to see all these wonderful companies who care about animals, and the planet, and anyone else who is interested in supporting those businesses would be more than delighted with a Vegan Town box. One of the most important things though, is that I can happily say that these treats were absolutely delicious and I’m sure that even if you weren’t vegan, you’d be pleased with them. I know lots of alternatives taste odd, but these really taste like chocolate!

After uncovering new products in my treat box, I would suggest trying the Rapunzel praline bar, or the Goupie salted caramels, if you’re interested in what vegan chocolate has to offer. The lovely @foynotfox had a pretty good munch through this box too, and he was particularly fond of the dark chocolate products, especially the Rapunzel Dark Chocolate Coconut bar, and the Guppy’s Cinder Toffee.

If you would like to learn more about Vegan Town you can follow their adventures on Facebook and Twitter. You can also have a browse around the website, where you can marvel at all they have to offer. While you’re at it, don’t forget to let me know if you make your own order for you or someone you care about. I would like to thank Vegan Town for sending me these wonderful treats. I’m off to eat the last few remaining bits of chocolate before someone else sniffs them out.

This is a re-blog from My Papermache Mind

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