CHEESE
Everybody was talking about it: Sainsbury’s vegan cheese! Then there was even a whole hype that everybody started to call it ‘Gary’. I really wanted to try it too, but didn’t know what Sainsbury’s was selling it. Later it turned out they sell it at the big Sainsbury’s, so close to where I live. I was so lucky when I got there and they just refilled all the different kinds. So I chose: grated cheddar-style, cheddar-style, cheddar-style with caramelised onion, greek style, original soft cheese and the garlic&herb soft cheese. I couldn’t wait to try them. I must say I was skeptical as not a lot of vegan cheeses are very good, though a lot of people were so enthusiastic about these. So I tried them all and I actually like it. Quite a lot! The grated cheese and the cheddar-style are melting very nicely over a pasta and they are perfect to make grilled cheese sandwiches. There was not a really good cheese to make those with. I’m happy there is now. You have to make sure not to put too much cheese on it, as they melt almost too well. The soft cheeses are very tasty too, lovely on a cracker or a rice cake with some cucumber and black pepper on top. But if I have to choose I think the ‘greek style’ is definitely the best. It tastes like feta, it crumbles like feta and is amazing in salads. Because not all Sainsbury’s sell it, you can also order it via their website. Way to go Sainsbury’s!

RAW CHOCOLATE
My friend Pavla lived in Cornwall for a few months over the summer and when she came to London and stayed with me for a night she brought me this lovely raw chocolate they make right over there. It’s made by ‘The Raw Chocolate Pie company’ (that is a mouthful.. it’s a good thing it’s about chocolate) and they make raw chocolate which is dairy free, gluten free, soya free and it contains no refined sugar. She got me the peppermint one. I’m actually not a big fan of chocolate with a minty or citrus flavour, but I did want to try it and I loved that she brought it for me. It’s best kept in the fridge it say on the label, so when I tried a piece it was quite a firm texture. I really like the texture and you can taste that it’s raw. It’s nice and very filling (I only had a little piece), but I think in a different flavour it would be even better. They have a lot of flavours and you can find them all on their website. Later I also saw they sell a few at Portobello Wholefoods and I’m sure you can get them in other places too. Great chocolate and a lovely healthy snack.

Did you already know these products or are you going to try them after reading this? Please let me know or show me on Instagram by using #PlanetManel. Thank you! X