Dairy Free Chocolate bars or... the blog post that isn't!

This is the blog post that isn't!

'How so?' you may well ask. 

Well, read on, and you will see!

This post was going to be about a range of choccy bars, by Go Max. 

When I spotted them in my local health food shop, I thought that all my chocolatey dreams had come true! Only the other day I was agonizing on Twitter about my need for the chocolate bars I had enjoyed in my previous life (you know - the one where I could consume gluten and dairy freely... and to my heart's content).

The chocolate bars I spotted were dairy free (Vegan, in fact) and gluten free as well. 

Joy! Joy! Joy!

I wasted no time in filling my sticky little mitts and making my way to the counter - despite noting that each one cost £1.99!! (Well, you'd never dream of paying that for a Snickers or Mars Bar, would you?? Well... not this year anyway - although, one day, no doubt they WILL cost that much, as my Dad can remember when Mars Bars were just 3p each!!)

I was so excited, when I realised that one was like a Snickers, one like a Milky Way etc. etc. that I completely forgot to read the rest of the label... until I was about to get my money out. Then it hit me - I hadn't checked for soya! 

All I was expecting/hoping to see was 'soya lecithin' - I can cope with that. However, what I actually saw was 'soya protein' on each and every packet. NO!! NO!! NO!!

If I could have lain on the floor and threshed and wailed like a two year old, I would have. 

I was going to abandon this post, until I thought, 'Hang on! I can't have these, but others might benefit.'

So here we are and here is a selection of dairy free choccy bars that you might like to try, if you've got that craving...

Now, if the Go Max bars are a little bit pricey for you, there is a somewhat cheaper range of chocolate bars, by Organica. You can find these by going online to the Vegan Store, Alternative Stores or similar. Organica's range is more limited, but if you can cope with dark chocolate, you can get a 'Bounty' style bar, a nougat bar (my personal fave) and a marzipan bar. At £1 each, they're half the price of the other bars, by Go Max.

Here's one of the Organica bars: 

Mmm! Organica's Nougat

I used to really like these... until I realised I was reacting to them. 

Once I'd looked at the ingredients, realisation hit - they contain soya powder (*sighs* *sobs quietly inside*). I hadn't read the ingredients' label properly! I look for 'gluten free', I look for 'dairy free,' but often neglect to look for soya!

The other thing I always neglect to look out for (strange as it may seem) is milk - on Vegan products anyway. Despite having been caught out several times before, I always think Vegan products should be completely milk free. However, Vego, caught me out yet again!

It's a hazelnut chocolate bar that I came across at Alternative Stores. It states that it's Vegan and gluten free! 'BONUS!' I thought, when it caught my eye. I bought one 'cos I really fancied eating some nutty chocolate. It was quite pricey (£3.50), but HUGE (150g) and tasted yummy (more 'milky' than some dairy free chocolates)! 

Just as I was in the middle of munching some, I idly examined the packet and suddenly spotted 'may contain milk'! *sighs yet again*. 'From now on,' I thought, 'I'll have to stick to Moo Free Honeycomb bars - at least I know where I am with them!'

Oh, and if you want those other Go Max bars, you can get those at Vegan Stores too :)

Posts with a similar theme:

Sweets for my Sweet
Oo! Ah! Chocolat!
The Great Big Dairy Free Easter Egg Hunt 2014

Oo! Ah! Christmas Chocolat!

I think The Hub is pretty amazing anyway, but tonight, as far as I'm concerned, he surpassed himself. Knowing that I had been feeling pretty awful earlier in the day (I'll spare you the sob story) he brought me home some chocolate, and not just any chocolate - he'd been to Hotel Chocolat. As if that were not enough, he'd brought me home not just a little something, but actually quite a supply!

First there was a little something - the mini buche (which I've already mentioned in a previous post about dairy free chocolate - Oo! Ah! Chocolat!) then there were these:

One for the grown-ups!

An Advent calendar. 

Not just any advent calendar, but a classy, smooth, sophisticated calendar. Definitely one for the grown-ups, it contains: '24 fabulous Christmas sculptures!!' There's a price to pay for this quality of chocolate though - it's £12.00, which is far more than you'd pay for most advent calendars that I've come across!

There are, of course, other cheaper Advent calendars out there. Moo Free Advent calendars can be found in 200 of Waitrose stores, but are also sold in various Health Food shops and online, at Love Lactose Free Life.

Meanwhile, Celtic Chocolates 'Choices' Advent calendar can be found in Sainsbury's and Holland and Barrett (who also have some boxes of chocolate, specially for Christmas) as well.

The next item the Hub produced, this evening, was a box of these:

At Easter, Hotel Chocolat produced some 'Tiddly Chicks,' but for Christmas, here we have some Tiddly Penguins. Personally, I think they look a little bit like the scary penguin in the Wallace and Grommit film, The Wrong Trousers, but Baby seemed quite taken with this little chap. Mind you, he was made of chocolate!!

There were eight little penguins in the box, which cost £5.00. There's not eight any more of course - Baby had one and I've also attacked the box, but there are still some left.

Finally, there was this jolly chap!

Rudolph?

This chocolate lolly is obviously for Baby - though possibly not all at once, as he's quite big - for a lolly!! This 'Dark Dasher Lick' cost The Hub £1.95. Quite possibly, he'd make a good stocking filler, although as it happens, I've already bought her one of these:

A Moo Free chocolate Santa. Moo Free chocolate, by the way, is definitely free from all dairy and wheat/gluten. It is not made with soya, but may contain traces of soya.

So, it seems that Christmas has arrived at Hotel Chocolat, which is great news for the dairy free - just so long as you are okay with the following:

• There may be traces of milk (we've never had a problem, but not everyone can afford to take that risk).
• The chocolate is made with soya lecithin (most people allergic to soya are okay with soya lecithin, but not all).
• Their chocolate may contain traces of tree nuts and peanuts.

Quelle surprise!

The Christmas chocolate range available at Hotel Chocolat is actually more extensive than what has been shown here, but The Hub (not wishing to be selfish) didn't buy out the entire shop. If you wish to peruse the rest of their selection, click here.

Now, all that's left to say (in the words of Hotel Chocolat) is, 'Let the gorgeousness countdown begin!' 

How long is it 'til Advent? 'Cos I'm not sure that I can wait that long!