I had high hopes and the biggest of plans for blogging this week whilst Gem was away in Rotterdam, but after coming down with the flu, I’ve conserved most of my energy for getting through the day job (perks of being self-employed!). Unfortunately this has meant the blog has taken a bit of a back seat whilst I’ve been indulging in a pre-school-esque 8pm bedtime.

Although I’m still under the weather, today I opened the door in my dressing gown, with my eyes half closed and clutching a tissue to the postman, who rewarded my efforts of making it down the stairs with this months The Vegan Kind #TVK7 box.

Those that usually read my Vegan Kind reviews will know that it’s a monthly box with 5-8 Vegan and cruelty free products in. They also donate 10p of each box to a charity of which this month is “Give a dog a bone or an animal a home” you can check out their website here.

I have to say I’m delighted with this month’s treats and can’t wait until my body has learnt how to taste again so I can indulge like an ethical piggy. I’ve also noticed that they have ditched the brown shredded paper that my carpet is oh so familiar with – as much as I enjoyed tipping it into the paper recycling bin, I haven’t missed picking up all the bits I dropped on the floor!

Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps in “Piri-Piri flavour” (RRP £1.00)

This was first out the box and I was super pleased. I’ve recently ditched the potatoes altogether (despite having a batch growing in the garden) in favour of the Sweet Potato, which counts as a portion of veg, despite the starcy and carby white potato. I’m also a fan of savoury snacks and am currently into Popcorn and oatcakes to get my snacking fix and keep the calorie intake down. These look delicious and are Gluten Free which is an added bonus. The downside to this 35g packet is the 172 calories and 16.4g carbohydrates, but for a little treat once in a while, I’m willing to forgo the counting and enjoy some delicious Sweet Potato crisps. I nearly always share my Vegan Kind goodies with my other half Brains, so it’s not all bad!

Check out their range here.

Wholeplus Hot Pot in “Vanilla Spice” (RRP £1.80)

I am a fan of Porridge, but since giving up milk I don’t eat cereal which includes Oats because I find the taste of Soy Milk a little too bitter when it’s not in a nice cup of tea. I was glad to see that that this little packet was indeed wheat free, dairy free and soy free though. Packed with scrummy natural ingredients like Oats, Dates, Coconut, Goji berries, Vanilla bean and mixed spice you simply add boiling water. Although I hate raisins, I can just about deal with dates when they are in food and am looking forward to testing this out. If I like it, I reckon it will be a lovely treat to take along to festivals instead of the usual boring breakfast biscuits we end up with. (Perks of being Veggie at a festival!)

Wholeplus seem to have a great range of snacks, including “Toppers” which are naturally sweet toppings that can be added to food for a bit of a boost – it seems to me I may have just found some new ingredients to add to my morning smoothies!

See the Wholeplus products here

BIO D Concentrated Non Bio Laundry Samplee (RRP £4.45 for 1L)

I can’t say that I get excited over the prospect of laundry detergent, but it’s something I have to buy regularly so it’s nice to see the options available when trying to buy things a little more ethically. This liquid looks enough for one wash, and the price per litre if roughly the same that I’d pay for my good old Tesco laundry gel. My favourite thing about this though, is that the packaging is recycled and can be recycled again and the detergent itself has a minimum impact on the eco system. If it cleans my clothes, then I am all in! I’ll be trying this out when I feel up to doing the washing this weekend.

See some of Bio-D Company’s other products

Scoff Sweets Chocolate Fudge (RRP £3.50)

I am a fan of fudge, and I’m even more of a fan of people that make Vegan and Vegetarian friendly sweet treats. (Long live the Haribo) Yummy looking dairy free dark chocolate fudge a delicacy to be savoured for when my taste buds work. Who said being a Vegan was hard?

To see all the cakes, truffles and fudge you can get your Vegan chops around, check out their website.

Dormouse Tea Company Loose Leaf Tea and Tea Bags (RRP£1.60)

I’m English and I thrive off tea. Therefore I always get super excited when I receive tea samples. I’ve not had loose tea for years and I was given a packet of Jasmine Tea Leaves with some DIY tea bags that look like the most fun thing to play with ever! They have a beautiful range of loose tea’s on their site and although they don’t have any of these adorable DIY tea bags, they do have adorable tea strainers and tea pots. I’m all up for supporting small business’, especially when it’s something like tea! I’m definitely going to pick up a few of their other teas to carry on the leaf tradition.

If you fancy a different kind of brew, head on over to their site

Golden Apple Hazelnut sand Peppermint Raw Biscuits (RRP £3.95)

A savoury biscuit and a perfect addition to a salad. This is the accompaniment to this months Vegan Kind recipe card which is a Gluten Free SCD and Veggie Roasted Butternut Squash Dip. I’m certainly intrigued by the “Hazelnut and Peppermint” flavour of these biscuits which are made from seeds and spices and dried without the use of preservatives or additives. The ingredients list is probably one of the simplest I’ve seen, with only natural ingredients and although I probably wont be pairing these with a Roasted Butternut Squash dip, I may invest in a few other flavours to add to my salads and dip to my hearts content.

Check out their range of raw biscuits here

I’m really pleased with my box this month and there are lots of delicious things for me to try out as usual. If you want to try out The Vegan Kind box, they are just £10 per month and £2.95 p&p, simply visit their website.

Totally hellbent for all the Vegan sweet treats

-Pants