Chocolate Taste test

[Pam]

At great expense to my diet I forced myself to taste 4 different dairy free chocolate bars yesterday.

Plamil Martello - about £1.29 for a 100g bar. This one has been on the market the longest and is non dairy and gluten free. The texture is a bit grainy and it doesn't taste that chocolatey. Available in health food shops, Tesco. (I prefer the organic orange bar from Plamil - much smoother and a nicer flavour).
Score 4/10

Tesco Free From Choc Bar - 69p for a chunky 45g bar. A nice smooth alternative to normal milk chocolate. Not an unpleasant taste but rather like 'cheap' milk chocolate. Probably the best alternative for those who don't like dark chocolate. Availability is a bit hit and miss on the free from shelf at Tesco, look for the purple and lilac free from packaging.
Score 7/10

Dairy Free Rice Crackle - 79p for a flatter 50g bar (easily broken into small pieces). Made in Australia by Sweet William but distributed in the UK by Humdinger, Hull. Very similar flavour and texture to the Tesco bar but with the addition of rice krispies. It all depends if you need a pure chocolate fix or if you like a bit of added variety. Not unpleasant and enjoyed by both myself and my dairy free daughter. I got my bar from Morrisons but it is not linked to any particular supermarket chain so it could be more widely available. Purple, lilac and blue wrapper.
Score7/10

Sainsbury's Free From Soya Choc Bar - 79p for a flat 50g bar. From the little Sweet William imprints on top of each segment I strongly suspect that this product is also an Australian import like the rice crackle and simply packaged for Sainsbury's. The chocolate is just the same as rice crackle in both flavour and appearance but obviously without the crunch. Smooth in texture but again with the 'cheap' chocolate flavour. It is still a good option for fans of milk chocolate and probably better for younger children as the pieces are more easily broken up. Available on the free from shelf in Sainsbury's in their yellow free from packaging.
Score 7/10

So not much to choose between the newest 3, probably Sainsbury's for the shape - easier to break up and seems to go further when you get more segments (particularly for children) but Tesco's is slightly cheaper, though smaller but chunkier for the adult chocoholic. At the end of the day it comes down to availability as it took me 4 trips to Tesco to get some bars at Easter and I have only just found a bar in Sainsbury's after countless trips. All the supermarkets tend to try out free from products and then when they sell out they are either not replaced or only replaced after a long period of time.

I hope this is useful to someone. My daughter enjoyed her chocolate tasting session but I think that since I forced myself to get used to dark chocolate, I will stick with the Green and Black's Maya Gold.

[Lan]

Hi Pam,

I have tried the Tescos and Sainsburys dairy free milk chocolate and the best has to be Sainsburys. It tastes more like real milk chocolate and is definitely the best.

Hope all is ok with Rebecca and she enjoys the dairy free chocolates available.

Kind Regards,


Lan. :D

[Nigel]

(Starting a serious chocolate discussion here I think :-) )

Pam, I'd partially agree with your Maya Gold, but if you can find them, try out the "cherry luxury" bars, expensive maybe, but what can I say...

[Pam]

Yes, I'm seriously tempted by the thought of the cherry G&B, but at nearly £1 extra it seems a lot of money.

[Wheel Girl]

In Australia I have been purchasing a GORGEOUS dairy and gluten free, vegan chocolate. It is an American product called Tropical Source www.tropicalsourcecandy.com

It is only $2.99 (Australian) for a 85g bar. It is readily available here in healthfood shops and better sweet shops. The flavours are mint crisp, raspberry crisp, plain, hazelnut & almond. Coming from a true chocoholic, this product is fantastic and even friends who have no problem with dairy are eating it because it is so yummy & tastes better than some normal chocolates.

[Lan]

Hi Wheel Girl,

Thanks for that, will defintely have a look for them. Sound very nice and I am not a big fan of chocolate.

Kind Regards,

Lan. :D

[Wheel Girl]

On the note of "treats" Do you guys have a soy icecream in the UK called Fruccio? Its available in dutch chocholate and vanilla and it is really good. Its available here just in the supermarket and if you can get it, is definately worth a try.

By the way Lan, I love your pussycats!! They are gorgeous, Cammie is the spitting image of my little baby Rupert.

[Pam]

No we don't have Fruccio in the UK, or at least I've never heard of it/seen it and it certainly hasn't appeared in any of the taste tests done in allergy magazines over here. We have Swedish Glace and Tofutti ice cream but availability is very hit and miss as with all dairy free products. I've yet to find any Tofutti but the SG is good and my hubby says it is as good (if not better) than cows milk ice cream.

[matt]

same as pam , not found any tofutti but sg good. i do like the stats for this thread. only 7 replies but over 300 hits!! not that we're a bunch of chocoholics.

one mention of chocolate and everyone logs in just for a look. the sad thing is they then don't pass any comments.

i love chocolate but don't/can't eat it as it causes migraines! god do i feel sorry for myself sometimes. all the nice treats i can't have. still worse things happen etc etc. it doesn't mean anything but it's a mantra i try to say until i forget how annoyed i get! i'll be fine just picture me saying it for the next three hours or so.

enjoy

[jill]

Thought I better make a comment to please Matt. All of the dairy free chocolate bars that I have tried remind me of cooking chocolate. My favourite :drool: which doesn't contain any dairy is Tesco Finest Plain Chocolate with nibbed cocoa beans and bitter orange oil its about 85p for a 100g bar.

I did a trial of about 4 or 5 different dark chocolates some time ago(unflavoured ones) :eat: , I felt quite ill afterwards :sad: . I think the high % cocoa put me off a bit

I've also tried the flavoured Green and Blacks ones (Tesco have a good range - usually found in the organic section). The mint one is a bit sickly, didn't think alot to the cherry one. I think the other one was nuts and sultanas which wasn't bad.

I got a voucher from Sainsburys for a free box of Elizabeth Shaws Mint Crisps. They were very nice, I will definetely be getting some of those in for Xmas. :xmas:

Won't be long you know - Morrisons have already got Christmas Chocolates on there shelves.

Jill

[Copper]

Oooo chocolate - yes I like chocolate. I have always enjoyed plain as well as milk so now that I am restricted to plain it isn't too bad. Luckily I also like peppermint.

I have tried a number of plain bars and I agree with Jill that those with a high cocoa content are a bit much even for me :) I have not seen the Tesco finest orange bar I must look again this week but orange in chocolate tends to repeat on me - another allergy do you think?

I am currently into these
Tesco After Dinner Mints. The ingredients are listed and there is no sign of a milk product. I am very sensitive to lactose so if there was any I would know about it.

I have rediscovered the delights of sherbert lemons. Tesco do their own version of mixed fruit sherbert sweets and they are really :drool:

[dairy free neil]

Watch out for frys and Bournville, they can be contaminated with milk.

Check out http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/ they have a special non dairy chocolate section. Also www.veganstore.co.uk who sell chocolate that can't normally be purchased in shops.

Check out supremes - however watch out the chocolate on the outside falls off very easily - the nearest thing to magnums.

[Copper]

Oh yes Bournville. I have not forgiven them for moving production to France. Before France the chocolate was ok for us and I ate quite a bit :) now in France they add butterfat!


My youngest daughter spent some time in Thorntons searching for something I could eat. She cheerfully told me that I could only eat some mint crisps. She then presented me with a bag of the safe chocolates - bless her :bleh:

[matt]

i'm a cynic. what's she done that you haven't found out about yet or what's she after!!:lol2:


i must get some of the tesco mints. they're not big so a little bit shouldn't muck me up too much.

i'm not really a bully am i? i would rather people posted because they want to not just to please me!

i'm quite tempted by the sherbert sweets aswell. i'm a sugaraholic and proud of it!

[Pam]

Be really careful with Tesco stuff - unless it says on the label that it doesn't contain milk then it could do. Their own brand value dark chocolate doesn't list milk in the ingredients but it has milk in the list of allergens. When this was questionned with Customer Services the reply was that they are not obliged to include ingredients in the list which do not make up more than 20% (or was it 25%) of the total product. There is a thread about this somewhere further down the board.

I can recommend their free from chocolate though, it is almost as good as normal milk chocolate. (It comes in a purple wrapper and can be found on the free from aisle.)

[Copper]

Yes Pam it was me that made the discovery about the Tesco chocolate. I am aware that there may be hidden dairy in the Tesco mints BUT I am so sensitive to lactose now that I would know about it by now. Matt you have to bear this in mind and do as I try to do and limit yourself to only four mints a day :)


The sherbert sweeties ar also ok but then I have only had a maximum of two a day. I try to be good and think of my teeth.

[matt]

are we talking about four packs of mints a day! and two of the sherberts. my teeth are knackered from a bad childhood and smoking for years so what i've got left are pretty indistructable. mainly cause they are mainly metal!

i haven't had mint chocs for ages so may just go and get some today. i will only have a couple as i am that sensitive to the caffeine i them. i'd be bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day.

[Pam]

I prefer sherbet strawberries to lemons - I like sucking the sherbet out of the hole at the end. They tend to make your tongue sore if you have too many though.

The Co-op do some chocolate mint thins that are vegan and they are getting very good at labelling too. After Eights are ok if produced in the UK but elsewhere in Europe they put butterfat in theirs. Have you tried the orange ones? they are nice. I couldn't possibly stop at a couple, 6 is an absolute minimum.

[linny]

Hi, I've just found some dairy free chocolate digestives. They are quite expensive but great for a treat. I found them in Asda with the 'foreign foods' (eg coconut milk etc.). They are Rakusen's biscuits and are for the Jewish religion and state that they are 'non-dairy'. I also picked up some Lieber's creme biscuits (choc flavour) and a marble cake from the same section. Just one chocolate biscuit was lovely after so long without one! Linny

[matt]

went to my favourite health food shop in salisbury yesterday. they do plamil chocolate dairy/wheat free in plain and mint flavours. large 100g bars at about 1.70 i think. also several little packets of dairy wheat free chocolate drops or smarites rip offs 50g bags for 70p by whizzers. i got one of the small bags so i'll be trying them out at some point.

[Pam]

You can also buy whizzers chocolate footballs, chocolate mint balls and mini eggs. They are quite nice. Still got the caffein in them though Matt. Holland and Barratt usually sell the chocolate beans and footballs but the others are harder to find.

[Pam]

Well, I treated myself to a bar of G & B cherry chocolate yesterday at £2.49!!!!!!! and I have got to say I was a little disappointed. The cherries are dried, so resemble raisins but taste a bit sharp. I'll have to eat a bit more tonight before I make a decision - the jury's still out on this one.

Hubby got some butterscotch G & B which is milk chocolate and a no-no for us lot, but I sneaked a little taste and that was *very* nice!

[flopsy25]

im new to dairy free i went shopping in sainsbirys and found plain luxury chocolate dairy free, nut free ,gluten free and egg free made by kinnerton in norfolk uk. i hate plain choclate but that was loverly especially with a milky frothy coffee. i bought a cappacino whizzer soya milk froth lasts to the end of the mug full. coop does peppermint creams suitable for vegans there addictive:)

[jill]

I've just seen that Green & Blacks have brought out a bar of dark chocolate with ginger. I didn't buy any as at £2.99 a bar, I thought it rather expensive. I might have to put it on my Christmas List. This was at a Julian Graves shop, prices may be different elsewhere?

[linny]

I saw some orange flavour After Eights in my Co-op Local and at a quick glance I don't think they had milk in. Has anyone tried them? (Cocoa butter is ok isn't it? I think after being indoors ill for 10 days I am losing my marbles!!!)

[matt]

cocoa butter should be fine it's the stuff that surrounds the cocoa nut. amusing thought popped into head then linking cocoa nut with certain members of the site! mention no names and get no abusive emails!

not tried the orange wafers but think they're ok. worth asking co-op they tend to be quite good with info. let us know.

[Pam]

Orange After Eights are okay and they taste rather nice too, I had some last year. Just be aware that any After Eights produced outside the UK may contain Butterfat (milk) as some of the european factories use a different recipe. Asda were selling non UK produced ones a couple of years ago so you need to be vigilant.

[linny]

:thumbsup: Thanks for the info everyone, I'm looking forward to getting some of these orange ones!! I've been enjoying the low fat Mcvities digestives over the past few days, :eat: it's amazing how good these taste when you've been deprived of them!
Linny

[matt]

urgent news for you all!!!


in local co-op shop after 8 mints plain or orange ones 2:45 each or two for three quid!!! short time offer. just thought i'd let you all know. don't know if your one will have smae offer but worth looking.

stock up for xmas, eat by the weekend. enjoy

[Pam]

Thanks Matt, will have to go for a look at those.

How come you're posting at this time of the day, I thought you were nocturnal?

[linny]

I was looking around Thorntons today and stumbled across their plain choc bar. The assistant looked it up and it was listed as dairy free but may contain milk traces, probably made in the same place as their other products. As I'm only intolerant I bought a bar and it's quite nice (for plain chocolate!).:bleh:

[matt]

oh i am nocturnal but i'm trying to be disciplined and not go out quite as much as i have been. i'm still online at 5am but sometimes come back later if i've anything to say. and how much more important was the after 8 info!

the weather helps. if it's cold and wet outside not much incentive to go out is there?

[linny]

Thanks Matt, I went and bought 2 boxes of After Eights for £3 and am hoping to keep them 'til Christmas. The mint ones might survive! I noticed that Wilkinsons have them 3 for 2 in their Xmas leaflet.

Is the Tesco Christmas cake actually in their free from range or is it their cheap one? I might treat myself as no-one in the family eats dried fruit things but me, oh what a shame!!:drool: I also went on the fudge shop website - how much??? I might go to their Canterbury shop when I'm down that way next. The vegan website has loads of goodies, dare I indulge in any more chocolate. Well Christmas is just around the corner, so they keep telling us. Had a good afternoon today made some (30!) fairy buns with Megan and used Pure marg. They came out well. Icing them was the best bit. Bye for now.

[simon]

I have found some one who can make dairy free chocolate bars and truffles, like orange, champagne etc. ihope you find the site heplful. They are realy good trust me i have tried them and i make a nice change to the other rubbish that is out there.
www.condelcatering.com

[Pam]

Are the you chef Simon? You told us all about making your own goodies and then disappeared after your first post, we'd all love some recipes.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any more information on the link that you gave us. Prices and range would be useful. Do you know any more?

If you are related to them, why not ask Lan and Steve to put you a link on the suppliers page?

PS Booja Booja truffles are very nice too.

[simon]

Yes i am. sorry it has been a long time since i have been back, but i have been busy. I can let you have the recipe for dairy free sweet pastry but i would need to show how to handle it as if you do not use it right it will start to fall apart. If you want the recipe i will e-mail it to you. On the other note i have helped them get the truffle right, they are made using soya Cream and dark chocolate and orange oil, to tell you the truth i would not know the difference. if you would like any more help on making anything that is dairy free e-mail me s.markham@orange.net.

[Pam]

I'm not very good with pastry. I'm very impatient so tend to just throw everything together and I also have a warm kitchen and warm hands so it tends not to come out too well. I also use Pure dairy free spread which tends to be a little too soft for pastry making. I avoid making pastry wherever possible and buy my mince pies etc. which are generally dairy free if you buy the cheapest ones.

How easy is it to make truffles at home? Is it something that the average home cook can do or is it very fiddly?

[matt]

i'll email you, i don't do much baking for me but loads for others, it'd be fun to have an idea how to make pastry i can eat.

[Copper]

Hi Simon

Have you thought about writing a book full of dairy free recipes? I am sure that we would all buy a copy :)

[Lan]

Hi Simon,

We are thinking of implementing a new recipe system in the new year and would like to know whether you would like to add your recipes into it.

The more recipes we have the better.

Take Care,


Lan.

[simon]

It can be very easy to make truffles at home, but as you have said you have very warm hands, this will cause you problems as chocolate does melt very quickley.

[Copper]

Hi Simon,

We are thinking of implementing a new recipe system in the new year and would like to know whether you would like to add your recipes into it.

The more recipes we have the better.

Take Care,


Lan.
What a brilliant idea Lan. I do hope that Simon can help us out here. We can all use our common sense with substituting pure for butter etc but I struggle with things like mousse usually made with cream. How could we make our own ice cream that tastes yummy?

[matt]

icecream.....i'd either use provamil custard and freeze it or tin of cocnut milk/cream and likewise freeze it. just take it out every 1/2 hour or so and stir it up to break up the crystals. should come out fine, other flavours? just use milk shake flavourings with the custard or even soya milk or add real fruit. might not be as good but it'll taste nice.

or just stick to swedish glace who dod all the effort for us!:D :drool:

[Copper]

I really like Swedish Glace but thought that maybe I should try and be more creative in the kitchen. I don't know why as I don't like spending time cooking and never have done.

New Years resolution - track down some coconut milk and or cream :)

[matt]

tesco's usually have coconut cream and milk. milk comes in tin and cream in small cardboard packet.

it should work with the milks. the almond milk would make an interesting icecream. if it doesn't freeze well you could always try to add some fruit and then gently simmer over heat to reduce slightly and break down the fruit then cool then freeze. again remember to stir a few times or it's likely to turn into a solid lump of ice! or ask father christmas for an icecream maker! which does that for you!

never tried this myself as not a huge fan icecream but can't see why it wouldn't work. might need to add some sugar as cold things don't taste as sweet. have fun and let me know results.

[Pam]

In Tesco (our branch anyway) the coconut cream is near the free from stuff. Along the back wall we have free from, then organic, then foreign foods (the genuine indian stuff, not with the homepride curry sauce etc). Coconut cream is also with the foreign foods in Morrisons (with chinese and thai stuff there I think).

I've got an ice cream maker and never use it, it is far too much effort and you really need to eat it all in one go or it sets too hard in the freezer. Stick with the swedish glace or for special occasions try Sainsburys free from ice cream (I've got toffee & Walnut and a raspberry one - £2.89 for 500ml but very nice). If you fancy trying some more flavours you can get frozen foods from Goodness Foods Direct and they have loads of different ice creams - swedish glace, tofutti and others. You have to pay an additional charge for the special box but if you consider fuel and parking costs of traipsing around different towns to find the stuff you want it doesn't really make it that expensive. Filling your freezer up once every 6 months or so makes it a reasonable option.

[alisonmorgan]

You mention the Tesco free from chocolate bar, my kids love it and I must say it is the best I have tried (not liking dark chocolate), but Tesco have discontinued it!!!! I can't believe it I use it for baking and for eating as a bar, don't know what I will do now. Come on Tesco bring it back NOW!!!

[Copper]

I visit two different Tesco stores most weeks and get confused about their Free from foods. My Tesco Extra has a set of shelves for Free from and organic and this is where I see the chocolate. In the smaller (but still large) shop this week I spotted their Free from chocolate on the top shelf of the shelves of ordinary small bars of chocolate eg Mars, Cadburys whatever. Are you sure they have just not moved it just for fun!!!

[cnc]

Have you tried having a look for it on the Tesco website? I had a quick look and couldn't see it but as I'm not totally sure what I'm looking for, I may well be wrong. Failing that email them!!If enough people start complaining about foods that are disappearing from our shelves then things may be done about it. (may be wishful thinking I know)

[alisonmorgan]

Thanks for the replies, I have spoken to Tesco customer service at their head office and it was them that told me it was a discontinued product, but I might be lucky and find a shop that still has some on the shelves. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any locally, but my parents live in the new forest so I am getting them jto try for me too.

[Pam]

Oh Bum!!! My daughter likes that one and it is cheaper than the others. Looks like we will have to get it from the dreaded Sainsburys in future (should be safe as they don't make it themselves - it comes with exactly the same design as Rice Crackle but just a different wrapper).

So.... Sainsburys do just dairy free chocolate or they do one with nuts in at 79p per bar. Morrisons sell the Rice Crackle bar at 79p which is the "milk" chocolate with rice krispies in. Mind you.... Sainsburys have probably dropped this line as they do with so many others - they certainly don't have it on the shelf very often.


Time for a few e-mails to Tesco people.

[matt]

what the heck is it with these firms?:rant:

design and produce aa product. don't let people know about it then complain it didn't sell so discontinue it. makes you think that there's some tax break for the developemnt of them but not for the continued production!