Christmas Chocolate – The Review Studio

LoveRaw Chocolates

Children, chocolate, Family Life, Lunchbox Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

I’m always on the lookout for new snacks, especially ones that aren’t unhealthy or might be a better option than a multipack from the supermarket where no one in our household likes certain flavours! LoveRaw are a plant-based company who produce milk and white chocolate bars that suit the whole family. We were sent a selection box with a mix of both types of chocolate to see how we liked them…

Inside the box was:

LoveRaw Cream Wafer Bar, milk chocolate (43 grams)

LoveRaw Peanut Butter Caramel Bar, milk chocolate (40 grams)

LoveRaw Nutty Choc Balls, milk Chocolate (28 grams)

LoveRaw Cream Wafer Bar, white chocolate (45 grams)

LoveRaw Cream Wafer Bar Caramelised Biscuit, white chocolate (45 grams)

You’d be forgiven if you think you might have seen some of these bars on the supermarket shelves before, or at least a few of the supermarket elements in these bars as LoveRaw have invented some new varieties. All of the chocolate is plant-based and therefore it’s vegan and suitable for everyone to eat. Instead of milk or cream, coconut milk is used instead to give the creamy texture to make the chocolate, both milk and white variations.

Starting with the Cream Wafer Bars, there are two in each pack and they’re individually wrapped. Neither the white nor the milk chocolate bars contain anything artificial (“No Artificial Nonsense” as it says on the packs!) and are palm oil free. The bars are hazelnut filled wafers with either a vegan white chocolate flavoured coating or a milk chocolate flavoured coating. The Caramlised Biscuit Cream Wafer Bar has more bite to it with cinnamon filled wafters and have a caramel flavoured coating. These Cream Wafer Bars are great for snacks at lunchtime, they’re pretty filling and taste like chocolate too.

The LoveRaw Nutty Choc Balls are only 81 calories per ball and also vegan and plant based. Each Nutty Ball has a whole hazelnut in a cocoa coating and nut croquante on the outside. They’re about the size of a lychee and also individually wrapped so you can share them, or eat them at different times!

Available directly from EatLoveRaw.com, promotions include:

20% off 6 packs
30% off 12 packs
40% off 24 packs

Promotions start from Friday 24th Nov – Sunday 26th. With an extra 5% off on Cyber Monday.

NOMO Christmas Chocolates

Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Stocking Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

NOMO (No More Missing Out) have brought out a lovely range of Christmas chocolates for 2023, aimed at anyone who is allergic to the main allergens (dairy, gluten, egg and nuts) or lives a plant based life. We were sent some of the selection to review, and frankly, it’s the best part of our job when we have to force ourselves to eat chocolate!

The selection of NOMO Sharing Boxes contain 140 grams of chocolates, each individually wrapped and there’s about 12 chocolates in each box. There are three flavours of the sharing boxes; Choc Orange Crunch, Caramel and Mint. All of the sharing boxes are vegan chocolate, plant based and free from eggs, dairy nuts and gluten so are suitable for the whole family.

If you’re familiar with the ‘big brand’ chocolates then you’ll recognise what type of confectionary these flavours are based on. The Caramel flavour is milk chocolate with a soft caramel filling. They’re arranged as two squares for each of the sweets, so you can take your time over eating them and the chocolate is surprisingly thick. The Choc Orange Crunch isn’t a fondant filling but more of an enriched chocolate filling with piece of – you guessed it – crunchy flavoured orange pieces. The last box is the Mint flavour which was my favourite. Again, there was generous chocolate but also a lot of the mint fondant filling which was soft at room temperature and reminded me of another famous brand.

We were also sent the NOMO Reindeers in Choc Fudge and Cookie Dough flavours. These individually wrapped chocolates weigh 33 grams and 30 grams respectively and are also vegan and free from eggs, nuts, gluten and dairy. They’re perfect for adding to children’s stockings or for Christmas parties where you don’t know if the kids are all able to tolerate conventional milk chocolate. The Cookie Dough flavour is soft with slightly crunchy pieces covered in NOMO milk chocolate. The child in me insisted on eating the reindeer ears first but there’s no obligation! The Choc Fudge flavour was my favourite though as it was rich, deep fudge that was slightly gooey and very indulgent. It’s a real chocolate lover’s treat.

The sharing boxes are an excellent idea no matter what time of year and are just the right portion size to be eaten after dinner over the Christmas period. They’re also great for school lunchboxes or for anyone who’s never tried plant-based chocolates before. For those of us who are always scrambling for last minute gifts for the neighbours, these NOMO sharing boxes mean you don’t have to worry about offending anyone with an allergy by giving them something they can’t enjoy! The NOMO Reindeers are a great pick-me-up for the supermarket too, or to enjoy on car journeys throughout the festive period.

NOMO are continuing to make great fun chocolate that’s appealing to everyone and more importantly, more accessible. There is indeed No Missing Out anymore when it comes to chocolate.

Divine Deliciously Smooth 70% Dark Chocolate Advent Calendar and Joyful Caramel, Hazelnut and Candied Orange Chocolate Bar

advent calendar, Children, chocolate, Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

The world is divided into those who love dark chocolate and those who detest it. I am definitely a lover of dark chocolate, and the higher cocoa content the better so this 70% advent calendar from Divine was mine for the taking. Plus, I’m never one to pass up the opportunity to try chocolate, so when it came with Divine’s Joyful Christmas chocolate in caramel, hazelnut and candied orange flavour, there was no stopping me!

The advent calendar is packed with 24 windowed chocolate pieces, one for every day of advent up until Christmas Eve. The calendar itself is beautiful, in black packaging to illustrate the dark chocolate and brightly coloured with decorations and figures of the farmers who product the cocoa. Unlike other calendars, this one is vegan too.

Every bar of Divine Chocolate helps to directly change the lives of cocoa farmers around the world. Divine Chocolates are made with only Fairtrade cocoa and sugar, so the majority of the ingredients are sourced from the right farmers who are given the right compensation. That alone should make you feel good about buying Divine Chocolate but it doesn’t stop there. All of the flavours and ingredients are natural, and they use only 100% pure cocoa butter. Additionally, Divine are helping to save the environment and habitations too by using NO palm oil.

This is an advent calendar clearly children will enjoy but adults will too, and anyone with a conscience will appreciate that somewhere in Ghana, there is a farmer and his family whose life will be improved by you supporting Divine Chocolate.

What is the Joyful chocolate like though? As a special edition for Christmas, this chocolate is 45% cocoa so a higher amount than typical milk chocolate without being bitter. You can feel the texture of the hazelnut filling and there are lovely pieces of caramel to give it the slightly sticky, sweet taste too. I can’t say that the orange flavour is very strong, so if you’re a fan of citrus or candied orange then this isn’t overpowering. The whole bar is a grown-up way of celebrating Christmas though, and very moreish. I would suggest this is a good treat for when you’re Christmas shopping, or to have one dark evening after dinner. If you give chocolate and money as gifts to adults, I would recommend the Divine Joyful Christmas Chocolate every time, but don’t expect it to last past Boxing Day!

Advent calendar available for £5 from Ocado, Whole Foods, Oxfam and online at: https://www.divinechocolate.com/product/divine-dark-70-chocolate-advent-calendar

Joyful Christmas Chocolate bar available for £4.50: https://www.divinechocolate.com/product/divine-joyful-christmas-bar-180g

Divine Seriously Smooth Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Stocking Fillers

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Chocolate is no longer just for children, nor is it the over-farmed, unfair trade that it used to be, or at least it doesn’t have to be if you choose the right retailer. Divine Chocolate is co-owned by cocoa farmers to give them a better deal on their wares plus improves the standard of the chocolate. It’s a win/win for everyone and their 2023 advent calendars are no exception!

We were sent two to try, the first one being the Seriously Smooth Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar. With 24 days (or nights if you’re being pedantic) of chocolate to taste, it’s the usual size and structure of an advent calendar. Slightly larger than A4 size, it can be posted and most of it is recyclable due to the cardboard involved. The windows open to reveal a Christmas-themed chocolate which appeals to both children and adults. Nothing complicated about that? Well there isn’t anything complicated, it’s just that the chocolate has secret powers… Secret powers to change lives. Let me explain more.

What is the chocolate like though? Well as you would imagine, it’s smooth milk chocolate, and it has a more authentic chocolate taste because it has pure cocoa butter and contains no palm oil. No substitutions mean that it’s a richer, smoother chocolate both in texture and taste.

Available for £5 from Ocado, Whole Foods, Oxfam and online at: https://www.divinechocolate.com/product/divine-milk-chocolate-advent-calendar

Cadbury Heroes Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Stocking Fillers, Winter

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Are you the type of family who open advent calendars in the morning before school? When coming in after school? Or do you wait until after dinner to indulge in the daily Christmas chocolate? In our house, we always had chocolate after dinner but now that I’m an adult I have to remind myself that I can have chocolate any time of the day, even when it’s not Christmas!

Cadbury make a whole range of different chocolates and this Cadbury Heroes Share Good Times is an ideal adult or teenage gift. The Heroes range of chocolates include Eclairs, Fudge, Wispa, Dairy Milk, Crunchie, Twirl, Dairy Milk Caramel, Double Decker and Crème Egg Twist. These are all the miniature varieties of the bigger bars but just as delicious and probably better for your health overall! They’re individually wrapped behind 24 windows and make up 230 grams in total of chocolate inside.

Probably aimed at older children, teenagers and adults, the variety of chocolate bars appeals to anyone who loves chocolate. Even if there’s one or two you don’t like, there are 9 different bars to choose from so you can guarantee there’ll be another one the next day that you will. If like me you don’t usually buy chocolate bars throughout the year, you’ll be surprised what’s on the market now. I’d never seen Crème Egg Twisted before, and it’s been a long time since I had a Double Decker so these brought back memories!

I really like the idea of having so many different bars in one calendar, and yes, they are much smaller than the full sized bars but they’re just the same taste, and give the same chocolate hit I’m always looking for mid afternoon. It’s reminded me how much I love a Fudge bar or Twirl and made me look forward to opening the next window in the Cadbury Heroes Advent Calendar throughout Christmas.

Available from £7.19 at: https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/cadbury-heroes-advent-calendar.html

Cadbury Snowballs Chocolate and Chocolate Coins

Children, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, secret santa, Stocking Fillers

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Who here DIDN’T have chocolate coins for Christmas as a child? Were they part of your stocking? Perhaps Gran gave you some chocolate as part of your Christmas present along with a few notes when you were a teenager? I know I used to get a bar of chocolate at Christmas with something monetary sellotaped to it because that’s all I wanted by the time I was that age!

Cadbury have a range of chocolate gifts for every occasion and you’ll be pleased to know that their famous chocolate coins are still going strong. Available everywhere for the festive season, there’s something nostalgic about getting the coins, then trying to prise open that plastic netting that I swear is stronger than steel… only to have to spend the next half hour delicately peeling off the foil from each of the coins before devour them. I’m not sure they were ever meant to be an exercise in dexterity, but the satisfaction of getting the foil off of a chocolate coin on one go without bending or tearing it is something every child should experience.

The Cadbury Snowballs Chocolate bar and grab bag are relatively new to the range. Slightly crunchy shells are covered in a light dusting of sugar and filled with milk chocolate to give a contradictory crunch and smooth chocolate sensation. Deliciously more-ish, they’re perfect for stockings, Secret Santa or as a part present for either adults or children. Whichever Cadbury chocolates you choose, don’t forget they won’t be around for the rest of the year, so snap them up when you can!

https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/cadbury-mini-snow-balls-bar-110g.html

https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/cadbury-mini-snow-balls-chocolate-family-sharing-bag-296g.html

https://www.cadburygiftsdirect.co.uk/cadbury-dairy-milk-chocolate-christmas-coins-bag-70g.html

PLAYin CHOC Christmas Collection

Children, Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Plastic free, Toys, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Organic Chocolate and Surprise Toy!

Decision making time is here when it comes to Christmas presents! It’s always difficult to find toys and treats for children which are more sustainable, have less additives and preservatives and are hopefully healthier than some items in the shops.

PLAYin CHOC are the modern alternative to Kinder Surprises. They’re boxes of individually wrapped chocolates with a pop-out, make your own toy made of cardboard, and an information card with facts. Aimed at children aged 3+, they provide a treat as well as an educational toy which they put together themselves.

The PLAYin CHOC chocolate is organic, dairy free, nut free, gluten free and the toys and packaging are all plastic free. The chocolate is sweetened with coconut sugar (coconut is not a nut but actually a fruit) and the creaminess of the chocolate comes from creamed coconut. There’s only cacao solids and vanilla pods which make up the rest of the ingredients of the chocolates.

We were sent a selection box of 6 PLAYin CHOC ToyChoc boxes in a collection for Christmas. Each box contains two chocolates of 10grams each, individually wrapped in compostable film. The toy is a 3D puzzle which pops out from the cardboard pressing and is assembled with little hands, and all the toys are on a Christmas theme. There’s also a fact card with each box which relates to the puzzle your child has made, giving them that extra entertainment.

These are lovely presents for Christmas – either on the Christmas table to keep children entertained, in the car on long trips or even in crackers. As they’re all compostable and recyclable as well, they fulfil the environmental check list too. These PLAYin CHOC boxes would be great as stocking fillers too, in the knowledge that each box doesn’t contain that much chocolate that it will spoil Christmas lunch, nor will children get hyperactive because there aren’t any additives involved. Christmas morning, making toy puzzles out of cardboard cut outs is much more preferable to the sirens and bells of other toys and games!

Is the chocolate any good? Well, I’ve tried PLAYin CHOC before and even tested the difference between them other High Street chocolates. There is no coconut taste, but PLAYin CHOC is slightly less sweet than other brands, probably because there is no added sugar, just coconut sugar. There’s still the creamy texture of chocolate, and of course, the cocoa makes sure that you still get your chocolate hit!

Gift sets will be available for £13.50 for 6 at: https://playinchoc.com/collections