I apologise for how long it’s taken to get this review online. Last week, I typed it all out and was really happy with it, went to save it and, well . . . it didn’t save basically. I was so annoyed I needed to take a break so I could come back and start afresh. Then a lot of bad stuff happened in one go, including saying goodbye to one of my ratties. But I am going to try my best to write a good quality and accurate review today and I apologise in advance if it’s not up to my usual standard.
This review is for November’s lifestyle box by The Vegan Kind. November was also their beauty box month, so stay tuned for that upcoming review. Focusing on the lifestyle box now, this was their 37th box and was also celebrating their third birthday. Happy birthday The Vegan Kind!
I’ve decided to review these boxes slightly differently. Much will stay the same, apart from I will now rate each product individually, then give the box an overall score at the end of the review. I feel this will provide a more accurate rating for people looking to purchase individual products.
As usual, TVK donate 10p from each lifestyle box to an animal charity. This month ‘Go Vegan Scotland‘ were selected. They are behind the vegan billboard campaign that has been popping up all across Scotland. They also run stalls to help educate others about veganism.
Let’s get down to the products now. As usual my items came in a shoebox style cardboard box stamped with the TVK logo. Inside, the products are nestled amongst shredded cardboard to ensure the safe arrival of the items. I always give the box and it’s shredded cardboard to my ratties as they love nesting in it (or at least, they did).
First up we have Foods of Athenry ‘Just Oats Bite Sized Flapjack Bites’. This is a family company based in Ireland who make tasty free-from goods and have more than fifty taste awards! These flapjacks are a nice size and come in a resealable pouch. They state to have a slight gingery flavour but I would argue that it’s a strong gingery flavour. It’s very much like eating a ginger biscuit with a flapjack texture. They also smell like ginger biscuits. They’re made with gluten-free oats and I actually really enjoyed them. This particular pouch is 150g and fits quite a few nice sized flapjacks. It retails at £2.95 although TVK subscribers have received a discount code with this month’s box. 8/10
Cheeky Monkey ‘Peanut Butter Puffs’ are next. They come in a 60g bag and are perfect for sharing (I only share with Hoggle because I have no real choice in the matter). They are a delicious, healthy snack made by Tzippi Witz, an Israeli mother of four, vegan entrepreneur. The puffs are baked, not fried and taste just like you’d imagine them to: of peanut butter. They are a new favourite of Hoggle’s, he couldn’t get enough of them. I was surprised at how much I liked them too, although I have tried them before. They RRP at £1.99 per bag but you get a fair amount in them. 7/10
Now we have come to FRUU ‘Fruitilicious Avocado Lip Balm’ which retails at £2.99. I’m just nearing the end my Hurraw mint lip balm I received via TVK, so I suppose this was good timing. FRUU provide their lip balms in eye-catching, attractive packaging and their ingredients are all Premium Soil Association approved. They are fairly priced and claim to taste great. I beg to differ on that one though as mine didn’t taste of much, but what I could taste wasn’t particularly nice. FRUU incorporate real fruits into all their balms and enrich them with coconut, avocado and jojoba oils, aloe vera, mango and cocoa butter to help moisturise and soothe by keeping them hydrated. They claim to create a matte look but I didn’t find that the case. They are packed with vitamins and antioxidants though. I have found this lip balm hard to judge. I found it very thick to apply and didn’t feel like it absorbed properly into my lips. I think I will stick with my Hurraw lip balm in future as I just didn’t like FRUU’s ‘Fruitilicious Avocado Lip Balm’. That is a shame in itself as again, TVK subscribers are presented with an exclusive discount code on FRUU’s lip balm range. 5/10
Almost half way through now and on to Lenny and Larry’s ‘Birthday Cake Complete Cookie’. That’s right, it’s basically a cookie that tastes like birthday cake and appropriate for TVK’s birthday box. I can confirm it does indeed look and taste like birthday cake but I really didn’t like it. It had an awful aftertaste I found and I ended up giving the rest to my mum who at least enjoyed it. The cookie is not only topped with rainbow coloured sprinkles but it’s also filled with them throughout which gives the cookie its crunch. Overall it’s pretty chewy though. This birthday cake cookie is nutritious, containing 16g of protein and 8g of fibre! The Vegan Kind have added in a small note to say that Vitamin D3 has been accidentally listed in the ingredients of these birthday cake cookies. This is a packaging error and is being rectified. Lenny and Larry’s ‘Birthday Cake Complete Cookie’ weighs 113g and retails at £2.50. I really didn’t like it though so I will be giving it a 3/10.
We have just a few products left to go now. Next is Mr Organic ‘Free-From Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread’ which comes in a 200g jar and retails at £3.99. I generally love Mr Organic products so I was pleased to see this item, even if I do have a Plamil chocolate spread open currently. Mr Organic only use organically grown produce, (duh!) so no chemical, pesticides or general nasties. It’s very creamy and delicious. Made with cocoa and toasted Italian hazelnuts, it’s truly beautiful. I like mine on toast for supper, but another serving suggestion includes drizzling over vegan banana pancakes. Great news is it’s also free of palm oil! Hooray! TVK have added a note saying that oil separation occurs naturally, so you should stir it before use but mine doesn’t appear to have done that. Regardless, this is well worth treating yourself to. 9/10
This is our last physical product. Pop Chips ‘Sea Salt and Vinegar Ridges’. These tasty ‘chips’ come in a 23g bag that RRP’s at 85p. They aren’t fried, simply popped and do taste pretty good. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of salt flavour. I just seemed to taste vinegar. They were nice enough but not the best I have had. They do have the bonus of containing less fat than normal crisps and I have enjoyed other products in their range, so worth a try. 6/10
Last but not least we have a voucher for 20% off at Ethics and Antics, who are a clothing brand dedicated to building a compassionate community. They were founded by vegan athlete Tim Shieff in 2015 and are now one of the most popular vegan clothing brands around. The brand features items such as a ‘VGANG’ hoodie and a ‘NAGEV’ t-shirt. The voucher is exclusive to TVK subscribers but it’s not something I am particularly interested in. I rarely use vouchers for this sort of thing but recognise it’s not in place of another product, but merely an added extra. I appreciate that and I’m sure many other people will too. I won’t rate this voucher as I don’t believe it would be accurate as I haven’t used it.
That’s it for this month’s review of The Vegan Kind’s lifestyle box. I have been pretty pleased with it. Please keep an ear out for November’s beauty box review coming soon and thanks for reading.
Reviews by PhilOakeysFringe 