BEAR THE NOT SO MYSTERIOUS SHOPPER VEGAN CHOCOLATE 2 TESCO EXCLUSIVE

BEAR, THE NOT SO MYSTERIOUS SHOPPER: VEGAN CHOCOLATE 2

I've just got back from the supermarket! I really appreciate 24hr opening times. However, I'm very conscious of the amount of energy wasted. Shouldn't these 24hr shops be running on alternative energies already?

Apologies for my insensitive sense of humour that I've edited out of the last article. That said, the fallout has inspired to write about my own eating disorders, weird ideas about food, and some people in my past who've had difficulties with eating, etc. That article will happen very soon! It might surprise you!

MORE VEGAN CHOCOLATE

I had to pop out to Tesco about an hour ago! I hate to shop late because I almost always end up having long conversations with various members of staff and locals! A shop at this time of night could end up taking hours! I can be chatty! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! LMAO!

I thought I'd take a closer look at Tesco's “Free From” section or sections, Vegan foods are scattered all over the shop floor!

Here, we have some interesting looking Vegan-friendly Fondant Truffles. But on the left, the chocolate wafers aren't Vegan! So, you can't assume that all the products will be safe. There have been times in the past when I thought “Free From” meant Vegan only to learn that this is not so.

I only pay close attention to the ingredients when something tastes so good that I would want to try to replicate it, and that’s when I find out! Nowadays, I look for the Vegan stamp of approval.

I used to love chocolate buttons as a child. As a Vegan Chef, I look for such Vegan-friendly items to use as cake/dessert decorations. It's good to know that I've got some options off the shelf.

I should've bought one of each to see what they taste like. I've had similar bars and they were either too sweet or didn't taste like chocolate. It's good to see a Vegan white chocolate bar. I used to be a Milky Bar Kid - until they ran out of Milky Bar Stars! I collected all those wrappers for nothing! Lol!

I wonder if these micro chocolate bars go down well with children. Children often want what the other children have. How do you, as a Vegan parent, cope with your child's or children's demands?

I think Tesco could do with stocking other Vegan specific brands! I guess that in my neck of the woods, Veganism is not popular enough. On the high road, there's some sort of meat based takeaway shop every 5 - 10 meters. It's horrendous!

Above: A good selection of nut butter and coconut oil. They have additional nut butter in the jam department.

Below: Some health food fruit 'n' nut bars, plus a very good and cost-effective Vegan (and non-Vegan) protein powder. They are marked up a little cheaper than most popular health shops such as Holland and Barrett.

Walking around the shop floor, I can see Vegan based foods in strange areas. There again, “health bars” are strategically placed in close proximity to the Chemist department. While you're waiting for your prescription of chemicals why not grab a Vegan health bar? They must be healthy because look how small and expensive they are!

Maybe one day there'll be a Vegan only section/aisle. I'd welcome that!

Above: Coconut based yogurt alternatives. I had the chocolate one a few moments ago and wished I hadn't.

Below: A fruit gel coconut based yogurt that I'd like to try. Hopefully, they'll prove more satisfying than the chocolate flavoured one!

I shall continue with my Vegan shopping observations.

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Bear XOXOXOXOXO

BEAR THE NOT SO MYSTERIOUS SHOPPER VEGAN CHOCOLATE

BEAR THE NOT SO MYSTERIOUS SHOPPER: VEGAN CHOCOLATE

Hey, my Lovely Vegan Friends! How are you today? It was so nice out earlier! The Sun was out and it was quite warm; now it's cold 'n’ windy. It looks like it's going to rain.

I wanna ask you a question…

HOW VEGAN ARE YOU ABOUT YOUR CHOCOLATE?

On Facebook, I'm a member of many Vegan groups and a frequent subject matter is the authenticity of plain chocolate. I used to buy plain chocolate that's store branded and/or known brands such as Bournville feeling a little uneasy to read, “May contain milk, nuts, and soy…”

Nuts 'n’ soy, I don't have a problem with but I have a problem with milk. The manufacturing process of chocolate in general leads to cross contamination, I get that. Then I have to wonder, “If a particular bar is 70% cocoa solids then what's the make-up of the remaining 30%? I need to look into this in more detail. As a Born Again Vegan, I'm very careful about what I'm consuming. I can't abide by “may”. I've gotta know!

So, last week I decided to go shopping around my area in Enfield to see how easy or hard it would be to find chocolates specifically aimed at us, Vegans!

Lidl, Enfield Town

Although there was a great range of plain chocolate selections, I did not see anything marked “suitable for Vegans”. They had some lovely looking fruit 'n’ veg for what it lacked in Vegan chocolate!

Sainsbury's, Great Cambridge Road

Here, there's a massive selection of plain chocolate up to 90%! I asked a couple of store assistants with regards to these products - especially the 90% variety by Lindt. I was told that the ingredients aren't strictly of a Vegan nature.

Sexist? Me? Well, I found the female was very knowledgeable about the products and guided me to the “Free From” product area. She showed me a selection of Vegan bunnies! I'm a grown man, not a child! Lol! I'm kidding. But, hey! The idea of eating food made into an animal form isn't Vegan! We love bunnies! We don't want to eat them - not even chocolate ones!

I had expected to see a selection of Sainsbury's own Vegan chocolates and saw a very small range of branded chocolates - small being the operative word! Those things were tiny! Why bother with all the wrapping and manufacturing process to produce bite-sized chocolate bars? One bite and it's all over. What a letdown!

I did see some other Vegan chocolate bars. One was by Moo Free but I wasn't sure about the ingredients that was in 'em. And the bar as pictured above. £1.50! What? You're having a laugh! Well, a little chuckle! I observed that we seem to be paying less for nonpure chocolate and so much more for natural pure chocolate with nothing taken out. Huh? Milk and non-Vegan plain chocolates have things added to it and are cheaper. Pure chocolate requires permission from your bank manager to purchase!

Anyway, I left Sainsbury's feeling quite happy about the selection of Vegan chocolates.

Morrison's, Southbury Road

This used to be my favorite supermarket and it looks like I may be going back on a regular basis! It's the only supermarket that stocks my favorite apples, Russets! And the only supermarket that had black uncut kale that I needed for a recipe! Woohoo!

It's quite a huge shop and I had to ask for guidance! I didn't have all day! I asked yet another male and female pair of assistants. Typically, the male didn't have a clue… Mind you, I did ask for the “health food section”. Even though the female was a little perplexed, she brought me to my knees when I saw the chocolate that I just bought in Sainsbury's for less!

Still, it's good to know that Morrison's had a quite a decent selection of Vegan based foods.

Look at the Vegan vegetable stock cubes… Only 50p! WOW! That's almost a £1 off - depending on where you go! Planet Organic sells them for about £1.65! Gosh!

Tesco, Southbury Road

This is my second home - or it used to be! When I had my car, I would jump in and drive to get some supplies when I used to do vampire hours! I got a Moontan! I'd spend a considerable amount of time reading the magazines - hey, it beats recycling the things!

Tesco was very, very disappointing with regards to Vegan chocolate! None! It's frustrating as they have a range of - what would you call these things? Uhm, cereal type of bars… You know, bars like Trek. Tesco has its own coconut oil brand for £3 a time. Not bad! They also have “Free From” section that NEEDS some more products. I'd love to be a stock buyer for Tesco! It's got great potential!

Besides, I don't really wanna go traipsing from one shop to the other! It's shopping for crying out loud, not Raiders of the Lost Ark!

That about wraps up this article! I'll be visiting more supermarkets in due course!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Bear XOXOXOXOXO

P.S. Why don't you follow my amazingly tasty recipes here: Bear's Amazingly Tasty Recipes