Autumn Food Favourites 2021

After my last food favourites post, we made the collective decision to make these posts seasonal rather than monthly so I have time to truly become obsessed with an ingredient before I share it. I know we’re only mid-way through the current season, but I wanted to get this post up before 12 Days of Vegmas commences this year. I have to be honest, my autumn food favourites aren’t exactly seasonal this year.  

I’m not the biggest fan of all things pumpkin spice themed, and I’ve been prepping my Christmas recipes since the end of summer, so these things might seem a little random and not at all seasonal – sorry! 

Autumn Food Favourites 2021 

Buttermilk Hot Chocolate Bomb  

Buttermilk Plant Hot Chocolate Bombe, 57g (one cup), £2

Okay, I’m starting with this because this is by far the most seasonal thing on my list for this post. I’ve shared before that my favourite vegan hot chocolate hack is to literally heat up some chocolate soy or almond milk; you won’t have any lumps and bits, it’s already sweetened, it’s really easy, it’s basically perfect. But I was so curious to try these bombs.  

I was shocked at the size of these when I first took it out of the box, but it’s a hollow chocolate ball filled with some sort of cocoa powder and mini marshmallows. You need to heat some milk, pour it over the bomb, then stir until everything has dissolved.  

1. I was extremely shocked that the marshmallows didn’t melt in this process.  
2. It’s extremely sweet – which I like in a hot chocolate, but if you prefer something richer, this isn’t for you.  
3. Do not be tempted to use a sweet milk with these, it tastes like pure sugar. RIP my teeth after trying this with vanilla soy. In my defence, the label does say to use this with your favourite vegan milk. I only followed the instructions.  

Galaxy Crumbled Cookie  

Galaxy Vegan Crumbled Cookie, 100g, £3

When Galaxy first launched their vegan range, I wasn’t a huge fan. It’s nice, but not the best vegan chocolate. The only real advantage was the brand, obviously, they’re a huge name when it comes to confectionary, so the range can be found in most supermarkets, which was a huge win. But never my first choice.  

HOWEVER, my favourite flavour of basically everything is cookie dough/ cookie crunch/ cookie anything. And since becoming gluten intolerant in 2019, that’s ruled out the vast majority of my favourites. Vegan? Yes. Vegan and GF? No. 

So I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw that this product was also gluten free despite being a cookie flavour. Galaxy still isn’t my favourite vegan chocolate, but this is by far my favourite flavour of vegan Galaxy. 

Urban Fruit Wellness Range 

Urban Fruit Wellness Range, 85g, £2.80

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I’ve spoken about my love of the original Urban Fruit a million times, the strawberry ones are a key ingredient almost every July for my Wimbledon recipes. But I think the wellness line is new? The originals are gently baked fruits, that are like little healthy fruit gums. The wellness line is a collection of blended fruits and added minerals. I’ve tried two of the three flavours now and loved both. While the added vitamins and minerals thing does feel a bit gimmicky, it’s nice to have another option on the healthy snack front. And they’re a great thing to throw in your bag etc.  

Heinz For Veggies  

Made For For Veggies, 250ml, £1.50 (RRP £2.50)

This was a random addition to my basket as part of an introductory offer, but it quickly became a very useful seasoning tool. I know you can use your sauces however you wish to use them, but the majority are designed for meat. And the idea of a range of sauces specifically to enhance vegetables had me curious. I’ve only tried the balsamic and rosemary offering from the range thus far, but it’s already featuring in a couple of Recipe A Day May 2022 posts. 

Have you tried any of these items? What have your recent food favourites been? 

Until next time, 

Sophie 

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