Retrocorn

Last week, I got some Retrocorn through the post to try. It's a new brand of popcorn that's flavoured by crushing tradition British sweets over it. The popcorn is handmade, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. Plus, each serving is only 146 calories! 

I'm not sure why this way of flavouring popcorn hasn't been thought of before. There's lots of popcorn brands out there, but Retorcorn has the best flavour I've ever tasted. 

I went for the Cola Cube packet first, and thought it would be my favourite. Then I tasted Rhubarb & Custard and it became a clear winner. The other flavours (Lemon Sherbet, Strawberries & Cream, and Lime Sherbet) taste delicious too, and they all remind me of picking up sweets on my way home from school as a kid.

If you want to have a look at the other flavours on offer and order some for yourself then just visit the Retrocorn website - http://www.retrocorn.co.uk/

RHUBARB & CUSTAR

Happy Galentine's Day

This year, I decided to celebrate Galentine's Day with a trip up to Dundee to spend the weekend with one of my best friends. Since this year was the 28th Valentine's Day without getting a card, I figured it was a good idea to get out of town for the weekend.

On Saturday, we did some shopping so I could buy the unicorn pyjamas I'd been after for a while and headed to Asda to buy some food to make tofu fajitas for dinner. At night I dragged Jenn to the cinema to see 50 Shades of Grey, and it was really, really good. It's not a groundbreaking piece of film, and the sex scenes are pretty tame, but it is a good movie.

On Sunday, we drove to Broughty Ferry for lunch at Gracie's. I picked the Hummus Be Joking wrap which was delicious, and had one of the best sandwich names I've ever heard. After we'd stuffed our faces with healthy food, we walked around Broughty Castle and the beach before I had to jump on the train home.

I Can't Believe It's Vegan!

It's been a while since I've written anything for Huffington Post. Sometimes I can write for hours, but other times I sit staring at a blank screen for days on end. I'm trying to start writing regularly again, so here's my first post of the year that you can also read here.

_________________________________________________________________

How many things did you plan to give up this month? Whether it was alcohol, smoking or junk food, most of us have tried to give up something in January in a bid to become a bit healthier.

One campaign that's been trying to encourage us all to adopt a healthier lifestyle this month is Veganuary. It's also hoped that some people might continue to be vegan once the month is over. If you're one of the people who does, then it can be a bit daunting trying to figure out what you can and can't eat on a permanent basis. It's fine to get through a couple of weeks without animal products, but doing it full time can turn shopping into a bit of a chore. Not all supermarkets carry a vegan label on their food, so you need to become some kind of detective every time you pick up a product that you want to buy.

Luckily, there's quite a few products around that are accidentally vegan. So while you can enjoy discovering some new vegan chocolate and biscuits, you can also keep eating these items safe in the knowledge that they contain no animal products.

Oreos 

You would think a sandwich cookie that consists of two chocolate biscuits with a cream filling would be anything but vegan. However, the biscuit manufacturer recently changed some of the ingredients, meaning the ones made in Europe are free of all animal products.

Pop Tarts

Okay, so the varieties with chocolate or frosting are out. But the unfrosted Pop Tarts like Brown Sugar, Blueberry or Strawberry are completely vegan. They might not be that healthy, but they do make a good occasional breakfast food.

Starburst

Wait, there's a chewy candy that doesn't contain gelatine? I wish I'd known this last year while I missed my former favourite sweets. Well, it turns out that Starburst (or Opal Fruits as I still like to call them) are 100% vegan.

Pringles

If you're missing the taste of barbecue, then you can now happily tuck into a tub of Texas BBQ Pringles. I should point out that you can't eat all flavours of Pringles, but we can live in hope that one day Sour Cream & Chive will be suitable to eat too.

Veggie Colin The Caterpillar - Fizzy Rainbows

Marks and Spencer have recently released lots of new vegetarian sweets, but some of them are vegan friendly too. There's a bit of an argument about whether you should eat products with beeswax in them. If you're against it, then these sweets are one variety that's completely fine for you to eat.

Fox's Party Rings

Due to some recent ingredient changes, vegans can now enjoy the party too. I wouldn't say they were the best biscuits in the world, but they were a staple of every birthday party I went to as a kid. I guess that alone is a reason to revisit them.

Jus-Rol Cinnamon Swirls

Apart from cheese, cinnamon related pastries are the one thing I miss the most. But then I discovered that I could eat these for breakfast. If cinnamon isn't your thing, then they have other delicious varieties to try too.