What I tried recently – including a Jack Links meat snacks 50p discount

Once again I’ve had a few products sent to me to share with you, so here’s a little round up. Although they have been sent to me for free, my reviews are as always completely honest.

IMG_1119Jack Links meat snacks

I wasn’t entirely convinced I’d like this meat snack, as I assumed it was a type of billtong, which always reminds me a bit of dog chews. My brother loves them though, and Andrew was quite keen to give them a go, so we opened one up to try and were pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture of this product.

According to Jack Links, they are made using the best beef which is seasoned and slow cooked in a smoke oven using a family recipe. We thought the bar was flavoursome with a dense and slightly chewy texture – not hard and tough like the billtong-like product I had imagined. There was a sweetness to the smoky taste which reminded us of slow roasted tomatoes.

They are substantial enough to make a decent snack to fill a hole if you are feeling peckish.

We quite liked them, my brother loved them, and if you want to try them you can get 50p off each bar via their Facebook page here – just print off the coupon.

Verdict – If you like this kind of thing you will no doubt enjoy them. Although they probably won’t make it into my shopping  basket, my brother will be looking out for them.

IMG_9505Candias olive oil

This Cretian olive oil was sent to me at the end of last year, and it’s another product I have taken my time to use, but I am glad I got to taste it. I received a Viannos and Peda oil, and each has the rich green colour of olives, and a strong but not overpowering taste. Living where I do in North London, I am becoming a bit of an olive oil conneseur as it’s available from all of my local shops.

Apparently this particular brand of olive oil is for sale in Tesco (according to their website), but I haven’t found it yet, so I don’t have a relevant link to share with you.

Verdict – if I saw it, I’d buy it!

IMG_9504Primal kitchen bars

I received a few of these bars to try – they are promoted as natural, raw, low fat and generally suitable for paleo diets. The almond and cashew bar was my favourite, with the coconut and macademia one a close second. They appear to have rebranded as the Primal Pantry now and you can find their bars on Ocado’s website and in most supermarkets and health food stores.

I recommend them if you need a filling and healthy snack after you hit the gym – each bar is very substantial and full of (they say) good things that you would find in your kitchen cupboards.

Verdict – I love these kind of bars, although the dried fruit in them is still high in natural sugar, so don’t eat too many in one go, tempting as it might be.

Fresha bags

These blue bags are used to keep food fresh for longer using a blend of natural minerals to slow down the ageing process of fruit and vegetables. Apparently you can keep your fresh produce fresher for 25% longer so I gave it a go with some mushrooms, onions and potatoes.

My mushrooms did seem to last a little longer than they might have in their original packaging, but I didn’t notice the potatoes or onions having any extra staying power. That might be because those veggies have longevity and I wanted to eat them before they had the chance to turn.

Apparently if you try them with bananas then you see a significant difference in the fruit which has been placed in a bag, but I never have them in the house (Andrew utterly detests bananas) so I couldn’t give them a try.

Anything that helps to reduce waste is a good thing in my book, but I am not keen on the idea of chemicals on my veggies.

If you want to give them a go, then they are for sale online at www.freshabag.com.

Verdict – I tend to eat my food too quickly for it to go off, so I won’t be needing these. 

Have you tried any of these products, and if so what did you think?

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