Shire Snax

Shire Snax are an Edinburgh based company and the creation of Michelle and Aaron, who due to health issues, wanted sugar and dairy free, healthy options, so began to make their own raw fruit and nut bars and cakes.

Shire Snax is dedicated to making vegan, gluten free and wheat free naturally sweetened snacks, made with nothing but the best ingredients and processed with dedicated equipment, to avoid cross contamination issues.

I had the pleasure of trying their range of fruit and nut bars, with additional testing by my husband and his brother, keen cyclists always on the look out for energy and fuel supplies.

There are seven flavours, neatly packed in recyclable packaging, with the future aim of moving to compostable, which I know is a problem for many companies I come across, whose environmental ethics are restrained by the sourcing of compostable packaging.

My first impression is I love the quirky names like Jaffa The Hutt, Second Breakfast and The Green Dragon and as the products have no preservatives, artificial colours or additives, they get a big thumbs up from me.

As to the taste, well each one has its own special ingredients, with dates at their core, with a multitude of ingredients including cashew and macadamia nuts, currants, agave, coconut and vanilla.   I loved all of the ones I tried, they are so moist, great texture and full of flavour, with pineapple infused Aloha my favourite.   They are small enough to pop in my bag when out and about and as I walk miles every week, are great for an energy boost or to accompany a takeaway coffee, as I did this morning.

The cyclists verdict was many snack bars are not good during transportation, getting squashed in the back pocket of a cycling jacket or bag, nor are they any good if they crumble and flake, which can cause severe choking, whilst munching away pedalling.   Shire Snax flavours Peppermint Patty and The Green Dragon, both survived 42 miles intact with not a crumb to be seen, so can happily be eaten whilst riding along.   Positive points are they are exceedingly moist, excellent flavour and how great it is to find a snack bar made with natural ingredients, yet suitable for most dietary requirements, with my husband being gluten free and my brother in law dairy free.   The only negative was they need to be double the size, but that's two greedy hungry cyclists for you!

This review has been organised by the VEGAN lifestyle ASSOCIATION.   It has not been paid for and is my genuine and unbiased review of the products.