Last night to finish off my Gluten Free Vegan Cheat day/Comfort Food day I had the Vegan Ben & Jerry's. After my moan in a previous blog about not being able to find the one I could eat, just a few days later it was in my local Sainsbury's. On offer too, a whole pound cheaper... only £4.50! (Crazy money for a tub of Ice Cream I know)
I bought the one that was Gluten Free Vegan, which is the Chunky Monkey one. Not what I would have chosen if all the options were open to me, I'm definitely more of a Cookie Dough girl but this works too! I'm very happy that there are now more exciting Vegan options here. In America there are so many options and I was slightly overwhelmed, so nice to have less choice here! (Joking of course, I totally miss the So Delicious, Almond Milk Gluten Free Cookie Dough.)
Well, without further ado, my review for the Chunky Monkey Vegan Ben & Jerry's!
Availability of Product:
Ask me a week ago and my answer would have been, impossible. Now that they are available in Sainsbury's it is a lot easier to get hold of and with the promotion I hope this means it is here to stay for a while. Tesco stocked the other flavours in my local branch but not mine, though it is available online. So far it is just those two Supermarkets and the online one, Ocado. Not a brilliant availability, though for a product that has only just hit the shelves it is a good start.
5/10
Quality of Taste:
To start with, I'd like to say that I don't normally like Banana flavoured things. Ever since I was younger and we were given medicine that tasted like Banana I have really hated Banana Milkshakes etc. Those pharmaceutical companies really don't think it through. You should never ruin fruit for a kid, I spent most of my younger life not eating Bananas...
Anyway, for me to buy an Ice Cream that is actually Banana flavoured was a big deal! Just shows you how excited I was for Ben & Jerry's to introduce a Vegan and Gluten Free Ice Cream to the range in the UK. They have over 9 flavours of Non Dairy in the US although only 2 of those being also Gluten Free. For us Brits it was about time we had some of the fun too!
Back to the event of the year so far (maybe an overstatement). The Almond Milk always creates a great creamy texture, which Ben & Jerry's have totally and utterly mastered. The first spoon into it and it went through like a dream. There is also a respectable amount of "bits" in there, a chunk of Chocolate here and a Walnut there which breaks it up nicely.
The flavour is delicious, for Banana. I thought I would hate it to be quite honest. I guess the reason is that it is more of a hint of Banana but nothing too strong. It has such a creamy, dreamy texture it is totally indulgent yet not too sweet at the same time. The crunch of the Walnuts is perfect and the snap of the Chocolate even better. Great combination of flavours, well I guess they already knew that from their regular range.
Having never had this flavour as a Non-Vegan I can't compare it. To me however, it was a relief to have something different in the Ice Cream department rather than the plain Vanilla, Strawberry or occasional Caramel Pecan that I have to take a loan out to buy. Plus in my humble opinion I actually preferred it to the Booja Caramel Pecan which is the closest comparison in the UK. As I found the Ben & Jerry's to be lighter and easier to eat, not so good when you're in the mood to sit and eat the whole thing though. Touché, Ben and Jerry.
8/10 (Just as I want more flavours)
To all my fellow Vegans and those who prefer the creaminess and healthier side of Almond Milk. This is a must have! If you aren't also Gluten Intolerant I really would like you to try the Fudge Brownie flavour for me, it was my go to Ice Cream back in the day. Break it to me gently though if you do and it's totally out of this world.
Ben & Jerry's I am super happy you finally made it over the pond in the proper way! I hope the other companies will follow, like So Delicious Dairy Free. No offence to B&J, but you can't hold up against So. Especially with their flavours and availability of Gluten Free with Vegan across the US, I just wish it would happen here!
Happy Veganuary Day 17! Ice Cream on such a cold day may not be the most ideal treat, yet that's how I'll be signing off today!