New Fairtrade Chocolate Bars

Venture Foods has added two new organic, fairtrade and vegan confectionery bars to their range, bringing the total up to six.

My favourite's the 'Swiss Dark Chocolate Bar with Mint Crisps', a dark chocolate (65% cocoa solids) bar containing crispy mint crystals.  It's a perfect guilt-free after-dinner alternative to the likes of Nestlé's Matchmakers or the Cadbury Schweppes-owned Green & Black's range.  This bar tastes so good, it didn't even occur to me that it was specially formulated to make it suitable for vegans.

I tend to shy away from white 'chocolate' but the Premium Organic White Bar is similarly tasty.  It's not at all obvious that Venture Foods use rice milk as a dairy alternative and it's a great choice for vegans who prefer white chocolate.  (Back-of-the-pack obsessives can see the ingredients list here.)

Both bars are organic, gluten free, vegan and non-GM, and approved by the Soil Association and Fairtrade Foundation.  More importantly, they're both mouth-wateringly tasty, so give one a go, even if you're not vegan or gluten-intolerant.  You can pick a bar up at Waitrose or online at The Natural Grocery Store.  They'll set you back around £1.79 each.