Radiance - The Juice Cleanse Co.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s inevitable that we’ll be treating ourselves a little. As a sweet treat, you can’t beat a really good plant-based chocolate. There are lots out there now, so we got together as a team and tasted some of the most widely available options. It's a hard job, but someone had to do it (!).

All of these chocolates are available to buy on Ocado and are accessible across the UK.

Ombar Dark 72% Raw Chocolate Bar – 35g

Credit: @ombarchocolate

• Organic: yes
• Raw: yes
• Vegan: yes

Here at Radiance, we love Ombar and would rate them top of the raw chocolate brands. This is a staple for us – very creamy, dark chocolate with a wonderful balance of richness and sweetness. It even has live cultures added, a nice nutritional touch.

Best for:

• Taste: 5/5
• Value for money: 4/5

Buy it here

Raw Halo Mylk and Vanilla – 70g 

Credit: @rawhalo

• Organic: yes
• Raw: yes
• Vegan: yes

This is a very good raw, milk chocolate substitute. It didn’t have the creaminess of the Ombar, but it did have a delicious vanilla flavour and genuinely felt like a treat.

Best for:

• Taste: 4/5
• Value for money: 3.5/5

 Buy it here

Doisy and Dam Maca, Vanilla and Cacao Nibs – 80g 

Credit: @doisyanddam

• Organic: yes
• Raw: no
• Vegan: yes

Doisy and Dam is great value for money, and they have some really interesting flavours. We enjoyed the texture from the nibs, but didn’t find it as creamy as some others.

Best for:

• Taste: 2.5/5
• Value for money: 3.5/5

 Buy it here

Divine Rich Dark Chocolate with Turmeric and Ginger – 80g 

Credit: @divinechocolateuk

• Organic: yes
• Raw: no
• Vegan: yes

If, like us, you enjoy spice, then you will love this chocolate. It has a powerful ginger taste, which accentuates the dark cocoa flavour from the 85% and the texture was delicious. We’d describe this as a sophisticated treat – but not for the fainthearted!

Best for:

• Taste: 4/5
• Value for money: 4/5

 Buy it here

Chocolate and Love Pomegranate 70% Cacoa – 80g

Credit: @chocolateandlove

• Organic: yes
• Raw: no
• Vegan: yes

 We loved the biodegradable packaging but weren’t sold on the taste of this chocolate. The intense fruity taste combined with the rich chocolate was slightly too sweet and we found that one square was more than enough.

Best for:

• Taste: 2.5/5
• Value for money: 2/5

 Buy it here

A quick and easy plant-based recipe, which is nutritious as well as delicious. These guilt-free brownies are packed with goodness from avocados, apples and nuts - perfect for a little indulgence this January.

You’ll need a blender or food processer to combine all these wonderful ingredients.

Please note, these brownies are not vegan as they contain egg. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large avocado
• 1/2 cup peeled and chopped apples
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C 
2. In a blender or food processor combine avocado, apples, maple syrup and vanilla.
3. Add these ingredients to a large bowl and whisk in eggs.
4. Add in coconut flour, cocoa powder, blanched almonds, sea salt and baking soda and stir until well-combined.
5. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with coconut oil and add batter.
6. Place in oven to bake for 25 minutes (slightly less for fudgier brownies or slightly longer for more cake-like brownies).
7. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into 16 brownies.
8. Keep them on the counter in an airtight container at room-temperature for up to 2 days or for a longer shelf-life store in the fridge or freezer. 

2019 will be a milestone year for Radiance, and we're so looking forward to what it holds.

We love to start our year with intention, and we've enjoyed setting our goals and priorities for the year ahead.

Sustainable commitment

In 2019, we’ll be focusing on being part of the commitment to a more sustainable world, specifically when it comes to packaging. At Radiance we strive to be as environmentally friendly as we possibly can, by using 100% BPA free recycled bottles, ethically sourced cool bags, recycling and reducing our juice miles when we can. But we know there is always more we can do, and we’re looking forward to rising to the challenge this year.

A beacon for food quality

The world is changing, and with Brexit posing many challenges for food businesses, many of us are worrying about the impact leaving the EU may have on both the ethical and environmental standards of food coming into the UK. At times like this we are proud to be certified organic – an independent verification of the standard of our ingredients and our supply chain.

With a challenging year ahead, we can be confident that our Radiance clients will continue to receive products that they can trust and are second-to-none when it comes to quality. 

Our personal aspirations

As a team, our aspirations for 2019 all centre around being more connected. We want to connect more with likeminded people in the wellness industry, we have so much to learn from one another! And of course, we want to connect more with our customers. We want to understand more about what you want and how we can continue to improve our offering year after year, not just during 2019.

From celebrating our 10^th birthday all the way to determining what Brexit means for us all, 2019 is set to be a busy year. But by focusing on the quality of our products and staying connected to our customers and likeminded individuals, we’re planning for a successful year here at Radiance.