Review: yummy veg and fruit snack for kids- Googly Fruit

When L was smaller we had a little obsession with buying certain veggie pouches for her to eat as it seemed the only way of filling her little stomach with goodness (or so we thought!). Until family member started to mention that L looks jaundice, which was later confirmed by doctors. It wasn't liver jaundice but carotene one which was cause by excessive amounts of carrots in L's meals. 

Upon investigation we found that every single pouch and every single jar L had consisted of small or big amounts of carrots which was the cause for L's orange tint. Since then we are more cautious about what goes into L's mouth and ours for that matter, we try to eat healthy and stay away from nasty ingredients in our food.

Few weeks ago L was very delighted to receive a yummy package from Googly Fruit, who are on a "mission to help kids make a lifelong friendship with fruit and veg...The Googly Fruit range is made from 100% organic fruit and veg with no added nonsense".

We have received a selection of fruit and veg pouches, freeze- dried crunchy fruit pieces and crunchy fruit and veg puffs, Goodly Fruit activity book, sticky googly eyes and "learn your ABC" book all with cute googly characters on the packaging! 

L was very eager to test everything and perhaps would have eaten all at once but eventually picked crunchy strawberry(£1.50)! 

"Our tasty Googly Fruit Made Crunchy are made from 100% fruit. Their secret is that they’ve been freeze-dried to turn them into delicious crunchy bites! They’re additive-free and 100% organic, naturally! From Bella Blueberry and Rory Raspberry to Suzie Strawberry, they’ve all got one thing in common: they’re yummy scrummy and super crunchy!"

The smell was divine and as I have tried them too I can tell you first hand that strawberries taste yummy! The package itself can be re-sealed, same goes for other crunchy fruits from the range. I would love to see veggie crunchy crisps added to the range!

Pouches (£1) "taste them and you'll realise just how good they are. As with all our Googly Fruit products, we don't like nonsense so you won't find any artificial ingredients. Each pouch contains 100% organic fruit and veg (often hidden from your kids) and counts as one of your five-a-day. Don't forget we're super handy and (almost) spill free. 

Fruit ones  have always been my favourite part of weaning, probably L would agree with that, but as this is not about me but about L and other kids wanting to eat more fruit and veg (especially veg for us) I offered L to try a pouch with sweet potato, apple and clementine first. If with the first taste L wasn't sure about it, she didn't mind to try the pouch few more times. I had a little taster too and found that sweet potatoes are slightly overpowering other 2 flavours.

With crunchy puffs (£0.75) "are a great alternative snack to fat-filled crisps. These easy to serve crunch sensations are the ideal size for kids’ little hands - and suitable for small teeth. Once you’ve got a taste for them, you just can’t stop crunching!"

You can't go wrong- great snack, settle flavours, perfect for when out and about or a great, healthy snack for nursery/pre-school.

Googly Fruit branding follows throughout the packaging and activities that can be found on the brand's website and in the paper activity book that can be purchased separately.  Activities help kids to discover the love for fruits and veg through fun colouring, getting to know fruity and veggie characters and much more.

I would love to see how the brand expands it's range and looking forward to see lots and lots of Googly Fruit (and veg) fans! If you would like to give these funky snacks a go you can find them in Superdrugs, Ocado, I have also seen them on Amazon and Kidschoo.com

Disclaimer: We have received products mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Goodness Gracious baby food

L have tried different well - known baby food products, some she food combinations she likes and some she hates. For instance L likes carrot, apple and parsnip pouches from 2 different brands because they are more sweeter and bearable to eat, where as 1 particular brand adds more carrots or carrot flavour is overpowering and L would never eat it.

When we came across Goodness Gracious baby food pouches I was intrigued to see if L will like or dislike them.

"Goodness Gracious Foods serves up an innovative line of organic purees in Switzerland, Europe and all over the world, using recipes that began life in the kitchen of founder Katherine Gubbins.

Goodness Gracious’ food is researched using nutritionists and the ancient healing power of Ayurveda – the Indian traditional health system dating back 5000 years: balancing the mind, body and soul. Whatever you put in your body has an effect. For our babies and children, naturally, we want to give them the best food possible so that they can grow and thrive and live their childhood in the most carefree way".

Pouches from 4 months old:

Apple Puree (£1.10 in Ocado)

I have tried to do apple puree myself but it never tasted right. I don't tend to give L single fruit or veg pouches but if she is not eating anything offered I' willing to try something else. I have offered apple puree pouch as a small snack after L's lunch and I can certainly say that L liked it. I have also tried it myself and it tastes slightly different than your usual apple pure pouch more realistic to what it would taste if I made it.

Pear Puree (£1.10 in Ocado)

Pear puree tasted strong but not too bad, same as apple puree pouches it tasted like a home-made puree.

Apple, Apricot & Cinnamon Puree (£1.28 in Ocado)

When I saw the combination of flavours I thought that it is different but wasn't really sure if L would like that, but she did and finished it all! I have tied it myself as well- overpowering apricot with a small cinnamon hint. 


Banana, Plum & Quinoa Puree (£1.28 in Ocado)

L has never tried quinoa before and I was a little bit worried that she wouldn't take it. Overpowering sweet babana flavour with quinoa texture. The pouch is a little bit too sweet for me, but L didn't mind it.

Carrot, Broccoli, Quinoa & Pea Puree (£1.28 in Ocado)

This is L's least favourite, she is not a big fan of carrots, peas and broccoli in general hence I didn't expect miracles. As I have tasted the pouch myself I couldn't taste carrot or peas as broccoli was overpowering but L just didn't like it regardless.

Pouches from 8 months old and older:

Chicken, Sweet Potato & Spinach Puree with Mint & Lemon Juice (£1.51)
L wasn't keen on this pouch either. She rarely accepts a chicken flavour pouch but will eat a chicken and veg jar, very specific I know. 

The moment I offered the pouch L didn't like it straight away and after few attempts didn't accept it. I of course have tried it myself, I could taste chicken and mint, the texture was a little bit "heavy" for me. I could taste spinach and if L was happy to eat it I think I would put it in a blender one more time.

Organic Mango, Coconut Milk & Brown Rice Puree (£1.28 in Ocado)

L has never tried coconut milk or brown rice and knowing how fussy she is with food I didn't think that she would try the pouch, but she did! When I have tried it myself I couldn't feel any rice, but it certainly had an overpowering mango taste to it.

Pros: Seeing how L eats this pouches I would like to try new flavours.Cons: the pouches don't really have any information in English language apart from attached "bookmark". At first I thought that the bookmark is merely a decoration and didn't look at it properly. I tried to read the words in French to see if they make sense to me, as I didn't want to give L something without checking the ingredients. I think it would be ideal if the label in English language would be glued to the actual pouch.

You can find Goodness Gracious pouches on sale in the UK via Ocado, Wholefoods and Planet Organic as well as quite a few smaller Organic and healthfood shops.
Disclaimer: I was sent items mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.