Tasty Tropical Treats

We were lucky enough to be sent a selection of intriguing treats from Tropical Wholefoods by our friends at Goodness Direct.

First up, some raisins.  Nothing unusual about them right? Wrong!  As well as being delicious and juicy, these are very special raisins.  They are fairtrade raisins and are the first ever fairtrade product from Afghanistan.  The brave and dedicated team at Tropical Wholefoods worked for 4 long years to secure the trust of the Afghan farmers and form a partnership.  Before the Soviet war and the Taliban control, Afghan raisins were known as the best in the world.

Ruby loves raisins and eats them by the handful, so we were happy to have the opportunity to try these.

Next we tried some Fairtrade apricot kernels.  Previously seen as a waste product here, these delicious sweet treasures are a staple part of the diet in Pakistan.  Resembling and tasting like a small almond, they are a perfect nutricious snack.  The chilli roast flavoured kernels are a wonderfully moreish adult treat!

Finally, we were sent some Bogoya Banana Slices.  A very unusual looking product - the closest thing I can describe it as looking like would probably be dried fig crossed with dried date pieces.

The Bogoya Banana is native to Uganda. It's a large fruit similar to a plantain, and has a rich intense toffee-like flavour.  You can also rehydrate these in water, juice or yoghurt and after 30 minutes it will be soft enough to puree.

Now, Bananas are one of Ruby's favourite fruits, but she is very fussy about them!  The merest hint of a bruise or a black mark and she won't touch it.  Same went for these slices I'm afraid.  She point blank refused to try them.  Such a shame, because they were chewy and very tasty.

I didn't give up though!  I decided to add them to some flapjacks, and she helped to make them too.

We added some of the raisins, some sunflower seeds, cranberries and chopped banana slices to the mix.  The result was a moist, tasty treat.  I think next time I'll up the banana content as it gave a lovely taste throughout the biscuits - a cross between flapjack and banana bread.

Who ate that piece?!

Thanks to Goodness Direct and Tropical Wholefoods for adding some delicious, healthy new snacks to our diet!

Sponsored post: I was sent a small selection of products for the purposes of this review. However, any views expressed are my own.