It is always a dilemma for hikers when it comes to taking energy boosts. Do you just rely on sugar and carb filled packet snacks or try and find something more healthy and nutritious? It was just this issue which prompted Carly and Joe Taylor to go into the business of producing Real Handful Trail Snacks.
By combining quality driven dried fruit and fresh nuts with one or two guilty pleasures like Belgian chocolate and coffee beans they can offer a delicious and energy packed trail snack with calorie conscious benefits.
It was well worth a proper trail test in my book, so armed with four 40g bags of Real Handful trail snacks I set out across the Brecon Beacons to see if those little packets could give me the energy I needed.
There are currently six options in the range. Blueberry Blitz (160 calories) Mixed Berry Crunch (170 calories), Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate (170 calories), Strawberries and Cream (170 calories), Mochaccino (170 calories) and Go Go Goji Berries (200 calories).
By mid morning I was starting to flag and cracked open the Blueberry Blitz. It was, I’m pleased to report, surprisingly tasty and I caught very clear flavours of each main ingredient.
Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate was next up in the afternoon lull and the chocolate and peanut buzz was almost instantaneous.
I have to admit at this point, I was opening and eating at the top of each peak, and although the energy buzz was very welcome, it was pretty satisfying too to know I wasn’t just downing tablespoons of sugar.
The Blood Orange was a clear favourite for me, although the Mixed Berry Crunch came a close second.
Does it all stack up? Well looking at the ingredients, I can see there is a little creative corner cutting going on ; some of the actual fruits (apart from the dried strawberries and Goji berries) are really juice flavour infused jumbo raisins, sultanas and cranberries, but that’s OK in the grand scheme of things. There was great taste, a proper energy boost, and best of all for me, a burst of individual flavours in each option.
Tell me more about Real Handful Trail Snacks
Real Handful Trail Snacks are available at Boots, Holland & Barrett, Ocado, Harris+Hoole and Booths from £5 for a pack of 4.x40g or £1.19 each
