Contains: 

Free from: Palm Oil, Nuts, Soya, Wheat

Quick preface – I’ve been ill with some super rare strain of what I can only assume is Typhoid or Zika. No one wants to make a proper meal when they’re ill and what better to get those nutrients in than a falafel wrap? (don’t question my methods, they’re effective). Tired of the typical Cauldron stuff and seeing Goodlife on the shelves, why the fuck not. I’m already drop-dead infected, the worst this could do is put me out of my damn misery. At £1.80 for 14 (that’s what, 12 pennies per falaf?) it’s pretty well priced, but are they even worth that?

Not necessarily the worst but I did question each and every 12p I spent on each falafel. Warm, a little crusty but not sandy. Mouth puckeringly dry, trying them plain left me with that Donald Trump butthole shaped mouth (as is expected with falafel) so I had to pop them in a wrap with a little (a lot) hummus and veg. That said I did have one plain to really gauge its texture and flavour. It definitely had a good crumble to it that you want with a falafel, those good cakey bits of it that break apart in your mouth without it disintegrating in your hands leaving you with some sad, brown talcum powder. Goodlife have definitely managed to bring a strong product. It holds together well up until the last minute and adding a little sauce (or in my case just slapping an extra helping of hummus on it) doesn’t cause it to collapse in on itself. The crust on the outside? Nice. Crisp and not so thick that you’re biting down into what could either be a meteor or a charcoal.

Goodlife came weak with their flavour game though. Even through my constantly running nose and broken spirit all I could taste was cumin. Not small amounts that give it a little kick, I mean all I could taste was cumin. It tasted earthy and just a little bit offensive. It wasn’t exactly terrible, to be perfectly fair, but I feel the same outcome could’ve been reached by licking the underside of a half-used poppadum.

It’s hard to go wrong with falafel. It’s omni-friendly by nature and the fact that this is palm and gluten free doesn’t really change that (though it is a nice touch). I’d buy them again for sure, partly for their pricing and also because they weren’t the worst but they’re far from the best. Very far. If we’re talking geographical analogies, the best is Mongolia and Goodlife is Peckham. That’s how far.

• My Rating: 2/5
• Omnivore Score: 4/5
• Overall: 3/5

Find this product at: Ocado, Saisnbury’s and Iceland. Your mileage may vary.