We’re into June – halfway through the year already and many of us have begun heading out for days at the beach, weekend hiking, or lazy afternoons spent laying in the sunny park with a good book. Whatever your summer plans, it’s always good to bring a couple of snacks in case you get peckish. So, on that note, here are some of BALANCE’s favourites this month.

1. LOVE CORN – £16 for multi-pack

We’ll admit, corn kernels aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when considering snack options. However, these corn kernels from LOVE CORN are full of flavour. They’re vegan as well as gluten free because they don’t use milk powder like a lot of crisp and savoury brands do. Our favourite flavour is Smokey BBQ – perfect for a nibble alongside a glass of wine. However, LOVE CORN has recently announced a sweet flavour – dark chocolate covered corn. This is ideal for anyone who’s a lover of the sea salt and chocolate combination. It’s our new go-to cinema snack. SHOP NOW.

2. The Teff Cookie Company – from £3.50

The Teff Cookie Company centres its recipes around teff which is an ancient grain commonly used in Ethiopia. It originates from a type of lovegrass and is therefore extremely high in fibre and protein. Due to these properties, it can help manage blood sugar and fill you up. Teff makes squidgy and slightly crumbly cookies which makes them ideal to have alongside a cup of tea or coffee. There are currently two flavours: chocolate and date (our favourite as its super rich) and cinnamon and sultana (think mince pie vibes) – however, chocolate orange flavour is apparently on its way. These cookies are also individually wrapped – great for on the move. SHOP NOW.

3. MOJU shots – £25 – four bottles

Fancy a shot that your body will actually thank you for? MOJU have a range of drinks packed with nutritious ingredients aimed at giving you your daily dose of nutrients. There are multiple flavours to choose from, but our favourite is the Mango, Lime & Baobab which aims to provide prebiotics for a healthy gut and good immunity. Either take a shot of this in the morning (to kickstart your day) or whizz up in a smoothie if you’d prefer a slightly softer taste. The great thing about these bottles is that they take a while to use up, which provides much more value for money than buying single shots. Plus, MOJU donate 1% of their sales to initiative workings to create healthy air in UK cities. SHOP NOW.

4. Prodigy Snacks Chocolate – £9.95 for six bars

We’ve all become a bit more aware of the impact certain ingredients can have on the environment. So, the chocolate from Prodigy Snacks is ideal for those looking to decrease their carbon footprint further, as its bars are free from plastic packaging and palm oil free. They’re also vegan and contain half the amount of sugar of a typical chocolate bar. Sometimes people cast vegan chocolate off as inferior – however Prodigy Snacks are definitely here to challenge that with its wide range of rich flavours. The texture of chocolate is creamy and doesn’t leave a gloopy aftermath in your mouth. Our favourites were the coconut cahoots (deliciously squidgy) and the chunky roasted hazelnut (they certainly don’t scrimp on nuts). SHOP NOW.

5. Pretzel Thins and Pretzel Bites from Indie Bay – £8.50 for 10 bags

Indie Bay – the brand that specialises in all thing’s pretzels – has brought out its new range of snacks. Its new vegan Pretzel Thins come in individual packets and three flavours: lightly salted, barbecue, and sour cream & onion (our favourite). Indie Bay has also released chocolate covered pretzel bites for those of you with a sweet tooth. They’re surprisingly dense, which makes them extremely filling – great for that long hiking trip. These sweet treats are also oven-baked, vegan, and use sustainably sourced milk and dark chocolate – making them accessible for you and your friends. Now, close your eyes and dream of that summer trip to Germany – the homeland of pretzels. SHOP NOW.

6. Naked Shake from Naked Nutrition – $41.99/£34 for 2.1lb bottle

A very tasty way to bag yourself a vegan-friendly protein hit, these powders from popular US brand Naked Nutrition come in strawberry and banana or peanut butter and blueberry flavours and are additive free. The protein is from peas and, most pleasingly, the only other ingredients are MCT oil, organic coconut sugar, sea salt and monk fruit extract. We loved them mixed with fruit, (vegan, if you like) yogurt and (oat, if you like) milk, but they’re tasty enough just with water, which is perfect for a quick protein hit pre or post workout/summer hike. They can even be added to your vegan bakes – whoever imagined you’d get a protein hit through the medium of cake, eh? Definitely worth a try – and the delivery is quick, too! SHOP NOW.

7. KIND Protein Bars – £18 for 12

Protein bars are a nutritional snack, but the problem with a lot of them is that they contain whey powder which isn’t plant-based. KIND protein bars relies on mother nature’s protein: nuts. Each of its protein bars contain 259 calories and 12g of plant-based protein which is ideal for when you really need to power up. This bar may look small but its surprisingly filling, we ate it as breakfast on-the-go when rushing in between meetings and it kept us full. There are multiple flavours to choose from, but we recommend the dark chocolate nut and the dark chocolate almond coconut – as studies show a small amount of dark chocolate per day can be beneficial to the body. SHOP NOW.

8. Pip & Nut Crosstown Cinnamon Scroll Almond Butter – £3.25

Pip & Nut and Crosstown Doughnuts are our new favourite collaboration. The dream team have combined forces to bring us a delicious cinnamon and vanilla flavoured almond butter inspired by Crosstown’s Cinnamon Scroll. Perhaps use this butter to have a go at making your own cinnamon scrolls or use it as a dipping sauce for your apple slices. As always, Pip & Nut almond butter doesn’t use any palm oil, is gluten free, and vegan friendly. Plus, Pip & Nut will donate a jar of peanut butter to Hackney Foodbank for every jar of nut butter you buy. The Cinnamon Scroll flavour is limited edition so grab it while you can. SHOP NOW.

9. SHORE Seaweed Chips – £20 for 24 packs

Seaweed is much more than the slimy plant that tangles itself around your legs whenever you go for a dip in the sea. It’s actually incredibly good for gut health and the carbs in seaweed are slow to digest which means your body is able to feel full for longer. SHORE has built its entire brand around the nutritious properties of seaweed – sustainably sourcing its crop off the very Northern coast of Scotland. Its substantial seaweed crisps come in three flavours: lightly salted, Asian peking, and sweet sriracha (our favourite). Plus it also produces a range of seaweed-based pestos and tapenades – the perfect dipping partner for its seaweed crisps. SHOP NOW.

10. Minor Figures Oat Milk – £10.80 for six pack

Have you ever experienced curdling when tipping oat milk into your travel cup of coffee? Yep, we don’t like it either. That’s why we’ve been using Minor Figures Oat Milk – the brand specialises in coffee which means their oat milks are designed to be used with hot drinks. Its barista standard oat milk comes in three variations: original, light, and organic, which are all smooth and don’t taste too intensely oaty. Although, these are designed with coffee in mind, their great taste also makes for a refreshing plant-based drink when served ice cold (or perhaps in a home-made plant-based milkshake). SHOP NOW

Bonus snack. Peak’s Mood Drink – £15 for six cans

We couldn’t finish our monthly round-up without mentioning Peak’s new mood drinks. These canned beverages are made with natural nootropics which are designed to bring mental clarity and boost brain performance. Ingredients include black pepper for improved brain and gut health, ashwagandha for relaxation, and turmeric for a vitamin B boost and an anti-inflammatory. SHOP NOW.