I can’t quite remember where I first discovered The Naked Lady Cookies, a small independent Oxford-based bakery business, though it was almost sure to be at a local vegan fair a couple of years ago. Since first trying the cookies, I’ve always kept my eye out for the Naked Lady Cookies on the list at other events in and around Oxford. Now offering UK-wide delivery through their website, luckily no one has to miss out, and I was really happy when they got in touch to ask if I wanted to try their special Christmas selection box!
The Christmas selection box features ten cookies, with up to five different flavours. You select your favourites from dropdown menus on the website, and there are a mixture of festive flavours as well as the Naked Lady Cookies’ signature bakes available. The box comes perfectly wrapped with Christmas patterned recyclable brown wrapping paper and string, and would make an ideal gift for a friend or loved one with minimal effort (though still very thoughtful)! You can also be happy that you’ve made a more ethical gift choice, with the cookies being palm-oil free and a 10% donation of profits going to local charity, the Oxford Food Bank.
The Naked Lady Cookies the soft and chewy kind, slightly more crisp at the edges – the ones that are just so satisfying to bite into with every mouthful. They are slightly indulgent but also rather moreish, so I had to ration them to prevent myself eating them all in one go! Each cookie in the Christmas selection box is individually wrapped in compostable sealed packages for freshness (check out the eco credentials of the packaging used on the Naked Lady Cookies website), and perhaps that helps with the ‘rationing’ too. My selection box was filled with a selection of the most festive of flavours, replicating many of my favourite sweet treats in cookie form:
Chocolate orange – with dark chocolate chunks and a vibrant orange flavour, these properly fill the Terry’s Chocolate Orange shaped void in any vegan’s life. I remember those used to be an obligatory stocking filler before going vegan so maybe a couple of these cookies could go in the stocking instead!
Chocolate and peppermint – the strong but not overpowering minty flavour is really giving the After Eights vibe, especially with the creaminess from the chocolate pieces. This was the ideal post-dinner snack.
Mince pie – Shockingly I’m not a huge fan of these Christmassy treats but they are obligatory during December, right? The soft fruity filling and festive spices in this cookie are absolutely spot on, and my boyfriend was surprised at how these *actually* taste like mince pies.
Apple crumble – Although this is one of the Naked Lady Cookies ‘standard’ flavours, there is something pretty Christmassy about the warming cinnamon and vanilla in this cookie, along with little apple chunks. It’s such a classic easily veganised British pudding and works so well in cookie form. My favourite dessert since I was a child, in fact!
Gingerbread – I would choose the soft, chewy cookie version of this Christmas staple any day over the rather solid gingerbread men you can get hold of from supermarket shelves at the moment. There isn’t much better than having a cup of tea in one hand and a gingerbread cookie in the other when it’s cold outside. This cookie just about won the top spot for me, but they were all delicious.
The box of ten cookies is £13 and can be ordered delivered to your door for the small extra cost of postage, but be quick as the last delivery date before Christmas is 18th December. If you’re local, you can arrange to collect your festive baked goodies directly from the 21-23rd December too, freshly baked and the perfect Christmas Eve snack (if you can make them last that long). The Naked Lady Cookies have kindly offered a discount code for readers of this blog, which is valid until Christmas. Just enter VEGANEATSOX10 at checkout to claim.
This Christmas box of cookies was sent to me as a complimentary PR sample. However, I am also a paying customer of the Naked Lady Cookies prior and since receiving this product, and I love this local small independent business! This review is my honest opinion of the experience.
Vegan Eats Oxford 
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