TORQ's Explore Flapjacks are organic, vegan snacks that provide winningly homely delights while out on your adventures. The three flavours provide a decent boost while tasting pretty good, and they’re easy to pack thanks to their compact size.
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Coming in three flavours – Apple Strudel, Carrot Cake and Ginger Cake – each option follows a similar recipe that mainly involves organic jumbo oats, golden syrup and brown sugar. Good for energy and taste.
It’s nice to see that TORQ has also thrown little bits of fruit and veg into each one too. All this, plus the handful of other natural ingredients in each bar, has earned the Explore Flapjacks certification from the Organic Soil Association.
The flapjack is pretty chewy and the syrup is very noticeable, leaving some residue on the hand, but it’s pleasant in the mouth. It's pretty hardpacked, so the Explore holds its shape well when stuffed into a pack, instead of emerging a mangled, bent-up mess when you need it. They’re also reasonably small and flat, so they’re super easy to stash.
All three flavours – although very sweet – are super tasty, and they mimic the desserts they're named for very well. Our recommendation is the Apple Strudel, which proved a firm favourite.
If you buy directly from TORQ you're looking at boxes of 20 for £33, though the benefit is that TORQ lets you select how many of each flavour you want in there.
While the Explore Flapjacks don’t offer the same performance benefits and energy boosts as dedicated gels, they bring some home comforts to the trail. They’re filling enough for longer rides and provide a perfectly adequate energy boost when it’s really needed. Each flavour is tasty – however, if you’re looking to fuel quickly, you might want to look elsewhere.