March Food & Drink News – It’s a busy time of the year for product launches, and with a bumper feature, here are some great new products I’ve discovered this month:
Starting with breakfast, Nature’s Path firmly believes that our best hope for creating a better planet is through the ways we grow and produce food. Eating organic is a great help, as long as the products taste good. Well, Nature’s Path’s organic cereals are designed to taste great and nourish and sustain us in the mornings. Made with organic wholegrains and free from artificial additives, the range includes: Millet Rice Flakes (oat bran sweetened with fruit juice); Mesa Sunrise Cereal (crispy gluten-free flakes of corn and ancient grains); Sunrise Crunchy Maple Cereal (also gluten-free with maple syrup) and Nice and Nobbly Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries & Yogurt Chunks Granola (also gluten-free). Under £4 a pack usually and widely available in most major supermarkets.
And coffee bags make life so much easier, Cupsfull is on a mission to make speciality grade coffee compromise-free. Founder Katherine Willis wanted to modernise coffee with the range Peace (decaff), Pace (Medium) and Power (strong). Single serve bags brew hot or cold, smell like chocolate, and are compostable (so reduce CO2 + add nitrates). These bags are filled with delicious coffee and great for travellers, campers, office workers, and anyone else who enjoys a good coffee with minimal fuss. Available online from cupsfull.co.uk and selected delis for around £10 for a pack of ten.
We’re great fans of an Agua de Madre Remedio infusion and the company has recently launched cans of water kefir (fermented lightly sparkling water kefir made from a natural probiotic culture discovered 2000 years ago on the Mexican Opuntia cactus. Bursting with live cultures.) It’s vegan, gluten and caffeine-free, and has no artificial sweeteners. It naturally contains multiple strains of live cultures and postbiotics. It’s available in two flavours (Raspberry & Passion Fruit and Pink Grapefruit & Lime) in packs of 4 x 25cl cans at £6.33 from Waitrose.
If you are a crisp fan, look no further than Salty Dog. These are seriously flavoursome crisps, but be warned, you won’t want to share a pack! This is a guilty-pleasure crisp that pairs beautifully with our favourite tipples, adds gravitas to any ploughmans, picnic or pre dinner nibble. There are prawn cocktail, sweet chilli, ham & mustard, salt & vinegar, roast beef, sea salt, strong cheddar & onion and newly launched jalapeno & paprika. Hand-cooked, these are “pedigree” potato crisps that are sliced slightly thicker for a signature crunch. Look out for them in pubs and independent shops and on ebay.
Another delicious savoury snack is Crunch Corn, produced by the Popcorn Kitchen team of ‘corn obsessives’ committed to delivering ‘a new direction in fine grain appreciation’. Made using Peruvian Chocolo Giant Corn, to ensure a satisfying crunch as well as, by virtue of its size, providing a larger surface area for adding the flavours: Sea Salt; Salt & Vinegar and Spicy Chilli. “We cooked up Crunch Corn because we wanted to create a more complete savoury treat for those underwhelmed by potato crisps and frustrated by spiralling costs of allergy-risking nuts and seeds.” said founder Louise Monk. Available from popcornkitchen.co.uk and Not on the High Street.
Grown and produced in the New Forest, these Great Taste Award winning tasty, vegan and sustainable dried fruits are ideal for healthy snacking or even cooking with. Made from ‘wonky’ and misshapen strawberries and raspberries destined for food waste, New Forest Fruit Snacks are made by the innovative food technology process of pulse drying. And made where the fruit is grown – so zero food miles – they’re a great way to tackle food waste. Made with 100% real fruit, they offer an array of health benefits, are packed with vitamins, vegan friendly, low in calories and gluten free. In 10g packets, equating to 100g of fresh fruit. They’re online at newforestfruitsnacks.com, in 244 selected Waitrose stores nationwide and Hampshire food stores. £1.75 per pack or in multipacks, available on the website, starting at £12.99 for a pack of eight.
There are ready meal deliveries to suit all diets, and having tried quite a few, I’m pleased to tell you about NUUDA. It brings together the best ingredients, with no added ‘nasties’ and produced in the most responsible way. Founded by women, each meal is: designed by nutritionists; made by chefs; gluten-free and dairy-free; frozen to lock in nutrients without preservatives and available in single or double portions. The meals taste delicious – they feel indulgent, while also being healthy. So if you fancy a health kick without the cost of visiting a health farm, or know someone who needs to be on a special diet, perhaps has just had a baby, check out the full range and the special ‘bundles’ at nuudafood.com
Aagrah Foods is a family owned, award-winning restaurant business in Yorkshire that’s also now bringing authentic Indian flavours into home kitchens for easy preparation of delicious recipes. Aagrah’s range of premium cooking sauces, spice blends, chutneys and sides lets you create restaurant quality curries without the expense of eating out or ordering in. It’s curry simplicity: just add meat or veg and hey presto, you have a delicious meal. Available from Tesco (on offer till mid-April for clubcard holders), Morrisons and Ocado (currently on offer too)
Tracklements NEW Special Edition Sweet Carrot & Pink Peppercorn Relish is a deliciously clever twist on a traditional Bengal pickle. Made with naturally sweet, earthy carrots, Bramley apples, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, pink peppercorns and a hint of chilli. Vegan and gluten-free, this vibrant condiment adds sweet, subtly spiced notes to any dish (as well as a curry). Try it in a cheese baguette, alongside grilled meats or burgers, as an addition to a cheeseboard or a pork pie. RRP £3.95 for 200g from fine food delis and farm shops nationwide and online at www.tracklements.co.uk. Warning: it’s rather addictive!
Look out for these two exceptional new limited-edition flavours: Tiramisu and Chocolate Brownie. Inspired by iconic desserts and created with Häagen-Dazs’ signature recipes, these new flavours will give you a delicious chocolate fix and are perfect for the Easter weekend. Available across major supermarkets, for around £5.75. Häagen-Dazs has perfected its own take on Tiramisu, presenting a luxurious interpretation of the timeless favourite made with real mascarpone combined with espresso, delicate sponge pieces, and rich coffee and cocoa swirls.
And when it comes to the Brownie flavour, there’s a gourmet twist. Gooey brownie pieces are scattered in chocolate ice cream, complemented by ribbons of delicate salted chocolate sauce.
The Seasoned Gastronome