dairy free

Irish Black Butter

Let’s make a short hop, skip and a jump over to Ireland for this post, to highlight a small jar of pure versatility in the form of Irish Black Butter - a new concept using ancient techniques, for us all to enjoy whether we want to go down the sweet or the savoury route. The main ingredients here are the rich bramley apples from Armagh which are then blended with cider, brandy and spices, producing a mouth-watering conserve of dark velvet indulgence.

Now the obvious choice here for us at The Amazing Blog would be to try this on a slice of toast - very yum we can confirm - or perhaps a more decadent scone with some cream perhaps - completely yum - but the versatility of this ‘other black stuff’ comes when we start using in a more experimental manner for the ultimate ‘yum’. How about on our porridge? Or mixed with some thick greek yoghurt? The options for this little pot of black gold are endless, but one recipe, we would urge you to try is to slather it over a ham before cooking it - the delicious flavours from the oven will swirl around the kitchen like a warm Irish hug and tease those taste buds for what is to come. Not forgetting to mention that it is vegan, vegetarian friendly, dairy free, wheat free and comes in cute little jar. 

The Irish Black Butter Company was formed in 2017 by Alastair Bell who has a background in farming and events management. Clearly a well-founded belief in his Irish Black Butter, which has gone on to sweep boards of awards with two stars in the Great Taste Awards 2018 and Chefs Choice Award in the Irish Food Awards 2018; and of course, now securing many stockists throughout Ireland. Of course, in this day and age we don’t have to be local to the Emerald Isle to get our hands on a jar, as we can simply go to here and click on their shop to order - 125g will cost you £3.95, and the 225g jar costs £5.95. If ever there was a condiment which no self-respecting larder should be without, then surely this is it.

 

EE Express Effect by Karin Herzog

At The Amazing Blog, we love skin care brands with high ethics and philosophies, especially if these beliefs are founded in hard-hitting scientific facts; this is exactly what you get with the Swiss skincare brand Karin Herzog. After ten years of meticulous research, Dr Paul Herzog, Nobel Honoree, discovered the family’s secret formula for their miracle skin care products. With all this history and science behind the brand we were more than just a little excited to test out some of their products, and they very kindly sent us a sample of their smoothing face cream called EE Express Effect.

Inspired by the anti-sceptic and hydrating properties of oxygen, the Herzog brand developed a unique formula used in all their products that stabilises active oxygen into the cream. The EE Express Effect Cream removes tiredness and gives skin an instant boost of radiance. The use of both rose and orange water with essential oils, work together to leave skin looking instantly smoothed and visibly calm. We found that the product left our skin looking enviously radiant. This was due to the mix of ingredients in the product that work to even out the skin’s tone and texture. The kaolin mattifies the skin while the hyaluronic acid plumps it, leaving skin glowing and youthful. What’s more this amazing little cream helped to de-stress our skin. The Arnica Montana in the cream reduces signs of stress on the skin, while the sodium bicarbonate purifies the appearance of the skin.

With all this, you’d think it would be near impossible to like the brand and their marvellous products any more than you already do. Well, you would be wrong as they have remarkably high and strong ethics which help govern how they operate. As an independent brand they value the importance of quality ingredients, they are paraben free, vegan-friendly, dairy free, gluten free and cruelty-free. Meaning this brand is for everyone, and can be used by anyone. The products are gentle on skin and still provide visible and lasting effects.

If this sounds like the brand for you, then you can purchase your very own EE Express Effect Karin Herzog Face Cream here for £79.

 

Protein Bites By Nibble

Unfortunately, a lot of so-called ‘healthy’ snacks are full of sugar, and Nibble just couldn’t stomach this anymore (pardon the pun). When Nibble created their Protein Bites, which are delicious, healthy and high in protein, our appetites here at The Amazing Blog were wetted.

Protein Bites are high in protein (obviously), a great source of fibre, low GI and low in sugar. In layman terms, this all means that you stay fuller for longer, so you won’t be tempted to snack on empty-nutritious foods, and you also won’t get that dreaded sugar crash later. In fact, Nibble are lower in sugar than almost all other brands, and by a lot. For those with dietary restrictions, they are also dairy free, gluten free, date free, and vegan – hoorah!

You might think this all sounds a bit, well, bland. Think again! Protein Bites are packed with flavour, and come in some very tempting flavours, including Sour Cherry, Choc Chip Cookie, Lemon with Coconut, and Mocha. These are simply the perfect healthy snacks for on-the-go, a little energy boost when you’re feeling low or can’t quite get through the seemingly endless gap between lunch and dinner. The bites are made of antioxidant-rich dried plum puree, instead of the over-used and strange-tasting dates, and a blend of toasted pumpkin/sunflower seeds (for nutty flavour and texture) and pea protein (for that much-needed high protein content).

Purchase the pack of 8 Protein Bites  here for £18.00, Nibble Protein Bites are also available at Ocado for £2.39 each.

Dairy Free Chocolates – Moo Free

While going dairy-free is somewhat of a fad at the moment, it is so for a reason. Of course, some people are lactose-intolerant, but for the rest of us, we can acknowledge when maybe certain ingredients don’t agree with us or we don’t agree with the ethics behind the production process. When we here at The Amazing Blog heard about Moo Free, the leading ‘free from’ chocolate manufacturer, and their vast range of dairy free chocolate products, our ears pricked up. We were able to try the Original Chocolate Bar, the Caramelised Hazelnut Nibs Bar and the Cheeky Orange Chocolate Bar.

The chocolate recipe recently won the award for ‘Best Vegan Chocolate’ at the VegFest Awards 2016, as voted for by the public, and we can certainly see why. After sampling this assortment of goodies, we can most definitely vouch that it tastes just like regular dairy chocolate. Moo Free uses rice milk in lieu of cow’s milk, creating that ever-familiar delicious milk chocolate taste. This spectacular chocolate is not only free from dairy, but it is also free from gluten, wheat, lactose, soya and casein, completely vegetarian and vegan, and certified organic with ethically sourced ingredients. Colour us impressed.

Moo Free chocolate comes in a huge array of flavours and forms. Their baking drops are ideal for some delicious dairy free muffins or cookies, and their chocolate bars come in a whole range of additional flavours including fruit and nut, crunchy banana, mint and honeycomb. Moo Free even has advent calendars, chocolate Santas and Easter eggs.

You can find Moo Free products across thousands of stores across the UK, such as Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Asda. Find your nearest stockist here.