It's Crunch Time! Introducing New Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Spread from Bonne Maman

Peanut butter lovers have something new to try from Bonne Maman can enjoy the new Bonne Maman Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Spread, which is a delicious blend of toasted peanuts with subtle hints of vanilla and cocoa butter – made with high quality natural ingredients and absolutely no palm oil at all.

Rich and creamy with fantastic bursts of crunchy pieces of peanut, Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Spread is perfect for lifting your morning when you can simply spread it onto warm toast or making a delicious, indulgent afternoon snack when added to a slice of cake or a chunk of banana bread.

The fifth addition to the brand's range of sophisticated spreads, including award-winning Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, Caramelised Apple Spread plus Chocolate & Orange Spread, Bonne Maman Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Spread is available from late October in Waitrose and Morrisons stores nationwide at £2.90rrp per 230g jar. Further distribution expected from January 2025.

I feel this will make an ideal Christmas gift as it would make a fantastic stocking filler along with the other members of the Bonne Maman range of delicious spreads.

Homemade Vegan Substitutes for Dairy Cream and Other Dairy Products

As more people embrace plant-based diets for health, ethical, or environmental reasons, the demand for vegan alternatives to traditional dairy products has skyrocketed. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to rely solely on shop-bought options. Making your own vegan substitutes at home can be both satisfying and cost-effective. Here are some easy and delicious homemade substitutes for dairy cream and other dairy products.

Vegan Cream Substitutes

1. Cashew Cream

Cashew cream is incredibly versatile and can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes. Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

250g raw cashews

177ml water (or more for a thinner consistency)

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional, for a tangy flavour)

A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse them.

Blend the cashews with water until smooth and creamy.

Add lemon juice and salt if desired.

Store in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Coconut Cream

Coconut cream is rich and perfect for desserts and curries.

Ingredients:

1 can of full-fat coconut milk (chilled overnight)

Instructions:

Open the can without shaking it.

Scoop out the solidified coconut cream from the top, leaving the liquid behind.

Whip the coconut cream with a mixer until it’s fluffy.

Vegan Milk Substitutes

1. Almond Milk

Almond milk is a popular dairy milk alternative and is easy to make at home.

Ingredients:

250g almonds

 946.353ml water

1-2 dates (optional, for sweetness)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

Soak almonds overnight. Drain and rinse.

Blend almonds with water until smooth.

Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.

Sweeten with dates and vanilla if desired.

Store in the fridge for up to four days.

2. Oat Milk

Oat milk is creamy and great for coffee or baking.

Ingredients:

250g rolled oats

946g water

A pinch of salt

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, for sweetness)

Instructions:

Blend oats with water and salt until smooth.

Strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.

Sweeten with maple syrup if desired.

Store in the fridge for up to five days.

Vegan Cheese Substitutes

1. Nut Cheese

Nut cheese is a tasty and satisfying substitute for traditional cheese.

Ingredients:

260g raw cashews or almonds

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 garlic clove

Salt to taste

Water, as needed

Instructions:

Soak the nuts overnight. Drain and rinse.

Blend the nuts with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.

Add water gradually until you reach a creamy consistency.

Store in the fridge for up to a week.

2. Tofu Ricotta

Tofu ricotta is perfect for lasagne and stuffed shells.

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Crumble the tofu into a bowl.

Mix in the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Stir until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese.

Store in the fridge for up to five days.

Vegan Butter Substitute

1. Coconut Oil and Olive Oil Mix

This mix is great for spreading and cooking.

Ingredients:

118g coconut oil (solid at room temperature)

118g olive oil

Instructions:

Blend the coconut oil and olive oil until smooth.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

2. Nut and Seed Butter

Nut and seed butters, like almond or sunflower seed butter, can be used as a spread.

Ingredients:

236g nuts or seeds of your choice

A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Roast the nuts or seeds if desired.

Blend until smooth and creamy, adding a pinch of salt to taste.

Store in an airtight container.

Creating your own vegan dairy substitutes at home can be easy and rewarding. These alternatives not only allow you to control the ingredients but also often taste fresher and more delicious than store-bought versions. Experiment with these recipes and enjoy the rich, creamy textures and flavours in your plant-based cooking. Happy vegan cooking!

The Flower Farm – a plant-based, palm oil free margarine alternative

Just because a margarine can proudly declare itself to be 100% vegetable-based doesn't mean that it's good for the environment, good for you or that it is vegan-friendly.

For example, did you know that many traditional vegetable margarines include up to 50% palm oil? And palm oil is one of the world's biggest causes of rainforest deforestation and habitat and wildlife loss.

Unfortunately something in the order of 85% of palm oil is produced unsustainably, with millions of hectares of rainforest in Asia being systematically burned away to make way for oil palm plantations.

Deforestation accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions and is a major contributor to global warming.

This is not only devastating for the environment, but is also the leading cause of orangutan extinction, with up to 5,000 orangutans killed each year in palm oil concessions. This is simply not sustainable.

That isn’t the case for The Flower Farm.

Unlike traditional margarines, The Flower Farm spread swaps palm oil for shea butter, a sustainable alternative extracted from the nuts of the Karité tree, 2 billion of which grow naturally in the African Savannah, with no deforestation required.

Eat plants, not palm!

Free from palm-oil, gluten, lactose, and cow’s milk protein, The Flower Farm is an absolutely delicious, vegan spread made using shea butter, sunflower oil, lemon juice and carrot juice, with a pinch of sea salt and vitamins A and D.

You'll find it stocked at Sainsbury’s at a RRP of £2.95 for a 450g tub.

An ideal way to ease yourself into Veganuary. 

You can learn more about Flower Farm spread here https://theflowerfarm.world

New Delicious Spreads from Bonne Maman

It's always a good day when Bonne Maman announces new products! 

Complementing their delectable Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, these new Bonne Maman products form a sophisticated new range of delicious spreads from the top specialist French conserve brand. 

Carefully crafted using only simple ingredients and thankfully containing no palm oil, each of the flavours can instantly transform an everyday snack, -maybe a plain brioche or a shortbread or digestive biscuit, -into an absolutely indulgent, special moment all of one's own.

Inspired by the French Orangettes (candied orange peel) new, smooth and indulgent Chocolate & Orange Spread is made with 39% crushed oranges and orange zest stirred into melted dark chocolate and, as we say, contains no palm oil. 

The tart citrus contrast of the bitter orange flavour with the deep, dark chocolate means the Chocolate & Orange Spread can be delightful spread onto a shortbread biscuit or a slice of madeira cake for a delectable little treat. (Or on some freshly baked French sticks?)

Only made with 80% apple plus fresh butter and no palm oil, new Caramelised Apple Spread is like a classic homemade French 'tarte tatin' in a jar – deliciously rich and buttery in texture with a deeply satisfying apple taste and scent of an Autumn orchard. Caramelised Apple Spread pairs beautifully with toasted fingers of brioche and makes a perfect, indulgent snack for the afternoon when topping crumpets, pikelets and fruity tea cakes or malt loaves. 

Presented in striking glass jars complete with the iconic Bonne Maman red gingham lid, the new spreads are available nationwide from mid-October, sitting alongside Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread at Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Partners, Morrisons and ASDA nationwide plus Ocado.com. Chocolate & Orange Spread can also be found at the Co-op. Caramelised Apple Spread 275g jar and Chocolate & Orange Spread 275g jar both at £2.90 rrp.

Once opened, both new spreads should be refrigerated and consumed within three weeks. Both products are made with simple ingredients, contain no palm-oil, are suitable for vegetarians and the packaging can be widely recycled.

(If they last three days in our home, I'd be shocked, to be honest, let alone three weeks!)

FACTFILE: For further information, tips and recipes see www.bonnemaman.co.uk.