Added on March 1st, 2010
Found in Guides
If you are looking for an alternative to sugar in your diet then we have a number of options you including:
- Agave Syrup - Agave Syrup or nectar comes from a cactus like plant that is native to Mexico. Agave is sweeter than honey, and less viscous. Agave is intensely sweet and has a mild flavour making it an excellent alternative to sugar, honey, maple syrup and artificial sweeteners in baking and in drinks. We stock both Crazy Jack and Biona Agave syrup, each are organic the Crazy jack Agave syrup comes in a very handy squeezable container. As it is so sweet Agave makes a good alternative to Honey for Vegans.
- Barley Malt Extract – Barley Malt Extract is a natural sweetener produced from Barley and Malted Barley and contains a complex mix of carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins. Barley Malt Extract can be stirred into hot milk for a traditional soothing bedtime drink. Barley Malt Extract can also be used in bread making and as a natural sweetner.
- Date Syrup – The Meridian Date syrup we stock is produced is a richly flavoured concentrate of pure Date Syrup which contains no additives or preservatives and is an excellent natural sweetener. Date Syrup can be used as a sweetener or used to make flapjacks and cakes, flavour ice cream, yogurt or muesli. Mix in equal proportions with Meridian Tahini to make a delicious spread.
- Maple Syrup – We stock both Shady Maple and Meridian organic Maple syrups, both syrups are sustainably produced in North America from maple trees. The Maple sap is then concentrated into a syrup that both retains the natural nutrient content and unique flavor. Maple syrup can be used as a sweetener in desserts, fruit salad, ice cream and of course pancakes.
- Rice Syrup – Crazy Jack Organic Brown Rice Syrup is a naturally processed sweetener, made from sprouted wholegrain brown rice. It has a mild, caramel flavour and can be used in place of sugar, honey, maple syrup and molasses. Brown Rice Syrup is a good sweetened for those on a macrobiotic diet as it is not as rapidly absorbed as normal sugar. In addition to the Crazy Jack Brown Rice syrup we also stock.
- Zylitol – (Xylitol) is good for those watching the calories as it is roughly as sweet as sucrose but with only two thirds the calories. Zylitol is considered to be better fro your teeth than sugar. Zylitol can be substituted for sugar in equal measure around the kitchen, use in cakes, puddings or over cereals.
Read the rest of this entry »
Added on March 1st, 2010
Found in Guides, organic
As part of our series on guides and tips here is some more tips on what to do with Organic Nuts :
· Combine a spoonful of organic ground almonds with breadcrumbs and use as a crumb coating for fish and chicken, ground almonds can also be used to thicken, smooth and enrich a curry.
Read the rest of this entry »
Added on February 12th, 2010
Found in Guides, gluten free
As part of our guide to gluten free cooking we have just added a guide to the Orgran range of gluten free pasta, this can be seen on our Orgran Gluten Free Pasta page.
Added on February 8th, 2010
Found in Gluten free, Guides, organic
Organic Seeds by Mail Order
Read the rest of this entry »
Added on February 1st, 2010
Found in Guides, News, bulk purchase
At Naturally Good Food we like help our customers choose the products that are right for them, as part of this effort we produce a number of short guides. The next in the series covers Nuts and especially Organic Nuts.
Nuts should play an important part in our diet as they are both great to eat and really good for us. Our review covers the nutritional value of each nut, some uses and recipe ideas.
The full guide can be read on our Nut Page.
Added on October 20th, 2009
Found in Guides, environmental
1. Refill your washing up etc – you can get your old wasing-up bottle, fabric conditioner, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap in fact almost all liquid household consumables refilled. Among the makes on offer are Ecover, Ecoleaf, and Faith in Nature. Refilling is cheaper and makes environmental sense. At Naturally Good Food last year we filled on average 125 x 1 litre washing-up liquid bottles each week, as each bottle weight the equivalent of 8 plastic carrier bags in a year that is over 50,000 plastic bags worth saved to the environment.
2. Soup your tired veg - Veg past its best and left overs can make a great soup, then you can freeze the soup you don’t eat today giving you a cheap and handy tea. Don’t forget the old Bubble and Squek as an option to use up old spuds and cabbage.
3. Use a sandwich box that can be reused not a plastic bag for packed lunches.
4. Ink Refills - For home and office equipment you can usually get refills for printer, fax and photocopier cartridges.
5. Avoid aerosols – aerosols can’t be filled, instead opt for environmentally more benign solution such as Pitrok, no spray just roll on
6. Don’t bin your cardboard boxes - Can someone use your old cardboard boxes, Naturally Good Food we can use good quality cardboard boxes for our mail order customers.
7. Buy products produced using recycled materials or produced with green credentials – There are a number of green household products now available including the “If you Care” range of baking parchment, foil and muffin cups, Green Tips gloves the first FS and soon to be Fairtrade wasing up gloves, Bleach free toilet paper made with recycled paper.
8. Nappies – if you’ve got small kids think of switching to real nappies, The Leicestershire Real Nappy Network was set up by Leicestershire County Council in September 2008, so give them a go.
9. Create note pads from once used paper, we’ve all got paper written on one side, try making scrap pads to use the other side. In an office environment this can save a reasonable amount in the year.
10. Use your old fruit juice cartons in the freezer, you can get at least one extra use from them.
Added on October 20th, 2009
Found in Guides, environmental
1. Don’t waste food - The average household wastes over £400 worth of food each year. In energy terms this is roughly the same as taking 1 in 4 cars off the road.
2. Eat locally and seasonally – This is cheaper and is much more sustainable, also you enjoy food at its best. Seasonal foods often go best together. Avoid air freighted fruit and veg.
3. Plan your meals to use leftovers- Check your fridge for dates and use those with the shortest date first, if you can’t use them now can they be frozen
4. Reduce your consumption of meat – The production of 1 kg beef causes about 13.3 kg of CO2. The same quantity of CO2 is released when you burn about 6 liters of petrol, a 1kg of apples typically produces 0.55 kg of CO2. Use lentils to bulk out mince with the added advantage it counts as an extra vegetable and is much cheaper, with the savings you could use really good quality organic mince in all your cooking.
5. Buy your beans and pulses dried not in tins - This is much cheaper and you are not using any tins, its better to avoid using something rather than having to recycle. The other advantage with using dried beans is you can avoid any added salt that is sometimes present in canned beans.
6. Buy loose fruit and veg- It’s cheaper and get what you want and you can reduce to a minimum the packaging you use. If you take your own bags you may not need any packaging.
7. Buy what you want - Use a shopping list, don’t buy on impulse, if you plan your meals a little in advance you can avoid lots of waste.
8. Buy in bulk for sugar, porridge, flour etc with a long shelf life. This reduces packaging and can be much cheaper, 1kg of organic Porridge Oats is around £2.50 Kg in your Supermarket, but buy it as 5kg pack from a specialist company and the price per kg is £1.65, buy a 25kg sack and the price falls to £1.15. Can you divide a large bag with your neighbours or family.
9. Cook your veg in a steamer over your pasta or potatoes, this will cut your energy bills and give you great veg.
10. Turn your heating down, this will also help you loose weight. The International Journal of Obesity, considers our over heated houses and cars as one of the 10 overlooked causes of over weight. We spend more and more of our lives in temperature-controlled environments, this means we need to burn fewer calories to regulate our body’s thermostat.
Added on August 26th, 2009
Found in Gluten free, Guides, Recipes
1. Be in control of what you eat, eat as little processed food as possible, when you do eat processed food always check the label very carefully.
2. Gluten free food can be more expensive, buy in bulk when possible as this is often cheaper. If you have a friend you is also gluten intollerant get together and buy together.
3. Eat seasonally, cook in bulk and use your freezer.
4. If you can’t get what you want locally shop on line, you can normally find what you want and also you may be able to get a discount if you buy in bulk.
Read the rest of this entry »
Added on February 24th, 2009
Found in Gluten free, Guides, News
As part of our series on a gluten free diet we have now introduced a guide to eating a gluten free breakfast.
Added on January 29th, 2009
Found in Gluten free, Guides, News, Products
At Naturally Good Food we stock a huge range of gluten free products, to help our customers in their search for the right product for them we are introducing a range of guides, the first guide in the series is a Guide to Gluten Free Flour.
This guide deals with all the various gluten free flours we sell and also the flour mixes, so this offers a great start to gluten free baking. The guide also points to a range of gluten free recipe ideas.
