Wednesday 9 May 2012

Wot no dairy! Wot no soya!

Life is hard enough when you have to exclude dairy, but more so, if you find you can't have soya either and come to realise that the bog standard replacement for dairy is soya based. That's when you think to yourself, 'What on earth can I eat, then?' Fortunately, there are some products out there, that you can have!

You may already have come across products like Pure Sunflower Margarine (there are other Free From sunflower margarine's emerging now) and Kirsty's Freedom Ice Cream, which I've featured before, but have you also encountered Redwood Foods [Please see below - Update July 2014] yoghurt and cheese?

Redwood Foods (now 'vbites') produce a small range of yoghurts: plain, raspberry, blackcurrant and peach and apricot as well as a cheese substitute called 'Cheezly' (be warned they also have other 'cheeses' made with soya under the same name and in similar packaging, so look for the 'soya free' bit on the label.

Rebranded

What's in it, then?
Well, believe it or not, instead of dairy or soya, the 'yoghurt' and 'cheese' is made with pea protein. Check individual cartons for additional ingredients, as it will vary according to flavour. 

You might be pleased to know that just like yogurt made with dairy, these desserts also contain calcium. There is 270mg of calcium per 100g [Please see below - Update July 2014].

What do they taste like?
The consistency of the desserts is the same as any other yoghurt. The Hub thought the one he tried was very sweet. I didn't think it was particularly, but then I have quite a sweet tooth. I've not tried the plain or strawberry version, but have enjoyed the flavour of the raspberry, as well as the peach and apricot. It also comes in black cherry flavour, which I didn't much like to begin with, but now it's growing on me.

Baby has not enjoyed any of them (beyond the first few spoonfuls) so far, but then she is quite fussy and has been the same with soya-based yoghurts too.

Where can I get them?
I've found them in Holland and Barrett and my local independent health store. However, neither of these places have stocked the complete range, so you may need to shop around. If you're not sure where to look, Redwood Foods website can help you to locate a shop. 

Alternatively, you can buy them from the Redwood Foods website, or you can use their locator, to help you find your nearest stockist. The yoghurts are longlife, so you can stock up and keep them in the cupboard.

They are not cheap, by comparison with dairy yoghurts - currently 59p online and 69p in Holland and Barrett (but in Holland and Barrett, if they're on offer, you can buy one and get one half price).  

Over to you:
Have you tried any of these and enjoyed them? Or, do you know of any other, similar products?


Update July 2014:

Please note:

1. 'Redwood Foods' has now been re-branded as 'V-Bites'.

2. The product packaging and content specification seems to have changed. Each pot is now cheaper but contains less, and seems to contain less calcium. Please see here

I contacted V-Bites for comment, and they say:

Having looked into the specs of our Wot No Dairy? Yoghurts, I can tell you that the calcium level is indeed 60mg per 100gm.  The calcium phosphate levels were dropped to give the yoghurt a smoother, more pleasing texture.  However, the research and development team are looking into increasing the calcium levels again, as it wasn’t realised just how many people rely on the yoghurts to get their calcium intake.   Please bear with us while we do that.  But for the moment, all yoghurts contain 60mg per 100gm.

So there you have it!


Update July 17th 2014:

There has been a recent milk alert regarding 'Wot no dairy' raspberry and cherry flavour yogurts. This has come as a complete shock to me - it belies the name of the product!!

I have to admit, I had not realised that these yogurts were made on a line where there was any possibility of cross-contamination - there is no indication of this on their label. If you are milk allergic, you may wish to avoid this product completely.  :(


14 comments:

  1. they are a very acceptable alternative, though a bit sweet. we tried them as well. http://www.funasagran.co.uk/2011/10/marvelous-package-from-redwood-foods.html
    I came across you through FB. I blog a lot of wheat. gluten, egg, dairy, nut and kiwi free on my blog. though I do use soya

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    1. Just wondering whether 'nut' includes coconut as well? I've since found Co-yo, (and reviewed) which personally, I love. Baby doesn't like that either, but then Co-yo has the taste of a natural yoghurt, which is maybe a bit advanced for a young palate to enjoy. You should try it!!

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  2. I have just eaten a peach and apricot flavoured one. I eat soya but am non dairy and I find the provamel ones just too sweet now as they keep messing about with their yoghurt which used to be very good but I don't like anymore - even their plain one is too sweet and can no longer be used in savoury food.

    I digress. I really rather liked the dessert. A little sweet but not too much. A good texture too. There was a slight after taste and I found the ingredients list (which is full of thickeners and gums) rather alarming. I certainly didn't think it was doing me good as a very wholesome food. However, it hit the spot and I found it rather enjoyable to eat so would definitely eat it again and try out other flavours. The price is really expensive though for a little pot, so they will be an every now and again treat.

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    1. Yeah, they are expensive. All dairy substitutes are - I suppose that's due to the fact that they're made by smallish companies and have a niche product. Glad you liked them, though! :)

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  3. My little one tried these, the strawberry and the apricot ones and seemed to like them. However we were surprised when she got a reaction to them as they are dairy and soy free.

    However having compared the ingredients to Alpro Soy custard it looks like she might be sensitive to tapioca starch (and possibly not soy after all).

    But I was pleased with the Cheezly Dairy and Soy free cheese. It is a rather off-putting orange colour but it melted nicely on my pizza and had an acceptable taste.

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    1. Sorry to hear you got a reaction from these. They're quite processed, I'm afraid, so it could be anything! If your LO has a problem with soya, you may have to watch out for pea protein - soya and peas are both legumes. However, as she seemed OK with the Cheezly, it may well be the tapioca.

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  4. My 18month old daughter also had a reaction to this product......such a shame, I was so pleased to have come accross this yoghurt!

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    1. Oh no! SO sorry to hear that! Have you tried Co-yo? I really love it, but 'Baby' isn't keen at all. I've had to come to the conclusion that she's going to have to live without yoghurt for the time being.

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  5. Amazon.co.uk so a rolling order for these which I think are the cheapest around- £6.70 for a 12 pack which get delivered free to your door :)

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    1. Ah! Thank you for this! I keep forgetting that a lot of free from foods can be bought there cheaper - as long as it's in bulk!

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    2. Youre welcome! Im going to get one pack to start me off as havent tried them before. But the pots are bigger than the Asda soya yogurts I get my son so prob only work out a little more expensive all around. And a few extra pounds a week is worth it for all that calcium!!!!!! :)

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  6. Have just found your post - my DS is gluten, wheat, dairy, soya, egg and raspberry-free and these have been a really good find for us. He loves all the flavours and it's great that there's so much calcium as this is an area of concern for us and his consultant. I got mine from Goodness Direct as we can bulk buy and store until needed - thank goodness that they don't need refrigerating and have a reasonably long BB date.

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  7. Just seen this http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/redwood-wot-no-dairy-raspberry-dessert-60098244
    on Holland and Barrett- it seems the calcium level for this product has gone down to 60mg per 100g. Thats now half the mg per 100g than the Alpro Cremosa (if you can have soya) Its a shame as I wanted t start giving them to my child as hes suddenly decided to stop having his soya milk in the morning. Hes such a fuss pot I was hoping to get two yogurts worth of calcium down him in one go!!
    Also saw this on the UK Gov Food Standards Agency website, might be worth spreading the word....
    http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/6122/vbites-recall

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  8. Nothing to do with yoghurts but by 2 year old is dairy / egg / soya free. I came across (a new - I believe) line in Tesco the other day in free from cheese (no dairy or soya) called Violife, they do blocks, slices and cream cheese, all quite yummy (I've even been able to cook my favourite macaroni cheese with it!). The Moofree chocolate is also soya free, I know chocolate isn't essential to a two year olds diet however it is nice to be able to give him what his peers eat so that he does not feel set apart :-)
    Hannah xx

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