What’s New In Food This Month

HiP Chocolate

New British brand HiP (Happiness in Plants) has launched a deliciously creamy oat-based alternative to milk chocolate with its four-strong line-up featuring flavours such as: Smooth & Creamy, Cookies NO Cream, Salted Caramel and Salty Pretzel. The range is handmade blending sustainably sourced single origin Colombian cocoa with creamy oat milk, while each bar has approximately 35% less sugar than your average high-street dairy milk chocolate bar – plus, more cocoa.

Available from HipChocolate.com

Four Pillars Gin

The Yarra Valley is known for its winding river and lush Australian winelands, and since 2013, it’s been home to the Four Pillars distillery, too. The brand's new savoury gin, Olive Leaf, is blended with three types of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, plus olive leaf tea from Victoria's Cobram Estate. When you try it, you’ll be able to detect the complex collection of botanicals – from rosemary and bay leaf to macadamia nuts.

Available from Selfridges.com

Bold Bean Co

These new beans are a far cry from the tinned version you usually see in the supermarket. Bold Bean Co’s beans taste so good, you can eat them straight from the jar. Their hero products are the ‘Queens’, where varieties such as chickpeas and butter beans are bigger and more flavoursome than the mass-produced kind. They recommend subbing their Queen Butter Beans in for gnocchi for a high protein, gluten-free alternative, while also claiming their organic chickpeas make the best homemade hummus outside of Israel.

Available from BoldBeanCo.com

Pataka

New food-tech startup Pataka was founded by Arjun Baljee, whose family runs numerous restaurants across India, all of which hold prestigious recognition and awards from the likes of Condé Nast Traveller and TripAdvisor. Now, Pataka is cooking up an authentically updated Indian experience for Londoners looking for restaurant quality delivery. While the usual dishes can be found on the menu, there are some interesting seasonal flavours like wild mushroom rice with morels; tandoor spiced baby chicken with Pataka’s authentic tandoori masala; a chili chutney found nowhere else and truffle pecorino kulcha with black truffle oil, shitake, pecorino and cheddar.

Available from PatakaIndian.com

Percival and Co

Think of this hard tonic as a modern drink suitable for all occasions. High quality and lightly alcoholic, it’s designed to moderate your drinking habits, plus, all the blends are completely clean and natural. With flavours taking inspiration from the British countryside and the wild ingredients found within it, this is the ideal way to always know your unit and calorie intake.

Available from PercivalAndCo.com

ThinK Prosecco

This vegan, low sugar bottle of bubbles is both organic and delicious. Founder Katherine Jones, who built her business single-handedly with no prior experience or contacts in the world of wine, uses a protein extracted from green peas to ensure ThinK Wine is 100% plant based. Perfect for those who want to pursue a more sustainable, health-conscious lifestyle.

Available from ThinkWineGroup.co.uk

Easy José Coffee

Easy José have launched a limited-edition coffee produced by Mayni indigenous community leader, Dalia Casancho. The special coffee celebrates an indigenous community of women based in the Peruvian rainforest, who are committed to tackling the destruction of the Amazon. As well as growing and foraging plants and herbs that act as natural remedies, Dalia is a coffee leader who harvests and produces her own micro-lots. Her award-winning coffee bursts with notes of honey, stone fruit and white grape, plus Easy José is paying Dalia 55% more than fair-trade standards to produce it.

Available from EasyJoseCoffee.co.uk

Forking Wellness by Sophie Bertrand and Bari Stricoff

Forking Wellness is the debut book from Instagram powerhouses and podcast hosts, Sophie Bertrand and Bari Stricoff. Keen to revolutionise diet culture through their ‘all food is fit’ ethos, Forking Wellness caters to all diets, including plant-based and pescatarian, to empower their readers to scrap the fad diets and improve both their physical and mental wellbeing.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

Floozie

Floozie make 100% vegan stuffed cookies which are available for nationwide delivery, as well as collection from their Covent Garden branch. Inspired by the rebellious 1920s, these plant-powered treats are designed by ex-Claridge’s pastry chef, Kimberly Lin. Enjoy the likes of cinnamon crunch (vanilla cookie, coated with crispy cinnamon cereal, stuffed with rich speculoos cream and topped with a light icing drizzle) and pecan pie (butterscotch cookie dough, studded with toasted pecans stuffed with silky soft date caramel); and one rotating seasonal special.

Available from FloozieCookie.com

Popcorn Shed

Popcorn Shed is the premium popcorn brand hand-crafted in the UK, and founded by cousins Sam and Laura. The pair have won several Great Taste Awards and have now launched a new flavour, maple bacon, to join their other creations, including salted caramel, white truffle, berry-licious, butterscotch and say cheese.

Available from PopcornShed.com

Sprigster

Created by the same team behind the popular Pythouse Kitchen Garden in Wiltshire, Sprigster acts as a delicious dry alternative to a G&T or alcoholic aperitif. Inspired by the seasonal and home-grown produce grown within a centuries-old walled garden, Sprigster and its unique blend of ingredients perfectly encapsulate the joys of an English country garden. Enjoy it poured over ice with tonic water and garnished with the season’s fruit. It can also be enjoyed on the rocks and is an excellent addition to any alcoholic cocktail recipe.

Available from SprigsterDrinks.com

Woolf Bites

The Woolf’s Kitchen was created during the first lockdown by Leith’s trained cook Dominique Woolf, bringing Thai fusion style sauces to stores across London and the UK. Since its launch in June 2020, the company has grown exponentially – having once produced bottles for a local farmer’s market, Dominique now supplies upwards of 45 stores and has sold around 4500 bottles. Following this initial success, Dominique has since added a range of flavoured nuts to her range – Woolf Bites – with smoky beast almonds, crafty cocoa peanuts and a sticky cayenne nut mix being the flavours on offer.

Available from TheWoolfsKitchen.com

Zested Recipe Box

Zested takes a planet-conscious approach to recipe boxes. Impactful and damaging ingredients like avocado and almonds are ditched in favour of British fruit and vegetables like magenta-hued kalibos cabbage, vibrant rainbow chard and golden oyster mushrooms, while instensely farmed salmon and tuna is replaced with wild fish stocks such as coley. Choose two or more meals (all of which serve two people) from the monthly-changing menu (all of the options sit between the £10-16 range), with delivery available within the M25.

Available from Zested.com

1070 Kitchen

Chicken soup has legendary culinary status among the Jewish community and beyond, and now you can buy your own authentic bowl of goodness complete with traditional matzo balls. There are other traditional dishes in the range, including Apple Strudel, and all products are kosher.

Available from the Selfridges Food Hall and selected Waitrose stores.

Veggi Wash

Veggi Wash Fruit Too is the natural food wash designed to remove pesticides from your fruit and veg – and it claims to double their shelf life, too. The comprehensive range of liquid washes, sprays and wipes are five times more effective than washing produce with water alone, plus, they use 100% safe and natural ingredients derived from coconut oil, grape and corn extracts to break down agricultural contaminants, so they can be easily rinsed away.

Available from VeggiWash.co.uk