Sampling Nut Butters & Spreads From Nutural World
I have to admit that The Man Bird is what you would call a “keeper” he’s a good lad when it comes to spoiling me - especially when it’s to something that he himself doesn’t like. No prizes for guessing what Nutural World produce! Yep, a range of vegan, and sugar-free certified nut butters and nut based spreads that are made in small batches using traditional stone grinders.
I love nut butters, but properly made stuff, not the mass produced ones packed with palm oil and sugar; they just taste oily and manky (highly technical term, I know!). Anyhow, His Nibs brought back three yummy products for me to try: Coconut Cream (which I often use in cooking, more of that later), Smoked Almond Spread, and Pistachio Butter.
The first thing that caught my eye was a verdancy of the Pistachio Butter, it was quite incredible! Personally I love the taste of Pistachio nuts and will happily spend ages peeling off shell and husk in order to savour their quirky flavour, but I appreciate that they’re not everyone’s taste (The Man included). I opened the jar and took a good old sniff of the contents and was rewarded with that fragrant Pistachio smell. Literally all that’s in the Pistachio butter is the ground nuts - nothing else; zip, zilch, nada. The flavour is fantastic and it has a great consistency for spreading.
I was making a curry using one of the Aagrah sauces that His Nibs had brought home from but though it might be a tad hot for The Chick when I tasted it. Not to worry, a tablespoon or two of the Coconut Cream soon lent its mild, rich creamy character to the curry, making it fit for all the family. The Coconut cream is what you normally find on the top of a can of coconut milk if you don’t shake it; it separates from the lighter milk and floats on top thanks to its higher fat content. The Man Bird won’t eat Coconut on its own but does like it when part of a dish in combination with other things.
Nutural Worlds’ Coconut Cream is absolutely gorgeous - I couldn’t resist having a spoonful of it just as it comes. It melts like silk in the mouth as it warms and liquefies, coating it in that exotic flavour that it so indulgent. Yummy!
The final product to try was the Smoked Almond Spread; this has a superb Hickory wood smoke note to it, and a touch of Pink Himalayan Salt just to give it a savoury edge. The Man Bird and I tried it just spread on toast as an afternoon pre-gym snack, and it hit the spot perfectly. As per usual, the camp was a divided one; he preferred the Smoked Almond Spread, whereas I favoured the Pistachio Butter!
You can buy these products online in Nutural Worlds’ shop, or in person at Fortnum and Mason in London, and Fenwick in Newcastle. Nutural World has won 12 Great Taste Awards in just two years, and it’s easy to see why; the products are packed with flavour and pretty much unadulterated by added ingredients, the most complicated ingredient list I came across was the Smoked Almond Butter - 3 ingredients (Almonds, Pink Himalaya Salt, and Hickory Wood Smoke)!
All Prices Correct At The Time Of Publishing
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