Pantry ’glow up’ as identified by food trend seers Forbes and Mintel, refers to the refurbishing of larder essentials with top-drawer clean-deck alternatives (e.g. Manilife Peanut Butter, Maldon Sea Salt, Peter’s Yard Crackers) and is the most likely explanation for the dramatic surge of this simple yet tasty unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (with the Mother*). 

*Mother = the natural film in an unfermented vinegar, a cellulose packed with beneficial bioactive substances. 

For many, apple cider vinegar is an essential wellness elixir that harks back to ancient Greek times, a daily tonic drunk watered down, that many claim supports weight loss (suppressing appetite), tackles cholesterol and counters diabetes.  For others, apple cider vinegar is simply a tried & trusted kitchen cupboard must, that’s used in the cooking of meat and veg (glaze) OR a sauce enhancer (sweet or savoury) to provide a much-needed zesty tang to any meal. 

According to Organico founder, Charles Redfern, ‘Organic’s reassuring rise in popularity amongst millennials post Covid, was a commonsense response against the increasingly intrusive nature of ultra-processed foods.  A new-found appreciation for cooking from scratch has sparked an awakening for trusted organic larder essentials whose ingredient decks have been independently validated.’ 

Mood foods is yet another ‘hot’ food trend earmarked to influence key decisions; by which we mean foods that engender strong responses; from the calmness associated with a well-balanced mint tea through to the revitalising twang of a zingy apple cider vinegar. 

‘At Realfoods by Organico we’re massive fans of slow foods that engender positive moods, be that the satisfying crunch of our crackers and breadsticks, the salty kick of our jarred olives and capers or the sweet zing of our sun-dried peppers. 

 In 2025 we will evolve yet again with the welcome arrival of sweet treats that include Speculoos and an abundance of chocolate-filled cups.’

Organicorealfoods.com

The post Apple Cider Vinegar Proving To Be Realfoods By Organico High Flyer! appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Artisanal chocolate producer Gnaw continues to pursue its ambitious sustainable agenda in 2025 with the introduction of new eco-friendly pouches for their iconic Chocolate Buttons.  

The state-of-the-art EvoPak RCM is a 100% recyclable paper wrapper, which unlike a majority of its so-called environmentally friendly paper wrapper peers contains no polyethylene, which means it can effortlessly be disposed of in kerbside bins or into bespoke paper recyclable collections.

According to Gnaw MD Mike Navarro, ‘EvoPak offers a significant step-change in planet-responsible snacking and confectionery wrappers as a result of significant advances in lightweight, multi-layer structures that preserve shelf-life whilst producing none of the harmful microplastics historically associated with snacking wrappers that unwittingly release harmful microplastics as they break down.’

Gnaw is a leading voice within the UK’s thriving artisanal chocolate movement that sets great store by its proud sustainable stance; be that significant investment in clean energy (solar) that provides 70% of its manufacturing needs, rejecting irresponsibly farmed palm oil and prioritising 100% compostable/recyclable wrappers and vegetable inks for its headline chocolate range.

Mike concludes, ‘Our sublime buttons remain a leading light within our ever-expanding premium chocolate portfolio, providing the perfect vehicle for our next sustainable initiative, championing awareness for cutting-edge wrapper technology that helps to address the catastrophic clogging up of seas and rivers with unwelcome micro-plastics.’  

Gnawchocolate.co.uk

The post Gnaw Trials New 100% Recyclable paper Wrappers appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Historically savoury crackers have been the unsung heroes of the lunchbox or cheeseboard, paying the role of humble sidekick to whatever cheeses, chutneys or pickles might be on display.  

It’s intriguing that a category that traditionally champions artisanal values, intriguing hero ingredients and sublime flavours is now welcoming an authentic disruptor to the fray who wants to add ‘functional prowess’ into the conversation.  These are two varieties of all-natural, plant-based savoury seeded crackers that are high in fibre and beneficial omega 3’s and an impressive source of beneficial protein and magnesium.

Bound with olive oil versus planet-unfriendly palm oil or vegetable oils this gluten-free larder essential is menopause-friendly and includes no added sugar, securing its natural sweetness from apple puree and chicory inulin 

Each 110g box contains approximately 9 crackers and comes in Rosemary & Original flavour formats

RSP £2.75 

The post Pep & Lekker Introduces Functional Crackers To The Savoury Biscuit Fixture  appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Honey shines a positive light on ‘good, natural sugars,’ (fructose & glucose) the very same sugars that the sports nutrition market openly lauds as optimal.  From an exercise perspective, The Scottish Bee company’s B-Gel provide the epitome of natural endurance, championing the countryside’s energizing alternative to all those curious tasting, synthetic gels.  Simply put, honey provides a clean alternative to caffeine-packed offerings, providing immune supporting polyphenols that even helps keep asthma at bay by tackling airway inflammation.

Each neatly packed sachet of sublime heather honey contains 25g of carbs (15kcal of raw energy) and contains natural antimicrobial properties which fosters beneficial bacteria to support good health.

It’s also worth highlighting that Scottish heather honey offers a similar nutritional impetus to the world-renowned Manuka honey of New Zealand, supplying 10x more manganese than everyday honey alternatives, including anti-inflammatory upsides which supports swifter recovery.

According to Scottish Bee Company co-founder, Suzie Millar, ‘Everyone knows about the countless benefits of quality honey as a trusted spread, porridge topping, baking & cooking essential and sore throat remedy, but as a sports aid honey has historically hidden its light under a bushel.  We wanted to add an easy-to-use squidgy sachet of best-in-class honey that can be effortlessly consumed mid-run or workout.  There is so much caffeine and synthetic gloop in the marketplace; we just wanted to remind people that as with so many things, Nature often has the answer.’

Scottishbeecompany.co.uk    

The post Scottish Bee Brings B-Gel Sachets of Heather Honey To Health Arena appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Although coffee has resolutely established itself as the nation’s hot beverage of choice it’s now facing resistance from nostalgic, feelgood favourite Hot Chocolate which provides comfort, homeliness and a joyful swig of happy childhood memories, especially through cold, Winter afternoons and cozy, stay-at-home evenings.

Recognizing the close synergies that exist between coffee and hot chocolate: cravings for single origin offerings, innovation, ethically sourced, greater indulgence…. has led to Norfolk’s artisanal producer of superior, small batch chocolate to launch Mocha Melts; generously proportioned cubes of gooey-centred joy that transform any quality made-at-home coffee into a luxurious mocha.

Available in Salted Caramel, Hazelnut and Double Chocolate, Mocha Melts represents an audacious bid by Gnaw to extend its premium chocolate credentials down the gifting and hot beverage aisles with choc blocks you drop into coffee for a luxurious mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up.

According to Gnaw spokesperson, Mike Navarro, “One of key priorities over the last 12 months has been to tap into chocolate’s unrivalled versatility.  By piggybacking off coffee’s everyday appeal, Gnaw is providing the perfect means to add a little luxurious twist to one’s Daily Brew.”

A pack of 12 x 20g Mocha Melts (£12)

Gnawchocolate.co.uk

The post Making Velvety Smooth Mocha Coffee with Gnaw appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

As a business taking significant strides to refresh both its brand identity and range within the UK’s bustling independent sweet & confectionery sector, it probably comes as little surprise to learn that early 2025 will see the launch of an enhanced sugar-free sweets range.

After much tweaking and twiddling the resulting healthier living range will include sugar-free sharing bags of such timeless classics as: Sherbet Lemons, Chocolate Limes, Rhubarb & Custards, Pear Drops, Blackcurrant Liquorice and Mint Humbugs

This 6-strong eclectic offer provides all the sentimental pull one would expect from a nostalgic portfolio of childhood classics but with only a fraction of the guilt, providing more health-conscious sweet fanatics with the perfect low sugar reformulations that support any discerning sweets enthusiast seeking to trim down their sugar consumption, manage diabetes or simply embrace healthier eating habits without short-changing their taste-buds.  

According to marketing spokesperson, Andy Valentine.  “Stockley’s may be a confectionery business with an enviable 106 year old reputation, however that doesn’t mean that we’re unreceptive to the latest sweet trends and priorities.  Many retailers have been requesting better-for-you sweet alternatives that don’t skimp on taste yet recognise the nation’s changing health goals.”

Stockley’s has been buoyed in recent times by the growing trend for ‘closer-to-home’ classics, which provides a counter-balance to World Cuisine, where proud food and drink enthusiasts are actively seeking out modern twists on old-school favourites from across the UK.

The post Stockley’s Extends Its Sweet Offer appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Make no mistake honey is big money!  In the UK alone 50,000 tonnes is consumed for its nuanced flavours, diverse usage and far-reaching health benefits.   Unfortunately, popularity comes at a price, because when we’re talking about a $9bn global category you’re always going to be a focus for unscrupulous skullduggery in the shape of product adulteration; baulking out with water, cheaper honeys, feeding the addition of quick-fix sweeteners, from corn sugar, corn syrup or beet sugar to refined sugar cane sugar.  There’s even suggestions of bees being fed synthetic sugars.  

At present the UK can only produce 14% of the nation’s growing honey needs which means we import just shy of 40,000 tonnes from China, a well-known hotbed of honey jiggery-pokery.

Supporting British beekeepers would be an incredible way to not only reinforce impeccable local standards BUT also support the rural, countryside economy, especially if like Scottish Bee Company and Black Bee, a % of bottom-line turnover is ploughed back into growing wildflower meadows.

 Elsewhere in the world there appears to be a relentless cutting of corners in the pursuit of quick turnarounds which leads to settling for sub-standard product.  For example, so much Asian honey is harvested prematurely, which results in the distinctive flavour profiles and aromas not having the time to fully blossom.    

In some corners of the world there’s even talk of some bee hives being fed a regular diet of ‘junk food’ synthetic sugars.

Scottish Bee Heather Honey offers high levels of antioxidants with 10x more manganese than any other honey in the world.  This super honey is harvested over an intense 6-week period to ensure its unrivalled quality.

By working closer with a number of hard-working local producers, the major mults would not only be better placed to keep an eye on quality standards, they’d also be investing in the local countryside covering everywhere from the Scottish Moors to the Welsh Valleys and the Home Counties 

Unfortunately, simple arithmetic suggests that something is amiss when both beekeepers and scientists agree that more honey is being sold than the planet’s bee population can possibly produce, which means industrial scale ‘padding out’ is afoot.

Only a few weeks ago The Observer reported that 24/25 of the own label honeys purchased in British supermarkets were found to be fake.  Yes, more testing could take place however it’s expensive, timely, hard to conduct at scale and even harder to prove definitively.  

Scottishbeecompany.co.uk

The post Support British Beekeepers and Champion Homegrown Honey appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

In an age of countless fancy twirled & tubed pasta its reassuring to know that it’s actually the straight-talking, thin lined spaghetti that retains top pasta status throughout the globe with especially high sales currently being registered in China, Canada Japan, North America and Germany.  

Its forecast that 18m tonnes of spaghetti is consumed globally every year!

The NEW organic pasta offering from Realfoods by Organico originates from a small batch producer in Bari Puglia where ‘slow’ is the quite literally the name of the game.  Whether we’re talking about the slow proofing of the dough OR the extra slow drying; taking one’s time certainly has a pivotal role to play in the producing of a superior product.

Yes, Realfoods by Organico use best-in-class durum wheat and pure spring water not to mention old school bronze plates from times gone by HOWEVER it’s not rushing that’s the real point of difference versus their rapidly extruding, conveyor belt peers.

Spaghetti as any well briefed pasta aficionado will tell you derives from the word ‘Spago’ which means twine or string.  Whilst many Sicilians will try and tell you that spaghetti is a home-grown delicacy, there’s a growing body of evidence which suggests spaghetti is actually an ‘Arab inspired’ food introduced by traders to the Sicilian shores keen to enjoy the manifold benefits of an easily stored dried food that could sustain them as they travelled the arduous Silk Road to China.  

So, when the last slice of turkey has been polished off and the cranberry sauce and mince pies are nothing more than a distant memory, it might be wise to ensure you have some Organico pasta in your larder, maybe even some of their Arrabbiata, Vegan Bolognese or Puttanesca sauces.

Organicorealfoods.com

Other Additions To Realfoods By Organico Pasta Includes: Tagliatelle, Ricciolli, Penne, Conchigilie, Girelle & Strozzapreti 

The post Realfoods Organico Launches New 7-Strong Organic Pasta Offering appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Interestingly Flyers of ‘the magic’s in the middle fame’ continues to challenge perceived barriers to liquorice appreciation in the UK with meteoric 34% year-on-year growth, helped in no small part by new listings, the arrival of a particularly popular zingy cherry and improved packaging with extra pop.

What UK sweet aficionados may not appreciate is that this is a homegrown British brand packed with nostalgic appeal has been enjoying cult status within Denmark for decades, buoyed by the fact that throughout Scandinavia liquorice is treated with reverence, appearing in everything from cocktails and ice cream through to cakes, cooking oils and marinades.

Strange But True: TODAY Flyers in Denmark sells 3x per capita more than it does in the UK

Liquorice (known as Lakrids in Denmark) has enjoyed long-term culinary status across Scandinavia for centuries as an iconic ingredient that offers both comfort and a little ‘sweet heat,’ which is appreciated within the colder climes that Denmark inhabits. 

“Naturally, export remains a top priority for Bolton born Flyers over the coming months and years,” confirms marketing spokesperson, Andy Valentine.  “Our growing presence and significant market share within Denmark reflects our ongoing commitment to forge long-standing relationships within markets where ‘liquorice love’ is more deeply engrained, although it would appear to be our unique Northern twist of hand-filling our liquorice sticks with an array of tangy flavoured sweet crystals that really sets our homegrown, vegan-friendly Flyers apart from Denmark’s finest.”

With Flyers firmly established in Denmark and the UK it will be interesting to see how the launch of a Sour Apple in early 2025 will be received by loyalists with ‘sours’ already being touted as a standout food trend over the next 12 months.   

Stockleys-sweets.co.uk

The post Denmark is Establishing itself as a Home-From-Home For UK Retro ‘Liquorice Hero’ Flyers appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.

Just some 18 months after launching, Simon and his team have established an enviable 300 UK store presence for its award-winning, 3-strong range (Caramel, Vanilla & most recently Chocolate) of                  coconut-milk themed ice cream bites that provide a modern ‘sharing pouch’ take on the iconic choc ice.

At under 30 calories a bite, this healthier living offering with its clear ‘lactose-intolerant’ agenda seeks to bring an extra layer of discernment to a thriving bite-sized category with limited vegan choices.

Already available in Spinneys Kibsons & Waitrose (UAE),  Over the Moo has now extended its export reach with an ambitious pilot scheme within Continente (largest supermarket group within Portugal), which if successful could roll-out to a further 1,388 stores PLUS online.  At the same time an ambitious  distribution alliance is about to go live with Spain’s Vegan Nutrition, servicing the buoyant health food store scene throughout Spain.

https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/over-the-moo/pitches/lKNdXq

According to Over the Moo Uk founder, Simon Goodman , ‘Having spent our formative months bedding down a significant wholesaler network to meet our short-term indie store and foodservice aspirations, adding a much requested chocolate bite offering to our offer, enhancing our on-pack branding whilst expanding our image library;  the focus for these funds will be to advance our B-Corp aspirations whilst prioritising meaningful marketing support for the next tranche of nationwide listings we’ll be disclosing over the next few weeks.’ 

Existing within a sizeable £1.5bn category within the UK, Over the Moo is taking significant strides to bridge the sizable gap between dairy and plant-based ice cream whilst tackling the ongoing conundrum that exists around portion-controlled, permissible treats that over-index in terms of flavour not calorie guilt. 

Overthemoo.co.uk

The post Over The Moo Launch Crowdfund To Support New Tranche of               Nationwide Listings & Export Success appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.