Offers in store this weekend!

Hello all,  I can’t believe it’s almost the end of February already!  March means spring though and already we have spring bulbs starting to come through; chez Hornett, we have snowdrops in the garden and the magnolia has buds.  The end of February means that the coconut oil offer is finishing on Saturday 28th.  A 650g jar is currently £9.55 and will be going back to its normal price of £11.95; a smaller 320g jar is currently £5.49 and its normal price is £6.85.  Come and get a bargain while you can!

We have Tyrell’s Veg Crisps on offer till 5th March – there’s 10% off each 40g bag, which is a lunch time size.  These veg crisps are sliced beetroot, parsnip and carrot crisps with a pinch of sea salt and are something different from the norm.  They are hand cooked and really tasty.

We also still have Fab Feb running for another couple of days – Engevita B12 and Rice Cakes are Saturday’s offer – see the blogs for full details.

See you soon – we’re open Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.30pm!

Fab Feb for 48 – 27th February

Engevita Nutritional Yeast

This is something we stocked after a couple of customer requests (a lot of our stock additions happen this way – it’s always worth asking if you can’t see what you want!) and I’d heard of it but never tried it. We now sell a 125g tub with B12 for £2.99; with 10% off for 27^th and 28^th February, it comes to £2.69 and it’s become a store cupboard staple in our house. I use it in stews, Bolognese sauce and I’ve even sprinkled it on an omelette for a low fat cheese taste – yum!

I stocked the B12 version as this is a vitamin that can easily be missed in a plant-based diet as there are no sources of it in plants. B12 is important for healthy blood growth and keeps the eyes, brain and nervous system functioning normally. Signs that you’re missing out include lethargy and poor circulation. Those that are on a purely plant-based diet need to eat fortified foods, such as Engevita, breakfast cereals, soya milks and vegetable margarine.

What is “Nutritional Yeast”?

Not exactly a great description is it? Doesn’t sound ever so inspiring? The description on the tub makes sound exciting then a bit of a let-down – “The vegan food with a cheesey, nutty taste (yum!) made from primary inactive yeast without additives or preservatives (oh…)” Well, nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat to kill or “deactivate” it. And that’s it. Having trawled the internet and read a few reviews on various sites, there seem to be many uses for it – from simply eating it out of the tub to sprinkling it in casseroles to making cheese from it!

However you choose to use it, come and see us at Hornett Wholefoods and share recipes (we’ll happily share them on our many blogs if you want us to) and enjoy 10% off for a couple of days – you’ll be hooked!

Fab Feb for 48 – 26th February

Geo Organics Curry Pastes

I love a properly made, well flavoured curry and I love making curries. I may not stick to a necessarily authentic recipe but I love chopping vegetables, adding chopped tomatoes and/or coconut milk and a good tablespoon of good curry paste, with a good lot of added seasonings. And this is what these are – good curry pastes. We have three flavours:

• Tikka Masala
• Korma
• Balti

All at £2.19 for a 180g jar. With the 10% off for 26^th and 27^th February, they’ll be £1.97 each. All three are vegan and organic.

From their website:

“We are serious about organic food, serious about the welfare of our ingredients’ suppliers and serious about the quality, flavour and integrity of every single one of our products. We think it’s a seriously heavyweight organic range. Which, when you consider we have about 60 products ranging from chocolate to chutneys and pickles to pastes, is pretty good going for a small family business. We are based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and have been established since 1999. Despite our ever growing family of organic products, we ensure that each and every one is carefully handpicked from our accredited suppliers across the world. Now that so many share the vision of organic food, we are delighted to be able to offer this comprehensive range, knowing it satisfies the taste buds as well as the conscience.”

Fab Feb for 48 – 25th February

Biona BBQ Sauce

I really like BBQ sauce but most of the ones you find in the supermarkets end up tasting a bit wierd by the time you finish eating whatever you’ve put it on. Biona BBQ sauce is, of course, different. It’s vegan, gluten-free, soya-free and tastes how you expect it to taste, with no excess of sugar like you have with other brands. A 250ml bottle from Hornett Wholefoods usually costs £2.69; on 25^th and 26^th February, Fab Feb brings it down to £2.42. And it comes in a glass bottle so can be recycled really easily.

We’ve had Biona in Feb Feb already this month; the spelt pasta was highlighted on Valentine’s Day. Biona is a completely organic brand and has a wide variety of products. Everything they produce is grown ethically, is traceable and is suitable for vegetarians, with many ranges also suitable for vegans. It’s part of a group of companies under the Windmill Organics umbrella, including Amisa, Bio Fair and Raw Health. This company is completely organic, GMO free, suitable for vegetarians (many are vegan), with no artificial additives. Reassuring isn’t it?

Fab Feb for 48 – 24th February

Belvoir Cordials

We’re looking forward to spring at Hornett Wholefoods (I know it could be weeks away, but it’s only weeks!) and we thought we’d encourage that sort of thing by having some lovely Belvoir cordials as part of Fab Feb. We have 6 flavours in stock and on offer on 24^th and 25^th February:

• Raspberry and Lemon
• Lime and Lemongrass
• Raspberry and Rose
• Elderflower
• Rhubarb and Strawberry
• Spiced Apple and Ginger

They are either £4.19 or £4.49, depending on the flavour and with 10% off, that makes them either £3.77 or £4.04. All flavours come in a 500ml bottle and each bottle will make between 7 and 10 pints – full instructions are on each bottle so you know how strong to make it. I have it on good authority that you won’t get a better flavour “unless you make your own” (Mrs Hornett Wholefoods-in-law, who knows about this sort of thing!).

About Belvoir Cordials –

Belvoir Fruit Farms are based at the Belvoir Castle estate in Lincolnshire, so the bottles don’t travel that far at all! All the drinks are pressed, mixed and bottled at the estate using recipes that were invented when the company started in the 1970s. The flavours are then mixed with local spring water and packed in pasteurised bottles to preserve the flavour and freshness. Sugar is used as a preservative in the cordials instead of other less natural chemicals.

Fab Feb for 48 – 23rd February

Piper’s Crisps

Award winning Piper’s Crisps are on offer for 23^rd and 24^th February at Hornett Wholefoods – a 40g bag normally costs 75p; with 10% off, they are 67p a bag! They’re an ideal addition to lunch (they are particularly nice in a cheese sandwich) or a mid-morning snack. We have three flavours – Karnataka Black Pepper and Sea Salt, Lye Cross Cheddar and Onion, and Wissington Spicy Tomato. They’re all delicious, but my favourite is the Tomato flavour and they’re as spicy as the name says! The Pepper and Salt, and Tomato flavours are vegan; the Pepper and Salt flavour is also gluten-free.

Piper’s oversee the whole crisp making process, from growing their own potatoes, harvesting and cooking to adding flavours. The company was started in 2004 by three farmers who wanted to make crisps “as they should taste”. They do taste much more authentic than other more commercially available types – they leave the skins on and each crisp looks different from the next, rather than all being a uniform size and shape.

Wissington Spicy Tomato –

The tomatoes for this flavour are grown in Norfolk near British Sugar’s flagship beet factory. The waste heat and CO2 from the sugar factory is recycled into Piper’s greenhouses to feed the tomatoes! Crisp flavours from recycled materials – excellent!

Karnataka Black Pepper and Sea Salt –

In the tranquil Karnataka region on the edge of the Western Ghats in Southern India, the Faiz family use pepper plants to provide vital shade on their coffee plantation.

Lye Cross Cheddar and Onion –

Lye Cross, at the foot of the picturesque Mendip Hills near the Somerset village of Cheddar, has been farmed by the Alvis family for 400 years. The farm’s herd of more than 1,000 cows graze the lush pasturelands to produce the rich milk that goes to make the cheese.

Fab Feb for 48 – 21st February

Freedom Vegan Marshmallows

These are something else that was in the top 10 when we were choosing what to put in the shop. It’s one of the things I missed most when I decided to be vegetarian – now there’s no need! And with 10% off, there’s even less of a reason not to indulge! A 75g bag would normally be £2.49, but with 10% off for 21^st and 23^rd February, it’s just £2.24 and with 5 variations, which are you going to choose?

We have Vanilla in White, Yellow and Micro marshmallows, Strawberry flavour and Pink & White Vanilla micro marshmallows. The micro ones are ideal for adding to a lovely big mug of hot chocolate or decorating a cake and the big ones are perfect for toasting on a fork or marshmallow eating competitions…

The marshmallows are:

• Vegan
• Gluten free
• Delicious
• Nut free (and made in a nut-free factory)
• Fat free
• Made in the UK

Incredible Bakery Company Taster Day Today

Come and try the vegan and gluten-free delights from a local bakery, instore today! You can try before you buy and support a couple of friendly local businesses.

The Incredible Bakery Company is a craft bakery located in the pretty village of Warkton, in the rural area of Northamptonshire. 

They are a creative manufacturer that produces high quality bakery and pastry products that are all free from gluten, dairy,  eggs and soya. 

They use innovative ingredients and at all times strive to create products that have the same good taste, appearance and nutritional qualities as mainstream products.

Also they do not process any of the 14 common food allergens in any of their products.

Free samples and the bakers will be in our shop from 11:00-2:00 today, so come and experience their fantastic range for free!

Fab Feb for 48 – 20th February

Suma/Iris Pasta

We stock six of the range from Suma/Iris and for 20^th and 21^st February, they’re all 10% off. We have:

•  Wholewheat (£1.15/£1.03) and white (£1.05/95p) spaghetti;
• Wholewheat and white penne (both £1.09/98p);
• Tricolore spirals (£1.45/£1.30) and
• Pasta Bunnies (£1.19/£1.07)

The whole range is organic and environmentally responsible. It’s made for Suma by Iris Bio from Padena in Northern Italy. Both companies are cooperatives, wholly owned and run by everyone who works there. The pasta is made the traditional way with a bronze die and dried slowly to ensure optimum quality. The wheat is grown by Iris Bio on their own farm which cuts down on transport time and cost, which helps the environment.

Hornett Wholefoods has a recipe booklet produced by Suma with 12 delicious vegetarian pasta recipes. These are free (although you may want to make a small donation to Animals in Need in lieu of payment?) While you’re at the shop, why not take a look at the lovely vegan and vegetarian pestos – an easy and delicious accompaniment to pasta?

Fab Feb for 48 – 19th February

Provamel range

We have a good range of Provamel at Hornett Wholefoods and for 19^th and 20^th February, they are all 10% off.   We stock a variety of milk alternatives, custard, cream and desserts for those on vegan diets or those just who just want to reduce their dairy intake. Provamel is a well known milk alternative in the UK; more and more people are deciding to reduce their milk intake or abstain altogether as the ethics surrounding milk production and selling become ever murkier.

“Provamel products are 100% ORGANIC and

• have not been treated with pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
• are free from artificial flavourings, colours and preservatives.
• respect the environment (e.g. no soya beans are grown in the rainforest).
• stimulate BIODIVERSITY.
• are ethically-sourced.
• are non-GMO because they are organic.
• are delicious and surprisingly innovative.
• are lactose-free.
• are VEGAN”

Switching to milk alternatives has never been easier – there are so many different types these days! There is a slight difference in taste between milk and the alternatives but it’s easy to get used to it, especially in tea. The desserts are really delicious (in chocolate and vanilla, 4x 125g packs for £1.75 or £1.57 -10%) and there’s no need to chill them so they’re ideal for lunchboxes. We also have cartons of soya milk that we stock in vanilla and banana flavours (in vanilla and banana, 3x 250ml boxes for £1.69 or £1.52 -10%), again no need for chilling until they’re opened. Come and see what we have and make the difference.