Tasty midweek meals

Our pick of the best FOOD & DRINK

Phew! It’s getting hot in here with a sizzling array of new products, books and ideas to try this summer A GIFT FROM ABOVE

While the days are hot and long, and al-fresco dining seems like the best way to enjoy food, then we would recommend taking a dip... into Ramona’s Heavenly Houmous. Ramona has the family in mind as the range of flavours – Red Pepper, Original and Jalapeño – comes in 500g pots that are perfect for a crowd, and are a well-suited accompaniment to Ramona’s selection of chilled and frozen falafel (Original and Spinach & Kale). The Ramona’s range is vegan and gluten-free and we can confirm that its dips are packed full of authentic Middle Eastern flavours. You can find the Ramona’s range in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado. Houmous, RRP £3; chilled and frozen falafel RRP £3.25.

SWEET AS CANDY

We are suckers for a cool collaboration and delighted to discover that sweet producer Candy Kittens has teamed up with beer aficionados Brewdog. ‘It’s a liquid tribute to the Candy Kitten gourmet gummies,’ says Brewdog, and is ‘full-bodied, juicy and smooth... with a hint of sweetness’. £3.25 per 440ml can, available nationwide. brewdog.com Health check

Dip with radishes or snow peas

Breakfast like a star

Kellogg’s has partnered with MadeinChelsea star Millie Mackintosh to launch its Special K campaign, Start Good. Stay Good. Millie is working her inner starlet for the campaign, which features iconic breakfast images from four films: BreakfastatTiffany’s(pictured), Clueless, Singin’intheRainand BridgetJones’s Diary. Special K is available nationwide, £2.99.

Guilt-free snacking

If you like the crunch of a crisp, but don’t want the fat content, then you may enjoy Indie Bay’s new Pretzel Thins. Available in three flavours: Lightly Salted, Sour Cream & Onion and Barbecue, each 94g pack is perfect for dipping, dunking or just plain old munching! Priced 90p from Morrisons and Ocado.

Squeeze me, please

The days of scooping peanut butter from a jar could become a memory as Whole Earth releases its first squeezable bottle. Named Drizzler, it is vegan-friendly and comes in two flavours: Drizzler Super Smooth and Drizzler Golden Roasted. Available from Waitrose and Tesco. Priced £3.30 (320g).

Going it alone-ly

Tony’s Chocolonely is standing up for the small guys with its two new flavours (Milk Pecan Crunch Caramel and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie) as both will only be available in smaller independent and non-grocery stores, and tonyschocolonely. com. Using Fairtrade cocoa, Tony’s also campaigns to make the cocoa trade 100% slave free. RRP £3.90 (180g).

Smart cookie

At a time when we’re all looking for smarter ways to work with ingredients, this book is welltimed with its 70 recipes to batch bake pastries, pizzas, pies, cakes, breads and cookies. In BatchBaking, TV chef Cynthia Barcomi (aka the Berlin Baking Queen) will show you how to bake without starting from scratch each time, while also reducing waste by only making what you eat. There is a mixture of sweet and savoury dishes to try, with vegan options included in each section. Available from 4th August from all good bookstores (£7.99, DK).

WAFFLING ON...

New starter Griddle has released a range of plant-based waffles in three flavours: Original, Choc Chip and Blueberry. Griddle waffles are made from wholegrain, which means they should keep you fuller for longer. Friends Ella and Sophie, who launched Griddle two years ago, say they were inspired to create, ‘delicious, natural and lower sugar options’ for brunch and breakfast. Griddle frozen waffles are available from Morrisons and Ocado, RRP £2.50-£2.99 for a 200g pack of six.

Holiday at home

Spanish celebrity chef Omar Allibhoy has teamed with wine producer Barón de Ley to find the perfect Rioja to pair with his dishes. You can find a recipe from Omar on p124, then head to barondeley.com/ en/ for video tutorials on classic Spanish dishes and the perfect wine to suit. Salud! thespanish chef.com

HAVE WINGS, WILL TRY...

If you’re trying to cut down on takeaway meals, whether for health or financial reasons, don’t feel left out! You can still enjoy the flavours of some of the UK’s favourite Deliveroo dishes with Quorn’s new Takeaway range. The six vegan meals have a ‘wings’ bias, with four of the six based on chicken wing recipes – and they have all been designed to taste as close to chicken as possible with a meat-like texture. There are six dishes to choose from, including Sticky Sriracha Wings, BBQ Wings and Buffalo Wings. Ready to fly? You can find them in supermarkets nationwide, priced at £3 each.

Summer seltzer

A fruity tipple is an ideal accompaniment to a summer BBQ, lazy weekend picnic or dinner in the garden. Hard seltzer brand Fountain has released two new summer-friendly flavours –Watermelon and Raspberry – to join its Passion fruit and Mango drinks. Hard seltzer is sparkling water with a dash of alcohol (in this case 5 per cent ABV ). Fountain drinks are vegan with no added sugar and contain 90 calories per can. Both flavours are available from Amazon and cost £14 for a pack of six 330ml cans. hellofountain. co.uk

Thrifty chef

Visit Jack Monroe’s blog for moneysaving ideas

Ask Jack...

Jack Monroe, activist and author of AGirlCalledJackis a blogger with a focus on sharing budget recipes and ideas to help you save money on food and cooking –something we could all benefit from right now! Each recipe is aimed at being healthy on a budget and all are helpfully priced, such as her red lentil and mandarin curry at 26p, or her blushing berry banana bread at 17p. Head to cookingonaboot strap.com to read her recipes, blogs and link to her TED Talk.