Our round-up of the latest food innovations across Europe covers a zero-alcohol sour beer brewed in trendy east London, two new vegan offerings from Iglo in Germany, and chocolate-drizzled fruit and nut bars from Nakd.
Pic: GettyImages/Suradech14
Our round-up of the latest food innovations across Europe covers a zero-alcohol sour beer brewed in trendy east London, two new vegan offerings from Iglo in Germany, and chocolate-drizzled fruit and nut bars from Nakd.
Pic: GettyImages/Suradech14
A collaboration between the UK’s only physical brewery dedicated to alcohol-free beer, Nirvana Brewery, and soda producer Square Root, has resulted in the limited edition Tayberry Sour.
The alcohol-free offering is kettle-brewed using tayberries sourced from Sussex, where Square Root buys fruit for its sodas.
According to the partnership, the “0.5% Tayberry Sour gives drinkers pleasant notes of sweet raspberry and blackberry, with a tart and refreshing finish.
“This unusual berry was chosen with a view to put a new taste out to the market, whilst harnessing a familiar beer style”.
Co-founder of Nirvana Brewery, Becky Kean, said that as the industry begins to reopen post-lockdown, consumer demand for alcohol-free options are on the up.
“At 0.5%, the Tayberry Sour gives drinkers a delicious, refreshing beer with the added element of feeling included with friends who may be drinking alcohol. With an alcohol-free beer in their hand, they can enjoy the moment with a fresh head – and we want to show that alcohol-free options can be just as fun, flavoursome and varied as their alcoholic counterparts!”
Nákd is launching a range of new bars it says will ‘help snackers return to a nutritious post-lockdown diet’.
The bars are filled with fruit and nuts, which counts towards consumers’ ‘five a day’, said the company. The fruit and nut centre is drizzled in chocolate, made with no added sugar.
“Nákd's Drizzled Chocolish bars aim to provide the answer to consumers' snacking nightmares by providing the perfect afternoon snack to keep everyone on track with their dietary goals. It's suited for those looking for the sweet indulgence of confectionery but want a healthier alternative,” noted the company.
Three flavours of the new line have been released to date: Peanut Chocolish, Double Chocolish, and Raspberry Chocolish. A box of 4 x 35g bars has an RRP of £3, and are available in all major retailers across the UK.
Chicago Vegan Foods’ plant-based Dandies Marshmallows are travelling across the pond to the UK.
According to the Vegan Society, vegans and vegetarians are expected to make up one-quarter of the UK population by 2025. This, according to Chicago Vegan Foods, makes the Dandies Marshmallows launch timely.
“Air puffed to be flight and fluffy, the taste is superior and the texture indistinguishable to their conventional counterparts, but what’s inside is totally different,” noted the firm.
“Dandies are made with high quality, clean ingredients like real vanilla and vegan cane sugar are 100% vegan, vegetarian-friendly, and kosher.”
Dandies are free from artificial flavours, colours, corn syrup, gelatin and gluten. Packs of 200g are available to roast on the campfire, for use in baking, or ‘for a snack straight out of the bag’.
Iglo is expanding its Green Cuisine range with new vegan bratwurst and vegan chicken nuggets offerings.
On sale in Germany from September onwards, Iglo is marketing the products towards flexitarians and new users, as well as singles and families who are interested in plant-based foods, but wary of compromising on taste.
Both SKUs are made from pea protein, alongside soy, palm oil, and yeast extract.
UK start-up Little Rick launched two new flavours of CBD drinks this summer: Raspberry Lemonade and a limited edition Cola.
The plant-based drinks, like all in the Little Rick range, is designed to be ‘relaxing and stress relieving’. They are vegan friendly, gluten free, either zero or low calorie, and ‘eco conscious’.
Other Little Rick soda flavours include Piña (pictured), Raspberry Coconut, and Mint & Lime. Each 330ml can contains 32mg of CBD.
“There are no other high-strength CBD drinks which are also delicious, all natural and low calorie/low sugar all at the same time,” noted the company.
Grossmann Feinkost has launched two new products in Germany: an antipasti mix and an olive mix.
The olives, mixed with lemon, chilli and ginger, impart a slightly Asian note. The antipasti offering and the olive mix are available in packs of four, weighing 150g or 160g each.
Both can work as Mediterranean-style finger food, to serve as part of a buffet, alongside a barbecue, or as an everyday snack.
