July's food news

From frozen avocado halves, to pre-made overnight oat pots – here are this month’s latest new food products

The strong roots range has four new products available at Waitrose and Whole Foods

Strong roots frozen packs, Waitrose.com, range from £2.99 to £5.29

Gone are the days of frozen food being a cheap and nasty fix when you can’t face cooking or need something quick. Having a busy life doesn’t mean you can’t eat quick meals that are also nutritious. And it’s the nutrients that are key as everything is frozen as soon as it's picked for ultimate freshness. The four packs include kale and quinoa burgers, sweet potato fries (both available at Waitrose), ripened avocado halves and garlic roasted sweet potato. Our favourite is the avocado halves, which can be used for smoothies from frozen or in salads (after defrosting) without worrying about getting a gone-off one.

Califia Farms almond milk, unsweetened, Sainsburys.co.uk, £2.40 (750ml)

It might sound strange to call something milk when there’s no dairy whatsoever in it, but almond milk is fast becoming a trend. This one is made from nuts, seeds, fruits and roots and contains 50 per cent more calcium than dairy milk. The company is based in California – the state responsible for more than 80 per cent of the world’s almonds – and set themselves apart by using freshly ground blanched almonds instead of the roasted variety. The unsweetened one is the best almond milk we’ve tired and is very smooth.

The Fine Cheese Company, La Tourangelle infused oils, finecheese.co.uk, £6.75 for 250ml

Olive oil is a great tool in the kitchen, but flavoured olive oil is one step better. La Tourangelle’s oils are made with a stone press – which is the authentic artisan production method – in Summar, France, giving the oil its high quality. The three new flavours – garlic, basil and thyme and rosemary – are made by infusing fresh ingredients infused into the base sunflower oil. Each has its own suggested partnering – basil can be drizzled over salads and gazoacho, garlic on grilled meats and mashed potato and rosemary and thyme with vegetables and fish. They make excellent store cupboard essentials and there are no additives or GMO.

Moma – Greek style yoghurt and oats pot, waitrose.com, £1,

Overnight oats have become the breakfast of our time, but the key is in the name, you need to prepare them the night before. It’s a surprise it’s taken this long to take the faff out of it for us lazy people – but Moma has done it with its latest breakfast pot. It blends their jumbo wholegrain oats and mixed seeds with creamy Greek style yoghurt and raspberries to recreate overnight oats. So it’s all done for you. Easy.

Nairn’s gluten free super seeded oatcakes, Sainsburys.co.uk, £1.79,

Often gluten-free isn’t as nutritious as you might like it to be. But Nairn’s latest oatcake has plenty of wholegrain, gluten free oats and seeds rich in omega 3 – including flaxseed, sunflower and chai. Each pack contains separate packets of five, ideal for lunch and snacks and to ensure freshness for longer.

Holy moly natural dips, Ocado.com £2.79

The popularity of avocados knows no boundaries – so smash lovers (mashed avocado) will love the virginal pot of the green stuff, which is as advertised – plain and nothing added – in a convenient pot to share (or not). The creamy avos come from a family owned orchard in Mexico and are only picked once ripe, reducing the avo-anxiety of whether or not you’ll be vexed with a blackened one. They’re made to dip or sweep across toast. The range consists of three; the saintly original guacamole, 100 per cent plain avocado and devilishly hot guacamole (our favourite). All are made from natural ingredients, dairy and gluten-free and for vegans.

Raw chocolate pie company, rawchocpie.co.uk, from £2.35

Cornish fudge need no longer be a treat. The raw chocolate pie company – based in St Ives – has been making raw fudge for two years and the two flavours. The first is raw hemp fudge – made with strawberries and raspberries as well as the hemp protein powder, giving it an extra health boost. And the salted caramel raw fudge – made after customer demand – mixes caramel sweetness with pink Himalayan salt. It’s a healthier alternative to the traditional Cornish fudge, as the dairy is replaced with organic coconut oil and each of the 60g bar is suitable for vegans, coeliacs and diabetics.