Non-Dairy Milk

There are lots of different milks out there to try, all with different flavours. It really is a matter of personal taste when choosing one. When giving up dairy the alternative choices are soya, rice, nut and oat milk, most of which are freely available in the major supermarkets for your convenience.

Soya Milk

A lot of soya milks are fortified with calcium and vitamins and can be used just as you would have used cow's milk. The fresh chilled milks taste the best on your cereal or in hot drinks but some of the UHT ones on the shelf are great too and are useful to have in your store cupboard. They are ideal for using when cooking and cost less than the chilled ones. Some particularly good brands of soya milk are: So Good - chilled, with added calcium and B12, Alpro Soya Organic - chilled and Alpro Soya Sweetened - non-chilled with added vitamins and calcium. Some of the supermarket own brands, like Tesco and Sainsbury's, are worth trying too. As well as the plain milks, Alpro and So Good also do some delicious flavoured soya milks (in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry), also available in most supermarkets and which are a particular hit with children. Many brands of soya milk can also be found in health food shops.

Rice, Nut and Oat Milk

If you prefer not to use soya milk, there are still some other great alternatives to be found. Rice milk is widely available in supermarkets and has a thinner consistency than soya. It is ideal for adding to cereal and works well in hot drinks too. Because it is slightly sweet it is particularly good in dessert recipes, and therefore not ideal for adding to savoury dishes. Rice Dream is a popular brand of rice milk and as well as plain is also available in chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut/almond flavour. Provamel (Alpro) also make a rice milk, including one fortified with calcium and vitamins.

Some of the nut and oat milks are not stocked as readily as the soya and rice ones but a variety of them can always be found in independent health food stores. Nut milk, namely hazelnut and almond, is a very pleasant alternative to soya and can also be bought in powder form. Oat milk is light in texture and has a very mild flavour with just a hint of sweetness. It can be used in exactly the same way as cow's milk. All these milks can be bought online from:
www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

Kara Dairy-Free Coconut Milk

A new coconut milk is promising to shake up the dairy-free market by offering a "superior flavour and texture" to other bean and grain-based products. Launched in January 2010, Kara Dairy Free is the UK's first coconut based non-dairy milk and is produced using the liquid from pressed coconut flesh with added carotene, fruit extract and calcium. Kara Dairy Free has the same characteristics as semi-skimmed milk in taste, texture and colour. Like semi-skimmed milk, it contains just 2% fat, but has the added benefits of being cholesterol and lactose free, and contains the richest source of Lauric Acid of any kind of milk. Lauric Acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which is healthier than saturated animal fats and also helps control cholesterol. It is currently available from Tesco Extra stores, Whole Foods and Planet Organic. Further stockists are expected throughout early 2010.

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