The first time I ever came across powdered milk was when I was sixteen and we went back to a friend’s bedsit and he made us coffee and stirred in this white powder which didn’t properly dissolved and gave the (pretty cheap and quite awful) instant coffee an undrinkable quality. I think I was amazed there was such a thing as instant milk, and appalled that it was quite so horrid. Many, many years later I became aware of soya milk; I had somewhat of an upset tummy and decided to try it instead of dairy milk – it was really quite nasty. However, a couple of years after that there were more varieties of soya milk and I found one which wasn’t too bad on cereal or in porridge, but still rather nasty in my opinion in tea and coffee.
These days there are all sorts of non-dairy milks, and many reasons why it might be better to move from actual milk to plant milk. For environmental reasons, although we still have some “proper” milk, we also have a couple of pints of non-dairy milk a week, and I have non-dairy yoghurt. I realised after experimenting with soya milk, that non-dairy products really vary, and after trying several different varieties, I find one I really quite liked. I didn’t want to drink (or eat) anything made with soya because of the damage it does to the environment, and the fact it has to be imported as soya beans don’t grow here. When I tried oat milk, not only did I like it the best but also oats grow in this country so don’t have to be flown in before they can be processed.
I now drink Oato, and I really like it – it’s perfect in hot drinks, in cooking (especially custard) and it arrives on our doorstep delivered by the milkman. This is what Oato say about their milk:
- Oato is a creamy delicious alternative to cow’s milk. It’s great on cereal, in tea or coffee, used in cooking or even just to drink by itself.
- Sustainable – Oats are a low impact crop and we source them from the UK. Oato is packed in fully reusable or recyclable containers, like glass or cans.
- Nutritious – We don’t add any sugar, all the sweetness comes directly from the oats. Oats are high in fibre so can help lower cholesterol.
- Vegan – It’s made without any animal products so it’s lactose free (as well as soy and nut free)
- https://oato.co.uk/
- Also delivered by out milkman is my oatgurt. I tried quite a few before I settled on Oatley. I did this just based on the taste and consistency, but it seems that the company has been hit by various controversies and the Oatley I eat is made in Sweden; however, a factory is being built in Peterborough and should be in production next year. So I guess it’s a balance between British made dairy milk yoghurt and imported oatgurt… I like it so I’ll continue to buy and eat it – and it is also delivered by my milkman.
- I know my featured image isn’t of oats – sadly I’m lacking a picture of any!
Lois Elsden 