Homemade oat milk, So Vegan
Oat milk is becoming increasingly popular, as it’s more local than rice or coconut milk and has less controversy than soy. It’s a great way for farmers to transfarm (let animals live out lives in peace while helpers train them up to grow a highly profitable local crop, in a billion-dollar market (oat milks make the best cappuccinos and hot chocolates for baristas, as they are super-thick and creamy).
Never use this instead of formula, this is for adults to make smoothies and coffee!) Avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing.
Companies like Rerooted Organic now offer home-delivered plant milk in glass bottles, so these are a great way to protect your purchase! If you don’t have a private doorstep, their modern milk hut can store 9 bottles of milk or plant milk, and also saves local critters from sampling your morning pastries! You can also use it to house freshly-delivered bread and pastries (keep cool with a metal water bottle that is half-filled and frozen). You can also get oat milk made in Lancashire delivered to your door.
Overherd oat milk powder
Overherd reduces the 90% water found in most brands of oat milk, leaving you just a package of powder to mix at home yourself. This means an easy-to-recycle pack that uses 91% less weight (fewer lorries on the roads) and no food waste (just make what you need, when you need it). You can also add this powder to drinks, as an instant coffee creamer. Or use in baked recipes.
It’s packed with calcium and chicory root gives prebiotic fibre for good digestion. Natural beta glucans in oats are good for your heart. You can also buy a glass bottle to shake up your own drinks.
reusable milk bottle tops
Whether you drink plant or dairy milk, Moopops reusable milk bottle tops are a great way to keep milk (and juice) fresh, which helps avoid food waste, and encourages people to choose glass bottles over plastic. They also stop little birds and critters pecking through aluminium tops early morning, before you’ve collected milk from your doorstep! Available in packs and different sizes and colours, they are made from food-grade silicone with air-tight leakproof lids and also dishwasher/fridge safe. The same company also sells larger pot tops, which you can use to keep yoghurt and other food goods fresh, without plastic clingfilm. They fit around 95% of pot brands (check before purchase).
Glass milk bottles are used 20 to 50 times before they get recycled, compared to just once for a plastic bottle. Foil tops also don’t keep milk fresh, once opened. The average milk bottle also contains a third recycled glass, so it at least contributes to a circular economy. Yet just 3% of liquids sold in the UK are delivered in glass to doorsteps.
let’s got to plant milk university!
Plant milks can get confusing, so it helps to know which is best for each job. If you can go local (like oats). Or if not, choose sustainable (organic soy etc). Here’s a quick guide (for recipes, read up on food safety for people & pets to know toxic ingredients (like nuts, seeds, nutmeg, chocolate, coffee) to avoid:
The New Milks is a good book to sort the wheat from the chaf. It is the complete bible of milk alternatives, with charts to compare texture, nutritional content, taset and best use (oat, amaranth, cashew, hazelnut, sunflower and hemp). Which ones bake the best biscuits, work best in coffee or make creamy mashed potatoes? This book has the answers. You’ll also find 100 non-dairy recipes like ‘buttermilk’ almond waffles and Mexican chocolate pudding.
- Soy milk is best for baking as it has the right protein and consistency, and good for baking too. Use oat or almond milk for baking.
- Tea and coffee tend to curdle less if you buy a good brand and add the milk first. Choose oat, soy or almond for best results (and a coffee low in acidity). Oat milk also makes the best cappuccinos and hot chocolates. Soy milk is best for iced coffees.
- Coconut milk is good for most things, but it does have a distinct flavour which usually still carries through. So don’t use if you don’t like coconut (and choose brands like Biona that are free from monkey-slave harvesting).
- Rice milk is quite thin, and people who like thick dairy milk likely won’t use it on cereal, but it can be good for other purposes. For thick creamy sauces, go for oat, coconut or soy.
