Rachel's Organic Yoghurt

For the last couple of weeks I’ve had a fridge full of yoghurt (well, the top shelf anyway, but that’s still a lot of yoghurt) thanks to the nice people over at Rachel’s Organic, who sent me a box full to try.

Rachel’s Organic is Britain’s first certified organic dairy, producing a range of organic yogurts, milk, desserts, cream and crème fraiche.  The yoghurts are available everywhere now and I have indeed come across them before – those big tubs of natural yoghurt are yummy.  They believe that you get out what you put in, and so all their products are made with only the finest “unadulterated” ingredients from nature, giving “sophisticated and authentic” tastes.

Let me take you through what they sent…

Low Fat Yoghurt

Most of the yoghurt I was sent (and I think most of the yoghurts in the range) come in the “low fat” category.  These are the most popular that Rachel’s Organic produce.  The Low Fat Natural Yoghurt is the “basic” product, if you like, made with milk and yoghurt cultures with nothing added – totally pure. What you get is a mild and fresh yoghurt that has the tang you expect from a natural yoghurt but without being overbearing or too tart.  The texture is lovely too, smooth, creamy even, and apparently less than 2% fat. I’m one of those people who will sit and eat natural yoghurt on its own, but I know not many people do, it’s great to have over fruit, with cereal, with added honey or fruit puree, or as an ingredient in smoothies, deserts, sauces and marinades.  This is the all-rounder of the yoghurt world and it’s very yummy.

Apple and Elderflower is new to the range. I see it around a lot now as a flavour combination and I know why – it’s delightful. Elderflower is a lovely sweet ingredient that really works well with apple, and in this yoghurt it is no exception.  Some yoghurts are really over flavoured in that you can only taste the flavouring rather than the yoghurt itself – this taste test has shown me that it doesn’t have to be that way – Rachel’s Organic seem to give you something that still has the tang of actual yoghurt with the fruit added.

The Rhubarb one is so nice. Honestly. Like I said above what Rachel’s Organic have managed to do is make yoghurt that taste of yoghurt with fruit spooned through. This rhubarb one has bits of rhubarb in it but the yoghurt is natural. Probably my second favourite of the whole lot I tasted… second that is to the Vanilla one.  So very creamy, but still with that natural yoghurt tang. Honestly, so good.  It uses organic Madagascan Bourbon vanilla to flavour the yoghurt and it really doesn’t taste like it’s less than 2% fat. If you want something a bit sharper, try the Rasberry one – the natural yoghurt still cuts through, but the fruit itself is a little stronger making a really fruity yoghurt.  And of course all the fruit used is organic too.

Greek Style Yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is traditionally thicker than normal natural yoghurt, often referred to as “set” yoghurt.  It makes for a great addition to cereal and can be used as an addition to deserts instead of cream. A slightly higher fat content than the ones in the low fat category about (less than 10%), it is obviously more creamy in texture and flavour.

I’m not one for adding Honey to my yoghurt but when I tried this one I was pleasantly surprised. Like the fruit yoghurts above the addition of the honey (collected from the foothills of the Himalayas) to the yoghurt is subtle and not overpowering – it makes this taste lovely, and is just great for putting on your Weetabix. The honey is strongest as a slightly sweet aftertaste.  The Coconut one intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to try it, I love coconut flavoured things, and I was really impressed with this (probably number three of them in order of preference).  This uses creamed coconut, giving the yoghurt an actual coconut texture, which is what I hope when I take a mouthful of something with coconut in.  A sweet yoghurt perfect for breakfast yes, but also suitable for using in currys in place of more fattening ingredients.

Limited Edition Seasonal Fruits

I hope I haven’t taken too long to taste all these yoghurts, because this Seasonal Fruits limited edition flavour was a real find.  This is one of Rachel’s Organic “thick and creamy” yoghurts, made with milk and cream (probably best not think about the fat content, although it’s not as bad as many other deserts!).  These little individual pots come in Apple and Rhubarb and Apple and Cinnamon – tastes of the Christmas season for sure.  Both are flavoured subtly, as with all the other yoghurts I’ve reviewed, and are so very creamy. Of the two the apple and rhubarb one is definitely my favourite, I’m hoping to see that in a big pot sometime soon. The apple and cinnamon one kind of tasted like apple pie filling.

I have to say these yoghurts, all of them, are far superior to those little pots you buy in multipacks from the supermarket. The big pots aren’t really great for chucking in your lunch box, but they are ideal for keeping in the fridge at home and spooning into a bowl or over your fruit at any time of the day.

For the full range of Rachel’s Organic products take a look at their website – where there is also a nice selection of recipes if you want to use your yoghurt for cooking.