A few months ago, I discovered Pertwood Farm’s Yacon Granola at a press event and was really impressed by how delicious it was. So when Pertwood Farm got back in touch , I jumped at the chance to try more of their cereal range.
For some of us, cereals are an essential part of our weekly breakfast routine. Unfortunately, many brands contain a massive amount of sugar making them everything BUT a healthy start of the day. Too much sugar is linked to poor dental health and increased risks of type 2 diabetes as well as being overweight or obese. Certain behavioural issues, such as hyperactivity and ADHD, are also directly correlated to sugar intake.
The 2,000 acres of Pertwood Farm are tucked away at the edge of the beautiful Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Pertwood was a sheep farm until WWII. But as more land was needed to grow more food, Pertwood has since operated a mixed farming program of grains, legumes, and grass leys grazed by sheep and beef cattle.
The chalky soils of Wiltshire are not suited to wheat so, instead, Pertwood Farm grows grains such as oats, rye or barley. Being an organic farm, certified by the Soil Association, they never use artificial fertilisers or pesticides on their crops. Their harvest of Wiltshire cereals are transformed into a range of wheat-free breakfast cereals.
Two of the most innovative products in the Pertwood Farm range are the Organic Yacon Porridge and the Organic Yacon Granola. Both, as the names suggest, are naturally sweetened with yacon, an ancient crop originally farmed by the Incas. Yacon is shaped a bit like a sweet potato but is actually a ground apple. It is naturally sweet but the sugars aren’t absorbed by the body, making it low GI. Being a pre-biotic, it aids gut health too, promoting healthy digestion.
Yacon is a healthy alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Pertwood Farm’s Organic Yacon Granola is a delicious blend of oats, sunflower seeds, dates, barley flakes, Peruvian yacon syrup, coconut, linseeds, rapeseed oil, buckwheat, linseeds and pumpkin seeds. Suitable for vegans, it has no added salt and no added sugar. Generally, I am not a big fan of store-bought granolas as I find them too sweet. This one is just right with only 13.3g of sugar per 100g (these are naturally occuring sugars). I loved the bug chunks of dates as well as the flaked coconut.
Pertwood Farm’s Organic Yacon Porridge is not your regular porridge. It contains oats, linseeds, yacon powder, banana flakes, milled linseeds and light touch of cinnamon. It contains no added salt and no added sugar. With 4.2g of sugar per 100g, the sweetness comes from naturally occurring sugars. Organic Yacon Porridge can simply be cooked in a pan or in the microwave. There is no need to add any more sugar as yacon gives it the perfect luscious taste.
I also got to try Pertwood Organic Fruit & Seed Muesli, a powerhouse of oats, barley and rye flakes, toasted coarse milled barley, sultanas, apricots, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and linseeds; all organically grown. 100% wheat free, the recipe also contains no added salt or no added sugar. This muesli contains 15g of sugar per 100g, most of them naturally present in the sultanas and apricots.
I always strive to buy ethical products and support local brands whenever I can, so I was glad to see that Pertwood Organic Cereals score very highly in Ethical Consumer‘s rankings. Their recipes are developed around the products they grow and are therefore also fully traceable. The yacon syrup and powder are sourced directly from Peru as they work very closely with farmers over there.
I was really impressed by the selection of Pertwood Farm’s cereals I received. Even my kids enjoyed them, in spite of them having no added sugar. Personally, I am trying to vary breakfast but I have to admit that during the week things can be hectic and rushed. And yes, cereal is the easy fallback option. Pertwood Farm’s organic cereals make a guilt-free option to be enjoyed by the all family.
But don’t take my word for it, here is your chance to try Pertwood’s organic cereals. I have 5 bundles up for grabs. Just click the following competition link to enter.
To learn more about Pertwood Farm you can visit their website, follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook.
This post was commissioned by Pertwood Farm. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Other things you might enjoy reading
Leave a Reply