We source our ingredients very carefully and know that what you put in is what you get out, great ingredients make great cheese. So we're not making any changes to the fats that we use (they remain the same - rice bran, shea and coconut) and it's just the nuts that are being replaced. It's also important to note that, like cheese, Honestly Tasty plant-based alternatives should be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
What are the nuts being replaced with:
We're replacing nuts (almonds and cashews) with a couple of different ingredients depending on the cheese in question. Potato and tapioca starches are used and some vegetable proteins will also take their place.
One thing that we found necessary at this stage, to avoid any compromise on taste/texture, is the inclusion of some modified starches. We know that they get a bad rep - and often, we're with you - they're frequently listed on packaging for processed food products - but please know that moving away from nuts doesn't mean our cheese will now be hyper-processed. Using modified starch does not disturb the nutritive value of anything that it is added too - and at the moment, the starches play a vital role in enabling the cheese to perform in a similar way to dairy. Our Blue and our soft ripened cheeses will continue to be cultured and matured over weeks and hand flipped daily, in order to authentically create the flavours and textures which make our cheeses unique (and we hope, a cut above the rest).
Because we want our products to enable people to transition to a vegan, or increasingly planet-friendly lifestyle, to help everyone lower their environmental impact and remove animal exploitation from their diet.
This is a new space, not just for us - but the sector. Our methods are innovative and we're constantly researching new ways to bring honestly tasty products to market. to tweak and develop our recipes, always with a core mission in mind.