Please note: I received free products from Slightly Different Foods to review, but this in no way impacted my opinion. I was not obliged to write a positive review, and the company did not see this review before it was put up on the site.
It’s estimated that 10-20% of the UK population has IBS. It’s a figure that’s most likely higher in reality, with some IBS sufferers probably not seeking medical advice.
There are lots of things that sufferers do to manage their symptoms: eating regular meals, reducing the consumption of fizzy drinks and alcohol, drinking plenty of fluids. And there’s also evidence to suggest that following a low FODMAP diet can help to relieve symptoms.
One element of a low FODMAP diet is avoiding or limiting high FODMAP foods: foods that contain certain types of carbohydrate that can mess with a sufferer’s digestive system. These include onions and garlic, gluten, pulses, avocados, certain nuts and more.
These ingredients can be found in a huge number of cooking sauces, condiments, table sauces and dressings, which is why Sonia Fox – an IBS sufferer herself – decided to launch Slightly Different Foods.
Slightly Different Foods is a small, family-run business that makes a range of award-winning gut and IBS-friendly store cupboard foods, with the aim of making weekday meals easy. The products are designed for both IBS sufferers and non-sufferers alike, making them suitable for the whole family to enjoy. And what’s more, their products are all vegan, too.
All 14 of the major allergens are excluded, along with artificial preservatives, flavourings and colourings – and there’s also less sugar and salt in these products than in other alternatives. Their range of products is impressive too, with cooking sauces, salad dressings, tables sauces and more on offer – as well as packs that combine different options, which work out cheaper than buying the individual products separately.
It was one of these packs that I was sent to review – the Around The World Cooking Sauces pack, which retails at £30 and includes 10 different jars of cooking sauces. There’s an impressive variety of global influences in this pack – Italian, Indian, Mexican, Thai and more – a good way to keep mealtimes varied.
Each jar is enough, they say, for two servings, and for the spicier options, a chilli rating details the level of heat you can expect. And if you don’t fancy getting creative with your own recipes, there are some recipe ideas on the Slightly Different Foods website (although it would be much more useful if you could filter these by different product types).
I’ve still got two of the jars left to use (Sweet Chilli and Mexican Fajita), but I’ve been pretty impressed by the rest. One of my favourites was probably the Sweet & Sour, which was good and syrupy, tangy and fruity, and didn’t taste as ridiculously sweet as some jarred sweet and sour sauces do. I added it to meat-free chicken pieces, peppers, water chestnuts and thinly sliced carrots for a midweek evening meal.
One of the most surprising sauces was the Tropical Curry (excuse the poor photo!) I wasn’t quite sure how a sauce that featured banana, pineapple and coconut milk would turn out, but it made a fruity salmon and green bean curry that the four-year-old demolished, and which I’d actually happily eat again.
I also really enjoyed the Tikka Masala sauce, which I simply added to cooked chicken pieces and served with rice and naan.
There were two sauces that I probably enjoyed less than the others. The first was the Tomato & Basil – heavy on the basil, lighter on the tomato. I used this as the base for a tuna pasta bake, and just felt it had a bit less flavour than the sauces I normally make and was over-heavy on the herbs for my taste.
The other slight let down for me was the Smooth Bolognese – I normally make my Bolognese super-rich, so I think using a jar sauce was just too different compared to what I’m used to.
I’ll be making enchiladas with the Mexican Fajita sauce, and the Sweet Chilli I’m not sure about – maybe a stir fry. Which of the ten would you try first…?
Win an Around The World Cooking Sauces pack from Slightly Different Foods!
I’m giving one of my Instagram followers the chance to win an Around The World Cooking Sauces pack (RRP £30) from Slightly Different Foods! All you need to do to enter is click the link below and follow the instructions. The competition will close at 5pm on Wednesday, March 2nd – good luck!