Thanks Almond Breeze for sorting out breakfast !

As a teacher and a mum, the school holidays always signal a change of routine, starting with more leisurely and adventurous breakfasts. It was therefore the perfect time for Almond Breeze to send through this fabulous breakfast hamper, containing Rude Health Daily Oats Porridge, Ultimate Muesli, Teapigs tea and - wow ! - a mini bottle of champagne (French no less, as Madhouse Daddy Mike pointed out !), alongside two cartons of Almond Breeze to try out.

I have to admit, I'd never heard of Almond Breeze or indeed almond milk, so I was intrigued to read the information that they sent through :

Almond Breeze almond milk by US brand Blue Diamond Almonds  is a low-calorie milk alternative, which contains no trans fats or cholesterol and just low levels of saturated fat. It launched in store at the start of the month and it’s the perfect accompaniment to cereal, as well as being great in everything from smoothies to muffins.

·         Almond Breeze Unsweetened contains only 29 calories per serving, that’s 60% fewer calories than even skimmed milk.

·         All the Almond Breeze range is free from dairy, eggs and lactose.

·         There’s no soya, gluten, peanuts or MSG in the Almond Breeze range.

·         Almond Breeze products are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.

·         The milk is a fantastic source of calcium – you can get 15% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) per serving.

·         The Almond Breeze range contains half the calories of soya and only a third of the saturated fat.

·         Almond Breeze products are made using Californian-grown almonds, a superfood. These nuts are rich in protein, fibre and monounsaturated fat.

Well, I had a taste of the original Almond Breeze on its own in a glass and I wasn't keen on the taste, but I don't like drinking normal milk either so I'm not surprised. I did use it in place of normal milk in a banana/yogurt/apple smoothie though and it was delicious - I'd never have known it wasn't regular milk to be honest.

You may have noticed that I'm currently on a mission to use up all the fresh food in the house before heading off to Tunisia for a fortnight, so today we decided to use up half a loaf of stale bread and the final eggs by making French toast.

I beat two eggs in a bowl and poured in a generous glug of the sweetened Almond Breeze.

After coating both sides of each slice of bread in the mixture, I transferred it to a frying pan where I'd melted some lovely Breton salted butter.

The kids sprinkled theirs with vanilla sugar.

And I sprinkled mine with a touch of sugar and a generous dusting of cinnamon.

Even those who usually have small appetites tucked in enthusiastically !

Clean plates all round !

The original Almond Breeze is ideal for using in place of regular milk on cereal and muesli or in cakes, smoothies, French toast and any other sweet recipes. We couldn't taste any difference really compared to regular milk, but we are used to drinking UHT milk, which may explain why !

Almond Breeze Unsweetened is the only almond milk unsweetened variant currently available in the UK and I have to say, I love the low-calorie and low-fat aspect. For anyone who needs a lactose-free diet, it's definitely worth checking out, but even for those who just want to switch to a lower fat option, it's also a great alternative to normal milk.

It's also worth heading over to the Almond Breeze website because, as well as a whole host of recipes to try, there is a "taste guarantee" where you can claim your money back if you don't like it. I also learned that there will be a chocolate variant coming soon so I'll definitely look out for that too.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £1.40 

for more information : http://www.bluediamondalmonds.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received a breakfast hamper including two cartons of Almond Breeze in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Rice Dream Dairy-free Rice Drink
Alpro Soya milk alternatives
Tetley for Soya - blended specifically for use with Soya milk