What’s more, it’s made from real cow’s milk blended with just the right amount of vegetable oil, meaning it spreads over anything directly from the fridge and still tastes great.

Lactofree Spreadable will be available in selected branches of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda this January. It’s already available in selected Sainsbury’s stores – click here for a list of stockists.

Keep checking back for more updates on where to get hold of Spreadable near you, and don’t forget to join in the discussion on Facebook for new suggestions on how to enjoy our latest product.

In the meantime, spread the word!

6 eggs
1 pint Lactofree Dairy Drink (whole or semi-skimmed)
1 pint Lactofree Cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whiskey (alternatively use brandy or rum)

- Separate the eggs, reserving the yolks and refrigerating the whites.

- In a large mixing bowl, beat the yolks, sugar, alcohol, vanilla, milk, and cream until smooth. Refrigerate overnight.

- When ready to serve, pour the mixture into a punch bowl.

- Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the rim mixture.

- Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve in a Collins or large wine glass.

White Russian – A widely enjoyed favourite

50 ml Vodka
25 ml Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
50ml Lactofree cream

- Mix vodka and Kahlua in a cocktail shaker, then pour over ice in a lowball glass.

- Pour over Lactofree cream to fill to the top.

- Stir if desired and enjoy!

Brandy Alexander – A sweet treat for the winter

35 ml brandy
35 ml White Creme de Cacao
35 ml Lactofree cream
Pinch of nutmeg

- Mix the brandy, Creme de Cacao and cream in a cocktail shaker with ice

- Strain into a martini glass

- Garnish with nutmeg and serve

Here’s to a very merry Lactofree Christmas!

We understand how tough this can be, and we’re working all the time to increase the availability of our products in shops around the country. However, ultimately the decision on what items to stock rests with the supermarkets themselves, many of whom have de-listed products such as Lactofree Cream (or reduced their availability) due to a supposed ‘lack of demand’.

Lactofree products are made freely available to all supermarket chains if they want to stock them, and any requests made by you for a product to be brought in at store-level will eventually be passed on to the main buying team. Therefore, you have the power to get these products stocked near you, and the more people who request to have them re-listed by their local supermarket, the more chance there is of that actually happening.

We want as many of you to be able to enjoy our products as possible, especially at Christmas when products like Cream have extra significance. Hopefully, as more supermarkets start to realise just how many people there are in the Lactofree Community, they’ll start to bring the full Lactofree range into more of their stores nationwide.

You can help us make that happen! Speak to your store manager the next time you can’t find Lactofree on the shelves!

Happy Lactofree Christmas

Team Lactofree

- Toast some pieces of either regular or pitta bread, spread with a small amount of tomato puree, garnish with a few olives and season with herbs. Then place a medium-sized slice of Lactofree hard cheese over the top and grill for 3-5 mins. Serve while hot as mini pizzas.

- Don’t turn your back on chips and dip! Simply take 200g Lactofree Soft White Cheese and mix it with a chopped spring onion, four large spoonfuls of sweet chilli sauce and some chopped chives, then serve alongside some thick-cut potato wedges sprinkled with paprika for a finger dish that won’t hang around for long!

- Why not have a cheese fondue? Assemble some friends, grab a selection of veggies and breadsticks (or even some cubes of cooked meat) and get stuck in! Click here to visit our Recipe Club for a simple and tasty fondue recipe made with Lactofree cheese.

- Cheeseboards might be a bit of a minefield for the lactose intolerant, but there are lots of ways you can add a bit of variety to Lactofree hard cheese to be a part of the after-dinner action. Experiment using different chutneys by contrasting sweeter ones like mango or caramelized onion with tart ones like cranberry or a traditional farmer’s pickle. Add a bit of fruit, such as apple, grape or even apricot, to mix things up, and try serving on different flavoured crackers and crispbreads. You’ll soon find the possibilities are pretty varied!

We hope you enjoy making these festive nibbles as much as eating them!

Lactofree Christmas Community

- Don’t underestimate the power of presentation! Arranging a fresh fruit platter in an creative and Christmassy way will encourage kids to get stuck into this healthy snack. You can even serve along with a Lactofree fruit yoghurt for them to dip the pieces into, fondue-style!

- Lactofree icing is easy to make and can be used to top all kinds of sweet treats – simply blend together 1 part dairy free spread to 2 parts icing sugar. Why not add a little food colouring and get the kids to help decorate Christmas-shaped cookies or cakes?

- Using bread (toasted if you like), Lactofree Soft White Cheese, raisins, sweet peppers, carrots and other coloured vegetables you can easily create snowman-shaped snacks for the kids to enjoy between meals.

- In a pan over a low heat, melt together half a bar of dairy-free dark chocolate, a couple of teaspoons of white sugar, three cups of Lactofree Dairy Drink, a bit of water and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to create a delicious hot chocolate that the kids will love when they come in from the cold.

We hope these tips will help you keep the kids happy this Christmas! Feel free to add any of your own underneath.

Lactofree Christmas Community

Over the next few weeks we’ll be providing you with the recipes you need to make your Christmas as delicious as it can be – each one 100 per cent lactose free. We’ll also be dropping in some handy hints and tips to make sure you’re fully equipped to handle any situation the season throws at you.

And to cap it all off, we’ll be revealing an extra special announcement at the end of the month that we’re very excited about. We’re sure you will be too; you’ll just have to wait and see what it is…

In the meantime, why not check out our first recipe – sumptuous gluten and lactose free bread & butter pudding.

Make sure you keep checking our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout December for updates on when new recipes are published.

Here’s to a happy Lactofree Christmas!

We want to know what you would most like to be able to cook this Christmas; what dish would really make your meal complete? Tell us your suggestions and we’ll pass them on to our expert team of Lactofree Christmas bloggers, who will then bring them to life. Afterwards you can read all about their experiences right here on our website, as well as check out the recipe to try for yourself at home.

So, drop us a line and tell us what you want to see on your dinner table this festive season. You could even win a special Lactofree Christmas Stocking, stuffed with vouchers, a recipe book and some festive cookie cutters to say thank you!

We’ve got five to give away, so click here and send us your suggestion today!

• Coventry
• Manchester
• Slough
• Watford
• West Bromwich
• Wigan
• Wolverhampton

Each session should last no more than 10 minutes, and all participants will be rewarded with £20 in exchange for their time.

If you think you would be interested in taking part, please send us an email with your telephone contact details and someone will be in touch shortly with details of an exact time and location.

Help make Lactofree the best it can be!

The Genius range is one of the country’s premier ‘free-from’ food brands, producing everything from sliced bread and sandwich rolls to pies, pastries and pizza. All of their products conform to the most recent EU standards of gluten-free classification – meaning they contain less than 20ppm (parts per million) of gluten – yet still taste great. This makes them the perfect choice for anyone looking to avoid gluten in their diet.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be bringing you some delicious recipes that incorporate both Lactofree and Genius products that we hope you’ll try out at home. In the meantime, why not head over to the Genius website and check out their entire range?

For all the latest developments on our exciting new partnership with Genius, join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Right now we’re busy recruiting contributors for the project, and anyone can be involved. All we need from you is a passion for Lactofree, a handful of recipes or lactose free Christmas experiences and an overall enthusiasm to help out others with symptoms of lactose intolerance. In return, you’ll get tons of Lactofree vouchers to help make all your tasty recipes, plus the chance to be a part of some of our extra special plans in 2012!

If you think you’d like to get involved, send us an email and we’ll get in touch with all the necessary details.

Many thanks!

Lactofree

Everyone’s familiar with the standard array of winter vegetable soups, but recently we stumbled across this recipe that was just a little bit different. Why not try it out for yourself this week?

Butternut Squash, Apple and Sage Soup

Ingredients

2 medium-sized butternut squash
8-10 sage leaves, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cider (dry or sweet)
1 tbsp brown/muscovado sugar
2-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/6 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp chilli flakes
1/6 cup Lactofree cream
1 large apple, diced
Salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC
2. Halve each butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.
3. Sprinkle with sage, salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 45 mins – 1 hour, until the squash is tender.
5. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, then scoop out flesh.
6. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot. Add in shallot and sauté over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
7. Add in scooped out butternut squash, chicken stock, apple cider, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg and red pepper flakes.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes.
9. Puree mixture with a blender (you can do this in the pan with an immersion blender).
10. At the last minute, stir in Lactofree cream and serve garnished with diced apple.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to upload your soup recipes to our Recipe Club. We’re giving away Lactofree vouchers throughout autumn for our favourites.

Previously, being lactose intolerant meant having to give up certain types of curry made with cream or yogurt. Now, however, everyone can enjoy the delights of Indian cuisine without the threat of unwanted bloating or digestive discomfort, thanks to Lactofree.

To celebrate this fact we’ve gathered two of our favourite curry recipes for you to try out this week – each one completely lactose free. Try our Tasty Lamb Rogan Josh – a simple, healthy and low-fat curry that’s so good you’ll want to come back to it time and time again. Or why not have a go at this
Chicken and Spinach Korma with Tomato and Chilli Relish. The rich, creamy coconut flavour of this korma goes perfectly with the chicken and spinach, and the tangy relish really hits the spot!

Don’t forget, if you’ve got a recipe you’d like to share with us then make sure you get in touch via our Recipe Club.

She also mentioned that her brother “was a sickly, snotty, weedy kid in the 60s and 70s” but as an adult, had removed milk from his diet to dramatic effect.

“He is now a farmer and has access to unhomogenised milk from a single herd of pure-bred Guernsey cows, which he seems to be able to drink without any unpleasant symptoms.” she said.

Dr Fox replied that, in his experience, if your immune system has a problem with milk then it doesn’t matter where the milk comes from, it will still be a problem.

“Virtually all milk allergic kids will also react to goat or sheep milk. Very occasionally I have patients who can surprisingly tolerate specific milk-containing products, yet they will react to others. This is most likely related to them having a problem with a specific milk protein that is not found in that product due to the manufacturing process. This may explain your brother being better with one milk rather than another.”

Evaporated milk: Simply evaporate Lactofree whole or semi skimmed by 60% in a pan over low heat, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t burn. You can use this to make wonderfully rich fudge but also a number of savoury dishes.

Sweetened condensed milk: Cook 100ml of Lactofree whole or semi skimmed to 25g of sugar (in whatever quantity you wish) with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, on low heat, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t burn (500ml milk and 125g of sugar takes about 1 hour on a low simmer). This sweet milk makes fabulous chocolate brownies.

Dulce de leche: Follow the sweetened condensed milk method and simply cook for longer until your mixture becomes thick and brown (500ml Lactofree whole or semi skimmed and 125g of sugar takes about 1 hour and 15-30 minutes on a low simmer). This rich, creamy caramel is perfect for desserts like Banoffee Pie and delicious simply poured over fresh sliced banana.

Buttermilk: Cook 1 1/3 cup of Lactofree whole and 1/3 apple cider until it curdles. Stir well before using. This sour milk is great for fruit scones or soda bread.

Take a look at our Recipe Club for more delicious, lactose free ideas.

Dr Fox replied that he is not actually convinced that there is any link between colic and lactose intolerance. He reminded us that there is no single cause of colic in babies and recommended that each infant’s case be assessed individually.

Many other mums asked if switching to lactose free formula could help alleviate their child’s colic symptoms. However, again Dr Fox had to reply that there is no evidence that putting colicky infants onto a lactose free formula would make any difference.

He said that some children benefit from a change in their mum’s diet (to exclude milk) or a change in formula if bottle-fed, but these cases were rare. Instead, Dr Fox recommended that each mum chat to her own GP to get an individual assessment.

Keep an eye out for more from Dr Fox – coming soon.

While an individual with lactose intolerance might be able to tolerate some dairy, those with galactosaemia have to remove all dairy products from their diet.

Lactose, the sugar found in milk, is normally broken down by the body into two simpler sugars that can be easily digested. These two sugars, galactose and glucose, are then broken down even further. However, individuals with galactosaemia cannot break down galactose, which causes it to build up in the body along with other harmful chemicals. This can lead to serious illness.

The symptoms of galactosaemia can vary and if left untreated can lead to cataracts, liver disease and kidney problems. However, with proper dietary management, most individuals can enjoy good health.

Those with galactosaemia have to eliminate all dairy and dairy products from their diet. While those with lactose intolerance can enjoy Lactofree products these still contain galactose making them unsuitable for individuals with galactosaemia.

It is also important to avoid food items containing whey and casein as they are derived from milk. Galactose can also even be found in some medicines, particularly tablets, and also need to be avoided.

Find out more about galactosaemia at www.galactosaemia.org.

Our Twitter stream is also very active with a growing number of followers. From getting advice on how to live lactose free to simply showing off your latest lactose free recipe, there is always someone to talk to on Twitter.

We also have regular competitions on both our social media channels, so make sure you’ve liked us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to be the first in line to win!

Join us on Facebook and Twitter now!

Bread: Most regular breads will be made with cows’ milk. This includes rolls and buns.

Snacks: Products like potato chips and cookies are not lactose free as they contain milk solids.

Prepared meats: Items like salamis and sausages often use a large amount of milk in their production.

Processed foods: As lactose is almost tasteless, it is often added to processed foods. This could be to prevent caking or to simply provide filler content.

Frozen vegetables: Lactose is commonly added to frozen vegetables to prevent discolouration.

Medicines: Some medicines include lactose in their coating or as a filler. Individuals with lactose intolerance must inform their doctor before a medicine is prescribed.

When eating out it is also useful to remember that certain dishes will contain lactose, even if they don’t explicitly contain dairy. Dishes like mashed potato will usually be prepared with milk or butter, while many salad dressings contain lactose as a sweetener.

She asked because she noticed that her daughter’s lactose intolerance seemed to worsen following a bout of antibiotics.

She continued: “I’ve also recently been diagnosed with H Pylori (a microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach), which I have probably had for years, but never previously tested for. Is there a possible link there too?”

Dr Fox replied that lactose intolerance can certainly be the result of inflammation in the gut caused by infection, coeliac disease or even H Pylori, but by far the most common cause is genetics.

He continued: “Mammals are built to digest lactose from breast milk, but once we pass infancy most of us lose the ability to tolerate lactose (as we don’t rely on milk) and thus become lactose intolerant.”

Keep an eye out for more from Dr Fox and the mums from Mumsnet.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
150g smoked salmon
100ml dry white wine
300ml Lactofree cream
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
6 tbsp finely chopped dill
450g fresh egg tagliatelle
Pinch salt

Method:

1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until soft.
2. Shred the smoked salmon and add to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, while stirring.
3. Add the white wine and bring to the boil. Allow to cook for 1 minute.
4. Slowly stir in the Lactofree cream, cayenne, paprika and 5 tablespoons of dill. Allow to cook for 3 minutes, stirring.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the on-pack instructions.
6. Use a large bowl and toss the pasta and salmon cream sauce together.
7. Sprinkle with the remaining dill and serve immediately.

Do you have a favourite seafood recipe? Please add it to our Recipe Club.