Non-UPF biscuits for cheese

[madeinmanc]

I'm avoiding ultra-processed foods, not completely but as best as I can.

Does anyone have any suggestions for non-UPF shop bought biscuits for cheese for Christmas? I don't normally have biscuits and crackers anyway but I'm having a cheese board. Thanks.

I've just looked at the ingredients of a couple of brands of crackers. You can't get round that they're all processed foods.

But the bog standard Jacob's Cream Crackers have 5 ingredients (the flour is however fortified with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin; the oil is palm oil)

The rather posher Peter's Yard sourdough crackers have seven ingredients (though 3 of those are types of flour - same fortifications in the wheat flour; no oil)

For both, all the ingredients are identifiable and pretty much what you'd use if you were baking them yourself at home.

Is that OK in your overall diet?

Expensive Oatcakes?
peter’s yard sourdough things or similar

or serve cheese with some kind of bread/toast instead

to be honest I think there are many worse upf than very plain ordinary water biscuits/crackers unless you intend to eat your own body weight in them regularly!

Carr's Water Biscuits have shortest ingredient list that I've found so far - just 3 (wheat flour with same fortifications, palm oil and salt)

Nairn Fine Oatcakes have 4 - wholegrain oats, (sustainable) palm oil, salt and sodium bicarb (as raising agent)

Thanks, everyone.

The fortification is a legal requirement so that's OK, even from a baker the flour has to be fortified.

I noticed Waitrose's own brand oatcakes don't contain palm oil so I get those if I ever get oatcakes.

I'll keep looking.

I've just found these which look Ok, though I was thinking more of the traditional assorted biscuits:

https://www.ocado.com/products/m-s-collection-rye-sourdough-crackers-528120011

Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Buttermilk, Wholemeal Rye Flour (contains Gluten), Wholemeal Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Sourdough Starter (13%) (Rye Flour (contains Gluten), Starter Culture, Yeast), Honey, Salt

We've bought various Peter's Yard long with waitrose own poppy seed crackers which look UPF free, this year.

Ryvita?

• Wholegrain Rye Flour, Rye Flour, Salt,

Aldi thins
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫 (𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), 𝐑𝐲𝐞 Flour (10%), Dried Rosemary (3.5%), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt (1.5%), Flavouring.

Make your own? Lots of recipes online:
https://moorlandseater.com/easy-homemade-crackers/

Matzo Crackers - flour and water!

Homemade crackers are stupidly quick, easy and cheap to make, I use a BBC recipe and it’s just flour, butter and water though you can add seeds of other flavourings. They keep for a few weeks in an airtight container.

I'm not making my own.

But some normal crackers then.
They're crackers, not crack cocaine.

There can be a middle ground between making your own and buying something in, you know, i.e. ready made biscuits that are not pumped full of crap like palm oil. It's really not too much to ask.

Buy some water biscuits then?

Aldi rosemary and sea salt thins are great

Think you’ll have to make your own OP, get your rolling pin out! @madeinmanc

Thanks, those sound great. With those and the M&S or Peter's yard plus water biscuits that's a fair selection.

I’m not sure there’s anything much wrong with palm oil nutritionally? Not compared to other vegetable oils at least. I thought the issue was deforestation?

I love these:

Ingredients

Scottish Oatmeal (78%), Olive Oil (15% non hydrogenated), Wheat Flour (contains Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Nicotinamide, Thiamin), Sugar, Salt, Bicarbonate of Soda

Duncans Olive Oil Oatcakes 200G - Tesco Groceries

Paterson's Pat Oatcakes Rough 250G - Tesco Groceries

Ingredients

Oatmeal, Sunflower Oil (9%), Salt

Aldi thins are my absolute favourite bought cracker. I sometimes have them instead of crisps, just on their own.

Finn Crisp Original

Ingredients
Wholegrain Rye Flour, Sourdough 25% (Wholegrain Rye Flour, Water), Salt and Yeast, Contains 95% Wholegrain Rye Flour

I went in Aldi but it was so busy I can't couldn't hang around blocking the aisle. I got something that's called a sea salt flatbread which looks like an oblong cracker, are those what you both meant?

I've also found that Thomas Fudge and M&S do biscuits for cheese that look relatively good and palm-oil free but both have bad reviews online! The ?&S one isn't their regular selection, it's one of the more expensive ranges, just for reference.

Surely most oatcakes are fairly UPF.