Tasted: Sharpham Park Spelt Risotto

By Veggie Tom
This is great – lots of flavour, nice and easy to cook, and the spelt has a fantastic texture.

The product:
The other month, I went a little daffy for this Waitrose microwave risotto – devised by Heston Blumenthal and made with spelt, beetroot and a touch of horseradish, it tasted superb, and the resilience of spelt helped it avoid the claggy textural pitfalls of microwaveable rice. So this all-in-one risotto mix from specialist spelt producer Sharpham Park has a touch of competition.

The verdict:
But there’s no need to worry, because there’s a bit of magic in spelt. It’s exceptionally moreish, its texture so satisfying to eat that it seems to be channelling the best of different grains: the softness of good basmati rice and the seductive way that pearl barley resists your bite. And this risotto mix makes great use of it – it’s a cinch to prepare and it’s got a nice rich mushroomy flavour. Not a surprise, as I’ve tried Sharpham Park’s products before and the quality is reliably high. I tested several products alongside this risotto (see below) and everything hit a good standard.

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Ingredients: Pearled Spelt 87%, Porcini Pieces 3.5%, Dried Vegetables (Onion, Carrot, Celery), Reduced-Salt Stock Powder (Potato Starch, Salt, Onion, Parsnip, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Palm Fat*, Turmeric, Garlic and Lovage Extract), Dried Leaf Parsley, Garlic Granules, Salt and Ground Black Pepper, (*from Sustainable Sources)

Can you eat it? It’s vegetarian, but not gluten-free – and the pack states it may contain milk, nuts and sesame.

Barcode: 5060130412192
Sharpham Park Wild Mushroom Spelt Risotto
This is great – lots of flavour, nice and easy to cook, and the spelt has a fantastic texture. Tasted by Veggie Tom.

Not forgetting:

Barcode: 5060130411065
Sharpham Park Spelt Risotto Pumpkin & Shallot
This is nice and easy to cook, and the spelt has a fantastic texture. But the mushroom version has a punchier flavour. Tasted by Veggie Tom.

Barcode: 5060130412154
Sharpham Park Morning Multi Flakes
These taste super healthy – they’re not like your average commercial cereal. If you’re looking for seriously wholesome, thick breakfast flakes, these should do the trick. Tasted by Veggie Tom.