There’s a new grain making a stir in the free-from world. Only teff isn’t so new, really, it’s an ancient gluten-free grain from Ethiopia. And Lovegrass is leading the way with its tasty teff products.
LOVEGRASS – THE COMPANY
I first discovered Lovegrass at Food Matters Live 2018, where I had the pleasure of meeting its MD. Yonas was brought up in an Ethiopian farming village and moved to London to become a city banker. But he turned his back on the trading room floor to spread the word on teff and wake us up to Ethiopia’s top, versatile grain. Lovegrass has a team of passionate teff experts who are all about sustainability and improving life for Ethiopian farmers. Top customer service too.
TEFF GRAIN
Teff – also known as William’s lovegrass – has been used in Ethiopia for centuries. It is a healthy flour alternative, and many an Ethiopian athlete swears by it. I first heard about it from Mina (WildcraftBakery) when she was presenting at the Allergy Show North. She was raving about the health benefits – they use it in their Leeds gluten-free bakery. Teff is naturally gluten-free and packed with fibre and although it is the smallest grain it is a nutritional giant – high in protein, calcium, iron, magnesium and copper. Lovegrass says it is good for your bones, gut and muscle development. Plus it contains prebiotics. It’s not like your usual flour texture, either. It’s more like poppy seed – but still has flour power. It’s great for making things like biscuits, cakes, risotto and waffles.
THE TESTS
YORKSHIRE PUDDING
The first thing I made with teff were Yorkshire puddings, using teff white flour. The lumps whisked out quickly and the mixture was beautifully smooth … I let out an actual ‘wow’. My kids said the Yorkshire puds tasted better than the normal GF ones I make, which was a result. My four-year-old mini Giles Coren declared, “Yorkshire puddings are my favourite food in the whole world.” They tasted slightly nutty but the authentic Yorkshire pud flavour remained. And they were a different texture as well – layered and soft inside with a crispy outside. They also rose well. A winning Ethiopian-Yorkshire fusion.
CAKE
My husband and kids made me the cake for my birthday, so my expectations were low (ha ha), but the cake rose to order. It was more dense than normal so I reckon it would work best with a mixture of GF self-raising flour and teff flour. And me making it.
PASTA
We all loved the pasta – it tastes like the main brands of GF pasta, but perhaps a little lighter and the only ingredient is teff flour, no weird extras. It definitely feels healthier to eat. Even the white teff pasta is slightly brown as it is in its natural form. But my picky four-year-old Amalie needed a tad more convincing as she is only interested in ‘yellow’ pasta twirls.
PANCAKE AND WAFFLE MIX
Lovegrass also sells teff pancake and waffle mixes, to make life easier in the kitchen – just add milk or a plant alternative. I attempted a big pancake (as in full frying pan size), which didn’t turn out brilliantly, but when I actually followed the instructions and made small pancakes with the correct amount of oil, they were terrific. Be warned, if the heat is too high or if you’re not generous enough with the oil, the pancakes can stick. I can also blame my rubbish frying pan for my early failures. For big pancakes, use a teff mix and normal gluten-free flour mix. Roughly half and half worked well for me.
Again, with the waffles, use enough oil/dairy-free spread to prevent sticking. You get slightly heavier pancakes and waffles, but they taste the business and you feel less guilt and more smug eating them, knowing the grain is better for you. In my humble opinion, they also seem to fill you up for longer. Winner.
COOKIES
I whipped up the chocolate cookies on the Lovegrass website. They were easy to make – I opted for the teff brown flour. You can use the flour interchangeably, but the white flour packet says to use it to bake cakes, muffins, flat-breads or to thicken sauces. The brown flour is also great for baking cakes and breads. The cookies weigh more than normal but they still taste light and fluffy. My husband thinks they are a little cakey but I reckon that can only be a good thing. And they are so, so chocolatey. Yum! Thumbs up from tricky and non-tricky eaters alike.
A CHILD’S VIEW
Megan, my six-year-old, wanted to tell us what she thought too, so she wrote this for us… “I loved the pancakes, waffals, cookies and yourksher pudings made with teff flouer. The pancakes were so fat it was like I already had two pancakes. The cookies were so chocolatey my little sister says shedosen’t like the cookies but she does like every thing else.Theyourksher pudings went great with the gravy.The wafallsstuck to the wafall maker but when Mummy put more oil on they didn’t stick.”
PACKAGING
Fab, practical packaging – they are resealable, so none spills out, meaning a clean, neat cupboard for once, without a blizzard of GF flour.
THE VERDICT
Teff has quickly transitioned into a staple ingredient in my store cupboard. I’ve already used two bags of flour and one bag of the waffle and pancake mix. The real positives of Lovegrass for me are: less rubbish in the ingredients list, taste, packaging and ethos of the company. You heard it here first – this is the new, healthy, hipster grain on the market. Move over quinoa!
AWARD-WINNING
Lovegrass only launched in 2018 but is already picking up awards left right and centre… a Sial Paris Innovation Award and also the Better-For-You Product of The Year award at 2018 Food Matters Live. No doubt in part thanks to the passion and drive in the Lovegrass team. They were also short-listed for the Free From Food Awards Best Product from a Start Up and the Innovation Award, bagging awards for both (bronze and silver). Well done, Lovegrass.
GET YOUR HANDS ON THE PRODUCTS
Lovegrass goodies are available to buy in Planet Organic, Wholefoods, Selfridges, As Nature Intended, High Mood Foods and also on the Lovegrass website and Amazon. Ocado is due to stock them soon too. Look out for them in independent health food shops. On Amazon, the products are selling for between £3.99 and £4.49. So, they are pricier than comparable products, but it has travelled a long way… and many would say the health benefits are worth stumping out a bit more for.