| Product: |
Ella's Kitchen Apples & Bananas |
| Date: |
28/07/08 (126 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Organic, tasty, no junk.
Disadvantages: A little expensive.
My baby son is now just over 9 months old and we have introduced him to some solid foods, but we are trying to extend his diet and introduce new tastes and textures. Generally I try to make my own baby food, pureed vegetables and fruits, especially as my son is lactose intolerant, lactose is a protein found in some milk products. Making my own baby foods means I know exactly what is in them. However there are times when I find it necessary to use a manufactured baby food. Because of my son's lactose intolerance I have to be very careful about what I feed him and therefore I have found it harder to find products that meet his requirements. I have to look very closely at the ingredients of any products I buy.
I was doing some research on the Internet for baby foods that were lactose free and came across the Ella's Kitchen range of organic baby food. Ella's Kitchen was not a range I had come across before, and had not noticed in my local supermarkets. However the range is available in Tesco and Sainsbury, and other outlets. The food comes in a squeezy pouch, the pouches are different colours depending on the ingredients. Ella's Kitchen products are certified by the Soil Association and carry the logo on the front of the pouch.
As my son is only starting on solids we have started on the from 4 months varieties. There is quite a good range, we have tried the Butternut squash, carrot, apple and prunes, the carrot, apple and parsnip and the strawberry and apples. The pouches contain 120g, and have a plastic screw top, once opened the pouch can be resealed and stored in the fridge for 48 hours. I have been able to get 3 feeds from the pouches but as my son gets older I am sure this will change. The food can be eaten warmed or cold. The pouch should never be put in a microwave. I bought mine in Tesco and they were 89p per pouch, a little bit more expensive than other baby foods but you do get more in the pouch.
Who is Ella's Kitchen?
According to the information on the back of the pouch Ella's Kitchen is a family firm set up by a dad who wanted to produce food for his children that had only natural products. The products contain 100% organic fruit and vegetables with nothing added, not even water. The ingredients are very clearly labelled and there is a list of good things in the pouches. On the varieties I have tried it states very clearly that the product contains no dairy, eggs, wheat, lactose or gluten. For me with a lactose intolerant baby I feel assured that the products have no added dairy products or lactose. I have not checked the whole range for the ingredients but as I use them I will. Obviously it is important for anyone to check the ingredients to be assured that they meet their own particular requirements.
How do they taste?
To date we have tried 3 of the range, for the purposes of the review I have tried the foods and was pleasantly surprised.
Carrot, apple and parsnip.
When I squeezed some of the product into a feeding bowl I was pleased. The ingredients were well pureed, there were no lumps, this particular variety was orange in colour and the predominant smell was of the apple. I did heat the food a little and tried some before giving it to my son, it tasted mostly of apple and was quite sweet in flavour. There is no added sugar or salt so the flavour comes purely from the fruit and vegetables contained. I thought this was a good combination, carrots and parsnips I would put together anyway and the apple added a little bit more intensity to the overall taste. My son did seem to like it, well at least he did open his mouth to have more as I brought the spoon closer to him.
Butternut squash, carrot, apple and prunes
Again this is well blended and for me the overriding taste was of the prunes which did give it a very sweet taste. I am not a great lover of prunes but the taste wasn't unpleasant, I didn't get much taste of the butternut squash.
Strawberry and apple
This sounds more of a dessert than a main course but I gave it to my son as a breakfast. The fruits again are well blended, no seeds or fibrous bits. It was quite a deep red, not a bright red and the taste was very good. The overriding flavour was of the strawberries and I think this is my son's favourite so far.
I would definitely recommend Ella's Kitchen and I will continue to try different flavours in the ranges. More information on Ella's Kitchen and the other foods available can be found at www.ellaskitchen.co.uk
This review may appear elsewhere.
Summary: A good quality baby food.
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