Have you changed to non diary milk? which one, how’s it going?

*Oatly Barista in coffee hits the spot IMO. Well chuffed. Probably like it more than the Oatly Creamy Oat I recommended upthread, which can get a bit much if enjoyed too often, same as with dairy cream . This stuff will work out better for the budget too. 👍🏼

Oatly Barista ftw today.

It’s become my “go to”.

Thanks for the update MR and glad you’ve found something that’s palatable. If only there was one product that worked in porridge, coffee, tea and wasn’t silly money!

I got oat milk in my coffee by mistake (asked for “ordinary” milk) – bleurghhh!!! horrible!!! like drinking ovaltine 🙁 Needed a double espresso to take the taste away!

^unbelievable. No accounting for taste or poncense 😋

Update: We tried Sproud Barista (still on offer) in 3 ways

1. In glass as a drink – like a ‘dry’ dairy milk taste (more acidic than oat or soy) with a tiny hint of what I describe as ‘liqueur’ and Mrs Rider describes as ‘BleRGH NaIL POLISH REMOVER!’. Disclaimer – she hates dairy milk as it ‘tastes like gak and acid’

2. In coffee – Tastes pretty much the same as dairy milk IME.

3. On a bowl of shreddies – Again, slightly dry and slightly acidic, like a (albeit less-sweet) dairy milk taste, but definitely takes some getting used to. I prefer the oatly by far as a drink. In coffee I like both. Mileages obviously vary enormously.

Our local Sainsbury’s seem to have been having some supply/stocking issues with Oatly (maybe as a result of all the endorsements by the influencers of STW). So I picked up some M&S Oat milk. I was quite hopeful about this – said all the right things on the pack, contained calcium…
But it’s not great. Tastes cardboardy, useless in cappuccinos. I shall just have to keep a larger buffer stock of Oatly to mitigate Sainsbury’s supply issues.

Our local Sainsbury’s seem to have been having some supply/stocking issues with Oatly (maybe as a result of all the endorsements by the influencers of STW).

Only bought one carton of Oatly from my local Sainsbo but the poncey Barista was nowhere to be seen. Made porridge with it, as opposed to pouring it on after microwaving, and found it lacking in the taste department. Haven’t tried it with coffee or milk I must confess.

Still want to give up cows milk but until such time as there’s a decent tasting alternative that doesn’t cost as much as a pint of beer then lactose-free consumption will continue.

Anyway @Malvern Rider have you made any oat milk yet?

So, how long do all these different options keep in the fridge relative to regular milk?

Its just what you are used to. If you want to give up dairy, just do it. Cows milk will taste horrible if you’ve not had any for a while.

They usually keep fresh for a bit longer. Up to about a week in the fridge after opening.
Most brands are actually long life, even if the supermarket sells them in the chiller. So can keep for months before you open the carton.

Anyway @Malvern Rider have you made any oat milk yet?

No! Lazyarsed because of sale prices on various Oatly drinks last week. They seem to last many days in fridge. Tastes amazing in tea. I like Roobois Early Grey with sugar. Delicious cuppa, yet seems somehow to trigger tea snobs if they catch you drinking it 🧐

Did you experiment further?

PS OAT base (water, oats 10 %), rapeseed oil, acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate), calcium carbonate, calcium phosphates, iodised salt, vitamins (D2, riboflavin and B12)

dipotassium phosphate is to stop it ‘splitting’

https://www.oatly.com/uk/healthcareprofessionals/faq/dipotassium-phosphate

Its just what you are used to. If you want to give up dairy, just do it.

Couldn’t agree more, coffee tastes…well, like coffee now. don’t notice anymore

Are you gluten free cinnamon_girl? Oatly Barista in the UK isn’t

Great thread and very interesting. Cows milk in very calorific and not great for the environment. I’m currently on Alpro Oat milk, it makes a great cappuccino and good on cereal.

Think we have tried pretty much everything now, including making our own oat milk for a fair while. Now exclusively use Oatly Barista and just buy it in bulk and stack it in the larder.

Interestingly we were discussing it today and calculating that we probably use roughly half the amount of barista to normal Oatly that we’d put into a cuppa, so actually it is reasonably priced when compared. Even so it’s the only extravagance in our miserable Church of No Fun life, so we don’t begrudge the cost

if you accidentally drink cow milk it tastes vile now.

Something that was touched on earlier in the thread made me think about what I am actually drinking these days. I gave up caffeine drinks about 3 years ago so have no idea what oat milk would be like in builders tea – it might give me the boke. I’m only drinking redbush or barleycup with oat milk but i really like it. I used to think i’d never stop drinking normal tea but I was wrong – I found something nicer imo, and it seems to me that a lot of the time we are trying to replicate old habits and coming up short, when maybe the answer is to trying something else altogether.

I used to think i’d never stop drinking normal tea but I was wrong – I found something nicer imo, and it seems to me that a lot of the time we are trying to replicate old habits and coming up short, when maybe the answer is to trying something else altogether.

But why? What is the problem with tea? A good quality tea, especially green tea, contains anti-oxidants, and doesn’t need milk, only hot water. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Yeah Vader, almost identical experience. Wanted to cut caffeine so looked for something else. Disliked green tea (will try again one day, maybe it was the brand). Found redbush/roobois about 20 years ago, didn’t dislike it, stuck with it, found I slept better. Grew quickly to *really* like it as my staple hot tea. Still like black tea (or ‘proper’ tea as some leaf-snobs feel their duty to inform you if engaged into tea debate 😉 ), especially whenever I fancy a non-coffee caffeine boost. As of now Redbush Earl Grey with Oatly barista is the King Of Teas for me. Spot of sweetener, sugar or honey. Perfect cuppa for me, and much less acidic than black tea and dairy. Enjoy any time of day = extra bonus. Tea is great.

But why?

‘Why do some other people like different teas to the one that I drink?’ Is surely more the question?

File with ‘Why do some other people like other bicycles/potatoes/meats/plants/energy-bars/shoes/sexual-positions/music/forms of exercise to the ones that I like?’ 😉

this too:

so have no idea what oat milk would be like in builders tea

I use it as still drink black tea once in a while, and it tastes quite like full-cream dairy milk in same, but less acidic (to my memory). Just try it? Still prefer Roobois though. Dislike tea of all types if served without any whitener/milk. Typical Brit, I suppose? Black coffee I like.

No! Lazyarsed because of sale prices on various Oatly drinks last week. They seem to last many days in fridge. Tastes amazing in tea. I like Roobois Early Grey with sugar. Delicious cuppa, yet seems somehow to trigger tea snobs if they catch you drinking it 🧐

Did you experiment further?

PS OAT base (water, oats 10 %), rapeseed oil, acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate), calcium carbonate, calcium phosphates, iodised salt, vitamins (D2, riboflavin and B12)

dipotassium phosphate is to stop it ‘splitting’

You lazy man Malvern Rider! No more experiments here, lazyitis rules, Interesting ingredients though especially calcium carbonate which I use when making mouthwash and tooth powder. Definitely needs something else other than oats, water and cashews and may have a trawl around the web to see if other recipes exist. Was the Barista from the chiller or long life?

Are you gluten free cinnamon_girl? Oatly Barista in the UK isn’t

No, that was a short-lived fad ebygomm! Do you use Barista then?

Was the Barista from the chiller or long life?

I think Barista is only available long life – I’ve certainly never seen a short life version.

I’ve been milk free for 6 years. I’ve tried most of the alternatives and Oatly Barista edition is easily the best.

Definitely needs something else other than oats, water and cashews

You don’t/didn’t use any sweetening and/or salt? I’m thinking it would take small amounts of salt and the ‘correct’ amount of sweet?

nickc

I don’t like how porridge made with water tastes. Although I suspect by using oat milk, that is effectively what I’m doing anyway.

But would it? Now intrigued with the thought of making porridge using porridge oats + Oatly, and then comparing to porridge made from water. It should be pretty much identical. But there’s always a chance …

But would it? Now intrigued with the thought of making porridge using porridge oats + Oatly, and then comparing to porridge made from water. It should be pretty much identical.

Not really, Oatly contains oil and salt.

True that. And, spookŷ timing as I just received an email stating that my humour-license has been revoked on account of ‘inactivity’? 😭

OTOH, DIYers, I found this:

How to Make Oat Milk Like Oatly

I can confirm that porridge made with oats and oat milk definitely tastes creamier than porridge made to the same timings with just oats and water even if the oat milk is a DIY jobs made with just oats, milk and a few cashews.

And kind of why wouldn’t it? the oat milk is quite creamy with a fat content and the water isn’t. No doubt if you make your porridge by slow cooking it for hours on an aga caressed by 100 tartan clad pixies it can be reduced to similar concentrations but even then I’m not sure. The oats used for the milk are strained in a muslin bag which removed the bulk of the solids (I’m guessing quite a lot of fibre and carbs) so its not just ‘more oats’; it’s ‘more elements of oats’.

Just made some homemade oat milk to the recipe from the American lady on the previous page.
Tried it in my Nespresso frothed thing and it didn’t…
Will be trying it on my porridge in the morning.
Currently got some in a mug of drinking chocolate 50/50 water and the non frothy oat milk)
Tastes a bit ovaltiney but will persevere for a few days and see what happens.

Oatly barista is my favourite at the moment, it must be others favourite too as the shelf where it sits is often empty. It’s never on offer like the others are.

I find for Tea (not coffee) Cashew milk works the best for me, but ideally not the unsweetened variety.
I also tend to agree that you largely get used to whatever you use. Interestingly, when I’d given up dairy for a while and work would sometimes run out of non-dairy, I’d just use dairy milk in my afternoon tea. Even if the bottle was really fresh, the flavour would taste just weird and a bit rotten. And in around 30 minutes I’d get some stomach pain. Funny how you can consume something for 40 years without issue, but go back to it and it’s gross and makes you ill. Shows that we are not really designed to consume it.

Oat milk for me (Oatly) due to low dairy tolerance. Good for taste and also seems to have the lowest environmental impact compared to the nut, soya and rice milks. The program on where our food comes from, did an episode on almond milk that is worth watching if you can find it. Just read that Provitamil is an oat milk produced in the UK, which would good for keeping freight miles down.

+1 walleater. Us 70s kids (and by extension our own kids) were all heavily influenced by the milk marketing board which was like some kind of gov funded propaganda campaign. Our family literally believed we’d get sick without glasses of cow milk. It was as certain as drinking water or eating bread. Couldn’t live without. I was also a milk boy, riding shotgun in the electric milkfloat, quietly placing bottles of gold top at the doors of piss-stinking concrete blocks of flats. Happy days.

Just made some homemade oat milk to the recipe from the American lady on the previous page.
Tried it in my Nespresso frothed thing and it didn’t…
Will be trying it on my porridge in the morning.
Currently got some in a mug of drinking chocolate 50/50 water and the non frothy oat milk)
Tastes a bit ovaltiney but will persevere for a few days and see what happens.

@sturdylad – mine wasn’t successful either! Out of interest did you soak your oats?

@Malvern Rider – thanks for the newest recipe and will give that a go. Have now stopped buying lactose-free cows milk so Oatly for making porridge and Oatly Barista for coffee. Bought some Koko coconut yoghurt and the vanilla flavour was very pleasant and so it should be at that price. Need to look for recipes, what I’ve seen so far look a right faff! I see that Oatly sell ready-made custard which is handy for Xmas Day.

@cinnamon_girl No soaking, justified them straight in the blender.
Haven’t tried again. I may buy some cheaper oats and try again though as using the Flahaven’s organic ones seems a bit wasteful ESP if we can’t think of another use for them in some other cooking.
Off to Costco in a bit, may try another non dairy milk if they have any, almond probably.

Sorry sorry sorry for being back here again cos I didn’t expect to be. Struggling with Oatly Barista, just finding it too sickly and spoiling coffee. Any other suggestions or recommendations please?

Oatly ice cream is delicious so that’s a recommendation from me.

Interesting, but lengthy, report on Californian almond industry and decline of bees…..

‘Like sending bees to war’: the deadly truth behind your almond-milk obsession

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/07/honeybees-deaths-almonds-hives-aoe?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Oat milk tastes like thin porridge.

Almond milk is ok but the almond industry is allegedly an environmental disaster zone. Edit: If I’d not TL;DR’d the thread I’d have seen alpin beat me to this

Soya seems ok but I confess I don’t know enough about how it’s farmed.

I just drink the cheap Aldi sweetened soya milk. Its delicious, and works well in porridge.

Thanks for that link @alpin and what a thoroughly depressing read. I really hope that those who do buy almond milk will take a look at that article and ask themselves questions.

Missed this thread first time around: I gave up drinking milk a few years ago after a friend suggested it might help with my constantly blocked nose (chronic sinusitis). It did. Quite noticeably.

Basically I just switched to black coffee/tea and making porridge* with water.

I’m not dairy-free by any stretch. Still eat butter, cheese and cream etc. But cutting down on milk definitely helped me.

* (be aware that some instant porridge has powdered milk in it anyway!)

It’s good to see that Mrs Matt has her choice of Oatly confirmed by the STW hivemind. I think the stuff you get from UHT milk aisle is horrible but the Oatly from the chilled aisle tastes much better.

Got Innocent Hazelnut milk once as it was a freebie. Thought it would be nice if I made hot chocolate with it. Absolutely vile.

Where did you find the Oatly Ice Cream @cinnamon_girl?

@northernmatt unable to buy any Oatly from the chiller this week in Tesco, made do with longlife. I believe Tesco are currently the only stockist of Oatly ice cream, it’s available in 3 flavours and costs an eye-watering £4.50 for 500mls.