I was pushing my bike up a hill in the Lakes. A mid-summer sunset on my back. While doing this, I was chatting to a couple of other Jenn-riders, Christian and Luke, about their new venture – Outdoor Provisions, and looking forward to sampling their products, which would have gone down a treat with another 50 miles of riding still ahead of us.
A different kind of energy bar
The lads, who are also the brains behind the Second City Divide bikepacking route wanted to create some fresh-tasting all-natural energy bars. As important as the bar was making sure that the wrapper was sustainable and compostable (although, you will of course still be taking your wrappers home to throw away).
“I’ve spent a lot of time outside and eaten a lot of energy bars that have been pretty terrible. We’re going to change that,” says Luke.
According to Outdoor Provisions,
“We’re for the paddlers, pedallers and park runners.
The weekend warriors, school-night explorers and back-of-a-napkin map drawers. The padded of short, chapped of lip and salty of hair.
We’re for the wild swimmers, kit tinkerers and footpath purists.
The van lifers, camp makers, foragers and twitchers.
The fly-tyers, gear geeks and most trusted belayers.
We’re for the fresh-air-heads.”
The bars are vegan, with no refined sugars added. They are designed to be easy to digest and with a texture that is suited to eating during activity. In a nice little twist, the bar flavours are inspired by the UK National Parks. To kick things off, we have Cherry Bakewell (Peak District) and Choc Kendal Mint Cake (Lake District), with more flavours to follow.
Availability
Supplies can be bought from Outdoor Provisions directly and will be available in a small range of retailers. A box of 18 bars costs £30 posted. (You can also get 30% off your first order if you sign up to their newsletter). We’ve got a few to try and will report back.