Berry yogurt swirl: summer with EasiYo

Summer food for me equals quick easy meals, simple (or none at all) cooking. Who wants to spend hours by the hot oven? I tend to offer lighter meals to my family, we eat lots of salads and fruit, or even have picnic-style dinners in the garden. We don't necessarily sit on a rug, but we love the idea of finger foods, dips and crudites. We also eat more yogurt in summer.
I do buy yogurt, especially the non-dairy variety, like coconut yogurts, and I enjoy playing with my EasiYo yogurt maker. Greek Style yogurt is one of my top favourites. It is such a versatile yogurt, great for all kinds of recipes, from simple dips with herbs to cakes, from salads to easy berry desserts.

Berry yogurt swirl could be made with any berries like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants or fruit like fresh figs. It's not exactly a recipe, more of an idea of a quick and easy summer dessert which can be made in minutes, with yogurt either bought or homemade.

Berry yogurt swirls (per serving)
Ingredients:
2 big strawberries, blitzed
about 4-5 heaped tbsp of Greek style yogurt
a handful of red currants
mint leaves
1tbsp pistachio nuts, chopped

Blitz strawberries with a hand blender or in a smoothie maker. Assemble your dessert: strawberry sauce first, then yogurt, and repeat. Add fresh red currants, mint leaves and chopped pistachios on top.

EasiYo is an iconic brand which has been around for 20 years, and recently a new redesigned pink EasiYo yogurt maker has been launched.
The new variety incorporates a host of technical, ergonomic and thermal improvements such as an easy grip to twist and open, new sleek shape and size, non-slip feet for added stability, New Zealand wool insulation and an easier to clean jar.

The entire EasiYo Yogurt Maker and jars are manufactured from US & UK FDA approved polypropylene grade PP130RE1. All parts are BPA-free, which is reassuring to know.

It is easy to clean. I've had it for several months, and have used quite a lot.

It is incredibly easy to operate. You just fill in the smaller container with water half-way, add the sachet of powdered yogurt mix, put the lid on and shake well. Then top up with more water and shake again. Place the yogurt tub inside the yogurt maker and pour boiling water to the top of the spacer. Cover tightly with the lid and leave it to "cook" for 8-12 hours or overnight. Chill before serving.

It makes 1kg of delicious yogurt, with no artificial ingredients.

There is a good choice of different flavours.

We love all berry and fruit flavours, but the Greek Style is probably the most versatile.
I add it to soups instead of the soured cream.

And it takes just minutes to assemble the easiest summer dessert of yogurt, berries and nuts or granola.

If you like the sound of EasiYo, at the moment there is a good offer at Lakeland - you can buy an EasiYo 1kg Yogurt Maker and two sachets starter kit at £9.99. I don't know when the offer expires but if you always fancied trying it, now it's a good time.

Disclosure: I received a pink EasiYo yogurt maker back in spring for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are my own.

New flavours from EasiYo

Making your own yogurt is a doddle when you have an EasiYo Yogurt Maker. The beauty of this kitchen gadget is in its simplicity. You just need to mix a sachet of a powdered yogurt with plain water, shake the tub, insert it into a bigger insulated tub, add hot boiling water, secure the lid and leave overnight to set. And it sets beautifully.

Image credits: EasiYo

Thick, creamy yogurt for breakfast is not only delicious, it has great health benefits, being a good source of calcium.
What I love about EasiYo yogurts is that there is a big range of over 30 flavours to choose from, and from one sachet you get 1kg of yogurt. Having a big pot of yogurt is convenient for a big(ger) family. You can scoop out as much as you need. With little pots that we buy in the supermarkets I find that they might not be finished in one go, and then I end up binning them.
EasiYo yogurt keeps well in the fridge for several days.

It is not cheap, you can find them in Lakeland for £13.99 per 5 sachets so it comes to £2.79 per kilo of delicious yogurt, which is pretty reasonable. You might compare it to a good quality yogurt (like Rachel's) priced in supermarkets at £2 for 450g. And you can buy them in bulk at Easiyoshop at lower prices.

The new model of the yogurt maker had its first redesign in the brand's 23 years of history. It is simple yet stylish. There is no electricity involved, no moving parts, just two containers. It's very easy to clean, it has an easy grip handle and non-slip feet. The redesign sees the old polystyrene insulation replaced with a layer containing New Zealand wool which allows the yogurt to be fermented at the right temperature.

EasiYo yogurts have no artificial colours or flavours and no stabilisers. EasiYo is also gluten free and vegetarian.

Two new flavours have been recently added to the EasiYo range - Strawberries and Cream and Greek Style Passionfruit.

Strawberries & Cream Yogurt - Fragola e Panna - is a classic combination of flavours. It sets perfectly. It is sweet, slightly tart and flavourful. It makes a lovely dessert or breakfast. You might eat it as it is, unadorned...

...or with fresh or stewed fruit. For example, I served it with a simple apple, dried apricot, vanilla and cinnamon compote, and it was very nice indeed.

This delicious yogurt is 112kcal per 100g. It is gluten free, vegetarian and a good source of calcium.
One 100g serving has a good amount of calcium - 154mg (reference intake is based on an average adult daily diet requirement of 800mg calcium).

Greek Style Passionfruit yogurt is another delicious flavour. The aroma is lovely, as soon as you open the sachet. While I also liked Strawberries and cream, Greek Style Passionfruit was an absolute winner for me. It is so moreish - creamy, smooth, fragrant and utterly delightful.
I must buy another sachet soon. I wonder if I can freeze it and turn into an ice cream.

This yogurt is even less in calories - at 105kcal per 100g.
I would have preferred it to have less sugar - 13.7/14g of sugar per 100g of yogurt is not ideal, as grown-ups are advised by the NHS not to eat more than 30g of sugar per day, but with a balanced diet this should not be a problem.

Visit EasiYo for stockists, information and recipe ideas.

Disclosure: I received two sachets of EasiYo new flavours for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.