“Let’s Talk About Vegetarian Food.” With Ramona Hazan.
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George Taylor
- 8th October 2021
- 7 minute read
In recent years, plant-based food has taken the world by storm: with an explosion of new vegetarian and vegan products lining up the shop shelves, it’s clear that a growing number of people are opting in for meat-free meals. 2021 saw yet another record-breaking Veganuary, with 500,000 people in total signing up (this was a DOUBLE on 2019’s numbers).
In the UK alone, there are roughly 7.2 million adults currently following a meat-free diet. This is an undeniably huge rise, with studies showing that since 2014, – the number of vegans in the UK has more than quadrupled.
To keep up with growing demand, retailers are now increasing their stock with more varied options. However, it is often the case that some of these meat-free alternatives don’t actually come with the health benefits they claim. In fact, many frozen vegetarian meals contain sodium, vegetable oils, and artificial ingredients.
RAMONA’S (Founded by Ramona Hazan) specialises in Mediterranean and naturally-vegetarian foods: passionate about authenticity and traditional ingredients, Ramona is on a mission to redefine the market, by making it inclusive: they’re not just suitable for plant-based diets, but they’re ideal for those who enjoy wholesome, real food, too.
RAMONA’S was born from Ramona Hazan’s own Mediterranean upbringing and her love of good, tasty food: she recalls happy moments from her childhood spent gathered around the kitchen table with the whole family, where they enjoyed traditional Turkish, Egyptian, Italian, and Greek dishes. It was these colourful cuisines that inspired Ramona to create her own Mediterranean, plant-based, gluten-free food range.
Staying close to her cultural background, the range includes houmous and other dips, falafel, and some with her family recipes, as well as and some with a contemporary twist, including superfoods such as quinoa, spinach and kale.
Food by RAMONA’S can truly be loved by the whole family: their brightly coloured, exciting products appeal(s) to both children and adults. With meals packed full of nutrients and vitamins, (rather than processed fats and artificial ingredients), RAMONA’S is “food with a difference:” “at a Mediterranean table, everyone is digging in: there are breads, there are dips, and there are big salads: NO ONE leaves feeling dissatisfied,” said Ramona.
As well as the rise in vegan and vegetarian diets and food options, houmous has also been on the rise. However, Ramona feels that the current market “options” often lack a sense of provenance and background.
Whereas RAMONA’S houmous is based on here original family recipes: “It’s my entire essence that we have put into one pot, so that other people can take it and share it,” she said. Ramona uses a traditional two-day process of soaking, boiling, and blending chickpeas to ensure that the houmous is creamy and fresh.
Some of Ramona’s most popular recipes includes quinoa, spinach and kale. AND, these carefully selected ingredients come(s) with health benefits, too (such as high amounts of fibre and protein, along with a big flavour).
RAMONA’s is now available to buy from Ocado, Costco, Whole Foods, Budgens, and on their website.
And don’t forget to check out Ramona’s PRODUCTcast episode below.
