Typically discarded, the barley grains are still nutrient-rich, and considering that Britain’s breweries create more than 250 million tons of spent grains every year, that’s a lot of nutrition that’s unnecessarily being relegated to waste.
Reusing the spent grain comes with a lot of advantages. They’re non-alcoholic (so can safely be eaten by the masses), they cut back on food waste, they’re packed with protein and fibre, and they can even deliver a UK-first – an HFSS-compliant pizza. Well, that’s what the folks at the Yorkshire-based Homemade Pizza Club discovered.
They set about developing a pizza that rivals any competitor on taste and flavour, but sporting a pizza base made from the flour of spent grain. Tests then confirmed the pizza delivered 22% less calories and 20% less sodium than a standard pizza, but packing double the fibre and 14% more protein.
The need has never been more timely. In the UK today, 1 in 4 adults – and sadly, 1 in 5 children – are classed as obese. To fight the rising crisis, the government is putting the brakes on foods deemed high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS).
Everything people love
“We were inspired to create the new Salubre pizza base to try and solve the problem of balancing consumer desire for delicious products with the need to improve nutritional content and to move to a more circular economy,” said James Sturdy, founder of Homemade Pizza Club.
“Healthier products are often perceived as a compromise or less of a treat. With the Salubre, we have created a product that we believe offers everything people love about eating a pizza whilst making it much healthier.
“The future of food is about not only improved nutrition, but also reducing waste and the Salubre also ticks this box by reusing the spent grains from the brewing process. The means a highly nutritious food source going back into human consumption that is otherwise thrown away or sent to animal feed.
“We are delighted to have developed a product that we believe is the future of food in its ability to offer incredible flavour whilst being better for people and the planet.”
Ticking all the boxes
The base of the Slaubre is made from a combo of vitamin-enriched wheat flour and spent grains from a nearby Yorkshire brewery, producing a dough that is rich, full of flavour and “tastes incredible,” said Sturdy. Add the benefits of increased fibre and protein – proven to reduce overall calorie intake and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and weight gain – and the tomato-topped pizza fits snugly into the Homemade Pizza Club’s mission to make pizza part of a balanced diet.
The Club was created by Sturdy to provide fans with everything they need to create a restaurant-style pizza at home. The Pizza kit include two or five freshly-made sourdough bases, which are already topped with sauce for convenience. They cater for all lifestyles and also come in gluten-free, vegan, spicy and meaty variants. No mess – tick. No fuss – tick.
There’s also a range of toppings available, running the gamut from nduja (a spicy sausage) to grilled mixed veggies and pesto. Apart from keeping within their budget, this service also gives people complete control over their calorie intake, by reducing the amount of cheese, or selecting from the producer’s list of healthier-for-you toppings – many of which, they claim are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Choice – tick. Convenience – tick. Delicious pizza without the guilt attack – double tick.
