A jar of WOWBUTTER landed on my doorstep. It is a peanut butter alternative that contains 100% no peanuts. “Weird,” I thought, “Peanut butter without any peanuts in.” To be quite honest with you, it scared me slightly. How can you make 100% anti-peanut butter?
It took a couple of days before I tried my jar of WOWBUTTER. And even then, I decided to test it on the boyfriend first. Unfortunately, he’s become wise to my tactics and even though I took a run-up before trying to fly a piece of toast and Wow Butter into his mouth, he wasn’t having any of it. ‘What is this?’ he demanded. I retreated slightly but didn’t leave without a verdict on the look and smell. ‘It looks like peanut butter. And I think it smells like it. But you’re looking at me strangely so I’m not sure.’
When I tasted it, I was pleasantly surprised. It does look and smell like peanut butter. It even spreads really nicely on toast. In fact, if someone gave this to me and I had no clue what it was, I wouldn’t even notice it WASN’T peanut butter.
I must admit, the packaging did raise a smile. It has a retro feel to it, don’t you think?
So what is WOWBUTTER made of if it’s not peanuts?
Its ingredients list states Select Non-GMO Toasted Soy, Soy Oil, Granulated Cane Sugar, Monoglyceride (from vegetable oil) and Sea Salt. It’s also worth talking about what WOWBUTTER isn’t. For example, it doesn’t contain peanuts, it doesn’t contain any nuts whatsoever, there’s no gluten in it, nor eggs and no dairy, either. In fact, its main ingredient is soy, which has been touted as reducing blood cholesterol levels, preventing bone loss and breakdown and also containing isoflavones that are anti-carcinogenic. What’s more, soy protein is one of the few plant-based proteins that is a complete protein. This means it contains significant amounts of all 9 essential amino acids. Not bad if you’re doing a 30 day Vegan Challenge.
Who would buy it?
Anyone, really. It’s perfect for schools with students with peanut-allergies. It would have been perfect for when I lived with a housemate who had a peanut allergy; we banned all form of peanuts and nuts for over a year. I imagine that people would also buy it as an alternative form of peanut butter, for when they just wanted a change.
The verdict?
I don’t think my tastebuds would have actually noticed this wasn’t peanut butter had I not already known. If that’s the case, then I either need new tastebuds or it’s doing a great job!
Where & how much?
Where to buy: Holland & Barrets, Booths & Whole Foods Market
How much? £4.99 for a 500g jar
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