Arla

Arla Foods grew out of Danish and Swedish dairy co-operatives and is still owned by the farmers who supply its milk, with member farms across Northern Europe and Britain. Lactofree is its lactose free line: the milk is filtered and the remaining lactose broken down, so the drink keeps its protein, calcium and vitamin B12 without the milk sugar.

We carry Lactofree semi skimmed in milk, part of our chilled and dairy department. It is UHT treated and homogenised, suits vegetarians and carries the FODMAP Friendly mark on the carton. Semi skimmed gives a lighter body than whole milk, which many people prefer in tea, coffee and on cereal.

Use it exactly as you would any other milk. It makes a good pan of masala chai boiled with ginger and cardamom, a creamy bowl of oats from porridge and cereals, and a cold glass of badam milk or a banana smoothie. For sweet dishes, simmer it down for seviyan or rice kheer; a lower fat milk needs a little longer on the stove to thicken, so stir often and keep the flame low. A kheer or payasam mix saves time when guests are on the way.

We keep it in the fridge, and an opened carton should stay chilled and be used within a few days. For other choices in the same chiller, compare plant milk or the flavoured drinks in lassi and flavoured milk.