Creamy Pearl Barley Risotto

Pearl Barley has a wonderful pasta like consistency, whilst being similar in size to rice, making it a good ingredient for risottos. It's high in fibre, lowers cholesterol and is good for our digestion, so go on give this recipe a go!


Creamy Pearl Barley Recipe Risotto
(serves 4)


1 Litre of vegan vegetable stock (£1.25 for 8 cubes from Ocado)
200g Pearl Barley (55p for 500g Ocado)
Cream Sauce:
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard (69p Ocado)
100ml Oatly Cream (75p 250ml Ocado)
8 tsp of Free & Easy Dairy Free Cheese Flavour Sauce Mix (£1.65, 130g, Ocado)
1 tbsp Coconut Oil (Coconut Merchant from Ocado-pricey but lasts a long time)
Half a bag of mixed frozen grilled vegetables (£2.49 750g, Ocado)
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs (70p Ocado)
Salt and Black Pepper seasoning


Bring the 1 litre of stock water to the boil and add the pearl barley. Simmer with a lid for around 40 minutes (you want the majority of the water to be gone and the consistency of the barley to be like rice). 
Whilst the barley is simmering, prepare the cream sauce by adding the Oatly cream to the cheese sauce mix, whisk until smooth and thick, adding a tsp of water at a time till the desired consistency has been reached. Add the dijon mustard and mixed herbs and set aside.
Start frying the frozen grilled vegetables in a pan with the coconut oil once the barley has only 15 minutes left to cook.
Add the cheese sauce to the barley for the final 10 minutes of cooking, stirring well so the barley is coated.
When the barley has finished cooking, add the fried vegetables and seasoning, mix well and serve!

Est Calories per serving: 400Kcal

Vegan Makeup

One of the first things I realised when I decided to become vegan was that the majority of makeup isn't vegan! After trialing a few brands I thought I would share my favourite brand that I now use daily e.l.f makeup (who also have an international site). The brand originated in Australia and is now used all over the world. They have a great range of products to choose from and at reasonable prices too.

I have sensitive, acne prone skin and have always been quite fussy with the foundations I used in the past. If your skin is similar, then I really recommend the Acne Fighting Foundation (only available on their international site). I noticed a huge difference in just 3 days! I don't tend to wear makeup everyday but it does last me a long time and I find a small amount goes a long way.

If your skin isn't acne prone, then I recommend their Studio Flawless Finish, it's lovely and smooth, doesn't smell of chemicals, has spf 15 and is oil free.. I use this foundation when my skin isn't having a breakout and like the Acne foundation, only a small amount is required each time. The one difference I noticed is the shades come up different between the two foundations, where the Studio foundation is slightly darker than the Acne one.

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