These versatile and nutritious seeds are delicious sprinkled on salads, added to smoothies or in baking. They make a great vegan egg replacement too.

Grown by Peter and Andrew Fairs in Essex, these chia seeds are the result of five years of crop trials and developments. The tiny oil-rich seeds are harvested from the Salvia hispanica plant, a member of the mint family originating in central America, where chia was a staple food in Aztec cultures, alongside beans and corn.

Sprinkle on salads, use in baking, add to smoothies, porridge or granola.

Advised maximum daily intake: 15g

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

As an egg substitute
Soak 1 tablespoon of seeds in 3 tablespoons of warm water for 30 minutes to replace one egg in vegan baking.

In baking
Add whole or ground chia seeds to bread mixes at up to 5%
Add whole chia seeds to other baking mixes at up to 10%

Other uses
Add whole chia seeds to breakfast cereal at up to 10%
Add whole chia seeds to fruit, nut, and seed mixes at up to 10%
Add whole, mashed or ground chia seeds to fruit juices or smoothies at up to 15g/day