A recent consumer survey asked me about my favorite President’s Choice product. For those who don’t know, President’s Choice is line of grocery products created by the Canada based, Loblaw Companies Ltd. Typically, these are un-branded brand-name products, packaged and sold under the PC label. Every summer Loblaw issues a new set of products featuring the latest in trendy flavors and fads.
For instance, this Summer’s catalog included:
PC Maple Cedar Planked Salmon: Pre-soaked to make it easy: Grilling seafood gets pushed to the next level with this maple, soy and ginger marinated ASC-certified Atlantic salmon.
PC Plant Based Chickpea and Sweet Potato Burger: A falafel-like burger with chunks of sweet potato and ground chickpea and a crispy rice flour coating for the perfect crunchy outside.
PC Raspberry Hibiscus Pop: Made with 100 per cent real raspberries with a kiss of hibiscus extract.
–From PC Insiders Report webpage
The marketing guys behind the survey probably wanted me to comment on the Summer catalog. Unfortunately for them, I am not a trendy consumer. I love my PC products but I have my mainstays and I’m still stuck on items from the Christmas catalog.
My favorite PC product is Biscuits for Cheese, a collection of crackers from England, specifically selected to complement cheese.
The pack includes: brown wheat crackers; two digestive varieties; wheat biscuits; small water high bakes; cream crackers; poppy seed crackers and carlton shells.
I love these crackers and will happily munch on them for late-morning, mid-afternoon and late-night snacks. I am not a cheese person but I will indulge with small pieces of aged havarti and naturally lactose-free gouda.
Which brings me to my latest, newly discovered food fact.
Did you know that lactose-free products don’t necessarily offer relief to lactose-intolerant people? Lactose free milk still contains casein and whey which incur the same allergic reaction as regular milk. In fact, some people (like me) react even more strongly to lactose-free milk because of the concentrated amounts of casein and whey.
Along with 70% percent of the global population, I have a mild intolerance to milk. I avoid most cheeses, especially young or fresh cheeses, sour cream, crème fraîche and ice cream. My hubby who is French, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. He is a cheese lover extraordiniare. Stinky, ripe and crawling across the cheese board? He loves it. I on the other hand, will have left the room.
It’s no surprise that I’ve never really appreciated the Canadian classic: poutine (melted cheese on fries), the American favorite: cheeseburgers (melted cheese on meat) and my French in-laws’ standby: fondue savoyarde (melted cheese on everything.)
Imagine my surprise when I tasted and enjoyed this dairy free, plant based cheese. It melted perfectly on my portobello mushroom burger and totally transformed my scrambled eggs.
Now I keep a supply in my fridge where it jostles for space with hubby’s stock of bleu, chevre, manchego and goat gouda.
All of which is long rambling pre-amble to what had on the deck this summer. A very munchable selection of biscuits, wine and cheese. I had the biscuits, hubby had the wine and cheese and we both enjoyed the view.
Disclaimer: Product opinions expressed here are not intended to promote or advertise blah blah blah No compensation has been received for blah blah blah but if anyone would like to try said products you’re welcome to go purchase it on your own because I have no affiliate links blah blah blah just saying.
The Sandy Chronicles 
President’s Choice has a lot of so-so foods but when they’re good they’re really good. My favourites are Souvenirs of Szechuan spicy peanut sauce which we use for Vietnamese salad rolls and the Tzaziki (spelling!) Greek dip which we use as a dip but I also drop it into my curries to make them creamy. Like your hubby we both love smelly cheeses (and PC has a great aged parmesan) but that’s probably the north European heritage – you are what your ancestors ate. I will have to try the biscuits but will have to wait a bit as I have been buying rye crisps on sale and discovered that I now have 6 packages in the cupboard to work through…
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I agree that PC products are hit & miss. It’s alwaysa a little adventure to see what they come up with, especially around the holiday season.
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We haven’t entertained in a while, so I love seeing your cheese & wine offering. I do love a varied selection of biscuits …. it’s like eating my way through a variety box of chocolate!
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I grew up on a dairy farm and I’m hooked on dairy products – milk, cheese, ice cream and just about anything else. Cheese and crackers and a glass of wine is a splendid light meal in my bok.
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I wish!
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Interesting info about the lactose free products. Although they it’s not for everyone, I am almind-milk all the way! 🙂
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I don’t mind almond milk but I don’t care for the sweetness it introduces into my coffee, which is what I primarily use milk for. I’ve been meaning to try oat milk whicih I hear is the #1 milk replacement in the world. But like I said, I’m slow on the uptake of trendy foods.
Thanks for stopping by Donna. I had originally prepped this for WOYP but then realised it’s next week! I’ll have something different for then 😉
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