From Essential--food you can trust.

Fairtrade, organic, vegan Light and Dark Tahini are now available from wholefood supplier and co-operative Essential Trading.

A thick paste from ground sesame seeds which can be eaten on bread or in salads, tahini is also an essential ingredient for making houmous. Essential tahini is made from roasted organic Fairtrade sesame seed sourced from the Del Campo co-operative in Nicaragua.

The Dark Tahini is darker and coarser than the 'light' variety as the sesame seeds have not been hulled before grinding. The Light Tahini is made from hulled sesame seeds that grind down to a smoother texture and lighter coloured product.

Tahini has a distinct nutty taste and is a source of calcium, protein and B vitamins. Tahini is also a good source of essential fatty acids which help maintain a healthy skin and a source of vitamin E which helps reduce the rate of ageing in body cells.

Eli Sarre, sales and marketing director at Essential Trading, said: "Ten years ago most of us had never heard of tahini. Now, however, healthy nut butters or spreads are steadily growing in popularity and being welcomed into the mainstream food market.

"Tahini paste has become a red-hot food commodity as the popularity of houmous, which is made with tahini and chick peas, has skyrocketed. Houmous is suitable for even the strictest of diets; it is gluten, dairy and sugar free and can be used as a dip or sauce for salads and crudites. Houmous is low fat and high in protein so it is also suitable for health conscious dieters."

Essential Trading supplies and promotes the most ethical wholefood vegetarian and vegan food and non food products through a worker co-operative. The Essential brand contains no colours, flavours or modifiers and everything is traceable, wholesome, packed with goodness and nothing else.

Contact Essential Trading on tel 0117 943 0809 or visit www.essential-trading.coop