Whole Earth Smooth Peanut Butter No Added Sugar > Reviews (11)

I realise that I'm in a minority in that much of my culinary inspiration comes, not from Heston, Gordon or – god help us – Jamie, but from The Simpsons. The popular cartoon series is acclaimed for many achievements, but those of us who follow it for recipe ideas are mercifully few. However, I am a living testament to the benefits of a diet of Krusty Burgers, Lard Lad donuts, and 16 pound "Sir Loin-a-Lot" steaks from The Slaughterhouse kill-your-own beef restaurant.

Less well-known in the Springfield cookbook are the domestic concoctions. Surely the most poignant - yet mouthwatering - among them features in the scene where Bart opens his lunch (prepared by Homer, as Marge is in prison) to find that it consists of a pack of sugar, and peanut butter smeared on a playing card. It was expressly with the purpose of re-creating this recipe that I bought a jar of Whole Earth smooth peanut butter. As you'll see from my picture, I deviated slightly from the original recipe by using 'golden' unrefined sugar. I thought this was more in keeping with the 'natural' aura of the Whole Earth brand.

The result was a convenient and nourishing snack, and the playing card, though not really edible, was easily cleaned for re-use. If you don't have any playing cards handy, I can also recommend it spread on hot toast. Here, it really comes into its own as the heat makes it melt slightly. It is also usable in cooking. Savoury recipes such as satay sauce rely on it, and you can add it to cake and biscuit recipes too. I've also enlisted it as a substitute for tahini sesame seed paste to make variants on hummous, though like many Brits, I baulk at the idea of the peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwich.

This peanut butter has a subtle earthy taste, balancing saltiness and sweetness: natural sugars account for 3.7 out of each 100g of the product and I see no reason why it would need any of the added sugar that it so proudly rejects. It has a stiff, dryish texture, not too oily and, although it is described as 'smooth' it has a hint of texture, no doubt helped by the presence of peanut skins which show up as reddish flecks in the paste. I certainly prefer it to the more cloying, sticky texture of other brands such as Sun-Pat.

Somewhat controversially for a company that trades on its environmental credentials, Whole Earth use palm oil to prevent the natural oil in the peanut butter from separating out. The production of palm oil for use in processed food is the major cause of rainforest destruction in South East Asia, making it the biggest threat to orang-utan survival. Some shoppers might be reassured by the boast on the label that their palm oil is 'proudly sourced from RSPO members'.

RSPO (the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) is a not-for-profit association formed in 2004 to 'promote the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders'. Environmental groups have criticised RSPO's limited effect on the devastating environmental and economic impacts of palm oil production.

But others point out that palm oil growing is less damaging than the alternatives, and that RSPO has forced growers to address the issues. So take your pick over which view you prefer to take. But if you want to seek out peanut butter without palm oil, look for brands such as Peanut Butter and Co, and Meridian, in health food sections and shops such as Holland and Barrett.

Peanut butters that use palm oil also contain 16 to 20 per cent more saturated fats than those that don't. Although there are only 9.1g of saturated fat per 100g of this product, this fact is worthy of consideration if you're concerned about your cholesterol levels. It's also worth noting that this is a product high in fat (over 50 per cent) and is fairly salty, so should probably be eaten as an occasional treat rather than a daily staple to avoid a Homer Simpson-esque waistline.

That said, peanut butter is a useful source of a range of nutrients, including Vitamin E, B-group vitamins and folate, as well as minerals such as iron, phosphorous, and zinc, which boosts your immune system. The magnesium in peanut butter provides a source of slow-release energy, to keep you feeling full for longer. High levels of protein are good for muscle growth and prevent muscle breakdown.

I bought this current jar from Waitrose a few weeks ago, and chose Whole Earth mainly because it was on offer. It usually sells at around the £2.60 mark for the 454g jar. Sadly, I'm also a bit of a sucker for anything apparently natural or organic, especially if it appears cheaper, so that was also probably a factor in my choice. A spot of Googling reveals that Whole Earth produce a range of cereals, drinks snacks and spreads. They are based on The Meadows Business Park in Camberley, Surrey and are part of the Kallo group of brands, which in turn is owned by Royal Wessanen N.V. a Dutch multinational food company with operations in Europe and North America producing and distributing natural and organic products.

On balance, then, it's a product that I'd recommend, with some reservations. It's preferable to cheaper brands for its taste and texture, but is maybe not quite the real deal when it comes to its health or ethical credentials.