Healthy Brewer's Malt Biscuits from Northern Irish artisan producer

Innovative Brewer's Malt Biscuits have been developed in Northern Ireland by Grainola Goddess, an artisan business which recently launched a range of premium breakfast cereals from spent brewery grain.

The company, which is based in Derry and was formed by experienced chef Jill McKillop, has also added a gluten-free cereal to its existing three-strong range for breakfast.

The brewer's malt biscuits are on sale in 180g bags at £4 and are based on malted oats from the brewing process at the award winning Walled City Brewing Company, also based in Derry.

Mrs McKillop is executive chef at the brewery's highly acclaimed restaurant. The brewery was established by master brewer James Huey, her brother.

"It was James who suggested that I should consider creating a product from the spent malted oats," she says. "This was quite a challenge and involved quite a bit of research to find a suitable recipe.

"I baked various types of biscuits for taste testing by family and friends. Their feedback led me to focus on a recipe for delicious biscuits which are all made by hand and are rich in vitamins B1and B2, protein and fibre and a good source of probiotics The biscuits are ideal for blue cheese, in particular, and are also tasty with chutney and coffee," she adds.

The ingredients of the biscuits include brewer's pale malt, whole rolled oats, ground almonds, egg yolks, butter and sea salt

"The decision to launch a gluten-free cereal was influenced by inquiries from shoppers at markets I've taken part in around Northern Ireland's North West," continues Mrs McKillop. "Very many of those who sampled my granolas inquired if I had gluten-free options.

"I then decided to create my own recipe using ingredients such as millet flour, gluten-free oats, puffed rice with maple syrup, molasses, rapeseed and honey. My new Gorgeous Gluten Free Cereal is a lighter product that has a delicious flavour with the essential crunchiness expected from a granola," she adds.

The latest products that Mrs McKillop makes by hand join the existing range of granolas which she recently launched - Honeynut Crunch, Bountiful Berry and Choc'o Deluxe.

They have "a subtle malty flavour" from the spent barley. Sugar has been replaced with honey because of its low glucose content, she says.