Ooh, Err Missus

It's 25 years since this comedian died - and last Monday was the centenary of his birth. But I put this picture here because of his little catchphrase.
Liz posted me a picture of the yogurt she saw in Waitrose yesterday

It is one of their new 'savoury' vegetable yogurts.

And my first question [believe me, I have many more about this yogurt!] is how is one expected to pronounce turmeric these days?
Nowadays, Jamie and co seem to be united in saying
t-ooh-meric
In my youth, when it was just occasionally mentioned by Delia and TV cooks of an earlier generation, it was always
t-err-meric
I looked it up in my Oxford English Dictionary and carefully deciphered the pronunciation guide. 
That uses the symbol З: which is err [as in 'her'] my case rests!
But it doesn't answer my next question - who on earth decided that veg yogurts would be the next foodie trend? Here is the new range just introduced into Waitrose recently. 

According to their website; The versatility of vegetables is continuing to be a hot topic as products including juices and even desserts have undergone a veggie makeover. And following this, Waitrose has introduced four new innovative yogurt flavours which include butternut squash, avocado, carrot and beetroot...
The yogurts themselves are nothing short of delicious and the addition of vegetables enhances the flavour as well as texture. The Kiwi, Avocado and Matcha Tea Yogurt boasts a creaminess from the avocado and the Apple, Carrot, Beetroot and Ginger Yogurt has a zing from the ginger. The Pineapple, Butternut Squash and Turmeric has warmth from the turmeric and finally the Carrot, Mango and Guarana has additional sweetness from the carrot, making them a great introduction to vegetable blends. 

Clearly, if you wanty 'creaminess, warmth, zing and sweetness,' this is the way forward! Last week, Thrifty Lesley posted her recipe for savoury yogurts made with sundried tomatoes, and she gave them a definite thumbs up. I usually like TL's recipes, but when I mentioned the idea to Bob at the time, he said "They sound like some of Jamie's salad dressings". I do see what he means.

Third question - carrot, mango and guarana ...guarana is that Brazilian bean with more than twice the amount of a caffeine as a coffee bean. Steph explained that to me after her trip to São Paolo in 2005. [Initially I was confusing it with guano - that's not something you want in your yogurt] Do you really want that much stimulus [or is it a neglible amount, just a gimmick?]

Finally - I have read a fair bit recently that turmeric [however you choose to pronounce it] is said to be helpful for people suffering with arthritis pain. My physiotherapist mentioned it when I saw her about my knee just before Christmas. I have been slinging the odd spoonful into my cooking - mainly to make my rice golden and my curries more interesting, and to give added flavour to steamed 'cauliflower rice' [which I really enjoy but Bob regards as pointless] So I'm just asking - do any of you use turmeric to help with arthritis pain? In what form do you take it? and does it appear to be helping?

Back to the Waitrose Website - There is currently a need for more Vitamin D in our diets to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy and these yogurts are a great way to start bridging the gap as one serving contains almost a fifth of your daily recommended allowance.

Clearly these veg yogurts are deemed to have health benefits all round. But at 69p for 125g, I shan't be rushing out to buy them. Perhaps I'll take a leaf out of TL's book and try creating my own. If they taste awful on their own, I can always serve them as a salad dressing - or as a dip with crudités!!