Cannabis from Ocado? Now that IS an unexpected item!
No, you’re not hallucinating, it’s all part of the latest (entirely legal) foodie trend
THE very idea of your Ocado driver being able to drop off cannabis products along with your bread, milk and coffee sounds positively outrageous.
so too does sitting down to a relaxing cup of tea and a chocolate brownie, both enhanced with a dash of cannabis oil.
yet i had both these experiences in the past week, without getting high or being carted off by the police for questioning.
in the past year, a booming market has arisen in over-the-counter products containing cannabidiol (commonly known as CBD). Regular users, whose numbers have doubled in that time, claim it helps them with conditions including insomnia, anxiety, menopausal symptoms and arthritis pain.
CBD coffee is available in independent coffee bars, trendy cocktail bars sell CBD-enhanced drinks and Gwyneth Paltrow has recipes for CBD- infused cocktails on her website, Goop.
CBD comes from hemp, which is part of the cannabis family. Marijuana (the cannabis used as a recreational drug) is still illegal, as it contains significant levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the psychoactive component that gets you high. But hemp contains only minute levels of THC and can’t get you high no matter how much you take.
To comply with EU law, any CBD product sold over the counter must contain a maximum of 0.2 per cent THC (compared with 15 to 40 per cent in marijuana) and make no medical claims.
GUMMY SWEETS cbdvirtue.co.uk
As wiTH olive oil, there are different grades and qualities to CBD. Lower-grade hemp extract will generally lead to an earthy taste.
The company that makes the gummy apple rings i tried states that it uses CBD with 99.9 per cent purity.
Each flavoured sweet contains 25mg of CBD, which is rated as ‘super strong’ on the website. Each tin contains just seven sweets.
i ate all seven in one sitting and felt no ill effects, though i slept like a baby that night. Coincidence? who knows.
Certainly the website is full of testimonials from customers who say they have slept better and conditions such as back and knee pain have improved.
They had a zingy apple flavour, but at £19.99 a tin they cost a lot more than jelly babies. 9/10
LEMONADE cbdethics.co.uk
A GLAss of ice-cold lemonade is a refreshing thirst-quencher. But does adding 20mg of CBD make it any more desirable?
This product is sold in a 2oz shot size and at £5.99 is about the same price you’d pay for an alcoholic shot in a bar.
while sambuca or tequila would definitely make me fuzzyheaded, would this CBD FX chill shot do the same?
i gulped down the non-fizzy liquid but had to wince at the nasty, chemical taste and aftertaste. it was also super- sweet, thanks to artificial sweetener. i’ll stick with tequila. 3/10
HEMP WATER ocado.com
wHEn Ocado brings a CBDinfused product to your door, you know you’re in safe hands.
its Love Hemp water is sold in various sizes, but a 500ml bottle will set you back £1.29. it’s the first hemp- infused water in Europe and contains 2mg of natural hemp extract.
The manufacturers say it ‘improves cognitive function’, though any hydration will do that, including free tap water.
initially it tasted like any other mineral water, but a few seconds later a not unpleasant ‘ earthy’ aftertaste kicked in, as though someone had slipped a sprinkle of mud into the liquid. 6/10
MARSHMALLOWS Themarshmallowist.com
BEAUTiFULLy packaged in a box that proudly states ‘cannabis, grapefruit and pink peppercorn flavour,’ you’d certainly raise eyebrows if you passed these around at a dinner party — each square has a minimum of three drops of high-grade CBD.
Decorated with a slice of dried grapefruit, the marshmallows looked almost too good to eat.
Oonagh simms is The Marshmallowist, a trained chocolatier known for her gourmet product and its wacky flavours. The website states that ‘ given the strength and potency of the CBD we’re using, you can feel the effects shortly after eating.’ The marshmallows are truly delicious and melt in the mouth.
i ate three in front of the TV while watching Luther and felt far more relaxed than i had watching the previous night’s episode. At £15 they are far too pricey to risk toasting over a fire, though. 10/10
CHOCOLATE cannaseursuk.com
BELGiAn chocolate is a sweet treat, and an 80g bar where each square contains 5.83mg of CBD is a very expensive sweet treat at £16, even if the makers boast they use ‘whole plant extract sourced from one of the most trusted and established suppliers in the UK’.
when i put the first square into my mouth it tasted rich and creamy, but it only takes a second for that ‘earthy’ quality to hit. imagine dropping your chocolate bar on your lawn, then eating it. i’ll stick to Galaxy. 3/10
HONEY cbdvirtue.co.uk
THEsE honey sticks are described as ‘a great way to make CBD a part of your everyday life — spread them on toast or stir them into tea’.
i had mine neat from the tube. Each stick is made from Californian honey and contains 10mg of CBD. The honey was exquisite, rich and sweet, and there was no aftertaste. Later in the week i added a tube to porridge and another to Lemsip for an extremely expensive cold remedy.
As each tube contains no more than a tablespoon of liquid, a seven- stick box at £19.99 is a good starting point for anybody curious to try CBD products for the first time. 10/10