Beans, Balls and Pulses

Natt Summers, Bear Grylls’ pt and Bestfit columnist, reveals  the back story of  dilly & wolf, a perfect fit for this, our vegan-themed issue.

fitness enthusiast. She is also co-founder of the globally inspired snack company Dilly & Wolf Super Snacks, creators of snacks that are perfect for vegans and vegetarians.

I have had the pleasure of training Annabel for the last few years and can vividly remember discussing the company’s early days. In fact, Annabel had just completed a set of tabata sprints on the bike and I was encouraging her to get started with a set of Kettlebell single leg deadlifts on the Power Plate. I was using the talk test to make sure she was in her training zone by keeping her chatting in between increasing recovery breaths… the topic, lack of tasty nutrient dense snacks on the market!

The nutrition snack Annabel spoke of would soon evolve and become the Dilly & Wolf product range…
“We wanted to create a new category and in it, a range of truly healthy and nutritious snacks,” explains Annabel.

“Pulses are hugely on-trend and full of protein and fibre. Using our strong culinary background, we set out to deliver a pulse-based snack range that delivered on taste and nutrition, but which was also British in its origin and with strong sourcing credentials.

“Snacking is a particularly challenging category; there are many products that claim to be healthy which aren’t, or which compromise on taste. We wanted to create a balanced range of snacks that delivered on taste, nutrition and sustainability.

“We felt the world was saturated with crisps, nuts and popcorn and that a smarter, more ethical and natural progression was towards peas and beans. It was very important for us to support British farming and to support a still under-rated food group in this country.”

Annabel proves that it is possible to work long hours and still workout. Being busy is quite often an excuse for many who feel they don’t have time to keep fit. It shouldn’t be.

“Flexibility is key, but equally condensing my fitness into a 30-minute slot has revolutionised my ability to fit everything in. I used to rule exercise out completely because an hour a day or more was not an option. Exercise keeps me focused and happier. The key to balance is having a great team around you.”
Dilly & Wolf started with the humble granola bar, but is launching new products all the time.
“We started developing granola bars and ended up selling pulsebased snacks,” explains Annabel. “Market trends and research pointed towards a need to diversify healthy snacks so we wanted to create a range that was truly different and challenged the category.

“This year, we have one big development that we are working on, but the team would shoot me if I said anything. Let’s just say it’s British and pulse based!”

You can visit www.Dillyandwold.com/ to find out more, and remember, no-one is too busy to keep fit. Twenty Minutes A day is all you need…