Don’t you love a sweet treat that, with the addition of a super-healthy ingredient or two, makes indulging seem like a positive health move? As in, “Sigh, I must force myself to eat this blueberry muffin, packed as it is with antioxidants”. Or “A vanilla cupcuke with peach at the bottom? Whatever it takes to get those five-a-day”. Etc.

And so it is with frozen yoghurt, or “fro-yo”, if we’re going to get with the lingo, LA-style. It hits the ‘Ooh, fancy an ice cream” spot but in a less visit-to-the-Mr-Whippy-van kind of way (although Mr W. will always, always have his place. I can recall the treat of a towering 99-plus-flake-and-strawberry sauce after family walks in Richmond Park as vividly as the tree climbing, dog walking and tadpole collecting. Sorry to bring that last bit into a food post).

Anyway, back to the frozen yoghurt, and some FAB ideas for whipping up your own, sundae-style treats for the family – as if they’re going to be just for the children – from Samantha Pyser (above right), co-founder of the new UK frozen yoghurt haven yoomoo.

Samantha launched yoomoo with her friend Amanda Gestetner after a visit to LA, where they visited similar frozen yoghurt bars. The girls thought they could give it a British spin and the result is fab, funky and has gone down, um, a treat.

‘One of the main things I love about frozen yogurt is its versatility as a food,’ says Samantha. ‘You can keep it completely healthy with fresh and ripe ingredients or indulge in some naughtiness with a selection of sweet treats’.

Samantha’s yoomoo-style frozen yoghurt “recipes” for nonstopmama:

•  Break up slabs of chocolate covered honeycomb (homemade if possible!) and sprinkle on top of chocolate or vanilla fro-yo. This is one of my most popular creations and it always goes down a treat with the kids!

•  The same as above, but, instead, use tiny marshmallow balls and sprinkle these on top of strawberry fro-yo.

•  For a healthier alternative, I love layering natural or vanilla flavoured yogurt with freshly ripe mango and kiwi – absolutely delicious in summer!

Thanks so much, Samantha! Yoomoo girls rock!

For more info on yoomoo, visit the fab and fun website. You can also follow yoomoo on twitter, at @yoomoo.

Posted in Family flash!, Food on 13th May, 2011.