Peanut allergies are the most common allergy in children and adults – and it’s the most well-known too. Thanks to the media’s focus on school-wide peanut bans across the UK, people are becoming more and more aware of those troublesome nuts. You’ll be hard pushed to find a peanut butter sandwich in any lunchbox these days!

Although the allergy is very well known, most of us don’t know a lot about the nut itself. Funnily enough, peanuts aren’t actually nuts – they’re beans! In fact, peanuts come from the same family as lentils, soya beans and garden peas. Stranger yet, peanuts don’t grow on trees like you might think. They grow under the ground like potatoes!

Peanuts seem to crop up in food all over the place, including cakes, biscuits, cereals and sauces. It’s easy to spot when they have peanuts in the name, but they can often creep into dishes as a not-so-special ingredient. Refined peanut oil is said to not contain the allergens associated with peanut allergies, but it’s always best to stay cautious. There are lots of oils you can enjoy instead, like sunflower oil, olive oil and safflower oil.

It may seem like every chocolate bar, cake, dessert and hot drink recipe now comes with a mammoth-sized dollop of peanut butter, but you don’t have to miss out on any tasty treats. Click here to take a look at this fabulous article on The Kitchn, with five yummy nut-free alternatives to peanut butter.

Now you’ve got dessert sorted, you can always count on Gosh!’s burgers, bakes and bites for a peanut-free dinnertime. Need a little inspiration? Take a look at our wonderful peanut-free recipes here. We’re free from the top 14 allergens in the UK, so you can always put your trust in Gosh!