Lovers of oat milk will be able to save up to £2 per litre thanks to a container which allows people to make their own from home for just 20p.
‘Oatilicious’ – designed by Nottingham Trent University product design undergraduate Deeya Halai – prevents people having to spend up to £2.20 per carton with a simple process which creates oat milk in a matter of minutes.
After adding only oats and water, the container deals with all four steps of the making process – blending, filtering, storing, and pouring – to make it easy for people to use.
“Everything is becoming so much more expensive due to the cost of living crisis,” said Deeya, 22, who became a vegan during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“There’s nothing out there like this and the easier something is to do, the more chance that people are going to do it.
“The traditional way to make oat milk uses a cloth that you have to squeeze out into a different container and it’s all quite messy. You have to use another container to keep it in too.
“But my design allows people to do away with that lengthy process and makes it quick, convenient, and simple.”
Oats and water can be blended in the container and a device similar to a coffee filter is used to compress the oats.
The bottom of the container is then removed, allowing the pulp to be extracted and the remaining liquid to be chilled in the fridge.
The container is completely reusable and easy to clean. Inside the kit is a recipe booklet with tips on how to use the leftover pulp to make things like foot masks and brownies, so there is no waste.
A QR code links to an app which allows users to view recipes, purchase replacement parts, and buy vitamin drops to add to their milk.
“After using it 15 times, you’ve made your money back and then you’re just making savings,”
said Deeya, originally from Lostock in Bolton, who shares recipes for cheap and easy vegan meals with her cousin via their Instagram account @_plantilicious__.
“It’s also much more hygienic and simpler to clean than with multiple beakers.
“It feels like quite an achievement to see it all come together; there’s been so many developments, sketches, and models.”
Deeya’s design is set to go on public exhibition for the Nottingham Trent University art and design Student Showcase which takes place between 27 May and 2 June this year.
Taking place at the University’s City Campus, the showcase is free to the public and features creative works from students in the Nottingham School of Art & Design and the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment.
Joseph Stewart, senior lecturer in BSc Product Design at Nottingham Trent University, said:
“Deeya has showed how simple design thinking can improve people’s lives. By allowing people to make their own oat milk at home with a simple process, people could save considerable money and reduce the amount of oat milk cartons being recycled or sent to landfill.”
Posted on 25 May 2023
