The tang of basil, a hint of garlic, luscious olive oil, the richness of pine kernels - and the potential for making a tasty meal in minutes - it's true to say pesto is one of my favourite kitchen staples.

Since opting for plant-eating, however, my pesto eating has gone into a decline: most traditional ready-made pestos contain parmesan cheese. I appreciate you can make your own pesto - and how amazing a fresh, homemade pesto can be - but nonetheless, I like having a ready-made version to hand, so I was delighted to find, that Seggiano has made a vegan-friendly, dairy-free pesto and eager to give it a try.

Apparently it is made from Italian basil, grown in Liguari. According to Seggiano, the tender top basil leaves are picked, washed, chopped and preserved in olive oil, all within a few hours of being hand picked. The pesto is gluten free and unpasteurized, with extra virgin olive oil, cashew nuts, pine nuts and a sprinkling of sea salt, making it authentically Italian.

They claim it's good for you too. Nutritionist Cassandra Barns said: “Basil is rich in antioxidants, and olive oil and cashew nuts provide healthy fats. As it’s made with pure plant ingredients, Seggiano's Raw Basil Pesto is about as good as it gets.”

Well that's the sales pitch - but how does it actually taste?

I made a very simple pasta dish, using Seggiano's Toscani organic pasta, served with a good dollop of raw basil pesto sauce, and garnished with sun-fried tomatoes and spring onions: quick and simple.

It was fabulous. The pesto tastes so fresh and bursts with flavour - as good as any regular pesto I have ever eaten, and a good deal better than many. I would certainly buy this again and make it a regular part of my cookery, not only on pasta but also for pizza and in sauces.

Seggiano makes three other flavours in their pesto range, including Black Kale Pesto, Wild Fennel Tomato Pesto, from south east Sicily, and Tomato Pesto, made from creamy, nutty pesto made with fresh tomatoes and lots of fresh basil The Raw Basil Pesto (which I tried), Black Kale and Tomato Pesto all retail at £6.40 for a 200g jar, while the Wild Fennel Tomato Pesto is £5.30 for a 200g jar. Pricey certainly, but I'd swap one of these for three jars of your regular supermarket pesto.

It's available from independent grocery stores, delis, farm shops and online at seggiano.com.