home made soya yoghurt

Been getting increasingly frustrated lately with the continuing rise in food prices, so have been looking to see what changes I can make to save money. One of the items that has jumped in price is soya yoghurt, up to £1.80 for 4 yoghurt,  I have no option I cant eat ordinary yoghurt and cannot stand the thought of using milk of any form on my cereals,so I take yoghurt on my cereal.

So I have decided to make my own yoghurt and have been experimenting with varying ways over the last few months, and think I finally have it sussed. Yes I could of gone and brought a yoghurt maker but at £30 it is an expensive investment that would take a lot of batches of yoghurt to break even.
I have experimented with rice milk, oat milk, unsweetened soya milk, but have  found that the sweetened UHT soya milk seems to give the nicest result and at 65p for a litre I can make the equivalent of 13 yoghurts for £1.30.

I bring 2 litres of milk to a light bubble for 2 or 3 mins, and then leave to cool to blood temperature. remove the skin, pour milk  into slow cooker. Take 3or 4 oz of milk and add a tablespooon of yoghurt to this small amount, stir thoroughly then add this to rest of milk.

I have tried varying ways to heat this correctly to keep it warm so that is can grow correctly. It works fairly well in a flask, but the flask was too difficult to remove the yoghurt from and to wash. I have tried in the oven, but my oven heats to a minimum temperature of 60 oC and this is too warm and kills the yoghurt culture, it is fine if I remember to keep turning the oven on and off but that's not practical. So I decided upon the slow cooker, again this heats to high but I have some mechanical timers and have worked out the optimum to be on for 15 mins and off for 1 hr. do this for 6 hrs, then switch off and leave overnight covered in a towel, and in the morning it is ready to pop in the fridge.

The yoghurt is not as thick or a smooth as shop bought yoghurt, but then there is nothing added to it. Have found if I whisk it once cold then it does smooth out satisfactorily, and is perfectly thick enough to enjoy. Now whilst I am quite happy to eat natural yoghurt on my cereal , or to add fresh fruit on with it, Bob is not taken with the taste at all. So again have experimented with various options and have found that using Hartleys sugar free jelly crystals dissolved in approx 2 oz water and stirred through  the  yoghurt not only adds flavour and colour but helps to thicken the yoghurt as well as adding calcium. They cost approx 30p for a pack of 2 so add little to the final costing. Remember to keep some natural for you baking and for the next batch you want to make.

strawberry on the left and natural on the right