KitchenTakeovers : AllergyUK - Freefrom Food Show 2015

July 3-5th see a barrage of folks from the wheat, gluten, dairy, and everything in between (free) gather together in one place - Kensington Olympia. To excite their taste buds and fill their stomachs with free samples, and purchase allergy free foods and supplements at discount prices to their hearts content. The FreeFrom Show this year was also tied in with the 'Just V Show' celebrating vegan and vegetarian lifestyle, and the 'Love Natural Love Organic Show' for everything organic, from food to skincare and even cloths!!! There were also activities for the kids so everyone could get involved.

With familiar brands like DeliciousAlchemy, Tesco, Sainsbury etc and new ones also. I have highlighted below a few I found that were interesting and perhaps not so widely known or recognised.

But before we get into the meat of the matter, let me point you in the direction of some useful information on the food allergy and intolerance front. The British Dietetic Association
https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/Allergy.pdf have a great article on food allergy and intolerances, which is easy to digest and gives a brief summary of what the differences are. Also Coeliac UK has great wealth of information and training relating to Coeliac disease https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home.

Udis Gluten Free were the main supporters of this event, all bakery products were £1 and grocery going for £1.50 pretty decent if you ask me. I purchased the sponge cake mix and a berry bar, I have never tried them before so wanted to have a go at home. Udis were also launching their new colour coded packaging, which should make it easier to distinguish between the different range they have on offer.

I was told the toffee muffin they had on sample was very delicious. It sure looked good, but I was being cautious of dairy - didn't want to ruin the day, there were lots of tasting to be done after all. The tiger loaf was soft and springy, but was somewhat dry, very edible I could imagine having it as toast or in a bloomer style sandwich stuffed with avocado, turkey rashers (extra crispy) and maple syrup, maybe a slice or two of beef tomatoes.

Schar is the rebranded EDS gluten-free label, the bread I tried was very nice indeed - it was a seeded pre-sliced loaf. Tasted like 'normal' bread to me, couldn't really try many of their products. As though they are gluten free -yeaaaah!!- they are NOT all dairy free -boooooo-

Many of their products are not actually available to purchase till around september anyway, so you have a while yet to wait for these, but think they are worth the wait especially if you are mainly glutenfree. Plus they were giving out some vouchers for money off for when they hit the supermarket shelves. In the mean time you can check out the website and signup for promotions etc click here

New kid on the block for me, I didn't have a chance to have a chat with anyone on the stand because they were quite busy. However, I found out from the website they have been around since 2005! where have I been?! anyway, I tried the doughnut which was so delicious! I bought 2 x mixes, plus a chocolate cake mix and a sponge cake mix. Here are some of the results from using the donut mixes.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

I also liked the fact that the mixes didn't have any sugar added, giving you the option to not only have your product wheat, gluten and dairy free, but it could be sugar free also.

OrganicLivity what can I say about these guys, the raw cakes were amazing not just in their aesthetics but the taste was clean and fresh. They describe themselves as an holistic patisserie and really I think this is very true. The products are vegan and raw, with ingredients based around tropical fruits.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

I was super excited seeing star-apple, cashew nut with the fruit still attached, coco bean pod (I remember as I kid, cracking them open once they got ripe and sucking on the seeds, then washing them and leaving them out to dry in the sun). Honestly, I missed the Caribbean in that very instant, it's always nice coming across something that tugs at the heart strings. Anyway, check them out on facebook and instagram or you can find them in Brick Lane market on a Sunday if you are in the area.

Ahhhh...Sweet Rebellion this is a relatively new item only launched 8 weeks ago!! it is a part of the real dairy ice-cream brand Taywell. But, here is where it got good. This new range is made of 6 flavours and they are...wait, for it....

Five lactose-free, gluten-free, low calorie, no processed sugar, and one with NO DAIRY! YEEEEEES!!! oh, and they are free of artificial colours and flavours, I tried the Raspberries & Cream flavour which is currently the only dairy free option. It was deliciously sweet and smooth with a great mouth feel. Oh the wonders of coconut milk.

The company is currently in talks with Waitrose and Holland & Barrett for stocking. But until then, you can purchase them at independent health food stores by asking for it to be ordered, they are on all independent health store supplier listing at £5.25 per 500ml tub, I think they are worth it, you won't be disappointed.

There was one item I came away thinking, I really want one of those - am still thinking about it (I might have to save up to justify this one).

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

It's the ZeroGluten Baker what is it you ask?

well the name is kind of a give away really, it's a bread maker specially developed for baking gluten free breads and cakes. With 7 gluten-free programs, plus an extra 30 recipes programmed and 15 extra traditional recipes; so if you're not coeliac you can go to town with this beauty. No more, whipping eggs and sifting flour separately because of the genius of having two turning blades, you get more air incorporated into the batter, giving you light spongy cakes and soft breads. Checkout the website and see what you think, I've also found a video review by The FreeFrom Fairy Here. I am still not sure, but the idea is a great one, if anyone has first hand experience let me know 'is it worth £200?'

Overall it was a nice day out, certainly worth a visit next year if you have never been.

Till next time, EAT mindfully, DRINK responsibly, and EXERCISE your mind and body!!!

***Disclaimer: Any of the information within this blog post and others on this site is for information and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to be taken as diagnosis, treatment, cure or to prevent any disease. Any reader concerned about his or her health is advised to seek medical advice from their GP or relevant medical professional***