Allergy & Free From Show 2015

Last Saturday I was up bright and early to travel down to the Allergy & Free From show at the Olympia. I arrived 20 minutes before opening and joined the queue which was getting pretty long. This is my 3rd year at the show so I kinda know what to expect and I always have a rough idea of the stalls I want to visit. This year I printed off a floor plan and circled the stalls that I definitely wanted to visit so I didn't miss them.

The show is split into three areas. The Allergy & Free From Show, Just V Show (Veggie & Vegan food & lifestyle) and the Love Natural Love Organic Show. All marked out with different coloured carpets in the Grand Hall. I'm glad we got there for opening as the the show gets busy very quickly. 

My first stop was the Delicious Alchemy stall. I love this brand. They sell some amazing products. My favourite being the bread mixes and the chocolate brownie mix. They were super friendly and it was nice to meet the girls behind the Twitter account. We discussed the brownies because they require egg in the mix. As I avoid eggs I usually use egg replacer but I was told to try mashed potato instead. I'll be giving this a go. 

My next stop was another of my favourites BFree. It was a nice surprise to see that they are launching Stone Baked Pita Breads that are Dairy, Egg and Gluten Free. I adore their bagels and these pita breads don't disappoint either, they are amazing. I love this brand because they don't use egg in their products. It's hard to find gluten & dairy free products without egg. Would be great to see more of their products in all the supermarkets. 

I stopped at the lovely Anandas stall as the marshmallows and Round Ups caught my eye. I'd seen that Round Ups are very popular with Vegans and I was so happy to see they had created a gluten free version too. They are amazing. Mine didn't last long at all. Who couldn't love two biscuits filled with marshmallow, jam and covered in chocolate. I also picked out some raspberry marshmallows which were (yes I've eaten them all) delicious. 

I'd seen Baskels mentioned on Twitter the previous day and noticed their mixes were egg free (as well as dairy & gluten free) and didn't require egg to make either. The mixes weren't for sale at the show but the very helpful man gave me a bag with a sample of the Artisan Bread Mix. The breads on the stall looked fab so I'm looking forward to trying this mix. 

I got a tip off the previous day from Sarah of Sugarpuffish that I needed to visit the Nana Nice Cream stall. I'm glad I did. She was right. I purchased a tub of the Vanilla Nice Cream and it was really nice. It contains simple ingredients (banana, avocado, dates, apple & vanilla) and tastes great. Hopefully they will be stocked in supermarkets soon.

I can't go to the allergy show without buying chocolate and this year I had Cocolibre on my list of must visits. The ladies on the stall were really friendly and helpful. I went for the show deal and picked out two large items and two small. I picked out a delicious three pack of small bars (honeycomb, raspberry & orange/ginger), a big bar of honeycomb and two small bars of orange and mint. Delicious dairy free chocolate.

This one my husband spotted and wanted to try. This is a rich raw chocolate. Both flavours were tasty. The bars were pretty small but I find with dark chocolate you don't need too much anyway. 

I stocked up on the O'Choco biscuits as I don't have anywhere near me that sells them. I'm partial to these Oreo style cookies so they will go down nicely. I don't think there are any other UK brands that sell this style cookie so its great that lovemore have got us intolerant / allergic peeps covered.

Another favourite of mine is the Venice Bakery pizza bases. I've been buying them for a few years now. I like to use them for garlic bread to accompany meals as well as pizza. They are the best UK pizza bases in my opinion. Would be great if some bigger pizza chains used these as their free from option as they cover so many allergies.

I've not had Hoi Sin sauce in a long time so I had to buy this from the Sweet Mandarins stall. They sell great gluten free Chinese sauces. I'm looking forward to trying this sauce with some crispy duck. One day I want to visit their Chinese restaurant in Manchester. 

Fave snack alert! The nakd stall had a great offer on their bars so I stocked up on two of my favourite flavours. My husband likes the nibbles so I got him a selection of flavours which he hadn't tried. These will keep us going for a while. 

Ms Cupcake had made all her vegan bakes gluten free this year which was amazing. It was hard to choose from the delicious selection of flavours but I picked out a red velvet cupcake. I ate it as soon as I got back to our hotel. Yum! I need to get her book out again and start making some of her bakes. She's fab! If your ever near Brixton go visit her shop.

So there you go. That was this years Allergy Show. I had a great morning at the show and was really pleased with all my purchases. It was great to meet some of the faces behind social media accounts too.

I highly recommend visiting the show if you have allergies or intolerances. There are hundreds of stalls and lots of really helpful information.

You can visit the Allergy Show Website here or find them on Twitter @AllergyShow

Orlando Food Haul 2015

If you know me you know I like a good suitcase haul. If you didn't see last years post it explains how I pack things to bring them back to the UK as unscathed as possible. Again travelling Premium Economy this year allowed me to bring back two extra suitcases filled will goodies. Not all food...but mainly.

Here is everything I brought home...

My last visit to Wholefoods Orlando was a bit like supermarket sweep. One of the things I grabbed as I was dashing round the store was this Follow Your Heart Ranch. I saw ranch dressing everywhere in Florida and i'd never tried it so when I saw this I knew I had to take it home. This was a chilled item so I had to pack it with ice packs to keep it cool. Its dairy, egg, gluten free and vegan. I've been using it on salads and as a dip and I really like it. Once its gone its gone though as I don't think this is available in the UK. Sob.

I know some people find Chia seeds weird. I'd probably describe them as frog spawn. But I actually really like them. Mamma Chia is a popular brand in the usa with lots of flavours. I'd actually brought these to drink while I was there but didn't get round to them so I wrapped them up to bring home. I really enjoyed both flavours. Are there any of these drinks in the UK?

While in the airport we were spending our last bit of spare cash on snacks. I spotted these Dry Roasted Edamame. They were free from Gluten & Dairy so I purchased. I really enjoyed them as a savoury snack.

Ah Tostitos. I love Tostitos. We usually buy the scoops but this year they had these new rolls which we loved. They were great dipped in salsa or hummus. Always amazes me the selection of Tortillas that the USA have compared to our selection. I also found the little tortilla trays in target and thought they were cute so I will use them for mini tacos or for salsa.

There are a lot of Justin's nut butters (including the peanut butter cups) in the usa. I found these little chocolate hazelnut butter packets in target. They are perfect size for a snack.

I noticed these bread crumbs in all three of the supermarkets, Walmart, Publix and Target. This one is free of dairy & egg too. I've used it already sprinkled on top of lasagne to make it crispy. It worked really well. I need to try them next to coat some chicken strips or prawns.

Random find but I had this brand of iced tea last year and was interested in trying this combination. I've not yet drank them but i'm looking forward to them. I love the cute packaging too.

Grape Jelly! or jam as we call it. I like anything grape flavoured (even the fake grape flavour). We dont tend to get grape jam over here so I always pop one in the suitcase.

These cute little biscuits may well have been my favourite haul purchase. I loved both flavours and I loved how tiny and sweet the little bunnies are. Not all Annies products are free from everything but i'm so glad these were free from dairy, egg and gluten because they were amazing.

I know we can now get a few Enjoy Life products in the UK now but I liked the sound of these. 

I found these baking mixes in Target and i've wanted to try the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes for a while but on any UK websites they are really overly priced. I found them a lot cheaper in the usa. I've made the chocolate chip cookies and the brownies and they worked great and tasted great.

I used to love Oreo's so these two brands are great alternatives.

You can find Chex in all the supermarkets. There are lots of flavours to choose from. I brought home my favourites.

S'mores are very American, I think the closest we can get in the uk to a Graham style cracker is a digestive biscuit. Last year I made s'mores as desserts after summer bbq's. I'm looking forward to trying these crackers and using the square marshmallows.

I buy these crisps every year. They are a dairy free cheesy puff which reminds me of Wotsits. I love them. 

Wholefoods had a great selection of different pastas. I decided to try these two. I used the brown rice pasta lasagne recently in a lasagne and really enjoyed it. I like how it has a wavy edge.

I kinda miss sometimes being able to grab something cheap and simple. Lots of cuppa soups and instant noodles contain either gluten or milk so when I spotted these for under $1 in walmart I popped some in the trolley. I know they aren't the most nutritious of foods but it was nice to pop them in a mug at work and have them as a quick lunch. 

We love using our coffee machine and as much as we like nice Artisan ground coffee we are also drawn toward the cheaper flavoured brands too. Dunkin Donuts do some fab flavours and yes its probably not the best quality but we like it. Our favourite find this year was a cherry flavour which we had while we were there. The chocolate donut is also really nice. I'm going to use these for iced coffee's this summer.

Finally, last year I brought the Twinings Cold Brew teabags from the UK area in Epcot. I didnt go into Epcot this year but while we were there my sister did so she picked me up the four flavours they do. I love them in summer as they are so refreshing. I also found in Walmart the Salted Caramel Black tea which is so nice. I also brought some sleepy tea for bedtimes.

So that brings my 2015 USA Eats series to an end. I hope you have enjoyed reading all my posts and I hope they will help you plan an amazing holiday in Florida. If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments or find me on twitter.

Favourite Fast Food Eats in Florida 2015

Over the last few years if I needed some fast food we always called at Chick-fil-a as I knew I could have the grilled chicken nuggets and waffle fries. I love them dipped in Polynesian sauce.

We only went once this time but I had my old faithful nuggets & waffle fries. Yum!

This year a new restaurant/take away had appeared on the main stretch of road that we traveled down every day (192 West Bronson Memorial Highway). It is called Pollo Tropical. I started by dropping them a little email to ask about allergies. They replied really quickly and sent me a full list of allergens.

A few days later when we were in need of some quick food we decided to give it a try. The man behind the counter was very helpful in telling me which options I could pick and he double checked his allergen lists. I decided to have a TropiChop which is a rice bowl with chicken and different toppings. I had rice, black beans, chicken, tomatoes and corn. There was also salsa and other sauces available.

This place became my new favourite. I was nice to be able to have something that wasn't fried and there were no fries in sight. I considered it a nice healthier option for when we were needing a lighter meal. It was really tasty too.

Not so much fast food but while we were out at Brevard Zoo (nice day out if you like animals) I spotted a sign for chocolate coated frozen bananas they were Dairy & Gluten Free. Unfortunately the cafe was closed so I was unable to try them but when I searched for the website it seems that they are sold in lots of locations around Florida.

On my return I really wanted to try and make them for myself. I froze some bananas on lollipop sticks and made a raw chocolate with cocoa butter, raw cacao & maple syrup. I dipped the frozen bananas in the raw chocolate and covered with sprinkles, cacao nibs and sea salt. Then popped them back in the freezer to set. All three combinations were yummy and they make a great summer treat.

Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter 2015

There is one word for this place... Beignets!!

You must visit this resort to enjoy the deliciousness that are allergy friendly Beignets.

These can be found at Sassagoula Floatworks.

 Take yourself to the pastry counter and order 3 or 6 of them! A chef will be called and he will be more than happy to go off and make you the delights.

These are one of my favourite sweet treats that can be found in Disney. They are worth visiting this resort for. While you are there take a walk around the resort and down the river as it is lovely.

Beckhams On The Trail Sarasota 2015

First of all if you are in Florida I'd highly recommend visiting Siesta Key Beach which is near Sarasota. I have never seen such a perfect white beach. It felt like you were walking on (GF) Flour it was that soft. Totally perfect tropical place. We loved it.

Secondly if you find yourself in or near Sarasota id highly recommend stopping at Beckhams on the Trail for food. Once again Sarah from GF & DF WDW recommended this place and we were not disappointed. As it was a week day afternoon it was really quiet but we were welcomed by a friendly man called Ed (i think was his name) he was a coeliac so knew all too well about special diets. He said it was the first time he'd been able to put on weight since eating the fab food at Beckhams.

They have a fantastic Gluten Free menu so I just had to check about my other intolerance's. I decided to have the fried shrimp with were served with fries. This was a light bites meal but it was huge. The Shrimps were perfectly fried, big, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

It was so nice to be able to get a great safe meal while we were out and about. Go Visit!

You can see the gluten free menu on their website here.

Boatwrights at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside 2015

Boatwrights, which is a Louisiana style restaurant, can be found at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. This is a pretty big resort which we found really nice to stroll around after our meal.

I made a reservation at Boatwrights after reading great reviews from Gluten Free & Dairy Free WDW. I knew I had to try the crawfish bites. I emailed Disneys special diets to request this as a starter. The chef emailed me back a few days later to confirm it would be possible. Yay! 

On arrival the server told me a chef would come out to see me. I told him I'd ordered the crawfish bites and I asked him what he'd recommend from the menu as a main. He suggested the Chicken & Waffles. I agreed as its not every day you can get safe Chicken & Waffles. Off he went to sort out our meals.

I was served two rolls with olive oil which I enjoyed but I was conscious that I didn't want to fill myself up with bread as I'm not used to having a starter and main.

I shared the crawfish bites with my husband as I'd seen that you got a pretty big portion. I really enjoyed them, they were crispy and nicely seasoned.

My main arrived and I must say I was slightly disappointed. I was served a waffle with chicken tenders. I was kinda expecting proper fried chicken as the chef didn't mention tenders. But it was nice all the same. I was really full by the end of it all though. I did wish I'd picked out the jambalaya or one of the fish dishes. My husband had catfish which looked lovely.

I really liked the setting and the theming of the restaurant and they were great with my special requested. I just made the wrong choice with the main.

When I got home I found crayfish tails in my local Morrisons so I thought I'd try my own crawfish bites. I seasoned some GF Plain Flour with smoked paprika and salt and mixed in some water to make a batter. I heated up a pan of oil and dipped each crayfish tail into the batter and then placed it into the oil. Once all were browned and crisp I removed them from the oil and drained them on some kitchen roll. I served mine with a nice fresh salad. They were yummy!

Universal Studios Eats 2015

During our 2nd week we visited Universal Studios. Again, i'd never eaten a proper meal in the park over the past few years, i'd just settled with a melon pot or some crisps. This year I was determined to eat somewhere with my husband and my sister & her boyfriend who we met for the day while we were in the park.

My place of choice was Bumblebee Mans taco Truck in the Simpsons Springfield area of the park. 

The server was very helpful and explained which tacos were safe and what could be omitted. I decided on a Carne Asada Taco which was Skirt Steak. I received two corn tacos with steak, lettuce and salsa along with a side of tortilla chips. I did notice that corn tortillas are alot more available in restaurants and supermarkets in the USA than they are in the UK. Ours always seem to by the flour tortillas which is a shame as I think the corn tortillas are tastier. Anyway, I really enjoyed my lunch and washed it down with a Flaming Moe from Moe's Tavern.

We headed back to the new Harry Potter area, Diagon Alley and explored all the shops. This place is amazing and everything has been done to the very last detail.

As usual everyone was walking around slurping up their Butter Beers which unfortunately us dairy free people cant have. Boo hiss!! But I spotted a cool stall that was selling Gilly Water with a "Potion". There were lots of different coloured potions to choose from and the server told me the flavours of each of them. I decided on the Draught of Peace which was mainly blueberry I think. It was basically a syrup that you poured into your bottle of Gilly Water and shook up to make a drink. I really liked it as it allowed me to also have a quirky drink while the others enjoyed their Butter Beers.

Something else I like to cool down with at the Universal Parks are Dippin Dots. The Rainbow Ice flavour is the only dairy free option but they are nice and fruity. They are tiny balls of flavoured ice frozen with liquid nitrogen. I really like them.

When I contacted the Special Diets dept before my holiday they told me that in Universal Studios there were two full service restaurants that had chefs that could come to the table, they are Lombards Landing and Finnegans. GF Pasta is available in the full service restaurants too. He also advised that the Lemon and Strawberry Slush carts were ok and there were fruit cups sold in various areas.

Its worth emailing before your holiday to get an idea of your options. I felt a lot more comfortable this year eating in this park. Thumbs up Universal!