Delicious Alchemy

I was recently contacted by Delicious Alchemy to see if they could send me some samples of their products to try. I'd heard about this company from another free from blogger and I'd ordered some of their Rice Porridge to try instead of oat porridge which I'd really been enjoying. 

I love the packaging of all their products. The colours and designs are great. They have a fab website too with lots of information including an online shop, recipes and information about being Gluten free. 

As I don't eat Dairy or Gluten they sent me a selection of products to suit my needs. I also don't eat egg but the only product I received requiring eggs was the brownies which I adapted. All the products clearly stated any allergens. Their website also states all ingredients. 

I received the following:

White Bread Mix

Chocolate Brownie Mix

Syrup flavoured Porridge Oats

Oath Cookie Mix

Rice Flake Porridge

Over the weekend I was excited to try them all. I got started with the White Bread Mix. 

This was the product I was probably most excited about. It was really really easy to make just by adding water and oil. It took quite a while in the oven (approx 90 mins) but the end result was well worth the wait. 

The mix produced a nice size loaf which on first impressions looked and smelt great. The real test was when I cut the first slice. 

The inside of the loaf was gorgeous light and fluffy. Not hard and stodgy like some gf breads. I had the first few slices just with dairy free butter and they were delicious. Definetly one of (if not the) best bread I've tasted. It's crust, inside texture and taste was all perfect. I used up the last few pieces two days after it had been made by toasting it with oil and garlic and it was still yummy. 

Next on the list were the Oaty cookies. Again these were super easy to make and instructions easy to follow. They smelt so good whilst baking. 

I did have to add a sprinkling of gf flour to my mix as I think I added slightly too much liquid but they turned out perfectly. They had a lovely taste which reminded me of golden syrup. I think they only lasted half an hour as my husband and sister helped devour them while they were still warm. Yum!

The following morning I thought I'd test out the porridge oats for breakfast. They came in an individual serving sized cup. I liked the idea of golden syrup flavoured as I always add syrup to my porridge. 

I'd usually add rice milk to porridge but on this occasion I followed the instructions and just added water. After giving it a short stir it was ready. It was the perfect sweetness for me and I must admit it was rather quite creamy tasting even made with water. I thought the portion size was perfect too. It was an enjoyable breakfast. 

Sunday called for a treat so I thought I'd try the brownies. These required dairyfree spread (I used vitealite) and 2 eggs. I used my Orgran egg replacer to make them egg free (label does state not suitable for egg allergy sufferers). 

I do sometimes struggle using egg replacer with packet mixes but what ever the outcome a part baked gooey chocolate brownie always tastes good. I did have to leave it in the oven for longer as the replacer doesn't set the same as proper eggs but I was happy with the end result. It had a lovely crunchy top and a gooey middle. I added some spare raspberries to the mix too which were nice. Let's just say two of us cleared the whole thing between us within an afternoon/evening. 

Last but not least is the Rice Flake Porridge. I've been eating this for the last month or so and been loving it. I sometimes feel like oat based porridge a bloat me so this is a perfect alternative. 

I've made it with rice milk and macadamia milk and both were delicious. I've served it with blueberry chia jam, cashew butter, maple syrup and pecans. The options are endless. I will continue to use this for my breakfast regularly. 

Overall I thought all the products were great, tasty and very easy to use. I will definetly be buying some of them in the future. I would like to thank Delicious Alchemy for giving me the opportunity to try their products. They didn't ask me to blog their products but I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Thumbs up! 

You can find their website here 

Beanberry Coffee

I've never been a big coffee or tea drinker and since becoming dairy free all those years ago I've only drunk herbal teas (mainly Peppermint and Green). I had the odd coffee but back then I was put off with how the dairy free milks would curdle in the drink and split. I think at the beginning I was using soya/oat milk a lot which i never buy now. If I am having a "milky" drink I use Rice milk. In fact that's the only milk in my fridge. I do sometimes buy hazelnut milk which is great for hot chocolate.

Anyway back to the reason I was writing this post. During the week my husband stopped off for breakfast at a coffee shop called Giro in Esher. He had "the best coffee ever" and decided to bring home a pack of the coffee they used. We brought an espresso machine before Christmas and we've been using it daily. It has a steamer for milk too so the rice milk works great. I've started having a coffee after my evening meal some nights as a treat. We'd just been buying the usual supermarket brands unknown to us that there's a whole world of "proper" coffee out there. 

The pack he purchased was from Beanberry Coffee (an Artisan company roasting and blending their own small batches of coffee beans) and it was the Ethiopian  Rocko Mountain. The smell as I opened the pack was amazing. The back of the pack explains all about the beans and the flavours. We made a cup straight away. I had to agree it was the best coffee I've ever tasted too. A lot richer with more depth and flavour than a normal coffee. Delightful.

I then took to the Internet as you do to hunt them down. Living 3 hours from Surrey going back to Giro wasn't an option. To my delight they have their own website and online shop. I found it really interesting reading about all the different beans and the backgrounds to them. I decided to order 4 packets that I liked the sound of (one of which Beanberry recommended to me via Twitter). They arrived speedily the next day. Great service. I loved the little touch on the back of the pack saying roasted for my name.

We have tried a few of them already and they are so good. If you like coffee I'd highly recommend trying this company. They sell the beans in different grinds too according to your choice (Whole bean, Cafetiere grind,  filter grind & espresso grind). I can see myself re-ordering regularly. 

You can view their website here

I know this post wasn't the usual "free from" post but I felt I needed to write about them so I hope you enjoyed?

Vegan & Gluten Free Tuck Box

I'd spotted some goodies that kept popping up on my Twitter feed sold by The Vegan Tuck Box. The company has an online shop selling various monthly subscription boxes (all vegan with a gluten free option). They also sell some products separately. I thought I'd give it a try with a January discount code. I already have a monthly chocolate subscription box so before diving in with another I thought I'd order a one off mini version.

I ordered the Mini Gluten Free Vegan Tuck Box which contains 5 sweet and savoury items. 

This month it has the following items:

Retro Corn - Popcorn dusted in crushed candy.

Plantain Chips - Chilli flavour

Tamari Soy Snacks - Tamari Roasted Soybeans

Beond Bar - Baobab Pineapple Bar

Vego Chocolate - Hazelnut Chocolate

I'm not going to lie I let out a little scream when I saw the Vego bar as its one of my faves. The other items I wouldn't have particularly picked myself so I'm looking forward to trying them all. Afterall these boxes are made to enable us to try new things. It's especially good if you haven't got a great choice of alternative and health food stores nearby. 

While ordering the box I spotted a few extra products I knew I wanted to try. I ordered the No Whey, No No's and Peanot Cups. I have never seen these anywhere else. They aren't cheap and they are small packets but they are all damn good! America does it again with fab free from goodies. I also popped a choc mint hot chocolate spoon in my basket (it is hot chocolate weather after all).

Overall I was really happy with my delivery and I'll most likely try another box in the future. I'd also order separate items from them again.  It's worth checking out the website if you fancy a monthly surprise box of treats or just a one off. 

*update*

I loved all the chocolates I purchased. The No Wheys are a great alternative to a Mars bar. The packets just need to be bigger. The No No's surprised me with the marshmallow centres but really nice. Also loved the Peanot cups, great alternative to a Reeses cup, yum!

It didn't click until I went to open the packet of RetroCorn that it was Cola Cube flavoured and it was great, different but great. 

I really liked the tamari soy snacks too, nice and crunchy with a dry roasted flavour. 

The pineapple bar was a nice mid morning snack. A bit like a Nakd bar. 

I'm still to try the plantain chips.

February Box

This month I decided to try the full sized Gluten Free Vegan Box. I was not disappointed :) again I also ordered a few additional items that I fancied trying.

I loved all the sweet items I received in the box. The chocolate orange frogs from Cocoalibre were especially good. The Peanot No No's were nice but not what I expected. They were more like a crispy shell with a white chocolate centre, there was no brown chocolate layer. The lemon creams were nice but not something I'd buy again, I much prefer orange or mint creams. 

I loved the Karkli snacks, I'd definetly buy them again. They didn't last long. I really didn't like the seaweed stick thing. It was a bit of an acquired taste. Not for me. I'm still to try the raw biscuits and the soypresso. 

Overall was really happy with the box and really enjoyed trying all the items. 

In addition to the box I also ordered the Strawberry & Cream Retro Corn which I love. Also tried the vegan cream egg which was nice and the thumbs up bar which was really nice. It's just a shame that vegan chocolates are so expensive but I don't mind if it's a treat every now and then :)

March box

Another fab box this month. Was very excited to see the Cashew Milk. I'd tried Cashew milk while in the USA last year and I loved it. Can't wait to try this one. I love Ten Acre crisps (as you'll see in the other photo I ordered extras). They are all Vegan and Gluten Free and come in fab flavours. The Yummy Scrummy raw brownie and the hazelnut cookie were both delicious. I thought the packet of the Emily Fruit Crisps was so pretty, the crisps made a nice change too. I've had the Beyond Dark choc chips from Sainsburys and they are great for nibbling or adding to baking so they will come in handy. I'm yet to try the other items but it was a great interesting box.

I ordered a few extras. The Cheese & Onion Ten Acre Crisps are amazing. You don't often come across good "cheese" flavoured dairy free products but these tick the box. I also wanted to try the Foods of Athenry Blondie Shots as I love the chocolate shots they do. These reminded me of shortbread and I really enjoyed them. Think the chocolate ones are still my favourite though.

MexGrocer Haul

If you want to buy Mexican supplies this is the site you need to visit.

I have placed a few orders with them now and they have great products and customer service. Delivery is always fast and arrives well packaged.

Even better they have a section on their website that contains Gluten Free products. If you have time to scout around on their website and research other items there are other naturally Free From products too. Not all items have their ingredients listed though and some are in Mexican so be a bit careful.

I love to stock up on the Corn Tortillas. I usually warm them in a dry frying pan and use them for Fajitas or as flat breads with curry. I’ve also put Dairy Free cheese in between them whilst in a hot pan to make “cheese” toasty wraps. They are a great bread substitute. They do have a few types; I’ve tried the purple tortillas and the cactus ones. Not a huge difference in taste but the coloured ones look good. They also do a small version which is also handy for serving with meals.

This time I also purchased some Corn Tortillas for frying. I like the idea of making my own freshly cooked chips for dips whenever I want without going to the supermarket for a bag of them. I did order some of their boxed tortilla chips too which were lovely.

They have a good selection of sauces on the site. I’m yet to try the ones I ordered but I like the sound of them. They have lots of chilli and salsa style sauces as well as Mexican staple foods such as re-fried beans etc.

I also like to add a few random (safe) items to my basket too, on this occasion it was a few different Mexican drinks, Hibiscus tea leaves and a jar of Guava Jam which I really like the sound of.

All in all I really recommend this website. Things are reasonably priced and it is easy to use.

You can find them on Twitter and their website is linked here.

This is my homemade Mexican Meal using some of the tortillas I purchased

Considerit - Monthly Chocolate Box

For many years I've seen adverts in magazines and had leaflets come through my door offering monthly chocolate subscription boxes. I'd look a them longingly knowing full well there would be no chance of them being dairy free. 

Considerit Chocolate have changed all that by launching a new monthly chocolate box which is completely Dairy Free. I ordered from this company a while ago after a recommendation from Sarah (@sugarpuffish) and I really enjoyed their handmade truffle style bars. 

The box is £9.95 plus £3.00 postage and has to be ordered Here before the 15th of each month. It is then delivered within the first 10 days of the following month. It's hard to get good dairy free chocolate from the shops so I liked the idea of it arriving monthly through my letter box. I also like the idea of the contents of the box being a surprise then every time it arrives it's like a chocolaty Christmas. 

My first box arrived and I couldn't wait to open in. Here's what it contained:

1 x Large Madagascan Vanilla Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Orange Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Sea Salt Caramel Bar

1 x Mini Passion Fruit Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Chocolate Buttons

I tried the passion fruit bar first and it was lovely. Never thought of that combo but it works :) I've had the Sea Salt Caramel before and it's epic so I'm going to save that until last. I like how a few of the bars are dusted with gold, pretty. The chocolate they use is lovely and I love the smooth truffle centers. Yum! I'm going to enjoy this box but it probably won't last long!

If you love chocolate it's worth checking out :) I'm already looking forward to next months box.

Well done Considerit! 

August Box

I had another lovely box of goodies delivered from Considerit :) 

This month I received the following:

1 x Mini Mint Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Single Malt Whisky Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Nothing but Chocolate Truffle Bar

1 x Sea Salt Chocolate

1 x Bag of a selection of individual truffles

I loved all of the chocolates but especially the bag of truffles and the mint truffle bar. 

September Box 

Yay! It's that time of the month again when I receive an exciting little box full of goodies :) I'm still loving receiving my box of surprises each month. It never lasts very long. This month has another great selection plus a new addition of a flapjack which I can't wait to try. Very excited to get the Sea Salt Caramel as that is my all time favourite, also love how it's dusted in gold :) 

This months box contains:

1 x Belgian Chocolate Flapjack

1 x Mini Amaretto Truffle Bar

1 x Mini Sea Salt Caramel Bar

1 x Mini Cinnamon Truffle Bar

1 x Large Mint Chocolate Truffle Bar

Thumbs up to Considerit Chocolate! 

Happy Chocolate Eating!! 

Sorry the October box didn't last long enough to take a photo oooops!

November Box

I must admit I did a little dance around the kitchen when I opened this months box...OMG it's quite possibly the best yet! If you don't have these boxes your missing a treat!

My ultimate favourite bar is the Sea Salt Caramel...well much to my surprise this months box contains a lovely jar of the golden liquid deliciousness. A jar full of the caramel centre which can be used for various things. Wow!! I cannot wait to use it (and not share it). I love how there's a new little twist in some of the boxes. 

I was also delighted to see a glistening big bar of honeycomb chocolate dusted in gold. I cannot wait to try this as I used to love crunchies in my dairy eating days.

There is also a lovely little chocolate truffle bar and a cinnamon truffle bar. Yum!

Another fab box Considerit! Keep em coming :) 

December Box

It's that time of the month again when a lovely box of chocolatey goodness pops through my letterbox.

This months is a lovely Christmas themed box

There is a new addition of a Hot Chocolate which I can't wait to use, very pretty chocolate shards covered in snowflakes, one of my favourite Amaretto Truffle Bars and also a Christmas flavoured Truffle bar. 

It's a great little box to see me through the festive season 

Merry Christmas Considerit! 

January Box

Happy New Year! 

I thought I would have been fed up of chocolate after the christmas indulgences but oh no!

This months box was full of greatness as always with some new items included. 

It contained the following:

Chocolate Ganache covered Rice Cake 

Coffee & Muscavado Truffle Bar

Belgian Chocolate Buttons

Cranberry Crunch Chocolate Bar

Chilli Chocolate Bar

I loved the rice cake, it was a great combination with the ganache and chocolate shell. I also really enjoyed the cranberry bar which had pieces of biscuit in it and the coffee truffle bar was lovely.

I'm yet to try the buttons and chilli but I'm thinking the chilli chocolate will be great if I break a piece into a chilli con carne as I often add dark chocolate to my recipe. 

Another great box :)

Last box....for now! 

I decided to suspend my subscription up to my holidays (healthy eating and all that in preparation) but today I received my last box, which is quite possibly my favorite one yet. Its an uber cute box this month which is full of Easter goodies. I think i'm going to love all of it.

The box contains:
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Butterscotch Sauce
Gold dusted Chocolate Bunny Lolly
Cream egg
Hot Cross Bun Chocolate Bar

I was really excited to see the cream egg and tried it straight away. I must say it was loads better than another vegan cream egg I had recently. Lovely crisp shell with a nicely flavored runny fondant filling. Yum!
I'm really excited to try the butterscotch sauce and if its anything like the salted caramel sauce in one of the previous boxes its going to be epic. Think i'll use it on some banana ice cream (if i don't eat it on a spoon out of the tub). The choc bunny is a cute addition. I love pretzels and chocolate so i'm sure they are going to be great too. I'm interested to taste the hot cross bun bar, I like the white chocolate cross detail.

As soon as i'm back from my holidays I will be re-subscribing because there's nothing better than receiving a box full of chocolatey surprises each month.

Thanks Considerit & I'll be back soon!

Luce's Artisan Bread Mix

I was flicking through Instagram, like you do, when I spotted a photo that Sarah (@gfdf_wdw) had posted of a Gluten Free Artisan Bread Mix. After a few tweets she declared that the mix was amazing and even her non gf relatives loved it. I really liked the sound of homemade fresh bread.

The bread mix is made by Luce's of New Jersey, USA. Charles Luce (@breadnmorels) quickly tweeted me to say that their European supplier is Freego (see my previous post). I was on the website straight away to place an order. 

They stock three different mixes on the Freego website. New Italian, Sourdough and Bold Buckwheat. All the mixes are Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy and Nut Free. 

When my mixes arrived I could wait to try one. As I was cooking a pasta dish for our tea I decided to try the New Italian.

In the package are a few items you need to make your bread. You receive a bag of the bread mix, a smaller bag of rice flour for dusting, a parchment base and a baking bag. There is also a sheet of easy to follow instructions. The only extras you'll need is a bowl, spoon and water.

Basically all you need to do is add water! Amazing! 

I found it really easy to follow the instructions and mix the bread. Once mixed it was spread on the baking sheet and placed in the oven inside the magic baking bag.

85 mins later I had a fantastic looking loaf. It smelt just like real bread and looked just like real bread. It had a really tasty crust and a softer inside which reminded me of ciabatta but tastier. 

I was actually amazed at how good it was to say all I did was add water. It was delicious served with pasta to mop up the sauce. I've also been cutting slices and eating it on its own with dairy free spread. Mmmmm.

  Huge thumbs up to Luce's. I look forward to trying the other mixes now and I'll 100% be buying more in future. You can read more about the company HERE 

Thank you to Sarah for recommending them!

Freego Haul

I found this website by pure chance. I was on the hunt for some bread mixes that @gfdf_wdw had tweeted about. After a tweet from the company that make the mixes I found out that Freego was their European supplier.

After visiting the website I soon discovered that they sold loads of Free From delights. The website is mainly focused on Gluten Free food but you can also filter by other allergies. That being said I had a look at other items I could get that were also Dairy & Egg Free.

I found the bread mixes and ordered one of each type. They are by Luce's who are an American company. The mixes are Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soya and Nut free. You basically just add water. They produce an artisan style loaf.

I thought I'd give Ilumi another try. I'd tried one of their meals in the past but fancied trying some of their meat based meals. I selected the Beef Meatballs and Lamb Koftas. I will report back on what I think to them.

I was intrigued by the Chestnut Crispbreads. I love chestnuts so I had to buy. 

I spotted the 9Bar Breakfast - Cashew & Cocoa bar.  Cashews & Cocoa are a winning combo for me so I look forward to tasting. 

Last but not least I put some Breadcrumb + Coating in my basket to try.

The website is easy to use. Ingredients and Nutritional information is clearly displayed. You can get free shipping if you spend £30 otherwise it is £4.99. I placed my order on Sunday and it was delivered Tuesday quickly and safely by DPD. 

I'll definitely be using the site again when I need to stock up. I like that there's lots of products in the same place and that some items are from other countries. 

If you would like £10 off your first order of £20 or more feel free to use the link below

£10 off at Freego (min spend £20)

Freego Haul

Tesco - The Lifestyle Food Fair

I'd not planned on doing any other blogs until my USA posts had finished but I don't want people to miss out on the fantastic thing that is the Tesco Lifestyle Food Fair.

It took me by surprise yesterday as I only found out about it because I was looking for a product that was being stocked only in certain Tesco stores. 

I'd seen BFree tweet that they were stocking more of their range in certain Tesco stores around the UK. I love the BFree wraps and I'd seen that they also did bagels that were dairy, gluten and egg free. Their other items (except the wraps) contain eggs so no good for me. The thought of a toasted bagel made me want to hunt them down.

The closest Tesco stocking the new products to me was the a Tesco Extra in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Off I went. It's a bit of a drive away and not my usual branch so I wasn't used to its lay out.  On spotting a FreeFrom sign on one of the aisles I headed over. Much to my surprise (with slight shock) and then excitement I realised that the whole aisle was filled with freefrom food. Even more to my surprise there were brands that I'd been buying in the usa which I've never seen stocked in the uk.

I found myself stood in front of shelves containing Enjoy Life products, these are free from the top 8 allergens and very popular in the usa. On another section were Earth Balance products, again very popular in the usa for vegans and gluten free. Unfortunately none of my beloved cheesy puffs on the shelves but seeing those brands made me happy enough. 

It turns out that from 2nd June 2014 to 31st August 2014 The Lifestyle Food Fair has been launched in 77 stores across the UK. I was lucky to find this just because I was searching for bagels. The aisle was full of different brands and products. I'd never seen so much freefrom food in a UK supermarket. It really was exciting. It looked like they were still waiting for some of the stock to come in as there were some empty spaces with labels but non the less it was an epic selection. 

I just hope it proves popular and they decide to keep all the brands permanently. It would be horrible to enjoy all these amazing choices and then have it taken away from us. 

Please comment below if a Tesco in your area is taking part to help others locate and spread the word.

 Just I case you were wondering I found the BFree bagels and they are bloomin fantastic. They are so like the real thing, you would not tell the difference!

Hope you find one of these Tesco stores and enjoy!!

Enjoy Life Selection with places for more!

Earth Balance Selection again with places for more

My goodies 

half way down the aisle