Free From Food

As the shops are starting to stock up on all the Christmas "stuff" I thought it may be a good time (sorry!) to remind us all of the Free From Foods Award Winners in the Christmas Goodies Section.

If you would like to look at all of this years winners then please check out the Free From Food Awards Website. www.freefromfoodawards.co.uk

And the winners were:

Winner:
Especially Delicious Christmas cake - http://www.especiallydelicious.co.uk

Highly commended:
Gluten Free Kitchen Christmas cake - http://www.glutenfreefood.info
Tesco Christmas pudding - http://www.tesco.com
Tesco mince pies - http://www.tesco.com
Village Bakery organic Christmas cake - http://www.village-bakery.com

Commended:
Barkat Christmas pudding
Livwell iced Christmas cake
Lovemore free-from mince pies
Pure Flavour mince pies

Ocado stock a range called BabyDeli which covers Stage 1 (from 4 months) to Stage 3 (from 10 months).

BabyDeli have their own website that shows their range - BabyDeli

Their products are all organic (soil association certified) and the range includes

• Hetty's Special Spaghetti
• Dylan's Scrumptious Scrumpy Chicken
• Strawberry Puree
• Rosy Posy Pasta
• Apple Puree
• Max's Wicked Chicken
• Cauliflower Puree
• Holly Bolly's Cheesy Cauli
• Cheeky Tally's Pretty Pink Fish Pie
• Broccoli Puree

As ever Ocado list all of the ingredients and also state which food allergens they are "free from". Check out the list at the Ocado Website.

The BabyDeli range is also sold through Graig Farm Organics

Unfortunately Craig Farm Organics do not list the ingredients or allergens but you can buy from their website and they also have a large number of outlets that can be found here

Waitrose have recently extended their Free From range which now includes:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Shortcake biscuits
Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins
Gluten Free Fruit Slices
Gluten Free Ginger Cake Slices
Gluten Free Date & Walnut Slices
Gluten Free Raspberyy Tarts
Gluten Free Cherry Bakewells
Gluten Free Almond Tarts

These products can be found in either Waitrose Deliver or Ocado

Waitrose Deliver
Ocado

Further information can also be found on our sister website www.food4allergies.com

We recently spotted a Gluten Free sign on a menu for the National Express East Coast main line. It appears that in their on board Cafe Bar you can now buy

"Farmhouse Cheddar cheese with caramelised onion relish in Gluten-free roll."

This does appear to be the only Gluten Free item on any of their menus however and there are no other food allergy options such as wheat, dairy or egg free!

A good start though...?

The menu can be found here

National Express, East Coast, Cafe Bar

If you know of any other food allergy menus on board train services please let us know - contact@freefromfood.co.uk

Following lots of emails we have added a section on gluten free beers to our sister site (http://www.food4allergies.com).

The products covered include:

• Greens
• Schnitzer
• Against the Grain
• Hambleton Ales
• St Peters G-Free
• Ambar

The details can be found in the food section of the website (or here). If you have found any other gluten free beers or know where you can buy these then please let us know by logging on and leaving a comment or email us - contact@freefromfood.co.uk

Following a few emails we thought it was about time we outlined the difference between a Dairy Allergy and a Lactose Intolerance; so ...

Dairy Allergy -

This is an allergic reaction to certain proteins that are found in cows milk. Whilst some adults are affected it is more commonly found in children and is often grown out of by age 5.

There are many symptoms so as ever it is best to see your GP and get a referral to an allergy specialist. Symptoms can include diarrhoea, asthma, skin rashes, bloated or swollen stomach and headaches.

Lactose Intolerance -

This is a reaction to the sugar found in cows milk and is common in adults and older children and more common than a Dairy Allergy.

The symptoms are caused by the bodies inability to break down and digest the sugar (lactose). This leads to stomach pains, bloating, diarrhoea and wind. The amount of lactose that can be tolerated can vary greatly between suffers.

What to avoid

The below list covers many of the dairy related products that you should aim to avoid:

• Butter (including buttermilk and butter oil)
• Cheese
• Curds
• Condensed Milk
• Casein
• Evaporated Milk
• Fromage Frais
• Ghee
• Hydroised Milk Protein
• Lactose
• Lactate
• Lactic Acid
• Soured Cream
• Whey
• Yoghurt

A recent report from a the charity Consensus Action on Salt & Health has highlighted the fact that many Free From Foods have significantly higher levels of salt than the non Free From varieties.

Consensus Action on Salt & Health (http://www.actiononsalt.org.uk/index.htm) are a registered charity whos aims include:

"To reach a consensus with the food manufacturers and suppliers that there is strong evidence that salt is a major cause of high blood pressure and has other adverse health effects.

To persuade the food processors and suppliers to universally and gradually reduce the salt content of processed foods"

Their report on salt levels in Free From Food can be found here and it is clear that the salt levels should be checked on the packing before making any purchases!!

Below are lnks to 2 more on line shops that stock and deliver allergen free foods:

wheatanddairyfree.com - The Wheat and Dairy Free Supermarket

naturallygoodfood.co.uk - Naturally Good Food

Please let us know if you have used eaither of these online shops and if they have provided a good service. you can log on and leave a comment or email us at contact@freefromfood.co.uk

A dairy free Cream Cheese alternative has been recommended to us (although we haven't tried it yet!!). Made by Tofutti it is gluten free and dairy free but is not available in the main supermarkets.

Information about Tofutti can be here - Tofutti, "Creamy Smooth"

Tofutti also make dairy free sour cream, Mozzarella Style Cheese Slices and frozen desserts.

We have found the Creamy Smooth on line at Goodnessdirect.co.uk

Tesco are stocking 2 brands of ready meals and sauces which are designed for those of us with food allergies. (Mainly Gluten, Wheat and Diary Free).

Look What We Found!

  Fellside Chilli con Carne is Gluten, Wheat, Dairy and Egg Free
  Beef & Basil Meatballs in Tomato Sauce is Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free

  These can be found at Tesco - Tesco (Search for "what we")

It's a Free World!

  Moroccan Tagine is Gluten, Wheat, Dairy and Egg Free
  Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry is Gluten, Wheat, Dairy and Egg Free

These can be found at Tesco - Tesco (Search for "free world")

The full range can also be found here -
  http://www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk/store/