BBC Good Food Eat Well Show! - Haul

Yesterday James and I took a trip into London to the Olympia to visit the BBC Good Food Eat Well Show. James had brought us some tickets after I was interested in going. This show wasn't how I imagined as it was much more representative of the craft shows I go to as at the other free from and food shows I've been to the stall holders tend to have large displays and 'props' to represent their brand. Although this wasn't the case it was still a very enjoyable show!

And what's a food show without a bit of shopping! I was actually quite reserved this time as I know I still have a ton of things to get through from Christmas, Valentines and my Birthday and I don't want to waste anything!

The first stall I purchased from was Delicious Alchemy. They specialise in packet mixes and as you know I love cooking and baking but don't always have the time, so I think these are a great alternative  for when you are short on time but still want to get in the kitchen. Also the samples were so good I couldn't leave without them! As they were on offer for 3 for £6, I picked up one of each baking mix.

YU! Fruit was my next stop. As I have mentioned many times before I am a professional snacker! So I really enjoy things that come packaged like crisps but are better for me, otherwise I would just eat crisps all day long! Not all their products are gluten free as some have cereal in them but their regular fruit pieces and yoghurt coated fruit pieces are, so we can eat them to our hearts content! These too were on offer 3 for £6 so I picked up two yoghurt coated packs, one in apple and one in mango and then just the regular mango stars. These packs have five mini packs in, which I believe have around 90 calories, which makes them great for throwing in your handbag.

Following on the theme of 3 for £6 we then came across Seed and Bean, which I have never actually seen before and now I don't think I will be able to live life without them! There is no gluten containing ingredients in this chocolate but does have a warning on the pack. I tried many samples and was completely fine but as I have said before 'may contain' labels have never been an issue for me so far. After much deliberation James and I finally settled for extra dark chocolate mint, rich milk chocolate tangerine and rich milk chocolate cornish sea salt and lime. All the flavours were amazing and well worth a look!

Stur stall was next. They produce a product very much like the pocket squashes that I keep in my desk at work. However these ones contain no or very little calories and are sweetened with stevia. Although I like to drink my water plain as much as possible I like  adding these types of products to my sparkling water sometimes to turn it into a fizzy drink. I brought this product mainly based on its flavour rather than its low calorie content, although that is a great feature of this product. I personally found I preferred the flavours of this drink to some of the more sickly squashes. I went for the mango orange flavour as this I felt was the most unique.

Lastly we found the beond stall. I compare these to the nakd bars but with some more unique fruity flavours. I picked up the organic blueberry bar and a mini baobab pineapple bite. These bars are organic and low GI, free of the main allergens and suitable for vegans too!

Overall I really enjoyed the show and it is nice to do something a bit different for the day! Not only are these shows a great day out but I have also found some new products to try and share with you, I will try and film my progress with the packet mixes too!

If there is any of these products you're interested in me reviewing first, just let me know!

Hannah x

Genius Gluten Free - Chocolate Chip brioche

Isn't it always the way, you are looking for one thing and find something completely different! I went into Sainsbury's to pick up the genius crumpets to try as I have tried others and not enjoyed them, so Genius have been recommended to me. But when I reached the section where I have seen them a million times, they had sold out of of them and these brioche were in their place.

Although I thought £2.29 was a lot for two brioche, I was shopping hungry and I grabbed them as they did look pretty good!

This product is free from wheat, gluten and dairy but does contain eggs and soya. They are also suitable for coeliacs and vegetarians so most allergens and dietary requirements are covered in this product!

These brioche are 188 calories and are packed with chocolate chips. See the chart I created below for full nutritional information.

	Per 100g	Per roll (typically 50g)	%RI Per Roll
Energy K/Kcal	1572/376	786/188	9%
Fat	19.5g	9.8g	14%
Of which Saturates	3.3g	1.7g	9%
Carbohydrate	42.6g	21.3g	-
Of which Sugars	11.1g	5.6g	6%
Protein	4.8g	2.4g	-
Fibre	5.4g	2.7g	-
Salt	0.8g	0.4g	7%
*Reference intake of an average (8400 KJ/ 2000 Kcal) – (information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

I find that the texture is soft, bouncy and very aerated once cut open. The chocolate chips are slightly harder and this gives a good mix of textures. However I like to toast brioche so the chips melt and become slightly gooey and infuse into the bread giving a much more luxurious taste.

The bread is subtly sweet the way you would expect a mainstream brioche. I toasted mine and ate it plain as this is how I enjoy sweeter breads. I found that this really heightened the flavour as the chips are quite dark and slightly bitter in flavour and this combined with the sweet bread gives a fantastic sweet fix!

I ate mine for breakfast and it kept me full right until lunch time so although I thought that these were quite pricey they are filling as well as delicious so I think they can be forgiven!

Overall even though I thought these were over priced I did really enjoyed them and I think I would buy them again, but maybe only as a treat as for a regular basis they are a bit more than I would like to spend, particularly when I am the only gluten free eater and I have many bread etc on the go at any one time in the freezer.

Maybe next time I will find the crumpets!

Hannah x

Tesco Free From - Haddock and Cheddar Fishcakes

This year I think Tesco have really improved the gluten free range. I have found many new products in the isles, I find this very exciting, particularly from a 'home brand'.

The haddock and cheese fishcakes come two in a box and retail for £3.00, which means they are £1.50 per meal and for the quality and taste you get I think this is a great deal as they surpassed my expectations. One cake is around 292 calories and are very filling so you wont have the issue of feeling hungry later!

When you cut open this fishcake, it represents more of a bake as the cheese oozes out of it and is beautifully mature but doesn't over power the haddock. I tend to accompany this bake with herby boiled new potatoes and green beans or any other green veg.

The outer breadcrumbs crisp to a lovely golden colour and have a crunch, this combined with the soft succulent haddock which has been binded in mashed potatoes and rich thick cheesy sauce gives this dish a well balanced flavour and mix of textures. I find that these have a high content of fish, as it doesn't taste of just potatoes like many fishcakes I have tried before. When looking at the ingredients haddock is the first ingredient and you can really tell it is! I also saw there is a bit of pollock in this cake, but I couldn't really identify that, so I am assuming the content is low.

I find that these are great to throw in the oven when you are in a rush as they are a fool proof dinner to cook. I also think these would be great in the summer with a large green leafy salad, which would make dinner preparation even quicker as they only take half an hour to bake.

Overall I think these bakes are fantastic as they remind me of a more mature fish cake or fish finger. I find that many free from foods can be quite childish so it is great to find something easily accessible but is more mature in style, as theres only so many chicken nuggets one person can eat!

 I know that M&S do some fantastic free from food and one is opening on the road I work on so I cannot wait as I normally only go to M&S for snacks, but now I can do a real food shop in there!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Hannah x 

Snackly February 2015

This months box has been very festive! It felt very valentines themed, even down to the little heart shaped peg!

Everything reminds me of anything to do with love from chocolate to strawberries everything oozes romance!

This box is even more suited to me than the last as I like food that are rather a packet of something than a huge piece of cake, I think that is where my love for crisps came from, so easy to snack on!

So without further ado lets have a look whats in the box!

This Months box:

Eat Chic Pink Chocolate Peanut Butter Heart with Raspberry Jam - RRP £2.40
This chocolate seems very pricey for just one so I am expecting great things! I love peanut butter, raspberries and chocolate so I am excited to give this a go.

Darling Corn Barbecue Toasted Corn Kernels - RRP ?
These are by far what I am most keen to try as I love barbecue flavours and popcorn so I hope I love kernels too, I am interested to see what they look like and the texture as unpopped kernels are very crunchy and would be quite hard to eat so I am interested to see what they are like!

Clearly Scrumptious Sweet Dried Strawberries RRP - 99p
I am actually allergic to strawberries although I can eat strawberry jam so unless it's only fresh strawberries that cause me an issue I won't be able to eat these. However my sister loves strawberries so they will find a good home and I will get her verdict on them! They have won a Great Taste 2013 award so I am sure they will be delicious. I think they are whole from feeling through the pack!

 Clearly Scrumptious Juicy Dried Cranberries  RRP - 99p
Thankfully there is also cranberries from this brand in my box so I can try their products, these have yet to win an award but I have been loving the Ocean Spray Cranberries infused with fruit juice so it will be great to try a different brand to see how they compare! To make it even better these snack packs are only 96 calories and pre portioned, perfect for work!

Chika's Plantain Crisps RRP - £1.45
Banana chips are one of my favourite snacks but I've never thought about trying plantain even though it is in the same family. These chips are also quite a bit healthier as they are not coated in sugar, it only has sunflower oil and salt so is much more clean. The whole bag contains 178 calories and feels much more than what you can eat for the same calories of banana chip so theses look great!

Cobbs Bakery Gluten free Luxury Beligain Chocolate Brownie - RRP ?
I cannot find the price for this. I am not sure how I feel about this product as as I opened the box I thought 'oh another brownie' as I see brownies everywhere, which to be honest was not very fair as I have yet to taste it, so I am going to hold back my thoughts until I have given this a real try.

Organic Livity Banana Spirulina Cake - RRP ?
This is the most peculiar thing I have seen in terms of gluten free food, I assume it will taste like banana bread but I am not sure. I have never seen anything like this before so I really don't know what to expect. I look forward to trying this as it is completely new to me.

Overall I love the contents of this box and I am really looking forward to trying everything. Although this is only my second box I feel the products are getting better each time!

Did you get the same in your box? I'd love to know.

Hannah x 

Pancake Day! Doves Farm Flour

Pancake day! This is my second gluten free pancake day and as it went so well last year, I have gone back to Doves farm's Plain flour blend to make them! My whole family eat gluten free pancakes with me and nobody can even tell the difference!

I use a basic recipe of:

• 110g flour
• 2 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 75ml water

I then have either Nutella or raspberry jam! I had one of each this year! What made it even better, with cash back apps my Nutella was free!

I would really recommend Doves Farm flours. I have used them for many baking projects and I am always very successful and even my gluten eating friends and family enjoy them!

The flour varies in price depending on offers and which shop you visit, but I find it normally £1.70 for 1kg. Which I think is a great deal as it is very comparable to branded mainstream flour. 

I find I do not have to alter the recipe to give the pancakes the same consistency which is an added bonus as altering existing recipes is not one of my strong points!

I hope you all stuffed yourself silly with pancakes too!

Hannah x 

Valentines Eats- Chicken Fajitas

Happy Valentines! This What I ate is a special one! After eating out for the last couple of years and finding it hard to find food that is gluten free, I decided to cook this year.

I started my day by having a two egg omelette as this fills me until dinner!

This evening we decided upon fajitas which is mostly naturally gluten free anyway. I wanted to buy the Bfree mix but it was nowhere to be found, and although I could have brought all the spices I thought a packet would be easier and quicker in this case. I found that the Santa Maria and BBQ Old El Paso had no gluten containing ingredients so I thought I would give one a go!

We chose the smoky BBQ Old El Paso and I am pleased to confirm I was completely fine!

The next issue is the wraps need a substitute. Today I used the Warburtons free from wraps, which now have four in the pack instead of three! I also would recommend the BFree wraps or even little gem lettuce as a substitute if you want to cut down on carbs or just enjoy something a little lighter. I find little gem holds the contents well. But for a treat I chose to have wraps today.

Neither James or I like cooked pepper so the pan consisted of chicken, onion and the spice mix only. We then have a tonne of sides, I enjoy a lot of salad with my fajitas so we tend to make quite a bit!

On the table as sides we had:

• Iceberg Lettuce
• Tomato
• Orange Pepper
• Lime
• Avocado
• Grated Cheddar
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole 
• Tortilla chips
• Phileas Fogg Mexican taco rolls sour cream and onion
• Shloer Celebration 

We then finished the evening by watching one of the DVD's James brought me, it was a hard choice as he had picked up two of my favourite films we watched this year at the cinema, in the end we chose 'What if' and I did not regret it! And what's a better way to watch a film than with a load of salty popcorn in my new ceramic popcorn bowl and matching straw cups!

I hope you had a great day too!

Hannah x 

Marks and Spencers Made without - Chocolate Loaf cake

As much as I love my couponing and getting a great deal I do really enjoy a lot of luxury food that M&S have to offer. When we go on a weekend away James and I always buy their crisps as a treat and as we were browsing I came across this chocolate loaf cake.

I'm not going to lie, it was all the chocolate flakes on the top that drew me in! This cake has a thick chocolate layer, leading to a goey section in the centre and a rich bouncy sponge. When I saw the thickness of the chocolate on top I decided to microwave it and add custard to make it into a wintery pudding.

The chocolate melted so well and made a luxurious treat. The sponge has a great light texture and a gorgeous full flavour. I find that even the piece I had without heating was just the same, so heating doesn't affect the integrity of this loaf just makes it a little less decadent as the chocolate was still solid.

This cake retails for £2.50 and claims to have 6 servings at around 166 calories each. However I did 5 portions as I felt it could have crumbled trying to cut it so thin. This still meant I only paid 50p a portion, which I felt is very reasonable.

I really enjoyed this cake as it was great warm or cold so made it much more versatile! I may even get one for Monday to have as a Birthday Cake!

Hannah x

Grape Tree Haul

Whilst on my long weekend away I came across a health food store called Grape Tree which really caught my eye. I know that I have a Grape Tree store near me but I have never looked in there, and now that I've been in one I have no idea why I left it so long!

The store is just full of bags of dried fruit, nuts, sweets and other items such as dried pulses.

I went for more of the 'treat' items which was mainly because I was in holiday mode but they have huge bags of all sorts for a great price.

I also picked up some of my essentials, such as my beloved banana chips because although they are sugar coated I find them much more filling than when I grab a bag of crisps, and I would like to think they are a bit more nutritious too!

So here's what I picked up!

On the three for two coated fruits I got:

• Milk Chocolate Orange Peel 500g - £3.95
• Yoghurt Cranberries 400g - £3.20
• Dark Chocolate Cranberries 400g - £3.95

I also bought:

• Desiccated Coconut 250g - £1.00
• Banana Chips 200g - £0.60 (half price)
• Crystallised Pineapple Dice  - £0.90 (half price)

I found that the staff were lovely and the amount of samples to try on the sample table was very impressive and certainly made me look at some food I haven't tried before. 

I may even try making some tropical granola bars with the banana, coconut and pineapple!

Hannah x 

Banana Milkshake! - Two minute make

I have been busy blitzing everything that walks in my path since buying my Breville Blend-Active. So when I had some over ripe bananas I decided to blend them with some milk and ice and create a milkshake.

Initial recipe:

• Once banana
• 100ml of milk of your choice
• 1 cup of ice

I enjoyed this 'healthier' milkshake and this lead onto trying many other ingredients in the mix, I have added:

• A handful of chocolate chips
• Caramel syrup
• Choc shot
• Blueberries
• White chocolate and raspberries
• Coconut

Why not give it a try!

Hannah x 

The Free From Bakehouse - Chocolate brownie

Thursday James nipped into London and as he was walking around a market, he came across a stall run by the The Free From Bakehouse and decided to pick me up something to try!

From looking at their website I believe this was their Chocolate Brownie With Cacao Nibs but I am not 100%. If this is the case this brownie is not only wheat and gluten free but also nut and dairy free too!

The brownie itself was quite thin, which made a nice change to the huge thick slabs you find in places like Costa and Sainsbury's, as I find I have to really be in the mood for something that substantial. Although it is dairy free it is very moist and had a nice sticky middle, very much reminded me of the Udis brownies I made a few months back. The nibs gave a crunch to the brownie and sort of reminded me of brownies that have m&m style sweets in, I thought it made it very interesting and isn't something you find all that often.

It was rich but not overpowering, aspects were quite bitter, which I think possibly came from the nibs but had enough sweetness to even the taste to make it a more rounded flavour. It was much more sophisticated than many of the other brownies I have tried and I would class it as much more an adults treat than a child's. But looking at their website there is more than enough treats to choose from which children would enjoy too The banana and chocolate chip loaf comes to mind, which I must try!

By looking online this slice retails for £2.50 which may seem a lot of money for one piece but you have to consider they are a small business who can't buy in the bulk that brands such as Genius and Udis do.

They are also using quality ingredients and there does not seem to be any preservatives and I can read and understand all ingredients which is something I find important. Although I do not always eat 'clean' food and will eat products with preservatives and other ingredients but when I can find a great alternative with no nasty ingredients I will always opt for that!

Unfortunately I think the high amount of dark chocolate and coffee had too much caffeine for me as I was a little dizzy for a while after having it, as I also do not have much tolerance for caffeine. But regardless it was a fantastic brownie!

But if I where to come across them again I would certainly try many of their products! Maybe just keep away from too much dark chocolate and coffee!

Hannah x