The following product review is for Byron Bay White Choc Chunk & Macadamia Nut Cookies. We have also reviewed other biscuits which you can see here.

Australian based Byron Bay Cookie Company signed a deal in 2007 with one of the UK’s most prestigious bakeries to produce their cookies in the United Kingdom.   Their move to being baked in the UK meant that they could be certified by The Vegetarian Society as they now contained only free range eggs. The gluten free range has also been approved by Coeliac UK and displays the Cross Grain Symbol.

We discovered the Byron Bay Cookie Company when we visited their stand at The Allergy Show in Liverpool.

Ingredients:

Gluten Free Flour (Rice Flour, Potato Flour, Tapioca, Maize Flour, Buckwheat), White Chocolate Chunks (23%) (Sugar, Whole Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Skimmed Milk Powder, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Flavouring), Salted Butter (12%) (Butterfat, Water, Salt), Ground Macadamia Nuts (11%), Pasteurised Egg, Brown Sugar (Sugar, Molasses, Colour: Caramel, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup), Sugar, Rice Flour, Soya Flour, Skimmed Milk Powder, Vanilla Flavouring, Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate.

Allergy Info: Contains Nuts, Cow’s Milk, Eggs and Soya.  Free Range Eggs used exclusively.

Byron Bay White Choc Chunk & Macadamia Nut Cookies are free from:

• Wheat
• Gluten

Available as:

125g packet of mini cookies and also  a single wrap cookie option(approx 60g)

The Verdict

Mmmmm… Where to start?  Opening the packet of these biscuits was a sensory delight, firstly you are hit with aromas of creamy white chocolate and faint toasted nuttiness of  macadamias.  Biting into them for the first time is an unusual experience as the biscuits are both hard and soft at the same time, the best way to describe it, is to liken it to biting into Edinburgh Rock.  The texture is powdery like shortbread and extremely crumbly and the cookies just melt in your mouth.  The flavour of the toasted macadamias blend wonderfully with the white chocolate chunks so that the cookies aren’t too sweet.

The cookies are quite messy to eat and we were left with lots of crumbs but this can be forgiven as the cookies are sooooo good.   The cookies were extremely moreish, and I think that we all agreed that they were the nicest biscuits we have ever eaten.

Byron Bay White Chocolate Chunk & Macadamia Nut Cookies are truly delicious, an absolute taste sensation.  They are the perfect bite sized treats to indulge yourself with.

Gluten Free Masterpiece.  Gluten Free Perfection in a Packet!

Available from :  Byron Bay’s Website have details of where they can be purchased

Please note that this Product Review is based purely on our family’s personal opinions and observations on how these Gluten Free Byron Bay White Choc Chunk & Macadamia Nut Cookies suited our requirements.

The following product review is for Tesco’s Free From Lemon Cake Bars. We have also reviewed other cakes which you can see here.

These Tesco Free From Lemon Cake Bars are wheat free, gluten free and dairy free.  Each packet contains 4 Lemon Cake Bars.

Ingredients:

Sugar , Vegetable Oil, Water, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Maize Flour, Tapioca Starch, Humectant (Glycerine), Dried Egg, Maize Starch, Rice Starch, Emulsifiers (Mono-and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactilate), Concentrated Fruit Juice (Apple Juice, Pear Juice, Grape Juice), Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Potassium Carbonate), Lemon Juice, Lemon Oil, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum).

These Lemon Cake Bars are free from:

Dairy
Milk
Lactose
Gluten
Wheat

Available as:

Packet containing 4 Lemon Cake Bars (approx 36g each)

Verdict

Each packet contains 4 Lemon Cake Bars, the cake bars are sprinkled on top with sugar pearls.  The cake bars have a nice lemony aroma and a really zingy taste, they are quite sweet and the texture is a bit dry.

First bite I wasn’t that keen at all but after taking another couple of bites the taste grows on you.  I think that I had been spoiled by Warburton’s Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins and the Baked To Taste GFree Lemon Drizzle Cake which are gluten free.  These Tesco Free From Lemony Cake Bars are Dairy Free as well as Gluten Free so this may account for them not being quite as nice.

My husband really enjoyed the cake bars, it has been ages since he’s had any cake due to his dairy free diet.

It’s very encouraging to see that Tesco have a growing range of “Free From” Products

Available from : Tesco

Price : £1.80

Please note that this Product Review is based purely on our family’s personal opinions and observations on how these Free From Lemon Cake Bars suited our requirements.

This product review is for Green’s Dry Hopped Lager. You can see reviews of similar allergy friendly products in our beers category.

Green’s have been brewing Gluten-Free Beer in Belgium since 2004, their website shows the product test certificates for all of their beers.  All of Green’s beers have received European Accreditation which qualifies them as ‘gluten- free’.

Ingredients: Naturally gluten free; water, sorghum, millet, buckwheat, brown rice and yeast.

Green’s Dry Hopped Lager is free from:

Wheat
Gluten

Available as:

330ml Bottle

The Verdict

When Green’s Beers very kindly sent us a selection of their beers to sample, my husband couldn’t wait to get started.  Greens Export Lager Lite was the first one we tried and as that had made such a favourable first impression there was no holding him back.

The Dry Hopped Lager had a definite fruity/floral aroma to it, it reminded us of  Elderflower.

The flavour was quite unusual (in a good way), it had a lovely flowery taste.  It had the fizz of lager but almost a bitter like flavour.

Green’s Dry Hopped Lager is reduced in calories and carbohydrates so is great for anyone who is watching their waistline

Just like The Export Lager Lite, this Dry Hopped Lager had a really nice head on it, the lager stands up as a quality beer in it’s own right, the  fact that it is gluten-free is the cherry on the top.

We weren’t at all surprised to discover that Green’s Dry Hopped Lager recently won First Place in the Non-Barley section of the Gluten-Free Beer Category of the FreeFrom Food Awards 2013.

Available From:

Green’s Beer Website, Selected Independent Retailers

Please note that this Product Review is based purely on our family’s personal opinions and observations on how this Gluten- Free and Wheat Free Dry Hopped Lager suited our requirements.

This is a review for Walkers Worcester Sauce Crisps, be sure to check out the snacks section for reviews of similar products.

I think it’s great that Worcester Sauce Walkers crisps are dairy free as these are my favourite flavour.  I am lactose intolerant and as these crisps are dairy free I don’t have to worry about them upsetting me in any way.

Ingredients :

Potatoes, Sunflower Oil (33%), Worcester Sauce Seasoning. Worcester Sauce Seasoning contains: Wheat, Breadcrumbs, Salt, Flavouring, Sugar, Barley Malt Vinegar, Mustard Oil, Citric Acid, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Fructose, Coriander, Cardamom, Ground Black Pepper, Ginger, Clove Chilli, Rosemary, Allspice, Sage.

Verdict:

They intially taste quite sweet, the sweetness is them followed by a bit of a chilli kick.  They aren’t hugely spicy (confirmed by my little sister who hates anything spicy but liked these).

My mum and one of my sisters said that they could tell that the crisps had garlic in them, but it can’t be that strong as I don’t like the taste or smell of garlic but I really enjoyed these crisps.

In my experience it is quite difficult to find dairy free crisps that are widely available, this is a plus point for these as worcester sauce crisps as Walkers crisps are widely available in most supermarkets.   My family has member’s who are lactose intolerant and one who is allergic to dairy so we are always on the hunt for dairy free products.

These Worcester Sauce crisps are great for anyone who is dairy allergic or lactose intolerant but they aren’t suitable for coeliacs as the worcester sauce seasoning contains wheat.

This product review is for Green’s Export Lager Lite. You can see reviews of similar allergy friendly products in our beers category.

Green’s  have been brewing Gluten-Free Beer in Belgium since 2004, all of their beers have received European Accreditation to be called ‘gluten free’.  Export Lager Lite is the most recent addition to their size-able range of Gluten- Free beers.

Ingredients: Natural spring water, de glutenised barley malt, hops, maize and yeast.

Green’s Export Lager Lite is free from:

Wheat
Gluten

Available as:

330ml Bottle

The Verdict

When Green’s Beers very kindly sent us a selection of their beers to sample, my husband suggested that he was just the man for the job.  The Export Lager Lite was the first of Green’s Beers that we tested and it made a very good first impression.

As expected with a low alcohol lager (this one contains 2.8%) it didn’t have much of an aroma to it.  The same couldn’t be said for the taste which screamed “quality”.  It had a nice light flavour comparable with a quality German Lager such as Bitburger.   The beer had a good consistent head which stayed right until the very bottom of the glass.  This would make a really nice light and refreshing lunchtime drink.

You are left with a nice hoppy aftertaste – one bottle just isn’t enough!

Designated drivers would love this, a much nicer alternative than a shandy.

This Export Lager Lite stands up as a quality beer in it’s own right, the fact that it is gluten-free is the icing on the cake.

It comes as no surprise to hear that Export Lager Lite was commended in the Gluten-Free Beer category (barley based beer section) of of  The FreeFrom Food Awards 2013.  Green’s Dry Hopped Lager won First Place in the Non-Barley section of the Gluten-Free Beer Category.  

Suitable for: Coeliacs (Celiacs), Gluten Intolerant, Wheat Intolerant.

Available From:

Green’s Beer Website

Please note that this Product Review is based purely on our family’s personal opinions and observations on how this Gluten- Free and Wheat Free Export Lager Lite suited our requirements.

This review is of Provamel Vanilla Organic Soya Custard.  For reviews of similar products be sure to check the desserts section.

The first thing I noticed about this custard when I poured it out was how unlike custard it looked. If someone had just handed me a bowl of this without telling me what it was I would’ve assumed that it was porridge.  It looks very lumpy and congealed, not at all  appetising but when you’re eating it you don’t notice how lumpy it is, and strangely it’s actually quite smooth in your mouth.

Provamel Custard can be enjoyed hot or cold, you can heat it in a saucepan or microwave.  Once opened, it needs to be kept in the fridge and eaten within 5 days.

Ingredients:

Water, Organic wheat syrup, Hulled organic soya beans (6%), Organic wheat starch, Organic vanilla extract, Thickener (carrageenan), Sea salt.

Allergy Advice:

Provamel products are all plant based alternatives for people with allergies or intolerances to dairy and lactose. This Provamel custard is suitable for dairy and lactose free, gluten free, vegan and vegetarian and is also produced in a nut free environment

This is a review of Awfully Posh Anglesey Sea Salt Pork Crackling, for reviews of similar products check out the snacks section.

I really like the packaging of this pork crackling, I love the writing fonts and the colour of the packet, also the posh pig on it with a moustache and monocle is very cute!

I opened the packet and poured it into a bowl, as you can see there isn’t really much of the pork crackling in a packet.  The above picture shows the entire contents of one packet.  I have never had pork crackling before and thought that this Awfully Posh Anglesey Sea Salt Pork Crackling looks like a mixture between walnuts and popcorn.

These have a very strange texture, the outside is hard and crunchy but when you bite through the middle it is soft, and actually tastes like it’s runny (I think that must be the grease!)

When you think about it, these aren’t the healthiest of snacks so it’s probably a good thing that there aren’t that many pieces of the pork crackling in a packet.  It has a really nice flavour, it is salted but it’s just the way I like it, not too strong but so you can actually taste it. I much prefer the flavour of these to Walkers Ready Salted Crisps, which have too much salt on them for my liking.  The pork flavour is perfectly balanced with the salt and they left a very nice meaty after taste in my mouth.

Ingredients :

Pork Rinds, Anglesey Sea Salt.

This is a review of the Cocoa Orange Raw Fruit & Nut bar from Nakd.   You can see more reviews of other allergy friendly snacks like this in the snacks section.

Nakd products are brightly and attractively packaged, I had really enjoyed their flavoured raisins so I was quite keen to try their bars.  When I unwrapped it, my first impression of the Cocoa Orange bar was that it didn’t look very appetising.  It slightly put me off wanting to try it, but you can’t judge a book by it’s cover so I put it’s appearance to one side and bit off a little bit.

At first I really wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, the different flavours aren’t easily detectable and I had to concentrate while I was eating it so that I distinguish the different tastes.  The first thing I could taste was the bitter chocolatey flavour, followed by a mixture of raisins and dates and then a slight hint of orange.  When I gave it the “sniff test” I could smell chocolate strongly combined with a faint smell of orange.

This Nakd cocoa orange bar has a very soft texture and it is quite chewy and gets stuck in your teeth. I really liked this bar, but I did have to eat two bars before I decided that, so I would say that it is definitely a “grower”.

Ingredients :

Dates 40%, Cashews 40%, Raisins 14%, Cocoa 5%, a hint of natural orange & chocolate flavouring. This may also contain traces of peanuts and other types of nuts.

Allergy Advice :  This bar is suitable for people that are gluten, wheat and dairy free.  This bar is also 100% vegan, however this isn’t for you if you are nut allergic as it contains cashews, may contain traces of peanuts and other nuts.

Ever since finding out my dad is lactose intolerant we have struggled to find dairy and lactose free snacks other than plain, boring ready salted crisps.   When we discovered that these Chilli Heatwave Doritos were dairy free we were really happy as they are widely available and it meant that he didn’t need to be excluded when the rest of the family enjoyed them.

We had been buying Chilli Heatwave Doritos for a while as the whole family love them but it was great to discover that they are dairy free so suitable for anyone with a dairy allergy or who is  lactose  intolerant.

These Chilli Heatwave Doritos are also garlic free which is great for us, coming from a family of garlic haters we know only too well how hard it is to find anything spicy that doesn’t contain garlic, so this makes a very welcome change!

Ingredients:

Corn, Sunflower Oil (18%), Chilli Heatwave Flavour [ Sugar, Flavourings (contains soya and wheat) , Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5' - ribonucleotide) , Soy Sauce Powder (contains soya beans and wheat) , Acidity Regulator (Sodium Diacetate) , Salt, Potassium Chloride, Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Colours ( Sulphite Ammonia Caramel, Paprika Extract, Beetroot Powder) , Citric Acid, Mailc Acid ] , Vegetable Oil.

Chilli Heatwave Doritos are free from:

• Dairy
• Milk
• Lactose

Available as:

Multipack containing 6 x 30g packets, 200g Pack