Tag Archives: gluten free

Gluten Free Cupcakes from Cupcake Universe

12 Jan

I was recently contacted by a new Plymouth company called Cupcake Universe, who informed me they were now baking gluten free cupcakes.  A quick look at the company website revealed that Cupcake Universe also produced gluten containing cupcakes, so as always my coeliac scepticism kicked in and my first question was to ask about cross contamination.  Thankfully though, I received a detailed reply that gave me reassurance:

We take our gluten-free side very seriously. We purchase all our Doves Farm gluten-free flour from a supermarket chain, as we know they keep it separate from the other flours. We also only use the Dr Oetker gluten-free baking powder.
We do transport everything to our kitchen in separate bags and the gluten-free products are kept is separate storage cupboards, as are all our gluten-free baking utensils.
When we make our gluten-free cupcakes we start by sterilizing the kitchen and then bring in the products, the cupcakes are made and removed from the kitchen before we start on any of the other cupcakes we offer.
Unfortunately we don’t have the space to run two separate kitchens, so we take every care to eliminate contamination on our side, but of course have no control over what happens in the production chain before it arrives with us.

Paula Frost from Cupcake Universe was generous enough to offer me a box of cupcakes to sample.  I must admit I am very partial to a gluten free cupcake so I was only too happy to take them up on this offer.  It was nice to meet Paula for a quick chat when she delivered the cakes.  You can get free delivery in PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4, PL5, PL6 and some of PL7 if you order six or more cupcakes, which are available from only £6.50 via the cupcake section of their website.

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The selection included one red velvet, one cranberry and various combinations of chocolate and vanilla.  The sponge itself wasn’t super light, but I personally like that in a cupcake as I think it’s nice to have a bit of contrast when there is so much frosting.  I really liked all the flavours, though perhaps unsurprisingly, the red velvet with cream cheese frosting was my favourite.  Delicious.  The cakes were nicely presented in a presentation box as below.

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Paula and husband Justin have been in the hospitality industry for many years. Justin recently retired from being an executive chef in London and together they opened Cupcake Universe. Their focus is on “freshly made cupcakes with superior customer service, which is why we offer our free Plymouth delivery.  As you know we don’t use a courier company, offering a personalised service.”

Following the launch of the company Justin and Paula were constantly asked if they could provide a gluten free option.  Paula said “We know that there is a demand in the market, so we started experimenting; this is when the gluten-free side of our business came to light. With the years Justin spent as a chef, he is very knowledgeable on gluten-free and the importance of eliminating cross contamination.”

Further good news is that Cupcake Universe are about to launch some savoury gluten free products within their range.  “We are also in the process of perfecting our pies which will be available shortly. We were going to launch them last month, but want to perfect the gluten-free pastry before doing so. We are hoping that these will be available in the coming weeks.”

Cupcake Universe are scheduled to be at the St Budeaux Valentines Fair on 1st February, and are also often at the Sunday morning market at Plymouth Argyle when weather permits.  Keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter pages for full information on where they will be.  For full contact details please visit the Cupcake Universe website.

Kevin, Gluten Free by the Sea

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Udi’s Gluten Free

17 Dec

Udi’s have recently crossed the pond and brought a range of gluten free products to the UK market.  Udi’s are a big player in the States and some of their products are even available to buy at Baseball stadiums.  As a football fan I can only dream of seeing gluten free options within stadiums at the moment.  So what can Udi’s bring to the table in the UK?  Well there are certainly some products that have not been previously seen in gluten free form in the UK before, or at least not readily available.  These products include bagels and a version of pop tarts which seem to be proving popular with the gluten free community.

UdisGF_Shield Logo

I was lucky enough to receive a sample pack for review which included cinnamon and raison bagels, mince pies, muffins, toaster pastries and ancient grain jalapeño cheddar crisps.  I had also bought some products myself, when they became available to buy nationally in Tesco.  Below I have a look at the products and what I thought of them.

Toaster Pastries - Strawberry_smallToaster pastries: Otherwise known as pop tarts, these were something definitely missing from the UK market.  These are available in two flavours; strawberry and apple cinnamon.  These items have proved very popular amongst coeliacs and the gluten free community, with many people delighted to be able to have a “pop tart” again after so many years.  I thought they were pretty good, the filling tasty but for me there was a bit too much pastry for the filling.  It’s worth saying I wasn’t a pop tart fan in my pre-coeliac days.

Bagels: Another American favourite which has been missing from the breakfast tables of UK gluten free folk.  As I don’t like raisins I passed the cinnamon and raison bagels to a gluten eating friend who gave them the thumbs up.  I have however tried the plain variety.  Firstly I tried them toasted and simply buttered, which I liked far more than I expected.  I’d never had a regular bagel before my coeliac diagnosis so wasn’t that bothered by them.  I also had them toasted and covered in salsa and Mexicana Cheese, after a suggestion from Kim of Coeliac.me.uk.  This proved to be a fabulous combo which I’d definitely have again.  The bagels are also available in a savoury flavour.

Mexicana Bagels

Muffins: The muffins come in a pack of two, one chocolate chip and one toffee.  I love muffins and these had both great texture and good flavour.  I also quite like the idea of getting two varieties in one pack.  They do contain a lot of ingredients and I’d probably be inclined to buy something locally produced if available.  Having said that I’d happily eat them again.

Beauty Shot_Ancient Grain CrispsAncient grain crisps: I am a total crisp fiend and the jalapeño cheddar snacks definitely get a big thumbs up from me, and some gluten eaters I shared them with.  I love anything spicy ans these certainly had a bit of a kick.  Texturally these were really unusual.  My best description would be a multi seeded tortilla chip, and I thought it worked really well.  I ate them as they were, but they’d also work well with a salsa or sour cream dip.  They are available in cheddar flavour if spicy isn’t your thing.

Breakfast bars: These bars come in both strawberry and blueberry flavour and make a perfect on the go breakfast.  They are very much like the Nutri Grain bars I used to enjoy as a gluten eater.  They are soft and chewy and have a tasty filling.  I recently took a box away with me whilst I was working away in Cambridge, and these really helped me through some tricky  breakfast situations.

Mince PieMince pies: Unfortunately I am not a mince pie fan at all, so these also went to my gluten eating friend Adam, who said they were really good.  For another viewpoint see this positive review on the glutenfreeb website.

Other products which I’ve yet to try include bread and rolls.  I’m happy to see they have a gluten free finger roll which is something I always cry out for come BBQ season!  The final products amongst the UK portfolio are bagel chips and granola.  I always prefer to buy local if it all possible, but I think Udi’s have definitely brought something different to the UK and will have given the likes of Genius and Newburn Bakehouse something to ponder.  Like most gluten free products they are not the cheapest, but there are a few things here that I will likely buy again if I find myself in Tesco.  So what have you made of these new products?

Kevin, Gluten Free by the Sea

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Perkier Foods Rocky Road and Tiffin

12 Dec

Well most bloggers will try and claim their complete impartiality when reviewing products.  I am going to start this post by declaring my complete bias for this company, Perkier Foods.  I just completely love everything about them, apart from one small thing that I will cover later.  The company was founded by coeliac Ann Perkins and partner Steve Turner, who have been producing fabulous gluten free products since 2012.

feeling-perkyI first got to hear about Perkier following my first visit to the Allergy and Free From Show in London.  I’d somehow managed to miss them at the show, but kept hearing good things about them on Twitter.  I subsequently had the chance to meet owners Ann and Steve at a couple of the “Tweet-Ups” I went to in London.  They are such a lovely couple and always so generous!

I subsequently ordered delicious brownie, cake pops and rocky road off them whilst they were doing limited orders via email.  The products were great, but the only trouble was that living all the way down in Plymouth and the goodies were not easy to get hold of!  I made trips to Whole Foods to stock up on Perkier goodies on my next few trips to London.

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But it’s not just the products that suck you in.  Perkier have such fantastic, colourful and distinctive branding too.  The other thing I love about Perkier is the way they engage on social media.  These guys really are part of our gluten free community, and over the last couple of years I have shared much (too much?!) banter on Twitter and Facebook with them, and a few other Tweeters (you all know who you are!).  They are always running fun competitions, and they are just such a fun company.

flakesThis year has been a real breakthrough year for Perkier.  Earlier in the year Tesco began to stock their range of porridge and cereal flakes across the country.  Whilst not a porridge fan, I was really delighted and maybe even a little proud that these guys had hit the big time.  I was also pleased that fellow Perkier fan David was able to review the porridge on Gluten Free by the Sea at the time.  The porridge pots have also recently arrived in Sainbury’s.  I have tried the fruity berry flakes and they are really good.

Thquotee real breakthrough for me though was recently when Tesco started stocking Perkier Tiffin, and most importantly my favourite Rocky Road!  The Rocky Road is crunchy biscuit and soft marshmallows enveloped in milk chocolate.  I just absolutely love this stuff, I could eat it not stop to be honest.  The contrast of the crunchy biscuit with the chewy marshmallow works really well for me, and the chocolate that glues it all together is delicious too.  There’s a statement on the pack from one of the “Guinea Pig Network” that says “Amazing! You don’t need to be gluten free to love these” which perfectly sums up my feelings, largely as it’s my quote.  Yes I love this stuff so much I even have a quote on the pack!

As for the Tiffin, this is also delicious.  This consists of crunchy biscuit, honeycomb and raisins covered in milk chocolate.  This one is a bit of a conflict for me as I love honeycomb but hate raisins!  The highest praise that I can give the Tiffin is that it is the ONLY thing in the entire world that I will eat that contains raisins.  Oh yes, that one small thing I don’t love about Perkier? The raisin fairies at the Yummery.  Raisins in the Tiffin, raisins in all the porridge and raisins in the fruit flake.  Maybe next year Ann and Steve might consider swatting some of those raisin fairies for me 😉  Both Rocky Road and Tiffin are available in pots of bite size chunks or individual bars.

rroad_tiffin

I’d like to finish with a personal thank you to Ann and Steve.  They’ve provided great support to Gluten Free by the Sea through social media and their website and more than a few free samples over the year.  They also provided an absolute massive mound of free samples for our recent Coeliac UK Plymouth meeting and I can’t tell you how grateful I was for that.  I hope you both have a fabulous Christmas and an even more successful 2014.

Samples

If you don’t have a Tesco near you, you can visit the Perkier on-line shop.  The products are also available to buy on-line via Amazon, Ocado and Goodness Direct.  If you buy some though, just beware of the #snafflers.

mugs

Kevin, Gluten Free by the Sea

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