The Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2011, Olympia, London

The Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2011

The Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2011, Olympia, London

This was the first time that we visited this show so we were not sure what to expect although we went in the hope of encountering new products and learning more about existing products.

Olympia

A quick trip to Olympia and it soon became clear that the majority of visitors to the show were mothers. Perhaps this is true of most exhibitions like this regardless of subject matter but it did appear that this was the case.

Pet allergies anyone?

It was ironic though that the show was on next to a pet show…hope not too many allergies flared up as a result!

The show was busy and there were a whole range of exhibitors from gluten-free food manufacturers, supermarkets, home cooks, natural therapists, hospitals, chocolatiers, allergy societies, allergy test centres. allergy filter companies, pharmaceuticals and even a firm of solicitors! It is clear from the holding of this event that gluten free is a money maker and as with all trends, you have the opportunists wishing to make money on the back of it. It can be tricky at times to spot the genuine from the charlatans. It was a good opportunity to meet the people behind the brands to gauge their inspiration.

Jethro Marriage, Doves Farm

Great flour and cereals

To start with my gluten free saviour, Doves Farm, the people behind the gluten free flour that I use in my cooking. Their blend of flours is very good and in my opinion the best on the market in the UK. It even beats the gluten free flours that I tried out in Australia. It has the feel of ‘normal’ flour and gives you results that are not too crumbly. The gripe with gluten free baking is the crumbly side effect of missing out on that gluten. Jethro Marriage from Doves Farm who I met at the show revealed that the inspiration behind the Doves Farm success story was his grandmother who 15 years ago discovered that she was gluten intolerant. It is quite amazing that one farm in Berkshire produces all the flour that many fellow gluten free bakers in the UK use. It shows from the quality of their products that they have a real enthusiasm for what they do and do not charge over the odds for it.

Doves Farm flour is good and they offer other goods such as biscuits, cereals and pasta. Their pasta is very good as it does not clump together as much as some other brands that I have tried. Their cereals are also very good as they provide a crunch at breakfast time that is sometimes missing. They used the show to also unveil two new cereals, Cocoa Rice and Fibre Flakes, which I will mention in a later post after they have been tasted.

Genius bread

Genius bread have excited UK customers recently with an entertaining marketing campaign and they were also present. It was unfortunate though that the exciting new bread roll range which they presented at the show, could not be tasted or bought. apparently they will be hitting the shelves of Tesco from the end of this month. Bread rolls would be a nice entry to the market since one of the things that we miss is a nice roll to have with a fish burger.  Ironically, Tesco own gluten free range offers a good bread roll but it will be interesting to taste Genius’s offering.

New products soon!

I had wanted to ask the Genius people about the problem with breakage in their sliced bread range. Their bread is my favourite bread on the market at the moment as it is light and not brick-like as some gluten-free breads can be, but without fail in the middle of their loaves, the slices suffer from breakages. I wondered whether this was due to delivery problems but the Genius representatives seemed to be too focused on shifting their products at the show. It was a pity as I got a sense from the Genius story that their was real inspiration behind their story – a mother wanting to give her child the chance to have toast at breakfast.

New Asda range

One of the more popular stands was the Asda stand which may have been due to the copious amounts of free samples. Armed with my sweet tooth I took advantage of their samples and must say that their new range of gluten free products will be a welcome entry to the market. The Stem Ginger Cookies were very nice with a good ginger taste. Their biscuits were also not so crumbly. It was pity though that the marketing lady on the day seemed to be a bit off. My attempt to engage with her about the products was met with a disinterested reaction which was disappointing. She seemed very happy to engage with the other visitors though. Perhaps she thought gluten free diets are culturally biased.

The Asda Custard Creams were also pleasantly less sweet than the Trufree custard creams which are Mrs NMFS’s favourite biscuit choice.

Popular Trufree samples

Trufree are a good range of biscuits since they offer family favourites such as custard creams, chocolate fingers, bourbons, rich tea and digestives. They offer a gluten free alternative to favourite biscuits that previously one would have to do without. The gluten free biscuits offered can be uninspiring but Trufree recognise that just because you are on a gluten free diet does not mean that you lack taste buds. They also offer their products at a price that is just about affordable although I have to admit I tend to look out for their products when they are on special offer. Again though, the representatives whilst friendly, seemed to be focused on selling their products on the day.

Marks and Spencers...biscuits please!

Marks and Spencers are a relatively new entrant to the market and a welcome one since they offer good quality generally. Their bread though is too dry for my taste though. Their cakes are good though offering Lemon Drizzle and Chocolate and Cherry at prices that does not take advantage of our intolerances. I was informed also by the representative that they are currently looking at introducing a gluten-free biscuit range which is very welcome. If they were able to offer their Viennesse biscuit range in gluten free form I for one would be ecstatic. Until I found out about my gluten intolerance, I considered this range to be the best biscuit on the market and the one exception to my philosophy of not buying shop produced cakes or biscuits preferring the home baked option.

Sweet alternative

Sweet Freedom is a natural sweetener which has the taste of honey and could be a good product for people seeking an alternative to sugar. I will try their product out in a sugar free cheesecake in a later post. The representative was very enthusiastic and helpful and one of the few who was keen to engage with us. Their products are available at most supermarkets and health food stores. I tried Xylitol previously but found that it has unfortunate side effects. Sweet Freedom does not have those side effects.

Byron Bay

Byron Bay hails from Australia but have a UK operation which offers up very good gluten free cookies. Unfortunately not all of their products are freely available. This is a shame since their product is very good and deserving of a mainstream audience outside of the independent coffee shops.

Cookies galore

They can be found in Sainsburys but the Strawberries and White Chocolate cookie that I tasted at the show, will apparently not be distributed through Sainsburys, It is a shame since it was a very good product.

Lactofree

Lactofree offers great lactose free dairy products that I use in my cheesecakes and cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately their products are sometimes hard to find although their website does offer a good product finder.

Dairy for all

I did not know that the milk comes from Swedish cows and is then processed to remove the harmful lactose. The only lactose free cream cheese that I found on a trip to Australia was made from soya. This is a shame since there is a body of opinion to suggest that soya might have negative side effects if taken in large quantities. Lactofree is therefore a much valued product.

Kent and Fraser

Kent and Fraser are a company I have not across but that could be because they are mainly sold through high end shops such as Selfridges and Harrods. Their product is good but the Vanilla Butter Cookie I tasted was quite sweet. I did not get a sense of where their passion comes from and it is odd that they only sell in these exclusive outlets.

Too exclusive?

They could reach a wider market but perhaps they believe their product to be exclusive. On my tasting I preferred the Asda biscuits.

Steph's Cakes

Steph’s Cakes is a small operation which offers home baked cakes such as Battenburgs which Mrs NMFS had never tried before but enjoyed immensely.

Good but expensive

The only downside was the price. £10 for a Battenberg cake is rather alot although it is a good product.

Goodness Direct

Goodness Direct offer an online shopping option for those who are not fortunate to have easy access to supermarkets with a free from range. Their prices seem to be reasonable although without using their services I cannot say anything about their services. This reseller service may become less necessary as more supermarkets offer free from ranges though.

Overpriced

For a gluten free exhibition it was unfortunate that the food on  offer in the restaurant was so pricey. I could not believe the thinking behind charging £5.00 for a limp looking sandwich. Granted it is gluten free but when you can by a loaf for £2.50 this was over priced. We decided to miss out on lunch regretting the missed opportunity to showcase the reasonably priced but delicious gluten free options available. One of the supermarkets displaying their ranges missed out on a chance to offer their products to an eager and interested audience. At least some thought was given but it was telling that the restaurant was hardly busy.

Pannetone!

There were as couple of foreign companies present at the show as well, especially from Italy where the reliance on pasta and awareness of gluten intolerance has seen an expertise in gluten free pasta products. I was interested in Farmo though, since they offer a gluten free pannetone which although was not available to be tasted, would be popular in the UK. Last Christmas, a gluten free pannetone was put on the market but it was so sickly that I could not even handle one mouthful. Hopefully Farmo finds a distributor in the UK as if their pannetone is good, it would be great to be able to enjoy the great taste of a pannetone.

Danish pastries!

It was a shame that some of the foreign companies present could not sell their products at the show. Fria from Sweden, for example, tantalises with the offer of gluten free pastries which would be a real plus, but alas we could not try to taste. The prospect of markets opening up would be a real bonus though so hopefully the good products will find their way into this country.

The show was interesting and the turnout was testament to the demand for a showcase such as this. I hope this review gave an insight into some of the exhibitors for those who could not attend.

So, have you been to a gluten free exhibition where you are?