I was recently chatting on twitter with some fellow bloggers and one topic came up: why do bloggers talk about how amazing everything is all the time? I completely agreed but then looked at my blog and realised that I was a bit like that too. Always raving about the next big thing in the gluten or dairy free world! Well, not today! So rather than the favourites post I’d planned, I thought I’d also include a section on the gluten-free products I HATED this month- and things that definitely won’t be on my repurchase list!
I really wasn’t a fan of…
1. Tesco gluten free mac n cheese.
Image Source: Tesco
I was so excited about Tesco’s ready meals but I won’t lie, I found this one really disappointing. Perhaps I was hoping for Amy’s Kitchen equivalent (which is definitely worth a purchase)? The sauce just felt gloopy and nothing really like cheese-just a vaguely yeasty taste. The pasta itself tasted bland and overcooked. I’m usually a massive fan of Tesco (and loved their recent lactose free range) but this one is off the mark for me.
2.Waitrose Green Pea Pasta
Image source: Waitrose
When I spotted this, it looked like a great way to increase your vegetable intake and a much-needed alternative to rice. However, I’m sorry but this doesn’t taste anything like pasta. It just tastes, for want of a better word, green mush. Very bland and flavourless- which all the pesto in the world won’t cover up.
3. Marks and Spencer’s gluten-free spag bol.
Image Source: Gluten Free Cuppa Tea
Firstly, I know that this one has been around for a while, but I only just got around to trying it. I am a big fan of M&S’s gluten-free fish cakes, but on the whole, think their range is really lacking for those of us who are dairy free too. This is the only one of their ready meals that cater to gluten and dairy free, so I was excited to give it a try. However, I found it incredibly greasy and far too rich for me. Cue an upset stomach an hour or so later.
4. Costa Gluten Free Chicken Caesar Wrap
Image source: Twitter user@getitglutenfree
Costa isn’t doing a festive wrap this year (booo!) and instead have come out with their chicken caesar gluten-free wrap instead. Now I know this contains dairy but I was visiting a relative unexpectedly in hospital this week and this was pretty much my only option available so I gave it a go. On the plus side, the wrap itself was much better (I think they’re using Warburtons wraps) but inside was some depressing looking dark leaves (I removed them as I can’t tolerate much fibre-but I don’t think I was missing much nutrition wise as they looked half dead!) and a few slices of chicken. Okay to taste but not really justifying its price tag or the ‘Caesar’ in the title.
5. Tesco Gluten Free Stir Fry Sauce
I didn’t get as far as tasting this one- since I noticed it contained a huge amount of sugar. In fact, almost all the range contains 40% of your daily sugar allowance per pouch (or 20% if you make a stir-fry for too). It’s really frustrating seeing so much free-from stuff use a ton of sugar. The exception being their Chinese stir-fry sauce: this one has much less sugar than the rest of them and is great for using with chicken or fish.
But I loved…
- Ombar
I feel like I’ve tried every dairy-free chocolate out there but this one was amazing! Really, really creamy (I checked the label several times to see if it contained milk!)
2. Nairn’Gluten-Free Flatbread
Nairn’s seem to be slowly transitioning to using gluten-free oats in all their products- which is fantastic to see! These flatbreads are more of a cracker- but a hearty one that doesn’t disintegrate and can hold a topping! A fantastic alternative to rice cakes- I’ll definitely be repurchasing!
3. Hippeas Salt and Vinegar
I am such a massive Hippeas fan. For those of you don’t know, they’re organic, vegan, gluten-free chickpea puffs that somehow manage to taste better than wotsits. I didn’t think they could top their vegan ‘cheese’ flavour but then I tried their new salt and vinegar version.
4. Evexia Gluten-free Corn pasta
It’s great to find a fresh gluten-free pasta- they’re quick to make and taste a lot better than the dried version! Evexia sent me a bundle to try and the corn and rice penne one was definitely my favourite. I wasn’t as much as a fan of their chickpea version, however-but it is a great healthier alternative. Evexia is available at Sainsbury’s.
5. Elveria’s Pantry Mince Pie
Spoiler alert: I’ve been testing out gluten free mince pies for one of my freelance writing ventures, and these gluten-free and yeast free mince pies were perfection! They are pricey (£13.00 a box) but definitely a great Christmas treat.
