AD/PR Sample | Trying Gluten Free & Vegan Products From Incredible Bakery Company

When The Incredible Bakery Company contacted me and asked if I'd like to review some of their products, I jumped at the chance. I found out a few years ago that I have a fair few food intolerances, and one of them is gluten. It's been hard to find gluten-free bakery products that I like and it's only been in recent years that supermarkets have started to make an effort to provide these products to people. I thought it was great that I have been given the chance to review some free-from items and I am so happy to have been introduced to this lovely company. The Incredible Bakery Company is an award-winning bakery that wants to "help everyone to lead an allergen friendly life through a better diet - without compromising on taste". The difference with this bakery is that they are catered to multiple dietary requirements, as all of their products are; gluten, dairy, egg and soya free. Another great bonus is that they are vegan and coeliac friendly. The bakery is based in Warkton, Northamptonshire where you can pick up your orders if you are local, or if you're not in the area they deliver to all UK businesses and homes. They offer a range of products, both sweet and savoury. I'm glad the products are vegan-friendly too, as I'm a vegetarian who is starting to cut out some foods to lower my impact on the environment.

My favourite product I received had to be the Onion Focaccia (£3.75) which was a 280g tray that was so tasty. It was a lovely fresh and soft texture with an amazing flavour which made it so moreish. It had a good level of moisture throughout and was topped with finely sliced onion which gave it that great taste. The tray would be ideal to use as part of a sharing platter if you were hosting or even one to just nipple on over the course of a few days. I'd buy this again in a heartbeat as the caramalised onion was such a delicious flavour and has to be one of the best things I've ever eaten, and it has the bonus of being gluten-free and vegan.

The second item I received was the Gluten-Free Oat Loaf (£3.90) which is designed to taste like a wheat loaf. This was a family-sized loaf that kept us going for a good few days. It was nice as both bread for sandwiches and worked well being toasted also. I was pleasantly surprised how soft and fresh the bread was, as gluten-free bread from other companies/brands I've tried tended to be quite dry. The loaf still managed to maintain a good crisp crust to it, with the oats that topped the loaf gave a nice flavour and texture. It was a nice change to have a fresh bakery loaf that I wouldn't have known was gluten-free which shows they have really put the effort in to make a good product. I've really missed loaves that are close to being freshly baked and this was a treat.

Another product I've been trying out is the Flat Bread Wrap (pack of 4) (£4.00) which can be used for multiple different things like fajitas or pizzas, or simply just wraps. The wraps were so soft and really tasty and fresh to eat just as they come, or heated in your oven or toaster for a warmer snack. I also decided to try out using one as a pizza base, with just some tomato puree and cheese on top. I stuck it under the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese and crisp up some of the flatbread so that it still had a nice soft base. Alternatively, you could pop it in the oven for a little longer to get a crispier base also depending on your preference. I also received the Submarine Roll (pack of 4) (£3.00). These were good-sized rolls that my partner particularly enjoyed using for a sandwich for his lunch. They were fresh inside with a good crusty outer which would also make them great for dipping in soup - I don't like eating soup unless I can enjoy it with some good crusty bread. I could see these being perfect for a BBQ also for those wanting a home for their hot dog. 

The last item I received was 2 of the Brazilian Carrot Cake slice (£1.30). It was a generous sized slice perfect as a sweet treat. My partner loves carrot cake so was excited when this turned up. He liked the spongey and moist texture of the cake and the flavour packed within and the melted chocolate chips topping the cake off nicely. 

I have been really happy with the products I received from the Incredible Bakery Company, all of which were fresh, tasty and a welcome change to some of the other gluten-free brands I've had in the past. There is a good selection of products available at a reasonable price, with UK wide delivery available making it accessible wherever you are located. They sell multiple brands on the website too, like the Gluten-Free Pie Company which I really need to try out in the future. If you need gluten-free or vegan products, or even if you don't have a dietary requirement, I would definitely recommend checking out what they have to offer and you won't be disappointed.

Post contains press samples

Read more

Why I've Gone Vegetarian

I feel like this has been such a long time coming and I can't exactly find the reason it's taken until now, but anyway I'm now a vegetarian. The week of my birthday I just felt this need to turn veggie for some reason and the first two days I was toying with it I failed because I obviously hadn't prepared for this. At the start, I didn't put any pressure on myself and said I would still have a meat Christmas dinner two months later if I wanted and it didn't have to be forever. The first full day I was veggie was the 18th October 2019 and it seemed to settle that voice in my head telling me to turn veggie. I still have messed up since then, I had prawn crackers and I didn't know they actually contain prawn, I thought it was a flavouring. I had some Fruit Pastilles and totally forgot they had gelatine in them. I also recently had pesto on some ciabatta and didn't realise that parmesan cheese isn't vegetarian. So I'm still learning and it's not a straight road but it's definitely something I feel more content with.

When I was a fussy eater and when I was around 7 I remember not wanting bacon butties on the weekend anymore, then I stopped wanting fish fingers when I had a Happy Meal. My whole childhood and most of my adulthood I've really disliked the texture of a lot of meats. I wouldn't eat roasted beef, lamb, pork or similar meats off of a joint of meat. I never ate duck because ducks are cute. I never really liked a lot of seafood and only really tried cod/haddock again after the whole fish finger thing about two years ago. Andy warned me not to try prawns because they can pop in your mouth and the thought of that made me feel a bit sick. In 2019 I seemed to have a few nasty experiences with chicken and it really put me off. So throughout the year, I'd been eating Quorn instead. We'd been having veggie stir frys for quite some time now and I'd stopped eating gammon because I just never felt like it. So I'd been a 'flexitarian' for probably the last 5 years now so it finally came to a head and I decided to be a vegetarian. 

I decided not to go vegan for a few reasons. The first being that as someone with disabilities and often needing to have pre-packaged food, the options are limited for me. Although companies are now introducing a lot of vegan foods, in some places there are not always accessible options. The second reason is that a lot of vegan foods substitute eggs with banana when baking from what I've seen and I can't eat bananas as I have an intolerance to them. This also counts for a lot of vegan options that include mushrooms which I'm intolerant to as well. The last reason is that I do enjoy making brownies and cakes and I just don't feel the want or need to have to give them up or change them when I only have them on special occasions anyway. The last reason is that some Quorn and other meat substitutes contain egg in them and where I live there are still limited meat alternatives on the shelf already so I don't want to limit myself too much. As someone with disabilities, I can't cook often and when I can it needs to be quick or something not too hard to do as I have a lot of problems with my wrists and some full vegan meals can be challenging for me to make.

I'm really enjoying being vegetarian so far, and we went to our wedding tasting meal in November and I tried the 'allergy/dietary requirement' 3-course meal which was gluten, dairy, meat etc free and it was lovely. There are a few people who have helped with recommendations for foods to try which I'm thankful for, and although I still encourage Andy to eat meat and that I don't want him to ever feel like I'm wanting him to be vegetarian, he is loving some of the veggie options we've been eating together. He's decided to label himself as a flexitarian and has recently written about this on his blog. Here's to trying more veggie food in 2020!

Read more

LighterLife Fast & Light Bites Review

There are quite a few different products and methods out there designed to help you live a healthy lifestyle and to lose weight. LighterLife have created products that can help with the process and make things nice and easy for you. The way this works is to fast intermittently to reduce your intake on certain days. On two days of the week you pick four products out of the LighterLife Fast and LighterLife Light Bites ranges which include porridges, shakes, snack bars, meals and soups. These will total up to give you 100% of your daily nutrition but only coming in at 800 calories. On the other days of the week you can eat what you like, however, they do recommend maintaining a balanced diet. 

The meal replacement shakes I received were the strawberry and banana flavours and contain skimmed milk and milk proteins, with sweetener. They are packaged in a ready to drink bottle which makes it nice and handy if you need to take it out with you as you are not messing around with powder and a shaker bottle. These shakes are also available in chocolate, with them all being gluten-free which can help cater to dietary requirements and only have just over 200 calories in them. You can also get the shake powder in packets if you would rather make them at home. I also received some of their original flavour porridge which is made with oats, skimmed milk powder, sweetener and oat powder. It was easy to make and can be done in the microwave or on the hob. I've always liked noodles so was intrigued to see what the Americana Chicken Noodle flavour FastPot was like. The pot only has 209 calories and is actually suitable for vegetarians. It's in a handy pot that is easy to make and could be great if you are on the go. The noodle pot can be used on either your fasting or non-fasting days.

The meal replacement bar that I tried was the Chocolate Raisin Bar which has 226 calories and can be used in place of one of your meals for your fasting days. It could also be used on your non-fasting days too. I found this bar did fill me up and gave me enough energy when using it to replace another meal. Another item in the selection was the Nut Fudge Bar which has 155 calories and is made with butterscotch pieces, sweetener and peanuts. The Chocolate Cookie Caramel flavour bar was one of the light bites choices and was a perfect tasty snack while only being 99 calories so can be part of your fasting options. The last items I tried out were the popped chips packs in the flavours Sweet and Smoky Chipotle, Pesto and Sundried Tomato and Roasted Shallot and Cider Vinegar, all being either 94 or 95 calories per pack. They are all veggie friendly and provided a nice snack to enjoy without having to feel guilty. I found that by using the 2-day fasting approaching and using these products helped to make it much easier to keep track of my intake and provided quick and easy meal and snack options.

Post contains press samples

Read more

Degustabox September Review

I've been getting Degustabox* for a while now, and if you'd like to read my previous posts you can find them here.
Snacks There are a few healthier snacks included in this months box which are great for having a little treat without having to feel guilty about it. The milk chocolate Metcalfe's Popcorn Thins (£1.00) are perfect if you are craving a bit of chocolaty goodness. They are light and crispy and being made from corn they have a unique crunchy texture. If you want something a little different, then these Get Fruity Bars (£1.00) are an award winning fruit and oat bar made with gluten free oats and virgin coconut plus having no added refined sugars. You can choose from six different flavours so you can mix it up to your preference. Something most of us will have had at some point is some jelly, so this Hartley's No Added Sugar Jelly Pots (£0.50) were always going to be a welcome choice, and being in a handy little pot it's a great portion size and very useful to take out with you. 

Another fruity snack included this month is this Emily Crisps Crunchy Banana (£1.75) which are a good combination of real fruit in a crunchy crisp form. Unfortunately I couldn't try these as I am allergic to bananas, but they would be ideal for someone who does enjoy the flavour. If you wanted something more on the savoury side, these Say YES to No Bread Chips (£1.49) could be for you. I received the sour cream and onion bread chips and they were a nice change from your standard pack of crisps.

Meal Items More people are choosing gluten free items as a lifestyle choice or due to not being able to eat it, so it's nice to see that you can get handy packet mixes that are gluten free. This Mrs Crimble's Fusilli (£1.99) is a gluten free corn pasta with gourmet mushroom and cream sauce. It would be great on it's own as a little meal or could be used as part of a main meal. If you wanted to include something in your food to boost the nutrition content, These Chia Bia Whole & Milled Chia Seed Sachets (2 x £1.00) are packed with Omega 3 and Fibre, plus it's a great way to get Protein, Vitamins and Minerals into your diet. They are only very subtle so you don't tend to notice them when you include them, I never really notice they are in there. Another item you could include in some of your meals would be the Cirio Borlotti Beans (£1.89, pack of 3) which can deliver an intense and delicious taste. You can include them in a number of Italian meals such as spaghetti bolognaise. 

Drinks With so many sugary drinks out there, something like these Cape Drinks (2 x £1.59) would be much better for you and a refreshing change. They are a sparkling blend of anti-oxidant Rooibos Tea and fruit juices, with no refined sugar and only made from natural ingredients. The last item in this month's box is the Teisseire Sirop (£2.99) which is another variation of fruit squash. The raspberry and cranberry flavour is refreshing and also comes with zero sugar. It was a nice change to try a different style of juice, with them also available in Pink Grapefruit, Lemon and Grenadine. 

This months Degustabox seemed quite a healthy box which is good for these areas of your diet. I do think the previous months have been better as they had a better variety included, having a good mixture of healthy items and treats. If you wanted to sign up for Degustabox, be sure to use the discount code BLDEG15 to get £7.00 off, just enter it at checkout.

Read more

Activbod Pick Me Up Scrub | Healthy Lifestyle

I began my health and fitness journey a few weeks ago and with exercise comes the need for new hygiene products. I love feeling fresh, who doesn't, and the need for a switch up from my usual sugar scrubs and fruity shower gels was imminent. The need for a deep clean after a workout is worth the extra time spent, and Activbod Pick Me Up Scrub* makes it a dream.

I tend to use a fruity shower gel to wash with and then go in with a sugar scrub to exfoliate. After I've exercised there is nothing more than I love than getting in a warm shower with tea or mint scented body washes. Here is the twist - Activbod made this multipurpose product so you can wash as usual whilst the micro-scrubbing particles get to work on gently exfoliating the skin to remove sweat and dirt. This is particularly great for me since I have fairly sensitive skin and the Pick Me Up Scrub hasn't irritated it at all. Not only does my skin feel refreshed but I feel all lovely after, especially since working out can make you feel a bit sluggish afterwards. I can get on with the rest of my day feeling clean. I have used this on days where I haven't been exercising but it doesn't half make you feel happier and refreshed. The Pick Me Up Scrub will be a joy to use on holiday since the sun makes you hot and sweaty once you've been sunbathing too. I quite like this product. It isn't the most fresh feeling scrub I've used. If the Original Source Mint and Tea Tree shower gel was combined with this, I would be obsessed with it and wouldn't put it down! For using it a couple of times a week, it is great for a (how do I say pick me up without being 'punny'?)  refreshed feeling post-workout. The Pick Me Up Scrub is £8.00 from Boots.

Read more