Winners of the 2010 awards
presented by Antony Worrall Thompson on Wednesday
21st April at the Canal Museum in London
Click here for Alex Gazzola's whimsical report on the presentations and the party
Winner of the FAIR Trophy
for the best free-from food 2010
Pure Flavour Lemon and Vanilla sponge
'The combination of good flavour and texture made the Pure Flavour cake outstanding’ said the judges. ‘You would never have known that it was ‘freefrom’. It is so difficult to achieve perfection in both flavour and texture in a plain cake such as a vanilla sponge which has nothing to ‘hide behind’ - but Pure Flavour did it.’
Very close seconds…..
Gluten Free Goodies Syrup sponge
‘Beautiful, rich and syrupy with a perfect level of sweetness. A few luscious mouthfuls would finish off a meal perfectly.’
Trufree Pretzels
‘A great snack product and a great pretzel judged against any pretzel, with or without gluten’
BoojaBooja Ginger wine truffles
‘BoojaBooja continue to produce fantastic tasting chocolates that just happen to be free-from. These ginger wine truffles show that you don’t have to sacrifice flavour to go freefrom.’
Rizopia Organic brown rice pasta
‘This pasta has great texture and a really nice bite. It’s indistinguishable from ordinary wheat pasta – a triumph of manufacture.’
Young's Gluten free fish fingers
‘The freefrom category has truly come of age. The launch of these fish fingers now means that a vast number of wheat intolerant people can once again eat a popular British dish.’
Innovation Award – Sponsored by Livwell
Winner:
Gluten Free Kitchen Seeded Bread Rolls
‘Gluten-free pumpernickel – what a treat!’ 'Think they are mis-named as bread rolls but really like their firm, slight ‘sourness’, nutty flavour and all those seeds. Very distinctive.’
Runner up
Asda Organic freefrom fusilli
‘Excellent – it’s pasta!’ (from our Italian judge…) ‘Very good texture and looks at a remarkably good price.’ ‘Good bite, pleasant taste, holds shape very well. Really quite excellent – especially at that price.’
Very highly commended
Gluten Free Kitchen Gluten, wheat, dairy and egg free carrot cake
Isabel’s Naturally Free From Mini cheesebreads mix
‘Great idea – more like a choux bun than a bread – but one does need to add a lot of ingredients.’ ‘Good but a lot of work to put together – interesting that it is cassava’
Individual Categories:
1. Animal milk, cream, butter, yogurt and ice cream
2. Non-animal milk, cream, butter, yogurt and ice cream – soya, rice, oat, nut, potato, coconut
3. Breads and bread mixes
4. Pasta
5. Pizza bases and mixes and ready made pastry and pastry mixes
6. Savoury pies, flans, pizzas and ready meals
7. Savoury biscuits and snacks
8. Scones, sweet tarts, Bakewells, flapjacks, brownies
9. Sweet biscuits and cookies
10. Cakes, muffins and cake and muffin mixes
11. Puddings, sweet pies, desserts and cheesecakes
12. Chocolate and sweet snacks
13. Christmas products
14. Products manufactured in a nut-free environment
15. Gluten-free beer
1. Animal milk, cream, butter, yogurt and ice cream
Winner
Laverstoke Park Buffalo milk
Judges were very pleasantly surprised by this 'clean, cool tasting milk. It is creamy but not sickly, perfect on breakfast cereal and muesli – and it makes a mean cappuccino'.
Highly commended
Delamere Dairy Whole goat’s milk
‘Rich and creamy – only marginally goaty’
St Helen’s Farm Whole goat milk
‘Hard to tell from cow – nice creaminess’
Tesco Whole goat milk
Scarcely know it wasn’t cow – mildly creamy’
Lactofree Lactose reduced cow’s milk
‘The real thing – couldn’t taste the difference’
Commended
Styles Slim Ewe strawberry sheep’s milk frozen dessert
‘Very nice strawberry flavour – creamy – wouldn’t have known it was sheep milk’
Return to top
2. Non-animal milk, cream, butter, yogurt and ice cream
– Sponsored by Delamere Dairy
Winner
Oatly Cream
‘Delicious, smooth and mild with an only very slightly grassy/oaty flavour. Very good pouring cream and cooks excellently.’
Highly commended
BoojaBooja Stuff in a Tub – Hunky Punky Chocolate
‘Thick, dark and rich – delicious and excellent.’
Swedish Glacé Neapolitan
‘Real old fashioned seaside ice cream – brings back my childhood’
Tofutti Mozzarella-style block cheese
‘Un-melted it tastes depressingly chalky but melted it is excellent – indistinguishable from ordinary melted mozzarella!’
Commended
Pure Soya spread
‘A good solid option – natural tasting – great for baking’
Biona Organic Olive Spread
‘Perfect for olive oil lovers – good savoury flavour’
Return to top
3. Breads and bread mixes
– sponsored by Genon Laboratories
Winner
Mrs Crimble's Fresh white bread
‘Tastes very fresh – slightly sandy but a very pleasant soft texture.’ ‘Amazing to have got that texture without using any dairy or egg products’
Highly commended
Genius Fresh white bread
‘Lovely soft texture, tastes fresh if a little bland – smells of bread but has a slightly acidic aftertaste’
Juvela Fresh brown bread
‘Good texture – soft and light – tastes slightly caramelly – like the seeds’.
Proceli Fresh brown seeded rolls
‘Nice seedy combination – a bit solid and cakey but good’
Commended
Gluten Free Kitchen Seeded loaf
‘A good chewy texture but a slightly acquired taste – interesting flavour.’
Tesco Pitta bread
‘Interesting flavour – bit chewy but agreeable – would be fine filled.’
Return to top
4. Pasta
– sponsored by Dietary Specials
Winner
Rizopia Organic brown rice fusilli
‘This pasta has great texture and a really nice bite. It’s indistinguishable from ordinary wheat pasta – a triumph of manufacture. The brown ricey colour is less appealing than some of the yellow corn based pastas but the texture and taste fully make up for that.’
Highly commended
Orgran Multigrain fusilli with amaranth
‘Very good texture and really tasty – good mouth-feel – the real deal.’
Farabella Cannelloni shells
‘Slightly grainy taste but great texture- a really smooth mouth-feel. Would be great stuffed and how great to have a gluten-free shell ready for stuffing!’
Juvela Spaghetti
‘Slightly translucent – more like a Chinese noodle – but clean, firm strands – very good.’
Commended
Juvela Tagliatelle
‘A real egg pasta in look and taste – looks great’
Rizopia Organic brown rice spaghetti
‘A good bite – slightly earthy but nice.’
Return to top
5. Pizza bases and mixes and ready made pastry and pastry mixes
Winner
Wellfoods Pizza base
‘If you like deep pan pizzas this is the business – real focaccia taste and texture – tasty and soft. And it is dairy free as well as gluten and wheat free.’
Highly commended
Store Cupboard Pizza base with rosemary
‘Good chewy feel and texture – rosemary makes it very flavoursome.’
Glutafin Multi-purpose white mix - pastry
‘Makes an inviting biscuity base- snaps like an oatmeal cookie.’
Tarte Maison Ready-to-use pastry cups, sweet and savoury
‘Great little pastry cases – look and taste delicious – so useful to have in the freezer. Now if only they were dairy free as well, but then they might not taste so good…’
Commended
Juvela Pizza base
‘Crispy and bready – very good all rounder – shame it has to contain wheat and dairy…’
Juvela White mix - pastry
‘Great light texture and lovely flavour – shame it is only gluten free…’
Return to top
6. Savoury pies, flans, pizzas and ready meals
Winners
Young’s Gluten and dairy-free fish fingers
'The freefrom category has truly come of age. The launch of these fish fingers now means that a vast number of wheat and dairy intolerant people can once again eat a popular British dish,’ said Jeffrey Hyman, of the FDIN.
‘Excellent – nice crunchy coating – better than a regular fish finger!’
Highly commended
Clive’s Pies Aloo Gobi
‘Great tasty pastry and filling – most enjoyable.’
Commended
Dietary Specials Thin and crispy pepperoni pizza and Deep pan mozzarella and tomato pizza
‘Good everyday ready made pizzas – toppings good but a bit mean on the deep pan pizza – great to have in the freezer.’
Intolerable Food Company - Green Thai vegetable curry
‘Authentic look and aroma with good vegetables – but too hot without enough depth of flavour.’
It’s a Free World – Fragrant Thai chicken curry
‘Tasty and fragrant, not too hot - could eat lots!
Return to top
7. Savoury biscuits and snacks
Winner
Trufree Pretzels
'A great snack product and a great pretzel judged against any pretzel, with or without gluten.’
Highly commended
Barkat Pretzels
‘Really crisp and short with a good salt level - better than conventional pretzels!’
Mrs Crimble’s Cheese crackers with sun-dried tomato and pesto
‘Beautifully crisp with a strong cheesy flavour – very nice indeed.’
Commended
Village Bakery Seedy oatcakes
‘Peppery, unusual, crumbly and nice.’
Paterson’s Oatcakes
‘Lovely, traditional oatcake – well textured and pleasant.’
Nairn’s Organic rough oatcakes
‘Nutty and delicious, very crisp and nicely bitty.’
Return to top
8. Scones, sweet tarts, Bakewells, flapjacks and brownies
Winner
Asda Fruit teacakes
‘Great traditional teacake – nice and spicy, beautiful texture – very tasty.’
Highly commended
Honeybuns Heathcliffe brownie
‘Lovely chocolatey, moist, light scrumptious brownie – a winner. If only it were dairy free…’
Honeyrose Pecan maple syrup flapjack
‘A fine flapjack – light and moist, nicely nutty, a bit too sweet but very pleasant.’
The Village Bakery Chocolate orange brownies
‘Definitely scrummy – good brownie texture, good chocolate taste – hard to fault it.’
Lovemore Free From Foods Chocolate brownies
‘Nearly an excellent brownie – lots of chocolate but just not quite dense or moist enough.’
Commended
Waitrose Almond tart
‘Nice little almondy nibble – melt in the mouth, tasty tart but a little too sweet.’
Mrs Crimble’s Bakewell slices
‘Good strong almond flavour, rich and sweet, looks divine.’
Livwell Sultana scones
‘Plenty of raisins and really rather yummable.’
Return to top
9. Sweet biscuits and cookies
– sponsored by Mrs Crimble's
Winner
Prewett’s Ginger cookies
‘Yum – perfect balance of chocolate, sweet, ginger and chewiness – very ‘hand crafted’ – really unusual, great combination - want another…’
Highly commended
Glutafin Gran biscotti
‘Excellent – not over-sweet tea biscuit. Lovely and crisp – good ‘dunker’…’
Prewett’s Sultana and apple cookies
‘Surprisingly soft but nicely chewy – very appley but slightly short on sultanas – almost flapjacky – nice.’
Commended
Waitrose Cranberry and orange cookies
‘Nicely chunky dried cranberries, good orange aroma – unusual combination – crisp.’
Lazy Day Foods Chocolate gingers
‘Excellent dark chocolate but biscuits need to be ginger-ier – crisp but slightly sandy textured biscuits.’
Return to top
10. Cakes, muffins and cake and muffin mixes
– sponsored by Pure Spreads
Joint winners
Pure Flavour Lemon and vanilla sponge
‘Excellent – lovely lemony flavour – great light texture – tastes and looks deliciously homemade – and is both gluten and dairy free!’
Gluten Free Kitchen Victoria sponge
‘Really authentic Victoria sponge – would never know it was not a ’normal cake’ even though it is dairy and gluten free – very light, good looking and tasting cake – generous filling – great jam.’
Highly commended
The Healthy Cake Company Lemon and coconut cake
‘Excellent, textured cake – full of flavour – delicious.’
Winona’s Midnight Sin
‘Really gooey and dark, not too sweet but rich and tasty – chocolatey temptation.’
Commended
Gluten Free Goodies Victoria sponge
‘Well flavoured Victoria sponge – not too sweet but with good flavour and mouth-feel.’
Livwell Victoria sponge
‘Not too sweet, firm texture but good flavour – good shop-bought cake.’
Tesco Victoria sponge
‘Looks good for a shop-bought cake – a bit sweet but good mouth-feel and pleasant.’
Trubitz Victoria sponge
‘More like a Madeira cake in texture but very pleasant with a hint of banana….’
Droppa and Droppa Fruit cake
‘Plenty of fruit – nice mature tasting cake but rather crumbly.’
Return to top
11. Puddings, sweet pies, desserts and cheesecakes
– sponsored by Swedish Glacé
Winner
Gluten Free Goodies Syrup sponge
‘Beautiful, rich and syrupy with a perfect level of sweetness. A few luscious mouthfuls would finish off a meal perfectly. And it is gluten and dairy free.’
Highly commended
Christine’s Sticky toffee pudding
‘Excellent in every way – yummy, delicious – very rich and sweet – what a shame it is not dairy free too…’
Hunter’s Sticky toffee pudding
‘Deep toffee flavour – an all round success – light sponge, lush sauce – but, sadly, not dairy free.’
Commended
Intolerable Food Company Pecan and toffee tart
‘Very good crisp pastry and excellent innards – tempting and piquant.’
OK Foods Treacle tart
‘Excellent - lovely and treacley - good firm pastry and delicious filling.’
Return to top
12. Chocolate and sweet snacks
Winner
BoojaBooja Organic ginger wine truffles
‘BoojaBooja continue to produce fantastic tasting chocolates that just happen to be free-from. These ginger wine truffles show that you don’t have to sacrifice flavour to go freefrom.’
‘Melt in the mouth – lovely balance of ginger – truffles to die for – who needs cream….’
Highly commended
No Nuts… Just Chocolate 74% chocolate
‘Gorgeous dark, bitter chocolate – smooth, darkest dark – pure chocolate taste.’
Billy Goat Stuff White chocolate
‘Attractive bee moulds and excellent white chocolate – for white chocolate lovers.’
Fruitus Chewy apricot bites
‘Great child’s snack – very authentic apricot taste – natural, soft, chewy…’
Commended
BoojaBooja Organic around midnight espresso truffles
‘Fabulous smooth, rich and grainy with a real coffee kick.’
Conscious Food Sesame chews
‘Excellent flavour – nice sticky sesame mix and crunchy texture.’
Return to top
13. Christmas products
Joint winners
Cooperative Food Nut-free, gluten-free, wheat-free Christmas pudding
‘Very fruity, rich, sweet and yummy – loads of fruit – traditional – delicious smell and taste.’
Trubitz Christmas pie
‘Excellent fruit, lovely pastry and pleasantly spiced – yummy.’
Highly commended
Barkat Gluten and wheat-free Christmas pudding
‘Really very good, warm flavours, deep and not too heavy.’
Droppa and Droppa Christmas cake
‘Traditional and fruity – lovely boozy taste – great Christmas cake.’
It’s Nut Free Christmas mincemeat
‘Nice big fruity chunks with a fresh lemony edge – lovely.’
Commended
The Right Ingredient Cake Co Christmas cake
‘A full-bodied classic with plenty of fruit and great icing.’
Especially Delicious Christmas cupcakes
‘Excellent pretty Christmas alternative. Lovely sponge and lots of good brandy icing.’
Return to top
14. Products manufactured in a nut-free environment
Winner
It’s Nut Free Christmas mincemeat
'Very sweet but a good apple flavour - nice big fruity chunks with a fresh lemony edge – lovely.’
Highly commended
No Nuts… Just Chocolate 74% chocolate
‘Gorgeous dark, bitter chocolate – smooth, darkest dark – pure chocolate taste.’
Proceli Fresh brown seeded rolls
‘Nice seedy combination – a bit solid and cakey but good’
Commended
Trubitz Raisin cookies
‘All round excellent classic soft cookie.’
Orgran Dinosaur whole fruit cookies
‘Perfect size and shape for kids – chewy, fruity and not too sweet.’
Return to top
15. Gluten-free beer
Joint winners
Estrella Damm Estrella Daura ABV 5.4%
‘Nice beer smell - spicy, citrus palette – refreshing and very drinkable.’
Green’s Premium Golden Ale ABV 4.8%
‘True beer aroma – like canned bitter. Good flavour and very quaffable.’
Highly commended
Wold Top Brewery Against the Grain ABV 4.5%
‘Floral aroma, nice hoppy palette, dry and delicate.’
Commended
St Peter’s Brewery G-Free ABV 4.2%
‘Interesting taste and aroma – toffee, fruity, caramel flavour – dry aftertaste.’
Return to top
If you have any queries or would like to talk to us about the project - please email
Michelle or call on 020 7722 2866
To find out about sponsorship opportunities click here.
|
