Winners of the 2011 awards
presented by Antony Worrall Thompson
on Wednesday, 6th April
at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London
Click here for the presentation speech
Winner of the
FAIR Trophy
for the best
free-from food
2011
Doves Farm – Gluten and wheat free white self-raising flour blend
Ask any 'freefrom' cook what is the most useful ingredient in their kitchen and they will say, a reliable gluten-free flour. Ask them which flour they use and the chances are that it will be Doves Farm.
'The Doves Farm range of freefrom flours have formed the backbone of much of the UK's freefrom baking over the last five years so it is fantastic to see one of their most successful flours get the recognition that that they all deserve.'
Runners up
Delamere Dairy – Goat's butter
‘This is the nicest goat’s butter I have ever eaten – no goat aroma, nice salty creamy taste, slight hint of goat in the flavour but in a most pleasant way, deliciously balanced’.
Dietary Specials – Brown Ciabatta rolls
‘Excellent flavour, nicely acidic, smells like bread, lovely and nutty, nicely doughy, good flavour and chewiness.'
Doves Farm – Batter mix and Biscuit crumb
'Both excellent products with a wide range of uses within the catering industry. Very much needed!'
Innovation Award – Sponsored by Livwell
Winner
Mamma Cucina gluten, wheat, dairy
and egg-free vegetable quiche
The judges were deeply impressed that Mamma Cucina had managed to create a perfectly pleasant, enjoyable quiche
without using wheat, dairy products or
eggs – all normally considered essential ingredients in any quiche. Genuinely innovative manufacture to create a hugely useful product for those with multiple
allergies or intolerances.
Commended
Le Sojami Dairy Free Speciality Basil Alternative to Soft Cheese
The judges found it hard to believe that the Le Sojami 'cheese' with its 'soft creamy texture and nicely acidic, piquant bite' could be soya based. 'One of the nicest soft cheese alternatives I’ve ever had.'
Moo Free Praline Chocolates
'A real treat for
someone on a dairy free diet. A difficult product to make, well executed and attractive although very sweet.'
Individual Categories:
1. Dairy and/or lactose-free animal milk, butter and yogurt
2. Plant (soya, rice,oat, nut, potato) 'milk', spread, yogurt and 'cheese'
3. Breakfast cereals
4. Breads and bread mixes
5. Pasta and pizza bases/mixes
6. Foods manufactured for food service
7. Ingredients: flour, stock, pastry/pastry mixes and sauces
8. Savoury pies, flans, pizzas, sausages and ready meals
9. Savoury biscuits and snacks
10. Scones, sweet tarts, Bakewells, flapjacks, brownies
11. Sweet biscuits and cookies
12. Cakes, muffins and cake mixes
13. Puddings, sweet pies, desserts and cheesecakes
14. Chocolate and sweet snacks
15. Christmas products
16. Gluten-free beer
1. Dairy and/or lactose free animal milk, butter and yogurt
Sponsored by Swedish Glace
Winner
Delamere Dairy – Goat's butter
‘This is the nicest goat’s butter I have ever eaten – no goat aroma, nice salty creamy taste, slight hint of goat in the flavour but in a most pleasant way, deliciously balanced’.
Highly commended
Delamere Dairy – Semi-skimmed goat’s milk
The judges were hard pushed to discover any goat flavour in this milk at all – very mild and very pleasant.'
Woodlands Dairy – Organic sheep milk natural live yogurt
'Lovely – slightly acidic/sour but positively so, creamy, smooth, excellent.'
Commended
Lactofree – Semi-skimmed dairy drink
'
A perfectly ordinary, fresh milk! You would never have known that it was not a normal semi-skimmed milk.'
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2. Plant (soya, rice,oat, nut, potato) 'milk', spread and 'cheese'
Sponsored by Delamere Dairy
Joint Winners
Hain Celestial – Rice Dream
'All the judges commented on how light, clear, mild, white and versatile this rice milk was. An excellent flavour for rice milk.'
Le Sojami – Fresh soya paté with olives
‘Really good aroma of olives, texture good - bit like hummus / tahini, creamy, velvety, delicate… A winner!’
Highly commended
Essence of Eden – 100% Organic premium coconut oil
‘Very creamy, clear, white coconut butter – light, coconutty aroma, smooth and not grainy, excellent mild but distinct fresh coconut flavour…’
Good Hemp – Dairy-free alternative to milk
‘Amazing – you scarcely taste the hemp at all. A nice creamy texture and strong vanilla flavour.'
Organico Real Foods – Isola Bio spelt drink
'Not too sweet, the grain flavour does comes through, good texture, rounded flavour, very interesting.’
Commended
Le Sojami – Dairy-free speciality garlic and mixed herbs alternative to soft cheese
The judges thought that this looked just like a normal cream cheese, although the texture was somewhat softer – and they loved the strong garlic and herb hit.
Tesco – Sweetened soya alternative to dairy milk
'A very pleasant creamy soya milk – sweet without being over poweringly so.'
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3. Breakfast cereals
Sponsored by Tesco
Winner
Nature's Path – Organic Mesa Sunrise
'Intriguingly specked appearance, golden brown, lovely crisp crunch, nice cerealy taste – just what a cornflake should be – a winner’.
Highly commended
Hale & Hearty – Organic Choco Jungle Cereal
The judges liked the fact that. although aimed at children, this cereal was not too sweet and used a really good, bitter cocoa and – not only was it very crunchy when dry but retained its crunch when milk was added.
Juvela – Fibre flakes
‘Really good bran flakes – did what they said on the pack. Not pretentious, not too sweet, nicely crunchy, quite ‘bumpy’ and textured, you can taste the bran and they taste good with milk. A good start to the day!'
Commended
Eat Natural – Buckwheat Muesli
The judges liked the generous but balanced mix of fruits and seeds and the toasted coconut, but felt that it was a shame that extra sugar had been added as with that number of fruits it really was not needed.
Juvela – Special Flakes with red berries
'Lovely sharp tang to the fruit – bright fruit and healthy, crunchy flakes’.
Nairns – Oat muesli
'Excellent mainstream muesli with a good mix of fruits which entirely conceal the added buckwheat.'
Nairns – Porridge oats
‘Excellent, creamy, nutty taste, firm chewy texture’
The Living Food Kitchen – Raw buckwheat granola
‘Like cereal bar brittle – odd but nice combination of flavours – super crunchy, very seedy, tastes healthy and delicious.’
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4. Breads and bread mixes
Sponsored by Tesco
Winner
Dietary Specials – Brown Ciabatta rolls
‘Excellent flavour, nicely acidic, smells like bread, lovely and nutty, nicely doughy, good flavour and chewiness.'
Highly commended
Marks & Spencer – Made-without-wheat brown seeded bread
‘Lovely textured bread – soft and spongy – with a great range of seeds. Would make excellent sandwiches.'
Tesco – FreeFrom fresh brown rolls
‘Almost impossible to tell this roll from a standard non-gluten-free brown roll. Lovely rustic millet flakes on top and a nice springy texture.'
Commended
Glutafin – Select gluten-free fresh brown bread
'A soft textured bread with a strong molasses aroma and lots of seeds – a good look-alike for a non-gluten-free brown bread.'
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5. Pasta and pizza bases/mixes
Sponsored by Produced in Italy
Winner
Hale & Hearty – Quinoa and rice penne
‘An unusual and successful pasta. Soft but still al dente with a delicious, grainy, earthy taste.’
Highly commended
Morrisons – Freefrom fusilli
'An excellent alternative to a conventional durum wheat pasta – a good firm texture, springy and pleasing with plenty of bite – and an attractive yellow colour.'
Rizopia Organic brown rice spaghetti
'Great twiddling spaghetti – really good texture – the brown rice makes it quite whole-foody.'
Commended
Farabella – Gnocchi
‘A great addition to the gluten-free offer – never seen anything like them before.'
Rizopia – Organic brown rice lasagne
‘Great to eat such a tasty lasagne again! Very well made product.'
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6. Foods manufactured for food service
Sponsored by Lactofree
Joint winners
Doves Farm – Batter mix
‘A crisp, light, fine, tasty batter with a great aroma and a great ingredients list!'
Doves Farm – Fairtrade biscuit crumb
'An extremely useful freefrom/gluten-free product filling a gaping gap whole in the catering market. A good, if rather sweet, digestive taste – an excellent cheesecake base.'
Highly commended
Red House Foods – Chicken grill for schools, bread crumbed and battered
'An improvement, the judges thought, on the equivalent, non-freefrom coated chicken! Really great for the school market as it could be used for all the children not just those gluten-free diets.'
Seagreens – Mineral salt
‘Interesting complex flavour – a good salt hit, and an excellent way of improving nutrient profile.'
Commended
Doves Farm – Sponge and muffin mix
‘‘A very useful sponge as a cake and as a base – excellent aroma and texture if a bit sweet.'
Doves Farm – Fairtrade sweet biscuits
‘Extremely useful catering product – ideal as an accompaniment to tea, coffee or desserts in a restaurant or coffee bar setting.
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7. Ingredients: flour, stock, pastry, sauces
Sponsored by Asda
Winner
Doves Farm – Gluten and wheat free white self-raising flour blend
'You would never have know it was gluten-free – works just like a conventional self raising flour. A hugely useful product for the gluten-free market.'
Highly commended
AWT – Gluten-free vegetable stock cubes
'An excellent stock cube, useful in all applications, with a nice, fresh vegetable taste.’
Dietary Specials – Frozen shortcrust pastry
'It looks good and although it is a little crumbly and maybe a touch too salty, it is an extremely useful and convenient addition to a gluten-free larder.'
Commended
The Black Farmer – Sweet and spicy tomato sauce
‘Warm, comforting, aromatic – complex flavours, good tomato content, lots of character.'
Tideford Organics – Ragu a la Bolognese
'A very nice Bolognese – good to see such a standard product in the freefrom offer.'
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8. Savoury pies, flans, pizzas and ready meals
Sponsored by Genon Laboratories
Joint Winners
Look What We Found – Spiced lamb meatballs
'Really clean ingredients list, well flavoured lamb, a nice kick to the tomato sauce which although it has lots of flavour, does not overwhelm the lamb – good texture to the lamb – and extremely easy to store and to reheat. All round excellent product.'
The Black Farmer – Premium pork sausages
'Really good classic sausages, not too salty but with an excellent meat content and a good flavour.'
Highly commended
Honeybuns – Little savoury tart
'Delicious little tart – but then how could it not be with that lovely cheesey filling! But the gluten-free pastry encases it nicely.'
Look What We Found – Beef and pork meatballs
'Really clean ingredients list – plenty of texture to the meat and lots of flavour in he sauce. And oh so convenient!'
Musks – Gluten-free sausages
'Would never have known they were gluten-free. Nice clean ingredients list and not too salty or spicy.'
Commended
Fletchers of Auchtermuchty – Original venison sausages
'Lovely clean ingredients list – no sulphites! Pleasantly coarse, quite heavily spiced and plenty of oatmeal – a haggis sausage?'
The Black Farmer – pork, onion and chive sausages
'Good classic sausage – golden and crisp – but maybe a little light on the chives.'
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9. Savoury biscuits and snacks
Sponsored by Goodness Direct
Joint Winners
Clearspring – Organic rice cakes –
Sea vegetable and tamari and Tamari and black sesame
'Excellent rice cakes – crisp yet soft – just enough flavour to enthral the tastebuds without being overpowering – a great snack with edamame.'
Highly commended
Darling Spuds – Sea salt and Modena balsamic vinegar potato crisps
‘Great random shapes and good crisp bite. Very smooth vinegar flavour – usually so harsh in vinegar crisps – and lovely colour.'
Commended
Conscious Foods – Mumbai masala munch
'Great combination of flavours, textures and spicing – strong, but nice, coconut notes.'
Hale & Hearty – Superbly spiced vegetarian cassava crisps
‘Very attractive crisps with a pleasing, warm flavour and a slightly sweet aftertaste.'
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10. Scones, sweet tarts and brownies
Sponsored by the Food and Drink Innovation Network
Winner
Go Free Foods – Chocolate and almond brownies
‘A classic brownie but with really interesting ingredients, including carrot, which give it a complex and moreish flavour and a lovely grainy texture. And it managed to be gluten, wheat, dairy and soya free!'
Highly commended
Morrisons – FreeFrom treacle tart
‘A dead ringer for a normal shop bought treacle tart with nice crisp pastry and a treacley but not over sweet filling.'
Sugargrain – Fresh raspberry and white chocolate brownie
‘Very decadent... Great combination of fresh raspberries and chocolate in these well-flavoured, luscious brownies.
Commended
BlueBasil – Gluten-free classic chunky chocolate brownie
The judges really liked the rich, moist texture and these loaded-with-chocolate very home-made looking brownies.
Honeybuns – Snowy Hills cake bar
‘Look luscious, smells lovely and lemony – great ingredients but almost too much going on. Would never know it was gluten free.'
Peace of Cake – Blueberry muffin
‘You would never know it was not a normal blueberry muffin – lots of fruit and a nice clean ingredients list.'
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11. Sweet biscuits and cookies
Winner
Pourtoi – Raisin chocolate chip cookies
The judges loved these oversize, very 'home-made' gooey-middled chocolate cookies. They particularly liked both the taste and texture of the 'surprise' hidden raisins.
Highly commended
Kent & Fraser – Spicy ginger crunchy cookies
‘Great ginger aroma and flavour – beautifully crisp and crunchy. A really good plain ginger biscuit.'
Trufree – Chocolate fingers
'The perfect look-a-like product – indistinguishable from the much loved non-freefrom original – just a little crisper. Very ‘comforting!'
Commended
Marks & Spencers – Caramel pecan crunch square
'Really tempting squares with a great combination of textures and flavours – but very sweet.'
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12. Cakes and cake mixes
Sponsored by Mrs Crimble's
Winner
Marks & Spencer – Almond frangipane traybake
‘A perfectly balanced classic almond frangipane with plenty of good quality almonds and almond aroma and an excellent, soft, moist sticky, rich texture. A pleasure to eat'.
Highly commended
Christine's – Hot toddy cake
The judges loved this cute little fruit cake – its spicy aroma, the inclusion of the gingery marmalade and the simplicity of the ingredients.
Steph's FreeFrom Cakes – Battenburg
‘Excellent 'replica' Battenberg – really like the natural colours, the fact that it is not too sweet and that it is also dairy free.'
Sugargrain – Zesty lemon polenta cake
The judges liked the slightly grainy moist texture and the heavy use of fresh lemons in this cake. ‘Lovely golden and sticky polenta cake.’
Commended
Eat Me Organic – Chocolate delight cupcake
The judges were really impressed with the innovative freefrom ingredients in these cupcakes – including black beans and coconut oil – which worked especially well in the chocolate cupcakes with their towering piles of icing!
Sugargrain – Spiced carrot cake with fresh orange icing
‘Delicious looking and moist textured cake with a lovely authentically orange icing.'
The Cake Crusader – Lemon drizzle cake
‘Very homely, traditional and pretty cake with a lovely crusty, sugary topping.'
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13. Puddings, sweet pies, desserts and cheesecakes
Sponsored by Hale & Hearty
Winner
BoojaBooja – Stuff in a Tub Hunky punky chocolate
'Gorgeous ice cream! Really love this – very tasty, not overly sweet – the cocoa and cashew compliment each other so well…’
Highly commended
EasyGlut – Crème caramel mix
‘Classic crème caramel even though it contains no eggs and was made up with soya milk – just the right creamy texture and a good caramel.'
Commended
Finax – Shake'N Bake Pancake mix
‘A good traditional pancake – slightly chewy texture and quite bland in flavour, ready to enclose any kind of filling.'
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14. Chocolate and sweet snacks
Sponsored by Tesco
Joint Winners
Chocolate: Go*Do – Chocolate bar (milk, gluten & wheat free)
‘Excellent aroma, good clean break, nice melt away, great chocolate flavour – gorgeous chocolate.'
Sweet snacks: Conscious Food – Ginger crunch
'A really interesting, imaginative and successful treatment of a classic product. But next time, even more ginger please!'
Highly commended
Chocolate:
Celtic Chocolates – Caramel flavoured choices (milk, egg, gluten & wheat free)
‘An excellent luxury freefrom product for the gift market – deliciously creamy, but very sweet, caramel filling.'
MooFree – Chocolate pralines(milk, egg, gluten & wheat free)
The judges were very impressed with the technical expertise involved in creating such a good looking product with a real ‘milk’ chocolate flavour.
Tesco – Choc 'n' Orange bars (milk, gluten & wheat free)
‘Well judged product for its market – pleasant texture, good bite, positive but not overpowering orange flavour, nicely creamy.'
Sweet snacks:
Castus – Be Fruity fruit bars with fig
‘If you like figs, this ticks every box! Lovely soft texture and great to see no added sugar in a bar.'
Commended
Chocolate:
Plamil – No-added sugar coffee chocolate (milk, egg, gluten, nut & wheat free)
‘Really powerful expresso hit – fantastic freefrom credentials – this bar does what it says on the pack!'
Pourtoi – Luxury chocolate selection (milk, gluten & wheat free)
The judges were impressed with the decadent, luxury presentation of these chocolates – a great addition to the dairy-free offer.
Sweet snacks:
Morrisons – FreeFrom fruit and nut bars
‘Nice clean taste from the high rice content – good nut chunks.'
Pack Tunch – Pinapple and coconut snack bars
‘A very tasty 'round' bar! Lovely strong concentration of dates holds its own with the coconut.'
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15. Christmas products
Sponsored by Genius Gluten Free
Winner
Sainsbury – FreeFrom Christmas pudding
'An excellent Christmas pud – lovely fruity flavours, dark, complex but citrusy taste, splendid mouthfeel and enough booze without being overpowering!'
Highly commended
Livwell – Iced Christmas cake
The judges enjoyed the tasty fruit, pleasant fruity aroma and excellent marzipan of this nicely moist loaf cake.
Mrs Crimble's – Stuffing mix
Great stuffing – light and fluffy, full of flavour, soft and satisfying, smells delicious, can taste the sage….’
Commended
Hale & Hearty – Christmas pudding
‘A moist and satisfying pudding with plenty of fruit – smooth and good looking.’
MooFree – Christmas advent calendar
'Great to see a dairy-free advent calendar – the chocolate tastes convincingly ‘milky’ and has a smooth mouthfeel and a pleasant aftertaste.'
Sainsbury's – Freefrom iced Christmas cake
The judges liked this cake’s rich, fruity flavour with its strong fig notes.
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16. Gluten-free beer
Sponsored by Asda
Winner
Green’s – Bottle Refermented Blonde Ale
'Golden honey coloured ale with a tight foaming head and a complex bitter/sweet finish.'
Highly commended
Mongozo – Premier Pilsener
‘A bright, clear, light, golden lager with a tight head. Tastes like normal lager.'
Green’s – Bottle Refermented Dark Ale
'A dark ale with ruby hues and a thick creamy head. Rich and complex with a very more-ish feel.'
Commended
Estrella Damm – Estrella Daura ABV 5.4%
‘Bright and clear with minimal head and a nice beery aroma. Tastes just like pub lager!'
Green’s – Premium Golden Ale
'Light amber colour with tight head. Refreshing, clean, malty, generic. Like John Smiths from a can!'
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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.
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