Fabulous Finds for July - Free From Special

My visit to the Free From and Allergy Show introduced me to a huge number of dairy free products I wasn't familiar with. I dedicatedly munched and slurped my way through them to find the best of the bunch. I found so many products to recommend that this month I have an extra addition of Fabulous Finds to showcase the Free From finds.

A collage of photographs showing the free from products highlighted in the post

Koko Dairy Free Milk

The unsweetened milk from Koko Dairy Free tastes great and not of coconuts which was a surprise (it's made from coconut). What I love most though is this is the first dairy free milk I have found which tastes ok in tea and coffee. The taste is subtle enough that I can actually taste the tea, but more importantly it doesn’t curdle when you add it. I’m used to drinking my tea and coffee black since I stopped having dairy, because when I add my normal almond milk to coffee I have to wait until it’s about 60 degrees (or cooler) so the milk doesn’t separate. I tried adding the Koko milk straight after adding water and even then it was perfect.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Nuts, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

Koko Dairy Free Yoghurt Alternative

Koko Dairy Free Yoghurts taste great. They are an affordable alternative to yoghurt for people who want to avoid dairy and soya. They come in a range of flavours including Strawberry, Peach & Passionfruit and Coconut & Lemon. I'm personally not a fan of the Coconut & Lemon variety because there are small coconut pieces in it, but my toddler happily finished the pot off. The other flavours are delicious though. They also have large pots of plain yoghurt. Unlike most coconut based yoghurts these taste closer to actual yoghurt and they don't have the underlying coconut flavour (other than the one that is meant too).
(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Nuts, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

2 pack of yoghurts in cardboard packaging

Nakd Lemon Drizzle Bar

I love Nakd bars because they feel healthy, they are filling and they are tasty. There are a few new flavours out including: Cocoa Coconut, Peanut Delight and Lemon Drizzle. I’m not a big fan of bounties or snickers so it’s not surprising I wasn’t a big fan of the first two flavours, but I love the limited edition Lemon Drizzle bar. It smells and tastes just like you have taken a bite out of a lemon drizzle cake, but it is made from dates, raisins, almonds, coconut, cashews, lemon and a hint of natural flavourings. You can taste the coconut pieces, but they are less obvious than in the Cocoa Coconut bars so I still enjoy them.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

A single bar of nakd lemon drizzle in a yellow packet

Nakd Posh Bits

Nakd bars go posh. These Posh Bits are deliciously moreish and I have had to hide them from my toddler who started climbing on the table to get to the packet. The Cocoa Raspberry ones are my favourite, but it's a close call. Each 130g resealable pack has lots of little bits in a variety of shapes, including cute hearts. They are sweet enough for when I want something sugary, but as they are just dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa, rice flour and either raspberries, sea salt or mandarin, I don't feel I'm being naughty. In fact a 35g portion is 1 of your 5 a day!

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

Two packets of Nakd posh bits, one is ripped open with brown bits spilling out

Hangry Bars

I loved these from the moment I saw the name. Hangry bars were created to keep glucose levels stable and high (and to stop people getting hangry). They are made from dried fruits, oats, nuts and seeds. The bars are designed to appeal to children, but they are perfect for adults as a snack too.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

3 Hangry food co. bars: a brown one in cranky cocoa, a red one in berry the rage and a beige one in original nutter

Violife Creamy

I have searched for months to find a dairy free cheese and despite buying all the fake cheeses recommended by friends and online I haven’t found any I have been happy with. There is a smell and taste consistent to all of them which I really don’t like so I can’t even finish the packets. At the Free From Show Violife had a stall where they had a tasters of their huge range of dairy free cheeses. I tried a few and to be honest while they all had differing flavours none of them really surprised me, except one: the Original Creamy.

Creamy has a subtle taste and the consistency is somewhere between Philadelphia and Dairylea. It tastes great on cream crackers and I am looking forward to see what it is like in cooking. I tried making a cream cheese frosting with it and it worked really well. The new Violife packaging looks pretty awesome too.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Nuts, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

A plate with 2 crackers with cream cheese on and a packet of Creamy Violife

Sacla Free From Pesto

Pesto is such a great product to have in the cupboard ready to stir in to pasta for a quick meal. I love both the tomato and basil versions, but unfortunately they both have cheese in. Sacla have managed to use their great pesto making knowledge to make dairy free versions which taste great.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs and Wheat. Vegan)

Two jars of Sacla pesto a green jar and a red jar

Angels & Cookies

This gourmet cookie dough from Angels & Cookies is pretty expensive, but it is a great way to do simple baking with your children if they have allergies. All you need to do is scoop cookie dough out onto a baking tray, place in a preheated oven and bake. There are 3 flavours: chocolate fudge, chocolate chip and ginger & spice. They all taste great, but my favourite is the chocolate chip cookies. Free from 14 allergens and great tasting, you don't feel you are missing out on anything with these cookies.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Nuts, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

Lovemore Spiced Pear Pies

You wouldn’t know that these pies from the great pastry people Welsh Hills Bakery are dairy free. They launched the Lovemore brand in 2008 to meet the demand for gluten and wheat free products. A number of their products, like these spiced pear pies are also dairy free. They are deep filled with a mildly spiced pear filling. I’m not the biggest fan of pear, but I love these pies which are even nicer than apple pie.

(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Nuts, Wheat and Soya)

a box of lovemore spiced pear pies open next to a pie

Conscious Organic Raw Chocolate

I tried a couple of these raw chocolate bars from Conscious Chocolate at the Free From and Allergy Show and I really want to try more. The Love Potion no.9 and Mint Hint I had a nibble of were both so full of flavour and a long way from the plain dark chocolate you can quickly get bored off when you don't eat dairy. The love potion no.9 tastes of turkish delight and the mint hint is super minty. The chocolate bars are soft like ganache and taste amazing. I have been keeping them in the fridge to make them a little bit harder, but they still melt in the mouth. The range is huge and includes liqueur flavours like Raucous Rum and Raisin.
(Free From: Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Nuts, Wheat and Soya. Vegan)

2 cardboards boxes containing chocolate. One is pink and brown (love potion no 9) the other is green and brown (mint hint)

BOL Veg Pots

I was introduced to BOL at a Christmas In July event where they had their Salad Bowls to try, only one of these (the Japanese Salad Jar) was dairy free. After the event I was invited to try their Veg Pots. All 4 varieties are vegan (so dairy free) and with 2 of your 5 a day they make a great tasty and filling hot lunch. The Sri Lankan Sambar is mildly spice, Thai Coconut Curry is a bit more spicy and Mexican Sweet Potato Chilli and Jamaican Jerk Curry are meant to be very spicy. I found the Thai Coconut Curry more spicy than the Jamaican Jerk one, but with fresh ingredients there will always be some variations between pots. They were at the top of my comfort level of heat, so if someone is used to eating spiced food they wont find them that hot. With lots of protein they are a good way to fill you up fast with healthy tasty food.

(Free From: Dairy, Eggs, Nuts. Vegan)

3 BOL Veg Pots on a shelf in clear plastic pots showing the contents

***Disclosure: I received samples from Koko Dairy Free, Nakd, Hangry, Violife, Sacla, Cookie & Angels, Lovemore and BOL, but I was under no obligation to post nice things about them***

While I have tried to be accurate with the free from information please check the packaging before buying/ consuming products. They may have traces of allergens and are not necessarily suitable for allergies.

If you missed it, last month I found dairy free treats in the form of: sweets, flapjacks and chocolate spread.

7 comments

Katy S1 August 2017 at 18:22
Haven't seen those koko yoghurts before, I bet Daisy will love them!
Fazeelah1 August 2017 at 19:18
This is amazing. I've seen some of these products in the middle east but they are so expensive. I might have to stock up on some of these when I am back in the uk.
Amy Fox1 August 2017 at 19:55
Oh wow, that is such a good selection and some of them look particularly yummy! The choice is getting much better isn't it? x
Mimiroseandme2 August 2017 at 07:27
Yummy, these looks like some amazing finds! I would love to try the cracker, we have somewhat become a bit obsessed with crackers lately! We've made so big changes to our diet!! So these additions would be perfect!!

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