LadyXxXLilac: March 2014

Sunday 30 March 2014

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks

Having always like Nairns before I became GF I was happy to find at the Allergy and Free From Show 2013 (speaking of which I need to ensure I have a load of cash to spend at the show this year!) that they had launched a GF range.

At the time they only had two varieties, Oats and Syrup or Oats and Fruit, but recently when I was browsing on the Tesco website I noticed that they had a new variety, Chocolate Chip.

I then went into a Tesco and found them amongst the limited offering of GF products on the shelf and without hesitation picked them up.

As with all of their ranges the biscuits come in packs of 4 with 4 biscuits in each, (actually I think the non GF biscuits have more in each pack).

As always Nairns never let you down, GF or not I can honestly say there is not a difference in quality or taste and I feel like I am eating a "normal biscuit"!

Prewett's - Jammy Wheels

Genius - Chocolate Cupcakes

Free From Cheese Crackers

Newburn Bakehouse - Blueberry and Cranberry Muffins

Waitrose Free From - Fruit Scones

Genius Croissants and Pains au Chocolat

Udi's Muffins

Snack - M&S Mini Coconut Macaroons

Saturday 29 March 2014

Udi's White Rolls

Yet again shopping in my local Asda and the Genuis bread is out of stock! Then I spotted these, udi's white rolls.

Since I have liked the other udi's products so far I thought I would give this a try in the hope that if I liked it then I would have another alternative for bread.

They are very soft, as described on the packet, but from the look of the roll I thought it would have that just baked chewy kind of crust. Unfortunately not but that being said the roll holds well when cut and has a great bread consistency.

I made a ham and cheese (using lactofree mature cheddar) roll and this was my second roll of the day! I made just a ham roll for lunch that I took to work and enjoyed it so much that I decided on another for dinner!

I would defo buy these rolls again and I am even more tempted now to try their loaf when I can actually find it in store!

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint by Barry M

I have been debating whether to get shellac nails for a long time as I use to regularly get acrylics and then moved on to silk wrap and then gel nails.

After seeing Fuse Gelnamel starter kit I was tempted but some reviews put me off. Then I spotted Models Own Hyper Gel Polishes and thought is it really possible to have a nail polish act like a gel that does not need to be cured under UV?!?

Several reviews later I noticed that people were comparing these to the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint by Barry M so decided that this would be the place to start.

I chose a light pink (dragon 344) and a dark purple (plum 348). They were £3.99 each but Superdrugs currently have them on offer at 2 for £6.

The pink didn't seem to be as thick as the purple and definitely needed more than one coat.

When I applied the nail polish it seemed streaky at first but if you leave it for a few seconds (once applied to the nail) it evens itself out.

As you can see I used the pink for an "accent nail" and I think it came out quite well.

The directions say you should use a base coat but doesn't suggest a top coat, I assume this is due to the Hi Shine finish that the nail polish already has!

Maybe the only difference between this and gel polish, is how long the polish last's before it begins to chip!

Primark P.S. Love Nail Polish & Gel Effect Top Coat

Mix n Match Nails

ManiPedi - Shellac Nails

Rimmel London 60 Seconds - 510 Euphoria

Saturday 22 March 2014

Genius Croissants and Pains au Chocolat

I was very excited to find these in Asda, but they had already sold out of the Pains an Chocolat, so I grabbed the Croissants eagerly.

As I left Asda I suddenly realised I had no jam at home but thought "oh well" and continued on my way.

When I got ready to try the Croissants I opened the packet and immediately thought that they looked a bit small.

Nevertheless I popped them in the oven for 10 minutes to be "refreshed" as it instructed on the back of the pack.

The smell was amazing and I could not wait to open the oven and dig in.

It was not love at first bite, seemed a bit dry (and very hot, was very impatient) so I decided to let it sit a while before I continued.

The pastry is good, not as soft and buttery as your standard croissant, but a close try for a GF alternative. I decided that I definitely need some jam when I buy them again.

The Pains au Chocolat was a perfect treat to find when I went back to Asda, with only 2 on the shelf I knew I couldn't leave it behind.

These looked and felt like what I was use to before being GF so I had high expectations when I opened the pack and popped one in the oven.

Again the smell filled the kitchen and I literally couldn't wait for the 10 minutes to be over.

The first bite was amazing, warm pastry and chocolate, not too sweet, yum!

However, it could do with a bit more chocolate for the amount of pastry, but defo a treat that will be purchased again!

Prewett's - Jammy Wheels

Genius - Chocolate Cupcakes

Free From Cheese Crackers

Newburn Bakehouse - Blueberry and Cranberry Muffins

Waitrose Free From - Fruit Scones

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks

Udi's Muffins

Snack - M&S Mini Coconut Macaroons

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Eating Out Gluten Free - Pizza Express

Yesterday was my brothers birthday so we had a nice family dinner at Pizza Express, which also gave me a chance to try out their GF pizza base.

Out of their pizza choices you can hav a GF base from their Romana and Classic pizzas, so their was enough choice. View menu http://www.pizzaexpress.com/our-food/our-restaurant-menu/glutenfree/

I decided on the Pollo ad Astra which is Chicken, peppadew sweet peppers, cajun spices, garlic oil, red onions. But I asked for no cheese!

It was actually pretty good and I didn't even miss the cheese. Only down side was that the GF bases are smaller than the regular base.

I was planning to save half and bring it home to add cheese to it but I pretty much scoffed the lot (bar one or two bites) along with a mixed salad.

All in all I can't complain about the food, it didn't bloat me like regular pizza would and I will definatley go back and try out a few different toppings!

Cake made by my Mum, not GF so I could not sample it :(

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Udi's Muffins

All I gotta say is YUM!

Toffee

Chocolate Chip

Prewett's - Jammy Wheels

Genius - Chocolate Cupcakes

Free From Cheese Crackers

Newburn Bakehouse - Blueberry and Cranberry Muffins

Waitrose Free From - Fruit Scones

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks

Genius Croissants and Pains au Chocolat

Snack - M&S Mini Coconut Macaroons

Sunday 9 March 2014

Gluten Free Goodies

Here are a few new things I picked up this week whilst out and about.

I found these in Sainsburys and thought "yum" as I use to love them both before I went GF.

However my first bite of the Pink Panther wafers was not pleasant, first word that came to mind was dry and second was tasteless. Not impressed at all. I tried again a couple of days later and there was no difference. Needless to say I will not be buying these again.

On the other hand the Jaffa Cakes by Kelkin were not bad at all, the only bad point is that the cake base is a little on the dry side, but other than that they have the great orangey chocolatey taste just like I remember.

I originally picked up the chocolate flavored Trek bar in Sainsburys and it was so good that when I saw them in Asda a few days later I picked up some more.

Flapjacks use to be my easy go to breakfast or snack before becoming GF, so I'm glad I have finally found a brand that is GF and also nut free.

From what I have tried so far, they are moist, flavoursome and filling.

This flapjack by Linsuit looked interesting when I saw it sitting on the shelf in Asda so I thought it would be good to try and then make a comparison to the Trek bars.

I bought the Udi's muffins last week and only after I had devoured them I realised I hadn't taken any pictures!

Surprisingly it is one chocolate chip muffin and one toffee muffin. I assumed the flavours were combined, so when I bit into the toffee muffin first I was shocked that there was no chocolate chips (duh!).

That was my only disappointment, I can not fault them at all as they are moist, moreish and flavoursome!

So when I saw the last pack on the shelf in Asda I grabbed it with both hands.

After hearing so much about the new Genuis products I was excited to finally find the croissants in Asda. It looks like they stock the Pain Au Chocolate as well but there was none on the shelf.

When I read the back of the pack it looks like these have to be put into the oven for about 10 mins before eating, so not a grab n go kinda breakfast option.

Allergy and Free From Show - Haul

Foodie Festival - Haul

What I Won With Udi's

Asda and Wholefoods Haul

Thursday 6 March 2014

Snack - M&S Mini Coconut Macaroons

I spotted these this morning when I went into Marks & Spencers looking for a snack as I hadn't had breakfast (I never have breakfast if I have to leave the house early).

So after looking through the rest of the range and prices I decided on these as the other items where cheese crackers and I can't do dairy!

I was surprised when I opened the box to find that they are individually packaged

so perfect for throwing in your bag when you're in need of a snack throughout the day! There was actually 5 in the box but I ate one before I took the picture.

Taste - I have no complaints, full coconut flavour, not too sweet, moist and doesn't crumble.

Maybe I will need to try out the rest of the range, previously I had only tried their bread and fruit loaf, but it looks like they have added a lot more. Well worth a trip to one of the larger stores in London!

Prewett's - Jammy Wheels

Genius - Chocolate Cupcakes

Free From Cheese Crackers

Newburn Bakehouse - Blueberry and Cranberry Muffins

Waitrose Free From - Fruit Scones

Nairns Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks

Genius Croissants and Pains au Chocolat

Udi's Muffins

Sunday 2 March 2014

Breakfast - BFree Wraps

As I was unable to get any Genius bread these past few weeks I have been using BFree Wraps instead.

I first tried these after I bought them at the Allergy & Free From Show 2013, seeing their stand and spying the wraps I was so excited because before I went GF I use to eat wraps daily, sometimes with no filling!

It took a while but they finally made it into my local Asda store, they are the only GF wrap that I have tried and I have no complaints so would not go looking for another brand (unless Genius added wraps to their range).

So for breakfast this morning with no Genius bread in sight I used the BFree wrap for my egg and bacon this morning.

Ok I actually have one complaint, if you put to much filling in the wrap it doesn't hold well and starts to split right in the middle, but at least it doesn't crumble!

Dohertys - Gluten Free Thick Pork Sausages

Breakfast - Eggs, Ham and Spinach

Breakfast - lactofree & udi's

Sunday Breakfast with Genius

Saturday 1 March 2014

Whole Foods - Juice Bar

I decided to try out the juice bar that they have in Whole Foods today because I have been seeing everyone on YouTube with their Green Juices and Bubble Tea, so as Whole Foods is the only place I know of in my immediate area to get fresh juices and smoothies I thought I would give it a go.

I chose the Green Machine, I can't remember all of the ingredients but I know it had apple juice, celery (which was the main ingredient I could taste), wheatgrass and some other "green ingredients".

On first taste it was ok just the celery overpowers the whole thing, you can taste the apple juice which helps sweeten it, but I'm a bit disappointed that they don't add ice! I think it was taste much better if it was ice cold and it would make it more refreshing as well.

Would I buy another one? Yes, but I would take some ice with me!