Review: Sainsbury's Freefrom Soft Multigrain Rolls

A few weeks ago when I was languishing in my hospital bed, the lovely PR team at Sainsbury's sent me some samples from their new bakery selection from the Freefrom range. The range includes a white loaf,  brown multi grain rolls (which I'm reviewing here) and white rolls.


The low down
Started in 2002, Sainsburys 'Freefrom' selection was the first of it's kind to be developed by one of the 'big gun' supermarkets, pipping major retailer Tesco's to the post. Today the range is 200 products strong and Sainsbury's have recently launched the 'new and improved' look as well as the previously mentioned 'fresh bakery' selection.

What Sainsbury's say
"We're proud to be able to add such a delicious selection of fresh bakery products to the Freefrom range"

Price
RRP £2.19 (pack of 4)


My take
From the outset the product looks promising. The packaging is clearer and more concise than the older version and theres less of it, I'm also pleased to see none of the god awful vac-pack so many gluten-free products seem to be sealed in.
The rolls are a decent size (no dreaded micro portions here!) and feels like a 'normal' roll when I slice it up for my lunch, and unlike a few other products in the range it isn't 'par baked' and doesn't need to be heated or toasted, this in turn means less faffing which is especially good if you've not much time to make your lunch or are busy etc.
The rolls themselves are soft without being brittle or the least bit dense the way some gluten-free bread products can be, and they stay in one piece when I butter them without falling apart or cracking.
With regards to taste Sainsbury's have outdone themselves on their already excellently tasting range: the rolls are yummy, filling and tasty, and for all intents and purposes are like a 'normal roll'. Great for making a quick sandwich at lunchtime or taking with you to have 'on the go', they are also great to have with a bowl of soup or with a meal, it's a product that you could probably use as a burger roll as well as for a sandwich.


Verdict
Sainsbury's are cottoning on to the fact that meal times are what many Coeliacs and allergy suffers struggle with. Instead of pushing sweet treats like the biscuits and puddings, they are one of the only supermarkets to put the emphasis on providing quick, easy and affordable meals.
These new additions to the range are a triumph. The updated packaging and the meal time marketing of the products will ensure Sainsbury's Freefrom will be first choice for a lot of people when it comes to choosing not only gluten-free, but dairy free products as well.
The only slightly sour note (and this is me nit-picking) was seeing the fresh bake loaf on the shelves in my local Sainsbury's and noting with disappointment the mini dimensions of it, especially compared to the mighty Genius loaf, but not having tasted the loaf I will hold judgement until I have!
All in all, a brilliant product, fresh, tasty,versatile and great value for money.




For more information on Sainsburys Freefrom range visit their website here.
It's probably also worth mentioning that Sainsbury's magazine do a variety of great gluten-free meals, recipes and ideas, I buy it every month and I always find great recipes which are safe and suitable, so it's well worth a purchase and at £1.60 its one of the cheapest foodie mags on shelves!

Oi, You there, Blog features!

Well, hello there! Don't look at me like that, I've been busy!


Happy 2011!

You may have noticed that 'A Girls Guide...'  has a bit of a re-jig. I'm not planning on keeping it, it's just hanging around until I can get my blog header scanned and I can sort out the layout etc and get my head round this HTML lark yet again.
I actually feel a wee bit sick that I haven't posted a recipe for so long, but I have one today so I can sleep easy tonight! I'm still going to keep all the lard laden recipes this year, but I'm going to work some healthier recipes into the mix. My dads been on at me to find him some heart healthy recipes, which means low fat and low salt, so expect more nutritious recipes this year, and I could do with losing a few pounds before my bum gets it's own postcode.
I really want to move onwards and upwards with this blog, I need to get some sort of proper organisational system down so readers can access the recipes etc better. Also I want to integrate my 30 Before 30 into the blog (more on that another day). Does anyone know any good sites or books which are helpful for blogging?
New years eve, ended predictably with me in bed by ten, although I was up again at midnight cleaning my teeth because I'd forgotten. Not that I'd have been able to sleep with the NASA rockets going off in our next door neighbours garden. Good grief.
This year I'm really going to work at taking better pictures, the light in my house is a bit iffy (any old excuse!) and I'm not entirely sure how to use all the settings on my camera but but, I'm going to strive for better pics!
OK, so the main aim of this post was to go through some blog features that I've been mulling over for a while, there's a few I'm still umming and ahhing over, which I'd really like your opinions on. Don't be shy, if you hate the idea of some of them say, because although this is a personal blog I want to feature posts that I know my readers will like.  I've started off doing A Week in Pictures which I'm carrying on for the new year, but here are my other new features for the new year.

Super-Saver Recipe

• I did start off doing this and promptly forgot that I'd started. Sometimes eating Gluten-Free can be a tad pricey so I'm going to aim to do a few of these posts a month to save everyone some pennies!

Gluten-Free Heroes

• Shops, bakeries, restaurants or people that are shouting loud about gluten-free food. 

'Ingredient' 2 Way's

• A different ingredient every month cooked 2 different ways, which I think will give me and everyone else a chance to try different recipes, I'll probably post the ingredient in advance so if you have any recipes or ideas you can comment or email me.

Blogger of the Month

• A different blog and it's author, once a month. Established, niche or a brand spanking new blog, my favourite will get featured with the low down on what their blogs about and who they are. If you know a great blog or you want me to feature your blog let me know.

I'm also going to feature more reviews of products and restaurants, and a FAQ page so if there's anything you want to ask me the answer will be featured on that page. I also want to do a post called Wonderful You which will feature one of my lovely readers and their recipe of choice, although obviously if no-one submits any recipes this will be ever so slightly redundant so we'll see how it goes!

Katie-Boo k

 

Review: Tru Free Mince Pies

The low down
Established in 1999 Tru Free are considered one of the leading manufacturers of wheat and gluten free snacks and treats, as well as gluten-free versions of well known and favourite biscuits such as custard creams and digestives. Tru Free are relaunching their mince pies at ASDA for Christmas this year.


What Tru Free say
"Our delicious new Mince Pies are ideal for those following these special diets but are equally tasty for the whole family"

Price
RRP £1.50 for a pack of 4

My take
In a word...yummy. The pastry has the same crumbly and soft texture as a non gluten-free mince pie (and dare I say, nicer than some non g/f mince pies) and isn't powdery and chalky like some gluten free pastries, the worst thing in the world is biting into gluten free pastry and feeling like you have a full of talcum powder, so I'm glad to report this isn't the case with these.
The mincemeat is moist, and doesn't have hard bits of chewy peel that you sometimes find. I know some people may like brandy or similar in their mince pies, but I often find it a bit overpowering and you can't taste the mincemeat properly, luckily the Tru Free pies had not even a whiff brandy, but still stayed lovely, moist and gooey.
The pies are a good size with none of those gluten-free mini portions you come across sometimes (very annoying!), I liked the shape and also the ratio of mincemeat filling to pastry.


Verdict
As always Tru Free delivers on value, taste and quality. The easy recognisable packaging reminds you of how popular the brand has now become, and how trusted it now is. The mince pies are soft, buttery with a lovely moist filling, perfect for Xmas and delicious with a glass of mulled wine after dinner. Yum! They were gobbled down within 24 hours! I hope they come to Sainsbury's soon because they really are great value for money for one of the best gluten free products on the market.