I love sugar

Recall alert

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I was perusing the free from aisle in my local Waitrose today when I saw the following product withdrawal sign.

20140331_135057If you are having trouble reading the sign, it states the dairy free chocolate covered raisins by the Fabulous FreeFrom Factory have been recalled due to a few batches showing positive results for milk.

I phoned the distributor, VBites, and was told they had been instructed by the manufacturer to recall the products.

This led me to phone the manufacturer, Winning Ways Fine Foods. I spoke with the wonderfully-helpful Deborah who gave me all the information I asked for (and some I didn’t).

Dairy free chocolate raisins
Dairy free chocolate raisins

Deborah explained how a batch of the product had tested positive for trace amounts of casein, a protein found in dairy milk. The quantity was 12.6 parts per million, an almost undetectable level. But because the company is so fiercely protective of their dairy free claims, they ordered an instant recall of the positive batch and two subsequent batches to be on the safe side.

The batches recalled have the Best Before Dates of End Jan 2015, End Feb 2015 and End March 2015. Deborah stated that even though the risk of allergic reaction is incredibly low, the company decided to take drastic measures by recalling all stock that had the slightest chance of containing traces.

Deborah told me that she, along with her colleagues, has been devastated by this recall. The company can only surmise that their dark chocolate that is certified as completely dairy free was melted in or stored in a container that had previously been used to hold chocolate with traces of dairy.

Fit for a chubby, queer hand

The company is asking anyone with the product featuring the above mentioned best before dates to return them for a refund.

I do feel sorry for Winning Ways Fine Foods as I know how detrimental to a professional reputation a recall can be, especially when the products in question are marketed at the free from sector.

I commend Deborah and her colleagues for the decisive and prompt action they have taken to ensure the tainted product was recalled as quickly as possible. They are assuring all customers that they are doing all they can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Rest assured vegans and dairy avoiders. The Fabulous FreeFrom Factory dairy free chocolate covered raisins are once again suitable for cruelty-free eaters and the dietary sensitive and we should support wonderful and thoughtful companies like Winning Ways. Rejoice!

 

Make your own

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I spotted this in my local Whole Foods Market and I took a few quick photos to share with you all on here. I am hoping someone can tell me if they have used these vegan chocolate making kits and, if they have, if they will tell me about the experience.

All of the ingredients are certified by the Soil Association and the box even has a claim that all ingredients have been tested to be free of dairy, gluten and soya. I really want to try this kit but someone needs to convince me. Is it worth the money?

The Choc Chick brand has the smaller box targeted at young people and a larger, more expensive pack for adults. They even sell individual top up packs of the ingredients. You can see them in the shots below. The kits look like they would be a fun gift for someone special. I love the fact they use Sweet Freedom as the sugar component.

Help! Should I try these?

back front stand

More cake

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There is a lot of vegan cake in London, but is it ever enough? I say no.

Congratulations to the people of Archway in north London. Their suburb is the location of the latest in a long line of 100% vegan cake stalls taking over the street markets of the capital.

A stroll around Archway on Saturday 15th March, 2014 could very well land you with a handful of gluten free, vegan cake if you make time to visit the outdoor market on Holloway Road.

Maria will be working behind the table and selling her homemade creations on a stall called Lilla Gull Cakes. The food-curious will be able to buy brownies topped with caramel corn, savoury muffins, coconut oat balls and more.

The plan is for the home business to be at that location every fortnight before making it more permanent once they are established and have a following.

Is there a vegan cake stall in your local market?

balls crackers cupcake popcorn savoury shoppers sign

Treats for me

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Josh has been in the USA for the past week and a half in Tampa and Philadelphia. I missed him greatly and it was wonderful to welcome him home today… especially when I saw the jumbo bag of vegan snacks and treats he brought with him!

Check out the drool-worthy photos of my bumper haul below.

Are any of your favourites here? Anything you are curious to try?

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On demand

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I used to think I knew what my favourite pastime was… and then I got an email from vegan sweet food producer Scoff asking if I would like to sample their creations. Now my favourite pastime is eating Scoff treats.

Based in Brixton, this new vegan sweet treats provider is changing the game for cruelty-free eating in the UK forever. Their truffles and fudge are decadent, delicious and irresistible. I haven’t often experienced melt in your mouth moments, but the Scoff vanilla fudge took me to that place instantly.

The company does sell at local markets (check the website for locations), but the real thrill is their mailing service. Why leave the comfort of your house when you can have dark chocolate and Amaretto truffles delivered straight to your door? No need to get wet and cold by exposing yourself to the elements. Scoff will post bags of creamy ginger fudge directly to you.

Almost as nice as the food is the care and attention given to making the food look lovely. The fudge bags feature the super cute Scoff logo while the smart truffle boxes are held closed by ribbons. Obviously perfect for gift giving.

Did you hear I like getting gifts? 😉

Gorgeous presentation
Gorgeous presentation
Dark chocolate & Amaretto truffles
Dark chocolate & Amaretto truffles
Gorgeous fudge
Gorgeous fudge
Coconut truffles
Coconut truffles
Scoff of Brixton
Scoff of Brixton

Scoff is the future. Order online now!

Follow Scoff on Twitter

Like Scoff on Facebook

Tiramisu

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Vegan tiramisu

Cookies & Scream in Camden isn’t just one of the best bakeries in the UK. I’d put my money on it being one of the finest on the planet.

This point of view was only strengthened today by my discovery of their new tiramisu creation. I was gobsmacked. The pie filling was decadent, gooey and delicious, while the cream topping was second to none.

Buy this pie.

You can follow me on Instagram for more photos on the go.

New Year’s Cheer

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24 hours on, I am still a bit worn out from hosting my vegan New Year’s Eve dinner for 70 people at Saf Restaurant & Bar. It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it. Every single guest looked to be having a fantastic night out.

My pal Luke has kindly offered to stop by and give you his take on the evening. You can follow Luke on Twitter and check out his blog.

Tell us what you thought, Luke.

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Chillin

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My Vegan Ice Cream Wars feature is only sporadically updated due to the lack of diversity in the UK vegan ice cream market. We need more variety.

It is this lack of choice that is forcing me to include gelato in this category. However, the gelato flavours at Oddono’s Italian ice cream parlours are not going to make it appear as if I have stretched the category too wide.

Oddono’s is a company with half a dozen locations scattered around central London and almost-central London. They make all their vegan and non-vegan desserts on site and you can even peek into the preparation areas at some of the locations to see the magic in action.

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Choc orange delight

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When I handed out my Day of the Dead vegan supper club goodie bags, one of the items that got a lot of attention and murmurs of appreciation was the Chocolate Orange Pud cups from vegan dessert experts Pudology.

As you might know from an old post of mine, the Pudology cups are filled with smooth, sweet and irresistible gluten free pudding. They can be purchased online from grocery retailers in either chocolate, strawberry, lemon or banoffee flavours and are starting to become more widely available in high street supermarkets, too.

You know all this. Why am I droning on about puddings that you have seen and tasted?

I am simply giving you a refresher course so when I give you my opinion on the new Pudology flavour, you can skip quickly to the part where you run to buy your own pack.

The Chocolate Orange Pud is delicious. It is dense, creamy and decadent. The orange is perfectly balanced with the choc. The pudding pots come in packs of two and I don’t know if I will ever be able to show enough restraint to eat just one and save one for later. They are too lovely.

Chocolate Orange Pudding
Chocolate Orange Pudding

The Chocolate Orange Pud cups are currently exclusive to Sainsbury’s but I have been assured by Pudology that we will start seeing them popping up in independent health food stores in the new year.

Tasty!

Follow Pudology on Twitter

Buy cake without leaving the house

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I make no secret for the respect I have for Ms Cupcake and the hard work Mellissa Morgan has put in to make her brand one of the most respected independent businesses in London. Notice I didn’t say ‘vegan’ before businesses? That’s right. Ms Cupcake is in the majors.

One of the secrets to their success has surely got to be the relentless attitude to keep creating new products and new ways to get them to people.

Take for instance their new mail order service. 

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