I was recently asked if I would like to try some products from a company here in the UK which produces Gluten Free products. Delicious Alchemy have recently launched the UK's only gluten and dairy free instant porridge pots and oats sachets alongside their existing range of bread mixes, breakfast products and sweet baking mixes!
This brand was set up by Emma Killilea eight years ago after she was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. She was frustrated by the lack of natural, healthy and delicious gluten free food which was available to Coeliac sufferers and set out to make a change. Packing in her job, she went back to school to study Food Science and Marketing. After that Delicious Alchemy was born!
I have some close friends who have a child which was diagnosed as a coeliac several years back and I know only too well how very frustrated they were at the lack of product available at the time, as well as the stress and fuss involved in trying to feed their child delicious and interesting food within the restrictions of the disease.
It's amazing just how many of our food products are filled with wheat! One really needs to become adept at label reading. At any rate, Delicious Alchemy had gone about filling the gap in the market with an astonishing range of product, which is not only gluten and dairy free, but also very beautifully presented in bright and colourful packaging.
They have no less than seven breakfast products including Oats, Rice Flake Porridge, Purely Oaty Fruity Meusli . . .
as well as the new dairy and gluten free instant porridge line which includes both original oats and golden syrup flavor oats, available in envelope sachets as well as handy microwavable pots.
There is also a very extensive range of baking mixes . . .
A Vanilla Sponge Mix which is great for cakes and cupcakes, which you can vary by adding different flavourings and fruit . . .
Chocolate Brownie Mix for those of us who cannot live without the occasional chocolate fix.
Oaty Cookie Mix, also quite adaptable as you can add dried fruits or nuts to it to charge it up to your own taste, or even spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, etc. so long as your spices and fruits are also gluten free.
Brown Bread Mix which you can make both by hand or in a breadmaker. (Complete instructions for using a bread maker are on the site.)
White Bread Mix, which is again makeable by both hand and breadmaker.
Do note that both bread mixes are also dairy free.
The chocolate lover in me just had to bake the brownies first. I was thrilled when I noticed that the mix was filled with little chocolate chips!! These went together very easily. It was as simple as melting some butter and stirring it in and then beating in some eggs. Pour into the pan and bake and 19 to 22 minutes later you are rewarded with a delicious fudgy brownie that I dare anyone not to like!
I didn't have a square pan the right size so I baked them in a round tin and let me tell you . . . this was very reminiscent of a flourless chocolate cake I make. Definitely scrummo! Fudgy and intense. Delicious! I declared these a winner through lips coated with delicious chocolate!
The Oaty Cookies were likewise very moreish. You only needed to add some butter and water, then scrunch the dough into balls and flatten them on the pan and bake. I love oatmeal cookies and I would make these again. I am thinking that they would also make a perfectly delicious oaty cookie pie crust!!
We have been enjoying the instant oat packets for breakfast. I love the golden syrup. But I have a sweet tooth. The Toddster love any kind of oats. One day I used some of the oats to make some delicious breakfast bars.
These Fruit and Oat Breakfast Bars are quite simply fabulous. Stogged full of dried cranberries and blueberries . . . with the nutty crunch of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, they are so simple to make and so delicious.
Perfect for packing in lunch or picnic boxes . . . to grab on the go when you are in a rush and don't have a lot of time to spend on breakfast . . . great for a delicious high energy snack and perfect as a little Elevensies or Coffee Break indulgence.
*Fruit and Oat Breakfast Bars*Makes 18 servingsPrintable Recipe
Crunchy, sweet and gluten free.
150g of sunflower seeds (1 cup)150g of pumpkin seeds (1 cup)100g dried cranberries (2/3 cup)100g of dried blueberries (2/3 cup)100g of gluten free porridge oats (1 1/4 cups)1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp ground coriander1 tsp ground cinnamon1 (397g) tin of sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)150g of butter, cut into bits (10 1/2 TBS)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a 9 inch square baking tin with baking parchment. Butter the parchment. Set aside.
Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Heat the milk and butter gently until the butter melts, mixing together to blend well. Pour this over the dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon. Spoon this out into the prepared tin and press down lightly with a spoon to smooth over.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cool completely before cutting into bars to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
The Rice Flake Porridge is also very easy to use and delicious as a breakfast alternative, but I really love rice puddings and one day I used some of it to make a delicious Baked Milk Pudding for us to enjoy.
Milk Pudding is just another name for Rice Pudding and it is one of Todd's favorite desserts.
I also have a special fondness for this dish. It is comfort food to me . . . like the warm hug of a mother or grandmother . . .
The epitomy of loving kindness in a spoon . . . the flaked rice porridge worked perfectly in this old fashioned comforting dessert.
*Baked Milk Pudding*Serves 4Printable Recipe
Eating this is like eating a mother's hug. Delicious and comforting and very simple to make.
50g (1/4 cup) flaked rice porridge568 ml (1 pint) fresh whole milk2 TBS sugar15g of butter, diced (1 1/2 TBS)1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, ground mixed spice or grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to170*C/325*F/ gas mark 4.
Butter a 2 pint ovenproof serving dish. Gently warm the milk and whisk in the sugar, butter and spice. Put the rice into the dish and pour the milk mixture over top. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring two or three times in the first hour, but leaving for the remaining 1 1/2 hours in order to form a nice crust. Serve hot or cold, plain or topped with fresh fruit, chopped nuts or thick natural yogurt. Delicious.
Altogether I have been deliciously impressed with this vast range of gluten free products. Not only are they beautifully packaged, but they are easy to use and the end results are quite delicious. I love knowing that for those who suffer from Coeliac Disease there are some really tasty alternatives to wheat based baking mixes and products available. My friend was very excited about these as well. If you would like to know more about their products etc. please do hop on over to the Delicious Alchemy page. You can buy the products online in their SHOP, and at the moment I can share with you a special Discount Code which you can use to get 20% off of any order at the moment. Just enter the code DA20%off at the checkout.
They also have a really nifty free Gluten Free Guide to help you if you are in any doubt as to what you should or should not be eating. You can find that HERE.
I would like to thank Delicious Alchemy for providing me with this opportunity to try out their products. Although I was sent the products for free, any and all opinions are my own.
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