Report: 2011 Irresistible Gluten Free Food Show

September hosted the 2011 Irresistible Gluten Free Food Show at Jeffs Shed in Melbourne.
For us, this is an event that is not to be missed.

This year, the major sponsor was Macro Wholefoods Market. (You might remember that Macro was bought by Woolworths in mid-2009)

Presenters included: Tobie Puttock & Dr Sue Shepherd.

Here are some of our highlights:

• Macro Wholefoods Market
  Macro had a large display of their products, most of which you will find in your local Woolworths/Safeway.
  Recipe brochures from Toby Puttock, Spencer Clements, Dr. Sue Shepherd & Rowie Dillon were given away.
• Larder Fresh
  Roast Pumpkin & Chickpea Burger. Gluten Free, Egg free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, onion & garlic free, preservative free. We picked up some of these. Very tasty. Great for a snack, or light lunch. No onion but still full of flavor. They also produce Falafel but these have onion.
  http://www.larderfresh.com.au/
• Bayview
  Bayview is an Australian owned company producing a wide range of crumbed fish, chicken and related products, including a gluten free range.
  New products are in the works, including: Calamari & easy to cook Fish in a bag.
  You can always find their fish fillets and chicken tenderloins in my freezer.
  A suggestion for Bayview: Please include the ingredients list for your products on your website.
  http://www.bayviewseafoods.com.au/
• Melindas
  You will always find some of the Melindas range in our pantry, especially the "Heavenly Choc Fudge Brownie Mix".
  They were promoting their own Gluten Free Self Raising Flour mix and their iPhone Allergy Free Entertaining app. (Android version soon)
  One of our clan sampled their Tuscan Style Rissotto Cakes, which received the thumbs up. These are gluten free, but do contain onion and cheese is part of the recipe.
  http://melindasgfg.com/
• House of Biskota 
  had a very interesting display of biscuits that are gluten, dairy, egg and yeast free.
  For those conscious of fructose, be aware of the biscuits that have jam as the ingredients show this contains apple.
  http://houseofbiskota.com.au/GlutenFree
• "Uncle" Rick Grant
  Rick & Rhonda were showing off a new range of seasoning mixes that are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, egg free, soy free and fructose friendly (no onion or garlic).
  Expect to see a lot more from Rick during 2012.
  http://www.rickgrant.com.au/
• Well and Good
  were present again with a fantastic range of products. Always full of enthusiasm and coming up with something new. They were showcasing several new products.
  http://www.wellandgood.com.au/
• Table of Plenty
  Gluten free Mini rice cakes but with a delicious top coating of chocolate.
  http://www.tableofplenty.com.au/
• Mary's Gone Crackers
  This range of crackers and cookies are made in the USA but distributed in Australia by Real Food Distributors.
  The Love Cookies range are fantastic, with our favourites being the N'Oatmeal Raisin (No Oatmeal!!) and the Double Chocolate.
  You can find these in health food stores and independent supermarkets.
  http://www.realfooddistributors.com.au/page/products.html
  http://www.marysgonecrackers.com/
• F G Roberts
  Regular show attendees, F G Roberts were presenting their new Palmira's bread mix which is gluten and wheat free and the bread can be made without yeast. Detailed information packs with recipes were made available.
  http://www.glutenfreehealth.com.au/
• Celebrate Health
  have an interesting range of gluten free baking mixes based on Chestnut flour (contain dairy), and a range of flavoured Quinoa: Tomato & Basil; Moroccan Spiced and Lemon & Thyme. (I've spotted these in Coles since the show)
  http://www.celebratehealth.com.au/
• Peppercorn Food Company
  were cooking up their range of gluten free sausages which are delicious.
  Not all of the them are fructose friendly as they contain garlic & onion.
  Unfortunately, the website does not list ingredients. These should be available at your local Woolworths. Ask your supermarket manager if they are not.
  http://www.peppercornfood.com.au/
• Gluten Free 4U
  This is a new bakery that has opened in Moorabbin and covers bread, pizza bases, tarts, cookies & cakes, all manufactured in a dedicated gluten and nut free enviornment.
  5/1 Bignell Rd. Moorabbin
  http://www.glutenfree4u.com.au/
• Kez's Free
  were launching their new Vienna Eclair gluten free biscuits.
  Not dairy free. Try the Melting Moments for a gluten and dairy free biscuit.
  http://www.kezs.com.au/products-kezs-free.asp
• Deeks Health Foods
  We first tried this bread while traveling in the ACT a few years ago and found it to be very good.
  Deeks is now becoming available in Victoria and definately worth a try. Available at Sunnybrook.
  http://www.deeks.com.au/
• Vitality Bakehouse
  Have a large range of gluten free baked goods.
  Their Christmas Pudding is also dairy free along with our favourite, the Orange Poppy Seed Muffins. (Hard to find on the Internet)
  http://www.raffleshealthyfoods.com.au/
• San Remo Pasta
  This is our first stop for gluten free pasta. Our favourites are the Penne & Spirals.
  http://www.sanremo.com.au/
• Yes You Can
  has a range of bread, cake and pancake mixes that are gluten, wheat and yeast free.
  Some have dairy free options including the cupcake mix.
  http://yesyoucan.net.au/yes-you-can/home

You can be sure we will be back in 2012 to see (and taste) the latest gluten free products on the market.

Report: 2009 Irresistible Gluten Free Wheat Free Food Show

Early October, 2009 saw us once again visiting The Irresistible Gluten Free Wheat Free Food Show at Jeffs Shed in Melbourne.

Here are some of our highlights:

• Coles - Major Sponsor
  It was great to see a major supermarket chain supporting the gluten free community with the largest exhibitor space and for stocking and promoting gluten free products.
  The goodie bag given free to all show attendees included a Gluten Free Recipe booklet from Coles that contains 8 recipes, some of which are egg, dairy and nut free.
  http://www.coles.com.au/


• Kez's Free
  Kez's have an excellent range of treats (biscotti, biscuits and breads) all are gluten free and some are dairy free.
  These are quality products and available at Coles and independent supermarkets. I especially enjoy the Melting Moments and the Cranberry Biscotti (unfortunately I can't get these at Coles so must get them at health food shops) They are pricey which means they aren't something I can have every day.
  http://www.kezs.com.au/


• Spring Hill Farm
  is a Victorian business specialising in gluten free treats including:
  
  • Rocky Road
  • Biscuits
  • Slices
  • Bread Mix
  The bread mix looks interesting as it is wheat free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and soy free, but I am yet to try it out.
  http://www.springhillfarm.com.au/


• Melinda's Gluten-free Goodies
  Melinda's have a range of slice, biscuit, muffin and brownie mixes that helpfully include dairy and egg-free options.
  Their latest release (August 2009) is a selection of water crackers, claimed to be Australias first gluten free water cracker.
  http://www.melindas.com.au/


• Well and Good - Chocolate Mud Cake Mix
  We first saw this at last years show and couldn't walk past without trying out more of this great cake!!
  http://www.wellandgood.com.au/


• Vitarium
  This show was the first time we had ever seen or heard of this new Australian company with an interesting range of gluten free products:
  
  • Pancake Mix
  • Fruit Cake Mix
  • Bread Mix
  • Macaroni & Cheese
  • Gelatine Free Jelly
  • Plain Flour
  • Self Raising Flour
  Unfortunately, the website lacks any ingredient lists. I will have to look out for the products in store to see what they contain.
  http://www.vitarium.com.au/


• The Pastry Pantry
  The seemingly unstoppable Uncle Rick- Rick Grant was showcasing his latest venture in the gluten free market, ready rolled sheets of pastry in four flavours
  • Savoury Shortcrust
  • Sweet Shortcrust
  • Rough Puff
  • Rich Chocolate Shortcrust
  I have some of these in the freezer and will let you know how they go.
  As we passed Rick we heard several calls to Bring Back Uncle Rick. What do you say Rick??
  http://www.thepastrypantry.com.au/
  *** 2011 Update. Rick Grant is no longer involved with Pastry Pantry ***


• Naturally Good- Deli Dippers
  These were delicious, crunchy, mini-bread-roll, savoury dippers that are great with dips and wine. (We should know, as we went home with several boxes.)
  The available flavours are:
  
  • Rosemary & extra virgin olive oil
  • Roasted garlic & herb
  • Sea Salt
  • Cracked Pepper
  http://www.naturallygoodproducts.com.au/ (Website still under construction - November 2009)Website live in Feb 2010


• Tobie Puttock - Celebrity Cooking Stage
  Once again, we enjoyed watching Tobie cook some great dishes


• Dr. Bob Anderson- Seminar Theatre
  We listened to an excellent presentation by Dr. Anderson from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute on Why do I feel better on a gluten free diet?
  Dr. Anderson is also the Chairman of the Coeliac Research Fund, which deserves plenty of our support.
  http://www.coeliacresearchfund.org/

Congratulations to the organisers on an excellent show!

Usual disclaimer, we have no connection with any of the producers listed. We look forward to seeing these products on local shelves and to next years show. See you there!

Uncle Ricks/Patties Gone Missing?

I recently noticed that my favorite Uncle Ricks/Patties Lamingtons were missing from the freezer in my local Coles.

Worried that these might have been discontinued, I called the Patties help line on 1 800 650 069 (toll free) and asked the question.

The very nice lady explained that some items have been deleted from the Coles shelves:

• Apple Pies


• Sticky Date Puddings

She also explained that a recent computer glitch had caused a problem with ordering that may have impacted stock in some stores. This should be OK now.

As with any supermarket, if your favorite products are missing, talk to the manager of the area (freezer in this case) and let them know what you are looking for. This is the way to get the message across.

Patties products are available at:

• Coles.com.au


• IGA.net.au


• COMING SOON to Safeway/Woolworths.com.au

The Irresistible Gluten Free Wheat Free Food Show - Report

The Show has come and gone and was definately bigger and better than last year.


Like many hundreds, if not thousands, of others, we were at Jeffs Shed well before opening time of 10:00am on Saturday and lined up. The photo shows some of the eager showgoers who were lined up after us. This line, extended OUT the door and on to Clarendon St! (There were many hundreds in front of us.)

Once the doors opened, we were soon inside and the circulating and sampling began.

Some of the samples we tasted included:

• Chocolate Soy Milk
  
• Pizza bases
  
• Beer
  
• Biscuits
  
• Maple syrup. Much like creamed honey
  
• Several Dips
  
• Falafel balls
  
• Spam (Who knew that Spam has been gluten free for a very long time?? The Spicy Spam certainly had a kick to it!! I suspect it upset my stomach though.)
  

It was great to catch up with Rick & Rhonda of Uncle Ricks (Now part of Patties) We asked if there was any chance of some of our old favourite products turning up under the Patties label? Consumers, like us, will have to convince Patties that there is a market for the products so get your emails, letters etc. in to Patties. That is only the first hurdle though. Then the supermarkets have to stock the product. That can be difficult also. The more people that put in their requests, the higher chance that the product will get into production.

Very similar story over at the Healtheries stand where we asked about their Simple Bread mix that we love as it produces a great tasting loaf of white bread. It has disappeared from the supermarket shelves.
Seems that the supermarkets weren't selling enough and have now dropped the product. Healtheries are looking at maybe selling the mix via their website but that is not a certainty. Again, if you like the product, make sure that you let them know. We will.

There were several producers of pizza bases with their wares for sampling and sale. This was great to see. It has been difficult to find a pizza base that is both gluten and dairy free that has a decent taste and texture. Hopefully that is about to change with all these new offerings. (I still think that Uncle Ricks pizza bases were the best I've ever had. I hope they will bring them back)


This year seemed to be geared more towards manufacturers and suppliers of products, but few (if any) local restaurants and cafes had stalls this year. Which is a shame, as finding somewhere suitable to eat out that is gluten free is both difficult and stressful.

A big Thanks to Sue Shepherd and her team for putting this all together. It must be a hell of a job. We look forward to next years show.

Uncle Rick's available now

At last it is good to see a few of the Uncle Rick's/Patties staples starting to appear in my local Coles supermarket.

I bought Partie Pies, Big Meat Pies and some Sticky Date Puddings all of which are dairy free and appearing to be fructose friendly.

We've also noticed a new section on the Patties website specifically for the new gluten free range from Uncle Rick. The site is new and still needs some work as there is no ingredient lists. See www.patties.com.au/glutenfree/

We hope that lots of people will buy these products and spur them on to extend the product range to include pizza bases and pikelets which we are really missing at our house.

Uncle Rick & Patties Update

In an earlier post (Where is Uncle Rick?) we mentioned that Patties (and the old Uncle Ricks) were launching their new gluten free, dairy free range on the 16th of April to be made available via Coles. Well, the 16th came and went and we still hadn't seen anything in store.

However, we have been advised today (30th April) by Coles that the products will start appearing in store from Monday the 7th of May, 2007. (Just one week away)

We'll be on the lookout for them. Let us know if you see them and what you think.

Where is Uncle Rick ?

I have been a customer of Uncle Rick's Wheat Gluten & Dairy Free Bakery for some years. (Ever since it was just at the Berwick location. A bit of a hike for me. Glen Waverley is where I usually visit)
Sad news has arrived over the last few months that Uncle Rick's is no more, having now become part of the Patties group.
Any visits to http://www.unclericks.com.au/ now redirect to http://www.patties.com.au/
(There was also an advert in the most recent Coeliac Society publication)
We wish Rick, Rhonda and the whole of the gang all the Very Best with the new venture. (I have no idea if they will still be involved with production at Patties or not)
Some of my favourite Uncle Ricks products are:

• Pies - The team at Uncle Ricks are very aware of fructose malabsorbtion and some of their pies do NOT contain onion.
• Pizza Bases (The best around, I think)
• Pikelets (I should have stocked up on these!!)
• Lamingtons

I am assuming that the pies will live on at Patties but I am worried about the availability of the other items which are regularly eaten by several members of my family.
Drop us a line at glutenfreevictoria@gmail.com if you have any news on the whereabouts of Uncle Rick and his excellent products.
Note: Again, I have no connection with Uncle Rick's other than as a satisfied customer. (Maybe EX-customer now)

Update:

A quick call to Patties found out the following:

• Rick & crew are still involved and work out of the Patties gluten free facility in Bairnsdale
• 16th of April will see a national release of 10 products to be made available via Coles.
  (You can find some Patties products in Richies and other independant supermarkets)

The 10 products are:

• Sausage Rolls
• Pizza Rolls
• Vegie Rolls
• Lamingtons (Hooray!)
• Apple Pies
• Sticky Date Puddings
• Meat Pies (Hooray again!)
• Party Pies
• White Bread
• Grain Bread

It will be up to each supermarket Manager as to which products they will stock. Ask the Manager if they don't have what you want.

Unfortunately, we weren't aware of Uncle Ricks closing down until after the fact and weren't able to stock up on our favourites. This was disappointing to us.
**Update**: Rick & Rhonda were at the 2011 Irresistible Gluten Free Show.
Keep an eye on what Rick is up to at http://www.rickgrant.com.au/