Gluten Free Tilly: The Allergy and Free From Show 2014- London

On Saturday 5th July my boyfriend and I went along to Kensington Olympia for the Allergy and Free From Show, sponsored by Udi's.

Having been to various shows at Kensington Olympia for work before, I knew how busy shows like this could be.

Armed with the stand numbers of a few of the stands I wanted to visit, we entered the hustle and bustle.

The first stand on my list was Udi's themselves (luckily they were right by the entrance). Having blogged for them before, I had arranged with Laura from PR to meet with some of the staff. It was great to talk with the brand ambassadors, and I even got some new products to try! (Watch out for the review in the next week)

I just wish in hindsight I had picked up a loaf of their new tiger bread...Looks delicious!!

I met some other lovely people from different companies that I had never heard of before, Fria being one of them. Their brownie cake was possibly the best cake I had tasted at the show. Luckily for me I have some products to try and review, so thank you!

We tried so many different products, I was so full after about an hour.

I was amazed at all the different companies that were out there, and surprised and saddened that hardly any of them are in the UK mainstream supermarkets.

Shows like this are great for companies to show off their products. The more demand we show for products, the more the supermarkets and mainstream stores will listen.

Being coeliac is a condition and a lifestyle, not a punishment, and we should be able to enjoy products that 'normal' people can enjoy.

For the first time in my life I tried beer.

I was amazed.

Apparently it tastes just like normal beer! The best lager I tasted was Daura and Celia. I especially liked the Ales from Green's http://glutenfreebeers.co.uk/en/page/index.html and would actually purchase these if they were available in my local shops. I'd love to try a whole glass instead of a tiny glass...Let's try and get these into the shops! The next BBQ I have I am going to order a case, even my boyfriend liked it!

I also met some companies I had heard of before such as Amy's Kitchen and BFree. I had a great chat with the lovely girls on both stands, and BFree were kind enough to give me a goody bag of things to try. I have already tasted some of the products, and again, will be posting this blog post very shortly!

Overall, we had a great time and it was so lovely speaking to people who understand exactly what it's like to be different and have different dietary requirements.

Thank you to all the people I met, and I look forward to trying all my products and hearing from you in the future!

Here's a few pictures from the show!