Celia and Rana's Artisan Bread Event

Last week I was invited to a great event at The Truscott Cellar in Belsize Park for an event with Celia and Rana's Artisan Bread. 

For any of you that have been to the Truscott Arms, The Truscott Cellar is the sister pub. They too serve a great selection of Gluten Free dishes, and of course, the beer battered fish bites (using Celia Lager) was a highlight I must admit! If you enjoy the Truscott Arms, head to the Cellar and you won't be disappointed! 

This was however an event for Celia Lager and Rana's Artisan Bread, but all round was gluten free heaven. I don't think I have ever been to a pub and have been able to drink a gluten free beer! I always thought I didn't like drinking beer, but Celia is light and went down far too easily! Why wouldn't you want it in your local pub? You'd be stupid not to. 

Many of you wouldn't have heard of Rana's Artisan Bread, but keep a keen eye out for them! Their mixes are so easy, you literally have to just add water ...watch this space for a blog post all about them! 

The bread itself when cooked tastes just like bread. Yes...real bread! I was absolutely delighted to try it and speak to the founders about how the produced such a great mix. 

Their office and factory are 100% gluten free so there is no risk of cross contamination...at all.   

*Please note these pictures belong to Sarah Bacchus (SLB Style), please contact if you wish to use them*

Are M&S planning to take over the Gluten Free market?

Are M&S planning to take over the Gluten Free Market? Probably not, but it is amazing that they are making a conscious effort with so many of their products, ensuring they are clearly labelled as Gluten Free, and introducing products that people like me really appreciate. There is now a wide range of products available in all sized M&S stores, from cocktail sausages to chicken nuggets and from scotch eggs to sandwiches.

You can walk into an M&S store and pick yourself up a range of sandwiches, with great fillings. Cheese Ploughman, BLT, Ham Salad rolls and of course, my favourite the Christmas Sandwich which has been missed off the product list for some years. We now get to enjoy a festive sandwich along with all the other lunchers. 

While the price point of these products are still a little higher than the average person can afford on a daily basis, it is so nice to be able to go into a store and not have to check the

back of every packet. Even ‘normal’ products such as the tortilla chips now have clear labelling so you can see they are gluten free. Some people aren’t a fan of allergy branding and making people aware products are gluten free, but for me, personally it really helps and I think it should be rolled out across the grocery sector.

Who knew scotch eggs would ever be something available to buy in packets, the same with pork pies and sausage rolls. These typically British foods that I had been brought up on are now available so I can eat them (and I don’t have to badger my mum to make me a batch!) and I am chuffed to bits.

 This isn’t to say I eat them every day, but when you can’t have something, it’s all the more exciting when you can have it. Picnics have resumed normality!

Thank you M&S for your range, your dry products such as bread, pasta and cakes are also growing, from a single shelf to now a filled rack in most stores. 

Organic September in Association with 9Bar Organic

How is it September already? This year is going so fast! 

Being September, marks the start of 'Organic September' a bid to raise consumer awareness for buying organic and changing their spending habits, and switching to organic. 

Having worked in mobile payments and now card linked marketing, I know how hard it can be to get someone to change their spending behaviour. This is why we need to spread awareness. 

Now I don't know about you, but I would always prefer to buy fresh produce from a market or stall than from a supermarket, sometimes it is cheaper to do so, and you don't have to worry about what is put on, or in your food. 

Unfortunately for me, I don't have the luxury of having a reasonable market near to where I live, which makes me think of relocating to somewhere in Kent, where produce from farm shops is readily available. 

As a child we would holiday in Kent, and always stop off at the farm shop on the way to our chalet. We would pick up fresh fruit and veg from what was in season at the time, and for some reason it always tasted better (I guess it was the lack of pesticides)!

Enough of my childhood memories and more to the point about Organic September and organic products. 

9Bar have recently re-branded and what a difference it has made! I love the new funky branding which I think will appeal to a wider audience and is more in line with the likes of Nakd who have their branding down to a T. 

Thumbs up the bars look amazing!

9Bar have also released a 'Super Seeds Organic' bar where the ingredients such as the pumpkin and sunflower seeds are certified organic produce. They have also reduced the sugar content of their bars, which I have to say was a bit of a problem for me before. They were always too sweet and did taste like you were chewing on a bar of honey - not now!