The Free From Food Festival

I like to think I'm a bit of a foodie - I'm probably just a piglet.  I love food; cooking it, reading about it, watching it on TV, and (of course) eating it.  I would enjoy farmers markets, food fairs and festivals except for one thing...I can't eat anything they sell!  So, I was beyond excited to go to the inaugural Free From Food Festival at the South Bank Centre in London.  It ran from 25th-27th November, I went on Friday 25th.

Organised by the brilliant Caroline Aherne, of Sugargrain Bakehouse, the Free From Food Festival played host to some fantastic food producers, all who cater for specific dietary requirements.

It was such a liberating experience to wander from stall to stall knowing that I could try the various tempting samples on offer, and knowing that the question "is it gluten free?" wouldn't be met with confused looks.  

Fish and chips, cakes, pies, macarons, bread, and Malysian curry was not off the menu for me here!  Just have a look at the bacon buttie I had, from WAG Free Cafe!  (I also left with some delicious pies from WAG Free, too.)

Some of my favourites were there, Amy's Kitchen were serving macaroni cheese, and delicious soups, and were definitely prepared for the cold weather.  Warburton's had brought some bread and teacakes from their gluten and wheat free range and were pleased to hear from folk who were already fans, as well as introducing their products to others who hadn't tried it.

There were lots of cheeky little treats available, too.  On Cafe were a new find for me and their beautiful, delicate macarons were as good to eat as they were to admire.

The gorgeous bakes at the Sugargrain stall were so mouthwatering that it was tough to pick just one favourite, I opted for the Parsnip, Pear & Sea-Salted Caramel Pecan Loaf, but I could have easily gone for the beetroot brownies, or peanut butter and white chocolate blondies.  

There were some wonderfully informative talks from producers and experts throughout the three days, including Annie, from Annie's Supperclub, and festival founder, Caroline.

(I also had the opportunity to meet the lovely Holly - @coeliacsniffs - in 3D, which was fantastic. It was reassuring to note that she was as excited as I was about all the goodies we were about to stuff ourselves with!)