GLUTEN FREE EXPO & COLES SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE

I was invited by Coles to the Gluten Free Expo and Conference, which was held over the weekend at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.  I was keen to go as I haven't attended before or really explored gluten free foods.  I do occasionally bake with allergies and intolerances in mind, however I didn't quite realise how big an issue it is now.  A recent Health Focus report found that 13% of Australians always or mostly avoid gluten and over 161,000 are gluten intolerant.  Over 200,000 are diagnosed coeliac.

Coles Supermarket has just launched 'Coles Simply Gluten Free'.  The new range consists of more than 40 new products from pizza bases and pasta, to cereals and cakes, and breads.  At the show, I tried their Anzac biscuits, which where not only yummy, but I would definitely have a hard time trying to distinguish one of these GF biscuits and a normal Anzac biscuit.

(www.coles.com.au/our-range/our-products/coles-brands/coles-simply-gluten-free)

If you have any allergies, intolerance or special dietary requirements, you should check out GS1 GoScan.  As a very lucky person to be able to eat everything, I was intrigued to find out about this free app.  It reads bar-codes and flags any preset parameters.

(www.gs1au.org/services/goscan/gs1-goscan-smart-phone-app-overview)

I tried Kez's sweet treats and was pleasantly surprised that I couldn't tell that they were gluten free.  Some of their products are also dairy free as well.  Bonus!

(www.kezs.com.au/products-kez's-free-biscuits)

As a lover of baked goods, bread is one of the staples.  I've always been told that gluten free bread just isn't the same as normal bread.  After trying some gluten free breads at other stands, I was quite shocked that Country Life Bakery's white bread was light and fluffy like regular bread.
(www.countrylifebakery.com.au)

At the Sweet William stand, I tried their dark chocolate.  For a product that is free from dairy, gluten, peanuts & tree nuts, cholestrol, trans fats, lactose, colours and artificial flavours, I was surprised that it actually still tasted like dark chocolate.  I also liked the fact that it was naturally sweetened with stevia.
(www.sweetwilliam.com.au)

The handmade gluten free gourmet biscuits from Lisette's Biscuiterie were gorgeous.  They are locally made in Diamond Creek and are nut based with no preservatives, artificial flavours, colours or additives.
(www.lisettesbiscuiterie.com.au)

So, when I bake with gluten free flour, I actually use Orgran.  It was good to see their larger range of 'Free From' products.
(www.orgran.com)

Even though most of the stands at the GF expo were food related, there were some beverage stalls as well, like Cheeky Rascal.  Their hand crafted ciders have no concentrates, no added flavours, just 100% real fruit juice.  I tried their Strawbellini (strawberry sparkling moscato) and raspberry & pear cider.  Both deliciously fruity, sweet and easy drinking.  Perfect for the upcoming Summer!
(rebellowines.com.au/cheeky_rascal_cider)

For more information, please visit the Gluten Free Expo website - www.gfexpo.com.au