Not A Trace Awards 2016

Regular readers will know that each year I have my own little awards ‘ceremony’ where I acknowledge the best products / companies in various categories.

The awards for 2016 are obviously a little late(!) and as my blog posts were few and far between last year, due to a certain little person taking all my attention, the 2016 awards are more a summary of my blog reviews from last year.

Despite my inability to blog of late, it’s great to have had over 58,000 blog views since Not A Trace began. I am also very proud to see the constant stream of views every day even if I haven’t blogged for a while. Thank you to you all!

So, on to the awards / 2016 round-up….

Tesco and its gluten free offerings

I, like a number of other people on social media, have noticed a massive improvement in the amount of gluten free options available in Tesco of late, with lots of chatter on Facebook, Twitter etc about how good the products are.

I’m aware that Tesco has often had the monopoly on new products, but recently their own brand stock has improved significantly. This combined with them raising the awareness of their gluten free offerings via their publications and TV advert has been fantastic!

My mum even commented the other day that when she went to the local store in Penzance there were staff throughout the store offering samples of some of their gluten free goodness – it’s great to see this type of instore promotion! 🙂

The last time I visited one of the larger stores in the area, I actually took some photos as I was so impressed with the vast array of options:

Udi’s Gluten Free Plain Bagels

There has been a lot of hype on social media this week as a result of Udi’s launching their gluten free goodies in UK Tesco stores, as of Monday.

I was keen to try them out myself but wasn’t planning a shop until next week, so I was delighted to inadvertently come across them in one of the Tesco Express stores, which don’t normally have a big selection of gluten free products :).

The store only had Udi’s plain bagels available, however I did notice a ticket for some Udi’s mince pies so I will be keeping an eye out for these!

If you don’t know much about Udi’s here’s a little bit more about the brand, taken from their website:

Udi’s started with a simple desire to change the way people think about eating gluten free. We wanted to make the best tasting gluten free food so consumers could enjoy all the foods they’ve always enjoyed. With this premise and help of our gluten free community, we’ve grown fast in the US, quickly becoming the #1 gluten free brand.

Now we’re launching in the UK with the same simple philosophy, creating great gluten free foods that bring happiness.

Tesco Finest Belgian Triple Chocolate Cookies

I was very pleased when I went to my local Tesco a few weeks ago and discovered that they now stock a range (albeit a limited range) of gluten free products, which is great for me as the store is only a 5 minute walk away! As well as stocking some of the known gluten free brands they also sell their own brand cookies which are advertised as wheat free and gluten free, so I thought I’d give them a go :).

There are a few varieties available but I thought I’d go for the Belgian Triple Chocolate flavour as they sounded delicious and the picture on the packet made them look very appealing.

Darling Spuds

Darling Spuds are another brand that I’ve been introduced to through the powers of Twitter and I am very glad to have found them!

They make hand cooked potato chips which are ‘lovingly made, naturally flavoured’.

Here’s a bit more about Darling Spuds chips, taken from their website:

These are delicious, authentic chips with wholesome characters and feisty flavours, borne out of our potatoes enjoying a well-grounded upbringing. Not only are our chips hand cooked but also gluten free, vegetarian friendly, completely free of any unsavoury GMO’s and 20% lower in fat than standard crisps.

PERK!ER Apple, Cinnamon & Raisin Porridge Pot

It’s taken me a long time to get round to trying PERK!ER products as they are mainly sold online. They are also stocked in Tesco, but unfortunately this is not one of my nearest supermarkets.

However, I did make a special trip to buy some gluten free products a few weeks ago and picked up a PERK!ER Apple, Cinnamon and Raisin porridge pot. As well as this flavour they also have a Fruity Berry porridge pot, but I always seem to be drawn to cinnamon 🙂 (as you will see in future posts!)

The first thing to grab you about PERK!ER products is their distinctive logo and brightly coloured packaging. I feel that this is a really positive selling point for the brand, as lots of other gluten free brands are not so well packaged.