June favourites: new dairy free milks, wraps on the go and gluten free carvery

June has certainly been another busy month in terms of foodie finds – I love how much new gluten free food keeps appearing – even if I can’t try all of it (see rant at the bottom of this post on how I am not happy with Sainsbury’s or Pizza Express!)

As I don’t get a chance to blog about every single product individually I try, here are a round up of some of the delicious gluten free treats I’ve tried this month, and I think are worth you trying too! What were your favourite gluten free discoveries this month?

M&S gluten free piri piri chicken wrap

I was on a fleeting trip to town and idly wandering around Marks and Spencer with an empty stomach when I spotted this gluten free piri piri chicken wrap. They also had a Mexican bean wrap which was gluten free as well, and both sounded good. Normally I find gluten free wraps from shops/coffee shops packed full of too much mayo, too little chicken, and quite stodgy to eat – they tend to stick to your teeth.

But this wrap was amazing! The chicken was nice and spicy  – with enough of it – and I liked the crunch of the coleslaw too. It was perfect for my post-workout hunger fix and came in at only around 330 calories too. Not something I’d eat often but a great addition to the on-the-go offerings on the High Street.

Gluten free cake at Johns of Instow

I know I go on about Johns of Instow a lot but Sue and Anthony are so committed to providing great gluten free food and I love popping by to see what they come up with next! It was their open day to celebrate their new cafe so I thought I’d pop in this month.

Sue handed me a giant slab of this beautiful-looking raspberry, white chocolate and pistachio cake and it was absolutely divine. They’re really careful with cross contamination and luckily when I got back to the office no-one was in so I didn’t even have to share it!

New dairy free milk discoveries

I’m on a mission to try all the dairy free milks I can find at the moment and see which one makes the best cappuccino! I decided to give these two a go this month – hemp milk from Good Hemp and the brand new unroasted, unsweetened almond milk from Alpro.

The hemp milk was nice, very pleasant tasting and creamy, with a little sweetness, and went well with my morning coffee. The almond milk was a big surprise – I didn’t know what to expect but it tasted a little like marzipan, it was lovely! I blended this into a post-workout smoothie with vanilla protein powder and a banana and it was incredible!

Bargain gluten free bagels from Genius

Now I love a bargain, but gluten free food never comes cheap. That was, until I found these gluten free bagels from Genius reduced to just 49p a pack! They kept well in the freezer and I’ve been using them post-workout topped with a variety of treats, from scrambled egg and smoked trout to banana and peanut butter.

They toast really well and when Steve tried one he said they tasted just like normal bagels (which is probably why he ate the whole packet ‘by accident’ thinking they were normal ones, haha). I’ll keep an eye out for these again, but the fact they were so cheap was even better!

Gluten free carvery at The Riverbank, Bideford

For Father’s Day my brother and I took my dad to The Riverbank Bar and Bistro in Bideford for a carvery – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This place is a strange one – the entrance looks like a front door to a house but inside is lovely and the back opens up onto a riverside patio where you can sit and watch the River Torridge drift by on a sunny day.

They seemed up on their gluten free knowledge when I last visited them in 2014 and the carvery was as good as I remembered! A choice of rare (yes please) or well done beef, gammon which they smoke themselves and pork with the most incredible crackling. I piled on the veg and the gravy was all gluten free which was a bonus.

And to make matters even better, they also had a gluten free cheesecake for dessert – it looked so good everyone went for the gluten free options! I can’t wait to come back here again.

And one thing I am NOT loving this June…

There was so much excitement in the gluten free world with the arrival of the much-anticipated gluten free take-home pizza from Pizza Express launching in Sainsbury’s. Unfortunately, despite being one of the first bloggers to break this news, my nearest stockist of these pizzas in Bridgewater – which would over a three hour-round trip, and that’s without traffic!

I’ve repeatedly asked Sainsbury’s about stocking these in Barnstaple – they said no (twice) – and I contacted Pizza Express to ask to try them, but with no reply. It really saddens me how supermarkets announce these products and create a hype then don’t roll them out in every store. Considering Sainsbury’s made a big effort to launch their re-branded free from range this month, this leaves a pretty bitter taste in the mouth.

Has anyone else had this problem? If you live in North Devon and you want to try these pizzas (or even if you don’t) I’d very grateful if you could put a little request in at customer services next time you stop by the Barnstaple store. Perhaps if they see a demand, they might decide to eventually stock them as there are SO many coeliacs I know in the area who’d love them!

What will July bring?

The biggest excitement of the month ahead for me is the Allergy and Free From Show on July 8-10 in London. In fact, you can get free tickets by clicking here.

I’ve wanted to go for years and FINALLY it’s a weekend where I can actually go. If you’re going please comment below and say hi if you see me, I’d love to meet as many people as possible! I’ll also be filming my trip as I’ve got a brand new camera and launched my Youtube channel this week – please pop over and subscribe to see my latest vids!

What were your favourite gluten free finds in June? Please comment below and share your favourites – and what you’re looking forward to next month!