A welcome dose of “pure” sweetness
Now, we all need a little a “sweetness and light” in our lives… nutritionally speaking, and emotionally and spiritually speaking too. Which is why I was delighted to meet Emma Slinn yesterday, at the Glynde Food and Drink Festival. Emma is Managing Director of “Pure Flavour” foods, a company producing quite wonderful home-baked “freefrom” produce. The thing I love about food and drink festivals is you get to meet and chat with people who are not only passionate about good food, but fresh quality food (and good nutrition) too. Like Emma, these people are often gifted entrepreneurs, who have recognised either a gap in the market, or feel they can do, or produce something far better - and let’s face it, most commercially-produced food could be “done” far better! Let me tell you what else Emma and Pure Flavour have to offer…
Pure Flavour offers a next-day delivery service on their range of delicious foods, which of course is very appealing in itself! You can also sign up to a monthly newsletter, with free tips, recipes and advice, OR you can simply buy the cake of the month! BUT… the very best thing is you can join “The Cake Club“! Now before you go thinking this is a sure-fire way of over-doing your sweet-fill from foods, it is in my book, a great way to bring in just the right amount of “sugar and spice” into your life! Joining the Cake Club (I would join just to say “I am member of a cake club” !!), ensures you receive one delicious, and healthy cake every month for a year. Now how is that for achieving balance in your life! You have a whole month to spread out and enjoy your gorgeous offering. You could hold a “healthy” monthly cake and coffee morning, share a nutritious “Health Cake with Carrot and Coconut” (see below) with the other members of the tri club, swimming club or running club? You could of course be totally self-indulgent, selfish and greedy and have it all to yourself, as you please - and who would blame you! Pure Flavour foods have a really lovely selection of sweet and savoury goodies for you AND your children. Emma has twin boys, so is well aware of parent’s desires to feed their children as best, and as nutritionally sound as possible.
Now, while Emma was telling me all about her great company, and innovative ideas, I was busy tasting… you see it’s so true that we (women that is) can easily concentrate on more than one major thing at once! I tasted a gorgeous “Health Cake with carrot and coconut” which Emma informed me was made with Xylitol instead of sugar. Xylitol is a great low GI natural sweetener, extracted from birch trees for commercial purposes, but is in fact a sugar called a “polyol” that is naturally present in many fruits and veg. This would be a great choice for diabetics and also GREAT FOR ATHLETES as a pre or post-training carb snack, or simply as an addition to a well-balanced, nutritious training diet. Believe me it is FAR tastier, and far healthier than malt loaf or fig rolls!
I also had some Banana cake, which was equally divine, and extremely “light”, in texture. If you are not suitably tempted yet, I suggest you check out the whole range of Pure Flavour’s Cakes and Bakes… you’ll be very glad you did!
What are these FREEFROM foods?
Yes… let’s talk about the “freefrom” market for a moment. It is has been a fast-growing market in the food industry for a number of years now, partly driven by an increased awareness of “exclusion” diets through media coverage, celebrity chefs (and nutritionists) gracing our screens, and of course by the growing number of allergy and food intolerance labs and testing centres, and most worringly, the unregulated “back-street” allergy testing/testers, using “food intolerance” tests as stand-alone diagnostic methods for just about every health problem and symptom under the sun. Back in 2003, Mintel estimated that the free-from market had achieved 165% sales growth between 2000 and 2002 to £55.6m. The market was predicted to reach £138m by 2007, and must be “as big” if not bigger these days than the “organics” market.
Every supermarket has a “freefrom” section now… that is foods “free” of common allergens, or ingredients that pose negative consequences for those who eat them. “Freefrom” foods are most often free of gluten (the sticky protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats), and “dairy”, or more specifically-speaking, milk or milk proteins, or free of lactose, for lactose-intolerant individuals, or free of egg. Freefrom foods may also be meat-free (with a growing move amongst health-conscious people to “meat-free” or vegetarianism and vegan eating), or “free” of hydrogenated fats (which of course ALL food should naturally be so). Freefrom foods are NOT, by definition, free of sugar. Infact many “freefrom” foods (mostly those produced by the large multinationals) are just as high in refined sugars, and refined non-gluten flours, as any “standard” counterpart product. Do not be under the illusion that “freefrom” necessarily means healthy, which is why I was delighted to come across Emma yesterday. Her range of foods ARE healthy (using unrefined forms of sugars and flours), and Pure Flavour foods are all lovingly prepared at home and are at least one, or ALL the following…
Gluten free, additive-free, wheat free, dairy free, low GI, high in polyunsaturated fats, have a high fruit content, are low fat, egg free, and low sugar.
This means they are suitable for many food allergic, food intolerant, those simply “senstive” folk, and are very appealing to those (like myself) who eat only a fresh, clean, wholefood, easy-to-digest diet. Well produced and healthy “freefrom” foods are generally lighter on digestion (especially foods like sprouted breads or Essen breads) and those produced by smaller businesses are really the ones to look out for. As I’ve said previously, these are most likely to be foods produced with “health” and good nutrition in mind, as well as “spiced” with a necessary dose of love and care! Pure Flavour is one of these “good” companies…
I wish Emma and Co at Pure Flavour all the success they deserve - and please do not sell-out to a big multi - OK!