It’s safe to say that one of the best suppliers of gluten free convenience products of late is Marks and Spencer – from their wonderful array of gluten free christmas biscuit treats and their wide range of party food, to their fish cakes and gluten free breaded fish that have been regularly available in their Simply Food stores. I generally do not get to visit their stores much, mostly because they are a bit out of my way but when i am in town or on the motorway i do make sure i pop into the free from section to see what’s going on.
I was kindly sent through some Free From samples to try on some products that i’ve only heard about in Twitter stories. Some Sliced White Boule with Poppy Seeds, Lemon Shortbread, Triple Chocolate Cookies and Mini Cheese Crackers. I made sure i got some opinions from Gluten eating beings also to see what they thought. Oh and Miko… can’t forget Miko.
Made Without Wheat Sliced White Boule
I was incredibly impressed with this in particular out of all the products, as most of us gluten free/Coeliac beings among us know -finding a decent loaf of gluten free bread can be a mean feat. Brilliant for freezing, toasting and for sandwiches, this bread had a really nice texture and crust. My favourite way to have it was toasted with some butter and honey with a cup of tea. I can imagine this bread would be perfect to make a bloomin’ good Ham, Mustard Sandwich with. Only negative is that i wish it could be a bigger loaf..
4/5 from WB
Made Without Wheat Mini Cheese Crackers
I really wanted these to be like the gluten Mini Cheddars but they didn’t quite get there for me in terms of being a moreish snack, i think there needed to be a stronger flavour of cheese. These would however be perfect for sliding on a cheese board and for a pre-party snack, the little bags also make them very convenient for taking on the go, putting in a lunchbox and as a nut substitute for a plane journey; so i have to give them points for that.
3.5/5 from WB
Made Without Wheat Lemon Shortbread
Before being gluten intolerant, i was a massive fan of the Shortbread. It’s quite a tricky thing to get right in the kitchen, i have on numerous occasions found my gluten free attempts just melt into thin bits of cooked nothing. These were perfect, i love mostly the texture and the bits of lemon peel throughout. I could give these to my family and noone could tell the difference. Not even Miko…
5/5 from WB
4/5 from WB Hubby
5/5 from Miko
Made Without Wheat Triple Chocolate Cookies
I think this review comes down to personal taste as i much prefer a softer cookie as apposed to these crunchy ones but the general consensus around the office was that they were perfectly acceptable to have with a cuppa tea, i feel it may just be being fussy with cookies. I like there to be an even distribution of chocolate to cookie and sometimes was left with one piece of choccy in the whole cookie. I also like cookies to be soft and chewy. So not perfect for me, but great as an office treat.
2/5 for WB
4/5 for My work colleagues (who then devoured the lot!)
There are lots of other goodies in the Marks and Spencer’s Free From range, from more treats like their Chocolate loaf, Mini Coconut Macaroons, Orange Polenta Biscuits and Ginger Biscuits to a Brown Bloomer loaf topped with Millet Flakes. Proving to have truly stepped up their free-from range game in the past year, i just hope that- especially with these fantastic new breads that they continue to get some more gluten free lunch alternatives in the stores as sometimes it’s truly hit or miss if i find one!
What do you think of the M&S Free From Range? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @wbites!
These products were sent to be complimentary but did no way impact on any of my opinions stated here in the review. As always, just good ole honesty and keeping you informed!
