loopyloulaura

Last weekend I attended the Free From Festival, held in the magnificent Oxford Town Hall.

I wish I had discovered this festival years ago!

My wheat allergy began in 2001 and it was tough. I was a student and on the day of my diagnosis I’d eaten toast, pasta and pizza. My cupboards were full of food I could no longer have and I had no idea where to start. It was so frustrating to find that my favourite foods contained a tiny bit of wheat including crisps and chcolate bars. My frustrations continue to this day…

Some brands have made an effort to make wheat free versions and the labelling is very clear (unlike vegan products!). I get so excited when supermarkets bring out new things and then despair quickly follows as I discovered wheat used, usually as a thickener when other flours would be just as good!

Just like with my visit to VegFest last month, I found myself repeatedly double checking that things were wheat free (and so many were vegan as well). I really couldn’t believe the wonderful range that the stall holders had available!

Excitedly, I sampled some delicious crackers, sweet and savoury snacks (my downfall!)

One stall had fake sausage rolls and I tried some vegan meats including kebab and garlic sausage, neither of which I had tried before going vegetarian 20 years ago so I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.

Sustainability was also on the agenda at the festival. Much of the packaging was easy to recycle and some brands aims to replace single use plastics.

I arrived as the event began and was a little disappointed that not all of the stalls were set up. Some stalls seeemd to have a small amount of space so they quickly became crowded especially if they had popular products such as these chocolate donuts…

The next Free From Festival is being held in London on Monday 27th May 2019 and I would recommend a trip if you have allergies or are looking for more information about great tasting products!

*I received a press ticket for this event