Frill - The Frozen Smoothie

Here at the Amazing Blog we feel that no one should miss out on a good dessert, therefore we were particularly excited about the creation of The Frozen Smoothie by Frill. It is an irresistible frozen treat free from dairy and gluten, making it vegan friendly and safe for anyone with gluten or lactose intolerances. Frill Frozen Smoothies contain half the sugar and 10 times the fibre of regular ice cream as well as being low in sodium and fat, finally we can enjoy a truly guilt free dessert!

Frill can be enjoyed when frozen but if left in room temperature for a couple of hours it becomes a rich, creamy mousse. The various flavours include Intense Chocolate, Refreshing Green, and Bursting Berries; we were lucky enough to try these particular flavours and were not disappointed. They are all delicious, the chocolate frill was rich and smooth, while the bursting berries was sweet and refreshing. We loved the personal touches on the pot’s logo; on each flavour the polar bear image wears a different expression. If you ever find yourself in a rush, add nut milk to Intense Chocolate, or fruit juice to Bursting Berries and Refreshing Green, a nutritious breakfast smoothie that can be whipped up in no time.

This is a fun, delicious and healthy dessert that is perfect for everyone, no matter their age or if they have specific diets/eating requirements. Diet goers everywhere raise a spoon to the new Holy Grail sweet treat. Wave goodbye to frozen yoghurt and say hello to Frill, get your hands on it here for £5.75.

Friday Favourites - Gluten-Free Snacks Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love enjoying delicious snacks throughout the day to keep us focused and energised. For our readers with dietary restrictions, we understand that quality gluten-free snacks are not always easy to find. To solve this problem, we made it our mission to search for gluten-free products that taste great and won’t harm your body. Here are our top four favourites out of the products we discovered. 

All of the snacks from The Foods of Athenry ere a big hit here at the office, especially the cookie shots! They make a variety of delicious treats, many of which are gluten-free, so your whole family can enjoy their yummy snacks. The Foods of Athenry is a family-run business based in West Ireland. Their gluten-free snacks include a variety of different breakfast cereals, cookies, crackers, flapjacks, grab & go bars, biscuits, cakes and scones. Their gluten-free products are certified by the Coeliac Society, since all of the snacks have the crossed grain symbol on the box. Since some of their products do contain gluten, they avoid cross-contamination by using two separate bakeries. You can shop all of their gluten-free snacks here, where you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of products. 

Perhaps the most nutritious item on our list, we loved the healthy olives from Urbangrains. The two varieties we sampled were the Black Kalamon Olives and the Green Olives. Both olive flavours are organic and are marinated in olive oil and oregano. Since they’re harvested by hand and are delicately prepared without being processed, the quality is top-notch. We could tell the difference in taste between these olives and other types of olives you might find while at the grocery store. They were a satisfying snack on their own, although they would complement a plate of cheese and crackers if you’re in need of a larger snack. Head here to get a few packs of these Greek olives for £3.

Everyone at the office agrees that a yummy chocolate spread is the perfect finish touch on top of a biscuit or piece of toast. Our new favourite chocolate spreads are from Jim Jam’s, a family-owned business that strives to eliminate all of the hidden sugars found in many common spreads. All of the spreads made by Jim Jam’s are gluten-free and contain no added sugar, so you can rest assured knowing you’re providing your family with the highest quality available. The side of each jar contains an easy “choccie milk” recipe, so you can enjoy the spread in more than one way. At the office, we tried the Milk Chocolate spread and the Hazelnut Chocolate spread, and we highly recommend them both. Find out which retailer nearest you sells the Jim Jam’s spreads here. A few popular places from their list are The Co-Operative food and TK Maxx.

Last but certainly not least, we enjoyed the double chocolate gluten-free cookies from Angelic Gluten Free. Each one contains less than 75 calories, have around 30% less fat in comparison to other gluten free cookies and are made with dairy-free chocolate chips. Plus, they have the same amount of taste and flavour you’d expect from cookies with gluten. We loved how perfectly portioned each cookie was; they weren’t too big or too small. They came in a package that made them easy to serve and share with others, or you can keep them to yourself if you’d rather. Head to the Angelic’s website and use their store locator to find the shop nearest you where you can purchase the cookies.

Bianca Marton's Fine Handmade Chocolates

As you all know, at The Amazing Blog we like to treat ourselves to delicious delicacies - we all love our afternoon tea and coffee, especially if we've got yummy bits to go with them. And so we were rather excited to receive a beautifully wrapped box of Bianca Marton's Handmade Luxury Truffles particularly after hearing so many good things about them.

Bianca Marton offers great handmade dairy free chocolate truffles made with high quality chocolates and 100% natural ingredients, organically grown when possible, and suitable for vegans. She makes 16 different types of delicious truffles: Strawberry, Summer Berry, Dark Orange, Cinnamon, Poppy Seed, Hazelnut, Whiskey, Champagne, Unicum, Plum Schnapps, Sea-Salted Caramel, Organic Dark Chocolate, Fresh Mint, Mango and Chili, Coconut and Dark Raspberry - all of which are as scrumptious as they sound! Our personal favourites were the Sea-Salted Caramel and the Dark Orange, both of which had a rich flavour and just the right amount of chocolate.

You can purchase these exquisite truffles from Bianca Marton's website - choosing between Fruity Dairy Free, Dairy Free or After Dinner Special (these contain alcohol) selection boxes of 12, 18 or 24 truffles; or you can also choose individual truffles.

At The Amazing Blog we think Bianca Marton's Handmade Truffles are perfect for dessert, to go with your tea or simply as a self-indulgent treat if you're feeling particularly decadent!

The box of 24 retails for £25, the 18 one for £19 and the 12 one for £13. If you wish to purchase them individually, each truffle is £1.50.

Pudology

Well, that's it - summer is officially over. With the end of the August Bank Holiday there's little to look forward to this side of Christmas; days are getting shorter, nights are getting colder and wistful dreams of a summer full of beer gardens and barbecues are but a distant memory. Pimms is disappearing off drinks menus and chicken ceasar salads are no longer the order of the day.

However, as the descent into winter swiftly begins, there is one rather large plus point - the influx of comfort food. No longer having to parade around in bikinis on our annual summer holidays and with chunky knits dominating the shop floor of our favourite retail outlets, now is the perfect time to embrace our more 'cuddly' side.

And what better way to do so than to indulge in all things, well, indulgent? We at The Amazing Blog have found the perfect pudding to while away the winter nights - and even better - they're suitable for everyone.

Borne out of a dream for everyone to be able to enjoy incredibly rich and delicious puddings regardless of any food intolerances, the clever folks at Pudology work tirelessly to create a wide range of tasty, indulgent treats that everyone can enjoy. None of their delicious desserts include any form of dairy, and neither do they include any wheat or egg based ingredients.

With a tantalising range of flavours on offer - including mango, espresso and banoffee - Pudology have managed to succeed where others have failed by creating the perfect pudding. There was something of a squabble here at The Amazing Blog when we got our hands on Pudology's offerings and we can confirm that they are every bit as delicious as we had hoped.

COYO Yoghurt

Ever since arriving in London from the United States, I have found myself experimenting with different foods. Certain foods and brands that are popular here, I had never previously heard of back home. Yoghurt was one of the foods that I noticed differed between the two countries. Over the past few years, yoghurt had become a staple of my diet and I often enjoyed it with my cereal or oatmeal in the morning. I sometimes even used it as a dip for my fruits and vegetables. I've missed some of the brands of yoghurts I've grown accustomed to at home… but that was until my colleagues here at The Amazing Blog introduced me to COYO Coconut Milk Yoghurt. As soon as I tried COYO Coconut Milk Yoghurt, I was immediately hooked! My sudden love for this new type of yoghurt only increased as I learned about its health benefits. Not only is COYO sugar free, but also dairy free, soya free, gluten and lactose free. It is the first of its kind and you will definitely not be able to find anything like it! However, these benefits of the yoghurt detract absolutely nothing from its taste. It contains a refreshing coconut flavor that is creamy and very light. As soon as I finished it, I found myself yearning for more. The immense amount of flavor made me feel as if I were treating myself to a dessert rather than a healthy yoghurt. This yoghurt can be used the exact same way as normal yoghurt and is available in a few flavours: natural, mixed berry, and pineapple. The universal love of this product is evident by the fact that it was entered for the Free From Food Awards in 2012.

Similarly to myself, COYO is a recent introduction to the UK. It originated in Australia, but nutritionist Bethany Eaton has brought it to the UK and I could not be happier than my time here has coincided with the arrival of this delicious yoghurt. I will be sure to stop into Planet Organic or a John Lewis Food Hall to stock up on as much COYO Coconut Milk Yoghurt as I can before I head back to the United States. I am jealous of all you Londoners who not only have this yoghurt readily available to you but will be around for the launch of the COYO Ice Cream this summer!