Last year I was an Allergy Show virgin, this year, I was a bounty hunter.
I was prepared with tickets, cash, trolley, snacks, bottles of water, phone. Oh yes!
Shame we left our tickets in the car.
Good job you can download etickets on an iphone (phew) and show them at the door!!
'Baby' had been carefully primed - I told her there would be dairy free donuts, cake and chocolate. She needed to know no more than that. We were in search of bounty - gluten and dairy free!
So once we got inside, we wasted no time, but headed straight for Sweetcheeks for donuts. We could have got cakes as well - they looked delectable, but a bit too fragile for my trolley!
First objective achieved, it was soon time to head for Allergy Adventures.
I'd heard about these online and was keen to see how they were going to help children with allergies. It turned out they offered crafts and told stories. I'd noted a dairy free adventure story time and wanted 'Baby' to join in. 'Baby' seemed to enjoy the story time, so we bought the book.
After that it was time to really get stuck in.
I have to say, having found some really great products, this year, it was mostly about visiting their stands and picking up stock at bargainous prices.
Before long, though, despite the larger hall, this year, it became apparent that it wasn't going to be that easy - the place was soon heaving! And exhibitors were telling me that they were selling out, of their stock because Friday (which they had expected to be quiet) had actually been very busy!
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| Busy, busy, busy! |
However, we got the Bounty that we came for. It was great to visit Zero Zebra for chocolate; Lovemore for Oreos; Amy's Kitchen for Macaroni Cheese; Koko for strawberry and chocolate milkshake; Eskal for ice cream cones; Hale and Hearty's mixes, cereals and flapacks; Del 'Ugo pasta; and Orgran for a whole host of stuff!
There were others we've enjoyed that I'd love to have visited, but I ran out of time, such as: Pudology desserts; Kirsty's ready meals; Smooze ice lollies; and Dr Lucy's Cookies.
Some were sampling, rather than selling, like Co-yo coconut yoghurt Bessant and Drury dairy free ice cream, also Mozzarisella, whose cheese was sampled on a new find...
Venice Bakery pizza bases. I'll probably have to go into more detail another time. BUT, suffice to say, they're dairy, gluten and soya free! And we're obviously not the only ones who thought so, because their bases were selling like hot cakes! If you want to try them, they're available online.
Another find that everyone seemed to love was ilumi. Such a great innovation - dairy, gluten and various other things free ready meals. Unique in that they can be stored at room temperature and then heated up - a must for anyone going on holiday and uncertain of what they might find, and tres delicieux! Also available online, they have a special offer on orders this month. Do not miss out, you won't be disappointed!
There were, in addition, some French companies that looked as though they had interesting products, like a dairy free almond cheese, but unfortunately, they had no samples nor any stock to sell. Oh well, maybe next year!
By the end of our time at the show, my trolley was bulging, our pushchair was loaded, and even though The Hub had whisked her off to Kensington Park, to play for an hour, 'Baby' had clearly had enough!
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| Just some of our haul! |
I had just enough time to buy the last cake from Ms Cupcake's stall, before we left the show with our stash... for this year anyway!
And on the way home, I picked up another treat I'd missed at the show, from Kensington Whole Foods Market - Glamour Puds Chocolate Fudge Pudding. Yum!
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All in all, we had a great time. If you go, we hope you do too.
Some additional practical notes, for those yet to go:
- We experienced difficulties with lifts at two stations - Clapham Junction and Olympia itself.
- Cash machines can be found near the train station.
- Small children will find it difficult to cope for long.
- Changing facilities for those in nappies are limited.
- Be prepared to queue for the loo (ladies).
- The show was extremely busy, so go early if you can.
