A Preview of The Free From & Allergy Show 2016

So 8th-10th July... got it in your diary yet?? If so, why not?? 

It's the weekend of the London Allergy and Free From Show!!

A lot of stuff about the London Allergy Show remains pretty much the same for me, whichever day I visit. This is because one of the main reasons I go is to hunt down new dairy free and gluten free products, and stock up on old favourites - especially those that aren't so freely available locally. I go armed with cash, and a shopping trolley, knowing that there will be show bargains to be had - my trolley is always full to over-flowing by the time I leave to go home. 

The Allergy Show is held over three days (8th-10th July, this year) in Olympia, London. Usually, Saturday is my best bet.

However, this year, for me, it's different. It matters quite a bit, to me, which day I go, as I'm desperate to get along to hear Dr Adam Fox speak in the Learning Centre. In previous years he spoke on the Saturday, but this year he's speaking on the Friday, at 2pm. 

AGH! A school day!! Now that Kiddo is at school, THAT is going to be a little bit tricky!

I'm not saying the other speakers aren't worth listening to (the rest of the The Schar Learning Centre Programme can be accessed here), but... he is definitely my favourite!!

Why? Well, in case you don't know who Dr Fox is, he is a Consultant Peadiatric Allergist par excellence - a BIG allergy guru, definitely worth listening to. Pearls of allergy wisdom flow from his mouth at quite some speed, so if you're planning on attending his session, come armed with pen/paper, hey even a dictaphone - you won't want to miss a thing. And get there early - quite a number of people had to stand around the edge last year, as there wasn't enough room to listen.

Dr Fox's talk was packed!

Dr Fox's topic this year is Active Management of Food Allergy - current thinking in the specialist treatment of food allergies. WOW! What a subject! Which allergy parent doesn't want to know how best to manage their child's food allergy?? 

Also speaking on Friday, but in 'Speaker's Corner, is Alice Sherwood, author of 'The Allergy Free Cookbook.' I would be really interested in hearing her speak about Ten things they should tell you about Allergies (but hardly ever do). Her talk is scheduled for 2.30 pm - unfortunately clashing with the aforementioned Dr Fox *groans*.


Other highlights I'm expecting to see, are:


1. Shopping 

I know I've already mentioned this, but it is important - shopping for food, food and more food! Especially free from treats, I'm particularly partial to those! ;) 

I will definitely be looking out for Ms Cupcake's stall, as well as favourite brands such as Lovemore, Barkat and Eskal, to name but a few.

A former Allergy Show haul!

See the current exhibitor list here.


2. Allergy Adventures 

There will also be a kid's zone manned and created by Hailley - an inspirational, energetic, creative, wonder woman who almost defies description! There will be crafts, storytelling and a trail to follow. Surprisingly, she (and her loyal band of volunteers) are unpaid for this, so show her some love, buy her merchandise and nag your local school to book her!

Hailley in action - story telling!

For, not only is Hailley an author, who has written several books for children about food allergies (see here), she is amazing at spreading the word about allergies in schools - for which she has devised a series of free allergy workshops for schools (which you can find here). Not only that, she has also created several videos with fun free from recipes for children (see here) as well materials designed for allergy departments in hospitals, to help their young patients deal with being in clinic. 



3. And also...

There is also a chance to see free from cookery demonstrations (but usually I run out of time/energy for these). 

This year the Allergy Show is also co-locating (sharing the space) with the 'Just V Show', which is space reserved for Vegan and Vegetarian stands (some of this will be free from, some not) and the 'Love Natural, Love You Show', which basically is about organic/green clothing, skin and beauty products. there is a bit of fluidity between the 'different' shows, although they are basically exhibiting in the same hall - many dairy free products were located in the Vegan section, like this Violife stand:

Note last year, the Vegan are was carpeted in a lovely shade of pink!

On the day bring:

Your Ticket - it's free, to attend, but you still need your ticket to get in. You can download and print your free tickets by following this link. Otherwise, it's £10.00 on the day, with children under 16 allowed in free.

Light clothing - the exhibition hall is basically like a greenhouse.

Comfortable shoes - you'll be on your feet a lot!

Food/drink - if you're worried about finding enough safe stuff to eat - especially important for those with multiple allergies. There is going to be a 'Free From Cafe' on site, but that doesn't mean they'll cater for everyone!

Money - preferably cash - changes hands more easily.

Shopping trolley - you'll be carrying away more than you think!

Eyes - keep your eyes peeled to make sure you stay safe - read labels & ask questions before you eat (usual rules still apply). Remember many stall holders employ staff who might not know their products as well, or who (even though, ironically, it is an allergy show) might not have a good understanding of allergies/cross-contamination etc. especially if they are there for the Vegan show.

Wits - the space is being shared with various stands, some of which I'd avoid because they offer unproven alternative intolerance tests/remedies. They are there because they've paid for their space, just like everyone else, but .

Game Plan - familiarize yourself with speakers/exhibitors list, by looking at the website before you go, so that you don't miss a thing. In fact this year, I may well download a floor plan and chart a course, just to make sure I don't miss anything!


Getting there:

Train - The train station is right by the exhibition centre, if you're coming by train.

The train station couldn't be much closer!

Car - there is a car park, but it can be a bit tight in there!



And finally...

if you can't make it to London, well good news, there are other venues for the Allergy Show throughout the year:

Liverpool Exhibition Centre 5th-6th November, 2016

Glasgow SECC 11th-12th March, 2017


Please note: 

This post is not an advert. I have not been paid to write this post. I am not sponsored in any way, even by advertising. I do get free tickets - the same way as you can, by clicking the link. All views expressed are my own (unless I've asked for The Hub's or Kiddo's).


Related posts:




The Allergy and Free From Show 2015 - a retrospective



Shopping with Food Allergies in the UK

My Allergy Show 2014 Highs... and Lows??

Well, that's it for another year! The Allergy and Free From Show is over!             

*sigh*

Well unless you're heading to Liverpool in September of course!

Bit far north for me, though!

I think I made the most of my time there though!

Last year, I complained about the lack of space. It was good to see that the Show organisers had taken this on board!

This year, the London Show was held in The Grand Hall at Olympia... which was great!! 
SO much more space than last year!! 

See...

Obligatory show interior pic - all the best blog posts have 'em ;)

...all that lovely green carpet!! Well, that's the Free From bit!

The space was also shared with the V-Delicious Show, The Back Pain Show and Love Natural Love Organic but there was room enough for us all! It was definitely worth planning my visit ahead though, 'cos I realised that some bits that I might have considered 'Free From' were included in the V-Delicious Show area or the Organic area.

SO, the date dawned bright and fair, but my 'date' stood me up!!! She was required elsewhere - 'Mum's Taxi' duties lured her away. Oh well!! As a result, I ended up travelling up to London with The Hub and 'Baby'. They enjoyed Allergy Adventures activities, then disappeared off to the Science Museum - leaving me to roam at will!!

What did I get up to??

I listened and learned:

This year, I opted to devote some of my time to the Spotlight session on Food Allergy, featuring Dr Adam Fox and Tanya Wright. It cost £10, but was well worth it! 

Dr Adam Fox is a well-renowned expert and talks a mile a minute. His talk was jam-packed full of really useful information! He covered aspects such as understanding when food allergy might realistically be outgrown (takes longer than previously thought), assessing risk in terms of how likely a fatal anaphylactic reaction might be as well as in avoiding allergens and how to induce tolerance of an allergen - all very worthwhile topics!! I'd definitely recommend attending his talk, another time.

Tanya Wright, a specialist allergy dietitian followed - her talk entitled: 'Coping with Children that are Challenging to Feed.' Some of what she shared wasn't new to me, but the section on how allergic children can have food aversion really struck a chord with me! Food refusal has definitely been an issue for us, so it was really interesting to hear about what might be causing this and how this problem could be tackled. 

Tanya Wright's talk was followed by an interesting Q. and A. session in which the good old question about allergies and bad behaviour came up! I know a lot of us 'Allergy Mums' have found our children's behaviour challenging when they have had an exposure to their allergen, so my ears pricked up at this bit! 

What I found interesting was her explanation for this - that the behaviour was actually a signal that the child was experiencing a reaction of some kind that perhaps they couldn't express, or was 'normal' for them, but was actually discomforting them. I don't know about you, but that really made sense to me!!

I lurked:

I was hoping for a chance to catch up with some of the allergy peeps from Twitter, some of whom were on the Allergy Adventures stand. However, each time I went by, they were all busy - but that's a good thing eh?

Allergy Adventures in action!

I was also hoping to catch Peggy of Glamour Puds too, but each time I visited she was deep in conversation with her customers, so I purchased  an 'Allergy Show Special' Bakewell Tart from her assistant and moved on!

Very good it was too!

Yes, dear reader, I ate the lot! 

I'm looking forward to being reunited with some of her other creations in Tesco, very soon!

I lunched:

After the talk, it was definitely time for lunch! Short of time in the morning, my plan for taking a wrap disappeared, so instead I headed for the 'Free From Cafe,' which was tucked away near the back of the Allergy Adventures area.

To my delight, I discovered I could get a gluten, and dairy free lunch (I had to guess at the soya free bit, as I couldn't see a proper label).

Healthy and Free From!

I also grabbed a packet of Ten Acre Salt and Vinegar Crisps - gluten, dairy and soya free! Result!

I actually didn't need these - I just grabbed them because I could!!

As I made my way through the cafe I saw the table with cutlery, napkins etc. bore two kinds of dairy free milk. Wouldn't it be great if all cafes did this? 

Anyone for dairy free milk?

Sadly the other cafes at the venue did not :(

There were other Free From options available though!

Debbie and Andrew's sausages sold gluten and dairy free hot dogs - not soya free unfortunately, as the rolls were Dietary Specials, and made with soya protein, so no good for me, but the stall seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

Vegusto dairy free cheese, meanwhile, had dairy and gluten free 'cheese' sandwiches available for those who can tolerate cashews (I can't).

The Vegusto sandwiches looked 'normal'!

And various Vegan options (therefore dairy and egg free) were available too! 

I looked around:

My tactic this year was mainly to avoid buying anything that needed to keep cold, anything I could buy locally (unless it was priced too good to miss) but concentrate on things that were new (that I would be unlikely to find elsewhere) or that I would otherwise have to buy online and pay postage for!

This was my final haul:

All the best blogs have these pics too!  ;)

So I visited: 

• Lovemore - they had nearly sold out of their O'Choccos, which I love
• BFree - I wanted to get hold of one of their new Fajita kits as well as their bagels
• Venice Bakery - their gluten, dairy soya and nut free pizzas  (with Mozzarisella) were definitely NOT to be missed!!
• Warbutons - loved their spiced fruit loaf samples

Pleased to see the dairy free, soya free margarine!

• Orgran - their gluten free pasta was really well-priced at the show
• Barkat - makers of the only dairy, gluten and soya free digestives that I know of, that aren't made with oats!
• Vegusto - I wanted to try their cheese sauce, which, unlike their cheese, does not contain cashew! It can be kept out of the fridge for 48 hours, so was perfect for transportation!

It looks like sausage, but trust me, it's not!

• Isola Bio's dairy free milk and cream - their range has really expanded, which is brilliant. They are not fortified with calcium, though, as they are Organic.

A small selection

• Focaccia Per Tutti - a sensation at the 'Free From Food Awards' this year. Sadly, they were so popular, that there wasn't much left on their stand, by the time I got there!
• Hotch Potch - one of my finds at the Wessex Ceoliac Fair last Autumn (they make gluten and dairy free Scotch Eggs) were also on my list but were so popular that they had SOLD OUT, by the time I reached the stand! Boo hoo!
• Ms Cupcake - a Vegan bakery, which made everything gluten free for the Show and quite a few offerings that were soya free too!! If you've never tasted her wares, trust me - this is amazing (and it's in her cook book)!! 

A Nanaimo Bar!

I did also find time to visit old faves Pudology and Co-yo, but didn't think I'd get them home. However, I learned that it was best for them that we buy them locally at Tesco - each sale is a 'tick' that counts towards their viability as a product on the shelves of the supermarket. I have to say, I loved the new cherry Co-yo - will have to look out for that one!

I left: 

By about half past three, although I would have loved to have hung around for a bit longer, my trolley and a big bag were bulging, protesters were lying all over Kensington High Street, and so it was time to go and rescue The Hub, who was stranded at the other end, with 'Baby,' who was threatening to fall asleep!!

Loaded!!

By then... I was pooped, anyway!!

Back again next year?? I certainly hope so!!

Related Posts:

Fancy a date - at the Allergy and Free From Show 2014?



The Allergy Show - Mission Accomplished

The Allergy Show - Mission Accomplished!

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!

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!

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!

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.