The Great Big Dairy Free Easter Egg Hunt (2013 Part 2)

You may have already perused the first part of this little mini-series. You may already have decided on your choice of egg and purchased it, in fact, or you may well be despairing at the lack of choice and bemoaning your fate. Fear not! There is more - if you're prepared to take a little risk and shop online...

I was kind of driven to it, by the plaintive voice of Baby, asking, 'Is that dairy free Mummy?' as I wandered the aisles of the local stores, in search of dairy free Easter eggs. She was pointing at the brightly-coloured, foil-wrapped mini eggs, and I thought to myself, 'Where can I find some of those?'

These egg halves ARE dairy free!

Now, if like me, you like to 'feel the width,' or, 'try before you buy,' this may not come naturally to you. However, if you're in search of a little more variety, this Easter, it really is the only way!

It may be, for example, that you'd like something a little bit more child friendly, or you'd like a clutch of mini eggs for an Easter egg hunt, or you'd like something more bespoke and artisan or maybe you are being driven delirious by distant memories of cream eggs, which are no longer an option for you. Well, fear not! All is not lost, I may just have the answer for you!!

Ready for the hunt? This basket came from The Works.

Now, if you're looking for something suitable for children, you might like to cast your eyes over Tasha's Dairy Free Delights, Free From for Kids or D & D Chocolates. They all sell a range of chocolate novelties and eggs, specifically aimed at catering for people with allergies. Why do I highlight this? Because although 'Vegan' chocolates are made dairy and egg free, from what I can gather, these are not made (or sold) with allergies in mind and I'm not sure whether there may be cross contamination issues, for those who are extremely sensitive.

Free From For Kids and Tasha both sell branded dairy free products but Tasha also makes some chocolate novelties of her own. D & D also make their own products, which are gluten, dairy free and nut free. They also sell a range of carob and Turkish delight.

The other nice thing about Tasha's Dairy Free Delights and Free From For Kids, is that they don't appear to be priced outrageously - often dairy free food and chocolate is more expensive, due to being a niche market. However, I have noticed that it's worth shopping around and following the right people, because there are still bargains to be had!!

What do I mean? Well, I couldn't help noting that Waitrose has the Moo Free Bunny priced at £0.79. In my 'local' health food shop, you can buy the same bunny for £0.69. 'Bargainous!!' thought I, until I discovered that Emma at Love Lactose Free Life (who quite frequently has special offers) has these same bunnies priced at £0. 60 each!! The Moo Free eggs are also cheaper than I've seen in the shops - priced £3.79. 

The Moo Free Chocolate Bunny.

'Big deal!' you might say, 'what about post and packaging?' However, factor in the cost of petrol and parking, and actually, you may well have saved myself some money!!

Emma also stocks a nice selection of eggs from premium makes, such as Booja Booja, Mulu and Montezuma, with Inspiralled soon to be added.

Other good places to buy premium eggs are online Vegan sites, such as The Vegan Store Animal Aid, and, online Health Store, Goodness Direct. Be aware, though, that Goodness Direct also sell eggs containing milk, alongside those that don't, so pick carefully!! Viva, another Vegan site, have a slightly smaller selection but they look quite cute.

Now, back to that Vegan cream egg. Facebook and Twitter followers will perhaps already have picked up on this one, but I was astounded to learn, the other day, that such a thing did indeed exist!! I've not tried it yet, as I somehow couldn't justify to myself spending £1.20 on just one tiny egg, plus the cost of post and packaging (£2.75 for orders under £10). However, there are other chocolate novelties available from this site, so if you buy a few other bits and pieces, it may be worth your while. If you do happen to be interested (must admit I'm still tempted), The Chocolate Wendy House is the online place to go.

I have noticed, since mentioning the vegan egg, that D & D Chocolates sell something similar - some chocolate fondant egg halves (pictured above). They're £4.96 for a pack of four (plus postage and packaging), so they're still quite pricey! However, they have some special offers on at the moment, so check out their home page, for more details.

I bought theirs though, as they are gluten free and they also had this little box in stock. It was just what I was looking for - with Easter coming up, I'm aware that some of the Baby and Toddler groups, that we attend, may well be offering little ones chocolate eggs. I couldn't go unprepared now, could I? So I bought these, just in case...

These tiny eggs look great (above) in the little basket from The Works.

Update: I've just found this post listing dairy free Easter eggs available in Canada and the US. The list for British chocolates looks incredibly similar to our own!!

NB Please be aware that details about products may change. Check out our Facebook Page for further updates, or follow us on Twitter!

Similar posts:

The Great Big Dairy Free Easter Egg Hunt (Part1)

On the trail of the Dairy Free Easter Bunny! (Last years' post)

Be the Easter Bunny (Last year's post)

Oo! Ah! Chocolat!

Sweets for my sweet...

Another Allergy Show Confession

Did you make it to the Allergy Show in London, last month? Did you spot the Eskal stall? Arriving fairly late in the day, I confess I very nearly didn't. It wasn't one of the 'big names' of the show. The stall didn't shout, 'Come over here and try some!' But I did. 

Perfect for a cuppa!

On the day I wasn't overwhelmed; the biscuit that I sampled seemed nice enough - enough for me to buy a packet. However, because the brand didn't quite grab me in the same way that the show stopping ice cream and desserts had done, I didn't rush to mention them before. I wondered whether they merited enough of a mention on their own, or whether I should forget the biscuits and just add their ice cream cones to my blog post, Ice - a - cream - oh! However, having bought some of their products and tried them at home, in a quiet way, I'm kind of hooked!

There were a selection of gluten free products on their stall, much like many of the other gluten free stalls. When I mentioned I was also dairy free, they were able to point me to three products: a tea biscuit, an ice cream cone and a packet of crackers. I was underwhelmed, because you can get these elsewhere from other brands, then I tried them.

The Biscuit

The biscuit, looks in shape and size a little bit similar to a Malted Milk but in no way tries to taste the same. In fact Eskal calls it a tea biscuit although they don't try to make it taste like a rich tea. Gluten and dairy free (but not soya or egg free) it comes in two flavours: vanilla and coffee. I bought the vanilla and these have really grown on me (perhaps because they're not trying to replicate something else that already exists - they're just themselves). Baby loves them too - no surprise there, as they're a little 'short'  and quite sweet!

Baby will eat these cones without the ice cream!

The Ice Cream Cone

The ice cream cone is a little smaller than the Barkat cones that we've used up until now, but actually taste nicer - they've added a hint of sweetness, which takes away the blandness. Baby likes them too, but I try to keep them for me, as she can have the dairy free cones that are made by Carousel. Eskal's cones have come at the right time for us, as the Barkat cones seem to have vanished from Sainsbury's.

Not only are they gluten free, they are also dairy, soya and egg free. However,  be warned, they may contain traces of nuts!

How do you get hold of Eskal Products?

Eskal are no easier to come by, as apart from the Allergy Show, I've only found them online at Goodness Direct and Amazon. Goodness Direct is fine if you only want one box (£2.74 for one box) and don't mind paying for post and packaging (unless you spend £35, in which case p&p is free). Amazon is better if you have space for six boxes (£15 for six boxes - each box containing twelve cones) as it can be delivered free in the UK.

Now, as for the crackers, I haven't tried those yet, partly because I can't have them with cheese and I've been wondering what to use instead, but also because I'm saving them for a family occasion that's coming up. But if they are any good, I'll let you know!

Update on Stockists:
The tea biscuits are now available online at Ocado, alongside a few other Eskal products. However, be warned, not all of the other Eskal products are dairy free!

Update: Another Eskal Biscuit - Dairy Free Chocolate chip Shortcake

They look so yummy! If only...

I've recently found a new Eskal product, that wasn't at The Allergy Show, online at Free From For Kids. I think they look great. They are dairy, but sadly, being made of wheat, they are not gluten free so I'm afraid I haven't been able to test them. However, Baby made short work of them, so I imagine they're not too bad! No mention of eggs or soya (just 'lecithin') or nuts, so if you need to know, you might like to contact the manufacturers, just to make sure.

Other posts that might be of interest:

Confessions of an Allergy Show Virgin

Bessant and Drury's Dairy Free Ice Cream