Cor! Tesco Free From Cornetto-style Cones

'Just one cornetto! Give it to me! Delicious  ice cream... '

Remember that advert? 

Showing my age now, I know! *sigh*

Well, it's all very well wanting one, if you can have ice cream, it's not so easy if you're dairy free, gluten free and almost soya free (if, like me you can cope with soya lecithin that is)... up until now, anyway!

I couldn't believe my eyes the other day when Carly (@gfreeb on Twitter) first shared a piccy of some the other day.

My eyes popped!

Luckily for me, my Tescos stock them. Yippee!!!

See??

Bit melty, as it was a warm spring day and I stopped off somewhere else on the way home!

If you want to buy some, check out the largest Tesco near you and try the Free From freezer department, where you might find a few other new items too! I like the look of the crispy Potato Skins!

First Impressions?

Can't really remember what a real cornetto tastes like anymore - it's been far too long, but it tasted alright too me. The strawberry syrup was lovely. The cone was perhaps more authentic than the ice cream. It was crunchy, and, quite satisfyingly (considering it was a gluten free cone) it wasn't any more crumbly than you'd expect from the real deal! 

I've not tried them on 'Baby' yet, but am hoping she will like them, 'cos I caught her eyeing The Hub's last year (naughty Hub). I think I'd be more certain of the outcome if they were choccy flavour and to be honest, I'd love to see a choccy one too!

What's in it?

There's a fair few ingredients to wade through, but the two major allergens to watch out for are Lupin and Soya Lecithin. Not all soya allergy sufferers can cope with soya lecithin, but many can, as it is oil from the bean, from which the protein has been removed via processing. It's a shame they didn't try sunflower lecithin, as hopefully that would have suited more people! 

Lupin is a new one to many in the UK - it's often used in gluten free products. I was worried about this one, as it's another flipin legume and I don't always do too well with these. However, I didn't suffer any ill effects, so I must be OK with Lupin! 

The packaging says that they: 'Also, may contain nuts'.

Ingredients:
Water, Sugar, Maize Flour, Coconut Oil, Glucose Syrup, Lupin Protein Isolate, Strawberry Pulp (3.5%), Maltodetrin, Dextrose, Concentrated Starwberry Juice, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins, Mono- and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Maize Starch, Colours (calcium Carbonate, Concentrated Beetroot Juice, Beta-Carotene), Stabilisers (Locust Bean Meal, Guar Gum), Salt, Palm Oil, Flavouring, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Vanilla Powder.

Didn't last long!

How much are they?

They cost £2.00 for a pack of four. I think that's pretty reasonable, don't you??

Of course, what I think about them is really neither here or there - everyone's taste buds are slightly different, but if you do buy some, I hope you enjoy them too!


Update:

'Baby' has now tried them and can confirm they are 'YUMMY!'

I think we can safely say they're a hit then! :)


Update 2016:

A new flavour is also now available - Toffee and Vanilla - choice!!

Related Posts:

Shopping with Food Allergies - UK

Free From Creamy Iced Dessert - Tesco

Salted Caramel Almond Dream

Free From Creamy Iced Vanilla Dessert - New at Tesco!!

Huzzah!

A new dairy free ice cream... from Tesco's own Free From label!!

I was alerted to this on Twitter the other day (sorry I can't remember who, if it was you, please let me know)! So, off I went... to hunt some out!!

Details! Details!

It's not exactly a huge tub, there's 500ml in the tub - whereas you get 750ml in a tub of Swedish Glace... I only compare it to Swedish Glace because it's a popular dairy free ice cream, which is pretty good value.

BUT!! Unlike Swedish Glace (which I gather is not only great value, but also a good dupe for vanilla ice cream), not only is it dairy free, and gluten free, it is also SOYA FREE as well!!

AND, like Swedish Glace, it's a great deal cheaper than some of the other dairy and soya free frozen desserts out there - it's only £2.00 a tub!!

Yippee!!

Here it is!

So what's it made with, you might well wonder!?

What's in it??

Ingredients:

Water, Coconut Oil, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Lupin, Protein Isolate, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Emulsifier (Mono- and Di- Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Colours (Calcium Carbonate, Beta Carotene), Stabilisers (Locust Bean Meal, Guar Gum), Salt, Flavouring, Vanilla Powder.

Allergens:

Lupin.

May contain nuts.

From looking at the ingredients list, it is obvious that a lot of processed ingredients have gone into this product, however, what concerns me more, is the addition of Lupin. This ingredient has not been used much in the UK, until quite recently, but is an ingredient commonly used in Europe in gluten free products. As it has become more widely used, it has emerged as quite an allergenic substance - which is why it appears in the EU's list of top 14 allergens. So if you are a multiple allergy sufferer, just take care, in case you turn out to be allergic to Lupin too! *

However, on the positive side, this is a Free From product that is egg free too - as a lot of dairy free folks are also unable to have eggs, this is a great move!

BUT what a shame that, as a Free From product, this ice cream could not somehow have been made nut free too - too many Free From products are not, and here's another one that isn't. I really feel for the nut allergic on this one.

I enjoyed my ice cream with fresh strawberries

What's it taste like?

Well, here's  the thing - it's a long time since I've eaten it - but... well... funnily enough... vanilla ice cream!! 

YAY!!

I'm not a fan, I've decided of vanilla ice creams flavoured with fruit juice - they tend to taste too fruity, rather than purely of vanilla, so this was just right for me, personally.

The way I like it - plain and simple!

To be sure that I was testing it right, I tried it alongside some British strawberries (not sugared or flavoured in any way). AND before I even took a single bite of strawberry, I tasted the iced dessert, and yes, I'm sure it tasted just the same as I remember ice cream tasting last time I ate it!! 

Obviously I haven't taste tested Swedish Glace properly (I once took a sneaky lick, which wasn't enough to affect me) so I couldn't properly tell, but I think they taste pretty similar.

Unlike Swedish Glace, this dairy free ice cream doesn't yet have companions with other flavours, but hopefully they will come along pretty soon! 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for a dairy and soya free cookie dough ice cream (Hint! Hint!)!!

Related posts:

Other posts about dairy free substitutes can be found by following this link.

* For more information about Lupin Allergy, follow this link.

Co-yo Ice Cream

Finally! After some months of waiting, I've got my sticky mitts on some Co-yo ice cream!! 

Diggin' in  :)

Having heard about it on Twitter, I've been waiting for Co-yo's ice cream for a while. I already enjoy the Co-yo yoghurt, which I reviewed here.

Apparently the ice cream comes in various flavours, Vanilla and Nutmeg, Raw Chocolate and Sticky Date and Tamarind, but this one was Natural.

I found the ice cream in my local health shop. I must admit, I was so excited to see it, I bought a tub before reading the price label - £6.98. Oops!! But, as I told The Hub, it may be more expensive than my 'usual' but at least it's cheaper than Booja Booja (which I can't have anyway, as it's made with cashews)!!

Having got it home, I couldn't wait to dive in!

First thoughts? Creamy, definitely creamy and with a distinct taste of coconut. 

'You can certainly tell it's made with coconut,' I thought. 'So not for anyone who can't eat coconut or won't eat coconut but great for those who can/will!!'

In fact one of my earliest remarks, to The Hub, was that it tasted pretty much like frozen coconut cream. I really liked the creaminess, but thought that (apart from the coconut) it lacked a bit of flavour. For me, the coconut needed something else to go with it and give it a bit of oomph. 

Feeling that it would probably work best as an accompaniment to something else, I added some home made choc sauce and a few walnuts (you could always use some crumbled biscuit instead) which tasted yummy - a bit reminiscent of some Haagen-Dazs, maybe? 

Great with chocolate sauce!

However, I thought the Co-yo ice cream could work equally well served with a scoop of mango sorbet or strawberry - or maybe one of each!?! Not so long ago Tesco made some coconut and strawberry frozen ice lollies, and those were LUSH (unfortunately they no longer make them, now).

I'm really intrigued to see what Co-yo's other flavoured ice creams are like - to see what difference their added flavours make.

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty - what's in Co-yo's ice cream? (Or not, as the case may be!)

Ingredients:
Coconut milk (84%), natural fruit extracts (apple, grape, carob), tapioca.

Additional information:
Worried about traces of other allergens? Co-yo say:

Our natural yoghurt is made with just 3 ingredients and none of these come into contact with nuts; our factory is a nut free environment, we do not produce anything with nuts in it.

Our ice creams are the same, just 3 ingredients, coconut milk, agave syrup and tapioca. Flavoured with raw cacao, date syrup, vanilla extract.

We believe very strongly in preparing our product in an allergen free environment and it makes us very angry to see other products calling them selves dairy free when they are made in and packed on dairy equipment that milk products go through.

Now, if you're interested in trying this product, how you get your hands on some? 

Well it's pretty tricky at the moment, unless you live near a Whole Foods Market, or your health food shop happens to stock it, but, hopefully, it will become more widely available soon. 

Other posts on a similar theme:
Ice - a cream- oh!
Ice, Ice Baby!