An Alternative to Cheese and Alternative Stores

Meet Violife - the latest in my quest for a decent dairy free cheese alternative. 

It's here!

I've been after this cheese for some time and have heard nothing but good things about it. Not currently available in any shops near me, I turned t'Internet for this one and found it on the Alternative Stores website. This is a Vegan site that I've been stalking on Face Book for quite a while (in the hope of laying my hands on said cheese). However, every time I've tried to order Violife, its been out of stock!! 

Noting (from a recent update) that Violife was back in stock, I hot-footed my way over to their site this week, so I could get my order in before the cheese vanished. I was in luck, it was in stock, so I decided to make the most of any shipping charges by ordering some Vegan choccie bars too. Bonus!! Even better - if you order three of any items, you get 10% off the price if those free items! Needless to say, I took advantage of that offer with the choccie bars, but not so the cheese. After all, if it turned out to be disgusting, I didn't want to be saddled with a whole load of it, did I?

I have to say Alternative Stores service was excellent! The order arrived next day during the allotted time that they said it would appear, and what's more I received several text messages during the intervening period to let me know exactly what was going on. Can't fault them for that!! 

Also, I loved that their packaging was recycled.

So, Violife - back to the 'cheese'. There was a whole raft of choices - Violife with this or that added, but wanting to do a straight comparison with the cheddars I used to know and love, I opted for the 'cheddar' version. I received a pack of 'cheese' slices resembling what I (when I was still eating dairy) used to refer to as 'plastic cheese'. 'Plastic cheese' was, I'm afraid not something I was terribly keen on - it couldn't compare to the English cheddars that I used to love. 

Ready to roll!

Unfortunately, for me, that is pretty much what it tasted like - plastic cheese. In other words it did have a cheesyish taste, but not as much as you'd get from a good cheddar. If you like the flavour of plastic cheeses, like Dairylea, then you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. I tried it first in a sandwich, with a BFree roll. As that didn't appeal, I decided to do what I always end up doing with Vegan cheese - toast it. 

'Cheese' on toast - 'scuse the burnt bits!

Toasting definitely improved the flavour for me, but (if I'm perfectly honest) would not be enough to tempt me to purchase it regularly. I think I'd rather stick with dairy free soya free Cheezly, from Redwood Foods, whose flavour I prefer - especially since Cheezly is cheaper and more readily available (Holland and Barrett).

'Melted' on omelette - didn't really melt!

So, although I know of other people who do love it, Violife didn't rock my dairy free world, but Alternative Stores I'd definitely try again. As an online store, with good stock control, speedy delivery and great communication with their customers, (both on FB and by text) they rock!

Update: Have since tried another Violife and much preferred it to the one pictured (although it's still best toasted). As they have so many different varieties now, it's worth experimenting - to find one that suits you!

Update: Violife Original Cheese (not featured here) and Violife Creamy is now available in two major supermarkets - Tesco and Asda. Great news for dairy free shoppers!!

Similar posts:

Cheese please! What are the dairy free alternatives?

More 'Cheese Please!'

New cheese on the block - meet Mozzarisella!

Avoiding the hop - free from shopping online

Live your life BFree - Wrap & Roll!!

'Live your life be free!' Song lyrics, right? And SO in keeping with this product review! 

I first came across BFree at The Allergy Show. Well sort of. I saw the stand, but there were heaps of people crowding around (story of my life) and the wraps seemed to contain an unsuitable filling (dairy). Unable to get the attention of anyone with whom I could discuss them in depth, and knowing I'm often NOT okay even with gluten free bread, I was unwilling to throw my cash at yet another gluten free bread product just by chance, so off I went - cash firmly remaining in hand. 

BUT the wraps stayed in the back of my mind. I noticed that  they were due to be sold in Asda, but couldn't find any near me, SO, during my recent visit to Deli Divine, I plucked up courage and pulled out some dough of my own, in order to buy some (yes, yes, yes, pun completely intended). 

Having heard good things about the wraps (via Twitter) and unsure how great my gut is with wholemeal style breads, I went for the wraps and the white bread rolls.

Looking good?

I have to say, I couldn't believe just how soft the wraps were, when I got them out of the packet. I slapped on a bit of mayo, ham and then some salad leaves and got rolling. 

Yep - they rolled just fine. I couldn't believe it. Based on previous experience with gluten free bread, I had really expected them to be rather dry and to crack quite a bit, but no!!

So far so good. Next the taste test. Yep! Passed with me just fine. 'Baby' apparently yes, then... not so, but then she is a completely fussy little whatsit about all kinds of food, so no surprises there, then!

I am completely sold on these. I would happily eat them again and again. I'm hoping to make some fajitas sometime, as long as the gut doesn't object to the spices (plain food is often better for me).

The rolls I held off trying for a day or so, but today was 'bite the bullet' time - after all I didn't want them to go off before I ate them! As most gluten free bread is better toasted, the best taste test was to try them untoasted. Whoa! Couldn't believe how much like a proper bread roll they tasted!

What also stunned me was the texture. As previously observed most gluten free bread is dry and tends to fall apart. Some loaves are also known for the vast holes that appear within them. Not so with BFree!

Despite having been defrosted and in my cupboard for about a week, the rolls still had a nice firm spring to them and didn't crumble when I cut them in half, or at all, in fact. No cavernous holes anywhere.

Looks 'normal' huh?

Unlike most gluten free breads, I would happily eat these as an untoasted bread roll, as in fact, a 'normal' sandwich. See here: 

Great for a sandwich

This would make having lunch out (and therefore life in general) much easier for me, as most gluten free bread rolls are unpalatable in this form. I would also use these as burger buns at a BBQ. They also happen to taste nice toasted. I just needed some nice home made marmalade to top them off - made do with honey instead.

Now, much as I love these buns, I think I prefer the wraps, but either way, here are two great additions to the gluten free bread market. I can see me using them a lot (feeling freer already). We're just waiting for them to become available at Ocado. I thought they were, but it seems I was wrong - it's the bread, not the wraps, so there's going to be a product request going in!

P.S. What's in them? Ah yes! If you want to know what's in the buns, the list is long but the ingredients are listed here. And the wraps? Here!

Dairy and Gluten Free on the Isle of Wight

She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight, and she calls it 'The Island' as if there were no other island in the world.  

Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Have you been to The Island, aka The Isle of Wight? Thinking of it?? Just wondered, 'cos this weekend it's host to The Bestival.

Sailing into East Cowes on board Red Funnel

It's a funny old place - I say that with affection. My family moved there when I was five. I grew up there and have many fond memories of life on 'The Island'. However, it definitely has it's quirky little ways!!

Popular with the Victorians, for a long while, it seemed to have had its day. Now, however, it's seems to have reinvented itself as a destination for the cool, young(ish) and groovy. Well, that is apart from the winter - when the turkey and tinsel brigade arrive! BUT from June onwards, things heat up in more ways than one!

I suppose things really kick off with the Isle of Wight Music Festival. Before you know there's the Old Gaffer's Festival, Cowes Week (mind you, Cowes Week has always been popular with sailors, but these days it heaves with celebs) the Offshore Powerboat Race, the Round the Island Yacht Race, Wight Air (extreme sports festival) and this weekend... The Bestival.

'Course there are other reasons to go - not least the fact that it gets a whole lot more sunshine than most of the rest of the UK (although The Hub may beg to differ on this one - he claims it always rains, whenever he goes there).

If you are heading down that way, and need to get hold of some Free From food (Ocado don't deliver, by the way), you may like to know of a few little places that might make life a little bit easier for you.

Cowes - In the High Street of West Cowes nestles this little beauty. I found this shop, whilst visiting folks at Christmas. The shop is tiny, but the proprietor was as helpful as she could be, and offered to buy in food stuffs, especially for me, next time I visited - if I sent her a list ahead of time. Sounds good to me! Website link here.

Small but helpful!

Waitrose is also situated in Cowes, although it's the other side of the river, in East Cowes. It is, in fact, very handy if you're coming off the Red Funnel Car Ferry. It's a reasonable size and their free from section has definitely improved over time, but you won't get the widest range of goods here. You'll find those in Newport.

Newport - Newport styles itself as the Island's capital. Granted it is the main town for shopping and such, but I think 'capital' is pushing it a bit!

If you're looking for easy supermarket shopping, there's a huge Morrison's and a Sainsbury's. Based on previous experience, the Sainsbury's is way better!! There is also a Holland and Barrett in the High Street (where I get my dairy free Cheezly) and a health shop, hidden away in Upper St Jame's Street, called Ralph's. Unfortunately, over Christmas (due to public holidays of one kind or another) this shop was not open much. Public holidays, plus staff sickness meant I never got to cross the threshold, but next time...

There is also a chippy in town, called Stotesbury's (also Upper St. James' Street), who apparently do gluten free! Now, I've yet to sample their gluten free menu - another thing to add to my list for next time!

Ryde - Ryde is the second biggest town on The Island. If you have wheels, and Tesco is more your bag, it might be worth a visit to the Extra at Smallbrook, near Ryde. It has the range that you'd expect from a Tesco Extra. Quite handy, if you arrive via Fishbourne on the Wightlink ferry and are heading towards Sandown, Shanklin etc. 

Sandown - Sandown is a popular tourist destination, but there's not much in the way of Free From. There is a Morrison's in Lake, on the outskirts of Sandown, but this doesn't really have much. 

To be quite honest, I think that if you're Free From, the South and West of the Island don't really have that much to offer you, but I could be wrong, as our visits are brief and packed, whenever we go. If you know different, please let me know, and we'll add to this list.

It's at this point (wishing to add further pictures to this post) I realise that despite having taken multiple pictures of 'Baby' and Free From food over the last few years, I have hardly any of the Island, so I'll have to make do with another view of Cowes - a real reminder of home for me, as these doors have carried the Union Jack for as long as I can remember and are the first thing I see when I reach the shore.

Oh well, another task for next time - photos! Hope it doesn't rain then :)

Update: 

I'm delighted to hear that Chessell Pottery can do gluten and dairy free food. Based in the West Wight, just off the main road between Newport and Freshwater/Yarmouth, it's a really lovely spot to sit and paint pottery, browse their lovely gift shop, or sit and enjoy tea etc. You might have to pre-order, though. Check out their website, here! And please note, that they are closed during the winter - opens again March 29th 2014.

Deli Divine - The Deli with a Difference!

Have you ever wished you could walk into a shop and be free to eat anything within it? Or, is your dream to be able to open just such a shop yourself? Well, that was Debra's dream. And recently she fulfilled it, when she opened her own shop Deli Divine. 

Et voila!

Here's what to look out for!

Having been a coeliac for a fair old time (twenty years in fact), Debra's shop is dedicated first and foremost to goodies that are gluten free. However, many of the products that she has in stock are dairy free as well. 

Visiting the shop the other day, I was delighted to discover many products are also soya free. Bonus!! 

Based near the entrance of a small industrial estate in Netley, near Southampton (don't switch off, there's something for everyone here - she also sells online), Debra's shop is packed with breads, pies, cakes, biscuits, packet mixes, desserts, preserves... you get the idea, right??

I first came across Deli Divine, when I visited The Allergy Show a few months back. Well, I say I came across - I didn't get close enough to examine the stand as it was completely surrounded by folks eager to get their hands on the products Debra had on sale.

Some of the produce stocked is by well-known gluten free brands, such as Isabel's, and Moo Free, but there's also newcomers such as B-Free and smaller producers as well. There were even a few of the elusive but very highly-regarded Foodamentalist  products. These I was keen to see, as I have heard so much about them but have been unable to sample, until now, due to geography (The Foodamentalists are based in Cheshire). 

Genuinely great pastry!

I really couldn't walk away from Deli Divine without buying an award-winning Foodamentalist Pork Pie, and I have to say the pastry was amazing - I never knew you could make gluten, dairy and soya free pastry so well! I only wish I could get my hands on the doughnuts they make!!

In fact, I came away with a whole stash of free from goodies (don't tell The Hub - bank balance and all that), that I can't include here, as I haven't managed to taste them all yet, but the Baked to Taste Lemon Drizzle cake has to get a mention, as I had that today. I honestly don't think I've ever tasted one better.

A handbag-sized delicious slice!

I think it'll have to go on my list of things-to-take-to-a-do-when-you're-worried-about-what-you'll-eat. 

I've only recently come across Baked to Taste, but I love them already. They deserve a whole blog post of their own. As well as cake slices, they also make a range of pies and ready-made pastry, many of which are also stocked by Debra (they're also on the menu at Celiacs Fayre). 

My bag was actually fuller than this!!

If you live within range, and wish to visit Deli Divine, it's not as hard to find as I thought it would be - it's a few miles off junction 8 of the M27. The directions I got from Google Maps were pretty clear. However, I would advise avoiding rush hour and any time after 3pm in the afternoon, as Hamble Lane can get rather busy!

Shopping online is perhaps a bit less tricky for most, especially if yo don't live anywhere near the shop! The website is easy enough to navigate, and there's free delivery on orders over £35, but if you visit the shop, you may well find a few extra products in store that aren't available online. And also, you get the added bonus of meeting the delightful Debra - with her extensive product knowledge. Having sampled and experimented with with many of the products herself, she's more than happy to pass on the odd tip or two!

The shop is perhaps a little bit of a way for me to go for regular visits, but many of these products are stored in the freezer - which obviously extends their shelf life. So as long as I can get them home still frozen, I can fill up my freezer and they'll be ready for when I want them, but, there's always the online option. Also, unlike your normal Health Food Store (with the exception of shops such as Whole Foods Market and Food for Thought) Deli Divine has a range that's worth the journey. However, with Deli Divine you also get a Free From shop run by someone who knows, if you know what I mean! 

P.S. If you're considering making a trek to visit the shop, for yourself, there are a number of local attractions, especially for history buffs! Netley is quite close to Southampton (which has a branch of IKEA), but Netley itself boasts a small ruined abbey (great for photos, exploring and picnics) and the Royal Victoria Country Park (once the site of a military hospital). Or go back towards the M27, the other side of which is Manor Farm Country Park, where a BBC series 'The Wartime Farm' was recently filmed. A bit further towards Portsmouth (home of the Naval Dockyards), is Hamble, a really cute waterside backwater. So, you can pick up your provisions from Deli Divine, then go out and explore - go on, you know you want to!

Update:
Deli Divine has unfortunately had to close (April 2014). This is really sad, as so much effort and thought went into setting up this business and it was a great way of getting hold of some lovely products that the supermarkets just don't stock. However, Debra has some new plans in the pipeline for something else. I'm waiting to hear more and wishing her all the best!

Warning: Vegans may contain milk!

This is a bit of a messy picture but just about sums up a recent morning I had! 

Yes, the cakes burned in the oven and I resorted to 'shaving' them!

It should have been a lovely start to the day - I planned to bake with 'Baby'. Nothing special, as I had plenty of other stuff I needed to do, so it was just a quick Hale & Hearty (gluten free) chocolate muffin mix. Made with dairy free margarine, they are usually 'fail-safe' mixes, for me.

All was going well, until I suddenly came to the realisation that a nasty smell was emanating from my daughter and it was an unmistakeably pooey one. In the middle of mixing everything together, I hurried 'Baby' along, shoved the muffins into the oven and whisked her upstairs for a nappy change. 

Unfortunately, the delay was my downfall, her nappy had leaked and it soon became apparent that a bath was in order. Hence my cakes burned and had to be shaved - resulting in the mess above.

It didn't take me long to work out what was behind this disastrous nappy. The day before, whilst out in town, I'd noticed a product in the health food shop that I had heard about via Twitter. Marketed as 'Vegan' and 'Dairy Free', I believed it to be milk free and therefore 'safe,' so I neglected to read the ingredients until 'Baby' was someway through.

Aaagghh!!!! I couldn't believe it what I saw! 'May contain milk!' 

Fortunately, for us, 'Baby' does not have anaphylactic reactions to milk. So I knew that if it did contain milk it was not going to be fatal for her, 'just' uncomfortable. Even more fortunately for us, she does not react as immediately, (or as violently) as she used to, Nonetheless, we don't like seeing her suffer the consequences of ingesting milk accidentally.

Now, I accept it is my own fault - I should always check, BUT I was under the (obviously somewhat mistaken) impression that as Vegans are opposed to the consumption of animal products (including milk), 'Vegan' products were a pretty safe bet for my dairy free 'Baby'. 

Increasingly, I'm becoming aware that this is a bit of a grey area. Some products purporting to be Vegan carry the May contain... catch-all statement and it appears that there are Vegans who seem happy to take their chance with such products. If this is you, I'm not 'having a go,' honest, but I'd like to suggest that you are consuming more milk than you realise. If that's not a problem for you, then fine, but for us...

'Baby' (who has rather a sensitive little tummy) tends (as on this occasion) to react to these products more often than not - the only two that seem to be happy exceptions to this rule, are Betty Crocker ready made icing and Hotel Chocolat 'Vegan' chocolates. Knowing that some people are even more sensitive than 'Baby' to milk traces, I am prepared to accept that others may choose to disagree and still avoid these products too. So you may well wish to reconsider which products you buy.

If you're a manufacturer of goods and resorting to this, May contain... warning,  then I'd like to suggest that you consider testing your products to make sure. You may actually make more sales this way - if people know they can trust what you say, 'on the tin' as it were. 

As for me, I'm going to continue to do my best to avoid any more products that may contain and that means reading the labels more carefully in future - including products that claim to be 'dairy free'!! 

Postscript: Funnily enough, just as I was in the middle of writing this post (they take me ages, these days - 'Baby' does not give me much time to myself), I discovered that another allergy mum was writing a similar post about 'May contain...' warnings relating to nuts. Come on food manufacturers, do us a favour.... please???

Please note: More information on Food Allergy Labelling can be located on the Food Standards Agency website. The following link is particularly important as it outlines the new rules regarding food labelling that are soon to become law in the UK. These rules apply to food bought in shops as well as food sold in restaurants. I really recommend familiarising yourself with the changes, especially if you are 'gluten free' as this labelling will disappear.

Home Sweet (new) Home

Well we're in! The move has taken place! It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. though. 

It's meant to be one of the most stressful things you can do, right? I really can't tell you the number of times during this process that I've wished for the ability to nip out and get a quick take-away - no cooking/washing-up would have made things a lot easier! And we're still not fully settled - curtain poles to put up, boxes STILL to unpack etc. We have so much STUFF! I can't decide what to do with it/where to put it all! BUT! at least the place is functional. We even have the Internet again (phew)! The Hub had some device to tide us over, but certain things were off-limits such as iplayer, as it meant we used up our monthly allowance rather too quickly! (Oops! Someone should have explained it to me first, maybe?)

A little extra from our mortgage company, most of which is useless to me, but our guests may well see the benefit!

I'm beginning to get my bearings of our new surroundings now (well, not completely new - I've lived here before but quite some time ago). We're getting to know which parks, soft play etc. are worth a visit but there's certain things that I'm definitely missing!!

One is my former health food shop. OK, so it was a bit of a drive but it was so excellent. There's two near me now but neither stock any where NEAR the same amount of stuff as 'Food for Thought', in Guildford (there's another in Kingston). They seem willing to try new products/order stuff in, but I've been a bit disappointed, so far - one is permanently out of stock of the products she says that she stocks, the other one tried to order in Mrs Crimble's pancake mix, but it didn't arrive.

Then there's the supermarkets. My former Tesco at Brooklands definitely did a lot better for choice than my current Tesco Extra although I think Sainsbury's is just about the same. Our new Waitrose, is bigger but it doesn't sell our ice cream (Besssant and Drury) or 'Baby's' favourite sausages (The Black Farmer's Daughter's, in fact she won't eat any others, at the mo) and it ran out of the Antoinette Saville gluten free bread that I rely on - the only one that seems to really suit my gut! 

However, it's not all bad. 'Every cloud has a silver lining,' as they say. In fact, this 'cloud' seems to have not just one, but multiple silver linings!

First of all, we can still get Ocado here (BIG phew, as I rely on their Free From foods range SO much!) and secondly I discovered that this Tesco  still stocks the same new gluten and dairy free products that I liked before. I have also discovered that although this Tesco might not stock Mrs Crimble's pancake mix (which has almost become an essential item in my shopping basket, as we make them at least once a week, for breakfast) Amazon do - in packs of ten admittedly, but at least we're stocked up for a while now! And yes, I could make them from scratch (as some lady behind me in the queue at Tescos' 'Customer Service' desk helpfully' suggested - as if I were a bit stupid/lazy) but then 'Baby' wouldn't eat them (very fussy) so that wouldn't exactly do, would it?

Still on the shopping front, I came across 'Deli Divine' at the Allergy and Free From Show (well I didn't actually get a good look the stand, it was packed). It's a bit of a drive, but they are now within a reasonable distance, so I'm planning to visit them, at Netley, soon!

The next bit of silver in the lining is that I have discovered (by word of mouth - Internet searches didn't throw this one up) that our nearest chippy does gluten free fish and chips all day every Thursday - the nearest chippy to do that before was nearly half an hour's drive away. Needless to say, we have already availed ourselves of the opportunity to check out this one! 

Not bad at all! I always add my own veg, though!

I do wish I'd found them a little bit earlier! I did think of asking - after all, don't ask, don't get, but I wasn't feeling that brave and was sooo busy! They do have a large poster inside the shop, as I discovered when I went there, but since I'd never attempted buying fish and chips before I knew for sure, it was wasted on me! 

Can't understand why this wasn't on a sandwich board outside!

When we went there, the gluten free fish and chips were certainly popular - a brisk trade was being done and hardly any of it was for 'normal' fish and chips!

Not only, do I have a local gluten free fish and chippy, I also am not too far away from a gluten free cafe 'Celiacs Fayre' which I have visited before. I haven't made I there recently, but must do so soon, as I'm salivating over the thought of the chicken fajitas, that were being served the other week (she shared them on Face Book)!

More importantly, for me, another bit of silver lining is that I have discovered I can drink the water here! Now that might sound a bit weird to you, but in the last two places that we lived I discovered I couldn't. I had to drink bottled water (including in my tea and coffee) and cook my rice and pasta in it too! No idea why, but if I didn't, my gut became uncomfortable. 

The most important bit of the silver lining, though, is that we are now living in our own house in a particularly beautiful part of the South of England, with which I am already familiar and where some of my old college friends live, and where hopefully (all going to plan) we will live for some time to come - maybe even the for rest of our lives.

Warning! This jam contains milk!

'Dairy free shopping means checking the food labels on every food product you purchase (even if you have bought the product before, as recipes and ingredients can change) and being aware of all the ways that milk might be referred to on these labels.'

This is what I wrote about a year ago, on one of my earlier posts - Shopping Around. Shame I didn't pay more attention to my own advice!

I wrote this following the discovery that milk hid in all kinds of strange guises and in all kinds of strange places - like chicken gravy, like sauces made from tomato*, toiletries and the like. So I should have, perhaps have been more careful, but after a while, I suppose I've become a bit blase and careless - after all I thought I was pretty clued-up about what was safe or not, by now.

BUT it was today (as I was scraping out the last scrap of jam from the jar) I noticed the following words: 'ALLERGEN INFORMATION: Contains Milk'

'Eeeeek!' I thought. 'Surely not!' But, there it was, and the following: 'Processing aid: Unsalted butter'.

I was absolutely flabbergasted.

I've loved and eaten jam all my life. My Dad has made his own jam (from home-grown fruit) pretty much all my life. NEVER would I have suspected that jam might contain milk. 

'Why on earth would it?' I thought, genuinely puzzled. My Dad only ever used three ingredients in his - fruit, sugar and water. That's it!

I know that others of you, have shared my astonishment, but Veronica, (obviously a cannier woman than I am) shared on Face Book that butter is often used - to stop jam from foaming as it cooks. She, however, uses olive oil instead. 

'Well I never!' thought I. There was obviously a gap in my culinary knowledge (there are many, it has to be said).

Then I realised why I never knew - Dad never bothered with anything like that. He always skimmed the foam off the top of the jam and deposited it on a saucer. It was from this saucer that we always got our first taste of his freshly-made jam. I actually loved this foamy first fruit of my Dad's labours, but obviously others don't!

Now the jar of the jam that I noticed today looks like this:

Contains milk! Who'd have thought??

I wouldn't normally show you one that was not dairy free, in case it caused confusion. But in this case I have made an exception, because I believe it is an exception. I honestly can't remember where it came from, Looking at the label, I think it may have been bought from a Farm Shop.

However, this jar of jam, that I bought this afternoon, is safe.

No milk added to this one!

It only contains the following: strawberries, sugar, cane sugar, lemon juice and pectin. Phew!

Having perused the jars of most makes of strawberry jam in the supermarket aisles this afternoon, I have come to the conclusion that the only reason that the other jam IS made with butter is that it is a posher brand than I would normally buy. I only bought it as I ran out of my supply of Dad's homemade jam and looked for something more expensive (so that it wouldn't taste so artificial, although, to be honest, it's still never as good as the home made stuff). 

Why do I say that - that it's probably because it's more expensive? Because it seems to follow that many products that are cheaper are made with vegetable oils rather than milk - dairy products are more expensive. Supermarket own-brand biscuits are a case in point. So, for example, 'Baby' can have Waitrose own-brand chocolate Bourbon biscuits, as they're not made with milk.

So there it is. Jam may contain milk. It may explain 'Baby's' unexplained tummy aches, that she's had recently *guilt trip*, *guilt trip* (my fault). From now on, it seems I shall have to check jam jars in the supermarket too, although, actually, 'Baby' prefers honey on her toast. 

Now, there's no chance of there being any milk in honey, is there??

Oh yes! I just have to ask, what other products (that you'd never have suspected) have you discovered, that may contain milk??

Please note: More information on Food Allergy Labelling can be located on the Food Standards Agency website. The following link is particularly important as it outlines the new rules regarding food labelling that are soon to become law in the UK. These rules apply to food bought in shops as well as food sold in restaurants. I really recommend familiarising yourself with the changes, especially if you are 'gluten free' as this labelling will disappear. PLUS I discovered that the FDA thinks 'May contain...' warnings should be taken seriously!! Now why has no-one ever warned us of this before? 'May' just doesn't sound urgent enough. Personally, I think it needs to be proceeded with something along the lines of 'Warning!'

NB For anyone who was wondering: Tomato-based sauces are often made with milk, as the milk cuts the acidity. Carrots can be used instead. I have Nigella Lawson to thank for this tit-bit of information (Twitter)!!


Update 2015: 

Other unexpected places you might find milk:

Ecover Washing up liquid (not the pomegranate one)
Some wine (used for clarification)
Some paints, chalk (look out for casein)
Noilly Prat