Are you ready for our Christmas Taste Test 2018?

 

After our hugely successful Halloween taste test which garnered 25,000 views in 7 days, we’ve decided through popular demand to roll out a Christmas taste test, so you can stock up on the treats that we love at yorktest!

We understand that Christmas can be a challenging time if you’re on an elimination diet. You might want to dip into the mince pie box on Christmas Eve, fully knowing they contain gluten and wheat; you could be tempted to reach for the Christmas pudding, even though it contains milk, or you may even snack on a gingerbread biscuit without thinking that egg could be a hidden ingredient.

Resist no more! The free-from food in supermarkets has expanded in recent years and we’ve especially noticed this year that there has been an influx of free-from Christmas products hitting the shelves.

A fantastic choice of free-from Christmas food certainly gave us inspiration to hand-pick certain products to taste test and, most importantly, report back to you on our findings.

 

The taste-test nominations

 

We selected five non-free from products along with their free-from equivalents from five major supermarkets:

• Waitrose
• Sainsbury’s
• Tesco
• Morrisons
• Asda

We then asked our yorktest Christmas Santa and his helpers which product they thought was free-from.

If they guessed right, they were unfortunately able to taste the difference between the free-from and non-free-from food. If they guessed wrong, however, they were fooled and thought the non-free-from was the actual free-from. This could ultimately show that the free-from option actually tasted better – brownie points all round!

We predict that free-from food has come a long way in taste, smell and appearance, and we hope our taste testers won’t be able to taste the difference! This free-from taste test video could ultimately show that free-from food tastes just as good as the standard equivalent.

Let’s see the products being put to the test!

 

Waitrose mince pies vs free-from mince pies

 

(PRICE: NON-FREE FROM: £1.80 / FREE-FROM: £2.50)

 

There’s no denying that the mince pie is a festive favourite. Whether you love or loathe them, a mince pie has become a Christmas staple for many people.

Of course, mince pies contain gluten and wheat and often milk due to the pie’s shortcrust which could make your typical mince pie a little problematic in terms of finding a free-from alternative.

So, on that note, we put Waitrose mince pies to the test!

 

Sainsbury’s iced fruit cake vs free-from iced fruit cake

 

(PRICE: NON-FREE FROM: £7.00 / FREE-FROM: £7.00)

 

Another festive favourite is the iced fruit cake – sometimes referred to as Christmas cake. Here at yorktest, we couldn’t quite believe how similar the packaging looked between the non-free from and free-from cake and the fact that the price remained the same between both products.

We were also pleasantly surprised at the overall size of both cakes. Usually free-from food can be smaller than the standard equivalents and sometimes at a higher cost. However, Sainsbury’s has certainly made sure that you won’t miss out on the sweet treats this Christmas!

 

Tesco gingerbread men vs free-from gingerbread men

 

(PRICE: NON-FREE FROM: £1.00 / FREE-FROM: £2.00)

 

Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without a hint of ginger and we can all vouch that a gingerbread man appeals to the inner child within us all! Whenever we think of Christmas cookies, the gingerbread man is always the first to come to mind – crisp around the edges, soft inside and perfectly spiced.

Tesco’s free-from gingerbread biscuits are free from milk, wheat and gluten – an ideal treat for all ages.

We decided to put Tesco’s gingerbread men to the test! Will the free-from gingerbread men break a leg in this year’s taste test?

 

Morrisons Christmas pudding vs free-from Christmas pudding

 

(PRICE: NON-FREE FROM: £4.00 / FREE-FROM: £4.00)

 

Here we have the traditional Christmas pudding! If you haven’t had too many pigs in blankets or turkey trimmings for your Christmas dinner, then make room for this dessert.

In terms of making a Christmas pudding yourself, it’s a challenging recipe and method to get right and that’s before removing any of the staple ingredients, such as milk and wheat. Therefore, we rejoiced when we saw a fantastic free-from alternative.

A Christmas pudding shouldn’t compromise on flavour or texture, and the backbone of the pudding, the fruit, should be dense and sweet. We felt it was perfect timing to taste test both products, especially as they are the same size and the same price!

We were excited to see that the Christmas puddings, both free-from and standard, were sat together side by side on the festive food aisle. Perhaps in the future, we may not have dedicated free-from aisles (food for thought?) and Morrisons are certainly paving the way for this.

 

Asda cranberry and orange cookies vs free-from cranberry and orange cookies

 

(PRICE: NON-FREE FROM: £1.29 / FREE-FROM: £1.30)

 

When you’re exhausted from playing family board games in the evening and you’re sat in front of the TV on Christmas day, there’s nothing better than opening a pack of biscuits or sweet treats to share around the room.

These Asda cranberry cookies with a hint of clementine are the ideal winter treat to complement your Christmas. You’ll also be delighted to know that these are gluten-free, egg-free, wheat-free and milk-free!

We couldn’t wait to pop these open!

Our five Christmas treats are ready to be taste tested. Watch our short video below to see which ones were a Christmas hit amongst our festive taste testers.

Which ones will you be tucking into on the main day? Get in touch and let us know!

 

 

At Christmas time, we often overindulge in rich and sweet foods, which can often leave you feeling bloated and tired.

If your stomach is less excited about this time of year, there is an easy way to confirm whether your current diet may not be working for you.

yorktest’s Premium Food&DrinkScan programme analyses your IgG reactions to up to 208 food and drink ingredients to pinpoint the foods you may need to avoid.

yorktest define Food Intolerance as a food-specific IgG reaction. Our information is intended to provide nutritional advice for dietary optimisation. yorktest do not claim to treat or cure symptoms and recommend that you discuss any medical concerns you have with a GP before undertaking a yorktest programme.