Award category sponsored by
Winner: Vegan Vegetable Quiche,
Taylors Artisan Free-From Bakers & Pie Makers
A quiche that is free from all 14 allergens, yet features pastry with a good bite and really tasty filling was the outstanding entry from Taylors, a free-from, 100% vegan bakery.
The pastry is made from bean flours and starches, and Taylors blended starches with liquid to replicate the texture of an egg-based filling.
“When we had the right formulation, we added a variety of herbs and spices to create the right flavour,” explains Stevan Taylor, owner of the Staffordshire-based business.
Originally made as a seasonal line for summer only, the quiche – which contains roast peppers, courgettes, onions and aubergines – has become so popular that it is now a year-round product supplied to a variety of customers including delis and farm shops.
“With the growth in the vegan food market, sales of our free-from and vegan products are increasing very fast,” adds Taylor, who explains that the business operates a brown policy, which means that anything that could make coeliacs ill will never enter the premises.
“Making a vegetable quiche using a specially developed allergy-free
pastry, as well as an egg-free filling, was no easy task. The quiche had a
superior appearance, and great texture and flavour.”
Virginia Clifford, regional technical service manager at sponsor Ingredion
Finalist: The Brookie, Bells of Lazonby
Cross a brownie and a cookie, and you get a Brookie! This hybrid has been created by Cumbrian business Bells of Lazonby.
The gluten-, wheat- and milk-free Brookie is a blend of crunchy chocolate chip cookie base, with a brownie middle, marbled with cookie dough topping. A swirl on top makes each piece distinctive.
The Brookie, which comes individually wrapped, meets Public Health England’s Sugar 2020 target of 27.9g per 100g, and has already secured listings with a number of foodservice wholesalers.
“With the growth of hybrid products, we wanted to create something with mainstream appeal, so we began experimenting with layers and how we could piece these together to give a moist bite on top with the differentiated crunch of a cookie base,” explains managing director Michael Bell.
Bells supplies many of the major multiples and coffee shop chains with standard and gluten-free lines.
“We prefer to build bandwagons rather than jump on them,” adds Bell.
Finalist: Eggfree Platter Cake, Eggfree Cake Box
This fresh cream cake comprises three layers of soft, moist sponge, sandwiched between two layers of whipped fresh cream and a signature, mixed-fruit spread.
It is produced using a vegetarian and egg-free recipe developed by Cake Box and South Bank University.
The company supplies the cake in formats including a boxed platter of small individual cake slices, as well as whole round, square or heart-shaped celebration cakes.
“We believe our egg-free cakes are indistinguishable in taste and texture from traditional egg-containing cakes, and this allows us to additionally service those who are unable to eat eggs for dietary, religious or lifestyle choices,” says managing director Sukh Chamdal.
Launched in 2008, Cake Box supplies products that are all egg-free. The business has enjoyed rapid growth and listed on the Alternative Investment Market in June 2018. In April this year it reported opening a record 28 sites in the past 12 months.
No comments yet