We’re experts in made without cooking. That means dishes free from allergens or ingredients that people need or want to avoid, but still full of flavour and enjoyment.
Free from cooking has come a long way. As more people change diets or become aware of intolerances or allergies, the food industry is responding with more choice, better ingredients and increasingly innovative cooking. The most common free-from requests we handle in our kitchen are:
Vegan
Vegan dishes contain no meat or animal products including milk and eggs. Vegan diets are based on plants like fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts, with some people calling it plant based eating.
We love to bring high quality vegetables to the forefront of our savory vegan recipes, showcasing their delicious flavour and textures. Ingredients like aubergine and mushroom make a great meat free centrepiece for many dishes. Vegan cheese has long been a challenge, but new producers are now creating delicious options that offer great taste and texture. For desserts, we’ll look at egg and milk free options including high quality chocolate, alternative dairy and delicious fruits and flavours.
Vegetarian
Long gone are the days of a sad single vegetarian option hastily added to the end of a menu – vegetarian eating is a part of life and restaurants around the world. Vegetarian options will often be picked by veggies and meat eaters alike, as they offer great taste and experience.
Quiches, tarts and souffles all work exceptionally well as vegetarian dishes, often including vegetables and complementary cheeses. Some vegetarians can feel overlooked if menus tend to favour vegan over veggie options, so our advice, don’t forget your vegetarian diners and remember lots of meat eaters love cheese, dairy and egg based dishes too. Many desserts are already vegetarian with the exception of jellies and gelatin based puddings.
Dairy free
Dairy free diets have no products containing milk including butter, cheese, yogurt and cream. Some people need to avoid dairy because of intolerances or allergies while others choose to reduce or avoid milk for health or personal reasons. Dairy free cooking is becoming easier thanks to an increasing range of great ingredients and dairy alternatives.
The alternative milk market has shown real growth and diversification over recent years, meaning we have lots of options to try in order to create the best dishes. Some alt. milks work better than others, and we’ll always consider taste, flavour, cost, appearance and how they cook as we create new recipes.
Gluten free
People with gluten intolerance, a wheat allergy, or celiac disease need to avoid eating dishes that contain gluten. Gluten is a protein found in cereal grains including wheat, barley, rye, some oats and any hybrids of these grains.
Many ingredients are naturally gluten free, and there is now a growing range of gluten free ingredients that can be used to create really tasty gluten free dishes. We use gluten free flours and will always closely check all other ingredients to make sure they are safe and delicious for gluten free dinners.