With the haze of summer, cities across the country usually play host to a variety of food and drink festivals – whether it’s smaller farmers markets on high streets, grand rows of tents in country parks, or trendy craft gin festivals in historic buildings.
Of course this year, it’s a different story, but the food and drink industry is adapting! Like many other initiatives, this summer you can enjoy Online Food and Drink Festivals!
No more squeezing through crowds or carting heavy bags around – you’re free to peruse at your leisure, snap up some delicious goodies at a discount, and get them delivered straight to your home!
Don’t forget, while you may have seen some of these in supermarkets, independent producers benefit the most if you buy from their own websites.
Spice up your barbecues
We’ve had some absolutely incredible barbecue weather during lockdown and some of these pieces are bound to make things more interesting.
By ‘eck! New Yorkshire Emporium sauces
New Yorkshire Emporium offers a taste of a traditional smoky BBQ experience with a bit of Yorkshire thrown in for good measures. Choose from smoky barbecue sauces, chilli sauces, plus some unusual choices like rhubarb ketchup!
Kentish Oils & Condiments
Kentish Oils are a range of rapeseed oils made from seed grown in Kent and cold pressed, filtered & bottled just outside Canterbury.
These can be used for frying, roasting, drizzling and even baking – I absolutely LOVE honey mustard chicken, and the Garden Herbs oil is perfect for drizzling over a Caprese salad.
Why not add A Little Bit?
A Little Bit is a range of dips, dressings, sauces & ketchups perfect for pimping up your barbecue. Made using fresh herbs and qualuty ingredients, choose from gluten free sauces like Rosemary & Tomato ketchup, fresh Mint & Raspberry marinade and Oregano & Aubergine dip.
In lockdown with someone gluten free and facing your first gluten free summer barbecues? Check out my top tips for a gluten free BBQ!
Learning to cook in lockdown?
Bay’s Kitchen – Gluten Free, Low FODMAP, Vegan Sauces
Bay Burdett, Founder of Bay’s Kitchen, was diagnosed with IBS after years of suffering IBS symptoms and was advised to follow a Low FODMAP Diet. She realised there was a gap in the market for delicious Low FODMAP sauces that didn’t contain hard-to-digest ingredients.
Mix and Match a selection of sauces such as Katsu Curry Sauce, Thai Green Curry and Spicy Arrabbiata!
Thornley’s Sauces
Thornleys is a small family business hand blending with love and care all our sauce mixes using only 100% high grade natural ingredients.
All their sauce mixes are certified gluten free but made for everyone to enjoy! Choose from 7 mixes – Creamy Cracked Peppercorn, Parsley Sauce, Chilli con Carne, Cheddar Cheese, Spaghetti Carbonara, Creamy Chicken & Herb and Tuna & Pasta Bake. Yum!
Spice Pots
Spice Pots’ blends are 100% natural, gluten, salt and sugar free as well as vegan suitable! They are on a mission to help you make easy, healthy curry at home, with cookbooks offering over 80 easy recipes and clever short cuts that will transform your curry cooking.
Plenty of ice please!
Tom Savano – Travel Inspired Cocktails
I work in marketing full time and I’m a sucker for a bit of cute packaging – these sunglasses inspired labels certainly caught my eye!
These ready to drink cocktails come in a choice of Margarita, Od Fashioned, Negroni or Martini, all inspired by foreign travels. Crack open a Single Estate Reposado Margarita and imagine lazing by the pool, or keep things closer to home with the English Garden Lychee Martini.
Binary Botanical – a beer…for wine lovers?
I always get excited when I find new gluten free beers, so this little number intrigued me. Binary uses an organic hop leaf infusion to give a tangy rather than bitter taste to a light refreshing beer – it’s said to be perfect on its own or as a mixer in a cocktail. It comes in two strengths – 4% and 0.5% ABV – and it’s vegan and gluten free!
Sipling – sophisticated alcohol free cocktails
Get it? Like sipping? No?
Well, Sipling offers a choice of 6 ready to drink cocktail favourites, BUT they’re all alcohol free!
The brand’s creator, Avnish discovered there was a limited choice of non-alcoholic drinks that weren’t overly sweetened or artificially flavoured, so set out to create some sophisticated and authentic alcohol free options. These could be just what you need if you’re trying to limit drinking in lockdown.
Choose from Gin & Tonic, Mojito, Bellini, Moscow Mule, Old Cuban, Spiced Rum & Cola, or go for a tasting pack to give you a glimpse of a few.
As well as being alcohol free, Sipling drinks are gluten free, vegan and use all natural ingredients.
Outfox – non-alcoholic wine
Another alcohol free alternative, Outfox is a light, dry wine alternative – made from fermented grapes and spring water, you can choose from Sauvignon Blanc or Provence style and enjoy a refreshing treat that’s vegan, gluten free and less than a quarter of the calories of a regular glass of wine!
Sweet treats
Oli’s Nectaruous Free-From Desserts
Well, you had me at “melting-middle”! Oli’s Nectarous is a range of 100% plant-based, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free desserts that claim to not taste Free-From at all!
Choose from mouth watering flavours like a Melting-Middle Chocolate & Maca Lava Cake, and a Sticky Lemon & Mandarin Sponge With Citrus Sauce. Yum!
Seed & Bean
This is one of the brands that I’d spotted a couple of times before on Instagram. Seed and Bean make ethical chocolate with 18 unique flavours. Because why settle for basic chocolate when you could get the likes of Chilli & Lime Dark Chocolate, Lemon & Cardamom Dark Chocolate or Raspberry & Vanilla White Chocolate. All the dark chocolate is suitable for vegans – amazing!
Seed & Bean use 100% organic ingredients and are Fairtrade where possible – this caught my eye as I used to run my school’s Fairtrade society way back when and I’m always on the lookout for Fairtrade options.
Borough 22
One of my biggest sadnesses about not living in London is not being near a Borough 22 store – they offer the most amazing looks gluten free and vegan doughnuts – well now, they offer UK-wide delivery!
With a dedicated gluten free bakery, Borough22 also offer some low FODMAP versions of flavours like S’mores, Peanut Butter and Jaffa!
Have you seen any other virtual events like this recently that have introduced you to new brands? Let me know in the comments!
If you’ve learnt about a new brand through this blog post, please consider giving it a share on social media!
