Overview
This was the second box to celebrate Love Free From’s 4th anniversary. The leaflet came with more celebratory recipes:
- Pitta Pizzas
- Spicy Pitta Nachos (“Pittachos”)
- Banana ‘Nice’ Cream
I received a free gift of a snack pouch to probably mark the occasion. I loved how the message on the pouch was a play on the, “May contain gluten,” warning on food packaging.
Besides the free snack pouch, here are the items I received in this month’s box:
Warburtons Gluten Free Soft White Pittas
Since going gluten-free in 2022, I have been loyal to Warburtons Gluten Free products, especially their crumpets and their soft brioche rolls. I read good things about their soft pittas online, so I couldn’t contain my excitement when I received them.
These are undoubtedly the best gluten-free pitta breads I have ever tried. They ticked both boxes for being soft and being easier to fill than other brands of pitta bread gluten-free or not. My only minor complaint is that they tore slightly, but I put that down to adding a bit too much filling the first time around.
When I tried the first one, I filled it with tuna mixed with sweetcorn, Zest Vegan Basil Pesto (which I received in my June box) and cucumber.
The next day, I took inspiration from Finding Gluten Free on Instagram and made a cheesy stuffed garlic pitta bread. Instead of using mozzarella, butter, fresh garlic and fresh parsley, I used lactose-free Cheddar cheese, olive oil, frozen garlic, dried parsley and frozen basil. This was another great way to eat the pitta bread. I ate the cheesy stuffed garlic bread with the rest of the tuna, sweetcorn and pesto mixture.
Another way I tried this pitta bread was toasted with baked beans, lactose-free Cheddar cheese and fried eggs. I got this idea elsewhere on Instagram, but I can’t remember where exactly. Although it was originally called a breakfast pitta, I ate it for lunch. This was a great way to enjoy one of the pittas, although I burst one of the egg yolks and the eggs were overcooked.
I ate the last pitta with vegetable sticks and caramelised onion houmous.
Rating: 9.5/10
Juno Bamboo Water with Zesty Yuzu
This drink sounded very intriguing upon receiving it. I had never heard of bamboo water before and it’s hard to recall if I tried yuzu in food form before (Lush once sold a yuzu-scented shower gel).
When I tried this drink, it had an unusual savoury taste and an acidic aftertaste. I was a bit disappointed with this after being intrigued by it.
Rating: 6/10.
The Authentic Kitchen White Chocolate and Strawberry Cookie
This cookie tasted a bit stale when I tried it probably because I was away when the box arrived. There was no best before or use by date on the packaging.
I liked the soft texture of the cookie. Soon, I realised that the white chocolate filling was what made it soft.
The sweetest part was the freeze-dried strawberries. The rest of the cookie was not as sweet.
Upon looking at this cookie on the website, it said I could microwave it to warm up the chocolate centre. I bought another one of these cookies from The Authentic Kitchen stand at the Allergy & Free From Show in June 2025. I microwaved it for 30 seconds because I had kept it in the fridge in the warmer climate. Although I liked the warmed texture of the cookie, it still tasted the same as the one I ate at room temperature.
The box also came with a flyer to get 10% off on the website.
Rating: 7/10
The Great British Porridge Co. Classic Chocolate
As I mentioned in my Love Free From May 2024 blog post, I already enjoy a few gluten-free chocolate cereals, so I was initially excited to receive it.
The information on the packaging confused me. While the sticker on the front said the porridge was now gluten-free, the back said it may contain traces of gluten. I am not officially diagnosed with coeliac disease (also mentioned in my May 2024 blog post), so I didn’t suffer from any ill effects as a result of eating the porridge.
To eat this porridge, I heated around 80ml of coconut milk, stirred it into the porridge for 30 seconds and let the porridge rest for another 30 seconds. The porridge had a lovely chocolatey smell, but it didn’t have much of a chocolatey taste. I ate the rest of it with free-from chocolate buttons and vegan chocolate spread and this made the porridge more chocolatey.
Rating: 7/10 on its own, 8/10 with the chocolate buttons and the chocolate spread.
Fod Bod Buddies Strawberry Shortcake Bar
I liked the concept of this bar when I received it. I was disappointed when I tried it because it tasted more like soap, although there was some sweetness from the strawberry pieces. The bar also had a more chewy texture than the shortcake-like texture I was expecting.
Rating: 5/10
Bob Snail Roll Apple & Strawberry
This reminded me very much of the Bear Yo Yos and the Aldi Dinos. Instead of 2 rolls that come in packs of the Bear and the Aldi versions, I got one in the Bob Snail version. This tasted similar to the other versions with a fine balance of the sweet strawberry taste and the slightly sour apple taste if not as sour as that in the Bear XTreme Yo Yos Sour Strawberry.
I was surprised to have seen a box of 10 of these in one of my local B&M shops, so I bought them.
Rating: 8/10
Bob Snail Stripe Apple & Raspberry
The colour of this stripe was darker than I expected. It also had more of an Apple flavour than a raspberry flavour.
Rating: 7/10
Precision Biotics Zenflore Food Supplement Mental Performance
I found this the most surprising item I received in a Love Free From box. While I took the supplements, I found that they made no significant difference to my mental performance and energy levels. The supplements were also impossible to judge in terms of flavour and taste.
Uhh-mami Vegetables Boullion
I normally use the Swiss Marigold Gluten Free Vegetabe Boullion powder and the Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots as ingredients for soups for example, so I was quite pleased to receive this. Unlike other vegetable stocks, this one doesn’t contain any celery, which I don’t like.
One way I used Uhh-mami Vegetables Boullion was in a carrot, sweetcorn and sweet potato soup (I used this recipe for inspiration). Although the Boullion was hard to judge on taste in its own terms, it was a great ingredient for the soup. The soup itself was fragrant and wholesome.
Rating (as part of the carrot, sweetcorn and sweet potato soup): 8/10
The Gut Stuff Apple & Cinnamon Bar
This bar broke in two when I transported it to Newport and back, although I didn’t get around to eating it until I returned to London.
While the bar had a similar look and texture to nakd bars, it had the perfect balance of the warmth from the cinnamon and the tang of the apple.
Rating: 8/10
Wallaroo Whole Apricot Gently Dried
I like dried apricots. While this brand tasted similar to other brands of dried apricots I have tried, it still tasted sweet and chewy.
Rating: 9/10
Jade & Joy Vegan Collagen Salted Caramel Bar
I gave this to my mother because I don’t like salted caramel combinations. I forgot to ask her to take a photograph of the bar out of its packaging. She found the bar very filling but not sweet enough.
My mother’s rating: 8/10
Popcorn Kitchen Sweet & Salt Popcorn
Photo credit: Gail Slocombe
Photo credit: Gail Slocombe
I also gave this to my mother because I’m not too keen on popcorn that’s both sweet and salty. She found this popcorn pleasantly and lightly seasoned. The photo of the opened bag reveals that there were some un-popped kernels.
My mother’s rating: 8/10
Shore Sweet Sriracha Seaweed Chips
I gave these to someone whose name I’m going to keep confidential due to personal reasons. I am also unable to give their opinion of this product due to reasons I would rather not share. Another reason I gave this product away is because I tried similar products that I didn’t like in the past and I wasn’t sure how spicy it would be.
Final Verdict
Although I was initially intrigued by the selection of products in this box, quite a few of them were of average or above-average quality. My favourite products in this month’s box were the Warburtons Gluten Free Soft White Pittas and mg least favourite product was the Fod Bod Buddies Strawberry Shortcake Bar. I also liked receiving the snack pouch because it came in useful for taking gluten-free snacks out with me, such as when I worked in a co-working space outside of my flat.
Overall rating (including my mother’s ratings for the products I gave her): 98.5/140
I have filmed footage for an unboxing video of the July 2024 box, but I have yet to edit it. Once I have sorted out a suitable way to continue editing personal YouTube videos, I will embed the unboxing video in this blog post.
Disclaimers
This is not a sponsored blog post. All opinions expressed are my own except my mother’s opinions on the products I gave to her.
All photography is my own except my mother’s photographs of the popcorn.
List of products and brands included in the July 2024 box
Warburtons Gluten Free Soft White Pittas
Juno Bamboo Water with Zesty Yuzu
The Great British Porridge Co. Classic Chocolate
Precision Biotics Zenflore Food Supplement Mental Performance
The Gut Stuff Apple & Cinnamon Bar
Wallaroo Whole Apricot Gently Dried
Jade & Joy Vegan Collagen Salted Caramel Bar
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