Have a Soupa Doupa Christmas!

As Christmas looms and I'm mentally preparing myself (and my stomach) for the onslaught of mega roast dinners, puddings galore, Marks and Spencer's GF buffet food and endless sweets and nibbles, I thought I would treat my stomach to a "Pre Christmas treat", a mini detox......ok, that might be pushing it a bit but hey ho it's as close to a detox as I'll ever get! So, this week, I dedicate to soup!

Those of you who know me may be surprised by this. I'm not the hugest soup fan....drinking your lunch just never seems right to me but in the name of prep for Christmas binging I thought I'd give it a go. So here we have the top five in the Soupa Doupa awards ( I know the play on words is poor but let me have it...it is Christmas after all!!!!)

Number 5

Amy's Kitchen French Vegetable Soup

Big fan of Amy's Kitchen but have never tried this flavour. Have to say it wasn't my favourite and felt I needed to add a little salt which is quite unlike me! Nevertheless, the veg and beans were really filling and kept afternoon snacking at bay ( well, for a little while anyway!) 

I would like to say that Amy's Kitchen do many other flavours and my particular favourites are these...

.....which I'm saving for another week!

Number 4

A regular brand of soup, ie not a dietary / freefrom brand. All ingredients and allergy warnings checked and a big GF thumbs up given. Again, a little lacking in taste which was disappointing as it's called "spiced butternut squash.."! Nevertheless, the huge quantity of beans were filling and knocking out three of your five a day in one hit can't be bad!

Number 3

Heinz Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Again, a regular brand that is suitable for GF diet. Really enjoyed this. Very tasty and despite being a smoother soup it was still very filling. Two of your five a day is pretty good going too!

Number 2

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to award second place to Pret a Manger! If you have read my previous blog posts you will know I haven't had the best Pret service in the past. However, this week was hugely different! They are now clearly labelling their food so no need to wrestle the "Allergy Bible" from unhelpful staff!

Something as simple as this makes dining out with a dietary requirement so much easier! I went for the Butternut Squash and Sage soup (are you getting the theme with the soup flavours?!.....I'm a butternut squash fan...ok....I've said it!! Here's hoping I don't turn orange for Christmas!!)

This soup was delicious. Hot, steamy, tasty, filling and kept me going as the cold winds whipped through Biscester Outet Village! Well done Pret!

Number 1

I feel a drum roll would be appropriate now........

Ilumi Tom Kha Gai Soup

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Chickeny, mildly spicy, ricey, creamy....mmmmmm! Delicious! I'm a big Ilumi fan but had not tried any of their soups until today! Will definitely be ordering again!! Soooo tasty! Portion size seemed smaller than others I have tried this week but actually it filled me up for much longer...a lesson to be learnt there I feel! 

How amazing that the best soup is one made by a dietary requirement brand! For so long dietary brands have been seen as poor substitutes to the "real food" out there! Congratulations Ilumi (and many other new dietary food brands) for waving the freefrom flag and showing the world that good, healthy, allergy friendly food can be super tasty too!

Well, at the risk of over using my play on words I would like to wish all my readers a really Soupa Doupa Christmas! I hope you all have a happy, healthy and Gluten Free time with your family and friends and I look forward to sharing all the calorific Christmas delights with you next week! Xx