Organic award for Sowan’s Gluten Free bread
Sowans Organics produce baking mixes. But not just any old kind of mix, but a thoughtful and well-flavoured blend of organic ingredients, from breads and pancakes to ginger cake and brownies. Spelt flour features strongly: Super Spelt Bread is a great favourite around here, I loved the spelt pancakes and the spelt brownies didn’t last too long in this house.
Louise Sowan also produces a couple of gluten free bread mixes – a white and wholegrain – and it is the wholegrain that picked up the award for Best Organic New Product at last week’s National Organic Awards. Having tested the white bread out on my coeliac gran, it got the thumbs up from her, and from two of my aunts that were there at the time. Most gluten free breads are horrible, but this is well worth looking out for – a mixture of brown rice flour and potato flour with no sugar (GF products are frequently oversweetened), additives or preservatives.
The rest of the National Organic Award winners are below, with a special mention for Ummera‘s superb smoked salmon, highly commended in the Best Organic Retail Product category.
National Organic Awards 2009Best Overall Product Moon Shine Farmhouse Milk Company, Kelly’s Organics, Mullingar, Co. WestmeathBest Organic Retail Product Winner: Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt, Glenisk, Killeigh, Co. OffalyHighly Commended: Irish Smoked Organic Salmon, Ummera Smoked Products Ltd, Timoleague, Co. CorkBest Organic Local ProductWinner: Moon Shine Farmhouse Milk, Kelly’s Organics, Mullingar, Co. WestmeathHighly Commended: Dark Choc Almond Cake, Organic Choice, Stillorgan, Co. DublinBest Organic Export ProductWinner: St Tola Goats Log Company, Inagh Farmhouse Cheese, Co. ClareHighly Commended: Flahavans Organic Jumbo Oats 1kg, Flahavans, Co. WaterfordBest Organic New Product Winner: Organic Gluten Free Real Wholegrain Bread Mix , Sowan’s Organic Bread mix, DublinHighly Commended: Original Steakhouse Company, Goodherdsmen, Cahir, Co. TipperaryBest Organic Sustainable Product Winner: Happy Heart Oil Rapeseed Oil, Drumeen Farm, Urlingford, Co. KilkennyHighly Commended: Organic Galloway Steakburger, Omega Beef Direct, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Hy. Where can you get the Sowan’s gluten free mix to buy? Myself and my three sisters are all coeliac and its so hard to find decent gluten free bread. It is exciting news for coeliacs. Thanks a mill. Nora
Where are you based in the country, Nora? I know that I’ve found the Sowan’s products in health food shops around North Cork. It would definitely be worth checking your local heath food shop first. If you let me know where you are I can try and find out who sells it near you.