I’ve had an exhausting weekend visiting the Free From and Allergy Show in London! Found some great new products and old one’s that had yet to be discovered by me……
It was great to connect with the producers of these amazing products and also to finally chat with other bloggers at the meet up, organised by the show.
I also finally got to meet the amazing Vicki, the Free From Fairy, who is such an inspiration to myself and to the world of free from cookery. She’s clearly a wonderful person too and it was great to connect. Thanks Vicki!
In addition to meeting lots of lovely people, I have had a weekend of scoffing endless samples of gluten free goodies. When there is so much food you have to avoid on a daily basis, it is very exciting and quite overwhelming to be faced with seemingly endless supplies of GF nibbles and it is all too easy to shuffle from stall to stall trying anything you can get your hands on. Some of it is amazingly good. Some of it is not…… But either way, you are tempted to try the lot…….
Today I have felt the need for a post-binge fruit and veg diet…… Straight, fresh and as unprocessed as possible! This smoothie has proved the perfect antidote to a stomach full of processed carbs.
Full of tropical goodness, it is made with fresh, ripe mango, banana, baobab powder coconut milk, raspberries and honey. It tastes so much of summer and with each spoonful, you know you are putting great stuff into your body.
I found the mangos a while ago in Brixton market when I was up there for a meeting. They were big, juicy, proper Caribbean mangos which are so much richer and sweeter than the ones you get in the local supermarket.
The baobab powder is from a company called Aduna who work closely with local communities in Africa, to make sure the Baobab is de-hulled at source to get the best possible product and to ensure the local communities benefit fully from this precious resource. Baobab has amazing nutritional properties and has one of the highest anti-oxidant properties of any fruit in the world.
I first discovered baobab powder from Aduna when I visited the Free From show in 2013. Aduna were there again this year…… You can read about baobab and see a couple of other recipes that I have used it in here (baobab, mint & pineapple sorbet) and here (tropical sorbet).
The main liquid base to this smoothie is coconut milk. It is worth buying a really good quality brand as they can vary considerably. Coconut Merchant produce particularly ethical products, working with local farmers to ensure they are fairly paid and that the produce is high quality. Their coconut milk is delicious!
The raspberries are (of course) in season right now….. plump….. juicy….. fruity red goodness! Mine were sourced locally from our favourite farm shop (Macknade).
The smoothie is really thick, but is incredibly simple to make! More of a pudding than a drink, it would make amazing summer lollies…… To make it that little bit more dessert-like, I have topped it with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut and a handful of chocolate chunks (dairy free) but you can also use carob if you prefer.
It would be divine for breakfast too!
I am sharing my Mango-Rasperry-Coconut Smoothie Pud with the following :
Vegetable Palette with Shaheen at Allotment2Kitchen on account of the raspberries contained within. This month’s theme is ‘Glorious Reds’.
Shop Local with Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. The raspberries are local and so was the honey (sourced at a local food fair from my favourite local company Nuts4Honey).
Free From Fridays with Emma at the Free From Farmhouse.
Mango-Raspberry-Coconut Smoothie-Pud (makes 4 to 5 servings)
Ingredients
300 ml coconut milk
To serve : a sprinkle of desiccated coconut and some carob or dairy-free dark chocolate (or any other topping you choose)
Method
- Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour or spoon into serving glasses and sprinkle with a little desiccated coconut and chocolate/carob.
- Enjoy!
Smoothie sounds fabulous – love the fresh mango-raspberry combo!
Thank you Carol… Way healthier than a lot of puds too! x
Sounds like a fantastic event, and such a gorgeous recipe too! Thank you for sharing with the #ShopLocalChallenge!
Thanks Elizabeth. You're welcome. The show is one of the highlights of my gluten free year!
Sounds like you had a very busy time of it at the show. Funny you should meet up with Vicki, who I've not met, but is only one of a handful of food bloggers here in Cornwall and Devon.
Your pudding smoothie sounds delicious. I bought some mangos the other day on purpose for a smoothie, but I suspect I won't get better than this one.
Thanks Choclette. It was a fab show….. huge!!! And it was really good to meet Vicki. I don't know of any other bloggers near me!
Mangos in smoothie are yum….they really thicken it up!
Yummm these look delicious! I love smoothies so much, and this combination sounds wonderfully summery!
Thank you Christina. Me too!
Oh my goodness this looks and sounds truly amazing and awesome that its free from too. What a creative and great combination too. Love the photos too 🙂 popping over from #recipeoftheweek
Thank you Jenny & thanks for popping over! The flavours were pretty awesome together…. very tropical!
This sounds so good! I think my 11-month old daughter would love it too. Thinking of freezing it for her in her ice lolly moulds! #recipeoftheweek
Thank you Habiba. Yes definitely….. This is perfect for little ones….. Just leave off the chocolate chunks! Lollies would be ideal with all the hot weather!
This looks delicious and love the combination of fruits. I think I'll have it try it for J and me. I'm glad you had a great time at the allergy show. I loved it last year but decided it was too much for 39 weeks pregnant this time round! Thanks for linking with #freefromfridays
Thank you Emma. Let me know what you think!
I think you were very wise avoiding the allergy show with a big bump! Good luck with the little one…. VERY exciting!!!!
It seems like you had a lovely time in London. It is always inspiring meeting other bloggers and.. we almost met each other too last week! Surely there will be another opportunity in the nearest future.
I love your smoothie, the perfect time of the year for it. I have never had coconut milk before and I will soon buying and try this one.
Ciao!
Thanks Alida. You really must try coconut milk. I love it. Get to try coconut cream too (the cream in small tins, not the creamed coconut in the carton)….. whip it up with a whisk and it is divine!
London was really good fun…… I'm really sad that we missed each other, but hopefully there will be other opportunities x
It was so fantastic to finally meet you! I really hope we can meet up again soon…perhaps with the kids. This smoothie looks and sounds fabulous. One for my list once the diet gets less restrictive!!!
You too Vicki! It would be fab to get the kids together one day. I don't think they are that far off in age!
I really enjoyed the smoothie…. The fact that it was extra thick just made it even better!
Sounds like you had an amazing time! I'd love to gulp down gluten-fee goodies for a day. :9
Mango is actually my favorite fruit, so I have to try this smoothie out! I'll write down the ingredients for my next market trip. Thank you for sharing!<33
Vegetarian Courtesy
Thanks Adi. When you have to be careful about what you are eating, the opportunity to eat almost anything in the room is very exciting. If you do get to make the smoothie, let me know what you think!