Coeliac Awareness Week || Gluten-Free Condiment Taste Test

This week happens to be Coeliac Awareness Week, which I see as a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and try out some gluten-free products. As a food blogger, I’m lucky enough to not have any issue with digesting gluten, but I feel as though over the last few years, it’s become highlighted as a recognised issue (did you know it affects 1 in 100 people?!). This increased awareness is so positive in multiple ways- with many more recognising the symptoms sooner and getting diagnosed, as well as brands seeing the demand in the market for gluten free products.

There’s a difference between coeliac’s disease and gluten intolerance, and if you’re at all suspicious you might have adverse affects to gluten, it’s so worth going to get tested with your GP. Quite a number of people I know suffered for years with symptoms before eventually being diagnosed.

To be in keeping with the awareness week, and as a gift for my brother (who isn’t coeliac, but is a vegan, so sometimes struggles to find decent substitutes to his favourite condiments), I’ve been sent some of the Chippa gluten free range.

I was so curious how the ketchup and may-o would taste. As a big fan of both the usual types of tomato sauce and mayonnaise, to give it a proper taste test, I got my brother to line them up side by side with our tea tonight, delicious vegetable gluten-free lasagne and salad.

First impression:

Mayo number 1 was much thicker, and number 2 runnier, but very similar in colour.

The ketchups (numbers 3&4) were entirely indistinguishable – same colour, same viscosity. Identical!

Thoughts on taste:

The thick mayo number 1 tasted just like, well, mayo. Then the slightly runnier number 2 mayo tasted, well, also just like mayo. Perhaps slightly tangier, but really tasty all the same.

As for the ketchup, well just like the look of them, there was really no difference. Both tomato-y, both thick enough, both just as tasty.

Are gluten-free condiments a match for their leading brand competitors?

I was so pleasantly surprised by both the may-o and the ketchup, I’d definitely eat both very happily instead of my usual condiments. As number 1 was the Chippa Gluten-Free May-o and number 2 was the leading brand alternative standard mayo, the only improvement I could suggest is perhaps make the mayo a bit thicker, but that’s really no issue in the grand scheme of things. The ketchups were almost identical but fyi, the Chippa Gluten-Free version was number 4.

Big ol’ thumbs up to Chippa, yipeeeee for both coeliacs and vegans.

If you have to eat gluten-free, or know anyone who does, as well as many viable alternatives to all your favourite foods, there are some fantastic blogs out there with some delicious recipes to inspire you. Two of my favourites are Fit and Gluten-Free, and GF Sesh.

*I was sent both sauces by Chippa for the purpose of a review, but all condiment opinions are, of course, my own*