Win a Hamper incl. £20 Cowshed Voucher, Schwartz Recipe Mixes + More The Intolerant Gourmand

Affordable, easy to use gluten-free recipe mixes, created by Schwartz™ the herbs and spices expert, and packed full of flavour!
Last Wednesday saw me donning my glad rags and heading off to London for a supper club event being hosted by Schwartz™.
It was held at The Hospital Club, a truly stunning venue, which is a private members club for the creative industries. It’s the perfect balance of cutting edge design, mixed with a vibrant feel, and was a great choice for this event.
I was invited along to the VIP event prior to the main supper, where we got to learn more about the products, and meet the team behind them. We were also joined by the lovely Amanda Hamilton, the UK’s top Nutritionist and best-selling author.
The Schwartz™ team were keen to tell us that they’ve worked hard to bring the gluten-free range to market. From concept to launch, it’s taken just over the past 2 years as they wanted to ensure that all of their suppliers, and even their factory are able to prove that the recipe mixes are truly safe. So much so, each sachet displays the coeliac uk crossed grain symbol, which assures people with coeliac disease, allergies, intolerances or simply following a gluten-free diet through lifestyle choices, that the recipe mixes are trustworthy.
In addition, Ian from the culinary department confirmed that they always make sure everything is packed full of flavour. The recipe mixes were developed so every member of family can enjoy flavour packed food that appeals to everyone, can cater for those on a free-from diet and remains safe!
Knowing how hard it is to achieve this, I was very impressed, and shows how committed Schwartz™ are to gain approval in the free-from market.
Amanda Hamilton then spoke about the importance of a good balance from a busy parent and nutritionist perspective. She described the mixes as a ‘healthy acceptable shortcut’ that were easy to use, something that really resonated with me.
As a busy working mum, it is often hard to find the time to cook nutritious tasty meals in only a short amount of time each evening. Whilst we all strive to cook from scratch on a daily basis, sometimes it’s just not practical or possible. These recipe mixes provide the perfect happy medium, whilst not compromising on quality or flavour and as a foodie this is really important to me.
We got to try courgetti with the spaghetti bolognaise recipe mix, during the VIP event, and it was lovely. It was packed full of flavour, and really quite tasty! And the important bit for me, you'd never know it was part of a free-from range - it tasted like a 'normal' mix would.
The gluten-free range
I was impressed to see that there are 8 recipe mixes in the range:
Fajitas – a spicy recipe mix with cumin, chillies and oregano
Chilli con Carne – a spicy recipe mix with chilli powder, ground cumin and cocoa powder
Spaghetti Bolognese – a tasty recipe mix with tomato, garlic, basil and oregano
Chicken Casserole – a savoury recipe mix with garlic, sage, and oregano
Cottage Pie – a savoury recipe mix with onion, garlic, oregano and sage
Cheese Sauce – a savoury sauce mix with Cheddar and other cheese
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a mild and creamy sauce with cracked green peppercorns
Beef Gravy – a tasty gravy mix with roast beef flavour and onion
Whilst the packets suggest the dish or recipe to make, in reality they are incredibly versatile and can be used to make a whole selection of dishes, including:
Cannelloni
Stroganoff
Cauliflower Cheese
Chicken Lasagne
Meatballs
Chilli Nachos
Cottage Pie Cobbler
Peppered Beef Casserole
The gluten-free supper menu
After the VIP event we headed downstairs to join our fellow attendees. A group of fellow bloggers including Kate (Gluten Free Alchemist), Mel (Le Coin de Mel), Eb (Easy Peasy Foodie) and Kirsty (Hijacked by Twins) were also invited, which added to the enjoyment of the evening. We caught up over a delicious selection of cocktails, with Schwartz™ spices at the heart, including:
Apple and cinnamon martini
Juniper berry G&T
Elderflower cordial
We then headed into the main event, where our fellow attendees were given an introduction to the recipe mixes by the Schwartz™ team and also Amanda.
The team confirmed that cooking should be easy, not difficult, and this is reflected in the price point of £1.30!
It’s so refreshing to see free-from food at a price that is accessible for everyone. Too often it costs substantially more than ‘normal’ equivalents primarily due to the ingredients used. By keeping the price point relative, it opens up the market, and I think it will really help with the recipe mixes inevitable success.
We were treated to an absolute feast that really showcased the recipe mixes fantastically. Each dish was beautifully presented, and cooked to perfection. My favourites were the stuffed peppers and also the steak with peppercorn sauce. Both simply burst with flavour, and were dishes that I would replicate at home.
Starter
Mini mac ‘n’ cheese with Cheese Sauce Mix
Feasting course
Chilli Chicken & Chorizo with Chilli Con Carne Mix
Steak with Peppercorn Sauce
Veggie Stuffed Peppers with Spaghetti Bolognese Mix
Veggie Fajitas with Fajitas Mix
Sides
Chips
Salad
Rice
Guacamole
Dessert
Petit fours
Coffee
Even the dessert showcased the versatility of Schwartz™ spices, with the use of curry powder and mango in the macarons, and ground cinnamon with cocoa in the chocolate truffles.
I had the pleasure of trying the macaron and whilst I would never have thought to pair these flavours in such a way, I have to say, it worked!
It was such a lovely evening, and it was a real privilege to attend. We all got a wonderful goodie bag to take away too, which included all of the spice mixes which I can’t wait to try out for myself. There was also a cowshed voucher, recipe cards, wooden spoon and #glutenfreeflavour metal plate.
After a mad dash for the tube and train, it was great to use the hour long journey to reflect on the night and plan some recipes for the coming weeks!
Competition timeI’ve teamed up with Schwartz™ to give you the chance to win your very own goodie bag, containing:
8 recipe mixes
£20 cowshed voucher
Wooden spoon
Metal #glutenfreeflavour plate
Scented candle
Recipe cards
Schwartz cotton bag
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to answer this simple question by commenting on this blog post:
Question: What recipe would you make with the recipe mixes?