Allergy Advice

People with Wheat Allergies/Wheat Intolerance are not allergic to the gluten in the wheat flour but to the wheat flour itself causing hay fever like symptoms.

Many people who have wheat allergies have no problem with Spelt Flour as a substitute to normal wheat flour.

Spelt Flour is a distant relation to the modern regular Wheat Flour but has a different make up containing different proteins and characteristics. Many people who have Wheat Allergies have no problem with Spelt Flour as a replacement. Spelt does contain gluten but as it has different characteristics some people with mild gluten intolerance can take it in small or even large quantities.

Products Include

– Spelt Soda

– Spelt Pie

– Spelt Madeira (Birthday Cake)

– Spelt & honey Bread

See ‘Product Allergy Guidelines’ for further details

A person who is lactose intolerant has an allergy to the sugar lactose found in milk and milk based products. As dairy is used a lot in the bakery industry and it is hard to find a recipe that does not contain dairy in some form or another (e.g. milk powder, buttermilk etc.). Our regular sponge cake does not have dairy in the ingredients list and when coupled with dairy free buttercream provides an alternative to our regular fresh cream birthday sponges.

Products Include

– Sponge with a Dairy Free Buttercream

– B/c Doughnuts

– Apple Pies

– Most Yeasted Breads e.g. spelt and honey etc. Wheaten breads, sodas and pancakes contain dairy.

See ‘Product Allergy Guidelines’ for further details

A person who has an egg allergy has a hypersensitivity to substances in the egg white and to a lesser extent the egg yolk. Egg is used in the bakery as an emulsifier, for aeration in cakes and for glazing some products. Egg use in the bakery is mainly used in confectionary and so most breads would be egg free.

Products Include

– Breads (Wheaten, Spelt, Crusty, Batch etc)

– Rice Krispy Buns/cakes

– Egg free Sponge (longer ordering time required, 4-5 day’s notice)

See ‘Product Allergy Guidelines’ for further details

A person with yeast intolerance lacks certain chemicals/enzymes that are needed to digest both bakers and brewer’s yeast. This can cause a range of symptoms such as bloating, which can be mild or more severe.

Yeast is used in the bakery as a rising agent in breads and to a lesser extent in some confectionary products. It works by feeding off natural sugars in the flour which gives off carbon dioxide. This when coupled with the gluten structure of the dough, causes the bread to rise.

Our Morning goods (Wheaten bread, sodas, scones, farls etc.) don’t use yeast as a rising agent. .

Products Include

– Morning Goods (all wheatens, plain and fruit soda, treacle, scones, farls, potato bread, pancakes, sausage rolls etc)

– Madeira Cakes

– Sponge Cakes

– Eclairs, turnovers, puff pastry, queen cakes, biscuit cake, gingerbread men, muffins, tartlets

See ‘Product Allergy Guidelines’ for further details

The following products do contain alcohol:

– Bailey’s sponges

– Cherry Gateaux (can be requested without alcohol)

– Peach Snapp Gateaux (can be requested without alcohol)

– Rich fruit cakes (not Dundee)

– Traditional Christmas Pudding

– Bailey’s cheesecakes (other flavours available)

See ‘Product Allergy Guidelines’ for further details

While a lot of people may say they are looking for a wheat/Dairy/Egg/Yeast Free product etc it does not necessarily mean they have an allergy or intolerance to that particular ingredient, (It is estimated that approx. 5-6% of people have true Food Allergies), but instead have chosen to eliminate that ingredient from their diet for a healthier lifestyle.

The main allergen we see in the bakery is the gluten found in wheat flours. Flour is the main ingredient used in most of our product lines. While some people will say they are looking for a wheat free bread etc enquire whether they are a celiac or are they looking to remove wheat flour from their diet. Celiac disease is the most severe form of wheat/gluten allergy, with some people having serious symptoms and others with mild symptoms.

Celiacs in should not take any product containing gluten.

For others who wish to remove wheat from their diet suggest Spelt as an alternative, as a lot of people who have an allergy to modern wheat flour have found that spelt flour causes no negative symptoms.

If you are unsure of anything or wish to double check anything, contact either the office or the bakery and we will do the best to help you give information.

If someone has an allergy to a particular ingredient and it may not be listed on the label of our product, this doesn’t always mean that the product may not contain traces of this ingredient. The risk of cross contamination always exists and while we do take precautions, we cannot give a 100% guarantee that our product doesn’t contain, for example nuts, as they are used in other recipes.