Lactose Free Christmas Recipes with Bake-a-Boo London

Do you struggle with baking during the holidays because you’re limited to lactose free Christmas recipes?

As a person who should eat gluten free, I can surely sympathisize with the problems associated with eating from a limited selection of food. It’s especially difficult during the winter season when comfort food temptations peak.

When Arla Lactofree contacted me about an afternoon tea featuring lactose free recipes at Bake-a-Boo in West Hampstead, there were many reasons I said yes.

Since I discovered Bake-a-Boo on Twitter in 2011, I have been a fan and follower. The bake shop, tea room and party parlour is a hidden treasure of the affluent London suburb West Hampstead. It offers a range of speciality cakes and treats free from the common allergens of wheat, gluten and dairy. Bake-a-Boo also has egg and sugar free treats.

The evening event offered an opportunity to network with other bloggers, learn more about Lactofree, receive lactose free Christmas recipes, and peek behind the scenes of Bake-a-Boo.

With about six other bloggers, I spent the evening sampling lactose free Christmas recipes from Arla Lactofree and Bake-a-Boo.

Above, is a picture of the Mince Pie Cupcakes, which were my favourite.

Lactose Free Christmas Recipes:

(Makes 15 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients:

75g Arla Lactofree Spreadable
75g dark muscavado sugar
75g self-raising flour
1 free range egg
Half teaspoon of vanilla essence
Quarter teaspoon of cinnamon
Jar of mincemeat

Steps:

– Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a mini cupcake baking tray with mini cupcake cases
– Cream the Arla Lactofree Spreadable and sugar together in a mixing bowl
– Add the vanilla essence
– Beat in the egg and then combine the mincemeat
– Fold in the flour and cinnamon
– Distribute the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases
– Bake for 10-12 minutes and leave to cool completely

Icing and drizzle decoration:

Chocolate Lactofree buttercream
400g icing sugar
50g Arla Lactofree Spreadable
25g Cocoa Powder
White, green and red sugar paste for decoration
A small holly cutter is useful, but not necessary.

– Prepare the chocolate buttercream by combining all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until you have desired consistency.
– Place in the centre of each shape made from the white sugar paste moulded like icing drizzle. Create a holly leaf with the green sugar paste using a holly cutter if you have one, or just make a leaf shape if you don’t. Then add two small balls made from the red sugar paste to look like the holly berries.

Since that was one of the final treats, you’re probably wondering what lactose free food was featured first.

The above pictured are:
– Blinis (made with Lactofree milk) topped with smoked salmon and Lactofree cream cheese and fresh chives
– Courgette ‘sushi style’ rolls filled with herb infused Lactofree soft cheese and miniature crudites of carrot and red pepper
– Pita bread Christmas trees with creamy avodaco dip made with Lactofree cream topped with red peppers

If you would like the recipes, just leave a comment below, and I will email them to you. All were delicious, considering they are lactose free recipes for afternoon tea.

One of the warm lactose free Christmas recipes we tried is the Turkey Lollipops.

Ingredients:

1 pack of minced turkey
100g Bread Crumbs
75g Arla Lactofree Spreadable
1 small onion chopped and diced
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 clove of garlic chopped and diced
2 teaspoons of tomato ketchup
Handful of finely chopped parsley leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Long round lollippop sticks or wooden kebab sticks

Preheat oven to 200 degrees
In a bowl combine the turkey mince, Arla Lactofree Spreadable, onions and garlic, herbs and spices, salt and pepper, ketchup and breadcrumbs until evenly combined using hands.
Make small patty balls with your hands out of the meat mixture and place on a baking tray lined with greasproof paper, leaving enough space for the lollipop sticks to be added.
Lightly insert the lollipop sticks into each patty ball.
Place baking tray in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, turning the lollipops half way through.
Once slightly cooked, tie each stick with a red ribbon for decoration and serve immediately whilst still warm. Serve with crandberry jam for dipping.

The evening was super fun. I especially loved the opportunity to meet Urvashi from the blog Botanical Kitchen. She is a previous contestant of the BBC’s Great British Bake Off and is the owner of Library Cafe in Enfield.

Arla Lactofree has some very exciting products launching in 2016. I had the opportunity to try one at the afternoon tea event at Bake-a-Boo but have been sworn to secrecy.

What I can say is that next year will certainly be ground-breaking for the brand, and you’ll be able to have the exclusive details here on the Sunny blog. Currently, these are the best-selling items…