Dairy free treats - and where to find them

Sweets and treats can seem thin on the ground when you're dairy and soya free.

Chocolate - if you haven't discovered Booja Booja truffles yet - please, be my guest. They are amazing! Wildly expensive, but even for a chocoholic like me 1 or 2 is enough. They're amazing, nutty and really hugely chocolatey. My absolute favourite. M is not keen on remortgaging the house so that I can have them on tap so I'm holding out for Christmas and birthday!

• Biscuits - not unless they're homemade as a rule
• Cake - see above
• Crisps - some contain milk - I think it's just to trip me up as I can't imagine why else they'd feel the need!

A lovely lady at our local sling group told me about Oreos, so early on I had those up my sleeve (literally at times), and Mark found me Ritter marzipan sport (which is a may contain that we can tolerate).

Since November I've (obvioulsy) ensured that all our cakes and bakes are dairy and soya free. I use Vitalite or Trex in place of butter and both work nicely taste wise. Vitalite (and Pure spread) do seem to make cakes - especially fruit cake - cook more quickly though.

Our favourite home-made bakes are:

Porridge fingers (a sort of cakey flapjack) for big people
Cherry and almond buns
Chocolate and chilli, olive oil cake
Egg free, vegan meringues
Almond macaroons
Tsoureki - spiced, fruited bread

Sometimes though even I don't want to bake - and that's where this post from PETA (politics aside please, this is about dairy free treats) on accidentally vegan snacks really came up trumps. Now obviously it's essential that you read the labels, every time and not all will be soya free - but but but... dairy free treats!

My favourites from the list are:

Elizabeth Shaw dark chocolate mint crisps
Bourbon biscuits (read the packet as not all are. Generally the cheaper they are the more likely they're dairy free)
Oreos - also known as my happy place
Nairn's Oatcakes


Have you found any amazing dairy free treats? What are your favourites?

Welsh cakes: Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus

Or Happy St David's Day (thanks Ruthie)

Welsh cakes are one of those things that everyone who already makes them has their own recipe for - and many of those recipes involve instructions such as "add flour up to the blue line on the mixing bowl" which makes perfect sense to no more than one or two people (although to them, perfect sense). I wanted to note the recipe M's mum uses down to enable other people to have a go, and also because I think it would be an ideal patrol cooking idea for Guide camp. As I did with the cake pops, the other week, I'll post up an activity plan for doing these with Guides tomorrow.


For anyone who doesn't know Welsh cakes are little flat scone like sweet treats, oft fruited (but it's entirely possible to leave that out) and cooked on a bakestone (or flat griddle, heavy based frying pan or skillet). Ideal with a cup of tea, they are incredibly popular in this house, and regularly the downfall of any healthy eating I have going on. So it was that wrist still in plaster I found myself sat at the kitchen table watching Mark's mum make these. And with due deference to Mark's mum, here it is for anyone who wants a go.

I've since had a go at making these myself, using in the place of a bakestone a non-stick frying pan. They do work, just not as well as on a bakestone and as you can see some of them caught

Welsh Cakes


8oz plain flour
4oz butter (it needs to be butter, you can taste it)
3-4oz caster sugar
4-5oz dried fruit (optional)
1 egg
1/2 tsp sweet mixed/ cake spice


You will also need:
Scone cutter
fat to grease your pan
Said pan: skillet, bakestone or heavy based frying pan
rolling pin
Mixing bowl
Pallette knife/ fish slice


Put your bakestone/pan on to heat up, and open all your windows as it can be a bit smoky
Rub the butter into the flour until your mixture resembles breadcrumbs
Add the sugar and fruit
Add the egg and mix relatively gently with your hands until it comes together as a ball of dough
Flour the worktop
Roll out until about 1cm thick and cut out as many circles as you can before re-rolling the trimmings and repeating until you have used up all your dough
Grease your bakestone with some fat on a piece of kitchen towel
Put the welsh cakes on the bakestone and every minute or two turn them over until the texture changes from scone like to a soft biscuit - try to avoid them burning, but they need to be quite dark in colour

Serve as soon as they're cool enough to touch with cups of tea, or if you're desperate as they come off the bakestone - just try not to burn your mouth!

As I say you could easily leave out the fruit, and serve them with jam, syrup or even marmalade. They are perfect for packed lunches, snacks when walking, or to have for those moments when you just need something for elevenses or threesies.