Food of Athenry

Whenever I hear the word gluten-free I run a mile. I still have dry, powdery cakes in my head that tasted more of cement mix (at least what I imagined cement to taste like) than delicious pieces of heaven. Same with biscuits and the rest of treats we are all so looking forward to.

I have heard of Food of Athenry a few months back (I am always on the lookout for Irish Food Successes) and thought to myself, well done guys, Taste Awards don't grow on trees so they must have done something right. It was only a few days ago that I saw that they got most of the awards for their gluten-free range.

As you can imagine, I was intrigued and was delighted when I got a box of goodies from Food of Athenry, a box of their Granola and a pack of 'Craicers' - Multiseed crackers.

Delicious Granola

I am making my own granola for years and sometimes even use it in easy desserts (it's delicious with mixed berries and Greek yogurt) so I wasn't too pressed to try the granola from Food of Athenry..... what a mistake. It is delicious. Just enough sweetness but crisp at the same time without being sticky. The dollop of Greek yogurt was just a perfect partner. The oat flakes were nicely baked without being burned (you have to be careful as it happens very quickly) and the honey brown colour looked amazing against the white yogurt. The berries were chewy but not totally dried out and gave a lovely soft texture to the crisp oats. I loved it. Next time, I will poached some apples with some cinnamon and add the granola to it.

CRAICers

The crackers were more like biscottis than crackers but I loved the way they call them 'craic'ers. The flavour was there and I have to admit, what started as a tasting of one, ended up with half the pack gone pretty soon. Especially when I combined it with some delicious cheese. 'Craicer' will be part of my cheese board for sure.

Both products proved beyond doubt that gluten-free doesn't need to be boring or tasteless. Food of Athenry have mastered where many failed.