My toddler has a bestie who’s intolerant to gluten, dairy and sugar, so feeding him on their weekly date is sometimes challenging especially since most gluten-free products on the shelves look bland and resemble unmentionable things, and taste worse.

Gautengers probably know the Fresh Earth Food Store in Emmarentia well for its awesome and wholesome vegetarian menu that is way more than just green salads and veggie patties, plus its health store. Yet you might not know that there’s another arm to the business, the The Fresh Earth Bake House, which is a dedicated gluten free bakery based in Johannesburg that produces a range of products that is not only gluten free but also free from preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners and flavourants.

The range doesn’t include any run-of-the-mill (haha) products or ingredients – rather everything is made from premium ingredients using painstaking methods. In fact, owner and founder Matthew Ballenden says that behind each product is years of practise, sourcing, learning and perfecting.

The range includes cookies, rusks and breads (their bestseller is the brown bread) hamburger and hotdog rolls, and more. A few weeks ago I tasted the Christmas mince pies and I only found out they were gluten-free a few days after scoffing the whole box with my son. Apparently their Easter hot-cross buns are amazing too – I’m yet to try them though.

Fresh Earth distributes to Dischem, and select Pick n Pay, Spar and health stores nationwide, but you can also order online (there’s free delivery to major cities and centres for orders worth R250 and more). While you’re there, you can also shop for everything else the shop stocks too – from supplements and beauty products to juicers and books.

But wait…. there’s more! Fresh Earth Food Store can also arrange healthy birthday party for kids. They can organise everything from the invites to the photographer and entertainment, and the menu can include wraps, sandwiches, hummus or avo dip with pita bread or nachos, mini quiches, spinach and feta phyllo parcels, mini pies, fruit lollies, fruit kebabs and freshly made fruit juice.

For more info on the Fresh Earth Food Store and the Bake House, go to their website.

For a full list of stockists, click here. 

All images via Fresh Earth