Kallo Organic Original Rice Cakes

This review is for Kallo Original Rice Cakes.  This is not specifically a gluten-free product (it isn't just in the "free from" sections in supermarkets), but it doesn't contain gluten anyway.

After I stopped having my normal and gluten-filled cream crackers and bread (ham and cheese toasties were a particular favourite), I tried searching for alternative lunches.  I also started trying to eat healthier, and so after searching the supermarket aisles I came across rice cakes.  Boasting “all natural ingredients and less than 3% fat” I thought these would be a good choice to put with dips and other various toppings.

This is the rice cake on its own, with no topping.  Most rice cakes either come plain or with a little salt, so on their own they can be quite unappetising!  They’re a decent size as well (the one shown below is on a small plate).  For calorie counters, they’re just 30kcal per rice cake.

I personally like to eat my rice cakes with houmous, which is regularly suggested as a food for keeping you fuller for longer, has a good nutritional value, can be of benefit to menopausal women and is, you guessed it, gluten-free!

The houmous I ate on this occasion was Delphi chargrilled red pepper houmous (a bargain at £0.87 from Asda).  Unfortunately the picture doesn’t look very appealing, but it tasted really good!

Taste: Very bland if eaten on its own.  Good as a base for any toppings you fancy.

Price:  Rice cakes are another bargain, costing only £0.87 from Asda.  Prices for different types (such as salted, unsalted, flavoured, organic) tends to vary.

Availability: A variety of types in all supermarkets (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op) and well as health-stores such as Holland and Barrett.

Clearly labelled gluten-free?: No.  Check the allergen information on the back of the packet.

Nutritional value: Low calorie, low fat, low sugar.

Comparison to the regular version:  N/A

Overall rating: 7/10

Although I have reviewed a product that is not just marketed as gluten-free, I have noticed that some supermarkets sell “special” gluten-free rice cakes that cost twice as much.  I would suggest checking the allergy advice on the back of regular products before buying the gluten-free versions, sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised!