REVIEW: Gluten Free Spring Rolls & Custard Pastries
Welcome to my first product review!
Because there are probably 1000 rubbish gluten free products out there for every good one, and they each cost a small fortune to purchase, I thought it would be really helpful to road test as many as I can to save you the pain of paying out half your weekly budget on items that you end up throwing in the bin because, let’s be real, they have the texture and flavour of cardboard. The Italians know what they’re on about by giving a monthly allowance to all diagnosed coeliacs to help cover this increased cost of gluten free food. So, while we wait for the Australian Government to be similarly enlightened & subsidise our spend, I will endeavor to post a weekly Review blog to help you save money on inedible products, and orientate you toward products worth the extra cost. These reviews will be absolutely genuine and not influenced by sponsorship.
I thought I would start with a review of a couple of products from Simply Wize, available from the freezer section of Woolworths.
Every now and then I stumble on gluten free products that are transformative…REALLY good versions of treats or food items that I have had to do without for a very long time. And these two are in this category.
Simply Wize Spring Rolls
Firstly, the spring rolls. These little guys are very easy to heat up and become pretty crispy. Of the four I had from this packet, a couple of them did have small sections of the pastry stay slightly soggy, but on the whole very crunchy and really yum. Paired with a good gluten free sweet chilli sauce (Fountain has a gluten free version) I was genuinely able to revisit a quality spring roll experience. So I definitely recommend you try them. They are also dairy free and vegan. You do only get 4 in a pack for $7.99 however, which is quite exxie compared to the non-GF frozen spring rolls available…so reserve these just for the gluten free diners in your world!
Simply Wize Custard Pastries
(see UPDATE below)
Now for dessert. Wow, these were amazing! I loved them. They are quite easy to prepare, only requiring a quick egg wash over the pastry & 20-25 min in the oven. I served mine with the recommended dusting of icing sugar (check it is gluten free) and some vanilla gluten free ice cream. I really, really liked them. I can see that they can be a good dessert back up to have in your freezer when you have guests around but don’t have time to bake. Your non-GF guests would enjoy them as well…in the words of my gluten eating 21 year-old son: ’Are these gluten free??…huh, not bad’…and that’s a strong endorsement. If you don’t want to spend so much though to cater for all your guests with them ($7.99 for 5 small rolls, which probably serves 2), you could just use these ones for yourself (& any others who were gluten free) and serve a non-GF version to the rest of your guests.
So there you have it, two great gluten free finds I recommend you try.
I would be interested to hear your feedback on these products, or any similar ones out there that I am not aware of in the Comments below. Jane x
BLOG UPDATE: (Aug 2020)
Recent feedback regarding the Custard Rolls sadly is that their quality control is pretty lacking, and they are no longer very nice (pastry no good and very little filling). Such a shame!
If you are still keen for a custard pastry hit though the Gluten Free 4 U bakeries (Melbourne & Brisbane) do really yum custard pastries (apple or apricot I think) and they now deliver…so a great alternative if you are able to source them (minimum order of $90-$100…so you would need to stock up and freeze a bunch of their items). Their croissants and pain au chocolate (choc croissants) are just amazing when heated also. AND bonus…you can get a handy 10% discount if you SUBSCRIBE to Gluten Free Joy!
Reading this blog my guess is that you are pretty keen to access some gourmet gluten free foodie joy. Well, we have the solution!
Our Gourmet Gluten Free Hampers (with DF + Vegan options) can be delivered to your door (Australia wide). HEAD HERE to see our gorgeous range of Australian made gourmet gluten free goodies.
Just tried the custard rolls pretty sad really, taste is sweet but no other flavour at a going on, custard was barely there, pastry was crispy but didn’t really puff up. I wouldn’t buy them again. Really hoping the spring rolls are better quality that the cistard rolls
Thanks for the feedback Cara. Yes sadly it seems they have downgraded their quality since I wrote this review. I have just purchased a new packet to try them again for myself, but will definitely be adding an update to this blog. Such a shame, Simply Wize have been looking after the GF community so well up to now. Maybe they have had a change in management. I’m also retrying the Spring Rolls to check if my positive review for them is still current.
I found the custard rolls to be oily and gross. I threw the last one out, 0/10.
Hi Marcus, I had just recently noticed some comments in a GF FB group saying similar…that the quality of the custard rolls was no longer very nice. Such a shame! I will need to update the blog for sure. Thanks for the feedback. Gluten Free 4 U bakeries (Melbourne & Brisbane) do very nice custard pastries (apple or apricot I think) and they now deliver…so a good alternative if you are able to source them (minimum order of $90-$100…so you would need to stock up and freeze a bunch of their items). Their croissants and pain au chocolate (choc croissants) are just amazing when heated also. You can get a 10% discount if you mention Gluten Free Joy in the order comments as well (& no I get no kick back haha!). Kind regards, Jane