If you are buying for someone with a food allergy, the short version is this: nine of our kits carry no allergen ingredients and no precautionary statement, several others carry a "may contain" statement because of cross-contact at the supplier's facility, and the hedgerow wine kit contains sulphur dioxide and sulphites. Every ingredient is listed on the pack, and if you have an allergy question, email hello@sandyleaffarm.com before ordering.
We will not tell you a kit is suitable for a particular person, because that is a judgement only they and their clinician can make. What we can do is set out exactly what each kit declares, so you can make the decision with the right information in front of you rather than guessing in a checkout queue in November.
Which kits carry no allergen ingredients?
These nine carry no allergen ingredients and no precautionary statement:
- Gin Making Kit
- Ultimate Gin Making Kit
- Colour Changing Gin Kit
- Spiced Rum Making Kit
- Cheese Making Kit, Cheeses of the World
- Cheese Making Kit for Beginners
- Chilli Sauce Making Kit
- Beef Jerky Making Kit
- Biltong Making Kit
Two more sit outside the food question entirely. The Cheese Mould Kit contains no food ingredients, being reusable moulds and muslin. The Kintsugi Kit is a craft kit rather than a food product: it contains a strong adhesive, so it is for adults and is kept away from children.
Which kits carry a "may contain" statement?
A "may contain" statement is a precautionary one. It is there because of cross-contact in the facility where an ingredient is produced, not because the allergen is an ingredient. These are the kits that carry one, with the wording as it appears:
- Kimchi Making Kit: may contain milk, peanuts, nuts, sesame, mustard, celery, soya and cereals containing gluten, from supplier-facility cross-contact.
- Kebab Making Kit: may contain nuts, sesame, cereals containing gluten and soya, from supplier-facility cross-contact on the dried mint.
- Bacon Making Kit: may contain cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, soya, celery, mustard and sulphites, from supplier-facility cross-contact on the bacon cure.
- Ultimate Meat Making Kit: may contain cereals containing gluten, nuts, sesame, eggs, milk, soya, celery, mustard and sulphites, from supplier-facility cross-contact on the dried mint and bacon cure.
- Both bubble tea kits: may contain milk, peanuts, nuts, sesame, mustard, celery, soya and cereals containing gluten, from supplier-facility cross-contact.
One kit declares an allergen as an ingredient rather than a precaution. The Hedgerow Wine Making Kit contains sulphur dioxide and sulphites, which come from the steriliser and stabiliser that make home winemaking work. For the Grand Cheese Making Kit, every ingredient is listed on the pack.
Three kits worth a look as gifts
The Gin Making Kit carries no allergen ingredients. It steeps juniper with coriander, citrus peel, allspice and lemongrass in a bottle of inexpensive vodka and infuses in under a week, with no distilling and nothing to buy beyond the spirit. Worth remembering that the recipient chooses the vodka themselves, so that part is theirs to check. It is for adults aged 18 and over.
The Chilli Sauce Making Kit also carries no allergen ingredients, and makes seven sauces from gentle to seriously hot using six dried chillies in the chipotle, cayenne, green, jalapeno, facing heaven, habanero and piri piri styles, with cider vinegar, a mini sieve, gloves, grip-seal bags, kraft labels and the recipe book. Each recipe asks for a few fresh ingredients bought by the cook, and one of them uses mayonnaise and sour cream, so the shopping list is worth a look as well as the box.
The Biltong Making Kit carries no allergen ingredients either. It makes two batches using a biltong seasoning of coriander, black and white pepper and Himalayan pink salt, plus cider vinegar and a chilli and garlic mix, and there is no cure at all in it. A couple of hours in an ordinary oven does the drying, and the recipient buys 500g of lean beef per batch.
What should you check before you buy?
Three habits are worth building, whether you are buying from us or anyone else.
- Read the pack, not the article. Every ingredient is listed on the pack, and the pack in the recipient's hands is the authority. Tell them to read it before they start.
- Remember what they add. Our kits are half the recipe. The vodka, milk, meat, fruit and fresh ingredients the recipient buys come with their own labels, and those matter just as much.
- Ask us first if you are unsure. Email hello@sandyleaffarm.com with the kit and the allergen in question and we will tell you what it declares. That is always better than a guess.
Practical gift note: if the kit is going to someone else's house, enter their address as the delivery address at checkout and it will be sent straight to them, pack and all, so they can read the label themselves.
Allergen FAQs
Which Sandy Leaf Farm kits carry no allergen ingredients?
The Gin Making Kit, Ultimate Gin Making Kit, Colour Changing Gin Kit, Spiced Rum Making Kit, Cheeses of the World, Cheese Making Kit for Beginners, Chilli Sauce Making Kit, Beef Jerky Making Kit and Biltong Making Kit carry no allergen ingredients and no precautionary statement.
What does a "may contain" statement on a kit mean?
It is a precautionary statement about cross-contact at the supplier's facility rather than a declared ingredient. The kimchi, kebab, bacon, ultimate meat and both bubble tea kits carry one.
Does any kit contain sulphites?
The Hedgerow Wine Making Kit contains sulphur dioxide and sulphites. The bacon and ultimate meat kits list sulphites within their may contain statements.
Can you tell me whether a kit is suitable for my allergy?
We can tell you exactly what a kit declares, and every ingredient is listed on the pack. Whether it suits a particular person is a decision for them and their clinician. Email hello@sandyleaffarm.com before ordering and we will give you the detail.
Do the ingredients the recipient buys matter too?
Yes. The vodka, milk, meat, fruit and fresh ingredients added at home carry their own labels, and those need checking alongside the kit.
Want to compare a few options before you decide? Browse our gift kits, then email us with any allergen question before you order.
