Guys. We pride ourselves on being extra mindful to those with food sensitivities and allergies. This means knowing what common food allergens are a problem for our guests, and making sure we try super hard to cover our bases while providing yummy snacks and meals for those with dietary limitations.
Here are some things we avoid—and some things that never step foot—into The Polly Fox:
Gluten
This is something that is never, ever found in our bakery. Ever. The whole idea behind The Polly Fox is to bake delicious things that are safe for Celiacs—and those with a heavy intolerance. This means that every single cookie, cupcake, loaf of bread, sandwich and pie created at The Polly Fox is created ONE HUNDRED PERCENT sans gluten.
Dairy
There is a huge demand for dairy-free treats, whether it be through preference, allergy, intolerance or a medically-suggested change in lifestyle. And it’s really no biggie. Like, at all. A solid 95% of our shop is dairy free, including milk alternatives for your coffee.
We got you. (Without sacrificing any of the flavour).
Eggs
Eggs and dairy seem to be the BFFs of food intolerances: with one usually comes the other, and both are hugely common these days. On the flip side, there is also an enormous influx in the vegan lifestyle, whether stemming from ethical reasons or strictly from an inability to consume animal products.
The reason ultimately doesn’t matter. What DOES matter, is that our guests are safe and free to go to town on our egg-free treats. So, nom away, friends.
Potato Flour and Cornstarch
There are way more people that are sensitive to potatoes and corn than one would think. They can be tough on the digestive system, cause an outbreak in skin conditions and provide very little nutritionally. In keeping true to our wish to be accessible to most, we’ve never used potato flour or cornstarch in any of our flour blends.
However: please do note that while our baking powder does contain tiny amounts of cornstarch—and most do—rest assured that we never use cornstarch as an ingredient or add-in to our products. (And not all of our products contain baking powder).
Soy
Soy is a big sensitivity issue for many people—and a heavy allergy for one of The Polly Fox’s owners. Because of that, we use unsweetened milk alternatives, such as cashew, almond and coconut milk instead. Our vegan products never use soy or tofu products, including our homemade vegan macadamia nut ricotta cheese.
Our vegan chocolate chips do contain a small amount of the (all-too-common) emulsifier soy lecithin, however, we are currently working to source a soy-free chocolate.
Peanuts
Again, we are ONE HUNDRED PERCENT peanut free. Due to an anaphylaxis allergy from one of the shop owners (yup, she got hit with the allergy stick at a young age) we do not joke around with peanuts.
Please do note that we do bake with tree nuts—cashew, almond, walnut, macadamia, pecans—however, you’ll never find a peanut floating around our cute ‘lil bakeshop. Peanuts are not at all welcome here.
Refined White Sugar
Instead of refined white sugar, we use better quality sweeteners like organic cane sugar, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar and local honey.
With that said, we do also skip the “sugar free” sweeteners: think Xylitol, Stevia and Splenda. While they may have a place in some diets, we avoid them based on their heavily processed manufacturing and inability to replicate other sweeteners in baking.
These guys do not work to activate yeast, can create a crumbly texture and often leave a lingering chemical sweetness to the final product. Again, it is just our preference up in here - to those with success in using these alternative sweeteners, kudos!
Food Colouring
Artificial food colouring can be a sensitive issue, and in fact, almost everyone is at least a little bit sensitive to specific colours that are recognized by the Environmental Working Group.
Instead of avoiding these specific colours, we just avoid all artificial colours all together! Win-win.
However, we CAN use natural colouring to achieve oh-so pretty pastels. Blueberry juice, cranberries and even beets create such beautiful colours. Ditch the neon and go for something soft and sweet!
If you have dietary limitations, look us up! We’ll do our very best to cater to your needs, and exceed your standards when it comes to the food you’re able to ingest without fear of unwanted reactions to ingredients.
ALSO: we totally accept custom orders. If you love something we bake, but need a different milk alternative or sugar substitute, let us know! Give us 48 hours and we may be able to help you out, to create that something special.
For more information on our menu and for contact details, take a peek at our website, www.thepollyfox.com.
xoxo
The Polly Fox