Easter Sunday has arrived!!!
Well at least here in Oz, anyways 
AND of course…
So has the time for chocolate.
* * * * * *
Earlier that morning I sat down by my desk and cried in total sadness and withdrawl. All week long I’ve been exposed to social situations where people have been handing easter eggs to each other, and sharing the joy of chocolate that always comes at this time of year – at least for most.
Unfortunately, for folks like myself who must vigilantly avoid soy, the Easter season becomes more of a test of determination and willpower than a celebration of any sorts.
Each and every year I spend countless hours at every supermarket, department store and retail outlet to find any chocolate treat that does not contain soy lecithin. Unlike some countries, *all* of the mainstream chocolate manufacturers in Australia use this wretched ingredient in virtually every chocolate product I’ve seen. Even *allergy-friendly* companies like Kinnerton and Sweet William have given virtually no consideration to those who suffer adverse reactions to soy (yet dairy, egg, nut, gluten and all other common allergen -free varieties are available). Quite pathetic, if you ask me! Especially for an allergen that is affecting many people, with even *trace* amounts of it causing life-threatening reactions. Just goes to show how notoriously powerful the soy industry has become (sigh). 
Enough of the rant…
Now… for the good news… 
* * * * * *
Thankfully, I have some great friends who have done some work at searching for some treats that are not only safe for me but also taste great so that non-soy-allergic folk can also enjoy them.
* * * * * *
And guess what I got??
Amedei Easter Eggs!!!
Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos as there was no camera on me at the time, so instead I included a photo (to the left) sourced from King’s Fine Food, the company I had told these friends about about a year ago. And they ordered some Easter eggs that they happened to see on their website just a couple of weeks before Easter!! 
There were three varieties of easter eggs – white, milk and dark chocolate. All had a nutty-cream filling inside. Shockingly, no one else in Australia (apart from my friend) appears to have ordered these eggs before. Surely there must be a demand for high-quality soy free Easter chocolate over here, especially when it’s so ridiculously hard to find. Hopefully, with this post going live, they should gain some ground ‘down under’ future years.
The stunningly amazing presentation and the exquisite taste (as with all Amedei Chocolate) of the easter eggs in their baskets made my day! Hopefully they will continue to stock these wonderful gluten free, soy free delights that so many more can treat their friends and family to something that is safe and delicious!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Amedei for their consideration for consumers like myself, and also Kings Fine Food for shipping the items Internationally. I plan on sampling some other products in the next month and should hopefully be able to blog some more on the high-quality products that are produced by this wonderful company that has not only developed a chocolate without the use of soy lecithin, but has also created some of the most outstandingly delicious chocolate in the world that even my friends have tried!
No soy products or gluten-containing cereals are used on premises. The eggs agreed with me very well, and I actually didn’t get sick on Easter Sunday for once!!!
As a result, of course, there will be no giveaways this time round! Sorry. 
… But… please don’t leave this space, as more from this brand is on the way!
Now… Let me know, have you tried these yet? Or do you think you’ll check them out in the future?
I'm Amy Backs (aka Gluten Free, Soy Free Aussie) and am allergic to soy as well as being coeliac. This blog is primarily devoted to me telling of my lifestyle as well as providing tips, recipes, food suggestions and more particularly to assist those with soy allergies. I know of many with even more restrictive diets than myself, with multiple intolerances lurking in society, and am also keen to hear of your experiences (wherever you may be). 
Apr 17, 2012 @ 08:41:25
Ive never tried Amedi (I dont think any way) but they always looks delicious! Ive also noticed something interesting over here in the UK. While Cadbury were pretty good with avoiding Soy lecithin, it still cropped up in other chocolates and products. However Ive noticed that this seems to be changing, and they are now increasingly using Sunflower (or another) Lecithin instead of Soy. This seems to be across the board of products, from a wide variety of manufacturers so it seems somethingis happening, and they are obviously realising that they can use altenatives- afterall they print the warnings on the packets, so its nice to see them trying to make more food available for sufferers
Apr 18, 2012 @ 16:05:24
Thanks for commenting Alan. Which brands would these happen to be? Sweet William here in Australia now uses sunflower lecithin in their Dairy Free chocolate but it’s laden with soy flour making it unsuitable for those who are allergic to soy.
Apr 18, 2012 @ 20:13:15
Well of the ‘mainstream brands’ Nestle appears to have made the switch very very recently, I bought a Yorkie bar and an Aero recently both without soya lecithin in. Another brand, Montezumas also appears to be free from Soya of any sort, Ive not looked at every bar but the ones Ive seen are soya free. There are a few less well known brands too which are ‘free from’ brands, including one called Zero Zebra and Moo Free which states that it is soya free although soya is handled elsewhere in the room. Organica is another which sounds lovely and is free from alot of things inc soya.
Its strange that the Sweet William brand you mention in australia switched from soya lecithin only to still use soy flour! That doesnt make alot of sense. Maybe you can get hold of some of the bars Ive mentioned online or in import stores, certainly the Nestle bars may well make their way to Australia?
Apr 22, 2012 @ 15:31:13
Interesting. I just checked out the ingredients on some of the Nestle chocolate over here in Australia and it appears that there has been no change. They actually used to sell the Nestle Aero bars made in the UK over here some years back (but they contained soy lecithin back then). I enjoyed a Wispa earlier today but would love to have something minty like the Aero again someday.
Great to see that the soy industry is facing some competition for once. Sounds like I’ll have to write to the companies over here (again).
Apr 18, 2012 @ 21:11:54
As I am lactose intolerant as well as gluten and soy intolerant, my options are even more limited. I love Bonvita rice milk chocolate and Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I also find many of the raw chocolates are soy free.
This Easter I received a Moo Free egg. It was as good as any mainstream chocolate I remember
Apr 22, 2012 @ 15:32:28
Haven’t seen the Moo Free egg over here in Australia. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for the Bonvita and Enjoy Life products.
Apr 26, 2012 @ 20:47:00
Can anyone tell me if the Nestle white chocolate or dark chocolate still contains soya lecithin in the UK or if all their bars have changed to sunflower lecithin. I’m in Australia and no change here.
I buy 400g blocks of cadbury UK’s milk chocolate for cooking rocky road, as it’s the only decent-enough chocolate to cook with that doesn’t have soya lecithin in it. Be careful. Their dream and Bournville bars both have soy in them – I learnt the hard way!
May 11, 2012 @ 20:18:35
Hi,
Thank you so much for your blogs. I am highly allergic to soy. Luckly have no other allergies except soy, which is a big thing when your out for dinner etc as as you well know it is in everything. I have learnt to make my own chocolate brownies and puddings just to get my choc fix. Do you know how I can order or buy some Amedei choc so I can try it. Very excited:)
Thanks
Clare
May 11, 2012 @ 23:00:34
If I didn’t have to avoid gluten as well, I’d be baking every day too!
Have to agree on the hassles that come with eating out though! The chocolate I received was ordered from King’s Fine Food in the UK (they have a larger selection and will ship to Australia). Amedei has a list of distributors on their USA website at http://www.amedei-us.com/Locations.aspx
I have to admit, even if I could someday enjoy normal chocolate with soy in it, I’d probably still support the works of Amedei. I cannot commend them enough on having such high-quality products that are actually completely soy (and gluten) free.
May 20, 2012 @ 01:40:40
I’m thrilled to have stumbled on this blog today! I’ve recently (late Dec ’11) been diagnosed with sensitivities to egg, soy, and gluten. Our family lives in SE Asia, but we are from the U.S., and we were there when I was diagnosed. In the U.S. the only chocolate I found was the Enjoy Life brand. We returned to SE Asia in late Feb. I’m still savoring the Enjoy Life bars that I brought with me in our suitcase — hoping I can make them last! But this blog gives me hope – the stores in Thailand and Myanmar (where we live) import a lot more from Australia and Europe, and it sounds like what you all are describing are not just “alternative store/health food store” type offerings. Maybe I’ll find something! I also LOVE my chocolate.
I’ve made a list of all the companies you’ve mentioned – anytime I see one of these I’m going to check the label now.
As a side note, I recently discovered that Carnation Hot Chocolate mix from the U.S. is gluten and soy free (I should note that I don’t have life-threatening reactions; I “just” get sick and very, very lethargic. And I don’t really know which sensitivity causes which symptoms. For those who have it worse than I do, please check out the label and company yourself. But I have done fine with it.) They sell some Carnation in Thailand, so I picked some up as an alternative “chocolate” fix. You know your craving is bad when you’re willing to drink “hot” chocolate when it’s 110 degres F outside and you’re not running the aircon! (sorry, don’t know exactly what that is Celsius – but it’s hot!!) At least it helped me stay out of the soy.
Thanks again for the info.
May 20, 2012 @ 03:26:58
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment, stacey. I’d love to know more about what living gluten and soy free is like over that way.
Best of luck with finding chocolates over there. Let me know what you discover! I have yet to find a decent-tasting normal “non-alternative-type” soy-free chocolate that’s made in Australia. But to this date Amedei remains my favourite. I’d keep some of their products on hand even if I could someday enjoy soy again.
Dec 12, 2012 @ 17:25:30
Its so great to see so many soy-free chocolate brands written up! I have been sticking with my favourite brand Vivani, the praline chocolate is their best and its not easy keeping my non-soy-allergic family members away, its so good! And Vivani are an organic brand too which gives them another star to their name
But produced in Germany, so maybe not so great on the food miles. I have travelled quite alot in Norway and was overjoyed at how much of the supermarket chocolate used sunflower lecithin, even the super cheap no-name stuff! And recently in Ireland I noticed the shift in Nestle to use sunflower lecithin (as Alan pointed out) especially in the children-targeted products, this resulted in a two day chocolate binge.
Mar 02, 2013 @ 15:23:38
I wish we had better to access to all of these in Australia. We certainly are not a very soy-free friendly country.
Mar 22, 2013 @ 03:02:34
Lecithin is a fat-like substance known as phospholipids and is an excellent source of the B vitamins choline and inositol. Cell membranes, which allow nutrients to leave or enter a cell, are largely composed of lecithin. It is found in eggs and soybeans and, because of its soap-like characteristics, aids in the absorption and utilization of fats and important fat-containing vitamins by emulsifying them (breaking into tiny pieces) so that they can be used by every cell.;
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