Hayley Burdett’s personal struggle with IBS saw her launch Bay’s Kitchen, a readily available and handy solution for those on a Low FODMAP diet…
Bay’s Kitchen is a new free-from food brand specialising in Low FODMAP foods, with no compromise on taste. The brand was founded by Hayley Burdett in 2016 and, after 18 months of product development, factory sourcing and obtaining certifications, she recently launched. The first range is three delicious stir-in sauces, and there are exciting plans to extend this range in 2018, so watch this space!
What is a Low FODMAP diet?
The Low FODMAP Diet was developed by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and has been scientifically proven to help ease and even eradicate symptoms for those of who suffer with IBS (1 in 7 are diagnosed with IBS and 1 in 3 suffer with IBS type symptoms). FODMAP is an acronym that has been given to a group of short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols (Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols) which are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, resulting in the symptoms experienced with IBS. FODMAPs are artificially added to many packaged foods, but they are also naturally present in many foods, including milk, wheat, pulses and certain fruit and vegetables (including garlic and onions).
The diet has three main stages – Elimination, where you take all FODMAPs out of your diet – this stage lasts for 4-6 weeks. Next is the Reintroduction stage, where you begin to reintroduce each type of FODMAP to your diet, one at a time, to see if your body can tolerate it. Finally, it’s the Continuation phase, where you can continue with your modified Low FODMAP diet; ensuring you include the well-tolerated foods to provide you with the most well-balanced diet possible, while also continuing to eliminate your trigger foods.
Where it began
Bay’s Kitchen Founder, Hayley Burdett, had been suffering with tummy problems for a few years, and in late 2015 she was diagnosed with IBS and advised to follow a Low FODMAP Diet. At this point in the UK there wasn’t a huge amount of knowledge or information about the diet, so Hayley began to research it herself. She came across the large lists of foods you need to eliminate from your diet, information on how to follow the diet and some social media groups where people from all over the world discussed their experiences and asked many questions.
Hayley started to follow the Low FODMAP diet and she saw a big improvement in her health. However, like many people, Hayley worked long hours and often needed to throw together dinner double-quick. Finding prepared foods that didn’t include the ingredients she was sensitive to (like garlic and onions) proved near-on impossible. Knowing that 1 in 7 people also suffer with IBS, Hayley knew she couldn’t be the only one looking for these convenient, ‘FODMAP-friendly’ foods, and so decided to develop her own, and here came the idea behind Bay’s Kitchen.
“Not being able to easily buy quick, delicious sauces to make my favourite dishes just added to the stress of life and made my symptoms flare up. I realised that if I couldn’t find anything to eat, then others must be in the same position and I decided to do something about it,” Hayley says.
After carrying out market research to prove the demand and spending a lot of time in product development, Hayley has now launched Bay’s Kitchen, with three delicious stir-in sauces – Tomato & Basil, Jalfrezi Curry and Sweet & Sour. The sauces are all handmade in a small factory in The Cotswolds and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They are also all certified by FODMAP Friendly, which is the only registered certification trademark worldwide, which certifies FODMAP levels in packaged food.
“Bay’s Kitchen was born from my desire to create a new range of low FODMAP food products, to help fellow IBS sufferers find food which is low in FODMAP’s, yet tastes great and is convenient for our fast-paced lives. While developing the brand and products I had a strong focus on brand appeal and product taste. I feel with following any type of free-from diet, you’re already compromising on a lot, and so shouldn’t have to compromise any more. Therefore, I have made sure we created an attractive, vibrant brand, as well as sauces packed with flavour… just not onion or garlic!” Hayley says.
Bay’s Kitchen sauces are available from their webshop www.bayskitchen.co.uk/shop/ and they are in talks with many other retailers. You can find the full up-to-date list of stockists on their website – www.bayskitchen.co.uk/shop/stockists/
Bay’s Kitchen Founder, Hayley Burdett has developed a solution for those struggling to avoid FODMAPS in their diet.