My Jaffa Cake was spiked ......

I don't want to alarm you but this is how I initially felt several years ago when I started to become seriously allergic to foods I have eaten all my life. Initially it was a strange tingling sensation in lips and in the mouth,then next exposure was a scratchy feeling in the throat. Sadly following that I have had series of anaphylactic shocks needing emergency hospital treatment.
Just don't dismiss what you are feeling and maybe buy some antihistamine tablets to have at hand.
I never realised that you could become allergic to foods late in life.

I used to love kiwifruit until a couple of years ago I ate some slices and my mouth and lips started to prickle and burn and my throat felt like it was closing up. Lasted about an hour and took me that long to realise what was happening because it had never happened before. Haven't touched one since. Didn't taste bad though.

I have a box of Jaffas in the cupboard. Perhaps I ought to check them out ????

I'm not a medic but I think it's possible to happily eat all sorts of foods and thence suddenly find you're allergic or intolerant to something you've always eaten!
Food allergies I think can creep up on us until suddenly you are in trouble. OP, take care. Don't assume that because you've always eaten Jaffa cakes that you can't possibly have become sensitive in some way.
My mum is allergic to sweet potato, my daughter cannot eat any fish from the cod family. I used to love to order oysters (in a previous life) but the last two times I ate them I was soooo ill. Strange but true.

That sounds very scary Katek. Are you feeling OK now? Did your DH try one? If he's not affected maybe you have suddenly developed an allergy to some part of the jaffa cake.

You should maybe take an antihistamine, in case it is an allergy.

It seems to have settled down now-I shall try nibbling a small piece tomorrow and see what happens. I do have antihistamines in the house should they be necessary. Thank you all for your thoughts/advice

I wouldn’t have minded so much but I’ve had a rotten week and was just having a little treat. Not my day at all!

Glad it has worn off now.
I would deconstruct it, (that's very fashionable with food!), tomorrow. Then you can taste the chocolate, the cake and the soft filling separately to see which part has the weird taste.
Do report back!

i bet it's the orange jelly.
do be careful OP.

Very glad you’re feeling better, be careful tomorrow.

You said "we" if it happened to both of you then it is not an allergy.

welbeck

i bet it's the orange jelly.
do be careful OP.

That was my thought.
I used to teach a girl who was allergic to citrus.
She ate some school dinner cake and had a similar reaction. It transpired that there was orange juice in the cake.
Hope all is well Katek

Make sure to keep the package, and check online to see if there are any food recalls. Our government food inspection has a list online of any warnings or recalls, and I'm sure your government does as well.

You say it tasted awful, so perhaps it was somehow tampered with, or the ingredients were off. I would not try it again tomorrow! If you did have an allergic reaction, they can be worse on following occasions. Maybe ask someone else to give it a sniff!

Have they altered the recipe, some new ingredient that wasn’t in it before?

It’s not just food which can suddenly affect someone. I know of a case where an
Adult who had lived with cats since childhood suddenly became seriously allergic to them, and 20 years later still is.

I can sort of understand that Kate might have suddenly developed an allergy to one of the ingredients, but the fact she said it tasted funny too seems weird.

Agree it sounds less like an allergy and more like contamination. Unless it is happening with other things as well, in which case you had better book a Covid test!

Yes, I agree, this is an allergic reaction. Nothing wrong with the cakes. Share a cake with someone else and compare your reactions.

I have found that the range of my allergies increased considerably after the menopause. In my case, not food allergies but anything I put on my skin. I had to stop wearing contact lenses because I became allergic to the preservative used in all the fluids used to lubricate and clean them, and then had protein problems when I tried to wear them. Within 10 minutes they were coated and smudgy and I could not see out of them.

Fear not Kate, I have found this as an alternative.
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_jaffa_cakes_58695/amp