Gluten Free Mrs D

Coeliac Travel Cards.....Or The Importance of Being Prepared

2010-11-29T08:31:00.000Z

The most important thing that I have learnt during the course of my year of living completely gluten free is to always be prepared.

I'm one of those people who loves researching things and it's something I spend a considerable amount of my time doing. This used to just be for fantastic holidays, hip hotels, the best flight deals, exciting weekend breaks, great restaurants, scenic walks. It still is but now it's also all of those things.....with a gluten free edge.

On our trip to Milan I knew there were gluten free pizzerias. OK, we didn't get into the one I had researched, but I loved the restaurant we ate our first anniversary dinner in. I know British Airways serves a gluten free meal, but I discovered that the gluten free meal on our flight to Lisbon on TAP was actually pretty good.

Probably my biggest discovery of the year has to be the Coeliac Travel cards. The cards are available to download in 51 languages from Amharic to Vietnamese. You can download them for free although the author suggest a donation of $5 via PaylPal or instead a link on your blog / website. When I download them, they print several cards to a page of A4 so then I cut them into individual cards to put into my purse. Oh, and if that's not enough, you can also download the Coeliac Travel cards app to your iPhone or iTouch. Brilliant.

I cannot recommend the Coeliac Travel cards more highly. In Paris they literally saved me from a fate worse than....being glutened. But everywhere I've used them, they've been clear for the waiting staff to understand what food items I can / can't eat and this has made eating out when I don't speak the local language about as stress free as it's ever going to be. As the author of the cards says on the website, the great thing about the Coeliac Travel cards is that the waiter can take your printed card into the kitchen and show and explain to the chef. This should help to minimise the risk of being glutened as much as is possible without actually cooking yourself.

Being prepared means that you can enjoy your well earned holidays as much as anyone else. Wherever I go from now on, the Coeliac Travel cards are the first thing I pack for the trip.

Bon voyage!

Sainsbury's freefrom Iced Rich Fruit Cake Slices

2010-11-13T12:25:00.000Z

If you read my previous post about the lovely freefrom dinner I was recently invited to at Sainsbury's London HQ, you'll know that I came away with a goody bag containing a number of Sainsbury's Christmas gluten free products to try.

I'll be honest at the start of this review and say I would not normally buy Iced Rich Fruit slices, or indeed any kind of Christmas cake or pudding. First of all, the regular fruit cake used to make me feel unwell and very bloated. Obviously I now know why this was. But also, I don't like marzipan. I've been to many a wedding reception where I've peeled the marzipan and icing from the cake, discarded the cake and carefully peeled apart the icing from the marzipan leaving just the sugar hit of icing for me to eat. Sorry to any brides reading this!

So you can understand why I approached the Sainsbury's freefrom Iced Rich Fruit Cake Slices with some trepidation.....

It turns out my fears were unfounded. I found the Sainsbury's freefrom Iced Rich Fruit Cake slices to be rich, spicy and incredibly moist, something I hadn't been expecting from a product with a shelf life of several months.

I liked that the gluten free slices were packed with lots of dried fruits as you can see in the following photo. I particularly enjoyed the mixed peel. I even liked the marzipan and thought the icing wasn't too sugar-iffic.

I found the slices to be quite filling and could only manage one. We popped them into an airtight box and they stayed fresh for several days.

Would I buy these again? Yes. They tasted so good that I don't think anyone could guess they were gluten free. It would be easy to slip these to your non-gluten free friends and family without them knowing they were anything other than very tasty Christmas treats.

A Sainsbury's freefrom Christmas Dinner

2010-11-01T21:49:00.003Z

I was very lucky to be invited recently to Sainsbury's HQ for a freefrom Christmas Dinner. Since Christmas is now next month it was high time to share the night with you.

We arrived to be greeted by the lovely Sainsbury's team with drinks, gluten free canapes and.....a fully decorated Christmas tree. In October! Well if you've got a theme, go for it right? After introducing ourselves to the group which included each of us telling a secret fact about ourselves (one of our number could speak Swahili, very impressive!) it was off to the Sainsbury's test kitchens in pairs to prepare some of the dishes for later. I had the pleasure of cooking with Penny who writes Penelope's Pantry. We made a tiramisu which was really easy to make using allergy friendly ingredients from Sainsbury's.

It was then back to taste the fantastic allergy friendly Christmas meal. Apart from a rather mighty looking turkey I really enjoyed the almond nut roast, fantastic roasted veggies, including my favourite parsnips. However, the particular highlights for me were the vegetarian stuffing mixes which I absolutely loved (will have to contact the team to ask for the recipe) and a pilav served with harissa. Everything was completely delicious.

After the Christmas dinner feast we were treated to a huge selection of allergy friendly desserts, including the tiramisu Penny and I had made. My favourites were the plum crumble and chocolate profiteroles. Yum!

Also at our FreeFrom dinner was Kirsty Henshaw who you might have seen on Dragon's Den securing funding from Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne for her Worthenshaws Freedom allergy friendly desserts. She has an interesting story and real drive for her business - well worth checking out her story on the website. I tried some of the chocolate dessert and it was delish.

It was very interesting to meet the Sainsbury's freefrom team. They're a dedicated product development team and their goal is to be the leading provider of allergy friendly food in the UK. The whole Sainsbury's team worked hard to put on a great event and I was impressed at the team's motivation to produce a wide range of freefrom products. So what else did I learn? Well, Sainsbury's are going to be launching an app for your iPhone soon which you'll be able to use to check allergy information via the product's bar code. Definitely something to watch out for.

The evening was also a fantastic opportunity to meet other gluten free / allergy bloggers. I was really pleased to meet Kate from Postcards From a Gluten Free Life (whose other half rather randomly has the same job as Mr D and she gave me some great recommendations for gluten free dining in London), Robin who writes Source it, cook it, eat it (who told me his first blog post some years ago was about how to chop an onion) and the fabulous Pippa The Intolerant Gourmet (who had that week just got an agent and a book deal, HOW exciting!). The room was full of really interesting people and it was a big shame I didn't get to chat to everyone.

It was a really fun evening so a big thank you to Sainsbury for inviting me.

Just like real Christmas, after an amazing and very filling meal I rolled home to the sofa clutching presents from Sainsbury's. A goody bag, yay!

Coming up next: Review of Sainsbury's freefrom Iced Rich Fruit Slices from the goody bag.

Gluten Free Flying: British Airways Milan to London

2010-10-31T09:00:00.000Z

We reached Milan by train which was one of the most stress-free and enjoyable journeys I've ever had the pleasure to take.

On the return to London we decided to fly back on BA. It was a short 1 hour 40 minute hop back to London and BA were serving afternoon tea on board.

The regular meal consisted of sandwiches, a choice of hot quiche, scones with clotted cream and jam. Thank heavens I'd ordered a gluten free meal and it had been loaded!

So what was in store for me?

A prawn salad with some lettuce and what appeared to be an entire cucumber chopped on the side. Anyone who knows me in real life knows I love all veggies, except....cucumber, which I think is the devil's food.

Perched on the side of the tray was a bread roll, swiped before I took the photo. The stewardess told me she had a Coeliac mother and said I ought to be careful with since it didn't look gluten free and certainly wasn't labelled as such. Exactly the same thing happened on our flight back from Istanbul (see post) except this time the outcome was different. Mr D (my personal guinea pig!) tried it and declared this one to be a regular gluten roll. It was just too springy, it didn't crumble and it certainly smelt just like regular bread. Absolutely no chance of me eating it. Also on the tray was some clotted cream and strawberry jam, which should have gone with the bread, both donated to Mr D.

I decided I was hungry and as the stewardess reached over me to give Mr D extra scones to make up for me not being able to eat them, I resolved to eat it. All of it. Cucumber included.

So how did it taste? I discovered the prawns were in fact quite large, although they'd been tucked under the lettuce so it wasn't immediately obvious. And how about the cucumber? My first bite nearly blew my head off! The specks of red are in fact fiery fresh red chilli. Normally this might be a problem but since all I could taste was the chilli, and not the grim cucumber, it wasn't so bad.

As I looked down at my tray of pure health (albeit airline stylee), a single thought struck me. What on earth has happened to me? I eat gluten free and am no longer ill (admittedly a fantastic thing!). My coffee cup is empty since I've stopped drinking caffeine. The usual glass, or to be honest several glasses, of wine I usually enjoy on a flight has been replaced by a glass of fruit juice since I'm on the wagon for the next couple of months. It's even been 8 years since I last smoked. Really....I need some new vices. Any ideas for legal and healthy highs?!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Dining Senza Glutine: Milan

2010-10-18T18:21:00.000+01:00

When you think of Italy, your mind automatically conjures up images of delicious looking and smelling pizza, pasta, foccacia, breadsticks, peroni beer.....basically gluten packed food. There are a few things in life I'd wish I'd known earlier (perhaps before my Italian wedding AND honeymoon)....Turns out how easy it is to eat senza glutine in Italy is one of them...

Mr D decided to indulge me for our 1st wedding anniversary and we booked a table at a gluten free pizzeria for our anniversary dinner. I had originally wanted to dine at the Be Bop Cafe and art deco style pizzeria I'd read a lot about before travelling to Milan. Unfortunately, Italy, August, well everything is more or less shut so after a few frantic calls by our hotel concierge, a table was booked at Le Specialita located at Via P. Calvi 29, Milano. In truth the slightly plain restaurant frontage didn't exactly fill me with warm fuzzy feelings for an anniversary dinner but step inside and - wow - we were almost knocked over by the warmth and hospitality of this friendly family run restaurant. Despite it being a Sunday evening and the restaurant not being centrally located, the place was heaving with local Milanese having a great time. Ours was the last table remaining unoccupied. Good job we booked.

When the hotel made the reservation they must've told the restaurant I couldn't eat gluten because the waiter immediately brought me a menu and instructed me what I could eat. Guess what?? Nearly the WHOLE menu could be made as gluten free. And that included pizza!

The menu was so extensive I needed a drink to get over my shock and help in the selection process. What's better with a pizza than beer? Gluten free beer, of course!

So, beer in hand I finally selected a pizza with Gorgonzola and a locally produced Prosciutto Crudo. As we sat waiting for our pizzas to arrive, soaking up the buzzy atmosphere I realised Mr D had become transfixed by something over my shoulder. No, not a leggy Italian supermodel, it turns out. But the huge wood fired pizza oven out of which pizzas were emerging steaming hot and freshly baked to have the prosciutto sliced directly on top of the pizzas. My pizza it turned out. Crikey.

So how did it taste? One word. Amazing. Thin crust, baked in the wood fired pizza oven with chunks of intensely flavoured Gorgonzola with truly delicious prosciutto crudo reclining majestically on top.

After that I decided to have a semifreddo for desert. A chocolate one:

I was well and truly stuffed after all this but then the waiter appeared with a jar full of Amaretti biscuits, well, who would refuse? I've later discovered these delicious almond packed biscuits normally don't contain gluten, which I hadn't realised.

If you're looking for a place to eat gluten free in Milan, I thoroughly recommend Le Specialita. The food and atmosphere were both fantastic. Really can't wait to go back!

Eating senza glutine in Italy is really easy. In Italy, there is a Coeliac screening programme in operation for young children upwards and so help (medical and financial) is delivered to those diagnosed with Coeliac disease. Are you listening NHS? Importantly what this screening programme also means is that there is a great awareness of Coeliac disease amongst the general population. Even with my very limited Italian language skills, I found saying "sono Coeliaco" (pronounced "chee-lee-a-ca") got the message across absolutely everywhere we ate. Not once did a waiter ask me the equivalent of "You're WHAT? Silly yak??". They immediately nodded their understanding and noted which items on the menu would / would not be suitable for me.

Gluten free heaven.

And at least Mr D knows where to take me for our 2nd year anniversary!

Gluten Free Dining: Zurich

2010-10-12T21:53:00.000+01:00

Our European train adventure continued on from Paris on the high speed train from Paris to Zurich which takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes. Our prebooked seats turned out to be next to a couple of crazy American niche vodka distillery owners also on their way to Zurich to stay with friends as part of a whistle stop tour of Europe. They'd flown in from Miami overnight into Charles de Gaulle airport and had raced from CdG (located north of Paris) to Gare de l'Est in breakneck speed. As they sat down next to us breathless and red faced from a stressful transfer from the airport followed by a sprint through the station to the train, I thanked my lucky stars we were taking a relaxing train journey all the way from London to Milan. The train sped at almost 200 mph hrough the beautiful French countryside, on through the slightly more industrial Germany, and then we finally arrived in Zurich and bade farewell to our fun travelling companions.

A short taxi ride took us up the hill to our hotel, the Dolder Waldhaus. For some very odd and unfathomable reason I LOVE funicular railways....and this hotel had one going right into it! Awesome. Having checked in we decided a long day of doing nothing but chatting, reading and watched the view speed past us had left us a bit tired so we headed for the hotel's restaurant. Hopes weren't particularly high but they had an outside terrace overlooking Zurich and it was a nice evening. As usual I explained my dietary restrictions, the waiter nodded and I thought I heard him say "I'll get the gluten free bread". No way, I thought, you must be imagining it. But no, the waiter reappeared and placed some freshly warmed gluten free bread in front of me. What are the chances?

The waiter very helpfully pointed out what options were available on the menu. Their menu was half Swiss, half Thai. Not a combination you would probably find anywhere else in the world but it turned out they had a Thai chef. So, I chose a Thai beef salad for starter:

This was absolutely delicious and all the main key flavours of Thai cooking, spicy, salty, sweet, sour were evident in the dish.

For the main course I had gorgeously ginormous skewered prawns. This dish should have been served with roast potatoes but the waiter - who genuinely took my food intolerance seriously - advised against as they had been dusted with flour before roasting. Instead they served with boiled potatoes and a selection of grilled vegetables.

The following night we ventured into Zurich city centre for dinner. Having spied the beer quarter setting up for what appeared to be a very heavy night with trestle tables and hoses for the morning after (seems like those Swiss bankers wind down at the end of the working week with a LOT of beer) we decided to give that area a miss and went in search of something a bit more romantic for a wedding anniversary trip and less stag-do ish. After a bit of searching we came across the homely but buzzy Rosaly's restaurant. Again the waitress was extremely helpful and suggested steak was going to be my safest option from their menu. But, I did get to eat that fantastic potato and butter Swiss dish which is naturally gluten free, rosti. Living gluten free is not so bad after all...

One aspect of overseas travel I really enjoy is checking out what the local supermarkets and markets have in store. I enjoy finding new fruit and veggies I can't find at home or exciting looking cheeses and hams. We visited a few small convenience style supermarkets both in the centre of Zurich and also near to our hotel. In truth, I was a little disappointed in their selection of gluten free goods as we'd been so well looked after at the hotel and in the restaurants we ate in I thought I'd find some great new products to try. We did visit a large supermarket near the train station but all I found in there were some lonely Schar white rolls. I'd heard good reports on the availability of gluten free products in Swiss supermarkets so I was surprised not to find any of note.

One final note. In the hotel when I went for breakfast, the waiters remembered me and more warm gluten free bread was produced for me to have with.......Nutella!! Well,it would be wrong not to eat chocolate in Switzerland, right?

Gluten Free Lunch in Paris

2010-10-09T13:46:00.000+01:00

I've been in Paris a couple of times in the last few months, most recently on our way from London to Italy via Switzerland. I'm often on the look out for somewhere to have a light lunch, knowing that I will be treated to a gastronomic feast in the evening!

So what's a good gluten free salad choice in Paris? First up, Salade Nicoise. There's something the French do with Salade Nicoise that makes it taste very unique and it seems impossible to recreate the taste outside of la belle France. Even in the worst tourist trap, it still tastes good.

After a busy morning wandering around the fabulous Musee D'Orsay where the building is almost as beautiful as the art work it contains, we wandered along Boulevard Saint Martin in search of a late lunch. If I were ever lucky enough to live in Paris, this is the area where I'd live.

Basic salade nicoise, served all over France like this.

Simple but satisfyingly tasty. Must admit the carafe of rose wine and ample people watching possibilities from our wonderful vantage point on the sunny boulevard probably added to the positive memory of this salad!

Salade Nicoise part deux: This Salade Nicoise was served at Carmine cafe, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Definitely a culinary step up with fresh tuna steak, it was also extremely filling.

A Sunday lunch strolling along the hip Canal St Martin with our friends N & E called for a tasty lunch before heading back to London on an afternoon Eurostar. They took us to this small cafe.

I chose this prawn and rice dish. Simple but absolutely delicious. Especially loved the deeply flavoured tomato sauce the prawns were nestled on.

So I find myself back in Paris, albeit briefly, as we travel by train from London to Milan via Paris and a couple of nights in Zurich.

We arrive on the Eurostar from London into Gare du Nord and have just under 2 hours to switch to Gare de l'Est. It's only a 10 minute walk between the two stations so we decide to walk over and find somewhere to have lunch. Gare de l'Est turns out to be full of baguette shops. Sacre Bleu! Eventually we spot a Brasserie Flo and go in search of salad.

Although the French waiter speaks perfect English, I decide not to take my chances on his understanding and pull out my Coeliac Travel cards. Good job I did, the griddled vegetable salad I'd selected contained an ingredient not listed on the menu: Couscous. Fortunately the Coeliac Travel cards have saved me again. The waiter instructs the chef to make the salad sans cousous. Disaster averted. The salad turned out to completely fabulous, big fresh griddled veggies, various lettuces and a great dressing.

I've found eating gluten free in Paris relatively easy. Make sure you pack your Coeliac Travel cards to double check ingredients with waiters but almost every menu will contain something suitable.

And finally, no meal in France would be complete without..............a glass of Orangina!

Bon appetit!

TruFree Chocolate Fingers

2010-10-06T22:22:00.001+01:00

Today I have a guest columnist - my "long suffering" husband (his description, not mine) Mr D. He is currently in my bad books as I will let him explain.

A review by Non Gluten Free Mr D

I’m in trouble. The kind of wife trouble that lingers and no matter what is done you know will take a couple of days. My sin; I polished off both packets of chocolate fingers that were in the cupboard. I know, now.

Apparently they were sent to Mrs D by the nice people at TruFree and they were gluten free.

To be honest I have a high degree of suspicion about gluten free products that are normally made with gluten. There must be a reason why somebody wishes to make a product with gluten and surely its usually because it tastes better.

My sin has educated me. I had no idea that these chocolate fingers were gluten free. There are some products that you just look at the picture on the packet and that’s it, job done. Chocolate figures are a prime example. For me there is no need to look at the small print as fortunately I do not have any food allergies. Just open the packet and take one. Follow that by a handful, and another and now you see why I am in trouble.

Those clever people at TruFree have done what I had thought would be impossible. They have produced a product that is actually better gluten free. I remember childhood treats of chocolate fingers, now reminisced only on occasions in meetings where the increasingly rare biscuit plate is passed around.

The soft luxurious chocolate that thickly coats each finger provides a limited period of holding before mouth action is required to prevent your fingers becoming chocolately. The first few I crunched but then I discovered that left in the mouth the chocolate melts and the biscuit then follows in a kind of Malteser type of way. That is the way it should be.

I have discovered that there are some excellent gluten free treats out there and these clever people at TruFree have done a brilliant job at beating the standard product. There goes another preconceived idea.

Fortunately I was allowed to buy another pack as Mrs D said that she needed a photo to go with my review. Naughty me.

Mr D

Mary's Gone Crackers...Organic Gluten Free Herb Crackers

2010-09-14T20:17:00.004+01:00

I've heard of the "Mary's Gone Crackers" brand before from my Stateside gluten free friends and thought the brand name was pretty cool.

When I came across a pack of their herb organic wheat free / gluten free crispy crackers I thought I'd give them a try.

I like that the crackers are crammed full of brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds which are all certified organic.

How did they taste? They were very crispy, thin and had a nutty taste. Although they're not at all sweet for some reason they reminded me of Florentine biscuits, I don't know why because they didn't taste like them but they did!

So any drawbacks? Well, yes. Two. They come in a huge packet which is great if you're going to have a party and use them to dip into hummus, have topped with tapenade or tomato salsa...But I'd you just want a couple then the rest are likely to go lose their delicious crispiness before you eat them.

The other issue? Well, I don't know how much these crackers retail for in their native US, but the health store I bought them from charged me £4.99. Yes. £4.99 for 184g of crackers!! Is it just me, or is that excessive? I hadn't bothered to check the price, imagining them to be around the £2 to £3 price mark. I don't know about 'Mary going crackers' but certainly Mrs D felt a bit crackers paying over the odds!

I would buy these again but only if I was having a party and knew they'd get eaten before they lost their crispiness and even then only if I can find them cheaper in another store.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Hale & Hearty's Gluten Free Felafel Mix

2010-09-10T15:49:00.000+01:00

I love felafel and as it has now been a very long time indeed since I last ate some, I was keen to try out the Hale & Hearty Felafel mix. This mix is organic, vegan, gluten free and, like all Hale & Hearty products, does not contain artifical flavourings, colourings or preservatives.

The felafel mix said it would be 'quick and easy'. Was it? Well, decide for yourself. Contents of Hale & Hearty felafel mix in glass bowl. Other required ingredient in measuring jug:

All you need to do is add water to the mix, leave to rest for 15 minutes and then make into felafel balls. The pack suggests using either your hands or 2 teaspoons to shape them but actually I quite enjoyed getting my hands in there and rolling them into shape!

Pop them into the frying pan and fry until golden:

For me, this was the only slightly tricky bit. When I started frying them, they stuck a little bit to the pan and had some burnt bits which I had to rescue from the frying pan. I've had the same problem with fish cakes in the past so not sure if this is more user error than product problem. The instructions only say to shallow fry but I wonder if you could oven bake them? Might experiment with that in future. Anyway, the sticky problem disappeared as they heated up and started to fry.

Here's how I served them. I made my own take on Tabbouleh, except with quinoa.

So how did they taste? They were absolutely delicious, with lovely flavours of cumin, parsley, coriander and garlic all present.

The camping and festival season may nearly be over unless you're going to Bestival this weekend (even I fancy a spot of 'boutique camping' in a yurt!) but next summer you could whizz these up and be the envy of your fellow campers.

Store cupboard essentials score: 10/10 (as long as you have access to boiling water, you're in luck)

Ease of use: 7.5/10 (but I'm hoping to improve my shallow frying technique)

Taste: 9/10

Hale & Hearty's Rich Chocolate Gluten Free Brownie Mix

2010-09-04T16:35:00.000+01:00

It's not that I can't cook (in fact I can, and I'm none too shabby at it!) it's just that I really don't have time to cook meals from scratch after a long day in the office. On the odd occasion I have made something, I later find the constituent ingredients lurking in the back of my cupboards several months later where I've used only a small quantity of a special type of gluten free flour, for example. It seems such a waste. So the chances of me making chocolate brownies were slim to nil, particularly given I don't have a sweet tooth.

When my total chocoholic husband spied the Hale & Hearty Rich Chocolate Gluten Free Brownie mix in the batch of products they very kindly sent me to review, his eyes lit up and told me (sadly) in 7.5 years together I'd never ever made him a cake. I would've laughed heartily had it not been for the fact he really meant it. Uh oh. Bad wife alert.

In addition to the wholesome and nutritious nature of the Hale & Hearty products, what I also really liked is that you don't need to buy lots of ingredients which might go off before you can use them again. Only basic store cupboard ingredients are required to make up their products. In the case of the chocolate brownie mix, so long as you have eggs, milk and butter at home, you're in luck! If you're vegan, there is also an alternative recipe for you on the back of the package.

Like all H&H products, there are no artificial flavourings, colourings, or preservatives. The mix is even organic! This is perfect for people like me who are short on cooking time but concerned about eating high quality, flavoursome food.
Here's what you need (brownie mix in the white packet):

So how easy were they to make? Really easy. Empty contents of brownie mix to bowl, mix with butter and eggs to mix to a paste and then stir in milk. Recipe on back of packet, complete with variations you might want to make, such as the vegan alternative or perhaps adding chocolate drops or nuts. Pop in the oven for 25 minutes and that's it. No leftover ingredients.

Here's how my brownies looked fresh out the oven...can you smell that gorgeous chocolatey mix?:

Here's a slice...yummmm...

How did they taste? Rich, delicious, chocolatey....the standard mix had tiny chocolate chip bits in it which I really liked. Next time I might add some white chocolate chips though. Amazingly, these brownies managed to last a few days in our house before they were all eaten. In fact they seemed to get better - the outside got a bit crisper / harder which I like in a brownie.

I can have a box of the Hale & Hearty Rich Chocolate Gluten Free Brownie Mix in the cupboard for the next time I need to ~~sneak in yet another pair of shoes~~ do something selfless. Yay, no more bad wife alert...!

Store cupboard essentials score: 8 / 10 (perfect if you're likely to be invaded by a horde of chocoholics and need to rustle up some brownies in a jiffy)
Ease of use: 9 / 10
Taste: 9/10 (with white choc bits, it would be 10/10)

Hale & Hearty's Fabulous Gluten Free Flapjacks

2010-09-02T21:39:00.000+01:00

I love flapjacks. There's something equally child-like yet grown up about flapjacks. They're a proper grown up oats-are-good-at-delivering-sustained-energy kind of snack but at the same time they remind me of being a child. So when I found I was no longer able to tolerate oats, I was really sad. No more porridge. No more flapjacks.

When I got to try Hale & Hearty's gluten free and wheat free flapjacks I had high hopes. Hale and Hearty was founded by foodies Catarina and her coeliac husband, Christian. When their daughter was also diagnosed with a wheat intolerance aged 6 months, they were shocked to discover the low nutritional value in existing gluten free alternatives for their baby. They set out to develop gourmet gluten free foods which are delicious and wholesome as well as free from additives, flavourings and artificial ingredients.

The Hale & Hearty flapjacks are crumbly, with big oaty flakes. They're sweet but not overly so and come packed with raisins and sunflower seeds.

So how do they taste? Well, put it this way somehow Mr D (who has no reason to eat gluten free other than I must) managed to take one from me and instantaneously began making enthusiastically appreciative noises before I had even taken my flapjack from the packet. I was fairly fortunate to capture some photos of these flapjacks since they were gone in a flash they tasted that good.

At 165 calories and 9.1g of fat per bar I think these bars can be enjoyed without worry over calorific values. And they're even dairy free.

Hale & Hearty products are sold in many of the major retailers with Tesco stocking 7 of their products including these fab flapjacks. You can see a list of retailers and search for your nearest stockist by doing a postcode search here.

I hope Hale & Hearty are able to develop this product in the future to sell these flapjacks as individual bars. I'd like to find them in supermarkets/petrol stations/newsagents in the same way Eat Natural bars are now widely stocked. From non-GF Mr D's reaction, these delicious and wholesome flapjacks will sell whether you need to eat gluten free or not.

Starbucks / Genius Gluten Free Cheese and Coleslaw Bread Sandwich

2010-08-20T08:14:00.001+01:00

On Saturday morning Mr D and I rose with the larks and set off to continue on the next section of our walk along the 184 mile route of the Thames towpath.

We only had 3 more sections to complete today's would be the longest of the remaining walks at 17 miles. We live part way along the route, yet the drive took 2 hours to reach our start point for the day. 2 HOURS!! We really have walked a long way.

We knew the walk would take us through some of the remotest stretches of the Thames and so when we spotted a Starbucks signposted on the motorway en route, we only had one thought: Starbucks/Genius Bread gluten free Cheese and Coleslaw sandwich for lunch. Yippee! 17 miles is a long way to walk on cereal bars.

I officially *heart* the Starbucks/Genius Bread collaberation and the fact Starbucks outlets are seemingly opening in more motorway services is great for gluten free travellers. In fact, judging by the enormous queue coming out of Starbucks' door (while the other outlets were serving big greasy fry ups to people who really didn't need them), I wasn't alone in thinking this.

We continued on to the picturesque Cotswolds town of Lechlade on Thames where we'd booked a room in a pub inn for the night. Car safely parked, the hotel very kindly drove us 17 miles to Newbridge where we'd finished our walk last time and therefore the start point for the day.

The walk's route was indeed remote and we barely saw another soul. Well, except for the person baring his soul and taking a naked dip in the Thames - he obviously thought he wouldn't be disturbed! We walked through fields full of tiny, beautiful blue butterflies which swirled around us as we tried not to step on any (tough task for us two!). We walked on through Chimney Meadow Nature Reserve where the ferns, flowers and plants were taller than me.

We came across a statue of Old Father Thames

And this rather fabulous frog fashioned from a hedge in front of a Thames Lock-keepers cottage:

Along the way we stopped for lunch and I finally got to taste the new Starbucks sandwich made with Genius bread. The sandwich contains mature Cheddar and red Leicester cheese with coleslaw on Genius's brown bread.

So how did it taste? Like any sandwich containing coleslaw which has been carted around in a rucsac for a few hours, the bread was a touch soggy. I found the generous portion of Cheddar and red Leicester cheeses had a strong and tangy taste. The coleslaw was a nice addition - I rarely eat coleslaw and this one tasted good.

There is one drawback with this sandwich: It contains 472 kcals but a hefty 29.6g of fat. The fat content is almost half the recommended daily fat intake for an adult female - that's a lot! I hope that the lovely product development people at Starbucks create their next gluten free sandwich with a more figure friendly fat content!

Lucky I walked 17 miles that day.....

Gluten Free Mrs D

BBQ with Jamie Oliver's "My Favourite Old Style Pork Chops"

2010-08-06T08:02:00.001+01:00

Friday night was BBQ night but when we pulled the BBQ out for a clean we discovered a problem and it had officially cooked its last sausage. Cue trip to B&Q to replace it.

New BBQ duly bought and built, we went to a large branch of Tesco in search of supplies. I was amazed just how many sausages, burgers and other BBQ items on sale in Tesco contained gluten. Eventually we came accross these Jamie Oliver pork chops.

Mr D is very pleased with the new BBQ so have included this for him.

They were very chunky chops which had been seasoned with cumin, fennel and paprika.

How did they taste? Very pleasantly seasoned, the paprika added warmth but not spicy heat. I know it would be pretty easy to replicate this seasoning at home but we were looking for something quick to chuck on the barbie.

Thumbs up all round for these Jamie Oliver pork chops.

M&S Gluten Free Bread: Brown Seeded Loaf

2010-07-26T21:34:00.000+01:00

When I first saw the M&S brown seeded loaf I actually thought it was a Mrs Crimbles seeded loaf in disguise.

Anyone know where Mrs Crimbles' seeded loaf has disappeared to? Not seen one in some considerable time, which is a shame. Read my review of Mrs Crimbles here in case she is ever located again. To me, the brown seeded loaf looked the same and had the same weight density.

So how did it taste? Lovely. Just the sort of bread I like. Thick, dense, full of linseeds. Perfect for toast.

I managed to find this gluten free loaf on special for £1.24 (half price) randomly one evening in a smallish M&S in Canary Wharf. This was the first time I had managed to find it since M&S launched their gluten free range back in early June and I have looked in a number of their larger / flagship stores in Central London including Marble Arch. Not sure whether there are low stocks while M&S test the waters on consumption of their gluten free products or because there is high demand and it's selling out faster than production.

If you see an M&S gluten free brown seeded loaf, buy it while you can!

M&S Gluten Free Bread: White Rolls

2010-07-24T18:09:00.001+01:00

To much delight amongst the gluten free community, Marks and Spencer have finally got their act together and brought out some gluten free products.

The M&S gluten free range contains plenty of sweet treats which I'm not particularly taken with but they have two product lines that I was keen to try. White baps and a brown seeded loaf.

First up, the white baps (hard to type without thoughts of 'Carry On' films!)

I had the roll with gluten free sausages, onions slowly fried with balsamic vinegar and lashings of ketchup.

Sadly my initial overwhelming joy at being able to have sausages or burgers in a gluten free roll (just looking at that photo is making me hungry) began to fade as I ate. The bap was simply too crumbly. Regular readers will know I don't usually like white bread but in this case a sugary flavour wasn't the problem, the roll disintegrating in my hands was.

Would I buy them again? Probably, but this is more a reflection of a gap in the market for gluten free rolls than the quality of the M&S white baps.

Next up...M&S brown seeded loaf.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Genius Bread at Starbucks

2010-07-09T19:43:00.002+01:00

I'll start this with an apology, I have got way behind in my blog posts...which will be apparent when you see the photos in this post of the rainy and cold Oxfordshire countryside!

Back in May, long before the arrival of our current scorchio weather, Mr D and I set off in the car to Oxford to walk the next 14 mile section of the Thames towpath from Oxford to Newbridge.

We pulled into the service station at the Oxford junction to pick up some provisions for our walk. It was signposted with both a Waitrose and a Starbucks. Deep joy! I soon discovered the options in Waitrose for me were limited to apricots and packets of seeds and nuts. OK-ish but Mr D had selected himself a very tasty looking ham sandwich and I just knew I'd be really annoyed if we stopped half way along the walk and all I had to eat were some apricots while he tucked into that sarnie.

Luckily I knew Starbucks had started stocking Genius Bread gluten free / wheat free Tuna Mayonnaise sandwiches. Hmmm...would I be lucky enough to find one in this service station? You bet! I'm not exactly known for my good humour first thing in the morning but finding the Genius sandwich in Starbucks certainly cracked a smile!

We arrived in Oxford, parked the car and set off goretex-d up to protect us from the rain. Except for a minor incident with some charging cows on their way to be milked, the walk was lovely and full of gorgeous flowers and plants.

We stopped for lunch along the way at King's Lock and the sandwich was released:

Here's how it looked out of the packet:

So how did it taste? First of all the Genius bread tasted fresh and had that springy consistency of regular bread. I was really pleased the sandwiches were made with the brown version of Genius's bread. There's nothing wrong with the white version but personally I think the white is more suited to sweet toppings like jam or honey.

Starbucks / Genius sandwich had a generous sized portion of tuna mayo filling. The fresh basil in the tuna combined with roasted tomato was very flavoursome. Rocket leaves added a nice touch.

What I really liked about this sandwich (apart from the taste) was that it wasn't marketed specifically as gluten free or wheat free and I think lots of Starbucks customers would buy it for its for taste, even non-coeliacs.

Here's the view I enjoyed of the glorious Oxfordshire countryside (even in the rain) but you'll have to imagine the sound of birdsong which surrounded us:

The Starbucks / Genius sandwich managed to fortify me sufficiently well for the rest of the walk. I was glad that for once I had a savoury lunch rather than sweet biscuit bars.

After more than 5 hours walking, we made it to Newbridge and found a great little village pub right on the banks of the Thames called The Rose Revived. While Mr D got a pint in of the local ale, I revived my rosy cheeks with a large glass of Shiraz...

Starbucks have just announced the arrival of a vegetarian gluten free sandwich made with Genius bread in their stores. Stay tuned for a review...

Gluten Free Mrs D

Mrs D Goes...Gluten Free on the Eurostar

2010-06-26T18:08:00.002+01:00

Things started well for our weekend in Paris. From arrival at the beautifully redeveloped St Pancras station it took no more than 5 minutes to print our Eurostar tickets at the automated machine, move through passport and security control and get through into the waiting lounge. Not many airports could compete with that!

When our train was called to board, we went up to our platform to find sunlight streaming in through the station roof onto the platform:

As we stood at the entrance to our Eurostar carriage and had our tickets checked, the steward checked the passenger list and confirmed a gluten free meal had been ordered for me.

We had decided to travel in Leisure Select which is in between Standard and Business classes on the train but a meal is served.

My heart sank when my meal tray arrived. Not only did the tray have the regular croissants placed on it but it had gluten free white bread. Yum, my favourite. Not. Just to make it even more appetising the label slapped on the front said it had been produced 2 days ago and should be rated by tomorrow. Mmmm, delicious!

In fact the gluten free white bread turned out to be better than I feared when coated in apricot jam.

The hot meal arrived. A poached salmon omelette with potatoes and mushrooms. I love an omelette me and this was quite fresh tasting. For Gavin & Stacey fans out there, I blame my Welsh roots for my love of omelettes!

So how did the Eurostar rate? For me there's only one way to travel between London and Paris, and that's on the train. It's stress free travel at it's best whether you're travelling gluten free or not. Vive le train!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Flying...British Airways

2010-06-21T22:15:00.001+01:00

At the end of our Turkish adventure, Mr D and I flew home from Istanbul on British Airways. We were lucky enough to fly home in Business (Club Europe). We have a load of BA frequent flyer miles which we thought we ought to cash in since who knows how long BA will be in business if their cabin crew keep on striking.

Despite the cabin crew's liking for striking, they are always so lovely. This flight was no exception.

When the meal service got underway, our steward came to see me. He said that although a gluten free meal had been ordered for me, he thought the bread it contained looked too much like gluten filled bread and advised me to be cautious with it. He said someone had been dispatched in Istanbul to find gluten free bead and I could tell from the raised eyebrow he was not convinced it had been successfully acquired.

So, step forward Mr D, guinea pig extraordinaire. I felt like a medieval King who had a food taster in his employ to check the food for poison before the King ate it.

Here's the appetiser I was served, you can see the disk of bread:

With baited breath, I watched Mr D take a bite of the dubious looking 'bread'. He proclaimed "that isn't bread. And it certainly isn't Genius bread". So good news and bad news, then.

Appetisers were nice, especially since I had a glass of something fizzy.

The main meal came along:

What was on the menu?

- Tomato and cucumber salad (with one rogue black olive)

- Spicy prawns and spinach with rice

- Fruit salad

- Cheese and grapes

- (Turkish) gluten free bread roll

So how was it? Well, guess what? There was actually some spice in the prawns so not a bland gluten free meal for a change. The spinach had been cooked with some onions and had a reasonably deep flavour.

I have to confess the cheese and grapes were a slight addition to my meal. I think the steward took pity on me and my fruit salad for dessert - Mr D had a chocolate and caramel cheesecake with raspberry compote - and so slipped me some extra cheese.

And as for the bread....Well after 10 days of watching Mr D devouring loaf after loaf of bread with hummus and other exciting dips, I found myself strangely interested in eating the rather odd tasting Turkish gluten free bread. Odd. That's the only way I can describe it. Not massively unpleasant, just not what I would ever buy. Imagine a rice cake crossed with gluten free white bread and that's more or less it.

It's easy to knock BA, and I've certainly avoided booking flights with them until the current cabin crew dispute is resolved, but they were friendly, professional and served a great gluten free meal on the flight back from Istanbul.

Eating Gluten Free in Turkey

2010-06-16T22:21:00.000+01:00

So exactly how easy is it to eat gluten free in Turkey? Would every meal
come accompanied with a side of couscous, bread or even flour coated frozen
chips?

About a month before our trip to Turkey I'd been to a Middle Eastern
restaurant in London. Although during that meal I had avoided the obvious
gluten-containing elements of the meze (like bread and filled filo pastry
parcels), foolishly I hadn't checked the ingredients of the stuffed vine
leaves (assuming it was rice) or the gravy to my main course lamb stew. I
know, very schoolgirl error, and it's no surprise that I ended up being
glutened. Having spent several weeks recovering from that episode, I was
none too keen to get ill again so I stayed away from shared meze plates
where I could not see individual components. I ordered separate dishes of
hummus with salad or had simple vegetable dish with it. Hummus wasn't quite
the same without bread but at least I didn't totally miss out!

So how easy was it to eat gluten free in Turkey? It was actually much
easier than I had feared before my trip. Rice, not couscous, appeared to be
the accompanying carb of choice for most main meals. Restaurants were able
to accommodate cooking gluten free (with the help of Coeliac Travel cards).
Almost all the meals I ate came served with plain boiled rice and grilled
vegetables in varying degrees of fanciness. As for the meat, I was quite
surprised by how flavoursome the lamb was. At home I don't eat much red
meat so it was quite a treat! One item to watch out for which I hadn't come
across before was orzo. It was essentially small grains of wheat pasta made
in rice shapes. I did look quite like rice, especially over dinner when the
sun had set and a couple of glasses of the delicious local Lal rose wine
has been consumed!

Here are some ideas of widely available menu choices which can be cooked
gluten free for your holiday in Turkey:

Chicken shish kebab
Lamb shish kebab
Grilled lamb chops
Grilled fish - try the "Akya" / silverfish - absolutely delicious grilled

Lamb shish kebab

Prawn kebab

Baked banana with flaked almonds (yum!)

The only real drawback with eating out in Turkey was that menu choices were
often quite limited for me. Although this wasn't a massive problem in the scheme of things when you see the photos above of what was on offer! On our last night we went to an up-market place located right on the harbour front of the town we were staying in for what promised to be a very special meal.

The restaurant had a very extensive menu packed full of Turkish specialties to choose from and I was looking forward to a great meal. I selected a 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice from the menu's main courses (just in case!) of dishes I thought should be safe to eat but it turned out none of them could be cooked for me. This was a big disappointment, my 3 top choices looked amazing. The waiter offered me plain grilled fish but in the end I settled on a fillet steak which came with boiled vegetables. Not very Turkish for the last night of our holiday
and I was totally underwhelmed by my meal. On the positive side, I felt the restaurant took my gluten intolerance seriously and the waiters came to check with me several times on what I could / couldn't eat which was very reassuring at least.

When I look back on the week, the stand-out meal was probably one of the
most simple. A grilled Akya (silverfish) fillet, chunky like a
thick tuna steak which came served with homemade thick hand cut chips and salad.
Not only was it delicious, but the story of how the fish got to my plate was
somewhat unusual. A few minutes after I'd placed my order with the waiter,
a white van from the local fish market pulled up outside our restaurant. Out
jumped a man carrying a piece of fish wrapped in newspaper and delivered it
to the kitchen. The restaurant was pretty empty and soon after the fish's
delivery and the smell of fish grilling soon filled the air so I'm sure it was my
little Akya! Sadly, it tasted so good I didn't have time to take a photo of
it. You'll have to take a trip to Turkey to experience it yourself!

Eat Natural: Great New Gluten Free Packaging

2010-05-26T20:39:00.003+01:00

Usually I like it when packaging of gluten free goods quietly whispers "I'm gluten free" in small text at the bottom of the back of the packet. It makes me feel 'normal'. But I just popped into Waitrose and saw this new packaging for a 4 pack of my favourite Eat Natural bars.

There's nothing subtle about this. It's shouting at the top of it's voice, "Hello lady, buy me, I'm gluten free!" but it's fun and it made me smile after a long day in the office.

Front:

The back:

It reads:

"Dear Eat Naturalists:

Some people think being on a gluten free diet is a really miserable life of unexciting and tasteless stuff to eat. Well, excuse me, but that's just a pile of nonsense. Just take a little gander at the gorgeous stuff in this bar and tell me who's "going without".

Rich dark chocolate, juicy cranberries, crunchy macademias and brazils, coconut, honey....Compromise? Are you having a laugh?

Seems like there's nothing to worry about at all. So why all the fuss? Come to think of it...it's just a really delicious bar which everyone can enjoy.

Don't know why we even mentioned the 'gluten free' thing in the first place.

Simple...isn't it?"

Brilliant! Couldn't have put it better myself!

Gluten Free Mrs D

A Very Genius Goody Bag!

2010-05-17T12:00:00.010+01:00

Proving that goody bags happen to normal people (and not just A list celebs!) check out what treats the attendees of the Genius gluten free Claridges Afternoon tea skipped home with...

A very useful (Genius, even!) large shopper

So what lay inside?

A loaf of brown Genius bread, wooden spoon spoon complete with smiley face and copy of Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne's book "How to Cook for Food Allergies".

I had not seen Lucinda's book before but I really recommend buying it, it's available on Amazon. The book is not limited to gluten intolerance, it also covers egg, soya, nut and dairy food allergies providing easily customisable recipes in accordance with specific dietary requirements.

The first thing I like about this book is that it has great sounding and looking recipes but which don't involve masses of ingredients, despite the restrictions of cooking with substitute ingredients. Every time I open the book, it falls open at a recipe for Tarte Nicoise made with Lucinda's cornmeal and potato pastry. If you read my post about Genius Afternoon Tea at Claridges you will know that tarts / quiches are something I really miss.

The other thing which is great about this book is that it's a real reference book for gluten free living and I have not come across a book so far containing an equivalent level of detail. Lucinda explains ingredients, how to substitute them, and provides lots of information on how to live a normal life in a gluten filled world. It's particularly strong on advice for gluten intolerant babies and children.

I think it's a great book, and one which I will be referring to for a long time to come.

A Very Genius Gluten Free Afternoon Tea at Claridges

2010-05-15T16:05:00.002+01:00

Once in a while something random, something very removed from your normal life comes along, takes you out of your normal everyday experience and knocks your socks off. Such was the case when a PR agency contacted me having found my blog to invite me to an event on behalf of one of their clients. Interesting, I thought. How random (but very cool) cyberspace is that they found me. When they sent through the details and I found out that not only it was Afternoon Tea at Claridges hotel (one of my favourite London hotels) and that it was organised by none other than Genius Bread. Well, I was beyond excited!

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne is a trained chef, cookery book author and mother of 3 children, 2 of whom have food allergies.

All photos copyright David Munns photography

She explained the driver behind her search to develop a bread was her gluten intolerant son for whom she wanted to make a 'normal' gluten free loaf. One which her son could take to school in sandwiches and be just like his friends.

With advance notice, Claridges are able to serve gluten free afternoon tea as part of their regular afternoon tea service. Prepare yourselves for some seriously, deliciously knock out gluten free eye candy, people!

Here's a photo before the Afternoon tea was served:

The selection included the following sandwiches all on Genius gluten free bread:
- Smoked salmon with horseradish and dill
- Egg and cress
- Organic chicken with lemon remoulade

The delicious sweet treats included:
- Freshly baked raisin and apple scones with Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry preserve
- Raspberry and rosewater macaroon (which a fellow table mate dubbed "dessert burgers"!!)
- Chocolate Ondulay cake (one serious chocolate overload)

Oh yes. It's gluten free SCONES!

More gorgeous sweet treats:

What I really enjoyed (apart from the utterly delicious food) was meeting the team behind Genius who were energetic, enthusiastic and motivated people who were passionate about their brand. They were keen to seek feedback on existing products and future product lines. A fellow GF blogger and I offered some suggestions of things we really missed eating and we'd love Genius to produce. These included a seeded brown loaf, the Claridges/Genius scones and quiche. Yum...gluten free quiche, now wouldn't that be nice?! The Genius team explained their philosophy in developing products was based around "yummy and hooray". The "yummy" test involved asking if the product was as delicious and good as its gluten containing counterpart and "hooray" because it's gluten free.

It was a complete pleasure to attend the Genius gluten free Afternoon Tea at Claridges. Based on the passion and positive energy in the room, Genius are surely a brand going places. They have plans to expand both their product lines and also into mainland Europe and the US. Great news for anyone with a gluten intolerance, and not just those based in the UK.

Next blog post: The Genius Goody Bag!

Gluten Free Flying...TAP Airways

2010-05-07T20:21:00.001+01:00

The omens weren't good. Two days before our TAP flight to Lisbon for the May Bank Holiday weekend I spent 40 minutes waiting on hold on the phone TAP customer services to request my gluten free meal. When I finally got through, they informed me I'd already requested it. Clearly I'm getting old since I don't remember doing that at all! Then the day before our flight I had to call TAP 3 times in order to 'check in online'. For some reason I could check my husband in online but not me. Was my special meal request the cause? Maybe.

So when we got onboard and the flight attendant told me my special meal request wasn't on the passenger list I wasn't exactly surprised. Luckily that's where things started to improve. They had the GF meal, it just hadn't been assigned to me on the passenger list.

Here's a photo before opening (and yes that is a very generous glass of red wine!):

So what was on the menu?

The silver package contained a warm gluten free toasted sandwich! The filling was a very surprisingly tasty roast beef with tangy cheese. And guess what? It was actually really rather good. I'm not usually a fan of white GF bread as it's too sugary for me but this one was nice. I don't know what sort of GF bread TAP Airways use but I'm very tempted to contact them and find out. The bread didn't crumble at all and was great toasted. Eating it made me remember my once much loved but now retired Breville sandwich toaster. Even the fruit salad was pretty fresh tasting.

Ever wished you could have the tasty, flavoursome meal the other passengers are eating? Well, spare a thought for gluten eating Mr D as the usual in flight catering roles were reversed. The regular meal was a pork and pineapple toasted sub. Perhaps this is a Portuguese delicacy but it reminded him of being a hungry student and raiding the cupboards only to find pineapple chunks to liven up an otherwise boring pork sandwich. I often look enviously at his tasty looking meal as I pick at yet another bland gluten free airline meal. Not this time!

I'm keen to do another trip to South America soon and on the basis of this experience I'd happily fly with TAP to Brazil.

Who'd have thought I'd enjoy a GF inflight meal so much?!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Snack on the Run...Eat Natural

2010-04-29T07:59:00.003+01:00

It's fair to say that not eating gluten means that the treats available are drastically reduced. Most regular shops simply don't stock gluten free alternatives. I can't pop to the newsagents or small Tesco near my office and pick up just anything. But this is probably not such a bad thing as I'm trying to watch my weight at the moment!

However there are times when I do need to have something small to keep me going. Long walks are just such an occaision. A 15 mile walk isn't achievable without an energy boost halfway. As I can't rely on finding something suitable to eat along the way, I need to pack a snack in advance.

So what's my weapon of choice?
Eat Natural bars. The Eat Natural website lists all their bars as gluten free and some are 100% organic too. My favourite is the Cranberry and Macademia with Dark Chocolate.

This little bar of yummy gorgeousness is about as naughty as it gets without stepping into the realms of gluten free alternatives. In a few weeks when I climb Snowdon, I can guarantee one of these bars will be coming up the mountain with me! Naughty, but oh so nice.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Sushi Lunch...Itsu

2010-04-23T09:24:00.006+01:00

I'm a big fan of all things Japanese, starting with sushi. I love eating fish and would happily give up meat, but never fish. My sushi journey began more than 10 years ago with a sushi selection pack from M&S and has progressed via Japan, to Russia where Muscovites are crazy for sushi, to Nobu where my husband took me for a birthday treat this year.

I was lucky enough to go to Japan on holiday a couple of years ago and spent the whole trip in search of the perfect sushi. For the record, the prize went to a tiny place seating 6 at the Tsukiji Fish Market where the chef dazzled us with his knife skills as we sat at the counter patiently anticipating the next amazing item he created for us. Eating the freshest ever sushi with jetlag at 5 am in the Tokyo fish market is one of the best experiences of my life.

My sushi taste buds had already developed since the early first foray with M&S sushi but when I travelled to Japan I got to taste how it really should be. Sorry M&S but you're not it!

I frequently have sushi for lunch and have tried many different places. One of my favourites is Itsu. The sushi restaurant and take away chain achieved notoriety a couple of years ago for being the scene of the alleged Litvinenko poisoning. It managed to shrug this off (partly assisted by the James Bond themed window coverings it erected inside the Piccadilly store while the Police conducted their investgations) and Itsu now has numerous outlets throughout the City and West End.

I've tried most of their sushi selections over the last few years but have settled on the 'Health and Happiness':

Lid off...

I can't have the soya sauce served with this selection so I keep a bottle of Tamari sauce to have with it instead.

So how does it taste? Well, the rice has a good consistency, sticky but neither gooey wet nor dry. The fish is flavorsome and fresh. I particularly like the small carrot and seaweed salad which comes with the H&H selection, it's a good compliment. Is there anything I don't like? Yes, a smal complaint. The little black sesame seeds three of the rolls come with. They drop off in the small dish for the Tamari/wasabi mix and get on everything else!

I rate the sushi on offer from Itsu highly and if you're looking for a quick and easy gluten free lunch in central London, (so long as you avoid the soya sauce) I recommend you give Itsu a try.

Gluten Free Mrs D

GF Mrs D...Walks the Thames Path

2010-04-13T07:49:00.003+01:00

The Thames Towpath is a 184 mile pathway stretching along the banks of the river Thames from the source in deepest Gloucestershire to its outlet into the sea at the Thames estuary. Mr D and I have been walking sections of it for longer than I care to remember. Initially we started as practice for a holiday in Chile and Argentina, where we went trekking through the Patagonian wilderness. Later we used the long walks along the Thames as training for the '3 Peaks' challenge I undertook as part of a charity initiative organised by work where my team of 9 raised over £10,000 for Cancer Research. This challenge involved climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales ( Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) all within 24 hours.

Although the flat terrain of the Thames towpath didn't help me with the hillwalking required for 3 Peaks, the 15-20 mile weekly hikes certainly helped me develop stamina. 3 Peaks was one of the toughest physical challenges I've ever undertaken and, despite being a very keen hiker up to that point, I've had no motivation to put my walking boots on in the 2 years since.

So after months of a cold and completely miserable winter, the recent change in temperature and flower explosion finally motivated me to drag those boots out of the cupboard. And boy am I glad I did!

We set off early on Saturday morning from SW London. Destination: Oxford. Along the nearly 2 hour journey up there I watched the names of places we'd walked through (Kew, Windsor, Sonning, Marlow) flash up on road signs and realised just how far we'd come.

We parked the car at Oxford's railway station and caught the train to Culham for the start of our walk. It was a truly glorious day, and despite my earlier protests, I was glad I'd got out of bed at 6am to make it.

The walk took us through lush green meadows. The only real town on the route was Abingdon:

Most of the route is flat meadows:

There were quite a few boats out along the way, all out enjoying the gorgeous weather. We stopped to watch this barge going through the lock, the lock keeper is visible on the towpath:

For the entire 15 mile journey I had been looking forward to those 'dreaming spires if Oxford' looming up over the trees as we got closer and closer to the city centre. Sadly that didn't happen! When we arrived back at Oxford train station to meet the car, we did see one sight which is unmistakeably 'Oxford'...Racks of bikes as far as the eye can see!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Mrs D goes to...Croyde, North Devon

2010-04-08T08:45:00.002+01:00

We spent the long Easter weekend in the beautiful Devon surfing village of Croyde. We've been to Croyde many times before to 'hang 10' (or just hang out) and on this trip we were joined by my husband's cousin and his wife. We hadn't seen them since our wedding last August and the weekend was a huge 'thank you' to Mark for being such a superstar DJ for us. He truly rocked the Tuscan hills that weekend!

We rented the fabulously quaint Victoria Cottage.

The cottage (Grade II listed) had 2 bedrooms and 2 lovely bathrooms. It was kitted out to a very high standard and really exceeded my expectations for holiday cottage rental. Outside was a gorgeous courtyard garden which came complete with all the essentials - a line for drying wetsuits and the all important BBQ!

The cottage was located in the centre of Croyde village but along a small lane so no passing traffic. At the end of the lane was a lovely thatched cottage (Victoria Cottage is just on the left of this photo):

Renting a cottage (rather than staying in a hotel or B&B) really worked on this trip, and not just because of our surf gear! Having our own kitchen meant I could really be in control of my food, especially breakfast. I find in the UK this is the hardest meal to find options from. The breakfast options offered by most hotels usually extend to cereals, toast and a full English fry up, which obviously doesn't leave many gluten free options to choose from. At least abroad I can have an omelette or some yummy fruit and yoghurt.

In the evenings we identified 4 options in the village. 2 of the 3 village pubs were out since their menu did not extend beyond pizza / baguettes / (wheat) nachos.

Instead we chose to eat at the Blue Groove where they played some very cool tunes and I enjoyed a great meal but one too manu Wokka Saki cocktails since I'm struggling to remember what I ate. Oops!

The following night we ate at The Manor where I enjoyed some grilled Cornish sardines (lush) and a lovely lamb shank. Like at the Blue Groove, the waitress at The Manor was exceptionally helpful in making sure I avoided gluten. I always find it encouraging when the wait staff say they'll "check with the chef", and not "check with the kitchen". Several of the meal's components were removed and exchanged and I'm very grateful for their attentive service.

Next time I'm in Croyde, I will be going back to both The Manor and the Blue Groove.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Carluccio's: Bellissimo GF Pasta

2010-03-30T17:54:00.005+01:00

Carluccio's for lunch today. I'm a big fan of all things Italian (even getting married there!) but I've walked passed Carluccio's Italian restaurants many times looking in wistfully at the fabulous pasta, foccacia and cakes on offer but never going in.

That is until I was trying to find somewhere suitable to have a weekday lunch with my Mum who fancied lunch and a shopping trip to Canary Wharf.

Since I went fully GF at the start of the year, I've taken to emailing restaurants in advance to find out what my food options are. I must say this has brought mixed results. Some have provided very detailed and clear responses (Wahaca) and some less so. One, the dim sum place Ping Pong, has yet to reply to my emails requesting details of their GF menu options, despite several chasers from me. I guess the absence of a response signals there are limited or no options available?!

Anyway, back to Carluccio's. Their reply to my query submitted through their website was almost instantaneous. A friendly email back with gluten free menu attached. Yep, a whole menu of yummy safe food to eat!

When I arrived at the restaurant I explained to the waiter that I couldn't eat gluten and asked to see the GF menu. Quick as a flash our friendly waiter returned with no less than a laminated GF menu.

I went for the Puttanesca pasta which the menu described as gluten free corn flour pasta served with a "traditional spicy sauce of tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies."

When it arrived, it looked like this (after the waiter added Parmesan):

How did it taste? One word. Amazing. Although I didn't go fully GF until a few months ago, I cut standard forms of gluten containing food from my diet many years ago. As I savoured each mouthful of my delicious lunch, I tried to remember the last time I had ordered pasta in a restaurant. In truth, I can't remember a time in the last 10 years. Indeed, so good did the pasta taste that I had to double check with the kitchen they had given me the GF dish and not the regular pasta by mistake. That's how good it tasted. The Puttanesca sauce was deliciously tomato-y with a little spicyness and the olives, capers and anchovies gave the sauce real depth in flavour. The other thing I really liked was that there was plenty of sauce. Not so much sauce the pasta drowned, but enough that each fork full of pasta could be happily coated in the tomato-tastic sauce.

When I contacted Carluccio's Head Office before my visit, I was advised they'd introduced their GF menu following public demand 2 years ago. Wouldn't it be fantastico if more restaurants listened to customers and provided a product not just to meet demand, but one which truly exceeds expectations?

Carluccio's, ti amo, you have a new loyal customer in me. I can't wait to go back soon and try more on their GF menu.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Surprising Items Labelled as Gluten Free: Branston Pickle

2010-03-26T19:29:00.000Z

So today's post was supposed to be about the Mexican restaurant Wahaca. I officially *heart* Wahaca and had been looking forward all morning (or in all honesty the whole 2 weeks since I made the plans) to lunch there with a friend. When we arrived eagerly anticipating a Mexican feast, we were shocked to discover a problem with the water in East London had forced closure of the restaurant. What a nightmare!! We'll be meeting up again in a couple of weeks so my post about their fab food and very helpful mails on their Coeliac friendly food will have to wait.

Instead, today's post is about items of of food which surprise me when I see their labelling as gluten free.

Branston Pickle.

I was rifling through the fridge earlier and noticed the back label on Branston Pickle stated "suitable for a gluten free diet". Not sure why I find this surprising, and clearly it's great, but it got me thinking. For items like GF bread, pasta or biscuits which are made as specific alternatives to food products, labelling them as gluten free is clearly a requirement. It's the point of the product.

But who decides for products like Branston pickle which I wouldn't necessarily associate with gluten? How and why do producers decide to change their labelling? Are food producers listening to the growing gluten free market and updating their labelling as a result?

Comments very welcome!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Mrs D goes to...the Isle of Wight

2010-03-22T08:38:00.004Z

Isle of Wight this weekend. Bit of a flying visit to the in laws to see them and pick up our wetsuits for a surfing weekend we have coming up soon.

We set off early from London on Saturday, getting up even earlier than I would for work. No time for breakfast in the rush to leave so by the time we arrived quayside in Portsmouth, I was in need of sustenance.

Went into the ferry terminal's shop with hopes not high. As usual, hot counters full of sausage rolls, burgers and bacon butties. Just as I resigned myself to having a black coffee only (they make a surprisingly good one in there) I spotted my new friend, Mrs Crimbles. Yay! Two varieties on offer, giant chocolate macaroon or a coconut jam ring. Settled for the macaroon.

How did it taste? Moist, dense, coconutty....and very sugary. Closer inspection of the contents label revealed the largest ingredient was sugar (no quantity given) and the second was coconut at 29% so the sugar percentage was at least equal to or greater than 29%. The label also advised the 70g Mrs Crimbles macaroon contained 314 calories and 15.4g fat. Phew. This seems like a lot for a macaroon?

Luckily for my (non-GF) husband, I couldn't eat it all so he tried some and gave it a definite thumbs up.

When we got onboard the ferry, I noticed the ship's food/drink outlet also had a basket of the 2 Mrs Crimbles alongside the more traditional offerings of buscuits and Scottish shortbread.

Despite the sugar overload I enjoyed my Mrs Crimbles Giant Chocolate Macaroon, I just wouldn't/couldn't eat a whole one.

One final point, I'd like to salute Wightlink for providing gluten free options in both the quayside ferry kiosk and onboard their ship. It may be sugary and the choice limited in comparison with the 'normal' options but it's a start, and one which other similar companies should be introducing.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Genius Bread vs. Mrs Crimbles: The Winner

2010-03-19T17:51:00.001Z

Tough call this one because it depends what you're doing with the bread.

For sandwiches, it has to be Genius

For toast, it has to be Mrs Crimbles

There have been reports in the press that Genius will soon be supplying Starbucks with GF bread for sandwiches. Looking forward to that!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Bread Part 2: Mrs Crimbles

2010-03-19T08:44:00.002Z

So how did Mrs Crimbles measure up in the GF bread challenge?

I bought the Mrs Crimbles loaf with ground flaxseed and linseed.

Certainly looks good:

I sliced it for toast and you can see the linseed & flaxseed in this shot.

I really loved this bread. The texture was excellent, not at all crumbly. The linseed / flaxseed in the bread added weight which the Genius didn't have. What I also really liked was that the bread was quite dense so the butter and Marmite I put on top didn't seep through to the plate.

For toast, this bread was perfect.

I found the 2 slices I had for breakfast managed to keep me going until lunchtime, in a way that only porridge used to in my pre-GF life.

Mrs Crimbles, GF breadtastic!

Gluten Free Mrs D

GF Bread Part 1: Genius Bread

2010-03-18T13:05:00.002Z

I've tried two varieties of the Genius bread, the white and brown.

I'm not a fan of white GF bread -it's too sugary and cake like for me - so this was never going to bowl me over.

In its favour, I made a sandwich from it and the bread held its shape well without crumbling.

For white bread, it tasted good when I toasted it but probably better suited to jam or honey on it than the Marmite I put on top.

Genius brown was a different story.

For me, it tasted just like 'normal' bread. Certainly looks like bread...

This was the first gluten free brown bread I'd found that not only did tasted great, but I was so happy to eat something as simple as bread, knowing it wasn't going to make me ill.

I sliced it, put into sandwich bags and placed in the freezer so I could toast at will since I wasn't going to eat the whole loaf while it was fresh.

Finally, I'd found a GF bread which I actually liked the taste and texture of.

But would you believe, just as I'd found Genius love, along comes another contender for my affections...

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Bread: Genius vs. Mrs Crimbles

2010-03-18T12:16:00.002Z

Gluten free bread. It's like London buses; wait ages for one to come along and then two for your destination arrive at the same time.

This morning (quite unusually) I had breakfast at home. I've recently tried Genius bread in both the white and wholemeal varieties. I'd tried to pick up another loaf of wholemeal Genius from Waitrose but they'd run out. (NB if anyone from Waitrose reads this, please order more stocks into your SW11 branch. Clearly a local demand, it seems to sell out immediately). Optimistically, I scanned the shelves in case of an alternative to Genius and there sat Mrs Crimbles, which I've previously read good reports about.

So this morning I got to try the much lauded Mrs Crimbles and compare it to Genius.

Genius vs Mrs Crimbles...who wins?

Gluten Free Mrs D

Easy Weekend Lunch: easy bean, New Mexican Chilli

2010-03-16T13:14:00.002Z

This weekend I was on the hunt for a no fuss, no preparation lunch.

I'm currently studying for an OU History of Art course and last weekend was dedicated to writing my first academic essay of 15 years. Jeez, what it tough! Although the course I'm doing carries credits towards a degree, I'm doing this purely "for fun". Didn't feel like a whole heap of fun this weekend as I grappled with academic values in art and a Turner painting I hope never to see again!

As I was focused solely on completing the essay, I needed a fast and nutritious lunch. I spotted the Easy Bean, New Mexican Chilli in my local Waitrose and that seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

How did it taste? For a start it was very tomato-y which is a big winner with me. It was fresh, had plenty of kidney beans and tasted almost as good as homemade. I thought the size was perfect for a nutritious meal but probably wouldn't suit anyone with a big appetite.

What did I serve it with? Doritos Hint of Lime, of course!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Konnichiwa, Gluten Free Snack!

2010-03-13T19:02:00.003Z

Gluten free, fat free and cholesterol free. Doesn't sound like a whole heap of fun, right? Wrong. I picked up a pack of these in my local Whole Foods Market thinking they were worth trying, despite their lack of anything bordering on naughtiness.

How did they taste? Surprisingly good. They were crispy and tasted pretty healthy. Particularly liked the ones with the seaweed wrapped aournd them. I chose the 'Mini spicy' pack and they certainly had a little spicy hum.

No need to say 'sayonara' to this top snackage. I'll be heading back to Whole Foods to buy some more soon.

Easy Gluten Free Lunch in EC2

2010-03-11T08:17:00.003Z

One of the hardest things about not eating gluten is finding something healthy and GF for lunch. The City is full of branches of Eat and Pret a Manger, neither if whom sell gluten free wraps or sandwiches.

Although I'm a keen cook, there's not enough time in the day for me to prepare a packed lunch either at the start or end or the day.

So what's a girl to do? Well, I love sushi but I like the good stuff (not you, M&S) and I would probably be completely bankrupt if I ate sushi every day.

Step forward Barney's a small antipodean run place just off Bishopsgate. It's the kind of place which probably exists all over the West End but the like of which I've not found in the City before.

Every day huge bowls of freshly prepared veggies are laid out for customers to help themselves put into a salad box. The price of the salad is determined by weight. The selection changes daily but usually includes steamed brocolli with fresh chilli, roasted butternut squash scattered with pumpkin seeds, maybe a rice salad with Mediterranean veg and dill and daily there's a warm tortilla to select a slice from.

Here's my lunch from earlier this week:

There are items on sale which include gluten but the selection of GF foods, alongside the freshness of the food, makes Barney's a real winner for a quick and easy gluten free lunch in the City.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Queen of Vegetarian Cookery

2010-03-09T14:59:00.002Z

One of the best things about not eating gluten any more is that I have become more aware of ensuring my diet is healthy and balanced. For me the key to a healthy diet is lots of veggies, fruit, beans and pulses with a small amount fish and meat. I was vegetarian for most of my 20s and luckily I love pulses and veggies.

For a great deal of my vegetarian life I lived in Russia, a country not exactly famed for its vegetarian cuisine. More often than not, the only non meat / non fish option was tomato and cucumber salad. And I hate cucumber! While I was a student in Russia I loved taking time to plan and cook fantastic veggie meals to make up for lack of choice in restaurants.

Friends would come to visit me in Russia bringing their bags full of lentils and spices for me as i couldn't easily find them in Russia. If I was lucky, they might bring a block of coconut milk too!

Every day I would reach for the ultimate vegetarian bible, Rose Elliot's Complete Vegetarian to search out a tasty meal for the evening. Yum, I can still taste the lentil dhal I'd regularly make from her recipe!

So imagine my glee this morning when I opened the Metro to read a review for Rose Elliot's New Complete Vegetarian handbook, newly updated and just published this month in hardback.

Obviously I had to invest. Can't wait to try the lentil dhal...hope it's as good as I remember!

Gluten Free Mrs D

Gluten Free Flying: EVA Air

2010-03-07T12:12:00.006Z

When I was a child, travel to my holiday destinations mainly involved long drives to far flung corners of the idyllic French countryside or later cruising the Med / North Africa on an ocean liner.

I had taken a few flights, even as a baby, but my first real foray into international plane travel came in 1990 when I travelled to St Petersburg and Moscow on a school trip. This trip led to a lifelong passion for travel and obsession with Russia.

Back in 1990, smoking was still permitted on flights and the inflight meal could at best be described as 'hot'. This narrative only applied to the temperature of the food, never it's quality.

The husband and I are just back from a much needed R&R break in hot and sunny Thailand. We chose to fly there on EVA because we'd heard good things about their service, particularly in comparison with Thai Air.

The EVA service was really efficient and friendly. The night before the flight we had a problem selecting our seats when we'd checked in online. I managed to speak to an EVA employee at almost 10pm to get the issue resolved. Impressive.

When we arrived at the airport, the check in assistant asked to confirm I had requested a gluten free meal. Encouraging. When we sat down in our seats onboard, a flight assistant came over pre takeoff to double check I had ordered a GF meal and find out what drink I'd like with it. Very encouraging.

So what did it look and taste like? The photos and description below relate to the return flight from Bangkok to London. Here's how it arrived:

When I had my EVA air GF meal placed in front of me, I was immediately transported back to 1990. I'd like to thank EVA at least for bringing back a strong memory of a trip 20 years ago.

So, what was included:

Starter:
Tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad with nice vinaigrette

Hot Main:
Roast chicken (large piece) served with a tomato sauce, courgettes, carrots, 2 oriental vegetables (one white, one purple) which I didn't recognise but were quite tasty

Dessert 1
Fruit salad with pineapple, papaya and large white citrus fruit

Dessert 2
Fruit salad with apple, papaya and grapes

Other
2 slices white gluten free bread
Margarine
'Normal' bread roll - assume this was flight attendant error

Here's a photo with the foil peeled back from the hot main meal.

How did it taste? Well, a bit bland. The tomato sauce would have benefitted from some herbs and seasoning. I'm not a fan of gluten free white bread (too much like sweet cake) but I appreciate the effort made to cater for people who can't eat gluten.

I genuinely wanted to like the meal, everyone at EVA had been so nice and organised about ensuring I received it. I suppose that in itself wasn't so different to 1990 when travel was exciting, even if the inflight meal was very bland, and the point of travel was about the destination, not what you ate on the way there.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Art and the Arcadian Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie

2010-03-05T12:13:00.002Z

One of the upsides with not being able to eat gluten is that as long as I'm careful, watching my portion sizes and don't go nuts eating nuts, it's quite tricky to put on a significant amount of weight. Generally the most calorific food choices come with gluten firmly included; pizza, bread, pasta, biscuits, cake etc.

Of course all of these food choices can be made or obtained in a gluten free form but choice is the key here. It's very easy to tuck into a pizza or pack of biscuits without any real thought for either calorie or fat values. They're readily available and easy options for busy people. As someone who does need to watch their weight, I now find I really have to 'choose' these food types in their gluten free form. I actively think "do I want it?" and "do I need it?". More often than not, the answer is "no".

I do, however, have a weakness. Chocolate brownies.

We were recently at the British Museum in London doing some background study on the Parthenon Marbles for my Art History course. It was a sunny but cold day so my husband and I had decided to walk there via Hyde Park to look at some triumphal arches on the way. By the time we came out of the Museum, having viewed the Marbles, I was ready for some sugary fortification before walking back to Waterloo. We crossed the street and went into Starbucks where a lonesome gluten free chocolate brownie sat waiting in the glass display cabinet, seemingly just for me. How did it taste? Good, chocolatey, not too sugary and just what I needed. Whatever one's opinion on Starbucks, I really appreciate they have bothered to cater for coeliacs.

But is this the best gluten free chocolate brownie in London? In my opinion, no. That prize goes to POD.

The size of the brownie is just right for a slice of naughty chocolatey indulgence. The consistency is impressive, not at all flaky.

So how does it taste? Soft, squidgy and gooey almost like treacle. It's uber-chocolatey complete with a scattering of small chocolate chips. I also like it because it has a pleasantly long after taste of chocolate nirvana which lingers in the mouth after each bite.

As Poussin probably would've painted if he'd tasted one, Et in Arcadia POD chocolate brownie.

Gluten Free Mrs D

Limey Snack Attack

2010-03-03T10:59:00.002Z

I think in life you're either a sweetie or a salty. I watch people in the office devour packs of Haribo as if their lives depended upon it, but I feel no envy. The meerest rustle of a crisp packet, however, my ears prick up and I scan the room furtively trying to locate the source of such food pleasure.

So it was something of a blow for me to discover that my all time favourite guilty pleasure and treat for yet another night spent working late in the office - Walkers Prawn Cocktail crisps- contain Mr Nasty, gluten.

I was in my local Waitrose last night and really in the mood for a small treat. Normally I take the sensible low calorie path of crispbreads but right then I wanted to be naughty. Hmmm...not exactly wild, but you get the picture. Yep, I was having a snack attack.

As I looked longingly at the crisp shelves, my eyes were drawn to Doritos, Hint of Lime. Just for fun I turned the pack over expecting Mr Nasty to be lurking in there somewhere. Would you believe it? The back of the packet stated "suitable for coeliacs". Hallelujah! First time I've seen that noted on a crisp packet.

There is a God, and she comes with a hint of lime...