Gluten Free Tart

Mrs Crimble's Cheese Bites

2008-10-30T13:43:00.003Z

I just made a trip to our big Sainsburys to look at the new items in their Free-From range - more on that later.

While I was there I found these Mrs Crimble's Cheese Bites. They are heaven! Made with Edam Cheese but baked so they aren't ridiculously unhealthy, they are hollow cheesy pillows.

Absolutely delicious!

Gluten Cravings

2008-10-28T11:46:00.004Z

Accidently consuming gluten as a coeliac is not a pleasant experience. However, once the gastro symptoms and the horrible 'hungover' feeling have gone, for me one of the most distressing symptoms is craving foods that contain gluten. This symptom seems to linger after the episode has almost been forgotten.

I ate a meal at a chinese restaurant at the weekend and was probably less careful than I should have been. Since then I have been craving pies and pizza and all the things I can't have.

To counteract these cravings I made gluten free pizza and defrosted a gluten free coffee cake I had in the freezer.

Still, sometimes gluten free alternatives don't quite hit the spot.

I would never deliberately consume gluten so why does my body crave something that makes it so so ill?

That's a question I wish I knew the answer to.

Does anyone else experience gluten cravings?
What do you do to counteract them?

Leave your ideas in the comments section :)

Choc Dip Replacement

2008-08-30T13:01:00.006+01:00

As a child I *loved* KP Choc Dips. Remember them? Those little pots with biscuit sticks and some chocolate spread to dip them in.

Well I was at a loose end in Cardiff this morning and decided to have a look at the 'Free From' sections in a few local supermarkets. I love seeing the range of products different stores stock, especially as their gluten free ranges vary so much from area to area.

So I wandered into Asda at Cardiff Gate. To my surprise I found a little Tru Free tub with chocolate spread and breadsticks. The sticks are not as sweet as I remember the Choc Dip version being but the slight savoury-ness combined with the sweet, hazelnut flavoured chocolate spread was a brilliant combination.

Quite expensive at 99p a pot but totally worth it!

Sometimes people do the nicest things :)

2008-08-29T18:50:00.003+01:00

The reason for my silence over the past two weeks is jazz. Well the Tie-Dye Quartet to be precise, which is a jazz band I am a member of.

We are recording at Aeriel Studios in Carmarthen next week and have just had two weeks of intense rehearsals, and a day long photo shoot, back in Birmingham to prepare.

I am now once again in Cardiff with Ina and his lovely mum for the weekend before heading to Carmarthen to record.

We arrived this afternoon to find out Ina's mum had been to Sainsburys and bought a big selection of gluten free goodies for me to take to Carmarthen with me in case I couldn't get hold of them there.

It was just so lovely that she'd thought of me and taken the time to read lots of packets to find out what I could eat.

Put a big smile on my face :)

Out and About in Cardiff

2008-08-13T19:12:00.004+01:00

I'm in Cardiff at the moment staying with Ina and his mum.

My current bank balance (or lack of it!) means I haven't been eating out much. However I found a nice big Marks and Spencer Food Hall on the outskirts, near their house where I was able to purchase my favourite Coconut and Lemon Macaroons! I also bought some of their Mango and Passion Fruit desserts which are a bit like Creme Caramel but fruity instead of the caramel flavours, and a Masala Chicken Salad, which I've got to say I wasn't too keen on, despite loving Indian food, but it was gluten free.

I also found a M&S version of Wotsits, which are gluten free. For some reason I can't seem to eat normal Wotsits, despite them being classed as "suitable for coeliacs". I know a few others who have said the same. But I seem to have been fine after the M&S ones so that's another thing to add to my M&S shopping list. I love that shop! (and most other shops! I just like shopping :P)

While looking for places that sold gluten free food in Cardiff I came across a place called "Canteen" on Clifton Street in Cardiff which appears to cater for us GF-ers. The review I found seems to suggest they sometimes have GF Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Not going to have chance to visit it during my brief stay here. Anyone been and had any experience of eating GF there? Let me know.

Cheat's Paella

2008-07-17T20:07:00.004+01:00

This is a great little recipe for those days when you want a reasonably healthy meal in a short amount of time. It might even work cold for lunch if you made it the night before.

Cheat's Paella

1 packet of dried rice
cold water
butter
1 tin of oily fish
Vegetables

Cook the rice in the water and butter according to the instructions on the packet
Add vegetables to the cooking rice
Stir in the fish

I used Asda's own paella quick cook rice and added asparagus and baby sweetcorn at the start of cooking. I then added mackerel fillets in tomato sauce towards the end of cooking.

Within 10 minutes I had a tasty, satisfying meal!

My Tummy Hurts!

2008-07-14T21:23:00.002+01:00

I had a nasty gluten attack last Tuesday. It's now Monday and my tummy still hurts! :(

I have stomach pains and feel sick, especially when I eat food.

Not a happy bunny :(

Free to Enjoy "Indulgent Biscuit Deeelights"

2008-07-06T14:20:00.004+01:00

Wow! All I can say to these is wow!

I nipped into Sainsbury's in High Wycombe while moving Ina from Reading to Birmingham to get some snacks for lunch. They had a huge quantity of gluten free stuff reduced. It was all short dated but most of it still had about a month left so I stocked up on pitta bread and sweet pancakes which were about 70% off!

Then I spotted these biscuits down to £2 from £4.99 and I couldn't resist them. That was before tasting them! I'm totally addicted to the crunchy wafers and the soft hazelnut crispy balls which remind me of Ferrero Rocher.

Normally I'm quite good at sharing my gluten free cakes and biscuits with gluten-eating house mates. But not these!

They are mine, all mine!

Basset's Pole, Table Table Restaurant, Sutton Coldfield

2008-06-10T16:02:00.002+01:00

One night during our exam period my best friend and I decided to go out for a drive and try to find some food that would be "safe" for me. We ended up at Basset's Pole pub/restaurant in Sutton Coldfield.

I asked the lady at the bar what on their menu would be suitable for coeliacs. She understood what coeliacs was (good start!) and then started looking through the menu. After discovering that the chips probably weren't gluten free (they weren't entirely sure) we decided on a curry which I was assured was gluten free.

We then chose a table and sat down. While at the table I picked up the full menu (apparently the one at the bar just contained titles and not descriptions of the food.) I quickly realised that the curry was served with naan bread. I immediately returned to the bar and talked to one of the waiters and asked them to omit the naan. He took my table number and assured me the meal would be gluten free.

Nearly an hour later, when our food eventually arrived (don't get me started on that!) my curry arrived with naan! The naan was on top of half of the rice. I removed the naan and that half of the rice (the other half was the other side of the curry dish) and ate what was left. I should probably have sent it back but having already waited an hour I just decided to eat what I could.

When the waitress came round to ask if everything was ok I complained but she didn't seem particularly interested and nothing was done about it. I was far too stressed with exams to start an argument so we just paid and left.

The food was poor, the service was poor and they couldn't do a simple thing like leave a naan off an order. What more can I say?!

Apologies for the lack of pictures and links in this post but there was nothing picture or link worthy! I don't recommend you look it up!

Neal's Yard, Covent Garden

2008-05-28T21:51:00.006+01:00

During our week off together Ina and I headed off to London for the day. I had a quick look on the Supp Board of the Gluten Free Message Board for places to eat in London. I came across a tiny post about a place called Neal's Yard, just off Covent Garden. The guy who posted it claimed they did gluten free breads and pies so we thought we'd go and check the place out.

The area seems to be a popular Vegan/Vegetarian hotspot. They do serve some meat dishes but I got the impression they didn't want you to order them!

When we arrived we were greeted with a psychedelic mixture of buildings with a seating area between them.

It has a lovely atmosphere and we sat outside to eat. In terms of food, the menu labels all gluten free items WF (for wheat free - but they assured me it was all gluten free too.)

There were about 6 different types of gluten free breads (based around Brazilian Cheese Breads) and a gluten free pie option. The main course of cheesy rice bake was also gluten free (although it was Tuesday's special - it may be different other days.) I chose Pumpkin and Polenta Pie and Chicken Bread and both were absolutely gorgeous.

They also had gluten free sweet muffins and other desserts, although we were far too full to sample them.

If you are ever in London, or even the general London area, I strongly recommend paying Neal's Yard a visit.

I walked around with a big smile on my face for the rest of the day saying "I had gluten free pie!" at frequent intervals!!

Ready...Steady...Cooked!

2008-05-28T21:30:00.005+01:00

Well as promised I'm reporting back on my Ready...Steady...Cook! post.

I'm guessing a few of you reading it may have thought I was living a bit dangerously by doing this but it turned out really well.

For a start the couple whose house we went to have another coeliac friend who they have cooked for in the past and they were also really good at checking everything with me before using it.

If you can find a coeliac friend or some friends who are either clued up or willing to ask stuff I highly recommend this.

The main tips I have are to make sure you take gluten free versions of any store cupboard ingredients that usually contain gluten (eg stock cubes, soy sauce) and then put all the ingredients you are going to use (from all participating parties) on a worktop/table. You can then check everything is gluten free. That way even if you decide to add something later you only have to check one or two ingredients once the cooking is under way.

This might be better to do at the coeliac's house as that way designated chopping boards etc can be used.

Still very much recommended - some coeliacs seem to have a habit of not eating socially. I think this kind of thing is a great way to ensure you can still join in those dinner parties.

Although keeping it to three or four people max should ensure you can keep your eagle eyes on all preparation proceedings.

Ready...Steady...Cook!

2008-05-26T15:06:00.003+01:00

I'm off to a dinner party with a difference tonight. Well I say a dinner party but its just me and Ina and another couple. Still the plan is for us to take the majority of the contents of our fridge and combine it with theirs (minus any gluten products they might have.) The menu will then be created, cooked and eaten.

Sounds fun hey?

I'll report back!

More Apologies

2008-05-13T13:31:00.002+01:00

Apologies once again for my silence. I am now in the middle of third year uni exams and fairly stressed!

However I hope to have enough time to break from revision and dash over to Marios in Brownhills for GF fish and chips tonight.

Ah well back to the revision and I'll be back with you early next week!

Consultant Follow up

2008-05-07T11:31:00.003+01:00

I went back to see Mr Wilson, gastroenterologist at City Hospital, Birmingham. Last time I saw him he said he was nearly 100% sure I was coeliac but if I wanted a definite diagnosis I would have to go on the gluten challenge and have a biopsy. I explained that, being in the middle of uni, I wasn't in a position to do this. He was happy with that decision and said I can go on the challenge and have the biopsy when I've finished uni. However he took some bloods to test for gluten antibodies anyway as I was still losing weight and he wondered if there was enough gluten in my diet to still be triggering a reaction.

The results of those tests were negative (not surprising seeing I've been on a gluten free diet for over a year!) so we're back to square one (ie waiting for an appropriate time in my life to have the biopsy.)

Never mind, I'm just going to keep to the gluten free diet, keep baking and keep posting here and get on with it!

Final Update on ShakeAway

2008-05-02T18:38:00.009+01:00

I've had another reply from the lovely Rob at ShakeAway:

You’re right (of course!), those four flavours are not good for coeliacs. They were on the lists we keep by the tills, but for some reason the “”ng” symbols got missed on the hand-out menus.

Our menus are currently being re-printed, but I have changed the artwork so the following re-print will be right.

Thanks for that!

Rob @ ShakeAway

Just to confirm, the four flavours mentioned are:
Ferrero Rocher
Horlicks
Iced Gems
Liquorice Allsorts

These four flavours contain gluten and are NOT suitable for coeliacs.

So any Southerners out there (or brave Northerners daring to venture down south!) get yourselves to a ShakeAway for a real treat.

But be warned - you'll be spoilt for choice!!

Update on Shakeaway

2008-05-02T10:29:00.007+01:00

I mentioned in my previous post that I'd emailed ShakeAway Milkshakes to query a few items on their menu. I thought you guys would like to see the reply:

Hi Ju,

Thanks for the email, and I’m glad, on the whole, we get a thumbs up for the efforts we make! It’s always quite difficult to keep up with the detail of ingredients when manufacturers often change their recipes, but we do try to help coeliacs, nut allergy people, dairy intolerant, etc.

I will arrange for Ferrero Rocher, Horlicks, Iced Gems and Liquorice Allsorts to be checked again. We’d then be able to make any necessary changes on our next Menu reprint.

Regarding Smarties on the Toppings section, we don’t label items again if they are in the main list – with labels for registered trade mark, vegan or not vegetarian and not gluten, it can get crowded! We therefore hope that Customers will take such information from the main list.

Incidentally, each shop has a separate list by the till (shown on request) which itemises the allergy items to collate them all together.

Thanks for this and I will get it looked at, and we hope to see you at ShakeAway again soon!

Rob

Nice to see them making an effort!

Glutafin Digestive Biscuits and GF Samples

2008-04-28T18:54:00.005+01:00

The kind folks over at the Gluten Free Message Board, where I am an active member, are very good at sharing links to any exciting free samples they find companies offering on the internet. Such samples take around 28 days to be delivered but are a great way of testing out products from different companies.

This morning a found a parcel waiting for me downstairs. I was quite surprised as I wasn't expecting any deliveries. It turned out to be a sample of Glutafin Digestive Biscuits which I must have ordered at some point.

I've not tried them yet but it's always worth checking the Glutafin and Juvela websites reasonably regularly to see if they are offering any free samples. Some of the other companies do this as well but the big ones can afford to do it more regularly.

Anyway I'm off for a revision break. Cup of tea and digestive biscuit I think!

ShakeAway Milkshakes

2008-04-26T18:42:00.006+01:00

While in Reading (revising of course) Ina persuaded me that I needed a break and suggested we go for a nice walk. Living in Reading town centre I didn't really see how a 'nice' walk was possible but welcomed the break from revision (and secretly hoped I could drag him into a few clothes shops for some retail therapy!)

Unfortunately, knowing me too well, he had envisaged the consequences of taking me past clothes shops and come up with a plan. That plan was to give me the messiest drink possible, that no sales assistant in their right mind would ever allow you in a clothes shop with. To hear about this visit from his point of view you might want to visit his blog.

It worked rather well but I didn't complain too much - I ended up with the most awesome drink!
ShakeAway is a milkshake company with a difference. The difference being that they fill their stores with hundreds of varieties of chocolate, sweets, biscuits and fruit and allow you to make any combination of them into a milkshake! They have over 150 choices - from the heavenly to the down-right bizarre.

My first thought on walking in was how on earth I would choose a 'safe', gluten free milkshake without spending hours in conversation with the staff. I needn't had worried. I picked up a menu and saw that the key included "ng" for "not gluten free" after any items unsuitable for coeliacs like myself. This meant that everything else on the menu was suitable!

On further examination I realised they also did dairy-free milkshakes made with soya ice cream. I don't have a lactose intolerance but am aware that it often co-exists with coeliacs and I was really impressed that this company had gone to such an effort to cater for people needing special diets.

So Rhubarb and Custard milkshake with Minstrels on top for me (although the minstrels sunk to the bottom!) Ina chose a Fry's Orange Cream milkshake with extra cream which was equally delicious.

On further examination of the menu there were a few anomalies for me. That is a few milkshakes not marked "ng" that contained ingredients that I know to contain gluten (for example Ferrero Rocher.) So I would advise any coeliacs visiting to use common sense as well as the menu when deciding what it safe. I am currently composing an email to the company to raise these concerns and will report back when they reply.

Still, with stores all over the south of the country, and so much obviously gluten free on the menu, they are well worth a visit.

And full marks to ShakeAway for effort in catering for people with special diets.

Xen Pan Asian Restaurant, Reading

2008-04-26T15:14:00.002+01:00

I'm in Reading again and once again didn't feel like cooking after a full day of revision. I had already decided to take the evening off to go out for drinks with Ina and some of his friends. The others were going for an Italian first, but having had a few bouts of contamination recently I decided not to risk joining them.

Instead me and Ina went in search of somewhere else to eat. Ina suggested a Thai place and I agreed so we ended up at Xen Restaurant. There was plenty of choice on the menu from Thai, Indian and Japanese cuisines.

I had Paeng Pet Ped Yang - Roasted duck cooked in coconut milk, pineapples, cherry tomatoes and peppers in a red curry sauce. I chose coconut rice to accompany it. Absolutely delicious! And no ill effects.

Xen has an open kitchen making the chefs readily available and all the staff were very helpful.

Very much recommended!

I love Crimble's Slices!

2008-04-22T16:19:00.003+01:00

I am addicted to Crimble's Cake Slices!

There are three in the range : Bakewell Slices, Lemon and Coconut Slices and Country Slices (kind of fruit cake-y)

And they are all delicious!!

Go try them!

The White Hart, Nettlebed

2008-04-17T14:30:00.004+01:00

As I may have mentioned, I have been spending a fair bit of time in Reading recently to visit a lovely young man who lives there.

After a long day of revision for me, and work for him, we decided to go out for a drive and find some food. Accompanied by the Beatles discography we set out to escape central Reading and find a little cosy country pub.

Amazing music and great company, combined with the fun driving of country roads meant we went a little further afield than we intended.

We ended up just beyond Henley-on-Thames near a place called Watlington.

As we were driving The White Hart, Nettlebed, caught my eye and we went in to investigate. In typical Julie style, I had managed to find one of the most exquisite and expensive pubs in the area! Not quite what we had intended!

We walked in to the bar area to find leather sofas and comfy chairs rather than bar stools.
We were then led into the dining area and given menus. Everything sounded amazing and we were spoilt for choice.

Obviously my first question was what could I eat? I scanned the menu and ruled out things which were obviously full of gluten and chose what I would like from what was left. I then asked the waitress to ask the chef if what I'd chosen was suitable. It was!

So we relaxed with a glass of red for me, and a cider for Ina and waited. Twenty minutes later our starters arrived. Mine was Duck with Sauerkraut and Apple Puree. It was absolutely delicious - a really interesting combination of flavours.

Ina's gluten filled Goat's Cheese in a Filo Pastry looked just as good, and he assures me it was superb!

Strangely we ended up order the same main course of Hare in Red Wine with Red Cabbage and Creamy Mash. One word: delicious!
I'd never had hare before but very much enjoyed it and the mash was to die for!!

We finished off by sharing a dessert of Orange and Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango and Mint Salsa. We were far too full for it but again it was gorgeous.

The bill came to just over £50 for the two of us - not ideal for a student budget but well worth it and very much recommended.

Revision Snacks

2008-04-07T15:46:00.003+01:00

I am currently revising for my third year (of a Masters degree) University exams. As every good student knows revision snacks are an essential part of revision.

Having got through my Easter eggs and the vast amount of Milka I bought from France I went in search of new snacks.

My best friend and I have revised together for the last 4 years and each year we share a 1kg tub of Jelly Belly jelly beans. They last us for the 8 weeks or so we spend revising. Luckily they are gluten free so I can still eat them :D

This week I am in Reading visiting my boyfriend, who works down here. I didn't have much food to bring with me so yesterday I paid a visit to Waitrose. I found Riceworks gourmet brown rice chips on buy one get one free. They are THE BEST savoury gluten free snacks. I'm tucking into a bag of the sweet chilli flavour as we speak.

I also found Kelkin Mini Milk Chocolate covered Rice Cakes. These are a nice chocolatey treat without just being a chunk of chocolate and go really nicely with a cup of tea!

Well that's enough of a break for me! Back to the revision

New GF finds in Tesco

2008-03-30T17:22:00.002+01:00

I paid a visit to our local Tesco this morning, to buy a birthday card and cake for my housemate, and as I was also procrastinating from revision, I decided to look round. I found four products that I hadn't seen before that were gluten free.

I had been informed by a fellow coeliac that Tesco Onion Bhajis had a new recipe and were now gluten free. While I was looking for them I found Tesco Simply Cook Swedish Style Meatballs which are GF. I then found the bhajis which were indeed GF.

I then went to pick up some tinned tuna and found tins of Tuna and Vegetable Salad and Tuna and Mixed Bean Salad. These looked perfect for mixing with cooked rice or pasta and making a salad for lunch.

Finally to the freezers where I found Tesco Crispy Potato and Mediterranean Vegetables along with a Crispy Potato, Bacon and Cheese. I couldn't believe these would be suitable for coeliacs but they are also GF.

So my procrastinating from revision turned out to not be completely wasting time!

Eating Gluten Free in Lille

2008-03-28T18:29:00.010Z

I know I've been promising a report on how I found eating GF in France. My excuse is that I'm still revising, and trying to find time to speak to/visit my boyfriend, Ina. I was about to put a post together for here when I went to his blog and realised he had already blogged our meals in France more than satisfactorily. So for now I'll just link you to that post:

Eating in Lille

There are some more rather nice pictures on there too.

The only thing I will add is that the pancakes at the creperie were made from buckwheat (sarrasin). They were only available on the menu as savoury options (galettes), with the sweet pancakes being made from wheat. However, with a quick chat to the waitress, we managed to get me both sweet and savoury versions made from sarrasin.

Result!

Plantain with Chicken and King Prawns in a red wine sauce

2008-03-28T13:17:00.005Z

I am aware I haven't yet finished posting about France, I'll get there eventually!

I've just spent a few days with my lovely boyfriend. This involved a trip to Cadbury World, Birmingham and lots of chocolate!

After a day of chocolate I planned to cook something savoury. I spent a month last summer volunteering at a health centre in Ghana and became very fond of West African food. Recently I found both yam and plantain in my local Asda store. These are both naturally gluten free and used as a rice/potato substitute in Ghana.

I decided to buy some plantain (from the banana family but less sweet) to form the basis of our evening meal. I decided to fry it, first peeling 2 green plantains then chopping them before shallow frying for about 5 minutes.

This was then served with chicken and king prawns in a home-made red wine sauce. I coated the chicken in GF flour and fried it with a red onion. I then added some chicken stock (Kallo stock cube) and cooked the chicken. Finally I added the prawns with some red wine (brought back from France) and Bisto Best. This was served with the fried plantain and a mix of boiled vegetables and was delicious!

Plantain is so easy to cook and so versatile and tasty! I highly recommend experimenting with it.