Gluten-free[k]

I'm Back!

2017-07-13T13:00:00.000+01:00

...but not in quite the same way as before. Instead of this blog, I'll be coming to you monthly via a newsletter called Yesterday's Eyeliner. If you want to come along for the ride, just complete the form below. I'll be bringing you gluten free recipes, sharing my experiences of motherhood, showing you pretty things that I ~~need~~ want for my kitchen and generally talking about life with Coeliac Disease, Crohn's and a son who wants to feed me doughnuts.

I hope to see you there <3

Mothballs

2015-02-27T09:00:00.000+00:00

You've probably noticed that Gluten Free[k] has been dormant for the past six months. I'm afraid to say, I've been so busy recently that I simply haven't been able to update the blog for some time. Life is getting in the way. And active toddler (he's growing so quickly!), freelance writing and two days a week at the day job are enough to wear me out most of the time. I want to be able to dedicate time to recipe testing, researching and crafting a free from blog to be proud of, but I'm not able to do so at the moment. I've decided to mothball Gluten Free[k] for now. I plan to keep it in working order so that I can come back to it when I have more time to invest in it. I hope you'll come back a visit when the time comes to relaunch.

Gluten free blogging has changed, too. The next generation of GF bloggers are crusaders and innovators; I just like to cook. They have to keep up to date on legislation, be vigilant for new developments and be wary of the media. In addition to a medical imperative for Coeliacs, the gluten free diet is a trend and that attracts negativity. Some journalists seem determined to prove that people who avoid gluten are gormless followers of fashion. I don't have the heart for that fight anymore. There are many who do, however, and I continue to read their blogs with interest.

In the meantime, I'm still writing for The High Tea Cast and Up All Hours. I've also started a lifestyle blog, Daydreams & Butter Beans, come and see me there.

Salted Caramel Blondies

2014-08-07T13:00:00.000+01:00

I have three words for you. Salted. Caramel. Blondies. Yes, really. This is the sort of treat you bake for someone else then wish you'd doubled the recipe so you'd have some yourself. Sweet, salty and deliciously fudgy, you will bake them again and again.

I bake a lot of brownies and blondies. They're virtually foolproof, use only one pan and they're brilliantly transportable - what's not to love?! It's also easily to convert a recipe to gluten free, as I've done here with Smitten Kitchen's recipe (she's right, they are infinitely adaptable!) Seriously, what's stopping you? Bake some of these, today!

Salted Caramel Blondies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

225g butter
300g soft brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
50ml bourbon (optional, but it does add a lovely flavour)
2 eggs
265g rice flour (I use Dove's Farm)
1 tsp flaked sea salt
100g dark chocolate chips
150g butterscotch chips or caramel pieces (if not, add 100g more chocolate chips instead)

Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the sugars. Stir until dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and bourbon. Stir to combine and cool the mixture slightly.
Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well.
Fold in the flour and salt.
Add the chocolate and butterscotch chips and gently stir in.
Pour into a traybake pan and bake at 180°C for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out the middle sticky, but not covered in batter.
Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

Get Your Belly Out!

2014-07-07T12:00:00.000+01:00

When Bethany Townsend shared her story on the Crohn's and Colitis UK Facebook page, along with some holiday photos, I'm sure she didn't expect this response. The photos have been seen by more than 12 million people worldwide and her story has been picked up by news outlets everywhere. She shared her story in response to the brilliant Get Your Belly Out.

Sahara, Victoria, Gem and Lorna launched the #GetYourBellyOut Facebook and Twitter campaign in March to raise awareness of IBD (that's Inflammatory Bowel Disease, if you didn't know) and have raised over £8500 for Crohn's and Colitis UK in the process. Their aim was simple, but #GetYourBellyOut has become so much more that. Through their Twitter account and Facebook page, they are supporting IBD sufferers across the world and inspiring them to feel confident about their body in the face of an illness that so often saps all self-esteem. They're raising awareness about IBD through social media and encouraging others to share their stories to further the cause. From such humble beginnings to worldwide recognition in just four months is something rather special!

Anything that helps unite the IBD community is awesome in my book (see also Crohn's Zone) and I was delighted to see how many people shared their own belly pictures in time for World IBD Day on 19th May. The four girls behind Get Your Belly Out are an inspiration.

Before The Get Your Belly Out girls started their campaign, there was a limited number of people willing to share their stomachs with the world. A quick scroll through the photos shared with Crohn's and Colitis UK shows that pre-March 2014, only a few brave souls were willing to bare their scars, ostomies and bags. Now, both CCUK and Get Your Belly Out can hardly keep up with the volume of photos! Bethany was one of those people who shared.

The Daily Mail's headline yesterday suggested that "score of Crohn's sufferers ... post(ed) bikini selfies inspired by" Bethany. This is not the case. In fact, the photos of other people used in this article (in some cases, without permission) came from the CCUK and Get Your Belly Out Facebook pages and some were shared well before Bethany Townsend shared hers. It's also worth noting that some of those sharing have Ulcerative Colitis, not Crohn's.

If I'm completely honest, I'm a little saddened (but not surprised) that in spite of thousands of IBD sufferers sharing their photos and stories, the media didn't pick up the story until an aspiring model shared hers. Don't get me wrong, the publicity is brilliant (when it's factually correct) and if it raises awareness of IBD, great! It's just that Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis wreak havoc on your body and your confidence, and I'm not sure that promoting only those people with model-good-looks in the press is helpful. People with IBD come in all shapes and sizes, like the rest of the population, and it's just as brave and equally inspirational when they share their photos with the world. Extreme weight loss during a flare or puffy Prednisolone moon-face can make it a challenge to simply get in front of a camera and allow your image to be captured - that's why I prefer to stay behind the lens.

In honour of #WorldIBDday I'm sharing #GetYourBellyOut to raise awareness of Crohn's and Colitis, will you join me? pic.twitter.com/xnVzc4vD1o
— Caleigh (@GlutenFreek) May 19, 2014

I did share my own belly photo for World IBD Day. Ok, I was wearing my Muppets pyjamas and not a bikini, the perspective is off and you can't even see my face, but even so, it was one of the hardest photographs to take and share. As I clicked the 'Tweet' button, my palms were sweating and I wanted to delete it as soon as it appeared on my timeline. I needn't have worried, though. The response was wonderful; people were supportive and encouraging and I realised that I'd been worried about nothing. Actually, now I'll show my scars or my bag to anyone who asks. I'm not ashamed of my ileostomy and I know that the more I talk about it, the more normal it becomes. The reactions aren't always positive and I do get the odd hurtful comment, but some people will always fear what's different.

Is Bethany Townsend brave, beautiful and inspirational? Yes! And so are all the others who make the effort to raise awareness about Crohn's and Colitis.

To join in the campaign and help raise awareness of IBD, all you have to do is upload a picture of your belly to your chosen social media accounts using the hashtag #GetYourBellyOut. If you're sharing on Facebook, remember to change that post's visibility to 'Public" so Get Your Belly Out Can find you! If you'd like to make a donation when you share your belly picture, text IBDA99 and your donation amount (e.g. - IBDA99 £3) to 70070 (UK mobiles only) or go to the JustGiving page. All donations go to Crohn's and Colitis UK.

Costa Coffee Gluten Free Wrap

2014-05-17T10:30:00.000+01:00

As Coeliac Awareness Week draws to a close, I've been thinking about the theme for this year. 'Gluten Free Guarantee' calls for better availability of gluten free food in stores. While all larger supermarkets have a free from section in some form, most smaller stores (especially metro/express/local branches in small towns and suburbs) have a tiny amount of gluten free products, if any. I'm fortunate enough to live within 5 miles of all of the Big 4 supermarkets, all with small but well-stocked free from aisles. I know from past experience, though, how frustrating it can be to want to pop out for bread, pasta or flour and instead having to get in the car and drive to the next town to a supermarket large enough to stock the gluten free items I need.

Since the birth of my son, 14 weeks ago, I've never needed quick and easy gluten free food more! I applaud Coelic UK's effort to get core items stocked in every supermarket, but I want lunch, too! If you're lucky enough to be in one of the selected M&S or Waitrose store that stock gluten free sandwiches, then you're sorted, but I'm, rather inevitably, not near one when I need lunch! Of course, there are always coffee shops. Starbucks, Nero and Costa all offer a gluten free option.

Here's the thing, *whispers* I don't really like sandwiches. I know, that's odd. Not all sandwiches, I should add, just ones made a few hours in advance of eating them. It's a texture thing. That's why I was so excited to learn that Costa Coffee were launching a gluten free wrap!

The wrap, using Newburn Bakehouse's seeded wraps, is a lovely combination of chicken and basil salad. The wrap holds up well with the filling without becoming soggy or falling apart. The filling itself is gently pesto-esque with a good crunch from the salad. My only criticism (and this is a personal thing, really) is that the filling is a little dry, I'd have liked a little more mayonnaise. I expect, however that more mayo would lead to the aforementioned soggy bread issue! When it comes to lunch on the go, I'll be heading to Costa in the future.

At £3.75 each, the wraps are comparable to the rest of Costa's sandwiches and paninis. The size is comparable, too - the gluten free wraps sat next to some (non gluten free) pulled pork wraps on the shelf and they weren't dwarfed by their wheat-y equivalent.

(I sampled Costa's new gluten free wrap at their branch in Bluewater. I was invited to do so by Costa and my wrap was complimentary. All opinions in this post are my own.)

2013. The Best Bits

2014-01-08T18:00:00.000+00:00

Happy new year! I do hope you're all getting used to writing 2014, instead of 2013. I'll still be getting it wrong in April, but that's nothing new! Before I rush, head first, into the brand new year ahead, I thought I'd take a moment to look back at the highlights of 2013. Predictably, my favourite bits are all food related.

The absolute best bit of 2013, for me, was my trip to River Cottage for their gluten free cookery course. As well as completely changing the way I approach my baking, it showed me how removing the gluten from something doesn't automatically require me to add loads of rubbish in its place. I've embraced many more grains and different gluten free flours than before, and I've even made my own sourdough starter! I'm dropping serious hints to my family about the advanced course that's running in August (coincidentally, just after my birthday)!

The most moreish cake of the year was Honeyrose Bakery's Banana Cake. They sent me a sample back in April and I'd eaten the entire thing before I had a chance to photograph it! In fact, I've bought many more banana cakes since then, and they all seem to magically disappear in a matter of minutes. The Husband doesn't even like banana, so I can't blame him - this cake really is good! Actually, all of the free from products I've tried from Honeyrose Bakery are excellent. I particularly love their individually wrapped brownies and macaroons, I can pop a couple in my bag for peckish moments when I'm out and about!

Back in Spring, I started to notice that Asda's distinctive yellow and black free from packaging was being used for non-gluten-free products, and wondered what was going on. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I work for Asda, but until 2013 I had very little in the way of praise for their gluten free offerings.) I was delighted to discover, however, that they were phasing out the old packaging to make way for an extended range of free from products, in new purple packaging! As well as their own-brand products (of which, the cheese sauce mix and cous cous are my personal favourites) they have introduced an increased range of products from other producers, like Isabel's and The Good Little Sausage Company. Well done, Asda! Now when people ask me what I think about my employers' own gluten free effort, I don't have to change the subject.

Eating pizza has never been better for us gluten free types, has it? Pizza Express and Pizza Hut showed the rest how it should be done, and Dominos did all they could to encourage us to eat our pizza at home! I don't know what 2014 holds for Coeliacs eating out, but the brand new Free From Eating Out Awards are sure to reveal a few gems.

Speaking of the Free From Food Awards (at least, indirectly), one of the highlights of last year's awards ceremony was the opportunity to try the Indian Coeliac's fabulous parathas. They are available to order, and I really do recommend you try them too. As the judging starts soon for this year's awards, I'm excited about what brilliant products I'm going to discover this time!

So, what were your free from highlights of 2013? Was it the chance to eat a decent bagel again? Maybe it was gluten free pasta turning up in the fresh food aisle of the supermarket? Could it have been the much discussed quarter final of The Great British Bake Off and its free from elements? Or, was it something else altogether? Let me know in the comments section!

Coeliacs! Should We Lighten Up?

2013-11-10T18:00:00.000+00:00

Ok, I realise that I might get an angry backlash from some about this post, but bear with me. Quite recently, I came to the conclusion that we Coeliacs take ourselves a bit too seriously.

Before you jump straight to the comments section, let me explain.

I'm all for getting mad when Coeliac Disease is misrepresented in the media. A recent Telegraph article called the GF diet a "scam", while The Daily Mail prefered the term "con" (because it doesn't help you lose weight). Caught up in pedantry, Today.com tell us that "nobody is actually "allergic" to gluten". Actually, we take a bit of a beating in the press, mostly because ill-informed journalists like to lump people with diagnosed Coeliac Disease and NCGI and faddy gluten free toe-dippers (and everyone in between) together and mock our dietary choices (or not-a-choices, in the case of CD).

What with the bashing we take in the press, you'd think that celebrity chefs might at least have a better understanding of our condition thanks to their training in food. Alas, no. When Coeliac chef Anthony Demetre admitted to gorging on gluten every few months the BBC refused to issue any kind of correction because, "in discussing his eating habits Anthony was expressing his own personal way of coping with the condition and at no point did he advocate it is a diet that others should try." (I'm still not convinced by that brush-off.) When Food Glorious Food judge, Stacie Stewart, described Coeliac Disease as a "lifestyle choice", at least ITV issued an apology. (Although, you might say that since it was pre-recorded the show's makers could have edited the comment out before it caused offense!) Even the usually lovely (tax evasion notwithstanding) Martha Stewart thinks that our dietary restrictions are due to us being fussy.

If that's not enough, we have to deal with poorly researched articles that only cause confusion. Then there's the free from food producers who perpetuate the myth that a gluten free diet somehow helps increase fitness and weight loss in the pursuit of better sales. Oh, and there's the constant need to remind all and sundry that spelt is NOT gluten free!

I think we should stand up for ourselves when the media attacks. We should pull journalists and editors up on nonsense reports and overly personal pieces on gluten free diets, and we should demand that bad advice be corrected. But (and it's a big but) we need to know when to fight and when to back off.

Recently, Paul Hollywood was asked (in a live radio interview) about gluten and wheat free baking. From his comments, some people got upset that he was suggesting that Coeliac Disease was often misdiagnosed. He suggested that people try sourdough and artisanal breads before cutting wheat from their diets completely. I listened to the broadcast and really felt for him, he was clearly "sceptical" about self-diagnosed wheat intolerant people (who, incidentally, really should speak to a GP or dietitian before cutting any food from their diet) and not about medically diagnosed Coeliacs.Angry blog posts, Facebook statuses and tweets ensued. He did take to Twitter that same day to defend himself and admitted that Coeliac Disease, NCGI and gluten free baking was something he needed to do more research on. All credit to him.

And, so, to my point...

I think the biggest reason why Coeliacs take offense to apparent slurs against the gluten free diet is because we're parcelled up with everyone on the GF bandwagon, diagnosed, self-diagnosed, not ever diagnosed and trying-it-because-Miley-Cyrus-does-it. We can't let an opportunity pass without reminding people that we have a MEDICAL CONDITION, it's not a choice (lifestyle or otherwise) and that eating gluten free is the only treatment for that condition.

The problem is, we end up coming across as over-sensitive, touchy and devoid of sense of humour.

When Marcus Brigstocke's 'The Brig Society' aired and episode on food, he was barraged with complaints from Coeliacs and NCGIs who missed the point, that he was mocking those half-hearted trend-driven wheat avoiders. Likewise, Sean Lock's jokes in the video at the top of the page. Where did our sense of humour go?

Should we be so quick to pick up on obvious jokes and genuine errors about Coeliac Disease and NCGI? Perhaps if we gave them a chance to retract, explain or generally apologise for misspeaking we'd be a little less stressed out?

I roared with laughter at The Brig Society's portrayal of someone who can't eat gluten - unless it's really nice bread. We've all met someone like that, and agree that it degrades the seriousness of our own gluten free needs, so why can't we laugh when someone else points it out? The cartoons of Howard the Celeriac show us a funny side of our gluten intolerance that most of the GF community enjoy. So, can we only laugh at ourselves when 'one of us' cracks the joke?

Yes, sense of humour is a deeply personal thing and what's funny to one person isn't to another. I love that Sean Lock clip, but other Coeliacs said it was ignorant and that it shrinks a real issue into merely an inconvenience. Others thought it was a bit too close to the line between funny and offensive (but then, all of Lock's jokes are).

I read one comment about Sean Lock's jokes saying that, "making jokes about Coeliac Disease is as unfunny as making jokes about cancer or MS." Erm, no. I think that's offensive to people with diseases that require aggressive treatment. We're jolly lucky that we can treat our condition with diet! Having lived under various drug regimens (some with horrible side effects) for nearly 20 years thanks to Crohn's Disease, I found going gluten free empowering. We have the power to effect our own well-being with what we eat, it's great! Let's celebrate that instead of getting upset by harmless jokes.

So yes, pre-diagnosis Coeliac Disease is no joke. It's painful, exhausting and filled with many other health risks. Once we start our gluten free diets, though, life gets better. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's an inconvenience at most. Eating out is tricky, but not impossible. Some people make insensitive comments, but they're usually insensitive people. It's nothing personal. The gluten free community is a wonderfully supportive bunch of people who are always willing to offer encouragement. Things just aren't that bad.

Isn't it time we learned to laugh at ourselves?

Constant Cravings

2013-10-19T17:00:00.000+01:00

I should warn you, this is a post about pregnancy. I tell you now so that you can move on to a different site, should this kind of thing not interest you. I promise that normal, gluten free food-y, service will be resumed very soon. In fact, scroll to the end of the post for a rather lovely stuffed onion recipe!

You might have noticed that I've not been blogging much over the past four months. June and July passed in a haze of long naps, spicy pickled onions, and Nutella, and before I knew it, it was August! September was unfortunately dominated by a Crohn's related infection that resulted in a trip to hospital, but all is well now. Our family and friends know our news and I thought I'd share it with you, too. After all, many of you have been on the journey to good health with me.

I'm 22 weeks pregnant. After three major surgeries, the removal of my large intestine and a decent chunk of small intestine, and nearly two decades of inflammation and ulceration in my abdomen, I wasn't even sure that was a possibility. Before I was diagnosed Coeliac, I lost so much weight that my periods stopped and didn't return for four years. One surgeon told me that Crohn's would have reduced my chances of conceiving, I saw gynaecologists who said, "maybe, maybe not" while all around me friend after friend popped out babies of their own. Advice ranged from, "just relax and it'll happen" to "I can give you the details of a good fertility clinic," but nothing helped.

I was starting to feel an affinity with Tian Tian, the panda at Edinburgh Zoo as certain family members became increasingly impatient over when (and if) a baby would ever arrive.

The funny thing is, that in spite of really quite wanting a baby, I was more concerned about being healthy enough to cope with a pregnancy and to look after myself and the resulting sprog afterwards. Fortunately, my Crohn's is in remission and, apart from various vitamin supplements and injections, I'm medication free. In fact, the timing couldn't be better, I've been off Humira for a year (it takes six months to clear your system and isn't recommended for pregnancy), my colectomy scars have had eighteen months to heal and I have the most energy I've had in a decade. Of course, that's not to say that I believe pregnancy will be easy, there are always risks. As scar tissue stretches and internal adhesions tear with this growing wee one, I've had all kinds of pain. I know that bowel obstructions and problems with the stoma are common for women like me, plus, there's the issue of not necessarily absorbing as many nutrients and water as people with entire, and fully functioning, digestive systems.

I used to feel deep disappointment when pregnant friends confessed to not really having any interesting cravings, often demanding, "go home and eat a box of crayons for me!" One friend had cravings for tomato juice, while another confessed to eating bucketloads of daal. I've had rather unexpected cravings for onions. It doesn't matter what kind of onion, be it raw, pickled, roasted, fried or in soup, I'll eat it in vast quantities! This explains why, when the waitress at a restaurant told me that their soup of the day - French onion soup - wasn't gluten free, I got a bit tearful at the thought of missing out on onions. It turns out that onions are high in vitamin C, Folate, and Potassium so perhaps cravings aren't as strange as I first imagined.

Stuffed Onions
The memory of onion-soup-gate has me craving onions once again so here's an inside-out sage and onion stuffing recipe that's a brilliant side dish for your roast.

2 tsp rapeseed oil
50g stale gluten free bread (a slightly past-it Udi's bagel is particularly good here)
25g pancetta, cut into lardons
a few sage leaves, chopped
4 large-ish onions

Peel the onions and slice off the top and the root end off, leaving enough to hold the onion layers together. Drizzle with oil, season and pop into the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.
Cut the stale bread into ½ cm cubes and put in a bowl.
Add the pancetta into lardons to the bowl with the chopped sage, salt and pepper. Stir together.
When the onions are soft, but still holding their shape, remove from the oven and scoop the middles out, leaving just the outer 2-3 layers.
Chop half of the inner parts of the onion and stir into the rest of the stuffing mix.
Fill the onion shells with stuffing, pack it quite tightly, and return to the oven for a further 30-40 minutes.

Gluten Free for 99p

2013-09-28T14:30:00.000+01:00

Well, £1 or less per portion, actually!

That was my challenge to a bunch of gluten free bloggers a few weeks ago, and the reaction was, "let's do it!" Eating gluten free on a budget isn't easy, free from food is far from cheap, so it seemed like an appropriate challenge to come up with some thrifty recipes to share. The task was simple (in theory); come up with a recipe that's gluten free, but costs less than £1 each. In reality, it turned out to be a much trickier thing to do than the initial enthusiasm suggested! Two brave souls finally joined me in creating cheap-but-delicious dishes, and here they are.

Carly: over on Gluten Free B, is annoyed that most budget recipes are a bit insubstantial, dull and take forever to make. To deal with this, she has a brilliant frugal frittata that's perfect for using up any vegetables you've got in the fridge. She rather cunningly uses leftover rice in her frittata, something I had never thought of before! This is the sort of recipe that you can make time and again, varying the ingredients so you'll never get bored.

Alex: has come up with a great leek and tomato quinoa dish that's both filling and nutritious, over on Food Allergy and Intolerance Ink. It's good to know that even those gluten free grains that we perceive to be a bit pricier can actually be used in budget dishes. Let's stop discounting ingredients because we think they're too expensive (or too posh)!

Me: I wanted to come up with a dish that you could serve for Sunday lunch, or as a dinner party meal with friends. Just because cash is tight, it doesn't mean you can't still be sociable. Get your friends to bring the booze, or a dessert and you can entertain with change from a fiver! This dish was inspired by a recipe on Domestic Sluttery last year. The rolled herby lamb breast, by Hazel (my food guru), made me give lamb breast another go after a disastrous first try. It also showed me that tasty stuffing needn't be full of breadcrumbs.

Cheap cuts of meat are often regarded with suspicion, but they're often some of the tastiest cuts, if you know how to cook them. Oxtail makes the most unctuous stews, pork shoulder is perfect for barbecue-style pulled pork and chicken wings make the greatest stock ever! If you can, chat to your butcher, they have so much knowledge to share and will tell you the very best ways to cook your meat, and how to get the most from each cut. (Same goes for your greengrocer, they'll know what seasonal fruit and vegetables are best, cheapest and tastiest.)

Lamb Breast with Boulangerie Potatoes
(Inspired by Hazel Paterson's Rolled Herby Lamb Breast)
You can buy boned lamb breast from most supermarkets, but if you chat to your butcher you'll be able to get him to prepare it and even throw in the ribs for you. Use the bones as a trivet to roast the lamb, then simmer it with some vegetables to make a fantastic stock for soup. This recipe serves four for just under £4.

a large lamb breast (£2.99)
1/2 pack of mint, chopped (35p)
3 cloves garlic, chopped (10p-ish)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vinegar (red wine vinegar if you've got it, otherwise white wine or cider vinegar works too)
400g-ish white potatoes, thinly sliced (the supermarket value/smart price/economy ranges of potatoes are great in this dish) (34p)
1 onion, finely sliced (21p)
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 230°C (or as hot as it'll go).
Spread your lamb breast on a chopping board and trim any bits of sinew and thick pieces of fat. If you ask your butcher, he'll do that for you.
Mix the chopped mint, garlic, vegetable oil and vinegar in a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper - it's seaoning the meat too.
Spread the mint stuffing over one side of the lamb and roll it up. Tie securely with string. If you don't have string, I've used cocktail sticks with some sucsess before!
Put the lamb in a roasting tin and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, layer the potatoes and onion slices in an ovenproof dish, seasoning as you go. Pour water over the potatoes until it just reaches the top layer.
After 30 minutes are up, turn the oven down to 160°C and put the potatoes in too. Cook for a further 2 hours.
When the 2 hours are up, remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. If the potaoes need to crisp up a little, leave them in the oven for a bit longer.

You can vary the herbs in the stuffing to suit whatever herbs you happen to have, parsley and rosemary work well too. Likewise, if you'd rather use leeks instead of onions in the boulangerie potatoes, they'd be great!

What are your go-to thrifty foods? Share your hints and tips below.

Gluten Free Cookery at River Cottage

2013-09-10T10:00:00.000+01:00

When I was invited to River Cottage HQ to review their gluten free cookery course I didn't need to be asked twice! As a bit of a River Cottage groupie, I was thrilled with the idea of visiting the iconic farm and delighted that they were offering something for the Coeliacs.

The course, Gluten Free Cookery, is run by Naomi Devlin, a nutritionist and fellow free from-er, whose passion for great food permeates the day. Each of us on the course were there for different reasons, and we represented the whole range of the gluten free spectrum. The established Coeliacs (diagnosed for 20+ years) learned as much as the new-to-gluten-free people. There were even non-gluten-free people, learning how to cook for loved ones, or customers, with various gluten intolerances. We all left with our heads full of new information and skills we couldn't wait to get home to practise.

The day starts, like all cookery courses at River Cottage HQ, with a tractor ride from the car park to the farmhouse. By the time we disembarked at the bottom of the hill, we were already friends – it's a bumpy, but pleasant, bonding experience!

The (newly refurbished) cookery classroom came complete with tea and coffee, delicious tortilla breakfast snacks, and inspiring views of the Devon countryside from the floor-to-ceiling windows!

Naomi demonstrated every item clearly, and with enthusiasm, peppering each demo with information about gluten free flour and their properties, avoiding cross contamination, nutritional tips, and more. Starting with a yeasted pastry for kleicha (a sweet Iraqi treat) and the sponge for our sourdough bread, Naomi began to address the fact that to bake gluten free we first had to throw out all everything we'd learned about baking with wheat flour. She showed us the consistency to expect when mixing a GF dough and explained that gluten free flours absorb more liquid than wheat flours, so a wet-looking lump would transform given time.

Chocolate chip cookies came next. As someone who "accidentally" licked her fingers after mixing the dough, I'm not sure if much of this mix would actually make it to the oven at home. Ours were rather bigger than the rest of the room's so took a little longer to bake, a few minutes that seemed like hours just before lunchtime! These cookies are set to become a common occurrence in my kitchen, they were absolutely delicious.

Our expectations of how to bake were challenged again when we made pastry. The dough was much wetter than any of us felt comfortable with, and I could tell that a few of us were sceptical that it would ever become pastry. We were proven wrong later that day.

We also finished mixing our bread dough before lunch. Adding a variety of wholesome ingredients to the bubbling sponge, I could tell that this bread felt distinctly different to any gluten free bread I'd made before. The dough was sticky and lighter than other doughs, whilst being less liquid than a lot of packet mixes I've tried. The way the dough rose over lunch was proof enough that this was going to be a thoroughly successful bread.

Lunch was everything you'd expect from River Cottage. Pork, from one of the pigs on the farm, with grilled vegetables so fresh they were probably still attached to their respective plants mere hours before landing on my plate and a gently spicy sauce that I could quite happily have bathed in. Dessert was a fresh combination of apple sorbet and blackberry compote that finished the meal perfectly. It was, of course, gluten free and vegetarians and dairy free diets were equally well catered for. Lunch was a great opportunity to chat to some of my coursemates who I had yet to meet. They were such a friendly bunch, and everyone was as excited as me to be on such an informative course.

Suitably sated and refreshed, we returned to the kitchen to bake our bread and roll out pastry. Rolling out between two sheets of baking paper for ease of transport from worktop to baking tray (and to avoid cross contamination from wooden rolling pins), we noticed how soft and workable – pastrylike – the dough was. The lesson was starting to sink in! We used the pastry to make pissaladiere, a quick and easy dinner, while Naomi suggested ways we could prepare the pastry in advance. As our pissaladiere cooked, Naomi showed us how to turn the yeasted dough from that morning into kleicha, giving us an opportunity to try for ourselves. Once baked, we all tucked in to the two varieties of these stuffed cookies to a chorus of "yum"s.

Finally, muffins. Again, as we filled our muffin cases right to the top, we realised how much we had to re-learn after our wheat baking days (even those of us who've been baking gluten free for years). It was interesting to watch them bake, through the oven door, and see how this seemingly odd practice of filling the muffin cases worked to produced perfectly golden, domed muffins.

This course completely shattered every expectation I had about what a gluten free cookery course might entail. Apart from the obvious benefit of a mountain of baked goods to take home, I found the information Naomi shared to be the best thing about the day. Her natural style and self-confessed geekiness about nutrition meant that I couldn't help but be enthused about the possibilities of gluten free baking. I'm a keen GF baker and now I feel like my own passion has been renewed and I'm approaching my own baking with a refreshed vigour, thanks to Naomi.

Would I recommend this course? Undoubtedly. Is it worth the £180 course fee? Yes, I think so; it runs from 9am to 5pm and the day is packed full of activity. No, it's not cheap, especially if you're traveling to, and staying in, Devon just for the course, but the fees are comparable to other courses around the country, and Devon is a lovely place to visit. Are there any negatives? Erm, not really, no – if the reactions in the tractor on the way back up the hill are anything to go by.

Gluten Free Cookery at River Cottage HQ offers passionate and knowledgable instruction in making good wholesome food in a beautiful setting. I'd heartily recommend it to everyone.

The next course is on 25th January 2014, check out the River Cottage website for more details

Gluten Free on a Budget

2013-08-27T16:30:00.000+01:00

Cooking on a tight budget is something I've been wanting to write about for a while, ever since I received an email from a reader who was struggling to eat a gluten free diet and feed her children. It's been on my mind, and now that celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver have waded into the debate, I've decided it's time to broach the topic, too.

Falafel (about 89p per person)

In the past, I lived on a very tight budget. I was working, but the cost of rent, bills and travel expenses meant that I was left with under £5 a week for food. I was lucky, my church stepped in to help me out, and I found a second job to pay the bills a bit more easily. I didn't have any hungry mouths to feed, apart from mine. At that stage, I wasn't Coeliac, so could buy cheap bread and pasta to fill me up. Eventually, I moved into cheaper accommodation and things worked themselves out, but it was tough to eat (full stop, let alone eat well) for such a small amount of money.

Squash Stuffed Turkey (about £1.50 per person)

We all know that gluten free food is expensive, so buying bread, pasta and flour isn't cheap when you're Coeliac. Jamie Oliver might know a Sicilian street cleaner who can but mussels, tomatoes and pasta for 60p, but a pack of gluten free spaghetti is closer to £2 before you even add the molluscs and veggies! Mockney Mr Oliver thinks we should use stale bread to give our cheap meat "great texture". It's something that processed food manufacturers do to bulk out products, and as a consequence make them a no-go for us Coeliac folk. On a budget, it makes sense to avoid it (unless you can get it on prescription) and focus instead on naturally gluten free foods like potatoes and rice. If you've got time to shop and cook, you can eat well for not-very-much, but when you're working two jobs it's not so easy.

Eggs in Tomato Sauce (about £1.10 per person)

In my experience, a well stocked store cupboard is the difference between eating the same sad meal every day for a week and eating a varied diet. It has made me a bit of a hoarder as a result, I feel like I'm saving up in case I find myself struggling for money again. Jacket potatoes with cheese and beans, spicy lentil daal, eggs in tomato sauce, or poached chicken (if a whole chicken is too costly, try chicken wings - they make a delicious stock, although it takes more effort to strip the meat off the bones later) with rice cooked in the resulting stock, are all possible, if you have a ready supply of spices, dried lentils and rice. None of the dishes pictured in this post were designed to be 'budget' meals, but they give you an idea of how naturally gluten free food can be inexpensive.

No, this doesn't really help if you have a tight budget right now and your cupboards are bare, and I don't have a solution if that's you. It's one of the reasons why this is such a contentious issue, no-one actually has the right answer to the problem of food poverty. If you're in the happy situation of knowing exactly where your next meal is coming from, why not get in touch with The Trussell Trust and donate to your nearest food bank? I've been in contact with my local food bank so that, if someone with gluten intolerance comes to them, I can supply them with GF pasta, cereal and tinned goods when they need it.

Chicken Rice (about £1.30 per person)

Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less has an RRP of £26, just over two months of my old food budget, and I think that's why the man himself has come under so much criticism for his comments. (Although, let's not be so naive to forget that this publicity will do Jamie's book sales and TV ratings a real favour.) It's hard to take budgeting advice from a man whose name itself is a franchise. I'd rather read A Girl Called Jack's blog, or invest in a copy of her book, due out next year. I also rate the advice given by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrit in Economy Gastronomy, and was an avid follower of their 2009 TV series. (I wonder if the BBC would bring it back?) Whilst not really written for people in dire straits, the principles behind River Cottage Every Day will help you make the most of every scrap of food in your kitchen and avoid waste.

So, sorry Jamie. I know you mean well, and I'm sure your new TV series and accompanying book will be full of useful hints and tips for eating on a budget, but until you get your foot out of your mouth we can't hear any wisdom that might be in there.

Bourbon Biscuits and Lime Pie

2013-05-24T19:00:00.000+01:00

Last week, I decided to rectify the fact that I hadn't eaten a chocolate Bourbon for six years by baking some myself. The resulting Bourbon biscuits were so good that I ate most of the first batch before they'd even cooled down! As wonderful as the biscuits were, I couldn't eat all of them. (When you're testing a recipe, you end up making at least two, sometimes many more, batches in order to perfect the recipe.) The lime meringue pie was born from a need to use the rest of the Bourbons before they went stale.

The biscuits form the base of what is basically a Key lime pie – except that you shouldn't really call it 'Key lime' unless you use limes from the Florida Keys - with meringue on top. I have a habit of separating eggs to use just the yolks or whites in a recipe and leaving the other part in the fridge to be rediscovered when it's too late to use them. That's why there's meringue on my lime pie – I could use the whole egg this way (and it looks great, too).

Chocolate and lime work so well together that it's a shame more desserts don't use them. The smoothness of the chocolate mellows the sharpness of the lime, while the slight bitter edge to both add a sophisticated touch. I've made a lot of lime meringue pies in my time, from now on, I'll always use a chocolate base.

If you fancy making your own lime meringue pie this weekend, head over to Domestic Sluttery for the full recipe.

Gluten Free at Pizza Express

2013-04-29T14:00:00.000+01:00

When it comes to introducing gluten free items to your menu, Pizza Express have really gone the extra mile. Instead of simply adding a GF pizza base and feeling smug, they spent 18 months trying hundreds of bases to find the very best one, worked with Coeliac UK to make sure they were doing everything right, introduced measures to prevent the risk of cross contamination and invited a group of gluten free bloggers to give the seal of approval to the menu. Not content to just introduce a gluten free pizza base, Pizza Express are also launching a delicious risotto starter, Green's GF Pilsner and a rich gluten free brownie for dessert! The children's menu is getting the same treatment, with a gluten free piccolo pizza base and brownie.

A gluten free pizza you can order with confidence!

Last Monday, I went along to meet the team behind the new gluten free menu items and taste the results of their hard work. To say that Pizza Express listen to their customers would be an understatement! Head of Marketing, Emma has been carrying a print out of a guest post, written by @DavidJ_GF, voicing his concerns about the trials of the gluten free menu at selected restaurants. The whole team have been using the (very eloquently written) post as the basis for addressing the commonly held issues most Coeliacs have with GF items in chain restaurants. Pizza Express really care about how we (customers and Coeliacs) feel about eating at their restaurants and have been working with Coeliac UK to get NGCI accreditation so that anyone ordering a gluten free meal can to so with confidence.

Instead of being apologetic about their efforts at gluten free dining, the team at Pizza Express decided to work toward something they'd be proud to shout about and I think they should boast about the new menu!

To deal with the risk of contamination from airborne flour, Pizza Express have replaced all flour with a gluten free flour mix for dusting surfaces and stretching dough. All gluten free pizza bases are individually wrapped and as soon as the first GF pizza is ordered in a restaurant, the kitchen will open a new passata and mozzarella, use separate ladles and pizza screens and serve the pizza on special boards to distinguish the gluten free ones from the wheaty ones.

If that's not enough to fill your heart with cheer, then you'll be pleased to know that Food and Drink Manager, Holly and Development Chef, Anton's mammoth global effort (they actually sampled bases from as far away as Australia!) to source a really great pizza base has paid off. The pizzas are outstanding and all the more delicious for the peace of mind that comes from all the measures Pizza Express have put in place to ensure that cross contamination is not an issue in their kitchens.

A delicious Risotto d'Oro for starter.

Every member of Pizza Express staff have undergone thorough training, ready for the launch of the new menu tomorrow (30th April) and all new-starts will receive exactly the same training as part of their induction, so you can always be confident that your order is treated the same in every branch, every time you visit.

I'll definitely be heading to Pizza Express for the new menu launch on 30th April, find your nearest restaurant and try it, too!

The Great North Gluten Free Fair

2013-04-26T14:00:00.000+01:00

This Saturday, 27^th April, the North's first gluten free fair will take place at the CastleGate in Newcastle city centre.

The Fair’s organiser is TASTECLUB (formerly Taste North East), the Club for everyone who makes, serves, sells and loves great north food and drink. There will be around 40 stands at the event, made up of some of the best local and national producers, shops and restaurants that make or sell gluten-free food and drink.

Spopnsered by Newburn Bakehouse, you will be able to sample their range of free-from products, including brown, white, seeded and fruit loaves, baguettes, wraps, teacakes and muffins.

Entry to the inaugural event, which will run from 10am to 4pm, costs £2 for adults and is free for children. All attendees will receive a Newburn Bakehouse muffin. To book tickets in advance, go to the TASTECLUB website.

If you can't attend the fair, you can still take part by entering the competition on The Great North Gluten Free Fair's Facebook page by liking and sharing their competition post to win a hamper of Newburn Bakehouse Goodies!

Fruit is Not a Pudding!

2013-04-14T10:00:00.000+01:00

Have you checked out the brilliant Fruit is Not a Pudding blog yet? Carly (the wonderful Gluten Free B) started this blog to celebrate great naturally gluten free puddings and to name and shame those restaurants and caterers who think that fruit salad is an appropriate gluten free dessert.

We've all been there, haven't we? At a function or dinner and everyone else is enjoying a plate of profiteroles, summer pudding or cheesecake and you're brought a fruit salad. (What's that? Yes, there is melon in there! Isn''t that from the starter?) It's maddening, especially since there are so many delicious desserts out there than are naturally gluten free.

I recently shared my panna cotta recipe with FINAP and it's in great company with fantastic pudding recipes like Hokey Pokey Knicker Bocker Glory and Black Cherry Meringue Parfait. It's a great resource, especially for friends and family of Coeliacs, who want to make them something that's gluten free, but doesn't involve shelling out on specialist ingredients. Go check it out yourself, then send everyone you know!

If you have a Pudding Hero to recommend to others or a rubbish dessert to nominate for a Sad Banana Award, visit the Fruit is Not a Pudding Facebook page, or email FINAP.

New Arrivals from Newburn Bakehouse by Warburtons

2013-03-19T13:00:00.000+00:00

Yesterday, Warburton's gluten free bakery, Newburn Bakehouse, launched four new products. Baguettes, fruity muffins, a seeded loaf and (drum roll, please) wraps. That's right, the much longed-for and oft-fantasised wrap is now a gluten free reality! Or, at least, it's on a trial basis. These limited edition 3-packs of square, gluten free wraps are available in selected Tesco stores for you to buy and try. If you like them and want Warburton's to keep making them, you can vote to "Save Our Wrap' on Facebook or Twitter (using the hashtag #saveourwraps).

The wraps are soft with just a hint of sweetness and they taste really good. They're smaller than their wheaty equivalent (but, what's new there?) and they'll roll or fold well without breaking or cracking. You could easily top these to make a quick and easy pizza or use them in place of flatbreads, tortillas or pitta bread. They'd be great sliced and toasted with hummus, or wrapped around chicken and peppers as fajitas. Newburn Bakehouse even suggest folding one around a filling to make a toastie, something I would definitely try. [UPDATE: The postcode checker doesn't appear to be working yet for the new products, check this list of stockists for a Tesco near you.}]

Sadly, there isn't a single stockist of the wraps within a thirty mile radius of my home, so it was fortunate that Newburn Bakehouse sent me one to try. If you want to find out where you can buy yours, head over to the Newburn Bakehouse website and enter your postcode. The rest of the new products are more widely available, so even if you can't find the wraps you will be able to buy the baguettes, seeded loaf and fruity muffins at a variety of stockists.

The addition to the range that's excited me most of all is the baguettes. Warmed in the oven, they're soft and fluffy on the inside with a crisp crust, just like my memory of french bread. You can eat them straight from the packet, they're still soft, but the crust is soft (and a little bit squeaky). Suddenly bruschetta, crostini and garlic bread are back on the menu. It's £2.29 for a pack of two baguettes, which I think is quite reasonable.

The seeded loaf is the same great quality as the other Newburn breads so it's soft, not crumbly and stays fresh for a good few days. As every Coeliac knows, adding fibre to your diet isn't easy and a bread packed with millet, linseed, sunflower and poppy seeds is always a bonus! On the opposite end of the scale, the fruity muffins are packed with golden syrup, so they're deliciously moist and sweet. Probably not a nutritious breakfast, but they're so tasty I think I'd probably justify one for elevenses.

I'm very impressed with the new offerings from Warburtons, they seem to have listened to customers and have brought us products that fill a need. How many times have us GF-ers bemoaned the lack of a great sandwich wrap or soft baguette? Well done to Newburn Bakehouse for listening!

(Newburn Bakehouse very kindly sent me samples of all of the items above to taste. As always, I only review items I genuinely love.)

Crohn's and Colitis UK - Me and IBD

2013-03-16T12:00:00.000+00:00

At 31, I might fall a couple of years short of being young enough to get involved with Me and IBD, Crohn's and Colitis UK's support group for people aged 16 - 29, but that doesn't stop me from telling people about it. They offer encouragement through a discussion forum, information sheets and even have information service phone-line to call.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 13 years old, so I know what it's like to live with IBD throughout secondary school and university. I didn't know anything about Crohn's Disease and I dealt with it be burying my head in the sand, I was operating under a 'what I don't know can't hurt me' theory. It didn't work, when I was 20, I developed abscesses and fistula that I had no idea were due to Crohn's so I ignored it until I was hospitalised. After that I realised I have to know exactly what I was dealing with so I would know the side effects were and if I could do anything to help myself.

It's never very easy to tell fellow adolescents, "yeah, I have chronic diarrhoea," without the fear that they'll mock you. It's tough enough as an adult to explain to others that your condition means you have bowels with a death-wish ('toilet issues' are a sensitive subject with most people). I was skinny, except for a giant steroid moon-face and combination of the disease and the treatment stunted my growth. I was bullied and excluded by my friends because I looked too young and my prescence in the group was deemed embarrassing. It's something that damaged my emerging sense of self to the point that I had little confidence in myself as a person and still haven't found any self esteem about my appearance.

Me and IBD are there to support young people through all of the rough times by putting them in contact with others going through exactly the same issues. They have made a series of videos with some of the Crohn's and Colitis UK Ambassadors who share their experiences of living with IBD when they were young. I was particularly moved by the videos with Della Thielamay (above) and Rick Parfitt Jr, who at times could be talking about my life, their experiences are so similar to mine.

If you, or a family member, are 16 - 29 years old and living with IBD, you can be part of the Me and IBD video campaign. Just watch this short video and make your own to submit to Crohn's and Colitis UK. Or head over to the Crohn's and Colitis UK website and take part in their survey.

Rebel Bakery Cupcakes

2013-03-07T16:00:00.000+00:00

'Contains cocktail stick'

I paid my first ever visit to Whole Foods Market last week. The lovely Alex (@HealthJourno) invited me to join him, Gluten Free Mrs D and Gluten Free B at a gluten free tour of the Kensington branch. It was a really interesting tour and Krystal, our guide, knew her stuff when it came to nutritional advice and gluten free diets. She showed us where the various gluten free products could be found in the store and even chatted about sources of extra dietary fibre and the best way to prepare grains and lentils.

An abundance of gluten free goodies!

After the tour left us all rather peckish, we headed upstairs for a vegan dinner at Saf Restaurant and to catch up on each other's news. Even after an enormous helping of massaman curry and being practically force-fed half of Alex's cheesecake (forced, I tell you! I would never steal someone's dessert), I was still thinking about all the exciting baked goods downstairs. With delicious treats from my favourites, Sugargrain and Perk!er, on offer I couldn't leave empty-handed. Thankfully, we all felt the same way and we spent a happy ten minutes picking up new finds and showing each other interesting cakes, all accompanied by a soundtrack of "ooh"s and "yum"s. I finally left the store with (among other items) a cupcake from gluten free Rebel Bakery, a new product for me.

Decisions, decisions...

I opted for the Old Fashioned cake, in part because of the warning on the packaging, which read, "Contains cocktail stick," and it tickled me. Mostly, however, it was because the combination of whisky, orange and cherries was just too good to turn down.

The very exciting inside of my cake!

When I tasted the cake, I knew I'd made the right decision, it was fantastic. The orange flavour was very clear and it was definitely enhanced by the whisky in the icing. Biting into the cake was a wonderful surprise, because the centre was filled with cherries! The cake was moist and not too sweet and there was just the right cake-to-icing ratio. I am really impressed by these cakes and I will be making another pilgrimage to Kensington to get my hands on some more! Unfortunately for all you nut-allergic people, these cakes aren't for you (but in my house that just guarantees that The Husband can't steal it before I get a chance to eat it!).

A Year On

2013-02-07T15:30:00.000+00:00

Exactly one year ago yesterday, I had my large intestine removed and an ileostomy formed. Most of this time last year is a blur of morphine induced nonsense (apologies to those who came to visit me only for me to fall asleep mid-sentence) and, if I'm honest, so is the year that's followed. It seemed wrong to let this moment pass by without marking it in some way, but how? I could bake a cake - Happy birthday ileostomy! - or, light a candle - rest in peace, colon - but neither feels quite right. Instead of commemorating the surgery, I'm focussing on its legacy and celebrating the renewed life it's given me.

I've gone from feeling weak and in pain to getting stronger, physically and mentally, every day. As someone said to me recently, "Having bits cut out obviously agrees with you." It does!

A permanent stoma is a massive, life changing thing and it affects every single part of your life. It's scary, and hard to imagine how it will feel, how you will feel, when it happens. I can understand why so many people think it's a step they'd never take, but for me it was the only step. It's not always easy to get my head around the physical impact of recovering from the surgery - it took far longer than I expected, but then I'm impatient - and occasionally it's a pain in the arse (although not actually in the... you know where I'm going with this), but I wouldn't change it. Yes, I get dehydrated easily, I'm effectively still recuperating after getting Norovirus in December and my bikini modelling career is over before it began, but I don't mind when the bigger picture is so encouraging.

The old me!

Thanks to my parents, the Husband and friends (in particular, Kate, Sara, Laura and Paul), I'm facing the next year with hope. Their support through the rough times has given me the strength to keep going when all I wanted to do was stamp my feet and shout "it's not fair!" Thank you for helping me smile when I wasn't sure I could. I can't promise to stop having mini-tantrums now and again, but knowing you're standing by to pick me up off the floor is what gets me through the day.

Gluten Free Recipes Galore!

2013-01-21T18:00:00.000+00:00

This morning, over on Domestic Sluttery, we posted a list of our top ten gluten free recipes. From my very first recipe, Viennese fingers, to my most recent, rice cake, with recpes from the other very talented food writers (including the most amazing Daim Bar truffle cake from Hazel!) the treasure trove of exciting GF recipes is sure to grow. I love the challenge of finding new and interesting ways to present gluten free food to a new audience, many of whom have no food issues at all. I hope I've shown people that gluten free doesn't mean flavour free; I know that even some gluten-eaters have given my recipes a spin!

This Crunchie cheesecake is one of my favourites. A smooth baked cheesecake with honeycomb crunch and chocolatey goodness, this is a crowd-pleasing dessert (or a substantial meal for one!). Another sure-fire crowd-pleaser is the mango upside-down cake I made in May, you can happily use tinned mango when fresh aren't in season.

S'mores brownies are a rich, chewy and fudgy sweet treat that I made for Guy Fawkes Night, but they're perfect at any time of year! Ideal for eating over bonfires or barbecues, they seem to taste even better when they're gently melted, you could wrap them in foil and leave them next to the fireplace for 10 minutes if it's too cold to venture outside. If you're more of a savoury snack person, try my roasted cashew nuts or pretzel mix.

I've tackled some old favourites too. These crispy pancakes are brilliantly nostalgic and very flexible, you can fill them with whatever you fancy, cheese and ham, chicken - or go fancy and add brie and bacon or beef Bourguignon! Fish fingers, while easily available in the freefrom section of your freezer department are surprisingly quick and easy to make yourself, the same coating could be used for chicken nuggets or kievs.

I've got lunch covered as well! Rice noodles make a quick and easy salad and this chicken noodle salad is one of the quickest and easiest I know. You could use green bean noodles in this if you'd rather. My smoked salmon kedgeree was intended for Christmas morning, but it makes a pretty special lunch too.

What gluten free recipes would you like to see us cover? Do you have any old favourites that you'd like to make gluten free? Or is there a particular event you want a dish for?

Let me know!

Resolutions

2013-01-04T10:00:00.000+00:00

At the start of 2012 I had two resolutions: to achieve good health, and to have my writing published. Good health is ongoing... Just now is probably not the moment to dwell, let's move right along! As far as the writing went, the story is far more positive. I joined the Domestic Sluttery team in May, as the gluten free columnist, and it has been a brilliant experience. The team of writers over there are intimidatingly talented and every day I feel like I push myself a little bit harder, it's a steep learning curve, but a rewarding one. Later in the year, I had an article published in Your Wellness Magazine entitled, Can You Eat to Beat Crohn's Disease? which was well received and is hopefully the start of great things!

This year, I haven't made resolutions in the same way, more statements of intent. I have spoken to a few people I respect about those statements and I'm feeling very positive about them - more to follow, I promise; I'm not being deliberately vague! I do have list of foods I plan to make this year, it will grow but so far the list is;

souffle - I'm determined to conquer this one!
macarons - I want to try nut-free ones.
fish fingers - perhaps surprisingly, I've never made these.
goat curry - not the easiest meat to get hold of but it's something I've always wanted to try to make.
the perfect chilli con carne - we all have our favourite recipes for this, I want to find the absolute best!

You can guarantee that I'll share the results of this list with you as the year unfolds. What are your resolutions for 2013?

Free From & Festive: Christmas Future

2012-12-17T14:00:00.000+00:00

In just one week it will be Christmas eve! It's all very exciting, but what if you don't like the traditional Christmas fare? If you're bored by Brussels sprouts or fed up with fruit cake, is the appeal of mountains of festive food all that appealing?

Worry no longer! We have some great ideas to re-work some old not-so-favourites into wonderful morsels that everyone will fight over (in a harmonious, festive, kind of way).

Gluten Free Notebooks food hero, Claire has taken gingerbread and mellowed the fiery ginger taste with chocolate in her gluten-free double-chocolate-chip gingerbread cake with brandy buttercream icing. Who needs Christmas cake when this is on the menu?!

If cakes doesn't tickle your festive fancy any more than dried fruit and marzipan, why not try Hazel's Christmas Tickler at Chatty Daisy Days? Bursting with cranberry and orange, this dessert is a wonderful alternative for rich and stodgy puddings.

Sickened by sprouts? Not for long! Debra at The Awkward Eater has come up with a recipe for sprout bhajis that is sure to convert even the most dyed-in-the-wool sprout sceptic. Turning these much-maligned vegetables into a spicy, crunch bhaji is a master stroke that we should all salute, come Boxing Day.

Am I the only one who can't stand parsnips? Their sweetly starchy qualities failed to win me over until I paired them with chestnuts over on Domestic Sluttery. The smokiness of the chestnuts seem to temper the too-sweet nature of the parsnip to leave you with a silky smooth starter that is Christmas in a bowl.

We hope that our Free From & Festive series has solved your Christmas dilemmas past, present and future and that you all have a very merry and gluten free time next week.

A Gluten Free Survival Kit

2012-12-13T09:00:00.000+00:00

The festive season is once again upon us and many of us will be preparing to spend time partying and dining with our family and friends.

If you are dreading the prospect of eating out or you you don't want to be a burden on your party host, then here are a few suggestions to make life a little easier.

Print out a copy of Coeliac UK's handy guide - Organising a gluten-free dinner party, or direct your host to the webpage for some excellent advice on cooking gluten free and avoiding cross-contamination.
Bring your own emergency supplies - I often turn up to dinner parties with a packet of Trufree pretzels and some Nairns gluten free oatcakes stashed away in my handbag! If your host hasn't provided any gluten free nibbles, or you're still peckish on the way home, you're well prepared!
Offer to bring dessert. It's quite stressful planning a menu for someone with any kind of restricted diet, especially if you're not used to doing it. It it always much appreciated when the restricted dietee offers to carry some of the burden - even if they don't take up the offer.
If you are an overnight guest supply your own gluten free breakfast (a box of Doves Farm cereal, or some Warburtons free from fruity tea cakes, for example), just in case your host hasn't thought of that.
Remember to thank your host for all they have done for you, a wee gift goes a long way towards your invite back! Why not whip up some white chocolate rocky road?

If the worst happens and you accidentally eat gluten, I am of the opinion that it's best not to tell the cook until you're back to normal - you'll feel more level-headed then and they won't have to see quite how ill they have made you - then direct them to that Coeliac UK guide for the next time you eat at their house!

Free From & Festive: Christmas Presents

2012-12-11T16:30:00.000+00:00

I'm a firm believer in the power of a homemade gift. It says, "not only do I care enough about you to give you this gift but, I put in the effort and made it myself." More the the sum of its ingredients, a homemade gift is time and loving care and, for me, that's extra special. Even more special, is when someone makes a gift that suits your dietary requirements.

We might be stretching the past/present/future theme a little with this one, but this week we're making gluten free foodie gifts! Now is the perfect time to start whipping up your presents, so we've got a few to share with you.

Carly at Gluten Free B has made a delicious mulling syrup that's sure to please everyone. It's not Christmas until you've had a warm cup of something mulled, so this gift is a festive must!

Anyone who loves coffee will appreciate this white chocolate, orange and pistachio biscottini from Claire at The Gluten Free Notebooks. She has used delicate, but definitely Christmassy, flavours to make these rather luxury little biscotti.

I love to give cranberry sauce as a Christmas gift, after all it's something that most people use over the season! I've tried many variations over the years, but I always come back to this one.

Cranberry Sauce with Clementines

a net of clementines, about 650g

300g frozen cranberries

100g caster sugar

Zest half of the clementines and juice them all.
Put the clementine juice, zest, cranberries and sugar into a saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring all the time.
Leave the mixture to simmer until the sauce thickens, it'll take about 10 minutes. Taste (very carefully, it's hot!!) and add more sugar if needed.
Transfer into sterilised jars whist the sauce is still hot. This will keep for a couple of months in the fridge.

Whatever gifts you give this year, we'd love to hear about them so do get in touch.

Next week, we're putting a modern twist on old favourites. If you don't like mince pies, fruit cake or turkey, now's your chance to put your own spin on them!

Free From & Festive: Christmas Past

2012-12-03T13:30:00.000+00:00

Free From & Festive is back! Well, it is December and Christmas is looming at an excessive rate. This week, we're concentrating on traditional recipes, those foods that make it feel like it's really Christmas; mince pies, Christmas pudding, mulled wine. It's time to dust off our Granny's recipe cards and whip up an old favourite.

Claire at The Gluten Free Notebooks has dug out her mum's low fat mince pies recipe and given them the gluten free treatment. This really is two recipes in one, a delicious mincemeat and a light sounding citrus shortcrust pastry.

Nothing says Christmas to me like trifle for breakfast and Carly at Gluten Free B has channelled her inner 80's goddess to bring this retro offering. She's even included a brilliant recipe video for your enjoyment which is Wham-tastic!

Over on Domestic Sluttery, I have made a traditional Scottish Clootie Dumpling. It's probably more traditionally eaten at Hogmanay, but many Scottish families eat it instead of Christmas pudding on the big day itself.

So what are your favourite Christmas recipes? We'd love to know what you'll be making in the run-up to the 25th.

Next week, we're sharing our gluten free foodie gift recipes and if you want to join in you can email me for details.