UK Gluten Free Blog

Walkers crisps - Gluten Free?

2012-01-19T16:39:00.005Z

A recent law change on what can be considered gluten free has meant that many of the brands we know and love, like Walkers, have had to change the allergen info on their packaging.

My blog's traffic has increased considerably as people desperately search for answers 'what crisps are gluten free?', 'are walkers ok for coeliacs' etc.

I emailed Walkers to ask them to confirm whether they had actually changed the recipe of the crisps or if the only change was in the labelling.

I received a lovely phone call back this morning from Walkers, who confirmed my suspicions that nothing has changed in the factory, only the labelling.

The new law, in an effort to clarify allergen labelling has only confused thousands of gluten-freers.

I don't have coeliac disease so I can't possibly understand what it's like to be hyper sensitive to gluten and how these changes can affect your eating habits.

However, if you have previously eaten Walkers crisps (at least the ones previously labelled as gluten free) and have been fine afterwards, then continue to do so.

Walkers use different parts of the factory and belts for different flavours and they are thoroughly cleaned regularly. Any contamination, they explained, would be airborne.

They regret that the new law has caused so much confusion and advise precautions, especially to newly diagnosed coeliacs.

Obviously, other brands are available! Try the following:

Gluten Free Guerilla's Guide to GF crisps on Facebook

Marks & Spencer - I've seen several flavours marked Gluten Free

Burts Potato Chips - available from Gluten Free Shop Ltd

Pom Bear Crisps

Hale & Heart Cassava Crisps

Kettle Chips

RECIPE Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free Yoghurt and Peanut Butter Pancakes

2012-01-16T17:22:00.002Z

^ My breakfast yesterday.

It was amaaaaazing. I'd seen peanut butter pancakes around but didn't expect them to be a taste sensation and my new favourite breakfast. Sure, I've had to develop Bulimia to cope with the extra calories, but man, it's worth it.

Also, don't think that free from everything pancakes are rubbery and tasteless. Not at all. However, they are pretty much the only things you're normally supposed to make with eggs that work out alright when you remove the eggs.

Ingredients

150g Gluten free self raising flour (I used Dove's Farm's)

150ml milk (I used sweetened soy milk)

150ml yoghurt (I used Alpro plain, found in Sainsbury's)

1 egg (substitute. I used Orgran's 'No Egg', found at Simply Free)

Pinch of salt

2 pinches Baking Powder

2 tbsp Maple syrup

2 tbsp Dark brown sugar

3-4 tbsp Peanut butter

Method

Make the 'egg' according to the instructions on the packet

Put in a bowl along with all of the other ingredients and whisk

Heat a non-stick pan and a dribble of vegetable oil

Maintain a medium heat and add small dollops of the mixture (a tablespoon should do it) and spread the mixture around to form a round shape (try not to spread the mixture too thinly).

Turn after around 3 minutes or until bubbles pop through to the surface.

Cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.

Put on a warmed plate and cover with paper towels and or a tea towel to keep them warm while you cook up the rest of the batch.

Keep adding a small dribble of oil to the pan before each batch to stop from pancakes from sticking.

I served mine with banana, maple syrup and smoked bacon :)

The FODMAP diet - IBS cure?

2012-01-13T16:16:00.005Z

I've been meaning to write this post for ages since watching the Food Hospital on Channel 4 before Christmas. I wanted to look into it a bit more and speak to people with IBS to see what they thought.

On a previous episode about alopecia, me and Charlotte from Cupcake Corner were left shouting at the screen (shared frustration through the power of Twitter!) when the patient told the doctor that she has bowel problems as well as hair loss. The patient wasn't tested for Coeliac disease even though her symptoms were pretty extreme.

On the episode featuring IBS, I was simply left stunned when the doctors came up with a solution for a patient that was a) band new to my ears and b) seemed to make a huge amount of sense.

Yes, they made the patient lay down and they felt her stomach (oh, what a familiar scenario) but then they put her on a diet that was developed in Australia called a Low-FODMAP diet.

FODMAPs are:

1. Fermentable

2. Oligosaccharides (eg. Fructans and Galactans)

3. Disaccharides (eg. Lactose), Monosaccharides (eg. excess Fructose) and

4. Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt)

The main foods she was told to cut out were certain cereals and dairy (specifically milk and soft cheeses). Makes sense when you consider that the vast majority of IBS sufferers like Sophie Lee from IBS Tales, notice a dramatic reductions of symptoms when they cut out these two food groups .

The other foods to avoid are gassy vegetables like broccoli, beans and pulses, and onions and garlic.

The patient was told to cut out all FODMAP foods initially and then slowly re-introduce foods to test which ones can perhaps be tolerated. Again, makes so much sense. My mum, an IBS sufferer, can't tolerate garlic. I'm OK with beans and cheese but not milk and lentils.

After questioning for so long whether I have IBS or just food intolerances, this is a pretty massive breakthrough.

Please take a look at the video of the IBS patient on Food Hospital here, read about FODMAP foods here and maybe get a copy of FODMAP specialist Patsy Catsos' book IBS - Free At Last.

Might have to look at changing my blog name now!

RECIPE Gluten Free Oven Roasted Tomato & Goats Cheese Triangles

2012-01-11T17:43:00.003Z

Here's an easy recipe for yum gluten free and egg free canapes that I came up with before new year's.

Make pastry using a good gluten free flour. I used Dove's Farm plain flour blend and followed the recipe on the bag for basic pastry.

If you use the quantity recommended on the recipe you'll have enough pastry to make at least 24 canapes. (I used half of the pastry to make mince pies.)

Roll out the pastry onto greaseproof paper dusted with more flour (or flatten with your palms, I found this to be most effective. I also dusted with rice flour as it is less expensive) and use a sharp knife to cut the pastry into triangles.

I experimented with a variety of shapes and sizes. Triangles, cooked in a cake tray so the edges were curled up worked best.

Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and add cheese, tomatoes (use sun dried toms if you can't find oven roasted), seasoning and herbs (I used chives and oregano) and return to the oven for a further 5-7 minutes.

And serve!

The toppings will soften the pastry after a few hours so try to serve and consume straight away if possible!

Gluten Free Wishes for 2012

2012-01-04T13:38:00.004Z

Following on from my post from last year on the subject, here's my response on my wishes for 2011:

1. More restaurants adding GF symbols to items on their menus.

The big chains have started to do it, particularly the Italian restaurants like Zizzi and Bella Italia but the independents still have some way to go.

2. Those restaurants making bloody well sure that the item on the menu really is GF. i.e is the soy sauce GF? What about the chips?

Well, from experience, a GF symbol on a menu does not a knowledgeable staff member make. After ordering gluten free pasta at one establishment, the waitress brought me my ice cream dessert scattered with amaretti biscuit *eye roll*. Don't trust the waiting staff when they say that it "should" be OK. Make sure they go in the kitchen and check.

3. Prescription GF food for gluten intolerant people, not just coeliacs.

Well, no. Hasn't happened as far as I know. Probably never will?

4. More varieties of pasta to buy in the supermarkets. i.e Tagliatelle.

Nope :(

5. Genius bread (now that it is so popular and in every supermarket) to come down in price!

Again, nope. £2.29 each when you buy a pack of 6 from the Genius website. £2.89/£2.99 from the supermarket. Ouch.

5 New wishes for 2012:

1. That Dietary Specials continue to expand their excellent range of gluten and egg free food and for it to be more widely available.

2. That the media stops calling our diet 'optional' or 'a fad'.

3. Less blogs about cupcakes and flapjacks and a bit more info out there about symptoms, experiences and practical solutions. (Bit of a dig at myself there, must do better.)

4. No more obscure gluten free alternatives that we don't need, or yet more cake and bread rolls. Enough already! We need puff pastry, pasta shapes and stuff for breakfast.

5. That Amy's Kitchen expands their GF range in the UK. Their Macaroni Cheese is freakin lush.

My Battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

2011-12-07T15:37:00.009Z

I recently read Sophie's Story: My 20 Year Battle With Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Sophie is behind www.ibstales.com, a website she set up in sheer desperation after years of feeling alone and misunderstood. The stories that came in through the website made Sophie feel part of a much bigger problem and she knew she was no longer suffering on her own.

While I was reading the book, my own experience came flooding back. I often felt like I was the only one and my frustration caused by 'unexplainable' symptoms and hopeless GPs made me feel angry and miserable.

It's easy when you've been able to manage your symptoms for a few years to forget all those feelings. It even easier when you belong to a community of bloggers whose jolly posts about cupcakes and flapjacks distract you from what we're all trying to avoid...

* The afternoons on the loo

* The odd and embarrassing noises your body makes as you struggle to digest food

* The smells you leave behind in the bathroom for the queue of people waiting to use it after one of your marathon loo sessions

* Alternating constipation and diarrhea, rendering all medication useless

* The useless medication prescribed by the doctor

* Being told it 'must be stress related'

* Intimate examinations by the doctor

* Agonising weekends away

* Trying to remember your last bowel movement and failing

* Piles

* The 6 months pregnant look

* Bouts of intense, crippling pain

* Holding in wind on dates, ending with you running home and collapsing on the toilet

* Really, really bad farts

* Never knowing for sure what is wrong with you and hoping that the doctor has a different answer for you next time

This is the reality and this is what I'd put to the back of my mind.

I still get many of these problems.

Most of the time it's because I've slipped up and had one of my trigger foods. Other times it's totally random and unexpected.

Sophie's book covers her long journey of discovery from the initial 'food poisoning' experience at 12 to where she is now. Like me, she finds that cutting out wheat and dairy helps her symptoms.

But I often wonder whether IBS exists and whether it isn't just food intolerances. Or, does IBS exist and it causes our bowels to become sensitive to certain foods?

The doctors don't know the answer.

Net Doctor says:

"Food intolerances can produce irritable bowel symptoms, but not every person with IBS will have food intolerances, and not every person with a food intolerance will have irritable bowel syndrome." A sweeping and unresearched statement if ever I heard one.

All I know is that I was diagnosed with IBS when I was in my teens and NONE of the IBS 'cures' worked. But excluding trigger foods from my diet had a dramatic and instant effect. The same goes for Sophie.

Channel 4's The Food Hospital has a web page for IBS and the 2 case stories (called Viewpoints) given are provided by people who have cut out wheat and dairy to help ease their IBS symptoms.

The programme pointed out a worrying trend - children are taking food intolerance tests and are being incorrectly diagnosed with many food intolerances. This is leading parents to restrict the child's diet, which can cause long term health damage. If this continues, more research will have to be done into food intolerances and IBS and we may end up with a definitive answer.

In the meantime, don't let your symptoms get you down, don't give up on trying to find your trigger foods and stock up on Tums.

Visit http://www.ibstales.com/sophies-story.htm for details on how to buy the book for yourself.

RECIPE - Quick Gluten Free Stuffing

2011-11-28T15:40:00.004Z

I haven't even got time to make lists of all the things I need to make time for these days so it'll just be a quick post today (not even a photo, the shame.)

I made my own stuffing the other day using:

Cornflakes (I used Whole Earth)

Carrot

Onion and Garlic (Finely chopped and fried)

Fresh herbs

Seasoning

And it was amazing!

Fry the onion and garlic until brown, put in a blender with cornflakes, carrot, herbs and seasoning and blitz.

Form into balls or stuff into a bird. It'll cook in just under 15 minutes if you form into balls.

And that's it! I made enough for 2 people using a handful of each ingredient. I will try again and measure things next time I promise!

El Guapo - Gluten Free Mexican Food in Bristol

2011-11-04T11:05:00.003Z

*Edited 11/02/12 to add that El Guapo has unfortunately ceased trading :(

^Click on image to enlarge - and you should. And then your tummy will instantly grumble and you will curse me for having enjoyed such a meal and then possibly think about moving to Bristol (if you don't live here already) just so one day, you may have this meal all to yourself.

Just wrap your eyelids around this menu - http://www.eltacoguapo.co.uk/images/menu30thoct.pdf

Totally gluten free tacos and, I hear, flapjacks too.

Mine had slow cooked pork, pickled pink onions, hot salsa and a red rice side. And it only came to £3.95.

Get down to:

El Guapo

Bridge House

48-52 Baldwin Street

Bristol

BS1 1QZ

Opening Hours

11.30am to 2pm Monday to Friday.

10am till 2pm Saturday (they do breakfasts too!)

6pm till 11pm Friday/Saturday

On Twitter

On Facebook

RECIPE Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cookies

2011-10-13T15:12:00.002+01:00

Firstly, let me say they taste A LOT better than they look! And I overcooked them a bit, so they shouldn't be so dark BUT...I made them myself from a made up recipe!

The texture is brilliant and you don't miss the butter. My husband said "I'll sum these up in one word - "YUM"!"

Ingredients

DRY

1 cup coconut flour (although the texture can be slightly annoying. I'll try almond flour next time. My 'cup' is a whiskey glass.)

1 heaped dessert spoon of cocoa powder

1 dessert spoon of dark brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb of soda

Pinch of salt

Optional: Chocolate chips, dried fruit etc

WET

2 dessert spoons of maple syrup (you could use honey)

Around 3 dessert spoons of melted coconut oil

Method

Mix together the dry ingredients, then add the maple syrup. Stir thoroughly.

Gradually add the coconut oil, stirring thoroughly.

The mixture will start to look wetter but won't form a dough (It'll still look like breadcrumbs)

You will know when you've added enough oil, when you can form 'patties' with your hands. Think burger making. Press the mixture firmly between your palms to flatten but not too much so they split. Size - Think small metal pot of Vaseline! Any bigger and they won't cook evenly.

Place patties onto greaseproof paper, 2/3 inches apart.

Place in a pre-heated oven set at 150c for around 10 minutes.

Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes to harden (they will be pretty soft when you take them out.)

Enjoy!

Instant Gluten Free Rice Noodles and Other Life Savers

2011-10-12T16:16:00.005+01:00

Without exaggeration, Chinese supermarkets are the best gluten free discovery I've ever made.

When we knew we were moving to Bristol from London, one of the first Bristol things I Googled was 'Chinese Supermarket'.

The Wai Yee Hong shop opened in 2007 in the Eastgate Oriental City complex; a brand new development on a two-acre site off the M32 in Bristol.

It's just round the corner from IKEA and the big Tesco, really easy to find.

On our first visit there, I was amazed by the size of the place. It's a proper supermarket and even has a gift shop and restaurant upstairs.

Every time I go there, I stock up on plain rice noodles for adding to stir fries and for making quick lunches (I just add chilli sauce, tuna, whatever is in the house), rice paper (spring roll wrappers) and packets of instant rice noodles. I must have tried them all but the Tom Yum Koong Rice Vermicelli is definitely my favourite and costs just 31p a packet!

I can also buy gluten free soy sauce and oyster sauce and jars of chilli sauce that seem to last about 2 days in my house!

The guys at the shop get gluten free.

Jo, who runs the Twitter account is just the sweetest and will answer any questions you may have on the items in stock.

Best of all, you can order online! (Shipping info.)

Wai Yee Hong

Eastgate Oriental City

Eastgate Road

Eastville

Bristol

BS5 6XX

Tel: 0845 873 3388

Fax: 0845 873 2288

www.waiyeehong.com

www.twitter.com/waiyeehong

www.facebook.com/waiyeehong

Getting ready for Christmas!

2011-10-07T16:11:00.002+01:00

Every year, around this time, I get frustrated because people insist on planning Christmas, talking about their Christmas shopping, who's doing what on Christmas day etc etc.

This year, I decided I would make plans early and get a head start. I planned what to make for homemade pressies and where we're spending Christmas day. And because I feel on top of things, I don't mind one bit seeing Christmas decorations going up in shops, or hearing Christmas music or receiving the new Genius Mince Pies in the post. Not one bit.

As you can see, they've got a homemade look about them. They're floury and light and you can taste all the ingredients and no nasty added flavourings etc. Very scrummy.

You could quite easily stick these on a plate at Christmas time and fool all your guests into thinking you made them yourself ;)

They go on sale on October 17th 2011 at Tesco (which is definitely not too early ;)

Check online for these and more gluten free products at http://www.geniusglutenfree.com/

Gluten Free Fish and Chips in Clifton, Bristol

2011-10-05T16:27:00.002+01:00

Princess Victoria Street in Clifton, not just home to my favourite Bristol restaurant Clifton Kitchen it is also where you can find bloody lovely chips at the Clifton Village Fish Bar. A while back, my sister in law mentioned that she thought she saw that they did gluten free fish batter. I finally got around to ringing them yesterday and got it confirmed!

Gluten free fish and chips every 1st Monday of the month. Open 5.oopm until 11.00pm.

Address:4 Princess Victoria Street, Bristol, BS8 4BP

Tel: 0117 974 1894

Gluten free fish and chips can also be found at Smiths Fish bar, BS6 - see previous post.

Gluten Free Christmas Menus in Bristol

2011-10-04T14:49:00.006+01:00

Office Christmas meals *shudder*

To lessen the blow, try one of these lovely establishments who have usefully indicated which of their menu items are gluten free. Meaning, you can get on with avoiding the office sleaze-bag and curtailing your drinking around the 'big boss' rather than painfully explaining to the waiter/waitress why you can't eat flour.

Las Iguanas

http://www.iguanas.co.uk/pdf_menus/las-iguanas-christmas-menu-2011-ROW.pdf (Not exactly my taste and the last meal I had here was clearly microwaved and saltier than the dead sea but nevertheless it's easy, reasonably priced and they have cocktails.)

Brasserie Blanc

http://www.brasserieblanc.com/christmas/26.php (Ooh posh. I like Raymond and I would like to eat here so I can picture him barking demands at his staff, like "get zees sheet out of 'ere!")

Glassboat

http://www.glassboat.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/xmas_2011.pdf (My husband and I ate here a while back. The atmosphere is lovely, the staff attentive and the food pretty good. Worth the prices for the view of the river and superb wine pairings.)

I'm afraid that's all I could find (and I looked at a lot!) Will update if I find any more.

RECIPE Gluten Free Indian Flatbreads

2011-09-27T13:54:00.003+01:00

At last! A foolproof recipe for Indian flatbreads :)

These are the type for folding and scooping up your food with, rather than the Naan type.

Huge thanks to Hanna's Vegan Kitchen for the recipe which I've tweaked a little for my tastes.

Sit cross-legged around a bowl of Dal and get stuck in!

Makes around 7-8 flatbreads

1 cup chickpea flour

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add these to taste but will work perfectly fine without -

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

Mix together the flour, spices and salt. Stir in the water until there are no more clumps. The consistency should be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Stir in the ginger and onion if required. Let the batter sit for 15-30 minutes.

Heat a little oil in a non stick pan over, maintain a medium heat. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter at a time, spreading a bit with a spatula or swirling around the pan, as you would with a pancake. Cook for several minutes on both sides, until golden brown and cooked through.

Enjoy!

FULLfast Appetite Control Spray

2011-09-26T15:13:00.005+01:00

Either I have a really fast metabolism or I'm just a greedy mare, but I'm ALWAYS hungry.

Some days it really gets me down. I'll have huge meals in the hope that I won't feel hungry for hours afterwards, then an hour later I'll be scouring the fridge and cupboards "there MUST be chocolate in here somewhere!!"

I was offered a chance to try FULLfast recently, it's an 'appetite control spray'. You spray it under your tongue 3 times, 5 times a day, usually 1/2 hour before meals. Naturally, I was sceptical but I started to work it into my daily routine and instantly saw results.

It just works. Sometimes I use it in the evenings when I get those sweet cravings and I know I shouldn't eat past 10pm. The spray gets to work and within 10 minutes I've stopped thinking about food.

How it works - "Its 100% natural ingredients include the amino acid, 5-HTP, which is essential to the production of serotonin – a naturally occurring chemical created in the brain which can help to keep hunger pangs at bay."

If you'd like to try some for yourself, head to a good independent pharmacy or http://www.fullfastonline.co.uk/

You can also find FULLfast on Facebook and Twitter.

Gluten Free Chorizo Sausages FTW

2011-09-22T15:30:00.004+01:00

However you say it "choreet-so", "chor-eezo", "chorit-zo", "choreetho" etc, these sausages are aces and good for pretty much everything.

You would struggle to make any savoury dish taste bad with some of these thrown in.

I particularly recommend them for Jollof, stew, meatballs and toad in the hole.

Birmingham's NEC 'I Long For Salad' - Part 4

2011-09-20T17:43:00.003+01:00

Regular readers of this blog may remember my previous posts about the NEC in Birmingham.

Their canteens used to put the 'ming' in Birmingham but they've come on leaps and bounds recently.

I go there twice a year for work, once to exhibit so I'm there for a week, 9 hours a day and once to visit so I'm normally looking for lunch and I'm armed with expenses.

My first post about the NEC was my actual ranty email to the NEC after a bad experience with the products on offer and the service/lack of knowledge.

My second post was the reply I got, which didn't really fill me with much hope.

And my 3rd post was a post I made after finding with surprise and delight a whole gluten free section in the fridge in one of the hall canteens.

After my recent visit, I'm pleased to report that the gluten free section is still there - with a new and improved range of sandwiches.

I emailed the NEC again and they were very pleased that I enjoyed the new sarnies and took on my suggestion of providing soya milk in the canteens.

Just goes to show - you don't get if you don't ask.

If you are visiting the NEC - you will also find that the Starbucks in the main concourse sells gluten free sandwiches (made with Genius bread) and make a very delicious soya milk Frappuccino! (New obsession, not a good discovery for me!!)

Whole Earth Gluten Free Cereal

2011-09-19T16:57:00.005+01:00

^ Click on any image to enlarge.

I got sent these lovely cereals to try by Whole Earth Foods who make delicious organic foods. You may have seen their Peanut Butter ad on the tele.

I was sceptical that any cereal could tear me away from my beloved crunchy nut but after a few bowls of the Maple Frosted Organic Flakes, the other cereal tasted too processed for my now more refined tastes.

As well as being organic and made with all natural ingredients, this cereal is gluten free and free from evil e's.

I feel a little bit healthier (and somewhat smug) after a bowl.

www.wholeearthfoods.com

www.facebook.com/WholeEarthFoods

www.twitter.com/wholeearthfoods

Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta in Bude, Cornwall

2011-09-16T15:18:00.012+01:00

Bude. Not the first place that would spring to mind when thinking of somewhere to go for a gluten free meal. Me and my husband spent last weekend there and ended up in a lovely pub called The Crooklets Inn. At the Crooklets, I got stuck into the local cider and we settled in for the evening as it was tipping down outside. I asked to see the menu as I saw that the pub had a lovely conservatory/restaurant near to where we were sitting. I was utterly flabbergasted when I read that gluten free breads, pasta and pizza where available. We booked a table and double checked with the waiter about the gluten free options and we were informed that it would be no problem at all.

We both ordered pizza and unfortunately they were both brought out overcooked. My husband couldn't eat his but I happily tucked in, I've always liked a burnt crust! I think the pizza crust was bought in rather than homemade but it was great. The price was reasonable though I would have liked at least a side salad with it. Also my husband was offered fresh bread from the basked after we got our drinks but when I asked if they had any gluten free bread the waiter said "I would have brought some if I'd known" and then didn't get me any.

So for service and general cooking skills, they scored a 2/3 out of 10 but for offering gluten free pizza and pasta in a small seaside town, I commend them!

Crooklets, Bude EX23 8NF

01288 352335

(Oh and Crooklets if you're reading this your waitress is a saint and you need to put your address on your website!!!)

Genius Gluten Free Pies

2011-09-07T15:22:00.003+01:00

(Click image to enlarge)

I recently tried a Steak & Ale Pie from Genius' new frozen range. I would have liked both pies from the box but my husband looked hungry and I suppose one must make dinner for two when one is married.
It's always good to get my husband's feedback on gluten free products however as I've been gluten free for so long now and tend to think everything's awesome as long as it tastes vaguely of the flavour on the box.
He gave the pie a thumb's up and like me, thought the filling was delicious and the pastry tasty and a good texture. I was impressed by the big chunks of steak, luscious gravy and general moreishness of the pie.
We turned the pies into a meal of guilty pleasures by adding hash browns (GF! Yay!) and baked beans and it was one of the most scrummy and indulgent meals I've had in ages. I'll have fond memories of that meal for ages, plates on laps in my mother in law's country cottage, with Miranda on the tele. Lovely :)

RECIPE Gluten, Dairy & Egg Free Lemon Cake

2011-08-31T12:17:00.003+01:00

It's a cake made without most of the cake ingredients! And it somehow works!

I made this Vegan Lemon Lime Cake from this recipe. Next time I'll use gluten free self-raising flour to make it rise a bit more (I used a gluten free White Mix). My other tweaks were: added yellow food colouring to the icing and I added Limoncello liqueur to the cake mix and icing. I also did what someone suggested in the comments and used coconut oil as well as vegetable oil.

The resulting cake it great. It's very sweet and yet tangy, perfect for satisfying a sugar craving.

Somehow this cake doesn't work when you eat it with a fork - I found it was much nicer when I picked it up and ate it so would perhaps benefit from being made into slices. They would be perfect to place on a saucer alongside a cup of tea :)

If you can't eat eggs like me, defo give this a go!

* Update - Almost a week later and this cake is still fab! Unexpected upside of not using milk and eggs is that this cake lasts forever!

RECIPE Gluten Free Sausage & Cider Stew

2011-08-30T13:46:00.003+01:00

This recipe is perfect for using up old, flat or not very nice cider. And any meat that you may have going spare. Like most of my recipes, this was born out of poverty and needing to use up odds and sods from the fridge - but turned out to be delicious and another I'll definitely add to the recipe folder.

Ingredients

2-3 Sausages (I used Black Farmer Gluten Free Sausages)

1 pack Pancetta cubes (or bacon, pork chops etc)

1 onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, cubed

2-3 potatoes, cubed

1 pork stock cube in 300ml hot water

300ml cider

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

Fresh Sage, finely chopped

2-3 bay leaves

Black pepper

Cornflour

Method

Fry the meat in 2-3 tablespoons oil.

Remove the meat after it has browned on the outside but not cooked all the way through. (Cook the sausages whole and slice once browned off).

Fry onion and garlic in the leftover oil until soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Cover and put in an oven at 175c for around 45 mins.

Remove from the oven and add 2-3 teaspoons of cornflour diluted in cold water.

Stir thoroughly.

Return to the oven for a further 15 mins.

Serve with bread (I like DS Brown Ciabatta Rolls.)

Competition - Win A Kindle

2011-08-25T21:59:00.002+01:00

Win a Kindle and a range of Free From Goodies just by signing up to the newsletter at Foods You Can!

Go to - http://www.foodsyoucan.co.uk/foods-you-can/win-a-kindle-and-a-range-of-free-from-goodies

RECIPE Home Made Tortillas!

2011-08-18T11:51:00.010+01:00

The Dough

The Press

The Fillings

The Finished Article

Continuing with our obsession with tortillas, we decided to try making our own corn tortillas at home.

We're lucky enough to have an amazing Mexican shop Otomi a 10 minute drive from home, so I popped in to collect tortilla flour (Maseca), a tortilla press, salsa verde and a little tin of Chipotles.

At home we had 'Cowboy beans' from a cooking kit (also from Otomi) which we fried in a little oil and mushed up to make Refried Beans.

The tortillas themselves were amazingly easy to make, you just add water to the flour until it forms balls (try not to get too wet).

Around 200g of flour will make around 8 tortillas, perfect for 2 people.

We made the dough, made the balls in the palms of our hands, squished the balls flat in the press (use cling film on top and bottom to stop the dough sticking to the press) and dry fried in a non stick frying pan until they went very slightly brown on both sides.

We served with the beans, cheese, lettuce, red peppers, salsa verde and chipotles from a tin.

The tortillas themselves were so different to the ready made ones, lighter, puffier, softer and much tastier. And as they were so easy to make, we will probably make these all the time! (Breakfast tortilla anyone?!)

The flour packet has instructions for making pancakes and I'm sure there's a tonne of other things we can make with it, so expect lots of Maseca recipes on this blog from now on!

As sweetcorn is coming into season, possibly Tamales next?!

Sainsbury's Free From Pizza Base

2011-08-12T12:49:00.004+01:00

My dinner last night ^ (Click on image for a close-up)

Very, very tasty and totally gluten free (although bit of a dairy and egg free fail...)

Sainsbury's Free From Pizza base £1.99 (gluten and dairy free but contains egg white so I'll be suffering today!)

My toppings:

Sainsbury's Basics Mozzarella 47p

Cheddar

Green Chilli

Cherry tomatoes

Matthesons Smoked Pork Sausage £1.79

Sainsbury's Basics Spicy Pepperoni £1.50

Sainsbury's Red Pesto £1.19. Tomato puree also works and is considerably less fattening!

Herbes de Provence

Black Pepper

Not sure if I would substitute my usual gluten free pitta bread pizzas for a 'proper' pizza base as I like the crispiness of the pitta, however it's good to have the option there and to feel like I'm eating proper pizza slices.

Overall score for this product - 9/10