Came across this great little infographic today via Nuts Online. Your guide to gluten free flour blends. Check it out!

Read all of 'Guide to Gluten-Free Flour Blends (Infographic)' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Eat Natural Gluten Free Bars

These bars from Eat Natural have become a huge favourite at Gluten Free Towers in recent weeks. Chewy and nutty with a smooth yoghurt coating they have no artificial flavours or colours, and no preservatives. And most importantly they’re gluten free. Yay. Perfect for that mid-afternoon slump.

Next time we might actually have a picture of one of the bars. (Thanks guys for scoffing them before I took a pic!)

We’ve been buying ours in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s but I think they’re pretty much available everywhere.

Read all of 'Nut and fruit bars from Eat Natural: Abso-bloomin’-lutely Gluten Free' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Just got back from the Allergy and Gluten Free show at London’s Olympia. And as usual it was a packed show full of good ideas and tasty foods.

Kent & Fraser

Our regular favourite brands such as Doves Farm, Hale and Hearty, and Orgran all had stands. But as usual we tried to hunt down some less well-known names and products. We chatted to the lovely Danny at Kent & Fraser who make scrumptious gluten free cookies, biscuits and shortbread, and whose packaging is eye-catching and contemporary. I can highly recommend the award-winning Stilton and walnut biscuits. Imagine these with a wedge of cheese and a glass of red on a warm summer’s night. Mmmm.

We said hello to the Rude Health girls. I’ve never come across this brand before. But it’s available in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s and numerous health food stores across the UK. They do gluten free honey puffed oats, puffed rice and honey rice flakes. In fact, we came away with a whole box of honey rice flakes, so we’ll do a taste test on those next week. Again, great packaging and a quirky website. Check it out.

Continuing to tickle the savoury tastebuds were Amisa’s organic gluten paprika and chilli crackers. These were crispy and flavoursome. Definitely recommended. Amisa is available at health food stores throughout the UK.

M&S chocolate and cherry cake

Good to see M&S have a stand this year. Marks has been rolling out its gluten free brand with its distinctive green packaging for a while now and we’ve already written about their orange and polenta cake and gluten free sandwiches. It was a good opportunity to chat to Helen, M&S’s nutritionist, and I asked her why M&S gluten free products were so expensive. She told us that gluten free products contain lots more ingredients than ‘regular products’ and some of those ingredients such as almond flour, are costly. The gluten free sandwiches had come down in price a bit apparently – so that’s good news.

Whilst I was chatting to Helen I took the opportunity to scoff two bits of M&S gluten free chocolate and cherry cake. Oooh this is a winner. And only £2.99.

We couldn’t leave without having a quick chat to our friends at Genius bread. Julie was on the stand (follow her on Twitter @geniusfoods) and we chatted about the latest addition to the Genius family: the sliced multi-seed loaf, which is available from May 16th 2011 in Tesco. Tasty, springy and substantial. Just what you’d expect from Genius.

Genius multi-seed bread

And last but not least, we have to mention the Warbutons stand which included a sushi-style conveyor belt! Great stuff.

The Allergy and Gluten Free show is at London’s Olympia until Sunday May 8th.

Did you go to the show this year? What did you think of it? Did you discover any new products? Let us know in the comments.

Read all of 'Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2011: Who we met and what we tried' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

If you’re out and about in the West End and you’re struggling to find something tasty, filling and gluten free to grab for lunch or dinner, you should head to Pho.

Pho (pronounced feu in Vietnam or foe by anyone outside Vietnam) is the Vietnamese national dish and is a simple, fresh nutritional noodle soup dish that’s eaten for lunch, breakfast and dinner. And as it’s made with clear vegetable stock and rice noodles it’s also a great choice for coeliacs as it’s gluten free.

Pho Chay and Bun Cha Gio Ga

So last weekend we went to Pho the restaurant on Wardour Street, one of the four Pho restaurants in London, to try pho the dish.

And the first thing you notice about Pho is it’s pretty cool. As are the waiting staff. But they’re also friendly and super knowledgeable. Our waitress was very helpful and friendly and was happy to spend time going through the menu and pointing out the few dishes I couldn’t eat because they contained hoisin sauce or soya sauce (although Pho are happy to take these out). But most dishes on the menu are great for coeliacs and there were numerous vegetarian options too.

So what we did choose?

Well I started with Goi Cuon, fresh summer veggies and noodles wrapped in (gluten free) rice paper with a fish dipping sauce. And Andrew chose Cha Gio, fried pork spring rolls. Both these starters are fairly substantial and incredibly filling. So if you want to leave space for your main course you might want to share one of these.

At Pho everything is freshly made with ingredients that are delivered daily. So my Goi Cuon was packed full of fresh peppers and mint. And our server took the time to show Andrew how the lettuce could be wrapped round the pork spring rolls for extra crunch.

Homemade lemonade vodka

For the main course I chose Pho Chay, which is tofu, mushrooms and rice noodles in a veggie stock, and Andrew chose Bun Cha Gio Ga which is lemongrass chicken with a stir-fry topping and rice noodles, and is served with veggie spring roll and peanuts. This dish had a lovely combination of textures with crunchy stir-fry and soft noodles and a beautiful combination of flavours including coriander, chili, nut, and lemon. My Pho Chay came with side dish of fresh herbs including flat leaf parsley and mint, and chili so I could give my dish a bit of an extra kick if I wanted to. I didn’t need to. It was tasty and filling but a bit on the salty side for my personal taste.

There’s one item on the menu that you absolutely must try and that’s the homemade lemonade vodka. Cold, minty and packing a punch. Highly recommended.

Pho Soho
Opening times: Monday to Saturday
 12 – 11pm, Sunday 
12pm – 10pm
Address: 63-165 Wardour Street,
 London,
 W1F 8WN,
Telephone: 020 7434 3938

Read all of 'Friend or Pho: Gluten free street food' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

As you know, we always like to find new and local gluten free brands, here at the Gluten Free Blog. So, last week, when we stumbled across Knead Bakery, a new allergy friendly baking company in London we were all rather excited.

Knead Bakery's gluten free, dairy free sugar cane free goodies

Knead Bakery, it turns out, is run by the talented and lovely Sim Smith, who’s a former journalist and long time allergy sufferer.

Determined to prove that a diet void of gluten, dairy and cane sugar needn’t be a diet void of tasty treats, she’s set up Knead Bakery, which has launched with six scrumptious products, including chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, mini blueberry muffins, mini lemon and poppy seed muffins, carrot cake and double chocolate brownies, all of which are free from gluten, dairy, cane sugar and additives and preservatives.

And we were fortunate to get a first look last week when Sim dropped into the office with a bag of goodies for us to try.

So we started with the muffins. They were light and fresh, with a bouncy texture and sweet without being sickly. The combination of sweet lemon and the almost peppery poppy seeds was divine. And the blueberries in the blueberry muffins were fresh, plump and juicy like they’d been picked that morning.

Next up were the cookies. You know how so many gluten free cookies and biscuits leave that taste of sugary nothingness in your mouth? Not these. The chocolate chip cookies were incredibly chocolaty and chewy. And the ginger cookies. Well, they were really zingy and mouth-watering. I love ginger cookies with a cup of herbal tea. And these take some beating.

The double chocolate brownie tasted ‘just like a normal chocolate brownie’ said Phil, a non gluten-freer. And it did. Moist and with a lovely consistency, I was left with dark chocolaty taste in my mouth and the feeling I’d eaten something really substantial. ‘Hmmm…perfect with a coffee’ said Miles.

Blueberry mini muffins and lemon and poppy seed mini muffins. That's my hand!

So then we tucked into the carrot cake. Now, Knead Bakery sells this by the slice and also as a whole cake. And I would encourage you, for any celebratory gathering whatsoever, to buy an entire cake. In fact, just by a whole carrot cake for yourself. I won’t tell. Because rarely have I eaten cake that has given me goose bumps. And this carrot cake did. Laced with fresh lemon curd and topped with a soya yogurt frosting, the combination of flavours is exquisite.

What we love about Knead are the quality ingredients Sim uses. So the chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate brownies taste of rich, dark chocolate. The lemon curd tastes super lemony. And you can really taste the vanilla, ginger and cinnamon in the products.

Gluten free, dairy free and sugar free carrot cake

Knead offers a personalised baking service. So if you need an allergy free cake for a special occasion such as a wedding or birthday give Sim a call. She also does gluten free, dairy free and sugar free goodie bags and gift bags which are ideal for corporate events, fashion shoes and even kids’ parties.

The online store will be available soon. In the meantime you can order from Knead by emailing info@kneadbakery.co.uk or calling Sim on 07920 102 284. Mini muffins and cookies are just £3.40 a bag. The chocolate brownie is £2.99 and the carrot cake is £3.99 for a substantial slice (but just get the whole cake!).

For more information visit Knead Bakery, London.

Read all of 'Multiple food allergies? You’ll Knead allergy free baking' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

We’ve noticed quite a few people in the blogosphere and Twittersphere this week complaining about Warbutons gluten free bread. Warbutons’ own Facebook page is full of complaints about the slices crumbling and falling to pieces.

Breaking up is not so hard to do. Warbutons gluten free bread

As you know, we went to the Warbutons gluten free launch the other week. And the two loaves we were given to try were delicious.

But the loaf I bought in Asda last week was really dry after two days, the crusts were falling off and the slices were breaking in half. It meant I lost the last third of the loaf. Boo. I put it down to the fact I hadn’t stored the loaf in a cool, dark place like a bread bin; I’d simply left it on the side in my kitchen.

But then Mum picked up a white loaf in Sainsbury’s and as you can see from the picture, the entire loaf fell to pieces as soon as she opened it! I think we rescued two slices from the back of the packet for a bit of toast.

Now, fair play to Warbutons. Mum called them and explained what had happened and they kindly put £5 of vouchers in

Money off vouchers from Warbutons

the post the same day. She was also told that Warbutons had received a number of complaints about the slices falling to pieces and were looking into it.

I really hope they do. When you actually get a good slice it’s pretty tasty. Even the white loaf is nutty and flavoursome. But who will pay a premium of £2.69 for small loaf when you’re not guaranteed even one round of sarnies out of it?

Have you tried Warbutons gluten free bread yet? How was it? Let us know in the comments.

Read all of 'Warbutons Gluten Free Bread – Falling Apart?' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

M&S Gluten Free Sarnie

Bought these gluten free sandwiches in M&S at the weekend. Pretty tasty – although the bread fell to pieces a bit. But at £3.75 I think this is too expensive for a sarnie.

As I mentioned in the post on Warbutons gluten free bread the other week, I think we’re getting charged too much for gluten free products. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Read all of 'Marks & Spencer Gluten Free Sarnies – too expensive?' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Hot on the heels of Genius, Warbutons, the UK’s leading independent baker, have launched their own gluten free bread. And Gluten Free Blog was lucky enough to be invited along to the recent launch breakfast, at London’s Covent Garden Hotel, hosted by the celebrity chef and gluten free expert Phil Vickery.

Warbutons Gluten Free range

What did we eat? Well, it was an early start. So we tucked into tiny slices of toast topped with salmon and egg, bacon butties, sausage sarnies and toasted teacakes. And, as you’d expect, it was all quite delicious.

Warbutons decided to build their first gluten free and wheat free bakery in March 2010, in response to customers’ requests for a tasty, gluten free range. “We’ve thrown ourselves into this project with the same passion and care we show for all our products” says Jonathan Warbuton, Chairman of the family-run company. “The whole team is really pleased with the results and it’s our hope that you will be too!”

Phil Vickery is working with Warbutons to launch the new range and as you know, we’re fans of Mr V here at Gluten Free Blog. So it was great to meet the man himself and talk all things gluten free cooking. We also chatted about salad cream and crisp sandwiches, which both of us used to enjoy as kids!

Our goodie bag included Phil’s latest book, Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Baking, which we can’t wait to tuck into. And our bag also had a white loaf, brown loaf and a packet of tea cakes which were tested on the guys as soon as we got back to the office. And all got a thumbs-up.

Warbutons Gluten Free Bread

So what’s in the Warbutons gluten free range? So far sliced white and sliced brown in 400g and 600g sizes; sub rolls in white and brown; crumpets; and fruity teacakes which are all available in all UK grocery stores.

One of the gripes, I guess, is the price. The 600g loaf retails at £2.89, the sub rolls at £1.99 and the crumpets and teacakes at £2.19. At the time of writing the small loaf (400g) is on special offer in Asda for £2 although it normally retails for £2.49. And yet the same size loaf of ‘normal’ Warburtons bread costs a measly 67p. Hmmmmm. If Warbutons really want those with coeliac disease not to “miss out on this tasty daily staple” we’d really like to see their prices come down a bit.

Read the follow up post here. Warbutons gluten free bread – falling apart?

Read all of 'Everything you’d expect from Warbutons bread – without the gluten or wheat' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

The decorations are down. The tree has gone out for recycling. And the diet has started. That’s it. No more mince pies or chocolates here for us at The Towers.

Oh wait what’s this? A lovely parcel from Ye Olde Friars of Keswick? Well, it would be rude not to try just one or two of their delicious handmade gluten free chocs, wouldn’t it?

Ye Olde Friars of Keswick is, as the name suggests, based in Keswick. And since 1927, they’ve been selling locally produced handmade chocolates and confectionery to the locals and tourists that flock to this pretty Cumbrian market town.

More recently they’ve added gluten free chocolates and confectionery to their range. And the Gluten Free Blog team were more than happy to give them a try.

We tried the honey flavoured milk buttons first. They reminded me of something you might find in Diagon Alley. And they were delicious. I thought they tasted more like liquorice rather than honey but maybe that’s just me.

Next up were the novelty chocolate toolkit and the truffles. Now these were amazing. Phil thought the toolkit was “some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted”. Whilst the gluten free truffles got a resounding “11 out of 10”. Oooh. My mouth is watering just thinking about those truffles.

We also munched our way through a box of handmade gluten free milk, white and dark chocolate selection. Again, delicious and creamy. And this week we finally got round to trying out the handmade fudge, which came wrapped in wax paper in a lovely gift box. This was literally melt-in-your-mouth stuff.

You’ll be pleased to know that via the website, Ye Olde Friars offers an overnight delivery service for a small fee of £4.95. So if you’re looking for a gluten free chocolate gift for a friend or family member, this is a good place to go.

Read all of 'And there goes the diet. Gluten Free Chocolates from Ye Olde Friars of Keswick' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

This looks nifty. Food Contents and Allergies Ltd have launched the isitinit Food Angel (terrible name!) which makes it a whole lot easier to shop if you have allergies or intolerances, simply by using your mobile phone.

How does it work? Go to the isitinit website. Register your intolerances and allergies and download the app. Then using the camera on your smart phone scan the product’s bar code and in seconds get all the ingredient information you need.

Haven’t got a smartphone? No problem. Shoppers can still use the service by manually entering the product’s barcode into their mobile phone and sending a text. The system will again respond in seconds.

The isitinit Food Angel is only for use in Sainsbury’s at the moment. Try it out for free for seven days. And if you like it you can sign up for a year’s subscription which costs £10 for smartphones or £20 for the text messaging service.

Sign up at the isitinit website. And let us know how you get on with it in the comments.

Read all of 'What’s in your food? Find out with the isitinit Food Angel' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Can you believe it? Christmas is just around the corner. And there’s no better way to celebrate it than with gorgeous gluten free Christmas cakes from the aptly named Especially Delicious.

Gluten free Christmas cup cakes

The company was started by Sarah Jones, a keen baker since childhood. When she was told to start following a gluten free diet she set about creating her own gluten free goodies.

Her cakes were so delicious her friends and family couldn’t tell the difference between gluten free and ‘real’ cakes. And so with their encouragement Sarah started Especially Delicious in 2004, specialising in fabulous celebration cakes.

She’s based in south west London but can deliver nationwide. And Especially Delicious makes luxury gluten free celebration cakes for all occasions – not just for Christmas!

Gluten free Ho Ho cup cakes

We think a box of gluten free cup cakes makes an amazing holiday gift.

Christmas cakes start from £39.95 and cupcakes start from £12.95 for 6.

For more information vist the Especially Delicious website, become a fan on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Order your gluten free Christmas cup cakes now and call Sarah on 020 8944 0373.

Read all of 'Yum yum. Gluten free Christmas cup cakes which are Especially Delicious' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Freidman's pastrami sandwich and sweet potato fries

Friends of GFB, Wendy and Paul, recently made their annual pilgrimage to the amazing city of New York and Wendy, being gluten intolerant, was kind enough to write some notes about the places she visited that were GF friendly.

Freidman’s Lunch

A great café inside the foodie Chelsea Market. Many items on the menu can be adapted to be gluten free. I had a yummy pastrami sandwich and sweet potato fries. The bread they use was much tastier than anything I’ve had in the UK.

They also do bagels for breakfast/brunch but only at the weekend. And they stock a bottled gluten free beer called Redbridge which was really good.

Very reasonably priced.

S’MAC (short for Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese)

S'MAC - New York's best Macaroni & Cheese

Great little place in the East Village serving only mac ‘n’ cheese – they position themselves as “New York’s best Macaroni & Cheese” on their website.

All dishes are ‘build your own’ where you choose your own cheese combinations and additional ingredients and can all be made with gluten free pasta. I had a ‘nosh’ size (the smallest size) though I wished I’d had the ‘major munch’ as it was so good! Only negative was that on their website they say they offer a vegan/non dairy cheese option but they didn’t have this on the day we visisted – (I shouldn’t really have dairy but did).

A filling and tasty cheap lunch.

Bar Breton, 250 5th Ave, New York

Bar Breton
A smart but cosy French restaurant open for lunch and dinner on 5^th Avenue not far from the Empire State Building which specialises in traditional Brittany buckwheat galettes.

Absolutely delicious and they also have a dedicated gluten free fryer for their herb fries! We had a salmon galette with horseradish cream and also a Gruyère and Black Forest ham. Traditional Breton cider to drink served in a teacup!

Reasonably priced for the great quality.

Babycakes NYC, 248 Broome Street, New York

Babycakes NYC

Oh my God! Heaven on earth! Cute bakery on the Lower East Side selling the most delicious breads, cookies and cupcakes and all made with healthy ingredients. They don’t use eggs or dairy instead using healthy coconut oil and only use agave nectar, never sugar.

Almost all of their cakes are gluten free with the exception of a few which are made using spelt – though the cabinets are all clearly labeled and the staff always ask about intolerances when serving.

I had carrot cupcake and pumpkin bread (as it was Halloween) – really amazing and deliciously moist with the subtle taste of coconut. We need one of these in London!

Babycakes NYC cupcakes

I also bought the Babycakes book (Babycakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-about Bakery) by founder Erin McKenna so will be testing out my baking skills over the coming weeks – I just need to source some of the ingredients online first which are not as easy to find in the UK – they have great online suppliers in the US.

Other places we ate were all very helpful by adapting dishes to exclude specific ingredients to ensure that they were gluten free.

It sounds like Wendy and Paul had a fantastic time in New York and we thank them for taking the time to send us their experiences.

Get yourselves over there to try out some of these places. It’s getting cheaper and cheaper for us in the UK to visit the States. And of course, let us know if you discover or know of any other great places in New York.

Read all of 'Gluten Free in NYC' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

The nice people at Dietary Specials sent a gluten free starter pack to GFB towers this week. (Have you signed up for your starter pack yet? Do it now).

Inside were some DS Ciabatta white rolls (which were nearly as delicious as their brown rolls). Plus a packet of TruFree Digestive biscuits which I’m ashamed to say I practically finished off in one sitting. As a coeliac I’m used to eating gluten free delights. But how do they compare to the real thing? So, before I scoffed the entire packet, I let my gluten eating work colleagues try them out.

They described TruFree’s gluten free digestives as crispier and crunchier than normal digestives. Sort of chunkier, more like a cookie. Not as smooth as a normal digestive but that didn’t matter. And less sweet, which was nicer. And concluded these gluten free digestives would be perfect for cheese but not necessarily for dunking.

So there you have it. Market research. Sort of. If you’re a coeliac in a gluten eating family you could probably slip a packet of TruFree’s digestives into your biscuit tin and there probably wouldn’t be too much hullabaloo. Or you could hide them at the back of the cupboard and keep them for yourself.

TruFree gluetn free digestive biscuits are available in most UK supermarkets priced at approximately £1.80.

Read all of 'Crispy, crunchy, chunky: Digestive Biscuits from TruFree' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

At Gluten Free Towers we’re always getting sent new things to try.

Last week we received some gluten free brown ciabatta rolls from DS (Dietary Specials). DS is one of our fave brands: their products are all good quality, well priced and available in most UK supermarkets. Oh and don’t forget to visit the DS website and sign up for their gluten free starter pack.

Anyway, back to the ciabatta rolls. After five minutes in the oven – to give them that homemade freshly-baked vibe – we scoffed the lot with some Covent Garden Leek and Potato soup (yes, we still like soup – even in the summer). And, we have to say, they were very good indeed: moist, light and bouncy in the middle and with a nice nutty flavour. They’re a good size as well and perfect for packed lunches stuffed with a tasty filling.

Ciabatta brown rolls come in packs of four, cost less than £2 and are available in all major UK supermarkets. (We found them in Asda for £1.73.) Try them for yourself and let us know what you think.

Read all of 'Enjoy a taste of Italy with gluten free ciabatta rolls from Dietary Specials' on the The Gluten Free Blog website

Marks & Spencer has got a new range of gluten free breads and cakes. It seems they’re not available in every store, but we hope that’s just a temporary glitch and we’ll see all these gluten free goodies in all branches of M&S soon.

I recently tried the Orange & Polenta Loaf Cake which is made with – as you may imagine – polenta, orange juice and sweet almonds. The cake was buttery and sweet without being sugary, although I did think it was a tiny bit dry. My Father, who is also a coeliac, disagreed and loved it.

The Orange & Polenta Loaf Cake costs £2.29. Give it a whirl and tell us what you think.

Read all of 'This is not just gluten free cake: It’s M&S gluten free cake' on the The Gluten Free Blog website