We recently went to my parents’ house for a meal and as my parents don’t cook gluten-free all the time they sometimes struggle to find new and different ideas for recipes. Puddings are always a challenge as they only have gluten flour in the house and as they like to make things from scratch it can be hard to come up with new ideas. This particular day they tried a variation on one of Stephen’s favourites – Apple and Blackberry Crumble. It proved to be delicious so we thought we would share the recipe for everyone to try. Ingredients 250-300gr […]
Growing up as a child one of my weekly highlights was my Mum’s roast dinner on a Sunday. Especially the gravy that she used to make, so when I grew up and left home this was one thing I made sure I knew how to make so I could carry on enjoying the taste. It was made with flour, Bisto Powder, yeast extract, an Oxo cube and meat juices. When Stephen was diagnosed with Coeliac disease it was apparent that this lovely recipe for gravy could no longer be made and many of the ingredients were not gluten-free. We researched […]
Valentine’s day, a time of love and romance, when lovers the world over can enjoy a carefree evening of gazing into the eyes of each other over a romantic meal. That is unless you are a coeliac in which case part of your evening can be spent staring at a menu trying to detect what elements of a meal may contain gluten. Fortunately, since 13th December 2014 restaurants are legally obliged to provide allergy information on food sold unpackaged (the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation 1169/2011), however, that has only helped partly. Now instead of trying to use our […]
Eating out is definitely the hardest part of being a coeliac. Whenever we go out for a meal or decide to have lunch out somewhere new I dread it. I can sometimes feel the panic rise up in me before we leave the house, especially if we are going out with others. I don’t worry about whether or not I will find something on the menu (there’s always the classic steak and chips – as long as I emphasise no battered onion rings or mushrooms), but I do worry about making the table seem like a group of complainers. I’ve […]
After I was diagnosed as a coeliac in 2005 I quickly stopped missing the convenience (and tastiness) of fast food. Don’t get me wrong I was never an enormous purchaser of takeaways; MacDonald’s was nice but often left me feeling hungry half an hour later, and I always felt pizzas’ left me feeling bloated and stuffed more than the stuffed crust. Nicola and I would have the occasional Chinese or Indian takeaway (I loved Peshwari naan). However, the one thing I really missed was fish and chips. On holiday I was (and still am) really jealous when I see Nicola […]
This savoury mince recipe is very versatile and can be used as a base for many other delicious dishes, it is made from many store cupboard essentials so can be easy and cheap to produce. If you don’t have the vegetables listed then substitute for other ones or omit completely. Ingredients 500g Lean Minced Beef 1 carrot, diced 2 tablespoons frozen peas 1 stick celery, sliced 1 onion chopped 1/2 pint of gluten-free beef stock Cornflour to thicken Method Fry the mince and onion until brown, add the carrot and celery and fry for a further 5 minutes until starting […]
Purchasing gluten-free breadcrumbs can be difficult and expensive. I experimented with making my own and found this recipe to work best. Stephen gets some white rolls on which he finds are very stodgy to eat. Now I turn them into breadcrumbs and use them in various other recipes. Ingredients One loaf of gluten-free bread or gluten-free rolls Method Break the bread or rolls into a liquidiser and liquidise until coarse Ensure not to put too many in at a time as the liquidiser will jam Spread the breadcrumbs out on to a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven for […]
Coeliac disease diagnoses have tripled among children in the UK over the last 20 years but those from poorer families are only half as likely to be diagnosed, new research shows. The research from the University of Nottingham, published in the medical journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, shows that around 1 per cent of children have blood markers for the disorder and that the diagnosis rate between 2008 and 2012 was 75 per cent higher than it was between 1993 and 1997. The researchers used a UK database called The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a representative database of anonymised […]
This blog brings to the forefront of the mind a matter which many Coeliac’s must think about every time they eat out. How much do chef’s and waiters/waitresses actually know about cross-contamination of gluten and other allergens? The answer is probably – not much! You can’t blame the staff in situations like this, you have the blame the management for failing to understand the implications to the customers who have an allergy. In my recent blog, “No Cookie For You,” I briefly mention how the practice of consciously considering gluten is different than passively knowing facts about gluten consumption and […]
Pancakes are a must-have in any household, especially on Shrove Tuesday, the question is what will you have on yours? We’ve put together a top 5 sweet and savoury topping ideas to tickle your taste buds. Sweet Lemon and Sugar – the old classic and a favourite amongst many Strawberries and Cream – what could be nicer than fresh strawberries topped with freshly whipped cream – if strawberries are not your thing then you could always change the fruit for your favourite Maple Syrup and Ice Cream – nothing nicer than ice cream melting over warm pancakes, drizzled with maple […]