Genius bread!!

Having just raved about Mrs Crimble's new fresh g-f loaf, I didn't think I would find anything better - at least not for a while... However, I think I have! It's a new product called Genius bread and is made by a mum who has children with allergies (according to the website, anyway!). It's only available in Tesco at the moment I think but it's well worth taking a trip to one to find it. They seem to do a brown and white loaf - I've only tried the brown so far but it's soft, squidgy and absolutely delicious - I made a PROPER sandwich to take to work for lunch last week and it was still soft and fresh after a morning in my bag - YAY!

M&S muffin!

Marks & Spencer have started doing a g-f chocolate muffin in their in-store cafes - yay! It's very chocolatey but very light... slightly crumbly but I am absolutely not complaining - to be able to get something properly g-f in a cafe so you can join in with whoever you're with is the all important thing! They're individually wrapped so no worries about contamination either - woohoo!

Brilliant bread!

Mrs Crimble has brought out a new loaf of g-f 'fresh' bread - and it's AMAZING!! Able to be eaten without being toasted (for the first couple of days) and it's ALMOST like that spongy texture of fresh normal bread from the pre g-f days... especially good with lots of butter and strawberry jam...! It's dusted with g-f flour and has a lovely farmhouse feel... It's great toasted too.
I've only found it in Sainsbury's so far but it's WELL worth getting hold of some - let me know if you find it anywhere else!

Konditor do new g-f brownies!

Konditor & Cook have started doing an AMAZING gluten-free brownie! It's seriously rich, got black cherries in and white chocolate stripes on the top - UBERly good! They're my new favourite - WIN!

G-f snacks delivered to your desk...

I recently tried a couple of boxes from Graze. Although they don't yet cater specifically for Coeliacs, this is something they are planning to do in the future. However, you can see a list of all the ingredients by clicking on each product and you can easily fill your boxes with g-f stuff. There are only a few no-nos - mostly the chili-flavoured nuts. You can get fresh fruit, dried fruit and loads of different nuts and seeds etc - and delivery is included in the cost - to anywhere in London.

Lots of fun when it arrives as the packaging is really lovely (and all recyclable) and the combinations of nuts/fruits etc are really imaginative and delicious. When I emailed them to ask about allergy-friendly foods, I got a really lengthy and detailed email in return.

Definitely worth a try!

G-f Hot Cross Buns...

I think Sainsbury's g-f hot cross buns are pretty good - nice and spicy and delicious just with butter... Happy Easter!

Ooze risotteria...

Went to Westfield the other night for dinner and tried out a risotto from Ooze. The menu is very clearly marked as to what is g-f and most of the risottos, if not all of them, are - yay!

I stupidly didn't take a picture as was so hungry that I wolfed it before I remembered, but I chose one with speck, asparagus and mushrooms and it was very tasty. Great consistency and great to know that it's g-f for sure. Reasonably priced too. There's one in Goodge St too if you're in the centre of town. A great option for a spring supper - especially with a glass of white wine!

Not in London, but still...

I recently went down to Charmouth in Dorset for a couple of days and, whilst there, visited Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Canteen, which is only about five miles away in Axminster, Devon. I had told them of my allergy when we booked and the extremely nice waiter who served us was very knowledgeable and knew what I could and couldn't have. Also, because all the food is local, seasonal produce and cooked fresh, there isn't much call for flour or hidden barley in stock etc - everything is pretty-much homemade...

It was a lovely atmosphere and delicious food - I had lamb's liver with potato gratin and greens in a balsamic gravy, followed by a vanilla yoghurt panacotta with rhubarb.


If you're ever down Devon way, it's well worth a visit!
We stayed at The White House Hotel in Charmouth, which is a great culinary resting place! The owner is a chef and prepares all the food himself - again using only local, seasonal produce. Again, informed them of my allergy and although they don't have g-f bread or anything, the food was all fine for me and extremely tasty, so a good place to stay if you're gluten-free... lovely, friendly people too.

Cotto update...

Have been back to Cotto a couple of times and the coeliac owner was as welcoming as ever! He has also now developed his own g-f pizza base which is far superior to the bought ones they offer... for a couple of pounds extra you can have any of the toppings on the homemade g-f base and it's a winner! Absolutely enormous too - felt so stuffed afterwards I couldn't manage any of his famous g-f tiramisu!

However, the time before I had spaghetti carbonara for my main and purposefully left a bit of room to try it - it was OUTSTANDINGLY good! Really sweet, full of brandy and just a delicious, chocolatey, creamy bit of heaven! It often sells out quickly so make sure you book an early table if you want to be sure of getting some!

Be wary of Caffe Nero hot chocolate...

Just read on their website - in the 'Nutritional Information' section - that Caffe Nero's hot chocolate contains dextrose derived from wheat... It weirdly says it doesn't contain gluten but I'm not sure how that can be, seeing as how gluten is IN wheat - WEIRD!

Anyway - just thought I'd post and let you know.

Exciting muesli news (mews?)...

Calling all breakfast lovers - the best gluten-free cereal has arrived on UK shores - WOOHOO!

It's made by Bakery On Main - a US-based company - and is now available in Wholefoods on High St Kensington.

They have three different g-f ones - I chose apple, raisin and walnut because I'm a sucker for cinnamon. It is AMAZING. Really crunchy texture and seriously delicious (and there's no sugar, or high-fructose corn syrup in there which is a bonus). It's kind of expensive at £3.99 a bag, but I'm glad I forked out and will do again in an instant - am just rationing it by mixing a little with the Doves Farm g-f cereal flakes - a great base that tastes a bit like Special K - from what I remember...!

I couldn't recommend it more highly. Haven't seen it in the Fresh&Wild in Soho when I've been recently, but let me know if it's in your local branch and I'll add that to the post...

Wake up and enjoy a properly good, textureful and delicious breakfast - YUM!

Fish and chips review...

Despite having uploaded the pics to my earlier post, I suddenly realised that I didn't actually ever post about what the fish and chips were like when I visited The Mermaids Tail! (Don't ask me why there's no apostrophe)

The gluten-free option is on the menu and all the staff seem to just know immediately what you want when you ask for it - no, "Sorry - what was that? What-free?", they just took the order and it arrived. The batter was really light and crispy and I actually preferred it to my memories of what 'normal' batter was like. I didn't feel overly stuffed after eating it and it wasn't too greasy.

The Mermaids Tail itself looks like a massively touristy 'does everything' restaurant - the signs blaze out a message of 'Surf and Turf!' 'Ribs!' etc etc, but inside there are nice (plastic) red and white checked table cloths and there are lots of different areas to sit in. It's pretty massive inside but once you're seated you don't feel like you're in a huge, open space because of all the different nooks and crannies.

DEFINITELY worth a visit as the g-f fish and chips are really good and provide yet another chance to eat 'normal' food with friends!

More about Scoop - the best gelato in London...

I have been going pretty regularly every weekend to Scoop for amazing ice cream. It really is sensationally good and is some of the best ice cream I've ever had - and I lived in Italy for a year... it's properly Italian and the chocolate is to die for. I just thought I'd mention it again as it deserves to be visited... (especially now the weather's a little warmer)

They haven't had the g-f cones when I've been recently, but am presuming they probably get them in for the summer.

Please go and enjoy - if you like ice cream, it's the best treat ever.

Wraps review and pic...

So, I just went to Danny's Gourmet Wraps to check out the g-f wraps. It was SO amazing to be able to join the lunchtime queue, get to the front and be able to say, "a gluten-free wrap please - The Sicilian", without any fuss, any ingredients list-checking (that normally takes about 10 mins and makes you feel guilty for holding up the queue) and any worries about anything - YAY!

The corn wraps were soft and didn't tear when folded around the filling and you get 2, as I mentioned in my first post about this place, as they are smaller than the massive flour ones. It's quick, it's tasty and it's GREAT to be able to get a gluten-free sandwich/take-away lunch that isn't soup or a salad - thank you, Danny!

Gluten-free wraps...

A great day... I just read about somewhere that does gluten-free take-away wraps in London! FINALLY! Somewhere that means you can get something tasty, with texture and on the go - am very excited.

It's called Danny's Gourmet Wraps and is between Holborn and Russell Square and they have a whole gluten-free menu - they use corn wraps (you get 2 as they're smaller than the flour wraps) and there is a huge selection of both meat and vegetarian ones, and you can choose dairy-free options etc too. They also have a g-f brownie and lemon cake on the menu.

Unfortunately I'm not in London this weekend so going to have to wait until Monday to take a trip there to try one out (I've already chosen which one - The Sicilian) so will let you know how it is afterwards. If anyone else goes this weekend though, please post and let me know what it's like - I can't wait!

(They also say that if you tell them you have an allergy when they order, they'll change gloves/sanitise etc to minimise cross-contamination as obviously they have glutenous wraps there too... seem very clued-up - YAY!)

G-f fish and chips - Leicester Square

A quick update on the fish and chips scenario for anyone who read about it from Sue in the comments on the 'Tea at the Ritz' posting...

It IS called The Mermaids Tail and it's in Leicester Square. Walked past it the other night and it's massive - on the right-hand side as you walk through the square from Charing Cross Road towards Piccadilly Circus... It's a big 'surf and turf' place and on their menu it definitely says, "Gluten-free batter available on request."

It's £10.50 for fish and chips and mushy peas, so pretty pricey, but what else would you expect in that area!

Going to try and go there soon to try it out, but if anyone else gets there first - please post and let us all know how it is!

Dal and chapattis

I'm a big fan of dal and used to love mopping up leftovers with chapattis - before I knew I was Coeliac. Since then have just been having dal with rice - but found and tried out a great recipe for g-f chapattis today... really simple and very quick.

I used this recipe only I didn't have any ground rice so I just used rice flour and that seemed to work OK.

I've got a lot of Ayurvedic cookbooks which is where I get all my dal recipes from - my favourite is moong dal which is basically just moong dal (available from any local shops which stock Asian/world foods), spices and water. There are lots of recipes online too so just try some out!

The bread would be good with some spices/herbs etc in too - or maybe even nuts or something - will give some varieties a go and let you know!

Apologies and mueslis...

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted - I was away a lot over Christmas and New Year and, due to the ever-foreboding 'credit crunch' I just haven't been able to afford to go out for meals, to be honest. I had seriously good intentions of doing a massive Christmas blog about all the good g-f stuff I'd tried - mince pies, M&S stuffing (three out of four of theirs were g-f this year - bonus), Christmas pudding etc etc, but then I didn't. I shall endeavour to do better in 2009. And if I can't go out, I'll put up some more recipes and things I've found in supermarkets etc.

Ooh - one thing I did try that I was very disappointed with was Muddy Cook - bespoke muesli. It was seriously expensive, but I thought I'd treat myself before Christmas and try it out as I love muesli. I make my own sometimes but at the moment I've run out of storage jars to keep all the stuff in...!

Anyway, you choose a base (they have a g-f one) then add whatever ingredients you want to it from a massive list. It arrived promptly and everything but I was SERIOUSLY disappointed with the texture. The base is SO powdery that it literally turns into sludge as soon as you add milk, and to be honest, I tried twice and then rather gave up. So now it's just sitting in the kitchen taking up space and making me annoyed that I spent so much money on it every time I look at it... It might be OK to make bircher out of or something, but I was not impressed.

However, I went to Fresh & Wild the other day and picked up some new granola - also expensive but half the price of the Muddy Cook and I had been given some vouchers so was getting nice things anyway. It's called 'Perfekt' (Perfekt Nutrition) and is made by someone called Karolina Gardiner. There were about four to choose from and one was g-f. Am happy to report that it's REALLY good - YAY! I love granola and have yet to find a good g-f one. I quite like the Southern Alps one but it's very chewy and this is only about 50p more. I didn't want to get through it too fast so I had some with some Dove's Farm Cereal Flakes (if you haven't tried these, they're great - a really good new addition to their fantastic range) and it made for a delicious bowl of cereal! Also had some sprinkled on my rice porridge this morning - it just added something a bit different and tasty so definitely a good investment.

If anyone else has found a great muesli/granola, please do post and let me know...