If you have a sweet tooth...

... read on! I have recently eaten the BEST gluten-free cake I've ever had, AND the best biscuit. Honestly, they were both so good and you would never know they were gluten-free...

The cake comes from Konditor and Cook and is called Almond St Clement. It's a moist, spongy, orangey cake with a delicious sticky layer of citrusy goodness on top and really is perfection. I got given a whole one for my birthday recently and I almost ate the whole thing (meant for 12) for breakfast. They also do some other gluten-free things - helpfully pointed out on their 'retail list'.

The biscuit is from, surprisingly, Costa Coffee. It's called 'Gluten-Free Raspberry Shortcake' and so far every branch I've been into (bar one) has stocked them. It tastes a bit like a cherry bakewell (which I love so was instantly sold on flavour) but the best thing is the texture - it has jam in the middle and is like a shortcake cookie on the outside so it's really almost like having a soft cookie (the kind I used to eat from the bakery bit in Sainsbury's - where you get 5 in a bag or whatever - pre-gf days...) - AMAZING.

Seriously, give both of them a try - they are truly delicious and unlike so many of the gf products, are exactly like their wheat-filled friends...

Swanky gluten-free goodness

I ate out at two tres posh restaurants this weekend - and both had a lot of things that were gluten-free on their menu... the first was Chez Kristof in Hammersmith, where I had three courses of really good food. I had mentioned when I booked the table that I had allergies and quite soon after we sat down a waitress came over and asked me about it and then told me what I could and couldn't have on the menu, which was helpful - avoided the normal delay of having to ask if something is OK then waiting for them to find out from the kitchen...
I had a really good roasted butternut squash, goats' cheese and pine nut salad to start with, followed by mussels and chips, then a poached pear with cinnamon ice cream - the only mistake they made was that the ice cream came in a brandy snap basket (I didn't actually ask if it had flour in, but as they 99% do I avoided it...). Was really good food and is a cool place.
On Saturday night, I went to Alloro - a swanky Italian in Mayfair. Again, the waiter was really attentive and we got a different amuse bouche than the table next to us, which I presumed was to cater for me, which was nice - especially as they didn't mention it or make a fuss... (we had delicious asparagus with pesto rather than a mini fishcake) I then had baby mozzarella and 'aubergine caviar' (which was huge!), then roasted sea bream with braised fennel. For pudding I had creme brulee.
Both places were really nice and it seemed like they really made an effort to make sure I was catered for, but without making a big song and dance about it. If you fancy a swankadero meal, or are celebrating something, I'd definitely recommend either of these...

Winning gluten-free muesli!

The days of powdery, plastic-tasting gluten-free muesli are over - hooray! A Scottish company (who are extremely friendly) called Spoff sent me some samples recently and they were winning.
They do a range of normal mueslis, as well as wheat-free and gluten-free ones and the ones I tried (all g-f, of course) were really good.
I am a particular fan of the Gluten-Free Highland Muesli with Date, Walnut and Sunflower Seed - there is no added sugar but there is a natural sweetness due to the spices they add - I think this one had some cinnamon in, but I may be wrong... I also made porridge out of one of the other samples, which, instead of having that slightly strange taste I've noticed when I've tried heating up other g-f mueslis, had a really subtle (but NOT bland!) hint of spice and all the ingredients just melted into each other to make a really warming and delicious breakfast.
They also do rice flakes for making plain porridge and, joy of all joys, a chocolate version - again no added sugar which is a bonus - just rice flakes and cocoa - perfect for the wintry days ahead...
You can order online, a few independent shops stock their products - and, even more convenient, some Waitrose stores have just got some in so make sure you get hold of a bag somehow - I would say this is the best gluten-free muesli I've ever had - and, believe me, I've tried a few, and even made my own! I'll be leaving it to the experts from now on...

Gluten-free Italian - Covent Garden

There is a lovely Italian restaurant on Endell St, near Covent Garden tube (almost opposite swanky media hang-out The Hospital) which does gluten-free pasta. It's called Da Mario and is totally authentic and seems to have been transported straight from Florence to London, complete with comedic waiters. The food is really good and they offer gluten-free linguine or penne and you can have most of the sauces. They also have specials which change regularly - when I went last there was a risotto which was also gluten-free. For pudding there is creme brulee on the menu and also ice creams and sorbets which are gluten-free.

It's pretty reasonably priced too - between £6.50 and £10-ish for pasta dishes and then a bit more for meat/fish mains.

At last - pasta in a restaurant (that isn't a chain...) - hooray! They don't have a website but if you search for Da Mario Endell St you'll find plenty of reviews...

Highly recommended for a girly supper.

Muffins galore

I headed to Covent Garden the other day to find a muffin shop that I'd read about online that does gluten-free muffins - Muffinskis. I found it and it was certainly worth the walk from work as they indeed do make gluten-free ones and the one I had was seriously good! There was blueberry and white chocolate and raspberry and white chocolate on offer - I went for the blueberry. It was pretty fricking tasty - crunchy on top and filled with loads of blueberries so gooey inside - great texture and delicious - hooray! The man behind the counter, who I think is possibly the owner, was really friendly too and knew what was in the muffins (no soya flour, thank God) which is always useful. DEFINITELY worth a visit. My trip there inspired me to come up with a better recipe for my own muffins which I did and I have to say they were seriously winning (banana ones). I will post the recipe shortly...

So visit Muffinskis - you can eat in or take away so a good place to meet friends for tea as, for once, you won't have to miss out on the cakes - yay!

Gluten-free Indian food in Soho

Rasa will always be my favourite Indian restaurant in London, but for lunchtime take-aways I have a new best friend - Imli. As a restaurant that introduced 'Indian tapas' to London, I have always been suspicious of it and never ventured in, but after Googling "best dal in Soho" and seeing it I thought I'd check out the menu on the website. I then discovered that they do take-away AND that on the Imli To Go menu they mark what is gluten-free - amazing!
I went there to pick up some lunch today and had some of the best tadka dal I've ever had, some rice and a delcious passion fruit lassi - all for £5.97 (you get a 10% discount if you pick it up rather than have it delivered) - bargain!
It really was good and they do three desserts which are all gluten-free, starters, mains and sides. No gluten-free bread available but you get free poppadums with your order anyway. A winner.

Vegan, vegetarian - and gluten-free!

Having just started working in Soho, after a lengthy spell of lunchtime-option nothingness in Queen's Park, I have been like a child in a (gluten-free) sweet shop - running around trying all the different options on my lunch hour. I did some Googling to see what came up and found a review for Beatroot - a tiny cafe practically opposite my new office. It has a range of hot and cold options to choose from and three different-sized containers to put them in - ranging from £3.70 - £5.70.
The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable about what's in the food and there are loads of gluten-free options - they even use gluten-free soy sauce in their stir-fries. It's all vegetarian and I think they do lots of vegan things too - including nut/dried fruit cakes etc.
The food I had (dal, rice and some tofu stir-fry) was all really good, simple and nutritious - if I had one complaint it would be that it was slightly bland as not much salt - however, that's good for me so I shouldn't really make an issue out of it...!
Definitely somewhere I'll be returning too - especially as summer dissolves into the cooler months and warming food is on the agenda...