100% gluten free places in the UK

As someone with Coeliac Disease it can be a nightmare finding somewhere that is 100% gluten free and safe for coeliacs.

While there do seem to be more and more places offering 'gluten free' options these days, there is still the risk of cross-contamination unless the place is 100% gluten free.

A very happy Coeliac on a recent gluten free day out in Leeds

Thankfully there are some superb 100% gluten free restaurants, tea rooms, pubs and takeaways that we've found on our travels, including The Oxford Place in Leeds and Gloof in Soham, Cambridgeshire.

Look at all those cakes at Gloof in Soham - they are all 100% gluten free

We also know about, but have yet to visit, 2 Oxford Place in York and Niche in London.

Luckily there is a gluten free deli opening up in Altrincham, Greater Manchester this Saturday. We're looking forward to checking out Off the Wheaten Track soon.

Do you know of any other 100% gluten free places in the UK? If so, do let me know in the comments.

New Free From range at Morrisons

Morrisons launches new Free From products.

Towards the end of last month Morrisons expanded its range of Free From products and the news sent ripples of excitement through the Coeliac and Gluten Free communities. I was particularly excited to hear that there were going to be new Curly Fries in the range, along with a number of other sweet and savoury treats.

The Curly Fries and Mini Hash Browns are only £1 a bag. Bargain

The updated branding, word of mouth buzz and excitement and the promise of new gluten and wheat free products at Morrisons means I've been spending a lot more time (and money) at my local store in Cheadle Heath. Much of the last two weeks has been spent keeping an eye out for the Curly Fries and Hash Browns. Luckily I managed to track some down on my dinner break today. I know what I'll be having for tea tonight!

The freezer section has a number of new Free From products

Looking in the Free From section I noticed a number of other gluten free products from brands outside of the Morrisons own-brand range, which is great to see.

A selection of the new gluten free cereals in the Free From section at Morrisons

Last year Morrisons expanded the range of Free From products available in store and so it's brilliant they are continuing to provide products that are safe and suitable for people with allergies, intolerances and autoimmune diseases (such as Coeliac Disease).

Check out the Morrisons website for details of their Free From range.

Related blog posts:
- Morrisons
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac

Link:
- Morrisons

Voakes Free From gluten free pies

I recently made an order for some gluten and wheat free pies from Voakes Free From. I'm glad I did.

Three of the five Voakes pies I bought (pork, 'special' and game). Two were scoffed before I had an opportunity to take this photo

I first found out about Voakes at the 2013 Home Counties Gluten Free Food Fair where I sampled a few of their products. I really liked the Special Pie - Chicken, Pork and Stuffing topped!

Check out the Voakes Free From website for more information on the range of gluten & wheat free products they offer. In addition to the pies you can get pasties, quiches, sausage rolls, black pudding, pastry, pasties and sausage rolls. All of the products are gluten and wheat free, and some of the products are also dairy free, egg free, soya free, vegan and/or vegetarian.

Link:
- Voakes Free From website

Related blog posts:

- Gluten Free
- Coeliac

New Free From Cakes at Tesco

I noticed that Tesco has some new gluten and wheat free cakes in the Free From section!

Tesco's Free From range now includes Chocolate and Madeira Celebration Cakes

I'm looking forward to an occasion to try them out.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac

Links:
- Tesco Free From
- Coeliac UK

Gluten Free Week at M&S

It's great to see M&S celebrating 'Gluten Free Week' in the Luton Mall branch.

M&S's Gluten Free Week is running parallel to Coeliac Awareness Week - 11th to 17th May 2015

As I purchased so much of the gluten free 'Made Without Wheat' range (the gluten free beer was on offer and a chocolate loaf was reduced) the man serving me asked "What's the occasion?", so I told him about Coeliac Disease (albeit not ALL the gory details) and Coeliac Awareness Week.

Much of this gluten free beer, and one of those cakes, is now residing in my fridge and cupboard

Check out the Coeliac UK website for more information on Coeliac Disease. For Coeliac Awareness Week 2015 Coeliac UK is running a diagnosis campaign called 'Is it Coeliac Disease?'.

I'm a big fan of M&S and the gluten free food and drink they stock - not only in the Made Without Wheat section but across many of the other lines in store. More often than not I'll find something new they are doing that is gluten free, which makes shopping a treat not a chore.

The links below have more info on other Coeliac/Celiac days, weeks, and months - there are quite a few special days in May!

Related blog posts:

- Gluten free

- Coeliac
- M&S
- New Gluten Free Beer and Cakes at M&S
- Special May Days

Links:
- Marks & Spencer website
- Marks & Spencer Made Without Wheat page
- Link to a product list of M&S products that DO NOT contain GLUTEN
- Coeliac UK website
- Is it Coeliac Disease? online assessment from Coeliac UK
- The Mall Luton website

Gluten free Pretzels

Happy National Pretzel Day!

As today is National Pretzel Day here's a quick blog post about gluten free Pretzels I know of.

Gluten free Pretzels by DS Gluten Free

Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks by Barkat

As well as the Pretzel Sticks Barket make normal gluten free Pretzels.

I've found that Eskal Foods also sells Pretzels, and I've enjoyed scoffing the very nice milk chocolate coated Pretzels before too!

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac

Links:
- DS Gluten Free
- Barkat Gluten Free
- Eskal Foods
- Coeliac UK

M&S gluten free Rice Porridge

Trying the new Made Without Wheat Rice Porridge from Marks and Spencer.

While Spring and Summer may not be the seasons for warming breakfasts, after spotting a new gluten and wheat free product in the York city centre branch of M&S I had to give it a try.

The boxes contain eight sachets of the gluten free porridge (made of brown rice flakes and ground maize porridge)

I had a bowl, made using milk, for breakfast and it tasted great. It filled me up until lunchtime too. This is a glowing endorsement as I have never been one for breakfasts (although this is probably something to do with 27 years of undiagnosed Coeliac Disease and feeling immediately ill after eating breakfast).

I like the fact the box contains individual sachets of porridge. And even though it contains no oats at all, it tastes like porridge. I'll be buying it again.

Links:
- Marks & Spencer website
- Marks & Spencer Made Without Wheat page
- Link to a product list of M&S products that DO NOT contain GLUTEN
- Coeliac UK website

Related blog posts:

- Gluten free

- Coeliac
- M&S
- Cereal
- Breakfast

Isabel's Gluten Free Dough Balls Mix

Cooking up some cheese dough balls with a free from mix from Isabel's.

On a recent shopping trip to Asda we spotted a product in the Free From section that we hadn't seen before - the Gluten Free Dough Balls Mix.

The 250g box makes approximately 24 dough balls and Emily made exactly two dozen delicious 'pão de queijo' snacks from the mix.

The pão de queijo' made from the Isabel's gluten free dough balls mix

They were really nice when eaten warm and with plenty leftover we've found them to be great cold too.

Putting a twist on the recipe on the packet Emily added brie to the mix, a good choice as it melted perfectly inside the dough balls.

As someone with Coeliac Disease I pore over the ingredients, claims and small-print on every single item of food and drink I buy to ensure it's safe to consume, it's pleasing to see that all of Isabel's products are naturally 100% gluten and wheat free.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Emily's Cooking

Links:
- Isabel's Free From website
- Isabel's Free From on Twitter
- Isabel's Free From on Facebook
- Asda
- Coeliac UK

Coeliac Awareness Week 2015

This year Coeliac Awareness Week is 11 to 17 May.

Coeliac Awareness Week is taking place from 11 to 17 May. For more information check out the Coeliac UK website and the Awareness Week page over the coming months.

Last year I was Minigolfing gluten free in Margate during Coeliac Awareness Week.

Minigolfer, blogger and (unfortunately) a coeliac. Last year I was playing in a national minigolf tournament at Strokes Adventure Golf course in Margate during Coeliac Awareness Week

Coeliac Disease is a lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten and the only treatment is to adhere to a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in May 2008 and have been living on a strict, lifelong gluten free diet ever since

It's important to know and remember that Celiac/Coeliac is NOT an allergy, it's NOT a preference, it's NOT a fad, it's NOT a diet, it's NOT an intolerance, it's NOT a choice - it's an AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.

Check out the blog posts and links below for more information on Coeliac Disease and Gluten Free.

Related blog posts:
- Celiac Awareness Day 2014
- Coeliac UK Awareness Week 2014 and the Gluten-free guarantee
- Minigolfing gluten free in Margate
- What a Day, Week and Month! (2013)

- Awareness Week: Coeliac Facts from Udi's Gluten Free

- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac
- Read my Gluten Free Journey blog on the Udi's gluten free website

Links:
- Coeliac UK
- Coeliac Awareness Week 2015
- National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) / Celiac Central

Dinner at Vozars gluten free restaurant in Brixton

Enjoying a three-course gluten & wheat free meal at the Spiced Winter Warmer event at Vozars restaurant.

Emily and I enjoying dining at Vozars restaurant in Brixton Village Market as it offers great food and drink - and is safe and suitable for coeliac diners as the menu is all gluten and wheat free!

My first turkey dinner of the festive season

Being on the Vozars mailing list and keeping an eye on what they are up to on Twitter and Facebook we heard about the Spiced Winter Warmer event taking place and decided to treat ourselves to a 'festive season' meal.

Once again the food and service was excellent. Check out the photos for a view of two of the six dishes we had (between us). To get an idea of the taste and smell you'll have to go along yourself.

Emily was pleased with the risotto cake

An excellent chocolate pudding for dessert 

I really enjoyed the duck carpaccio as a starter and Emily had a risotto cake (ball!) with grilled mushrooms and salad. The risotto cake had a great crispy coating.

For main I had the confit turkey breast with traditional Czech Christmas stuffing, cranberry sauce and the yellowest sweet potato mash I have ever seen! Emily had the ham hock cooked in shallots and horseradish served with butternut squash and a chilli and apple compote.

The desserts were brilliant. Although the Chocolate pudding defeated me, enabling Emily to have some of it too. It was served with Celia caramel and Crème Anglaise. Emily tells me the berry crumble with cinnamon ice cream was great too. I was too full to try any.

Of course the meal went very well with a Celia lager or two.

As well as lunch and dinner, Vozars has a number of special pop-up events throughout the year, and you can also pop in to grab a cake or savoury snack to takeaway.

The 2014 Christmas menu at Vozars begins today (3 December) and one of the dishes is a beer battered cod! One of my favourite dishes.

Visit the Vozars website and Twitter feed and keep up-to-date with Vozars and Celia Lager via Facebook and Twitter for news, events and competitions.

Links:

- Vozars Cafe Deli Restaurant

- Celia Lager

Related blog posts:
- Vozars Gluten Free Cafe Deli Restaurant in Brixton Village Market

- Celia Lager

- Gluten Free

Glutamel Gluten Free Baguettes

Over the weekend we were in Felixstowe, Suffolk and had a look in the Co-Operative supermarket at the station and were pleased to see a number of gluten and wheat free foods that we hadn't seen before!

One of the products that looked good and was reasonably priced were the ready to bake baguettes that came in packs of three.

Glutamel Baguettes are gluten free, wheat free and dairy free. They taste great

We bought two packs and have enjoyed eating them with a variety of fillings. They taste great and have a very good texture and consistency. Well done Glutamel.

Looking on the Glutamel website there are a lot more items available from the brand. I look forward to hopefully finding more on sale near us in Luton, Bedfordshire and on our travels around the UK.

I'm also really pleased that the team at Glutamel have ensure the products are gluten AND wheat free (with no codex wheat starch) so I'll be able to eat the lot.

I'm looking forward to using some of the baguettes for garlic bread, another item that's not easy to get hold of as a Coeliac.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac Disease
- New Free From range at the Co-operative

Links:
- Glutamel
- The Co-Operative

Gluten - my Kryptonite

My friend (and perhaps enemy!) Paul O'Conner was recently shopping in London's Chinatown and sent me this photo of what he described as "my kryptonite". He's not wrong!

Mmmm, Kimlan Peanut Gluten. Warning: Contains Gluten. Photo by Paul O'Connor (June 2014)

I know what I'll be getting from Paul for my next birthday then.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, oats and barley (and peanuts 'cut' with Fried Wheat Gluten by the look of that bottle in the picture). For people with Coeliac Disease gluten is a very dangerous substance that causes all manner of health problems. Check out the Coeliac UK website for more information on Coeliac Disease.

Paul's interesting (and evil) find reminds me of the time Emily and I spotted some terrible merchandising in a health food shop in Kentish Town. On that occasion we found the 'Gluten Free Vegetable Suet' right next to bags of pure 'Gluten'!

One of my bugbears about shopping as a Coeliac is that I often see shops (including the big supermarkets) stocking bags of gluten free and gluten-containing flour side-by-side on the shelf. Such a waste, as due to the cross-contamination I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole.

A bag of Vital Wheat Gluten Flour. Deadly to Coeliacs

Related blog posts:
- Hmm, Some Bizarre Gluten & Gluten Free Shelf Stacking!
- Funny things about being a Coeliac
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac

Vozars Gluten Free Cafe Deli Restaurant in Brixton Village Market

A great gluten free meal at Vozars restaurant in Brixton.

Coeliacs are a funny breed. We're easily spotted by our wide-eyed wonder when we find somewhere safe to eat, our scrambling for a camera to photograph the food we are about to eat, and a notepad (or scrap of paper) so we remember what we ate to enable us to blog, tweet, review and let other poor unfortunate Coeliac Disease sufferers know where they can also eat stress and worry-free.

One of the best places I have found in my six-ish years as a Coeliac on a strict gluten and wheat free diet is Vozars in Brixton Village Market where EVERYTHING is gluten and wheat free!

For a Coeliac it really is a great place to dine at, or grab something to take-away, as all of the food is prepared and cooked by very knowledgeable staff, so its safe for Coeliacs (as well as being tasty for 'normal' diners and those on a gluten free diet).

Vozars has a great range of cakes and pies to eat-in, or take-away. The WAGfree Black Forest Gateaux (bottom left) is a favourite of mine

The lunch menu has a good range of dishes and there were some specials including a Venison Burger on offer. But I remembered how much I liked the chicken strips on my last visit, so opted for the Chicken strips, rocket and chilli mayo sandwich. I also had the Hand cut chunky chips with Vozars mayo, and of course this was washed down with an obligatory Celia gluten free lager.

My big lunch of a Chicken strips, rocket and chilli mayo sandwich; the Hand cut chunky chips with Vozars mayo; and a Celia gluten free lager

The meal was nice and filling, so I didn't have a chance to have a dessert, however tempting the pear and chocolate tart looked.

Since my last visit in October 2013 Vozars restaurant has had a refurbishment and it looks great. There's now a lot more seating space inside and out and is also licensed to sell alcohol - very handy when the restaurant is inspired by Celia Lager.

Vozars has had a refurbishment since my last visit in October 2013 and looks great. The food is still as excellent as ever

Check out the Vozars website and Twitter feed and keep up-to-date with Vozars and Celia Lager via Facebook and Twitter for news, events and competitions.

Links:

- Vozars Cafe Deli Restaurant

- Celia Lager

- Celia Lager-related blog posts on The Ham & Egger Files

- Gluten Free-related blog posts on The Ham & Egger Files