Report Relief

So, this week saw my jubilation at the arrival of Half Term which was quickly followed by the "down in the dumps" depression of report writing.....the bain of every teachers life! So, to get through the monotony of the "has made great progress" and the "is making steps to improve" a certain amount of comfort eating and sneaky snacking was needed to survive! 

The report writing got off to a good start when I tried classic diversion tactics.....write some more or bake....write some more or....BAKE!

I returned to my faithful Intolerant Gourmet blog and had a crack at her Chickpea Loaf (http://www.theintolerantgourmet.com/journal/category/biscuits-breads?currentPage=6)

I am such a fan of The Intolerant Gourmet, her recipe's are easy to follow and use "normal" ingredients that you already have at home. We love her Sweet Potato Rolls which regularly make an appearance in our house. So I confidently chucked all the ingredients in and in my usual baking style.....hoped for the best!

Easy to follow recipe, didn't take long to bake but I have to say I wasn't a huge fan of the flavour. Nevertheless, it was the perfect accompaniment to my Yorkshire Provender soup!

 

I was given a "heads up" about Yorkshire Provender by a friend at work. It clearly states Gluten Free on the front of the pot and the Tomato, Red Pepper and Wensleydale Cheese was delicious!  And, as you can see from the photo it was a bargain too! (Thank you Waitrose!)

Finally I had to face the inevitable and crack on with some work! It was made bearable by the occasional munching on

Yep, you read it right! Crispy bacon and maple syrup?!! An interesting flavour combination, I must admit! Not unpleasant but not sure I loved it either!! Mind you, that didn't stop me munching my way through the bag! Thank goodness reports are paperless now, at least I can wipe the sticky fingerprints off my ipad ha ha!

I finally got round to sampling the chocolate Genius cupcakes! They have sat, quietly calling out to me from the kitchen cupboard for the last fortnight! Unfortunately, my willpower was at it lowest point and I have to say I gave in to the whispering! I did, however, share my cupcakes with Dale. 

They got the gluten eater (and the GF eater's) seal of approval! High praise indeed! He has even been spotted recommending them to Free From customers in Sainsbury's!

Mum and I had a little trip out mid week....it's important to take regular breaks right?! We decided to give the new Marks and Sepencer Food a try on the A10 in Enfield. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a sweet and savoury option in the cafe

Mum and I both had the GF cheese poughmans sandwich and we shared the GF chocolate brownie. We were both really impressed. The sandwich was well filled (something I know has been lacking in other recently produced GF sandwich shops) and the bread held together well. Mum was surprised at how "normal" the bread tasted! The brownie was every bit as gooey and chocolately as you would expect! Regular readers will know I am a huge M&S fan, they are doing a great job with their GF lines. The only thing I would say is that it would have been nice to have a bit of choice.....loved what I had but being able to choose between two or three items would be a huge luxury! (Which is what M&S is about isn't it?!)

Soooo back to the question of report writing or baking.....report writing or.......BAKING!!

Back to The Intolerant Gourmet I went and this time I had a go at the Homey Banana Bread (http://www.theintolerantgourmet.com/journal/tag/bananas)

Again, easy to follow recipe (I replaced honey with agave syrup just because that's what I had in the cupboard...but it worked out fine!). Really pleased with this! I took advice from the website and enjoyed it warm from the oven and have even had it toasted with butter...delicious!

Finally, to end the week and to celebrate the completion of my reports (yes, I actually found time to finish them in amongst all the eating!). Dale and I went with some friends to Miller and Carter  Steakhouse in Epping (http://www.millerandcarter.co.uk/millerandcartereppingforest/)

I was impressed to discover that they had a GF menu. This was news to me as they hadn't replied to my email enquiring about allergy menu's etc. However, I was a little disappointed to see there was no steak on the GF menu. Call me old fashioned but when dining at a steakhouse, I kinda expected some steak! Anyway, this story ends happily! After chatting to our waiter (who was more than happy to check everything I needed) it turned out that the steaks are grilled on a griddle with other gluten filled food. Nevertheless, the chef would be happy to pan fry me a steak separately! Great! Just a shame they don't tell you that on the GF menu! Anyway, all my veggie readers look away now...

I felt a bit like I was on the Atkins with my huge hunk of steak and veg! My Rib Eye was delicious and cooked exactly as I like, despite being pan fried. I'm not a huge steak fan but I would definitely go back to Miller and Carter for their hunky steak (and  their ever so slightly hunky waiters....sorry Dale!)

Sooooo back to work this week and it's school trip week!!!! (Forty 4 and 5 year olds at the farm!!) I have a feeling the comfort eating might not have stopped just yet!! Have a good week everyone! (@lizprice79)