Pity Presents

One of the perks of being a Coeliac (let's face it, there aren't many!) is the amount of foodie presents I have received from family and friends! Maybe I'm blessed with particularly generous and sympathetic friends but as I've said before.....presents are always good and edible presents are even better!! (Particularly if they are actually GF!) Or, maybe it's the sorrowful puppy dog eyes I give them when they are tucking into communal birthday cake / doughnuts / pizza etc etc! Or maybe it's because I look like I'm wasting away and need a little fattening up?! (Clearly not true...You've seen how many blog posts are dedicated to cake right?! ) Nevertheless my friends / family are fab and I'm forever finding little GF treats left for me to find! This week was no exception..... Here is example 1....

Here we have an Udi's (http://udisglutenfree.co.uk) chocolate muffin! Now, I was familiar with the Udi's two pack (1 toffee, 1 choc chip) but I had not seen these before. Still in a 2 pack but both the same and both delicious! Delivered by a friend at work who was having a birthday and didn't want me to be left out! Yep....she's a keeper! The muffin was great, chocolatey enough without being too rich and held together really well. Good job it was a 2 pack cos I needed the other to get me through Parents Eve!!

Example number 2....

Regular readers will know I'm partial to a packet of popcorn so this was definitely the way to my heart.....left on my desk by same friend!! Told you she was a keeper ha ha! Metcalfe's (www.metcalfesskinny.com) do some great flavours and at the moment donations are being made to charity.......that's me doing my bit for charideeee......easier than running a marathon eh?! 

I came home to find a packet of Newburn Bakehouse (www.newburnbakehouse.com) white soft rolls waiting for me the other day! Daly had made burgers and took pity of my "non bun situation" so treated me!! (I clearly give off the pity vibe.....it seems to be working for me so hey, why not?!). Anyway, the aforementioned rolls come in a 4 pack and were great for my packed lunch the next day

I was actually quite impressed! I've had mixed feelings with Newburn Bakehouse items....loaves of bread not so good (don't last, fall apart, can be holey), muffins great but think they may have stopped some of them now (is that right??), love the wraps (plain and seeded but a little expensive) but these rolls were good! They didn't fall apart, tasted pretty much like white bread and weren't too stodgy! All good!

Finally a little treat I purchased for myself....

Crunch by name and cruch by nature (www.angelocglutenfree.co.uk) Super snappy and tasty too! Strangely tasted more like cherry to me which was a bit of a shame coz I don't like cherry! Nevertheless, I like the texture so much I'd definitely be up for trying some of the other flavours (a little "heads up" for anyone who next takes pity on me lol!)

Well, I shall wish you a "foodie gift filled" fortnight! I am heading off to Mallorca for Half Term and will look forward to telling you all about it when I get back! (@lizprice79) xx

Serendipity

So, apart from being the title of one of my all time favourite films (have you seen it?! If not, why not?? Go and get a copy now.....go on...my blog is ok but you'll enjoy the film sooooo much more!!) Serendipity is also the theme of this weeks blog post! According to Wikipedia Serendipity is "a fortunate happenstance" or "a pleasant surprise". I had my serendipitous experience last Saturday and of course it involved GF food!

Having walked the length and breadth of Walthamstow market without a sniff of a GF treat, to say I was a little downhearted (and hungry!!) is an understatement! When Dale suggested a trip to London fields, I nearly bit his hand off, as London Fields Broadway Market means one thing......Floris Food! I've blogged about Floris before but really and truly I cannot reccommend them enough. This week I tried my first ever arancini (rice ball)

My mood was instantly lifted......tasty chunks of chorizo nestled in breaded rice. Delicious and filling....stick that in your pipe Walthamstow! I was also lucky enough to sample a little caramelly choux bun 

and I won't confess to the other treats I bought!!!!

 Not stopping there, Dale and I stocked up on popcorn at Drum and Kernel http://www.drumandkernelpopcorn.co.uk

You'd think popcorn was popcorn right?! Wrong!!!! This is really something else....a mixture of sweet and salty, using "mushroom corn"(?!?!?) which makes larger pieces of popcorn......oh yes, we chatted to the person on the stall.....we truly are popcorn experts now! Mental note......the large pack goes a looooong way......eyes bigger than belly syndrome strikes again!!

BUT my true serendipitous experience was still to happen (I know, it can't get better than rice balls, buns and popcorn but it does!!).....

Dale and I popped into a little plain looking mini market kinda place to pick up a drink. This place was a cross between The Tardis and Aladdin's cave because it was rammed with stuff from floor to ceiling! It contained all the usual bits and bobs you'd expect to find in this kind of shop plus......wait for it.....wait for it.....A GLUTEN FREE SECTION!!!! There you have it......Serendipity!! Not only was there a whole section, they also had the Easy Bean crackers (http://www.easybean.co.uk/index.html) I had been wanting to try....can you have double serendipity?!

These crackers are great and I can so see why they proudly display their "great taste award" logo! Plus points....really tasty, surprisingly hearty and hold together really well which is unusual for a GF cracker! Negative points...only 5 in a pack which is clearly not enough (right?!) amd where on earth can I buy them now??? Will need to do a bit of research methinks!

For those who follow me on Twitter you may have already seen my proud stash of goodies from Marks and Spencer yesterday

Oh yes, I was proud of myself! The baguette was for my church lunch today. Not wanting to take my chances at the gluten riddled buffet, I decided to pack my own picnic (which did not include all of the above....I'm gutsy but not that gutsy!!) It pains me to say it but I wasn't overly thrilled! I really do heart M&S but I had high hopes for the baguette and it really wasn't that special.....first bite into my sandwich and the whole thing fell apart......just like a lot of other GF breads! However, the Victoria Sandwich is special, really special! Wow! I shared it around with others and no one knew it was GF, that's always a good test I reckon!

Finally, let's end with some chcolate!! I made pudding yesterday (Yep, you heard right, me...not Dale!!) Thanks to Nigella (http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/instant-chocolate-mousse-4) I whipped up this GF choc mousse which wasn't too bad you know!

Sooooo rich, incredibly thick and very dark chocolately (more of a milk choc fan myself!) but they went down well so guess that's good!

Wishing you all a fortnight of fortunate happenstances! (@lizprice79) xx