Gluten Free Girl in Madrid

Now, before I throw myself into the culinary highs and lows of Madrid, I feel the need to explain something. Since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease nearly 3 years ago I have been left with a few little foodie quirks! As if being GF and nut free wasn't bad enough eh?! I won't bore you with my eating habits now however, it is worth bearing in mind that I need to eat regularly otherwise I feel icky and I can't eat late otherwise......you guessed it.... I feel icky!! So, having explained that......on with the show!

After landing in Madrid in the early morning I was pretty ravenous by lunchtime! The good ol' Golden Arches of Maccy D's has never really floated my boat, even in my gluten eating days! However, it was pretty tempting after a long journey and a growling stomach! Seeing a cross grain symbol on the  door got me a little bit excited and then by the time I had explained my needs (using the Coelaic UK translation!) I was thrilled to discover that a GF bun was an option! 

I must confess to being a little nervous and I just couldn't face risking the fries as I know they are contraversial! I was impressed by the clear labelling on the ticket and was thrilled there was more GF choice here.....begging the question why can't we have GF buns in the UK? Nevertheless, I wasn't bowled over by the burger, it was every bit as uninspiring as I remember BUT it served a purpose and  no ickiness was felt!

Rather frustratingly the land of the Siesta and Mañana don't believe in early eating! The Spaniards clearly don't suffer indigestion / reflux etc and hurrah to them for that! Therefore, we found ourself eating in places we wouldn't necessarily have chosen just because they were open and catered for GF......don't judge! We just need to avoid the ickiness!!

After doing a bit of reading and getting some recommendations from celiaquitos (www.celiaquitos.com) online we tried Tommy Mels diner style restaurant (www.tommymels.com)

A reassuring menu and great labelling of food. As you can see, not a particularly exciting chicken burger but......it was safe and filled me up! Job done!

The VIPS chain is another safe bet (www.vips.es), they are dotted about the city and have a shop with a restaurant attached. The shop is useful for selling Tyrrell's crisps and Metcalfes Skinny popcorn so great for "on the go" snacks.

The menu is FACE approved which makes you feel  confident with the GF choices

I ordered the bbq chicken flatbread

It was ok, a bit artificial but made a change from burger! I just wished I had left room for pudding as the GF pancakes sounded fab!

Now, another little quirk of mine is I'm not good with too much GF bread.........oooops, a very bread heavy diet so far! Anyway, I was thrilled to try the Steak Burger Bar (www.steakburger.es)

Dale was more than happy to partake in a burger again but I was thrilled to have the option of of steak! I was even more excited to be met by a waiter who was also Coeliac and could advise me on the best options on the menu. Apparently, they have a separate fryer for the fries which is handy to know. My steak was amazing, cooked perfectly and well worth the visit.....the first place I can truly reccomend!

My second recommendation for dinner is El Arozzal (www.elarozzal.com). I had read online that this was THE place for Coeliacs to visit. After two failed attempts (it was closed both times!) we finally caught it open at lunchtime. The owners don't have a great deal of English but I dredged about in the dark recesses of my brain for my fail safe GCSE Spanish phrases! Mr Smith (my Spanish teacher) would have been proud! I managed to establish that I was a Coeliac, that we really would love a GF bread roll, that they have GF beer on offer and we would like a paella con carne para dos! Fab! 

Delicious paella in an authentic setting. Not cheap (€39 for paella, roll and water para dos!) but well worth it!!

New York Burger (Yep, burger again...Dale was thrilled!!) (www.newyorkburger.es) are quite active on Twitter and somehow made it into my little Twitter world! Seeing they catered for GF and were based in Madrid I was intrigued! Admittedly, I'd eaten more burgers (and bread!!!!) than I normally eat in months but I was keen to give them a go! Also, as we were eating there on our last day I wanted something filling to keep the ickiness away while travelling (remember...it's all about the ickiness!)

I'm liking the little GF flags that seem to be making a regular appearance on my food! The burger was good. The roll was quite small, which wasn't a problem for me (the breadaphobe) but for some it may have been disappointing, especially if a larger burger was ordered! Nevertheless, I was stuffed soooo job done!

General snacking and supermarkets were not that amazing. I found a limited selection of GF bread and biscuits in different supermarkets but none were that great or that easy to find. I generally ate big lunches and relied on GF cake / churros as a late afternoon snack! Yep, you heard me right cake and churros........read on my friends.....

If you have a big old sweet tooth like me then these two places are a MUST for your trip to Madrid!

Celicioso (www.celicioso.es) wow.....WOW!! I can't say more than that!!!! A gluten free bakery with sweet and savoury on offer.....needless to say I sampled a few items throughout the week! 

Banoffee cake- soft, moist, toffee, banana mmmmmm!

My all time fave....red velvet cake with thick, thick, hot chocolate

A white chocolate palmier- so sweet and sickly I was nearly beaten....but I did it! Hurrah!

Turkey roll....more bread argh!! Best GF crusty roll I've tasted though! Worth the bloating!!!

If you do manage to go, check out what else is on offer. It seemed there was more in the chilled cabinet than was on the menu and there were also secret churros that I couldn't see listed anywhere but many were happily tucking into them! Whatever, you have, you'll enjoy it, I promise!!

Finally...churros!! Gluten free churros and chocolate...oh yes!! Maestro Churrero, Plaza Jancinto Benavente 2, 28012 (just off Plaza Mayor).

I might look a little stunned but trust me, it's excitement!! GF churros are things I thought I could only dream about! The chocolate is amazing too......not for the savoury fans of the world but right up my street! I had read online that they use a separate fryer and this is clear when you order as they are prepared separately to the regular versions. The chocolate is GF too and you can even bring a packet of chocolate home (if you have room in your hand luggage....which I didn't #sadtimes)

So if you are off to Madrid you won't starve! If you like a burger, you will be super happy! If you don't need to eat at set times you will probably discover some more hidden gems I didn't have the chance to  find! But to conclude.....there is cake.....gooooooood cake (and churros!) and that can't be bad....can it?!

Have a great fortnight everyone xx (@lizprice79)

Wherefore Art Thou?

Ok, a predictable blog title this week but it just had to be done! Apart from the obvious link (coming up in a mo!) I will dedicate this weeks blog to the little GF joys that I have discovered during the past couple of weeks......begging the question "Where have you been all my GF life?!"

Soooo here we go, let me have me have my moment......"Romeo, Romeo.....wherefore art thou......Oh Romeo's GF bakery on Upper Street Islington!?!!" (www.romeosglutenfreebakery.co.uk)

I was as giddy as a schoolgirl when I stumbled upon Romeo's GF bakery during a recent day trip out! Yes, I'd heard rumblings about this bakery and yes I'd read good things on Twitter but.....as I headed off for a civilised Saturday morning jewellery making with my friend, I must admit I hadn't given the bakery a second thought (shocker...I know!!).

After waiting some time to be seated, my polite request to sit down, was met with an abrupt nod by a rather surly waitress. Sadly, she didn't get any more enthusiastic or helpful as the experience progressed! Nevertheless, it was going to take more than that to put me off the array of GF baked goodies on offer!! My non GF friend and I both opted for the eggs benedict and were particularly impressed with the quality of the bread

Unfortunately, it was with a very heavy heart, that I had to admit "fullness" and forgo the amazing cake selection. I did, however take Dale a slice of chocolate cake back (I know, what a good wife eh?!)

I did, of course sample a bite and it was very good! I also brought home a small, garlic loaf which I quickly sliced and froze.....at £4.99 for a small size I didn't want to run the risk of it going stale! It's fab and toasts well....particularly when smothered in cheese!

I will, most definitely be visiting Romeo's again! The food was excellent and it was reassuring to know the whole bakery is GF! However, I hope to be served by the charming guy behind the counter next time!

Dale and I returned to La Polenteria in Soho last Friday! (www.lapolenteria.com) After contacting me on Twitter and encouraging me to come back, I had to smile when we were asked if we had booked a table! The restaurant was empty!!! Nevertheless, they managed to squeeze us in and all was well!

It seemed a much slicker set up than our last visit. The menus were clear and there was more choice. I was reassured everything was GF including all the polenta dishes, pasta dishes and gnocchi! Suddenly, it became much more tricky to choose! It was a freezing cold night so we both went for the wild boar on top of a bed of polenta

You can see the steam! It was quite peppery which aids the whole warming situation! It was delicious but, to be honest, I could have done with a little bit more! However, the plus point was it left room for pudding! Loads of choice but I finally decided on the polenta with mascarapone and jam!

Now, I can understand that this flavour / texture combo might not be up everyone's street but it was certainly up mine! Creamy and very filling! Maybe larger portions for the main course and smaller for the pudding might be the way forward! Either way we had a great night! It's perhaps a little on the pricey side (approx £50 for 2 courses and 2 soft drinks each) but certainly worth it to have something a bit different!

Ok, now I'm aware that I'm running the risk of becoming boring but hear me out! I know I've blogged about Cookies and Scream (www.cookiesandscream.com) in Camden before but they truly are AH-MAZE-ING!! (and vegan too!) Dale took a little trip out on Thursday and proudly presented me with 2 cookies - 1 brand new one and 1 of my all time faves! Firstly, the brand new ginger biscuit

As you can see, I had already dismantled it before I remembered to take a picture! Woweeeeee! This will blow your socks off! It's certainly ginger alright! It was great but I had to tackle it in stages! My mouth was on fire but I couldn't stop eating! It was like one of those American food challenges! Surprise, surprise I made it to the end in one piece! Amazing! Go and get one now and enjoy the ride!

Dale also brought me a choc chip cookie......no pic cos I ate it too quickly! This truly is my all time favourite choc chip cookie.....including the cookies I used to eat in my gluten eating days!!! It's the only product I have found that I enjoy more than the gluten filled equivalent! High praise indeed eh?! Go ahead and buy my friends......but leave me some or there'll be trouble!!!

Yesterday, I was reluctantly dragged along to another micro brewery (@BeavertownBeer) Dale to emerse myself in a little bit of brewing heaven! However, things started to look up! No......there wasn't anything more exciting for me to drink than a carton of tropical juice BUT there was something pretty exciting to eat! The Colombian St Kitchen (www.facebook.com/colombianstreetkitchen) (@colombiakitchen) had a pop up at the brewery- yay! Better still, I had tweeted them the night before and they informed me all their items would be GF...Double Yey! It was lovely to meet the Colombia St Kitchen crew and even more lovely to tuck into a tasty beef and onion empanada!

Can you see how happy I am?! Suddenly, being on an industrial estate, on a cold February afternoon, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beer I can't drink.......it didn't seem so bad!!! Thank you Colombia St Kitchen for brightening up my afternoon! Keep up the good work and I hope to track you down at another pop up event very soon!

Finally, on the "where have you been all my life" theme, I just want to give a  shout out to these little beauties!

My goodness, these should come with a warning.....dangerously morish! The Food Doctor (www.thefooddoctor.com) roasted bean mix is fab! As you know, I have a nut allergy so this kinda snack is usually out of bounds for me! It does come with a "may contain traces....." nut warning so I'll leave that with you! But to be able to munch on something with this kind of texture was truly exciting! I bought them in my last Freego (www.freego.com) order but am keeping my eyes open to see if I can pick them up in other places too!

Well, on that note I will sign off! We are off to Madrid for half term! Excited to see what GF loveliness might be on offer there! I've heard rumours of GF churros eeeeek!!! I might not come back! Look forward to telling you all about it! Have a happy fortnight! Xx (@lizprice79)

Fake Away

So, while most people enter into the new year on a supercharged health kick, I, in true Pricey stlye, have been filling my face! As a Coeliac, Take Aways are do-able but like most things they require a bit of forward planning. So, in a bid to cut costs and to make life a little easier we have been exploring the "Fake Away".... the DIY fast food. Here's how we got on.....

KFC

After MUCH experimenting (and I mean much!!) Dale has finally perfected the fried chicken lark!

Here we have DFC (Dale's Fried....oh ok, you get it!) in a Sainsburys Freefrom white roll with bacon and  Santa Maria (www2.santamariaworld.com\uk) guacamole! Colonel Price used his secret blend of herbs and spices in Doves Farm flour. Apparently, it's all to do with the overnight soak in buttermilk... That's the top tip! Anyway, I might be biased but is delicious and very much GF......something KFC can't do at this moment in time!! 

Curry

This is my stlye of cooking! A few mins in the micro and Bob's your uncle!

Look What We Found (www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk) seem to be a great little company. The packets tell you the origin of the meat (all locally sourced apparently), the name of the farm including the name of the farmer as well as how many calories! They also state very clearly which of their packets are gluten free. I bought mine in Sainsbury's but they have quite a selection in Waitrose too. This was really tasty and everything you would would want a creamy Tikka to be. Perhaps I could have done with a little more chicken but maybe that's just me being fussy! Can't wait to crack open the Balti that's waiting for me in the kitchen cupboard!

Burger

Very, very rarely I am able to convince Dale to have a veggie meal. I finally managed to persuade him to try these (www.amisa.co.uk)

Now, the packet says the mix will make up to 12 burgers! Really?!? We got 2 (admittedly rather larger!) burgers! I quite liked them but for Dale they were lacking a certain ingredient....meat! The burgers held together well, had a pleasant taste but a slightly sticky consistency. I liked them but prefer the Falafel mix which is made by the same company.

Pizza

The following comments prove why Dale is in charge of all things foodie in our household! Let me set the scene...

Dale was working late so I was in charge of feeding myself (uh oh!). I fancied pizza but, problem number one....my Glutafin bases ran out over a year ago (oops!!). Didn't look that appetising so chucked them. Ummmmed and ahhhed about whether I could be trusted to tackle the Isabel's Pizza Mix that had been in the cupboard for quite some time (www.isabelsfreefrom.co.uk)

Yep, why not?! I'm a responsible, professional adult who can surely follow instructions on a simple packet mix without too many problems......(are you guessing what's coming?!)

I was feeling confident, I even added an egg (gasp!). As the egg white ran off the edges of my pizza base and slowly sizzled on the bottom of my baking tray I began to wonder if I had take on too much! And the answer to that question......a big fat yes!!! YEP I was clearly out of my depth. The pizza may look ok (ish) but once I cut into it, it became apparent I was eating raw pizza dough! So what did I do? Scraped off the topping, onto a bread roll and had a pizza sandwich.....classy eh?!

Isabel's mixes are meant to be fab....everyone raves about them! I am sure it is just due to my poor culinary talents that I messed it up! I will be saving the second packet for when I have supervision and hopefully I will then get to see what all the fuss is about! Silly me!!

Italian

Ok, not truly a Take Away but I know places where they do pasta "to go" and I just needed an excuse to tell you about this (www.tolerantfoods.com)

I saw this on Freego (www.freego.com) and thought I'd give it a try. I really, really liked it! I found it much less bloating than regular GF pasta with a pleasant taste and good texture. The only trouble is it wasn't that cheap and you don't get a huge amount! Nevertheless, I don't eat pasta that often so happy to treat myself with this instead of some of the other brands!

Beer

What good is a Take Away with a "cold one" to accompany it?! As a tea totaller I'd say it's just fine and dandy without but this seems like the perfect opportunity to give a little GF "shout out" to the lovely breweries flying the GF flag. My beer drinking husband informs me that there are several GF beers around now but here are 2 you may not have come across

Mikkeller "I Wish" GF IPA......I don't drink, I've never drunk, therefore a sip of this didn't do much for me. In fact I would go so far to say it's a taste I haven't missed since going GF! However, Dale was mighty impressed! Reckons you can't tell its GF and would buy again! Yey for Mikkeller! (Www.mikkeller.dk)

Wold Top "Against the Grain" is being drunk as we speak! To my non beer drinking palate I would say it tastes a bit like a shandy! Dale's professional opinion is that it tastes like a larger. So if larger is your thing.....go forth and enjoy! (Www.woldtopbrewery.co.uk)

Well on that note I will bid you goodbye! Have a great fortnight x (@lizprice79)

What a cliche!

As I stood in a packed Tesco's clutching my Coyo yogurt like it was gold dust, I frantically asked the lovely sales assistant where I could find the Free From aisle (as I had been searching for quite some time! ) I couldn't help chuckling to myself! What a typical, cliched, stereotyped Freefromer I have become! Did any of you see that picture doing the rounds on Twitter of "Hipster Santa" ( if not, go and Google it now!), it seems that this is what I have become.....Hipster Lizzie, Yep, that's me!? How did this happen....?!

Anyway, on with the show.....

So, Coyo yogurts (www.coyo.co.uk) certainly have a mythical aura to them! I have been searching for some time to sample these vegan, coconut delights but my goodness are they tricky to find!? As luck would have it between the Health Food shop (www.nutricentre.com)and Tesco at the Brookfield Centre I managed to collect 3 flavours of the said yogs

Once I had got over the shock or potentially remortgaging my house to pay for them (the choc one was nearly £2.00 a pot!) I felt slightly smug that I could go home and devour the lot fairly guilt free. To be honest with you I was a little disappointed. I had heard great things and therefore expected great things!  My favourite was the natural flavour, extremely thick and it almost convinced me that I was eating something calorific! I'm afraid I really didn't like the chocolate one, but to be fair, I'm not a "raw choc" kinda gal! If it doesn't come with purple wrap and Cadbury stamped on the front I can't get that excited! The mango one?.....it was ok?

However, my other purchase from the aforementioned "Hipster Lizzie" trip to Tesco was the much raved about Udi's (wwe.udis glutenfree.co.uk) sundried tomato bagels. Oh my....these are fab! Look....

....a naughty little bacon bagel for my lunch! These will most definitely become a freezer favourite for me. What made it even better was that Tesco had them on offer for £1 a pack! Bargain! Just wish I'd bought more!

While trawling the Sainsburys aisles for something to take to a friends for lunch I stumbled upon this

and was pleased to see it clearly labelled on the front as GF. I was slightly put off by the foil container and peel back lid as it felt a bit like I was eating cat food! Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised! Quite a tasty, light lunch! It does not refrigerating so it perfect for "on the go" lunches!

Speaking of "on the go" Dale and I found ourselves at Borough Market again the other week. It was lunchtime and I was ravenous but diaster....none of my usual GF haunts were there! Horn Ok Please came to the rescue! (www.hop.st) I must confess I have never heard of them before but I will be back! Delicious vegetarian, Indian street food that also happened to be GF. I opted for a lentil pancake with potatoes, chickpeas and a whole host of other lovely stuff! 

Caveman Dale opted for a big, fat burger from a neighbouring stall but sheepishly admitted (after finishing mine off) that he wished he had the same as me! Praise indeed from a loud and proud carnivore! 

Dale and I picked up this little gem from the Christmas Foodies Festival

Gran Luchito (www.gran.luchito.co.uk) is apparently also stocked in M&S, Tesco, Whole Foods, Ocado as well as some other stores although I hadn't seen it before! This chilli ketchup was a big hit with Dale although it was a bit too hot for me! However, I did really enjoy this

As you can see, Dale glazed our gammon with the Gran Luchito Honey and it was delicious! It still had a little kick to it but as it caramelised on the gammon it was (in the words of Jamie Oliver) a beautiful thing!

"What?! No sweets or cakes?!" I can hear you cry!! I'm not sure what has happened to me!!? Well, I don't want to disappoint so let me end with a little sweetness! Look what Dale bought me for Christmas

A whole box of the fabulous Joe & Seph's popcorn! (www.joeandsephs.co.uk) there is a mixture of sweet and savoury but so far I've cracked open the Double Salted Caramel and the Chocolate Mint! Mmmmmmmm is all I have to say! Mmmmmm mmmmmmm! I've had to hide the other packets away so I don't eat them all at once! Thanks Dale! 

Well, Hipster Lizzie is signing off for another couple of weeks! Have a fab fortnight one and all! Xx (@lizprice79)

Limbo

Hey, Merry Christmas.......or is it Happy New Year.......er.....ahhhh, well it's kinda a limbo period isn't it?! Christmas overindulgence and merriment over with and now gearing up for round two later this week! Anyway, I hope you all had a fun packed, gluten free Christmas! I left you on a GF cliffhanger at the end of my last blog and I bet you've been on the edge of your seat all through Christmas just wondering how the Aero Mint Bubble cake turned out?! Well let me put you out of your misery.... Ta daaaaa...

Yep, it's meant to look like that...honestly! Soooo easy and sooooo good! Thank you very much to @bakingqueen74 (www.bakingqueen74.co.uk) for her amazing recipe. (I just replaced the flour with Doves Farm GF flour). I can't wait to try some of her other slow cooker recipes from her blog!

To be honest, I don't want to blog about Christmas too much. We all know how fab Mrs Crimbles stuffing is and Marks and Spencer's do amazing GF party food etc etc so I thought it best to stick to new stuff! 

Disaster struck when Sainsburys sold out of The Black Farmer sausages.....on a whim I braved the Waitrose pre Christmas crowds to see what I could find and I must say I was plesantly surprised!

Have you heard of The Good Little Sausages from The Good Little Company (www.goodlittlecompany.com)? No, neither had I but as well as making delicious "normal" GF sausages, they also work with Christan Aid. Therefore, for every pack you buy someone in a developing country is given the means to grow their own meal every day for 2 weeks! Worth checking out eh?! I forgot to take a photo though so you'll have to look on the website! (Sorry!! I made the website bold for you instead lol!)

I also found these

.....never heard of Musk's either (where have I been living?!) (www.musks.com). These were quickly fried up for a Christmas Eve blow out

and they certainly did the job! Good texture (fairly coarse for all you sausage connoisseurs!), quite peppery in taste! All in all, I will be visiting Waitrose again in the near future!!

You may remember a while ago I wrote about how thrilled my Mum was at the prospect of creatingher famous   trifle using Savoiardi "lady fingers" bought from Freego (www.freego.com). I can confirm the trifle was a big hit and the GF lady fingers successfully fooled all the family! Didn't crumble, didn't go soggy....everything you could hope for and more!

Ok, ok, not an appealing pic (it looked so pretty in the cut glass bowl) but I wanted you to see some of the sponge.....it's in there...trust me!!

Dale and I paid a little visit to Winterville (www.winterville.co.uk) in Victoria Park near Bethnal Green. It was awash with trendy street food stalls but sadly lacking in much (obvious) GF food. Nevertheless, I had a bowl of rather tasty veggie paella from @paellaandtapas

It was a very welcome, warm, hearty meal on a cold evening!

Buzzing from the glorious success of the Aero slow cooker cake I decided to turn my hand to the necessary, seasonal gingerbread house. I'll leave you to make your own decisions about how it went....

What WOULD Mary Berry say lol!?

Anywaaaaaaay, I wish you all a very Happy New Year and I'll see you all again in 2015!!!!!! Xx (@lizprice79)

Underlay! Underlay!

Please note, today's blog post is the punchline to the following joke, "What do you call a Mexican carpet fitter?" It is also the groan worthy, eye rolling punchline to the joke Dale proudly delivered on more than one occasion during our visit to Chiquitos (www.chiquitos.co.uk) last night! Let me set the scene....

During our "Christmas visit" to South Wales to see Dales family, our lovely niece suggested we might like to pop along to the brand new Chiquitos in Talbot Green. This served the double whammy of sampling the "Gluten Intolerant" menu and seeing our niece in action during her new job! I must admit, after mixed GF reviews on Twitter I approached with some trepidation but was up for a try!

The smiley girl at the door greeted us enthusiastically and I was impressed to see the Gluten Intolerant menus were given pride of place on the counter right next to the regular ones! I was even more excited when I opened the menu and saw I had a choice....a choice of many things....to eat!!!

Yep, that's right my anti gluten friends, all of this has been given the big GF thumbs up! Can you see why I was excited!? The small print explains that there are no separate fryers so that ruled out some items but there was still plenty to choose from! So much so, I drove everyone mad changing my mind!

I was also happy to see the small print stated that more info could be given on specific allergens
in each dish if required! (Happy new food labelling legislation!) if you squint you might make it out!!

So, here I am with GF corn tortilla fajitas and corn on the cob

.......can you sense the excitement?!

I can officially give Chiquitos a big GF hoooraaaay! I was totally impressed from start to finish. Ok, I'm a little biased on the service (lovely niece did fab!) but all staff were helpful and efficient, the menu was great, food tasty and I left completely stuffed!!

Infact the whole weekend proved to be a quite successful eating experience! Had a major "stock up session" at Tescos! They have either upped their game recently or Welsh Tesco is just better?! Either way I spent far too much and enjoyed making the most of the 3 for 2 offer on Udi's! Absolutely delighted with my Free From Christmas Tree crumpets which I am saving (like a good girl) for Christmas Day breakfast!

My mother in law also bought me some Free Fron Angel Cake slices from Tesco

They look just like the real thing don't they?! More importantly.....they taste like the real thing too! Happy days!!

My really exciting find were these

in Holland and Barrett, (www.hollandandbarrett.com) in their Christmas section. Regular readers will know I blogged about Love More (www.lovemorefoods.com) Jammy Wheels a couple of months ago. These are just as good! What a great company and what a shame they aren't as easily available as some brands. Nevertheless, I am seeing them more and more now so here's hoping they continue to grow. I'll keep voting with my mouth, I'mmore than happy to support them that way?!! ;0)

During my shopping spree in Cardiff the munchies struck! Disaster! My GF stash was foolishly left in the car and I couldn't face the Christmas queues in Starbucks. Halfheartedly, I popped into the Little Waitrose to see if I could find a rice cake/ bar of choc/ piece of fruit and stumbled upon these...

I haven't come across these before but they were exactly what I needed! (www.munchyseeds.co.uk) Kept the munchies at bay and were surprisingly filling. They not only state they are GF but also that they are Safe for Coeliacs! Marvellous! 

Look what arrived in the post today.....a little Christmas present to myself from Freego (www.freego.com) 

I LOVE this company!! If you haven't had a look at them yet what ARE you waiting for?? However, I should warn you that ordering from them is addictive and your bank balance may not thank you! I can't wait to get sampling!

Well, the Christmas hols have begun and that can only mean one thing....Dales precious kitchen / appliances are no longer safe! I, the novice baker, have sprung into action working my way through the fool proof recipes I have been collecting since the last school hols! I currently have an "Aero Mint Bubble Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake" baking, Yep you heard me right....slow cooker!! Dale has been looking at me as if I'm mad but I have faith!  Have a fab fortnight everyone and a very Happy Christmas! I'll let you know how successful my cake is next time BUT here's a sneak peak..... (@lizprice79) xx