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

Out and About

Dale and I seem to have been out and about rather a lot during the past fortnight! Dales passion for microbreweries (yawn!!) has led to all sorts of trips to parts of London I didn't even know existed! It comes to something when a boy from the  Welsh Valleys knows more about "The big smoke" than me (a born and bred Londoner!!)! Anyway, yesterday saw us being able to combine my love of GF food and Dales boozy interest as we took a trip to the Foodies Festival at The Old Truman Brewary, just behind Spitalfields market. 

I was interested to know what GF selection would be on offer....the answer.....not that much!! There were a few items that just happened to be GF but no representation of a "GF only" company at all which I thought was quite surprising! Nevertheless, I picked up these

which are dangerously addictive! Great, bold flavours but....beware.....some flavours have a "produced in a factory that handles..." warning, so just double check before purchasing! (www.manomasa.co.uk)

These lovely little fudge bars were a no brainer for my sweet tooth

the only trouble was I couldn't decide which flavours to buy! I've only cracked open the strawberry and balsamic so far but...let's just say....I don't think they will be hanging around for long! Delicious!! (www.thewonkykitchen.com)

Frustratingly, I also paid £2 for one brownie which was ok but nothing to rave about! I won't name and shame the company as that's a bit mean but I know Dale makes a mean GF brownie and I'm yet to buy one that beats it! Just wish we had the confidence to set up and sell them.....would be great to see if we could! Any advice from anyone doing it would be appreciated!!

Outside of The Old Truman Brewary is a food market. My little GF heart skipped a beat when I noticed an Arepa stall! (@Arepazobros)

All Arepas are labelled as GF and this was just as good as my previous Arepa experience!

Corn bread, chicken, beans, guacamole, cheese and plantain! Wow! Dale and I ate our dinner before we realised it was only 4.30!! Oops! 

I always enjoy a trip to Broadway Market (www.broadwaymarket.co.uk) at London Fields and there's usually something new and GF to try! Last weekend I had a lovely warming veggie curry from (www.gujaratirasoi.com)

I thought Dale was just taking the photo of the food lol! I'd have smiled more if I'd have known!!! Anyway, dodgy pic aside, the curry was fab, just the thing for these chilly Autumnal days!

Speaking of chilly days I've been seriously craving some hot choc! I'm currently having a battle with Starbucks as I am trying to find out if their hot choc is GF! An easy enough question you would think.....wrong!! They have now informed me about their lattes, ALL their food but still not their hot choc arghhhh! Thank goodness for

Montezuma's have a shop at Spitalfields Market! (www.montezumas.co.uk) Not everything is GF but check the labels and you'll be pleasantly surprised! This mint hot choc is like drinking an After Eight! Mmmmmmmm! 

Now, has anyone eaten in Prezzo (www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk) recently? GF plus point....there are GF options on the Christmas menu woohoooo! They offer a 2 and 3 course festive menu special HOWEVER GF peeps can only have 2 courses cos there's no GF pudding!!! I know!!! How can that be??! Pudding is the best bit right?! Anyway, after getting over the pudding strops I ordered a Bianca pizza that had goats cheese, beetroot, butternut squash etc on it

BUT I could not get my knife through the base! I've had Prezzo pizza many times so just wondered if they had changed their base? I seriously couldn't do a thing with it! Thank goodness I was with a good friend who was suitably entertained by the mess I was making! Please take note.....this is NOT first date food!! 

Well, as always, I wish you all a lovely fortnight! Xx (@lizprice79)

Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude.....to gain pleasure from someone elses mis fortune! Last week my scadenfredeous (ok, I made that one up!!) experience came in the shape of two Udi's (www.udisglutenfree.co.uk) sliced white loaves! Yep, that's right, I'm easily pleased! The unfortunate thing.....my friend from work had purchased said loaves for her "egg free" son only to get get home to find a sticker stating the bread was no longer egg free! Annoying for her but fortunate for me coz they came my way!

I gave the loave some vigorous testing! Toast.....

Ham sarnie for lunch......

.....and I'm pleased to report I'm seriously impressed! Can't believe I haven't tried this before, especially as I'm fan of their bagels! Most impressive thing was that it lasted really well, I didn't freeze it for a few days and it was still as good as new! White bread is not the healthiest of choices, I know,  but for those occasional situations where only white bread will do....this is your guy!

I'm such a sucker for a special offer, in fact I am am advertisers dream! So, I was well and truly sucked in to entering a competition to win a Freego (www.freego.com) hamper. After entering the competition I got sent a voucher for money off my first Freego order, sooo...can you see where this is going?! 

Here's my order...!!

For those of you who don't know Freego is a cool little company who deliver a range of Freefrom products direct to your door. The phrase "kid in a sweet shop" comes to mind and I quicky cranked up a large bill! Well done to the Freego advertising department lol! Super impressed with the products on offer, the delivery time and the packaging. Lots of things that I hadn't seen before! Haven't tried everything yet but here's the low down so far.....

My faves by far have to be these

Yep, I know they're meant for kids but they are great! (www.smooze.co.uk) I'm particularly loving the "simply coconut" flavour, they are so sweet and creamy it's hard to believe there's no nasties in them! Really hit the spot after dinner when you want something sweet but you know another choc ice isn't a good idea!

We needed new pasta so I ordered a couple of brands. Have only tried this one (www.dialcos.it) so far but it's nice, made with corn flour and rice flour and.... it kinda tastes like pasta so I guess that's good!? Little tip .....Cook for longer than than the 8-9 mins stated....there's "Al dente" and there's "not cooked", so I'd give it a bit longer!

We all know I'm a rice cake fan and if they can come chocolate coated all the better!

These were good, probably not my fave choc rice cakes as the milk chocolate still tasted quite bitter to me (that's probably due to it being a good quality chocolate for a more refined chocolate eating palate than my own!!). Neverthess, not unpleasant and if you like fancy chocolate these could be for you. (www.elementsnacks.com)

Next was a little gamble

Ooooo I really didn't like these! (www.itsu.com) I couldn't even convince Dale to eat them! However, in their defence, we are not fishy / sushi kinda people. These definitely had a salty, seaside taste to them and did absolutely nothing for me! But if fish, sushi or any other acqatic animal floats your boat then these could be for you!

Most exciting purchase has to go to these (www.piacerimediterranei.it)

I haven't tried them yet but they have made my mum a very happy lady! Christmas 2014 will see the traditional family trifle being made with GF lady fingers! Oh yes, spongeless trifle has had its day!!! Watch out for early 2015 blog post with a full review!!!

As much as I would like to end with that nail biting cliff hanger, I do just want to share one last thing with you. Not ordered from Freego (more Freego items in future blog posts- I can only eat so quickly!!) but bought from the fabulous Cookies and Scream in Camden! (www.cookiesandscream.com) Yes, I've blogged about them before but come on, they're worth shouting (or screaming?!) about!! Dale brought me 2 treats home from his trip to Camden

This may well have an official name but apparently it's a brownie with a cookie in the middle! Oh yes, it really exists, a brookie or a crownie or whatever it is.......I don't need to say anymore than....wow! I'm sure you can guess how amazing it was! As for the second treat it didn't last long enough to have its picture taken but if I tell you it was the biggest, chocolatyist, most gooey cookie you've seen you'll understand why I didn't hang around to take the pic! Cookies and Scream I love you! 

Have a fab fortnight everyone! Xx (@lizprice79)