Heb Glwten Girl in Wales!

So, the joy of half term is nearly over and the count down to the big summer hols has already begun! Dale and I spent the final half term of the year catching up with family and exploring Dale's homeland!

We began our explorations with a little detour off the M4 to Windsor! (Necessary risk assessment trip prior to taking our Year 2's to the castle...the work of a school teacher is never done!!) After a lovely trip around the castle we seized the opportunity to try out Bella Italia (www.bellaitalia.co.uk). I haven't eaten here since my gluten filled days and was pleasantly surprised by the GF choice on offer.....pizza, pasta, grills etc Obviously, I went for the pizza!

I'm quite familiar with the Prezzo / Pizza Express pizza options and it was nice to have a different selection of toppings! Tasty with a pretty good crust. Would like to go back to sample some of the pasta dishes next!

On our first gloomy, misty, rainy, summers day in South Wales we decided to seek refuge at the McArthur Glen shopping centre. After reading lots of good things about Ed's Easy Diner (www.edseasydiner.com) on Twitter I was keen to drown my summer sorrows and fill up on some stodge! First impressions were good! I was presented with a separate GF menu that was colourful and laminated (no tatty bits of photocopied paper here!!). The menu gave lots of choice and I excitedly went  for the hotdog (with GF bun...oh yes!!). However, I'm sad to report the reality was not quite as exciting as the dream.

My hot dog didn't fit into the the GF bun!!! Instead, it perched rather precariously on top of the slightly anaemic bun. After making a very un glamorous attempt at biting into it, I gave up and used my knife and fork (much to Dale's embarrassment!). The bun was doughy, chewy and probably a little undercooked....the sausage was ok! I ended up leaving most of the roll which was hugely disappointing. Nevertheless, I consoled myself with a gigantic milkshake which was actually rather delicious!

As the mist cleared, we drove to Tenby and Saundersfoot. I wasn't overwhelmed by the GF choices but I would like to mention Sue's Pantry in Saundersfoot. 

They have amazing cakes in the window and not surprisingly seem to be extremely popular! Inside, they had a small selection of GF cakes, all individually wrapped for that extra piece of mind!

After eating a Tesco's reduced tuna salad on the seafront (while Dale tucked into fish and chips!!) this provided a welcomed treat! 

As we arrived in Breacon I was met by this sign

It would have been rude not to visit Giglio's (@gigliosbreacon) after they had gone out of their way to advertise their GF delights! The menu made it clear that Gluten Free-ers would always be made welcome and there was a good selection of soups, sandwiches, cakes, salads and main courses all with the GF seal of approval!

My salad came with GF mayo and GF seeded bread and was great! It's those little touches that make all the difference right?! We were so impressed we shared a slice of chocolate cake for pudding!! Dale could hardly wait!!

What I particularly liked about Giglio's was that there was one option.....if you wanted chocolate cake then you had the GF cake, if you wanted apple pie you had the GF pie. There was no secret stash of dusty old GF items, dragged out when someone dared to ask for them! Their food was GF and they were proud about it and clearly confident of the taste! Well done Giglio's, if only more places could be like you! 

The sun actually shone on Wednesday.....at last! Back to the seaside we went and this time we hit The Mumbles in Swansea. I am pleased to report that Joe's ice cream (www.joes-ice cream.com) couldn't have been more helpful! Heaven forbid a trip to the coast should be ice creamless and I had heard Joe's was THE place to head for! Thankfully, they did not let me down!

They happily checked through their allergy file and advised me of suitable flavours (the vanilla, their trademark, was amazing!!). They didn't even bat an eyelid when we asked if they could wash the scoop before using it! Fab! I was tempted to go back for more!

Thankfully, after a stroll along the pier I found space for some lunch! The Kitchen Table, (www.thekitchentablecafe.co.uk) advertise GF food outside and their menu is clearly labelled.

The outside is quite deceiving.....once you step inside you discover a 2 levelled, cute, slightly chintzy tea shop with a great menu selection. I went for the spiced chickpea burger

which was really tasty. I particularly liked the side salad with the pickle and seed combo which made a nice change. Definitely worth a look if you're in The Mumbles area!

When the milkshake cravings start and there isn't an Ed's Easy Diner around what do you do?! You welcome Joe Delucci's (www.joedeluccis.com) with wide open GF arms, that's what you do! Found in the middle of Cardiff shopping centre they advertise GF options. The staff were happy to help and were willing to wash their scoops before using them! Yey, milkshake itch scratched! But I drank it before I remembered to take a picture...oooops!!

Interestingly enough, after my week of poor diet and general over indulgence, I have felt better than I have done in ages! Ironically, despite more junk and carbs, I've had hardly any stomach issues.......maybe there is a lesson to be learned here......I clearly need more chocolate and ice cream in my diet!!!

Well, on that note I will go and mentally prepare myself for the start of the next (and last!!!!) half term! Have a great fortnight everyone! Xx (@lizprice79)

May The GF Force Be With You

As well as Coeliac Awareness week and Star Wars Day, May also marks my Coeliac "birthday".... 3 years and still standing (well, most of the time!!). At the risk of sounding overly melancholy, these occasions provoke moments of reflection. I would be lying if I said the last 3 years have been easy....they haven't! I'd also be lying if I said I've got it cracked now and I feel fab all of the time....I don't! But, guess what....it's all ok.....I feel a whole lot better than I did, I CAN still eat out and most importantly I CAN still eat cake! My baking skills are constantly improving, Dale has become resident GF expert in Sainsburys where he works and I have become FAR more open minded about eating things I wouldn't have even looked at before (I'm thinking "bone broth, cougetti, mackerel etc)....it's not all bad!

One of the things that constantly surprises me is the ease at which I can find tasty GF options here in the capital! (I appreciate it may not be so easy elsewhere!) Good quality GF items are in the rise in supermarkets, street food stalls and restaurants...exciting times!

Borough Market never disappoints. During my last visit, Ethiopian Flavours (@ethiofllavours) caught my eye! Their clear allergy labelling impressed me and reeled me in! I went for the chicken, spinach and spilt pea option all on a bed of rice (or flat bread for those gluten eaters among us!) a hefty portion at a bargain price. (Approx a fiver)

I must confess to leaving some as I had already purchased my pudding (obviously!!!) and wanted to make sure I had room for it! Most GF Londoners will already be familiar with the work of the Free From Bakehouse (www.thefreefrombakehouse.com) but they are always a firm favourite whenever I'm at Borough. This time I picked up a slice of Treacle Tart.....oh yes, you heard me right!!

Ok, so it didn't fit in the box very well, which I appreciate doesn't make for the best picture but oooooohhhhhhh I tasted soooo good! If you have a HUGE sweet tooth like me then this would be right up you GF street. To be honest it even beat me and I had to give up just before the end!!! Worth every calorific mouthful!

Marks and Spencer are proving to be little GF gems! They have quietly crept into the FreeFrom market without any huge song or dance. They have a lovely "Made without...." section in their stores but also sneak some GF stuff into their regular sections too.....scotch eggs.. ..quiche.... sausages ....burgers... tortilla chips! Their labelling is usually quite clear but you do have to search sometimes! I found this the other week

BREADED HAM!!!! I thought this was a joy of my past gluten eating life but NO! Thanks to M&S I can indulge in the ham of the breaded variety!

It's also worth checking out the freezer section. As well as the chilled breaded fish / chicken in the fridges they also have breaded frozen fish wich was really tasty (with my butternut squash chunky chips!!)

Also, in the regular section

Says it feeds two but I think that's debatable! We bought two packs on an offer and ate one each...

Maybe we are just gutsy but come on, that doesn't look that big does it?! Anyway, worth checking out.....no gluten containing ingredients listed on the package!

I finally managed to track down NO.G (www.toogoodtobeglutnfree.com) in Sainsburys. 

Ironically, after trying to track these little beauties down for ages and then umming and ahhing about which flavour to buy, it turns out I chose the one with pine nuts.....the pine nuts I can't eat!!! Frustrated and disappointed I took my life in my hands and painstaking picked out all of the pine nuts (and there were hundreds of them!) Not ideal and won't be buying this flavour again BUT I will be fully researching the other varieties because this was really good.......almost too good to be gluten free!! 

I would like to close with a little shout out to Dale! He is often the butt of my jokes on here but I am truly thankful for his passion for all things foodie! He happily tackles any GF challenge I throw his way and  constantly looks for ways to adapt regular recipes to GF versions when I'm craving something from the old days! However, I'm sure he would agree that he has met his true nemesis......a nemesis in the form of a GF Yorkshire pudding! Therefore, my final thanks goes to Isabel (www.isabelsfreefrom.co.uk)! Without her wonderful mix, I may never have eaten proper Yorkshire puds again!

Have a great fortnight! X (@lizprice79)

Feeling Chirpy!

As I walked around Pets at Home, it dawned on me that many of the items available in the bird food pick n' mix bins were not dis similar to what I had just spent a fortune on in Holland and Barrett! Maybe my Mum was right? With the amount of seed/ millet I've been eating, my singing voice should definitely have improved by now! I can certainly "out sing" most people on Take That Singstar but tuneful?!......doubtful! Nevertheless, my seed intake has increased and do you know what, I love them! I can't eat nuts, so seeds are the perfect alternative! So, lock up your budgies and read on....

My best, recent seed find has been in Lidl!

Now, you may be forgiven for thinking these are another popular GF brand as they look VERY similar! I'm all for offering my support to GF friendly businesses but I'm sorry, I'm a traitor, these were too much of a bargain to leave behind! I normally pay approx a fiver for a similar brand but these are £1.99 each! Amazing!

I was excited to receive this in the post from my Mother In Law

I didn't even know this book exisited but I was keen to try it out! Lo and behold there was a seed breakfast bar recipe.....BOOM!

Yey! Easy peasy! Even I managed to successfully make them! Perfect for break time munchies at school.....thank goodness for the Holland and Barrett penny sale which meant I could get stocked up on my seed collection! 

I was excited to see this in my local Marks and Spencer's

I'm always keen to try an oat free porridge and have been happily munching my way through the Sainsburys Freefrom version. To be honest this tastes very similar (despite not containing millet) but I particularly liked the fact that these are in individual sachets. This makes it much easier to store and could even be taken away when travelling!

I've also been feeling chirpy because Dale celebrated his birthday in the week! This resulted in the usual Price celebration of over indulging in excessive quantities of meat! I hung up my seed and quinoa fetish and channelled my inner cave woman as we headed to Dukes Brew And Que (www.dukesbrewandque.com) in Hackney! Featured on the "Food Junkies" TV programme, Dukes is THE place for BBQ / Ribs etc etc! I emailed prior to my visit about GF choices and quicky got a reply. I opted for the pork ribs (minus the gluten containing BBQ sauce!!)

If you're veggie......probably not the best place for you (although there were veggie options!). My ribs were great, tasty, soft, fell apart....everything you want from a good rib! Dale went for the beef rib which was scarily similar to an episode of the Flintstones! All was good. If you're up for a meat-athon I can recommend......not cheap but good for a treat!! 

Another cause for chirpiness was the unexpected arrival of a hamper of goodies from Udi's (www.udisglutenfree.co.uk). I like presents and foodie presents are even more exciting! I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone (thankfully not during my visit to Pets at Home....I think that's frowned upon!?). I gave the Udi's sponge mix a whirl and took them to church as Dales birthday cupcakes....woop,woop!

The mix was easy to use and came together well. I'm a little confused why you would want to use a mix, as surely the dry part of a sponge mix is just flour and sugar?! Nevertheless, if mixes are your thing this was easy! It was a bit annoying that the recipe was in cups so Google was my friend during this baking experience! They came out ok!!

Everyone at church was thrilled and were more than happy to sample! Personally I felt they could have been a bit sweeter. The consistency was a bit crumbly and resulted in lots of crumbs on the floor but it could have been because I baked them the day before? Nevertheless, I had to apologise to the people on the cleaning rota that week?!

I also managed to sample the white sandwich loaf....although never one to do as I'm told, I didn't make a sandwich with it! I did however, put it through the cheese on toast test and....

....it passed!!! Very nice! Thanks Udi's! I'll let you know how I get on with my other hamper items over the next few weeks!

Well, I'm off for some more millet and to practise my scales! Have a great fortnight! Xx @lizprice79)

Glutenvrij Girl in Amsterdam!

Wow! Dale and I have just returned from a lovely holiday in Amsterdam! It's a beautiful and incredibly interesting city and best of all......they understand gluten free! You WILL be able to eat in Amsterdam and by eat I mean not just "get by" eating but eating WELL, you could go so far as to say there is 'Dam good food!! (See what I did eh?!)

As always we fully researched GF friendly places, so we were armed with a hit list of suitable dining establishments! However, it soon became apparent that other places would be quite accommodating and the initial "am I gonna starve on holiday panic?" soon subsided! 

I would like to thank glutenfreeamsterdam.blogspot.nl for providing a helpful and informative blog. I visited a few of the restaurants mentioned on here. I also downloaded the free "Gluten Free Restaurant Card" from the Apple App Store. I seriously can't believe I haven't used this app before, it's a great resource! However, I must admit that the Dutch speak such excellent English my new flashy app was not necessary!

So here are my recommendations organised into Lunch and Dinner! (Breakfast was mainly fruit, rice cakes or 9bars  www.9bar.com which I took with me!) 

Lunch

First of all make friends with Albert Heijn!

A supermarket chain that is everywhere in Amsterdam.....not a bank as I first thought!?! You will find a small GF section in most branches (bread, crackers, biscuits etc) that may well be a life line for "lunch on the go". Also, some of their own brand items are clearly marked "glutenvrij" with a cross grain symbol! This was meant I could enjoy my take-away tapas for dinner on my first night without worry!

Ps....the seeded crackers are great! Quite hard work to chew but really filling so only ate 2 a day! Great value for money.....I'm a cheap date lol!!

Now before you get too excited about my next picture please read my *warning*! 

Bagels and Beans (www.bagelsbeans.nl) are a bagel chain that you will find dotted throughout the city. I ate there at the beginning of the week and as I had heard such good things about their GF bagels I didn't think to question them. The bagel was great, look....

BUT on a second visit it became apparent that there are cross contamination issues with the spreads (butter and cream cheese). Thankfully, I wasn't ill but I decided (with a heavy heart) not to eat there again. I guess it depends how you stand on cross contamination but it's worth bearing in mind before you get too carried away with the lovely looking bagel!

Similarly, Pancakes Amsterdam (www.pancakesamsterdam.com) offer GF pancakes. Admittedly, I couldn't bring myself to enquire about cross contamination. I appreciate this makes me sound a little slack and I don't normally take chances but it was a pancake.....on my holiday......with whipped cream (AND STRAWBERRIES!!) and I had read reviews from other Coeliacs, sooooo I decided I needed to stop worrying and plunge in

I enjoyed every bit and was suitably (and naively!) oblivious to how it was made!!

*TIME OUT!*...... While I am travelling it often dawns on me how neurotic you can become about eating out. Of course I don't want to get ill, of course I don't want to cause long term and irrepairable damage to my gut but I also don't want to live the rest of my life in the 4 walls of my anti gluten flat! Eating out, where food is prepared out of my sight, is always going to pose some sort of risk. Dale regularly tears his hair out as I umm and ahh about what might cause least cross contamination risk on the menu but let's face it, unless I'm going to prepare it myself.........you get the gist?! Anyway, ramblings over .....and.....breathe......on with the show!

Dinner

Lieve Belgisch (www.restaurantlieve.nl) is an interesting little restaurant!

You immediately get ushered into a little waiting area at the back of the restaurant where a member of staff comes to "explain the menus" to you?! Yep, you have a choice of 3 "dining experiences" (at 3 prices!!). You can opt for the sharing menu (most expensive), the 4 course slightly fancy dining experience and then the Family Feel (chepest!) experience! According to your choice you get a specified menu (all had GF choices!) and your table is set up according to your choice! We opted for the 3 courses for €20, Family Feel ambience! That basically meant we had a wipe clean table cloth with chintzy patterns, kitchen roll for napkins and knives and forks in a jug! I'm being mean....it was actually done very well and to be honest I wasn't really interested in the luxurious purple table cloths and pearl napkin rings of the few who chose to dine in the same restaurant for more money! 

They had a separate GF menu and the food was delicious, great value for €20!

My starter was a trio of tomatoes with a cottage cheese flan

and my main was John Dory with rocket and sweet potato mash

(It really wasn't as green and slimy as it looks in the pic...honestly!!)

Pudding was sorbet...you don't need to see a pic of that do you?!

Big thumbs up to this place.....a slightly odd idea but great food at a pretty good price!

Restaurant Haesje Claes (www.haesjeclaes.nl)

A Dutch retstaurant...had to be done! They had a separate GF menu and even had GF beer! I was pleased to see the traditional dish of Stamppot appeared on the GF menu so quickly opted for that...when Rome! (Oh, ok, you know what I mean!)

Not pretty but fairly tasty! Pickles, smoked sausage, bacon and mash with carrots and swede. Not sure I will be rushing to eat this on a regular basis but I enjoyed it! Dale ordered the original gluten version and his came with a meatball too! Oh well, I was happy with my meatball-less dish! 

La Place (www.laplace.com) 

Excuse the shifty looking tourist in the picture, it's Dale! It's a bit like Where's Wally isn't it?! 

La Place are a chain dotted about and there is also one at Schipol airport which is worth knowing. Designed in a cafeteria kinda way, you take your tray to different stations and they food is cooked in front of you while you wait. Food is generally labelled quite well and even though things like pizza and stir fries are out of the question, the steaks, chicken, soups, fruit salads and smoothies are all good. A lot of the salads are GF too, I just made sure I chose ones far away from the pasta /cous cous dishes!

Glazed ham on with chicory, tomatoes and mushrooms. I also sampled a few of the smoothies for breakfast! Worth a visit as it's quite quick and handy if you're out and about!

Cafe Klos (no website but lots of reviews on Trip Advisor!)

This place came recommended by some friends. It's quite small and very popular! We arrived at 6.00 and had to go on a waiting list for half an hour! Never fear though as they send you to the pub over the road to wait!

This is a bbq / steak restaurant and the portions ar massive! They don't have a separate GF menu but they do have allergy info if you ask for it! I went for the smoked ribs...

....I've never seen so much meat in all my life! This certainly isn't the place for veggies! Apparently, you can ask for a "ladies portion" (smaller!!) but it seems this is a hidden secret as it is not mentioned on the menu! Nevertheless, I made a fair attempt before admitting defeat! Great ribs, very tasty but I'm not in any great rush for ribs again soon! Carnivorous Dale was very, very happy!

I noticed a couple of other places while we were out walking but didn't get to visit them, however, I thought they were worth a mention!

If you can find the Esprit clothes shop they have a cafe attached. The menu outside had several items marked as GF and I noticed they used Rebel Kitchen mylk if you're dairy free!

I also spotted this shop

www.vegabond.nl 

A great little shop, had quite a large GF section with some brands I find difficult to get at home! Just wished I discovered it earlier on in the holiday!

Finally, this may also be of interest 

www.detuinen.nl

Very much like Holland and Barrett with a pretty good GF section! I was excited to see GF stroopwafel but was restrained enough not to purchase!

Well, as you can see I didn't go hungry, I didn't even have a girly meltdown in the middle of the street (as has become the norm on recent hols when tired and hungry!!) I ate well and the Dutch get a massive GF thumbs up! We had a great time and can't wait to go back.....surely that's the best review!?

Have a great fortnight everyone!  X (@lizprice79)

Eat My Words

Happy Easter! I hope you are all having a lovely day and are enjoying some Free From chocolate! Having finally broken up from school I seized the moment and decided to put my "free time" to good use.....I took some tentative steps into the kitchen and looked what happened!

In a bid to become a little more healthy, I started out by making Hemsley and Hemsley's Paradise Bars.......think Bounty Bars with a healthier twist! After sourcing all the raw cocounutty ingredients I was beginning to think it might have been cheaper to purchase my own Tropical Island! However, inspired by the lovely bars Helen (fabulouslyfreefrom.wordpress.com) created, I soldiered on and produced these......with a Liz Price (aka. messy!) twist!!

I got the recipe from http://www.getthegloss.com/article/guilt-free-pleasures-hemsley-and-hemsley-paradise-bars-recipe

Probably not what the Hemsley's had in in mind but hey ho! They solidified well.....

and despite much huffing and puffing along the lines of "waste of time"/ "cheaper to buy a Bounty Bar"/ "why do things I make NEVER work out" ......I'll eat my words and will actually make these again! Delicious and worth all the stressing!

Next on my GF baking hit list were Creme Egg brownies, gotta be done at Easter, right?! This is most certainly NOT a Hemsley and Hemsley approved recipe!! Recipe from http://www.themummyblogger.co.uk/cadburys-creme-egg-brownies/

Rich, sickly and gooey! If you use the recipe on my link be warned...they need at least an hour to cook not the 20ish mins specified! Still, worked out well and proved a hit with my willing guinea pigs at church this morning!

Finally, for pudding today Mum and Dad were lucky enough to taste my last creation of the week....chocolate orange polenta cake! My most successful baking experience of the week (see, I'm getting better!!) Thanks to http://www.deliciousandglutenfree.com/2013/03/chocolate-orange-polenta-cake.html?m=1 for the recipe!

To continue on the Easter theme I would like to say a big GF wooohoooo to Sainsburys for their Hot Cross Buns! I haven't sampled many GF buns but why sample more when I hit perfection the first time! Fab!! I'm hoping they're not just seasonal?!! 

(Not pretty but makes up for it on Hot Cross Bunniness!!)

Soooooo, I took myself off to Broadway Market yesterday to buy some bones (bear with me, I'll get on to the bones!) It always pleases me to see GF foodie items on the rise in markets like this!

I was lucky enough to sample a tasty Johnny Cake from Boss Hoss Streetfood 

(www.bosshossstreetfood.com), made from corn and stuffed with bbq chicken and black beans (veggie options were available).

For pudding, I was spoilt for choice from eat'N'mess (www.eatnmesscakes.co.uk) but went for this naughty s'mores cheesecakey/ slice

I need to be getting back to Broadway Market ASAP, just too much to choose!

Anywaaaaaay, to finish let me tell you about the bones.......

I must apologise, wholeheartedly to my very dear friend (you know who you are!). When she told me she was making Hemsley and Hemsley's bone broth I laughed.... well actually, I scoffed!!! A month later and I'm eating my words (gluten free obviously!!!) After stumbling across some info online it became apparent that this bone broth malarkey is meant to aid digestion *ears prick up*!! The more I read, the more interested I became and before I knew it was was buying fancy, organic bones from Hill and Szrok (www.hillamdszrok.co.uk) during my market trip yesterday!

I used the following recipe http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/recipe/bone-broth/ and my bones have now been simmering in the slow cooker for just short of 24 hours (veggies look away now!)

So, what will it taste like? Will we manage to include the broth into our cooking for the week? And, most importantly, will it aid my dodgy digestion?! Watch this space......now that's a cliffhanger eh?!

Enjoy the rest of your Easter and have a great fortnight! Liz  xx (@lizprice79)