A gluten free day in Bath

It’s the first weekend in December, so I decided that it was time to get out of London and go and visit another Christmassy city. I decided on Bath. I haven’t been since a child, but I have heard wonderful things and it was rated to have one of the best Christmas markets in the country!

So off we went...early start on Saturday morning to make the most of the day. We decided to grab breakfast in the station so we didn’t have to faff around at home. We did double check before we made that decision that there was somewhere I could get food (obviously). I knew there was a Pret in Paddington, which meant there was a gf breakfast. 

I have previously tried the Pret porridge which is gluten free. Although I was incredibly pleased to see they had introduced gf porridge, I was really disappointed with the bland taste and odd texture (sorry Pret!). I’d have it again if it was the only thing there, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a tasty breakfast option.

This time I noticed they did another gf option – the veggie power pot. It is made up of beans, mushroom and a poached egg, so I thought I would try this as it would probably make for a filling breakfast. Oh man it was good! Way better than the tasteless gruel that is the gf porridge. The power pot was delicious. The egg was perfectly poached (although concerningly small…Pret...should we be concerned by the ridiculously small eggs?) the beans were a delicious mix of beans, tomato, onion and mushroom and it as big enough to keep me full until lunch! All in all, a good breakfast.

We got on the most crazily busy train to bath and off we went! An hour and a half later,we had arrived. First stop was the Christmas markets. I can understand why they are voted one of the best in the country – it was great! Mostly because a lot of the produce was local. I’m a big fan of buying local produce wherever possible and supporting small businesses, so the market was perfect! From gin to soaps to honey, all from Bath. Buskers were playing Christmas music, the streets were full of cheery people, smell of mulled wine in the air – it was a perfect way to kick of the day of festive fun!

After walking around pretty much most of Bath we decided to try and find some lunch. We walked around seeing if we could find anywhere that was gf that did a good pizza or something equally treat like but I couldn’t find anywhere that wasn’t packed and that did gf food. While walking around we stumbled upon a bagel shop called the Whole Bagel. Usually bagel shops don’t do gluten free so my hopes weren’t too high…but how wrong I was! They actually did do gluten free bread and they told me they use a different toaster and clean knives to make the sandwiches! Amazing! I was so pleased! I ordered a brie, bacon and tomato chutney sandwich, oh it was delicious! We decided to take them away and eat them in the park near the crescent in Bath. It was perfect, surrounded by autumn leaves, beautiful architecture and eating one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.

After our sandwiches we has a walk around the crescent, through the park and had a poke around the shops (the sales were on so when I say a poke around, I mean I bought more Christmas presents than I could actually carry!). After a spot of shopping we decided to go on a hunt for cake.

Will and I are a big fans of coffee and cake – wherever we go we like to find a good cafe. Will is becoming a bit of a coffee geek and I’m becoming more obsessed with cake as the days go by. The unfortunate thing about Bath is that a lot of the cafes and restaurants seemed to be chains. But after walking into a few coffee shops and deciding it wasn’t for us we found the most perfect coffee shop for us - Cascara! It sold only gf cakes and delicious coffee. We decided on a Columbian chocolate cake and a raspberry and marshmallow cake. I had a cappuccino and will had a late.

The cake was actually to die for! Now, not to blow my own horn, but because I do bake a lot and can bake good cakes, sometimes the cake we have in cafes can be a bit of a let down. Not this time…the cake was so good! The cholate cake was moist, rich and full of chocolate chips. The marshmallow and raspberry cake was like no other cake I have had – the marshmallows provided a great texture and the raspberries cut through the sweetness. I would highly recommend Cascara to anyone, not just gluten free people!

We finished the day with a walk around the Christmas markets, a glass of red in a cozy pub and then headed back to London for dinner. I wasn’t blown away by the dinner options in Bath and it seemed to be getting busier and busier. We decided we were better off going back to London and heading out to my fave local pizzeria Zia Luccia.

Overall, I would say that Bath didn’t have the biggest choice of gluten free options, but they few they did have were fab! I would definitely go back just for the café and bagel shop!

Graduation Afternoon Tea!

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Hello again! Its been a while…I’ve spent the last few months focusing on finishing university, writing my dissertation and enjoying the restaurants and bars York has to offer! (which consists of a surprising amount of gluten-free restaurants!). So I thought I would do a quick blog post to re-start my blog up now I have some more time on my hands and a better kitchen for baking and cooking in! So more recipes to come soon….

But thought I would write about the most amazing afternoon tea experience I have had. I travelled up to York for my friends graduation (two days before my own) and her lovely family had invited me out for afternoon tea, pre-graduation ceremony. Now for a coeliac the idea of afternoon tea is somewhat petrifying…sandwiches, cakes, scones and all sorts of gluten-filled little devils! However, I had the experience of a completely gluten-free afternoon tea…amazing, I know!

We visited the Cedar Court Hotel, which is just opposite the train station in York. The hotel itself is very grand, beautiful and luxurious so the perfect setting for a graduation celebration! My friend had phoned up in advance to explain that I couldn’t eat gluten and would need an alternative…so I though they may do me a gluten free sandwich and a cake or would bring me some antipasti or a salad or something….but oh how wrong I was!!

When we sat down for lunch the waitresses bought out an array of sandwiches for those lucky gluten eaters...smoked salmon and dill, egg, ham and mustard, chicken and cream cheese and dill…it all looked very lovely. I thought that there was no chance I would get anything like that…it’s such a faff for the kitchen to do an array of coeliac sandwiches and probably not worth the time or effort. But then the bought my plate out…which was to my shock, the exact same as the normal sandwiches! I had the exact same fillings, with different types of bread, all impeccably presented and they tasted delicious! So nice to the point I as sceptical whether they were even gluten free or not (do not fear, they were)!

Next came desert, I had seen the waitresses bring desert out for other tables of customers and they looked amazing…scones and clotted cream, chocolate puddings, mini lemon meringue pies and some fruit cake. Now no way did I expect to get the same as everyone else…I mean how often can they get gluten free requests? Surely they can’t get enough to make such a wide range of deserts for special people like myself? But OH NO once again, they smashed through my expectations and bought out gluten free scones, brownies, lemon meringue pies, victoria sponge and a trifle! Once again, they were to die for! They were so delicious it was untrue! I couldn’t believe my luck! Although I was beyond full when I was half way through pudding, I refused to leave even a little morsel left on my plate as so much effort had gone into creating the delicious food for me! And how often do you find a place like that!? I ate every single last bite and loved it! The only disappointment was that I hadn’t found this place sooner…although it would have probably increased my weight and decreased my disposable income!!

York has so many brilliant places to offer for coeliacs, and I have never been disappointed….but if you are ever in York and fancy a treat…call the Cedar Court Hotel in advance and get yourself an afternoon tea! I can assure you…you will not be disappointed!

Gluten is my Bitch

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I am having a bad gluten day today. A bad gluten day – for me – doesn’t mean I have eaten gluten and become horrifically ill. It is more a day of wallowing in self-pity – which I think is allowed occasionally seeing as all coeliacs can no longer enjoy cheep bread, a dunkin donut or eat out without experiencing some serious stress! Today it was spurred on by the fact that because I live in a gluten eating household so I use toaster bags to make my toast in the mornings. This morning they failed me. Instead of making toast I ended up with some soggy stale bread which I only ate because I had nothing else in the house that would have constituted a decent breakfast. It was stale soggy bread or nothing.  

Sometimes these bad gluten days just happen out of the blue – when you just want to be normal again and your sick of feeling like the odd one out and sick of being so careful all the time!

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Something that has completely cheered me up today – the book by April Peveteaux – Gluten is my Bitch.

I have been reading this all week and it is truly brilliant. Although it has caused me some embarrassment – laughing to myself on the bus to work – and also reading a book with ‘BITCH’ in huge letters on the bus whilst surrounded by children on the way to school – the book is brilliant.

I recommend any coeliac going and buying it NOW! It is hysterical. It also makes you feel less alone – someone else is experiencing the EXACT same problems, and has found ways to help you over come them! What more could you want? Peveteaux describes her situation – the anger, the annoyance of it all and missing those delicious foods that you can not longer have. She also shows you that it is ok to be angry every now and again, it is going to happen!  However, she also offers a huge amount of advice and every time I pick up the book I learn something new! (And usually fine a mistake I have been making for the past year!). It is a book filled with advice, hysterical stories and recipes and has really made my day a great deal better.

The book is such an easy read, Peveteaux writes almost how someone would talk, causal, funny and yet informative. It is light hearted, yet attacks the real serious hurdles you come across being a coeliac. The book is excellently written, and so good that members of my family have sat down and read it all in a day!

So for any coeliacs in need of a pick me up – instead of reaching for the gluten-free chocolate bar or just sitting around for a day wallowing in self pity, pick up this book! It will really cheer you up – and make you laugh to yourself in public. 

You can buy Gluten is my Bitch at a really reasonable price on amazon...as its not one of those commonly stocked books in library (unfortunately!) 

Here is the link just in case any of you fancied looking! : http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CPZNL6S/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B00CPZNL6S&linkCode=as2&tag=thegincoe-21

9 Bar Review

Whilst interning in London I was extremely busy and often had no time to make my banana pancakes. I knew about 9 Bars and read that they are a great source of energy so I decided to give them a go as an option for a breakfast replacement.  To my shock, they filled my up just as long as a normal bowl of cereal, I wasn’t hungry until lunchtime! I now have 9 bars every time in in a rush, they are delicious, feel like a treat but are incredibly nutritious at the same time!

 I went to the allergy show in Liverpool a few weeks ago and found the 9 Bar stand. I was so happy to see they had a wide range of different bars with different seeds and flavours! I decided to buy a box of them to keep at university for those days that I find little time for breakfast.

9 Bars are excellent for nutrition. Seeds and nuts are high in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. 9 Bars include hemp seeds. These seeds are exceptionally good when it comes to protect against the effects of oxidative stress and keeping full ages!

Another amazing little fact is that Vegetarian and Coeliac Societies approve 9 Bar, so there is no risk of becoming ill. They taste amazing, keep you full for long periods of time and are extremely good for you! I absolutely love these bars!

Look What We Found! Staffordshire Chicken Tikka.

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At the moment I seem to be living off microwave meals. Only cooking for myself and having little time in the evening is something I am just not used to. Microwave meals are a great option for me at the moment whilst I continue my work experience at Dinosaur PR.

Yesterday, for some odd reason, I was craving curry. Luckily enough, as a treat, my mum bought me a Look What We Found! Staffordshire Chicken Tikka with basmati rice. Now my mum is a little bit obsessed with local food. She loves the farm shops near by….she grows her own herbs and will buy British at every opportunity. My mum immediately loved this brand as much as I did, and occasionally buys some of their meals for me. So as some treats for this week she packed me off to York with Staffordshire Chicken Curry and Casserole. Nom nom nom!

The best thing I found with this meal is that I had the one with rice included, and it was still only 378 calories for the portion! I was so surprised because rice dishes are usually really weighty on the calories side, as well as the fact that curry and rice is almost impossible to get under 500 calories. So I popped it in the microwave, put the kettle on and put some salad in my bowl just to bulk it out a bit. 2 minutes later, I had the curry I was craving all day! What more can you want!

The curry had plenty of chicken in which really impressed me. This seems to be a common feature with the Look What We Found! range. There is always plenty of protein, which I love because it keeps you fuller for longer.

A chicken tikka is usually medium spice, but sometimes ready meal companies can get it wrong…sometimes to spicy and sometimes completely tasteless. Some how Look What We Found! captured the taste of the type of chicken tikka you can get from a restaurant, apart from the fact that there was better chicken and it tasted a lot fresher!

The only thing is…if you like big potions this isn’t going to fill you up. But then again, no ready meal will. In terms of an easy option for a long day that satisfies a craving for something really unhealthy, this is tremendous! As my home county is Staffordshire, I want to support the local farmers, but it’s obviously difficult to do so working in a different part of the country! Look What We Found! makes it easy for me to buy local, British and fresh ready meals, perfectly gluten free!!

Ilumi - Tom Kha Gai Soup

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I have so far been very impressed with Ilumi products. They taste fresh, healthy and perfectly seasoned.

I have been spending a great deal of time commuting too and from my current work experience at Dinosaur PR in Leeds. I have been blogging for different companies, learning about community management and social media and SEO. This is my second week here at Dinosaur PR and I have got myself into a little routine.

I get home at about 6:30 and as I have to get up at 6am every morning, I am usually too tired to cook a proper meal. But thanks to Ilumi I can enjoy a fantastic, fresh meal with no real cooking at all!

Last night I tried the Tom Kha Gai Soup which I had been saving up for one of those nights when you just need some comfort food! At around 330 calories it worked out as a really great option for a low calorie dinner.

The main ingredient is coconut milk, which has some wonderful health benefits. Per cup, coconut milk contains 89 milligrams of magnesium. Magnesium helps to calm your nerves and helps you to maintain a healthy blood pressure….so if you are feeling stressed…treat yourself to this soup! Coconut milk is also a rich source of fiber, which means that this soup will keep you feeling fuller for longer! Along with this the soup contains generous amounts of chicken, which obviously is a great, lean protein, which keeps fills you up.

I was absolutely starving when I got home last night and after a bit of a stressful journey home, this was the perfect meal to relax me and to fill me up!

The soup tasted delicious. When I got all of the soup out of the sachet I thought it was a bit of a small portion, and originally I didn’t think it was worth the 330 calories. However, after I had eaten it I felt full and satisfied…so don’t be put off by the small portion size!

I love the taste of Thai food, and this soup contained a perfect balance of the different spices and flavors Ilumi used. Overall, if you want a quick dinner that is warm, delicious and has plenty of health benefits…this is definitely one to try!

Breakfast at Buckingham Palace

Last weekend I went to the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace in London. It was a day to feel pretty, to walk in the palace gardens and to dine like kings and queens! I have to say the whole day was amazing. The idea of the festival is to showcase all the current Royal Warranted products to members of the general public. From interior design to bookbinding, tailors to shoe makers and cleaning products to food. It was an opportunity to experience the Queens gardens and to see the highest quality products this country had to offer.  

I had breakfast at Mosimanns, and e-mailed in advance to let them know I was gluten-free. I was questioning what i would get...whether they would just miss out ingredients or whether they would give replacements. To my amazement, breakfast was absolutely phenomenal, nothing was left out or skimped on!

Smoked salmon, cottage cheese and scrambled eggs with chives…what more could you ask for? I realised that there is a clear difference between good and bad smoked salmon. The stuff I occasionally buy from supermarkets is tasty …but is oily and slimy. The smoked salmon here just fell apart when you picked it up. Not oily at all! The cottage cheese with scrambled eggs and chives were a step above the rest. I wouldn’t have thought scrambled eggs could be ‘divine’ but that seems to be the only word for them!

After this ‘main course’ there was a bacon sandwich, all gluten free of course! It was packed with about 6 pieces of bacon and the gluten free bread was crunchy and actually had flavour which was a nice change!

Finally we had some natural yogurt and berry compote. Again, beautiful…the yogurt was creamy, the compote wasn’t too tart.

Mosimann’s isn’t the kind of place you get to eat at every day. I count myself incredibly lucky to have experienced the meals they create. Alike everything else at the festival, this restaurant is Royal Warranted and required a membership to dine there. But for this single day, I got the opportunity to dine like royalty. What an experience!  

Look What We Found! Staffordshire Chicken Casserole

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Last week I was looking for just a couple of quick meals that I could buy as I knew I was going to be busy the next day. I stumbled upon this fantastic brand, which I have never seen before called: Look What We Found! Is a fantastic company… sourcing all of its meat from within Britain and only using natural ingredients. Even better, most of the meals you can buy are gluten free!

I decided to try Staffordshire Chicken Casserole…originally from Staffordshire myself; I thought I should buy something close to home.

At only 194 calories it seemed like a great buy! Something that would feel like comfort food but is actually reasonably good for you! 

When I opened the packet, I have to say I was skeptical. It didn’t look appetizing and it looked a bit mushed up…but then again I have never come across a good-looking cold chicken casserole! So I popped it in the microwave and hoped for the best. When the microwave pinged, the casserole was bubbling and smelling absolutely delicious! I poured it out into my bowl and It looked wonderful, packed full of chicken, potatoes and vegies…just like home made!

It tasted fantastic. The problem I tend to find with most quick meals is the overload of salt (bar the fact that most quick meals have gluten in!). This casserole really didn’t over do it, it was perfectly seasoned, no need to add anymore salt or pepper. It was also really filling, which surprised me for such a low calorie meal! It filed me up for about 5 hours. It would be a great meal to take into work at lunch time…its small enough to fit into a little bowl, but fills you up all afternoon! If I remember correctly it was about 50% chicken, which for £1.99 is really not too bad!

I was really surprised to see such good quality come out of my microwave! It was fresh, healthy, low calorie and helping British farmers…what more could you want?

I have tried a few brands of gluten free microwave food and this is my current favorite, its about the same price as all the rest….but with the added extra of low calorie and 100% natural.

If you fancy buying any Look What We Found! Has a website http://www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk/ with the offer of 15% off and free delivery with orders over £40…so get buying!

Dinner at The Swan Inn, Newby Bridge

Last month I went to the Swan Inn for drinks with some friends, and found myself walking past one of the hairy bikers from the television. I decided that this was a good sign…not only was a 4 star hotel, but if professional chefs eat there, it must be good!

Yesterday my boyfriend and I decided to go out for a meal and this seemed like a place to try! As I am a coeliac my boyfriend has also gone gluten free, we both needed somewhere that would serve gluten free food.

Luckily enough, when we phoned the Swann Inn up…they had a gluten free menu.

Obviously breads and most soups were not an option, but a huge amount of the mains and starters were still available! I started off with asparagus, poached egg and pesto, while my boyfriend had Parmesan crisp with pancetta and figs.  I have to say…everything was cooked to perfection! Absolutely delicious, the flavours merged perfectly and the way the food was presented looked beautiful!

As my boyfriend and I always want to try everything we decided to have a different meal each and split it. I went for the duck breast, cooked pink. This came with beans, oregano potatoes and a lovely sauce. Ben opted for the pork belly and chorizo potatoes. Both were fantastic. Both came with gluten free gravy which, I have to say, is rare in a lot of restaurants! Again, presentation was first glass, and the food just melted in your mouth!

We finished dinner off with some eton mess. Again, outstanding; not just wiped cream with strawberries and meringue, but strawberry kuli, the cream was strawberry cream and the meringue was home made!

There is nothing worse than walking into a restaurant and only getting an option of about 3 meals. This place clearly makes all of its food fresh and puts effort into making it look wonderful.

If you are ever in the Lake District and fancy a nice meal out…this is definitely the place to go!

Birthday Cupcakes!

So it was my 20^th a few weeks back and I had come to terms with the fact that traditional birthday cake was a thing of the past! However, my amazing housemates surprised me with a whole box of beautiful gluten-free cupcakes!

Usually gluten free cake isn’t quite as moist and doesn’t rise as well as other non gluten free cakes, but these…well, you couldn’t tell the difference!

The theme of my birthday was a garden party and so the cakes came with icing that looked like grass, colourful flowers, bees and ladybirds. 

For someone that is a massive birthday cake fan, I couldn’t have asked for any more! These were so delicious my housemates (non coeliacs) were fighting over the last one! 

To order some cupcakes, or just to see what else this brilliant baker can do...check out her facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/HomeBakingByRebekahRoseStabler