Bread shouldn"t feel like this...

Anyone else feel like this once upon a time when they ate regular bread? I sure did. Which animal do you most relate to?!

Loving these videos created by Genius Gluten Free. Not only did they bring a relatable smile to my face but I really think they might be able to help bring awareness to others. If you regularly feel bloated after eating bread, or know somebody that does… maybe you/they should consider visiting the doctors & seeing if the bloating problems are related to consuming gluten.

Oh & also, I guess it shows that there are much better things to feed the animals than bread. Birds & ducks were never created with stomachs ready to digest bread… why not feed them something else!

1. Birds!

2. Ducks

3. Hedgehogs

I’m glad that I came to realise that gluten was one of the biggest problems in my diet & I now no longer have these troubles. It might seem tough at first, but really, living a gluten free lifestyle isn’t so bad at all. There are so many naturally gluten free options that you can eat instead. They taste just as good, & won’t hurt you in the short term or long term. There are also plenty of gluten free alternatives available today, that make life so much easier. Gluten Free Cakes no longer have to be dry & crumbly, that ‘Gluten Free’ taste seems to have long departed Gluten Free Breads; there are even Gluten Free Pies & Pastries readily available in cafes & shops now. So there really isn’t any need to keep bloated from gluten. The options are there for you.

“NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS GOOD HEALTH FEELS”

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or on Facebook / Twitter! 

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

Bread shouldn"t feel like this...

Can You Tell If Something Is Gluten Free?

Quite liked this little video from BuzzFeed questioning whether You Can Tell If Something Is Gluten Free. When you first started eating Gluten Free alternatives, how much could you tell the difference?!

Personally, when I first made the change & had to start eating Gluten Free I could tell the difference between Gluten & Gluten Free in literally everything. Gluten Free Bread just wasn’t up to scratch a few years ago, neither was gluten free pasta. It is very refreshing that today, telling the difference between gluten & gluten free is much harder. Obviously those diagnosed with Coeliac Disease or any sort of Gluten Intolerance should never try to tell the difference… leave that to a gluten eating friend!

“Everyone should be able to enjoy great tasting food, regardless of their dietary needs. As a nation, we need to open our minds, brush up on our culinary skills and embrace this change.” 
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, founder of Genius Gluten Free

What did you think of Gluten Free products when you first started eating them? & what do you think of them today?! A Coeliac/Celiac & gluten intolerants shouldn’t have to eat substandard food. It can be hard work for many living a gluten free lifestyle… so lets make the food taste as good, if not better than gluten filled products! Fortunately, I think many gluten free brands have really stepped their game up over the past year. Long may it continue! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or on Facebook / Twitter! 

Videos like this are a good way of bringing awareness to the Gluten Intolerant & Coeliac Disease lifestyle. Awareness is for life not just for the ‘Awareness Weeks & Months’ that we celebrate. So, thanks to BuzzFeed for creating this.

Thanks for reading & watching,

Becky xxx

Can You Tell If Something Is Gluten Free?

REVIEW: Honest Burgers, Gluten Free Burgers in London

Now you know I am always honest with you guys, well… I think I have found my favourite location for Gluten Free Burgers… Honest Burgers!

In times gone by I have experienced many food destinations where ‘Gluten Free Burger’ is an option on the menu (& many where it is not!), however more often than not this involves being served my burger ‘naked’ without a bun, with my burger placed between 2 slices of gluten free toasted bread or served without chips. None of these options are really ok in this day and age, fortunately Honest Burgers agrees & provides the full experience for a Gluten Intolerant.

Hell yeah, lets dance the gluten free night away!

It feels amazing to walk into a restaurant to be greeted with the ability to have a full meal, not just bits of a meal. The staff at Honest Burgers are amazing too they are really friendly & as soon as I mentioned that I was Gluten Free they explained the menu in detail to me. (The menu is very easy to understand as you can see below!) They explained to me that not only do they provide gluten free burger buns, but they also have gluten free onion rings & gluten free beer on the menu. How exciting! Oh & don’t forget their Rosemary Salted Chips/Fries are Gluten Free too… the best frickin fries ever. Rosemary, salt & potato is a match made in heaven!! Whilst we were in Honest Burgers a huge amount of people came in asking after Gluten Free & were all prepared to wait for a table… it’s that well regarded and delicious!

the delicious, simple menu of Honest Burgers

As I mentioned, the Honest Burgers menu is incredibly straight forward. In my opinion this is what makes it so great. The chefs can really hone their skills to perfection, rather than having a lengthy confusing menu. Whether you fancy chicken or beef their is something for everyone. There is a variety of different toppings you can have within your burger too… & of course each month there is a different Burger Special which can be enjoyed Gluten Free! Everything is incredibly well priced as well. You come away from a central London restaurant feeling like you only paid half the bill!

Right so on with the Gluten Free Grub…..!

what is this heavenly gluten free delight?!

I opted for the classic of all burgers in my opinion. The cheeseburger! You can choose from mature cheddar, red leicester or stilton. After much deliberation I went for the cheddar, however I bet all three taste insane (I love cheese!). The burger came medium pink & was softer, tastier & juicier than any burger I have ever consumed. The gluten free bun was amazing. I have heard such great things about the gluten free buns at Honest Burgers & these really lived up to the hype. They were flavoursome, didn’t crumble & best of all were in no way ‘too bready’. I genuinely haven’t had a better burger in my memory & I will definitely be going back for another asap!

this tastes even better than it looks, & it looks pretty amazing!

Mark opted for the chicken burger in a gluten free bun. The chicken was really moist & flavoursome. A chicken burger can often be such a let down, but this was anything but. It had some delicious mustard mayo smothered on the chicken, which had a perfect subtle mustard taste. Again, Mark absolutely loved the bun & could not believe it was gluten free!

I also mentioned the fries earlier… the Rosemary Salted Fries. I think these deserve their own paragraph, they are insane. I have never thought to add rosemary to my fries before at home (not sure why!), but it seriously is the best combination ever. I am planning to purchase a rosemary plant to I can try and make them myself. The fries come as standard with every meal, and a decent amount too. I would be satisfied with them alone, they were truly sensational!

a very happy gluten free becky!

As you can see this trip to Honest Burgers blew my socks off. Why have I not been before? I used to walk past a hefty queue outside Honest Burgers every single day when I worked in Soho & never ventured inside. I feel like Honest Burgers will be my go to dinner destination in London from now on, I am dreaming gluten free burgers every night at the moment!

Honest Burgers really have expanded over the past few years & offer restaurants in various locations across the capital. So now….. Brixton, Soho, Camden, Portobello, Kings Cross, Oxford Circus, Tooting, Liverpool Street & Clapham all have something amazing in common… they are all home to Honest Burgers. I’m sure that list will just keep growing as well. It is so great to see that the growth of Honest Burgers hasn’t taken anything away from their quality. Each restaurant has great staff, plenty of character & best of all.. delicious Gluten Free food!

I highly recommend this delicious destination for the gluten intolerants, the wheat free eaters, the coeliacs & everyone & everyone whether you can eat gluten or not! I actually cannot wait to go back. Save a seat for me please Honest Burgers!

Have you ever been to Honest Burgers before? What did you think of your visit? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on Facebook/Twitter.

I am now so hungry, & I’m not currently close by an Honest Burgers

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

REVIEW: Honest Burgers, Gluten Free Burgers in London

REVIEW: Beyond Bread - Gluten Free Bakery

A 100% Gluten Free Bakery in the heart of London… That is what Beyond Bread is!

I have been meaning to visit Beyond Bread ever since it opened & never had the chance. However, after a busy morning promoting Coeliac Awareness Week, myself & Founder of Genius Gluten Free Foods, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne decided to pay Beyond Bread a visit. To say it was love at first sight is an understatement. & apologies to anyone who prefers reading my sweet writing rather than looking at pictures, in this case a picture really does paint a delicious 1000 words.
As soon as I saw this extremely friendly sign I knew I had come to the right place. A gluten free bakery in the heart of London? A city where there is plenty of great gluten free options, yet suddenly, this place instantly rocketed to the top of my list.

Upon entering I didn’t really know what to do except to ask in a shocked & excited voice whether everything really was gluten free. I mean, how could I possibly consume everything in this entire bakery?! Everything looked fresh & very homemade. It felt like I was ordering in a really cool deli.. a place where usually the only thing I can eat is a gluten free chocolate brownie. Not today. Today I can eat everything!

A selection of freshly made gluten free quiche are always available too. They looked amazing & can be served alongside a salad to make the perfect gluten free lunch. The chicken & spinach quiche look especially tasty!

From the For Goat’s sake (prosciutto, minted goat’s cheese, fresh rocket & tomato chilli jam on baguette) to the Bang Bang Tuna (wasabi spiced tuna, avocado, fresh rocket & dash of lemon on a soft bun) They do a huge variety of amazing lunch time options. I went for the Caesar Teaser (free range chicken breast in creamy ricotta dressing & fresh rocket on baguette) & I would definitely recommend it. It was one of the best baguettes I have ever had!

 The bread selection at Beyond Bread is seriously impressive. To have such variety in gluten free bread is a real luxury. Not to be too greedy I just went for a simple gluten free baguette. I wish I lived closer so I could regularly buy my bread from here, it all looked amazing. The Pumpernickel & Brioche are coming home with me next visit!!

 Oh & the cakes and pastries are something to be admired. Such choice! From fresh victoria sponge, to a huge carrot loaf cake. From chocolate muffins to scones & banana bread. Beyond Bread made me weak at the knees. Again, I question thee…. how can you all be gluten free?!

 I was rather find of the look of the New York Cheesecake and the Strawberry & Custard Danish. What do you think? When was the last time you saw either of these in gluten free from looking quite this good… I mean… I just had to buy both to take home!!

Now this little beauty is the Gluten Free Chocolate & Custard Danish. I’ve never eaten a twisted style danish before as you certainly cannot get gluten free chocolate twist danish pastries where I come from! This was seriously divine. The pastry melts in your mouth and is all kinds of flakey! I love the combination of the chocolate and custard too. I really should not be able to eat this!!

Seriously, a New York Cheesecake that’s gluten free?! This really is everything that I want in a cheesecake. Smooth, thick & creamy topping with a biscuity base to die for. Last time I was in New York I didn’t get to experience any of their cheesecakes, we never found a gluten free place in our time there. I definitely felt like I was in a New York Diner when I was eating this earlier however!

And here is probably my favourite. I used to love the vanilla custard danish pastry’s I got from my local supermarket and I haven’t had one in a good 5/6 years. This was better! The pastry again was super flakey; the filling…orgasmic. I loved the addition of fresh strawberries on top. It worked really well. I have always said if there was one thing that I could make it would be a gluten free danish pastry, but I don’t think I need to now that I’ve found this. So delicious & fresh. When you go, you must get one of these!!

Here is the delicious baguette I bought. After an extremely tiring day in London, I decided to cook up some gluten free chicken nuggets & put them inside half of the baguette with plenty of ketchup. So simple, but trust me… I was so shattered that this amazing baguette made everything so much better.

This is a place I demand you check out if you haven’t. It is 100% suitable for those with Coeliac Disease & those with an intolerance to gluten. Whats even better, is that the food is truly so delicious & the cafe itself so lovely, that everyone will fall in love with this place the moment they step inside. The staff are brilliant, the food is the best & the environment is perfect. They are doing really well at the moment (rightly so!), so who knows when we might see another Beyond Bread popping up! For now, get down to 2 Charlotte Place, London W1T 1SB & let yourself indulge in gluten free heaven.

Have you been to Beyond Bread before? If you have let me know what you thought! & have you got any other recommendations of your favourite Gluten Free Bakeries? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on Facebook / Twitter.

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

REVIEW: Beyond Bread - Gluten Free Bakery

REVIEW: Wendel"s Truefoods Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I love gluten free chocolate chip cookies BUT.. I wasn’t expecting to be reviewing a Gluten Free Canadian Bakery’s  Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies anytime soon on the blog!

But, this week I received an amazing holiday present that travelled thousands of miles to get to me… Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! These gluten free chocolate chip cookies are also dairy free & egg free (so they’re vegan). & where do they come from? Well, they come from Wendels True Foods in British Columbia, Canada!

Now I’m not sure when I will next get the chance to enjoy anything from Wendels True Foods but that doesn’t mean I can’t review their gluten free chocolate chip cookies! Firstly I must mention the packaging. I love the simplicity of it, I have always loved paper bags rather than fancy packaging, especially when you know it’s come from a bakery across the other side of the world!

Then, I guess you want to know how these cheerful cookies taste. Well these are proper North American style cookies. Think Maryland Cookies but then think, bigger, chunkier & of course gluten free, dairy free & egg free! These cookies are addictive & moorish. There certainly isn’t enough in a packet to satisfy my belly or anybody else’s for that matter. I’d happily travel over to Canada just to go Wendels True Foods! (Though to be fair I would love to go to Canada for many more reasons!) It really would be amazing if we could get some local places stocking Wendels here in the UK.

I really like the little story on Wendels True Foods website that shows why they initially decided to make their menu very friendly & gluten free! So… I’ve put it below:

The ‘Why Gluten Free’ at Wendels True Foods Story!

One day a small boy was crying in front of our pastry case in our cafe and an upset mother tried to comfort him. The little boy was crying because he could not have a cookie. My Mother, Erika, who was our baker, happened to hear the conversation and started talking with the woman. The woman explained that the boy could not eat anything in our case because of a gluten allergy. Well that left my mother speechless, which is very hard to do. A little boy not allowed to eat a cookie in our café was not right; this wouldn’t be the situation for long. She set out to make a cookie from the ingredients she could use and didn’t stop trying to she came up with a cookie that tasted great, just like all our other cookies. Turns out the cookie was really good. We didn’t know that much of the gluten free products available didn’t taste like “normal” baked goods. We only had our standard of great tasting; pure ingredient baking as the benchmark to go by and that is the benchmark we still use today.
I like to think that little boy came back and got to have a cookie. I do know lots of others just like him now enjoy our gluten free products.

Not only does Wendels True Foods do these delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookies. They also do a huge range of other gluten free products. Gluten Free Carrot Cake, Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Dipped Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Caramel Cheesecake & West Coast Apple Pie are just a few of the gluten free delights Wendels do! I just wish I had the opportunity to try all of these… one day please!

Has anyone tried any tasty Gluten Free delights from Wendels True Foods before? & also, what are your favourite places to get gluten free treats… but they are too far away from where you live? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on Facebook / Twitter.

Oh & please send me some gluten free treats from Wendels True Foods if you live close by!!!!

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

REVIEW: Wendel"s Truefoods Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

What Happens When You Tell People You Can"t Eat Gluten

Proper love this video created by College Humor all about, ‘What Happens When You Tell People You Can’t Eat Gluten’. I’m sure you’ve all been there, it definitely made me chuckle a lot!

Can you relate to this video?! Either as a Coeliac/Celiac, a gluten intolerance or any of the other characters… Let me know by leaving a comment below, or on Facebook / Twitter!

Becky xxx

What Happens When You Tell People You Can"t Eat Gluten

REVIEW: Lizi"s Gluten Free Granola

I love it when popular supermarket brands jump aboard the Gluten Free Train! & That’s exactly what Lizi’s has done by providing Gluten Free Granola!

*** Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter (http://twitter.com/gfcuppatea) tomorrow (15th May) for a special #FreebieFriday… 3 Chances to win something delicious & gluten free from Lizi’s! ***

For so many years I have seen Lizi’s down the cereal aisle of my local supermarkets. Not only that I have seen it in other family members bowls & craved it. The packaging is inviting, but seeing it piled high in your brothers cereal bowl really does bring the cravings & jealously to a whole new level! However, no longer do I need to feel like this. Lizi & her team have listened to a huge amount of consumer nagging & thus demand, & created a healthy, delicious gluten free granola!

With Coeliac Disease affecting one in 100 people (Although only 24% who have the condition have been diagnosed), it is great to see some of the nation’s favourite brands creating gluten free versions of their already popular products. Lizi’s Gluten Free Granola is not just gluten free either, it has been fully approved by Coeliac UK. This is definitely very reassuring for many, as I have found many companies becoming very confused with what passes as ‘Gluten Free Oats’.

It is also really nice that Lizi’s Gluten Free Granola isn’t just really standard like so many gluten free products. It is often the case that a brand provides a gluten free alternative & it’s just really plain. All the gluten eaters get exotic, different flavours yet we just get bland alternatives. Lizi & the team don’t think like this… the gluten free granola is filled with all my favourite nuts & plenty of seeds too. ‘Desiccated Coconut, Cashew Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Golden Linseeds, Almonds, Walnuts, Hazelnuts’ - irresistible, hey?!

I am a massive fan of breakfast time & decided to have my first bowl of gluten free granola alongside some fresh fruit & almond milk. It smelt great & it tasted even better. I will definitely be trying this again. I did find it quite filling but not, uncomfortably so. It definitely kept me going until a late Saturday lunch out! Similarly to when I eat gluten free porridge, this gluten free granola seems to gradually release it’s goodness; but its full of even more fibre & good fats!

Though I had my gluten free granola, simply alongside almond milk & fresh fruit there are definitely so many other ways you can try it. For example it works really well alongside fresh yoghurt & berries. I am a big fan of coconut yoghurt. Both Coyo & The Coconut Collaborative are brands that I would highly recommend… I buy both depending on what supermarket I am in! They are both dairy free as well so if you are looking for a delicious Gluten Free & Dairy Free Breakfast using these alongside Lizi’s Gluten Free Granola is definitely a great idea!

I love Granola so much I would happily eat it for dessert, sprinkled on top of ice cream, frozen yoghurt or even with pancakes! I really think this gluten free granola could work really well in a recipe too. Maybe some on-the-go cereal bars or flapjacks… you never know until you try!

Lizi’s Gluten Free Granola is music to my ears & heaven to my tastebuds. It’s full of flavour, texture & just makes you feel really good whenever you eat it! I will definitely be buying this again as one of a few cereal options I have. (I love cereal!!) It’s going to be available initially this summer in both Asda & Sainsbury’s (June & July 2015 respectively), so hopefully you can hold on till then!

Are you a granola fan? Have you got any other ways you eat your granola? & also let me know what you think of Lizi’s Gluten Free Granola! Drop a comment below or on Facebook/Twitter.

Don’t forget the #FreebieFriday Competition this Friday 15th May over on http://twitter.com/gfcuppatea for 3 Chances to WIN something tasty & GLUTEN FREE!

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

REVIEW: Lizi"s Gluten Free Granola