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
*** 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
Living in a household whereby gluten and dairy are not hugely loved by Mark & I, Toad in the Hole is a definite ‘Homemade Luxury.’ I have yet to ever see a Gluten Free and/or a Dairy Free Toad in the Hole on a restaurant menu. (Please let me know if you ever do!) But for now I thought I would create my very own Gluten Free Toad in the Hole recipe… with a slight twist… using The Black Farmer’s Pulled Pork Sausages!
So Toad in the Hole is all my favourite things put on one plate. Who doesn’t like their food submerged in Yorkshire Pudding?! Making Yorkshire Pudding Batter is much like making Pancake Batter.. its incredibly simple & you will always have the main ingredients in your cupboard! All you need (to make it gluten free & dairy free) is a gluten free flour, some corn flour (corn starch in the USA), some dairy free milk & an egg! Who doesn’t have that in the cupboard?! Also I put the leaves off of a few sprigs of fresh thyme into my mixture & I must admit it really made a difference. Not just to the taste of the gluten free toad in the hole, but also to the appearance of the batter once cooked, & of course the smell!
In this particular recipe I decided to try out some brand new sausages that I haven’t tried before. They were the brand new Pulled Pork Sausages from The Black Farmer. I am a massive fan of pulled pork & I had never come across pulled pork sausages until this day. I have to admit they were amazing. You could definitely taste plenty of delicious pulled pork throughout every single bite! I would highly, highly recommend giving them a try if you fancy a slightly different sausage; they are the best!
One slight problem with the pulled pork sausages from The Black Farmer is that they are not dairy free, they contain butter. So unfortunately for those of you who cannot eat dairy these sausages are off the menu. (The Black Farmer do Dairy Free Sausages just not the Pulled Pork ones & they are delicious too!) As you know, Mark is Dairy Free, so I cooked up 3 pulled pork sausages for me, & 3 Chicken Sausages from M&S for him. If you didn’t know already, M&S do amazing, fresh Gluten Free & Dairy Free Chicken Sausages. Mark’s IBS means that he cannot tolerate a lot of red meat so these are a tasty sausage compromise. (You can check out my review of M&S Chicken Sausages here) So remember to make this recipe completely dairy free… check that your sausages are! Strangely, some might just contain milk! Oh, & always check your sausages are Gluten Free too!
Anyway, enough waffle as always.. here is my recipe for Dairy Free & Gluten Free Toad in the Hole. I hope you get the chance to give it a go. It’s so simple & the perfect comfort food for any day of the year!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
How did you do? Be sure to let us know how you did by leaving a comment below, or messaging us on Facebook and Twitter with your score! You can grab one of these mouthwatering baby sponges, or a full-blown sponge by clicking here. Sponge literally are the number one folk for a fresh, moist gluten free sponge cakes. You won’t regret it!
*** Keep your eyes peeled for a cheeky competition on Wednesday… I like to call it #WinItWednesday, just make sure you follow me on twitter (@gfcuppatea) to be in with a chance! ***
& with Coeliac Awareness Week continuing all this week Sponge have put on some very special discount codes that you might like.. if you fancy trying out some gluten free cakes this week! Check out the Sponge Website to make your pick! Here are the discounts codes:
GFCAKECARD till Sunday 17th May – 2nd slice free
GFSHARING till Sunday 17th – 20% off
GFBABY8 till Sunday 17th – £8 off a Gift Box of 8 (£9.99 instead of £17.99)
Cheers,
Mark x
Well the lovely folk at Sponge have been creating delicious, traditional sponges for a while now & not only that, they produce amazing gluten free cakes, better than your Grandmas!
*** Keep your eyes peeled for a cheeky competition on Wednesday… I like to call it #WinItWednesday, just make sure you follow me on twitter (@gfcuppatea) to be in with a chance! ***
Sponge is a very traditional cake making company. They make cakes the right way, without cutting corners, especially when it comes to their gluten free cakes. & whilst Sponge are traditional in their approach, through making gluten free cakes in small batches from the very best British ingredients; they are also a company living in the 21st century. That’s right, they deliver across the entire UK & abroad. In the UK delivery is next day… how about that?! & guess what, Sponge go one step further… they are happy to send their delicious Gluten Free Sponges across to any serving soldiers BFPO addresses too!
Right so enough about the nitty gritty of delivery… what about the different flavours of gluten free cakes they do? Sponge have 5 different flavours of gluten free cake, & yes lucky me, I have tried them all! It is very hard to pick my favourite so I thought I’d give you a mini run through
Well, Carrot Cake is my all time favourite cake & this did not disappoint! The icing is as you would expect, amazing! There is walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg & of course, plenty of carrot! The Sponge Gluten Free Carrot Cake might just be my favourite Carrot Cake of all time… & I have tried many!
So Sponge blew my mind again creating a gluten free cake out of my favourite dessert, the humble apple crumble! The sponge is cinnamon flavoured with plenty of real apple pieces running through it, for added taste & texture. The crumble topping also brings further texture to the cake. I have to admit I put my slice of cake in the oven to lightly warm & it tasted even better than I could ever imagine!
Of course Sponge didn’t forget the chocolate lovers amongst the gluten free community. This gluten free chocolate cake is incredibly moist, it tastes as moist & fresh as one of my freshly baked sponges! I really like the addition of ground almonds to this sponge, it really does enhance the moistness that I mentioned. & the chocolate buttercream with chocolate shavings on top quite literally propels this gluten free chocolate cake into gluten free cake heaven.
Well Sponge would never forget the nations favourite. The longest serving… The Victoria Sponge Cake. & this certainly is a cake fit for any queen. Just like all Sponge gluten free cakes it is moist & delicious. Any Victoria Sponge should be light & fluffy, this cake definitely has those qualities. Best of all, it is in no way crumbly, like many gluten free cakes. You really would not be able to tell the difference between this and a gluten filled Victoria Sponge Cake.
I guess Sponge didn’t want our current Queenie to feel left out so they have created a gluten free sponge cake in her honour! With the Elizabeth cake, Sponge didn’t want to leave anyone out & have also made it Dairy Free! Instead of a buttercream filling, this cake delighted my tastebuds with apricot jam. A serious winner in the gluten free cake stakes!
Sponge create their cakes in a variety of sizes. So whether you have a big birthday party coming up, an event or just a party for one.. there is something for everyone. My favourite cakes that Sponge create are their Baby Gluten Free Sponges! They come in all the flavours above, except the Elizabeth Cake. These cakes look cute & taste even better! They are perfect for any occasion, maybe you have a small amount of gluten free guests coming round… they certainly wouldn’t feel left out of afternoon tea with these! Sponge have made it so you really can have a whole cake & eat it!
So besides Sponge’s exceptional gluten free baby sponges you can also get a whole sponge of any of the gluten free flavours listed above as a 7″ or a 10″ cake. In addition you can get a 10″ Sharing Cake whereby you get 4 quarters… 4 different gluten free flavours. This is exactly what I had & I can confirm it is beyond amazing. I initially had some reservations ordering this as it would mean that the cakes would have been cut into. This is my mind would lead to them drying out. However I was very wrong, as I mentioned earlier, the cakes were very moist & incredibly fresh. I would highly recommend the Sharing Cake, it seriously looks amazing & gives you the chance to try so many different flavours. It caters for everyone!
It isn’t often that Coeliacs and those that follow a Gluten Free diet get this amount of choice, & at such a high quality. Sponge guarantees all of it’s Gluten Free cakes are fully suitable for those with Coeliac Disease. It is pleasing to see a company really take note of the importance ensuring gluten free really means gluten free. The care Sponge take in ensuring your product is safe to eat, delicious & comes looking as if it has literally just been decorated is exceptional. It is also worth noting that you can personalise any of their gluten free cakes so that they can be sent out for any occasion. Furthermore, they’ll even provide you with candles & some Prosecco if you want it – convenience at it’s best!
I used to see this brand around in local cafes providing baby sponges, & I loved the concept. I never for one minute thought Sponge would create Gluten Free Baby Sponges! I am so glad I found them so I thought I would share this. So many of you ask me for places to buy special Gluten Free Birthday Cakes for friends & family… If you want a cake that is beautiful & arrives the next day… look no further than Sponge!
Have you ever had a Gluten Free cakes from Sponge? Let me know by leaving a comment below, or on Facebook / Twitter!
& with Coeliac Awareness Week continuing all this week Sponge have put on some very special discount codes that you might like.. if you fancy trying out some gluten free cakes this week! Check out the Sponge Website to make your pick! Here are the discounts codes:
GFCAKECARD till Sunday 17th May – 2nd slice free
GFSHARING till Sunday 17th – 20% off
GFBABY8 till Sunday 17th – £8 off a Gift Box of 8 (£9.99 instead of £17.99)
Oh & one last thing… Fancy a bit of fun… well Click Here to head to a little game I made…that goes by the name: ‘Big Sponge, Baby Sponge!’
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
With over a 1000 free from lines available on their website (rising to well over 3000 by the end of the summer) & a massive brand new Free From Store newly opened in Chester…You can definitely tell they are a shop on a Free From Mission! With more free from stores due to open, the future is certainly looking bright for Free From. Here are some of my top gluten free products you can pick up in-store and/or online.
Living in Manchester I feel that it is an absolute disgrace that I have not yet visited the Sweet Mandarin Chinese Restaurant, the gluten free is supposed to be amazing. I will soon! In the mean time I was extremely excited to find that Sweet Mandarin have increased their range of sauces. They now do a wide range of sauces that many gluten free eaters can hardly ever eat, unless it’s homemade! From a Nut Free Satay Sauce (sounds an amazing innovation!) to the two bottles I purchased last week… Gluten Free Black Bean Sauce & Gluten Free Hoi Sin Sauce. I am really impressed that Holland & Barrett stock such a variety of flavours. I cannot wait to cook up some Chicken in Black Bean Sauce & some Peeking Duck with Hoi Sin.
I found this in Holland & Barrett and am incredibly excited by the prospect of trying this out. I think a chocolate making kit is the perfect present for anyone. For it to be gluten free & dairy free is an absolute bonus! Holland & Barrett also stock a chocolate making kit designed for children in a much more child friendly packaging. This kit contains everything you will need to start making your chocolates straight away from cacao butter & powder to the recipe booklet & some mini baking cases. It is of course also vegan, egg free, soya free amongst many other free from allergens. I know quite a lot of people who would love this as a gift, its a bit quirky & different! I have even sent a Choco Chick Set in the post already as a present 
As soon as I saw these Ice Cream Tubs I knew I had to grab them. Me & Mark declared that would very soon be ice cream sundae time! It is great that by using Dairy Free Ice Cream such as the delicious Swedish Glace ice cream or the amazing Booja Booja Dairy Free ice cream, we can make an amazing ice cream tub that we can both indulge in. Right now I am thinking of making a tasty Banana Split Tub for us both… Bananas, Dairy Free Ice Cream, Dairy Free Caramel Sauce & some grated Cocoa Libre Dairy Free Chocolate in an epic Gluten Free Cone Boat! Sounds pretty epic right… it will be! You can grab these on Holland & Barrett online right now
I have been a pancake fan since the day I was born & I’m always really excited when Pancake Day comes around. Holland & Barrett stock a Gluten Free (Dairy Free, Vegan) Pancake Mix from Amisa Organic, which I had to try! It is a mix of buckwheat & rice flour & the box has 2 separate packets, for 2 different ‘Pancake Days!’ I have to say these might be the nicest pancakes I have ever had, they were amazing! Really fluffy & so easy and quick to make. We put them alongside a mix of toppings including my homemade cinnamon apple compote & homemade dairy free healthy nutella (Deliciously Ella recipe!). Totally recommend this mix & will be buying it a million more times!
Delicious Alchemy are a company I am hugely fond of. They have a huge range of Gluten Free & Dairy Free products from cake mixes to rice flakes, all of which are delicious. I have used a many of their cake mixes before, for instance making a Gluten Free & Dairy Free Cheesecake Brownie using their brownie mix – click here for the recipe! But when I was recently in Holland & Barrett I decided to pick up their Gluten & Dairy Free White Bread Mix. I am quite attached to a few brands of gluten free bread these days so I decided to use the mix in a different way and make some Gluten Free Iced Buns (recipe here!). They worked really well, which really shows the versatility of the mix. It’s definitely a product I would recommend trying out!
One really positive thing I noticed in the new Holland & Barrett in Chester was their vast selection of not only gluten free but dairy free chocolate. For once, this chocolate wasn’t just dark in flavour either they actually did a wide variety of Dairy Free Milk Chocolate! The brand that appealed to me most was Cocoa Libre. I bought a couple of their products home to try out, one being a packet of dairy free milk chocolate sheep (How could I resist!). I have seriously fallen in love with them and cannot wait to get some more. It is great to see brands providing dairy free chocolate that tastes like everyone’s old favourite.. milk chocolate! These are really fun too, so for anyone with children who cannot eat dairy, this is a great product to give a try.
For years my mum used to search for gluten free suet for me so I could enjoy her stew & dumplings, but to no avail! Now, many years on when I live far away from Mum’s stew & dumplings, I find vegetable suet! This vegetable suet comes from the lovely folk at ‘Feel Free for Gluten Free Food‘, a company full of friendly folk & great products. What drew me in to buying this was the amazing picture of a jam roly poly on the front of the box. I actually decided to make one with some delicious black cherry jam the other day for some dinner guests… it went down a treat served with steaming hot dairy free custard. It’s not until you can’t have suet that you miss it… so it was great to find this in Holland & Barrett!
These pizza bases from Glutamel are gluten free, wheat free & dairy free. The box contains two bases which are individually wrapped. This is great as it means the other one can stay fresh for another day. I often find this to be a problem with multiple gluten free pizza bases in one box, so this was a huge plus point. The pizza base is the perfect size for an individual pizza & crisps up really well in the oven without getting hard. Whilst I am used to having my gluten free pizza on a Venice Bakery UK gluten free base, which is really thin & crisp, this was a really nice change. It felt much lighter & less greasy than many oil filled pizza bases. I chose to fill my pizza with a mix of Dairy Free Cheeses from Violife to Mozzarisella as well as plenty of ham & pineapple! I will definitely be buying these bases again – they are perfect for a quick, light pizza night in!
Oh Violife, you are the love of my life! Now you will see that there are a few mentions of Violife around the blog, as well as a post about them from a few months ago (click here to view it). Violife is made from coconut oil predominantly, yet tastes nothing like it! It is 100% dairy free, & for that reason is the cheese you will always find in our fridge! As Mark is Lactose Intolerant we use this cheese with everything & I must admit I don’t miss normal cheese at all. There are so many different flavours, from cheddar to mozzarella & I hear they are creating a parmesan variety at the moment too! Violife is great on pizza, in pasta & definitely in a toasted sandwich! I was so glad to find such a massive variety of flavours in the new Holland & Barrett Chester Store. If you haven’t tried Violife before and need to cut back on dairy, then Violife is a delicious, versatile cheese that you won’t be able to resist!
So before venturing into the new Holland & Barrett store in Chester I had never even heard of this brand. I’m so so glad that I found them though because their cookies are insane; plus they are all gluten free & dairy free! The Foods of Athenry do a huge range of different gluten free foods that I never even knew about; so I am excited to try other products in the future. We ended up buying 3 different flavours of cookie, and have now had a try of all of them. For me, the lime & coconut cookie was the Cookie King. The lime taste really comes through & blends well with the coconut. It almost tastes like a mix between a key lime pie & a cocktail! Mark was a massive fan of the chocolate & raspberry cookie. Again, the fruity flavour of raspberry played a staring role; they really seem to be able to get the fruity flavour to be at the forefront of these cookies which is amazing. In terms of texture these cookies are both crumbly and melt in your mouth all in one… I would highly recommend getting your hands on some!
Last year we put up a review of the Eat Real Lentil Chips, but the Tomato & Basil Flavour. However I have found an even greater discovery in terms of flavour in Holland & Barrett… Chilli & Lemon! I always knew they did this flavour but have never been able to find them until now. These crisps are gluten free & dairy free (as well as being vegan). The flavour of these is literally amazing, the lemon compliments the chilli to ensure that they are more warming than spicy. They really are a nice change from your regular potato based crisps & also have a lower fat content too… bonus!
Click here for a Guided Tour of the brand new Holland & Barrett in Chester.
Click here for information on the new Holland & Barrett Free From Concept!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
I often walk past & look back to my childhood, when I enjoyed some of their meals as a treat after swimming lessons! But living a Gluten Free diet in the UK means McDonalds is not an easy ‘Fast Food’ option. So I’ve decided to recreate one of the Big Daddy’s of McDonalds… A Gluten Free Egg McMuffin. Homemade Gluten Free McDonalds tastes so much better!
I must admit I was never much of a McDonalds breakfast eater. I think I may have only had it a couple of times & that was many, many years ago, probably at an airport! But I know of many folk who do love a cheeky Egg McMuffin on a semi-regular basis… most of them don’t get what they want with breakfast stopping at 10:30am. However with this tasty little number you can:
1. Get a McDonalds style Breakfast all day long
2. You can guarantee it is Gluten Free!
3. So… it’s suitable for Coeliacs!
4. You can make it with whatever bacon you wish, whatever eggs you wish.. animal welfare folks!
5. You can choose any cheese.. So for the Dairy Free eaters amongst us, using a tasty slice Violife is perfect!
6. You can serve it with whatever you like, I grilled my hash browns, no frying thanks!
What made me crave the idea of making my own Homemade Gluten Free McDonalds Egg McMuffin was finding Genius Gluten Free English Muffins in my local Sainsbury’s. I’ve never really eaten English Muffins, & the thought of being able to eat a Gluten Free McDonalds Style Egg McMuffin seemed a good reason to try a one out!
The Genius Gluten Free English Muffins (which are also Dairy Free) actually taste amazing. I’ve since used them to have a Gluten Free Bacon Muffin & one lightly toasted with some margarine. Both of these were delicious; however, nothing will ever beat my very own… Homemade Gluten Free McDonalds Egg McMuffin!
The recipe below gives you all the details of how I made mine. I used a poachette ring to make my egg perfectly round, this ensured it fit perfectly into the english muffin. If you haven’t got one, they are really easy to find, I just bought mine in the supermarket on the day I had my craving! Another thing, I actually used 2 eggs. As you can see from the picture the egg was really thick, which was exactly how I wanted it; one egg would work fine too though! In terms of bacon, use whatever you fancy! I chose to use bacon medallions as they were fairly round and wide – perfect to fit in the muffin! I think turkey bacon would work really well too, if you are looking to go a little healthier! Finally, I decided to make my Gluten Free Egg McMuffin Dairy Free too! I did this by using Dairy Free Cheese. My cheese of choice was the delicious Violife. Violife do a range of different Dairy Free flavours, but for me, I had to choose the cheddar as it tastes amazing & it’s the perfect colour!
Well enough gluten free waffle… here’s the recipe you’ve been waiting for! The Gluten Free McDonalds Egg McMuffin! I highly recommend using Genius Gluten Free English Muffins for this… I’ve been ensured by a Gluten eater that they taste incredibly similar and the texture is on point too. You can grab them in nearly all supermarkets across the UK in the Free From section. So if you haven’t before, keep your eyes peeled. They are well worth it!
I am now incredibly hungry!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
