Coeliac On The Map: Cardiff

As I am writing this blog whilst situated in Cardiff, I thought it was about time I did some exploring to find what the city has to offer for us Coeliac's.
Obviously a lot of my posts where I have been out and about shopping or eating have been situated in Cardiff, but a lot of the places I talk about can be found in many other cities too.
For example, as Cardiff is a capital city there is obviously all the big name restaurants flying around who have gluten-free menus, and some I have already managed to write about/review (and am waiting until some money miraculously appears in my bank before I can go out and review any more).
SO now what I want to do is dig deeper into the heart of the city and see if there are any unexpected or 'exclusive to Cardiff' places offering gluten-free goodies, which could be especially helpful if any of you reading are also living in this glorious city!
And Voila!
Thanks to a family visit and a very wonderful recommendation from my big sister, I have my first post ready and waiting because we ended up going to a little place called 'The Plan'.
The Plan can be found in one of Cardiff's beautiful Arcades called 'Morgan Arcade' and looks like this:

(image curtosy of gourmetgorro.blogspot.com)

It is a quaint little cafe and I highly recommend a visit for anybody new to Cardiff because it is situated perfectly; nicely tucked away so that you can escape the city buzz and get some awesome views of the arcade whilst you're at it, like this one that we had:

It also boasts some awesome home-made Welsh coffee:

I can't do the setting of the place justice by words alone and also didn't really get chance/felt a bit odd going round taking a hundred photos of the place so please just promise me you'll visit there!
Anyway, on to the gluten free food.
For a small place, The Plan has a pretty big menu! And more importantly a lot of gluten free options! Take a look:

 It may be hard to tell from this small photo (apologies for my awful phone camera quality too) but there are a lot of 'no wheat' symbols dotted around!
Also interesting to see on the menu was this little note:

Like I have mentioned before, it is always reassuring to see eating establishments acknowledge cross-contamination. Seeing as it is outlined on their menu, I thought I would call over a member of staff before ordering and quietly mention that I have an intolerance to gluten rather than my gluten-avoidance being a choice. We spoke about the note on the menu and I asked what could be done about cross-contamination, especially as I was hoping to order a gluten-free toastie and therefore had reservations about whether the same toaster would be used for my bread as the normal bread. The man I spoke to was very informative and reassuring and even made the effort to inform the kitchen staff of my issue. He later returned to me to say that effort would be made to reduce cross-contamination as much as possible for my order. That was good enough for me so I went ahead and ordered a gluten-free bean and cheese toastie!

It was a lovely dish, garnished with a side salad and even a few crisps! (which I obviously checked were gluten free also). I can't for the life of me remember what gluten free bread they used (duh) but whatever it was I DO remember it being really good! 

So 10/10 for The Plan! Not only is it a gorgeous little place but they are gluten-free friendly and full of helpful staff. What more could a Coeliac want?!

Amy

Review Of The New: B Free

It seems to be happening more and more these days, I'll go into a supermarket and find a load of new things in the free from section. It's amazing! Keep it up please!
As great as it is, its also a terrible temptress into me spending money I don't have, so for now I have had to pull the reins in and haven't been able to buy much of the things I am seeing *sad face*.
One thing I saw however and sent a picture straight to my sister with a caption something along the lines of 'OHMYGODWEHAVETOTRYTHISNOW' was this:

This is this new Mexican fajita kit by 'B Free'.
Luckily/unsurprisingly my sister shared the same excited thoughts as me, so she bought a pack and invited me over to try it out, yum!
On the pack you can see what this includes:

I took some pictures of our fajita making experience to share with you:
First of all we were super impressed that the wraps included in the kit were the full sized B Free wraps.

These are also sold separately on their own and I highly recommend them. You can get a pack of 6 of these for either £3.50 in Tesco or £2.80 in Asda - you make that decision yourself... anyway, I love them. They are soft and more importantly really flexible so they don't break when you wrap them; I use them for lunches all the time! So, back to the fajita kit, we were half expecting the wraps inside the kit to be small so its was definitely a pleasant surprise to get full sized ones!
The kit also comes with its own seasoning and salsa packets. They come in a double pack which you can separate which is really handy because it means you can use some now and save some for another time (because lets be honest, there is going to be another time!)
We used one seasoning packet but opted for another, larger salsa packet that my sister already had in her cupboard, purely based on preference and the amount of people it had to feed!

The only other change we made to what the kit suggests is we used minced meat instead of chicken as our filling. I took some step-by-step pictures whilst I was 'manning the pan' :

                                                             Step 1: Browning the mince

Step 2: Adding chopped peppers and onions

Step 3: (I tried to get an action shot of me adding

the fajita seasoning, but I am no professional

photographer so this will have to do):

On the side lines we started arranging other exciting, tasty things to go into our fajitas. Here is our selection of condiments and fillings:

And here is everything laid out on the table when it was ready:

Now for the fun to begin!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Ok so if you've read any of my previous posts you already know I LOVE Mexican food so my opinion is biased when I say I really enjoyed this meal! However from a none Mexican-obsessed point of view, this fajita kit is still great! I mean, it costs either £4.75 or £5.50 which is more than double the price of your average fajita kit by Old El Paso and the likes sooo it is an investment to say the least. But what's new?! If you have been Coeliac for a while, like me, you're already used to (and infuriated by) the fact that gluten free food is extortionately priced. It's up to you to make the decision to buy the ingredients to make fajita's separately or go for this kit by B-Free. For me, it's just really refreshing to see gluten free kits like these in the supermarkets and I suppose that's purely because of the novelty that goes with it. Being able to pick something fun up like this and feel 'normal' is what sold it for me but at the same time I won't be affording to do it again any time soon. So there are pros and cons but overall it's another exciting development in what is looking like a bright future on the 'Free From' Aisle.

Amy

Coeliac Life Hack Number Two

Yes, I am back with more terrible advice for a healthy lifestyle but when you see what this post is about I think a few of you will forgive me.
The credit for this life hack has to go to my Coeliac sister Lucie as it was her idea to do it first before introducing it to me! And she gets more than a round of applause for this one as it was nothing short of genius.
WE HAD A SUBWAY.
Like all the other fast food places, since being diagnosed I had completely written Subway off, especially seeing as their speciality is sandwiches. We have been waiting and waiting for them to jump on the Dominos/Pizza Hut bandwagon and introduce gluten free options but it doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. So for the mean time we have this nifty little life hack which I have an inkling you are going to enjoy.
It's pretty simple, and maybe quite obvious, we just took our own gluten free bread.
Some of you might be thinking, why didn't you do that years ago? And yes I suppose this isn't exactly ground breaking intelligence and more just common sense but I was never sure how successful it was actually going to be. The main reason for this is because it has taken a while for decent gluten free bread to come along. For a long time we were simply awaiting a successful bread and butter so we can have some toast for breakfast; our minds weren't exactly venturing as far as the dreams of Subway's. But we are in a different place now and we are lucky enough that there are a lot of really really good gluten free loaves available now by various companies, not to mention variations such as wraps, flat breads, rolls, buns and baguettes. The latter being what we would need for a Subway.
The other reason that it has taken me a while to attempt the Subway life hack is because you are running a much greater cross-contamination risk here. Due to the nature of the deli, there is a lot of handling of the food so it is much easier for crumbs to spread etc.
And finally, it is all well and good replacing the bread for a gluten free sandwich but then you still have no idea if the fillings are gluten free because Subway have no need to display this information.

SO all this in mind, lets talk about how our first gluten free Subway experience panned out.

The baguette we used was from the company Livwell and can be purchased on this website: http://www.livwellfoods.co.uk/products_140g_baguette.php OR if you have a prescription set up, it may also be available to you that way (which is how my sister got her hands on ours!)
We simply went in and asked first off if they were able to create a sandwich for us using bread that we had brought in ourselves. Expectedly, the staff member was slightly hesitant and consulted their manager first but they responded enthusiastically, asking us whether it was a gluten intolerance that we had and then even foreseeing that a new clean knife was used to cut our baguette! Impressive. As far as the rest of the sandwich making goes, I was consciously overlooking for any potential cross-contamination. For example I panicked slightly when the sandwich was being put in the oven/toaster but then noticed that it is on a clean sheet of wrap/paper which touches the oven shelf, not the sandwich itself, so that was fine. The baguette itself withstood the test tremendously, it did not crumble or break at all and it was really soft! Perfect.
As for the fillings, we pretty much just went with our gut and chose things we know are naturally gluten free. My sister did say however that she has asked staff in the past about the ingredients of the fillings where she found out for example that we can't eat the meatballs (boo!) so I'm sure there are ways you can find out about them all so you know for sure.
We had a 'Subway Melt' which consists of ham, chicken, bacon and then cheese and salad if you want them. I did notice some crumbs in the cheese but the girl must have sensed my panic (or just been aware of the risk) and she chose slices which were clean, phew! The one thing we did inquire about were the sauces, as more often than not a sauce will contain gluten. The manager handed over to us a folder containing a full list of ingredients and allergen information for all of their sauces, so thank you to him for being awesome. Luckily there was no queue when we went in so we were able to stand and scrutinise the ingredients without causing any fuss, however as Subway can get really busy, if you were thinking of getting a gluten free sandwich there it might be worth making a separate visit beforehand where you go and speak to the manager aside from the busy deli counter and check out what is available. Then when you eventually go to place your gf order it's done as swiftly as possible so you can enjoy it more! Reading ingredients is known to take the edge off a bit...
Unfortunately we were unable to have some of the sauces we wanted to but we did manage to add BBQ sauce!
And voilà! Here are our first (of many!) gluten free Subway sandwiches:

They were delicious! I highly recommend doing this.
We had one foot-long (well, however long the Livwell baguette is) and cut it in half to share which filled me up plenty! This cost us £3.99 which considering what you pay for gluten free food is actually reasonable (especially if you get the baguette on prescription!) and as I have said before, the novelty of getting to enjoy all these things when I thought I never would again is priceless!
Amy

Monthly Favourite: DOUGHNUTS

YES YOU READ CORRECTLY.
THE WAIT IS OVER.
GLUTEN FREE DOUGHNUTS FINALLY EXIST.
Ok before I go on I just need to mention that I have an ongoing debate in my mind about how to actually spell doughnuts!? I've always gone for 'doughnuts' (as I have used in this post) but now I keep seeing the spelling 'donuts' everywhere?! If you have any serious issue with my choice of spelling then I am sorry but somebody needs to hurry up and decide which one is right?!
ANYWAY back to the point:
I think I started this blog at the perfect time because in the last few months SO much exciting food has been introduced to the gluten free world. And now somebody, who can only be described as a culinary genius, has finally blessed us all with gluten free doughnuts.
Once again I am lucky enough that my sister, otherwise known as my Coeliac partner in crime, bought us some to sample!
I have the best sisters ever, right?!
So I have tasted the food of the Gods and my oh my, they were heavenly indeed.
We can all agree, this has been a long time coming. I have been teased on several occasions by rumours such that Krispy Kreme were launching gluten free doughnuts but every time I was only lead to disappointment and to be frank, that is just not a nice trick to play on a Coeliac.
Food is the way to our hearts after all, don't break them.
But alas we need wallow no more! Gluten free doughnuts are a thing of the now.
Here's a couple of them that we had:

They are a proper doughnut size, no scrimping was done here and they are really fluffy! I wish I could describe to you how they tasted but the English vocabulary just doesn't have enough superlatives to do them justice. Lets just say they really did not disappoint. Even the smell (you know, we all know the warm doughnut smell) was just how I remembered it! Admittedly these don't look as sugary as the pictures on the website, and they probably weren't, but if that is an issue there's no issue with sprinkling a bit more sugar on yourself!
If you are interested (and why wouldn't you be?!) my sister bought them from here: http://www.glutenfree-direct.co.uk/feel-free/frozen/feel-free-donuts. If they become available from anywhere else I shall update this post but for now this is the website I'm aware of. I'll also put a direct link to the whole website because they have a lot more awesome food up for grabs: http://www.glutenfree-direct.co.uk/.
I've only come across plain doughnuts for now, but it had been around four years since my last doughnut full stop so I'm not going to be picky just yet (then again if the future holds jam doughnuts, then its a future I am very much looking forward to!)
Bon Apetit!

Coeliac Life Hack

So one of the hardest things to come to terms with when you have a food allergy or intolerance is no longer being able to feel 'normal'. Maybe you always feel like 'the awkward one' when eating out or you're just generally fed up of missing out on eating experiences that you used to have.
So I'm going to share with you something that I discovered which I would say is a pretty good coeliac life hack.
This one in particular may only appeal to a niche reader because I am a student which means I'm still relatively young and irresponsible so fast food is still a big part of my life. Let's just get this out the way before anymore build up: this post is about McDonald's.
Fast food is the hardest thing to come by as a coeliac, it pretty much doeent exist BUT I have found a sneaky little way around this particular eating place (sorry, I couldn't bring myself to refer to McDonalds as a restraunt).
For me, what I missed most was my double cheeseburgers, so after intensive research I was delighted to find out that McDonalds burger patties are made from 100% beef. I'm not saying theyre made from top of the range meat nor am I oblivious to the fact that they are filled with a load of unhealthy crap BUT my point is, they don't contain any wheat so that is a win in my eyes. What was then even more wonderful to discover is that its not too frowned upon to go into McDonalds and ask for said double cheeseburger to be served to you without the bun. Admittedly this request hasn't come without a few raised eyebrows and puzzled looks but overall the staff have been totally comprehensive and treat it as though they get asked it all the time. The burger comes served to you in a box or closed lid tray and 9 times out of 10 with a plastic knife and fork too.
I order mine with chips, as these are also gluten free and confirmation of this can be found on McDonald's nutritional information menu if you ask for one.
In fact look at one anyway, now you know you can eat a burger there why not go all out and see what else you could add to your bill!
Like I said as I'm still an avid fast food eater this has been great for me especially when friends suggest going there and I can't lie no night out felt complete without the 4am stumble through the golden arches so having that back in my life is fab.
I hope this information changes your lives for the better too, if not then I sincerely apologise for the bad influence and impending weight loss plan.

"Jimma Dinners" Part Two

My stomach has never been so happy.
My sister and brother in law went and did it again with an absolutely fantastic gluten free meal that I NEED to share with you.
Don your sombreros and crack out the tequila, were having Mexican.
Let's be honest, these guys knew what they were doing when it came to food, there are so many amazing dishes to be had and the best part of it is, most authentic Mexican food uses corn instead of wheat!
So the Jim's, being awesome human beings, decided to utterly spoil me and buy some soft corn flour tortillas from Wholefoods in London, so that when I next came round we could have tacos!
It was a hell of a feast to say the least, complete with amusing chalk board menu gag:

And just take a look at that spread!

We had slow cooked pulled chicken with chipotle seasoning, picante, a range of sauces including salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese and sour cream, lettuice, grated cheese and even a fresh slice of lime each.
Here are some of my creations (albeit rather messy ones, but that's half the fun!):

I'm only a beginner so my tacos are far from aesthetically pleasing but the important thing is they tasted incredible!
All in all it was an absolutely fab meal. Soooo tasty and super filling.
I hadn't had tacos before this for at least a year and that was only because me and my sister were lucky enough to find a place in American that served corn flour tortillas whilst we were on holiday there! So its great to know that the meal is actually easily achievable a lot closer to home.
Thank you Jimma!

Home Cooking By The Boyfriend

Now I've already talked about some of the amazing things my family have done for me in the way of gluten free meals etc so it wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention my boyfriend too. He is really supportive and forever looking for ways to make me the meals I am missing the most.
So I thought I'd do a couple of posts about some of the meals he has made me or we have made together so that others who are missing out can have a go and enjoy them too!
I'll begin with this one first as it is one of the biggest and best meals he has ever made me:
a home made Chinese takeaway.
This was genuinely one of the hardest things to come to terms with when I got diagnosed. Never being able to eat my favourite things from a Chinese ever again? It doesn't even bare thinking about.
I've been too upset by the matter to consider having a go myself. I just couldn't see myself being able to make it the same and I'd probably mess it up or it would turn out a disappointment. But lucky for me my boyfriend had other plans.
Now, I don't have step by step pictures because he made it for me as a surprise and I was banned from the kitchen during the process. You can imagine how overwhelmed I was then to walk in the living room and see this displayed on the table!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
A full blown gluten free Chinese takeaway with all the trimmings.
We had:
Sweet and sour noodles,
Chicken balls in batter,
Prawns in batter,
Egg fried rice,
Spring rolls,
Chinese curry sauce,
(my personal highlight) Prawn toast,
And even a gluten free beer!
I could have cried with happiness... I didn't actually though... honest...
It all tasted incredible. Gluten free batter is one of the rarest things to come by so being able to eat those chicken balls and prawns was heaven.
And the prawn toast was better than any I had tasted before.
And if I'd been brave enough to try and make all of this myself at all in the last three years I would've found out that it really isn't that difficult.

I'll start with the best bit. The prawn toast. He used this recipe for it: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/966640/prawn-toast but obviously used Genius bread instead (any other gluten free brand of bread would be fine also). PLEASE try it. It tasted soooo good!

The batter was as plain and simple as any other; Doves Farm self raising flour, water (apparently sparkling or tonic water works better as it gives a crispier batter) and salt. THREE ingredients? I seriously don't know why I haven't tried to make gluten free batter it myself yet. I'll definitely be doing it more often now! And the methods/how to can be found literally anywhere online just swap the flour for gluten free!

The spring rolls were actually some I had as a gift from my sister Lucie, so she gets some credit in this too! She bought them online as you can too by following this link here! http://www.glutenfree-direct.co.uk/feel-free/frozen/feel-free-chicken-vegetable-spring-rolls

As for the sweet and sour noodles my boyfriend used rice noodles, which can be found in pretty much any super market but we had these ones. The sauce was Sainsbury's own sweet and sour sauce which is gluten free (thanks Sainsbury's!) as is the Chinese curry sauce he used which he also got from Sainsbury's but may be found elsewhere too.

The beer is 'Green's Premium Pilsner' which, YOU GUESSED IT, he also bought from Sainsbury's (I swear this blog ins't endorsed by them or something). If you were a fan of beer before diagnosis like myself, #lads, then I strongly recommend this one! Just, try and pretend its not overpriced...

And finally the egg fried rice was good old Uncle Ben's and lets be honest he never fails to deliver, that Uncle Ben.

And that's your lot!
A mighty gluten free Chinese takeaway feast.
Surprisingly easy to do and SO MUCH FUN TO EAT!

Honestly if you have doubts like I did about not being able to live up to the Chinese takeaway standard (I use that term loosely, but you know what I mean) then put them aside and just go for it. Or if you don't fancy the task yourself and are lucky enough to have a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner as awesome as mine then get them on board to try it for you!
You'll be pleasantly surprised... and.. really really full!
Amy

Monthly Favourite: Marks and Spencers Scotch Eggs

So, I am kicking off my 'monthly favourite' posts with my pick for September: Marks and Spencer's 'new' gluten free scotch eggs.
They released these in the summer as part of their 'Made Without Wheat' range. I can't even remember the last time I ate a scotch egg beforehand, so you can imagine my excitement when my sister sent me a photograph of a pair she had picked up.

What a genius thing to bring into the gf world!
The first thing I thought was "Oh my god, I can go to picnics again", and not to mention buffets are well and truly back on the table!
The main reasons I picked these to be my favourite this month however comes down to the fact they are delicious. They are really good quality scotch eggs. The eggs is really soft and the meat is rich and tasty and the gluten free crumbs aren't even that... crumby! Seriously, they're surprisingly not that messy to eat, which is a nice change.
Whats more important however is that they are HUGE! Like I have said before, for some reason I cannot fathom, gluten free food is always smaller than normal food however whoever made these lovelies did not scrimp! They're like tennis balls. And in one pack you get TWO.
I haven't even mentioned the best bit yet though...
THEY ONLY COST £1.20.
This took me a while to get my head around.
If you're a regular gf shopper you will know all too well how extortionate prices of gluten free food are. I'm talking boarder-line robbery.
So to be able to get two healthy sized, really top notch gluten free scotch eggs for £1.20 is just wonderful.
All too many times now do I take my trips through town on a Marks and Spencer's detour to buy myself a pack.
Try them for yourself and you'll understand!
Amy

Eating Out: Gourmet Burger Kitchen

OK, OK so I know I said I will be posting about my 'healthy' gluten free diet and lifestyle but it just so happens that all the exciting gluten free food is also all the naughty stuff! And I just so happen to have done a lot of 'exploring' in this area...
Hey, I got a lot of nice food taken away from me, I deserve to indulge now and again when the opportunity arises! ;)
SO! Gourmet Burger Kitchen:
My sister ate here a while back because they're burger patties have always been 100% beef, but back then the only gluten free option was having a 'naked burger' where the meat comes without the bun, with the option of a lettuce wrap instead.
But nooow *drum roll* they have gluten free burger buns! Woohoo!
I have wanted to try GBK's burgers forever*
*not literally forever but considering my excitement we can forgive a little over exaggeration
So as soon as I heard about their brand spanking new gluten free options I decided I HAD to go!
I wanted to have a look on their website first to see what sort of things were going to be on offer for me but to my disappointment they didn't have the gluten free menu available online. A bit silly I thought BUT what I did find instead was a certain big shiny advertisement:

YES PLEASE!
Before I could even begin to worry about how much this meal was going to cost my boyfriend, we've got ourselves a meal for a tenner. Sorted. We booked a table.
And so it begins, with the menu:

What's nice about it is that its exactly the same as the 'normal' menu, printed on the same kind of hard sheet with the same layout. I MUCH prefer this than being handed just a scrap of paper or even worse having the restaurants entire A4 folder of allergen information plonked on your lap. Instead, here I was made to feel just like everybody else, if not even a little spoilt! Its much nicer having a whole separate menu with just gluten free options rather than having to sift through the normal menu being teased by all the other dishes you can't have.
So, what did I have? Well I'm spoilt for choice! Even on the gluten free menu there are a range of both beef and chicken burgers with all sorts of fillings.
The only down side is that the fries weren't gluten free :( but it did say this on the menu:

This impressed me because I can't tell you how many times and in how many places I've had to ask whether I can eat the chips and even then not been given a very reassuring answer. So even though it was bad news it was also refreshing to have the answer right in front of me!
In the end I went for a classic cheese burger. Alright so maybe I'm a little boring but I did add an extra grilled mushroom if that helps?!
The food arrived fairly quickly, and it was gone even quicker!

Look at those buns!
I was really impressed with the gluten free burger bun, in particular the size because I'm used to gluten free versions of things being smaller (Dominos I'm looking at you!) But my burger was the same size as the normal one! Like they advertise, the bun was also really soft however I still couldn't escape leaving a crumbling mess on my plate. Gluten free bread does seem to have the tendency to break easily and I don't think my juicy mushroom helped!
So the important question: Do I recommend it?
Hell yes.
I've even already been back since with my Mom! What was that I was saying about healthy eating?...
It is quite an expensive meal if you aren't lucky enough to grab a voucher like we were, so I'd suggest trying to find a deal beforehand but at the same time its not like the food isn't worth the money! The hint is in the name, the burgers really are 'gourmet'.
And in my eyes grtting to eat a gourmet gluten free burger is priceless !
Amy

"Jimma Dinners" Part One

One thing I can count on when coping with my Coeliac Disease is the support from my family. They're all AMAZING. Not only do I have my Coeliac partner in crime my sister Lucie, my Mom always cooking my favourite meals and taking me on those infamous Chip Stop trips but whilst I'm living in Cardiff I also have my big sister Jemma and brother-in-law Jim who quite frankly need to open their own bloody restaurant. I'm extremely lucky that they live down the road from me and even luckier that every week they cook me some incredible gluten free meals.
The more regular these became we had a play on their names and we have termed these weekly meals my "Jimma Dinners". They deserved a post so here is the first of many!

After our trip to Vegas, which was for none other than their wedding and has a post coming soon, I was pining after gluten free burgers. So one week Jimma surprised me with their own take on the classic American 'In 'N Out' Burger, their gluten free version: 'Jim 'N Out' !

This next picture speaks for itself, it was SO YUMMY! I never wanted it to end!

The buns were Genius, the burger patties were home made from beef mince and the chips were Sainsbury's own French fries (which cost like £1, bargain!)

Another thing I've been pining after pretty much since diagnosis is IKEA hot dogs. I mean not only is it a genius idea to have a hot dog stand right before the exit of your shop, luring in tired IKEA expeditionists, hungry from their trek through the furnishing wilderness BUT, THEY ARE SO DAMN TASTY! Nothing quite compares and I swear some people go to IKEA for the sole purpose of having one of those hot dogs!
So one evening, prior to Jimma Dinner, we took our own trip there and found that in their shop freezers (because they also have their own supermarket now) that you can buy THE hot dog sausages AND they are gluten free! I'm delighted.
Teamed up with a 'Free From' baguette from Asda, these beauties were born... and... very short lived!

OK so the Jim's don't always fill me with American food, they're actually probably the reason I've remained healthy during University, so in my next Jimma Dinners post I will include the healthier meals they have treated me to!
But for now I shall leave you all as I'm sure you're in the middle of changing your current plans and finding your ways to your nearest IKEAs!
Bon Apetit!
Amy

Hair Washing Woes

For the last three/nearly four years I have been sticking to a strict gluten free diet. Although this means avoiding a tonne of food it's manageable because there are plenty alternatives. However recently I discovered it's not just certain foods I have to avoid.
I have previously read that some beauty products might contain gluten, in particular lipsticks/lip glosses and as this is a product you put on your mouth I definitely try to avoid them or at least check the ingredients before using. However even more annoyingly it seems that apparently people also like to stick wheat in shampoo. Don't ask me why! It's just there. Like an unwanted guest that turns up at a really bad time when it really isn't necessary for them to be there in the first place.
So, yeah, wheat in shampoo, lets talk about that. Unfortunately I found out the hard way. I was staying at my partner's house and somehow I forgot to take my shampoo with me into the shower. Now, nobody likes the freezing cold dash across the landing getting water everywhere and oops my boyfriend's Mom just saw me naked, so I just used what was already there. Looking back, I wish I had taken the risky run because what was already there was this: (L'Oreal Paris Elvive, Full Restore 5)

And what 'this' contains is this:

But of course, I didn't even think to check at the time because like I said, why the hell would there even be wheat in shampoo in the first place?!
So totally oblivious to the ingredients, I used the wheat infested shampoo.
It's not like I ate it (because, why would you?) so surely it had no affect on me, right?
WRONG.
For the next few days I had a horrendously itchy scalp which then blistered and became a scabby, itchy scalp which I clearly forgot about in my sleep so then became a very sore, scabby, itchy scalp and... I realise this is starting to sound gross so I'm going to stop.
Basically it wasn't pretty and I was gutted. It's really frustrating when you try so hard every day to be so careful and strict with everything you eat and then something like this happens which you didn't even think to check. And now I have to go around reading shampoo before I can use it? Annoying! Also that L'Oreal stuff is actually really good so I'm also a bit miffed that I can't use it anymore.
In the end, after a few washes with 'safe' shampoo, my scalp did start to heal itself and after a week was back to normal, phew!
So for any Coeliacs reading, albeit it might not have the same affect on everybody, I strongly suggest you avoid this shampoo (or any others in the range) and also to make sure to check the ingredients of everything else you use, just in case. As annoying as that may be it's also better to be safe than sorry! :)
Happy washing,
Amy

Eating Out: ASK Italian

For a couple of nights last week I stayed with my sister Lucie. She also has Coeliac Disease and so it's safe to say that when we are together we do a lot of eating! It's fun to explore new gluten free food together so whilst I was there she decided she would take me out for a meal, lush!
I find that when eating out, the majority of restaurants with the best gluten free menu's are Italians, which is great, who doesn't love pizza?! I've tried almost all of them (I think) but one I hadn't tried yet was ASK. SO, we did what we had to do and we went there!

Like most Italian restaurants offering gluten free food they had both pasta and pizza available:

 I originally chose to have a pizza but soon after got told that they had run out of gluten free pizza bases. Boo :( Now, this either means they don't stock enough of them, possibly assuming that not many people are in need OR maybe their gluten free pizza is so wonderful that all the local Coeliacs rushed there and ate them all before I got there! I hope it's the latter.
So on a second glance at the menu I decided to go for a pasta dish, despite the fact I'd already had carbonara for lunch that day! (ignore all the carbs in that sentence). Here's what it looked like:

My sister ordered a new gluten free dish they have on their menu, sounds (and looks) really good:

And did I like the food? Well, I'll let this picture do the talking:

Overall the experience was just fairly normal. No exceptional fuss was made over the fact we were ordering gluten free meals. Sometimes extra attention can be reassuring as you know you're definitely getting what you asked for but other times the fuss can be a bit embarrassing and in some cases patronising. So it was actually quite pleasant to have a normal eating experience!
I'm definitely going back again because I need to try that pizza!
Also next time I go I have to try their desserts because HOW AMAZING DOES THIS SOUND?!

It's always super exciting when restaurants offer gluten free desserts because this is quite rare. And lets be honest, we've all always got room for chocolate cake!