Where do you buy your gluten free stuff from?

[hecate]

?? normal supermarkets have a few bits, but it's not a lot. ds2 got his results back and it's gluten free! We can get his stuff on prescription, but we have decided we are all going to go gf. I bought the food directory from the coeliac society, so I know whats what, but looking at the supermarkets, their range is pants. so do you mail order?

[cmotdibbler]

Johnsons are really good, and Lifestyle have really good fresh food. Pricey, but I bulk buy and then freeze it so that theres always a pastie or sausage roll around.

Try independant health food shops - some have a great selection, but I tend to make a special outing to a supermarket which has a big range and stock up once a month.

[hecate]

thanks

[wolveschick]

The ds stuff at Sainsbury's is good as I think the company was started up by someone who had a teenage son that needed to avoid gluten so he devised a range than a teenage boy would like. Asda getting better to but TBH I so often just cook wheat free for whole family-chilli, spag bol, casseroles etc all easy to do. Bovril stock cubes are wheat free, as are most Kallo stuff so once you have the basics sorted out most recipes can be adapted.

[KarenThirl]

We no longer do the diet but I used to buy in bulk from Goodness Direct online. They had a great range of free-from just about anything.

[popsycal]

tesco have a range

[hecate]

Thanks again.
Cor, it's a dear do, though!

[Twiglett]

please tell me you know about xanthan gum freespace.virgin.net/barbaras.kitchen/index.htm .. excellent stuff for baking you add a teaspoon to any gluten free flour and it acts like the gluten would and the end result is much much better .. barbara is very knowledgeable too .. although she used to sell more than just the xanthan gum .. I believe you can also buy it in asda

[hecate]

ooh I did not know. Ta v much.

[Twiglett]

sainsbury's free from range .. particularly the shortbread with jammy bits .. is pretty good

Lloyd grossman pasta sauces are gluten free (at least they were 3 years ago when we were gluten free so double check) and are great .. although corn pasta should be cooked differently

I never found a decent bread substitute but with xanthan gum you can make a decent pizza base

will try to think back to any other stuff that stood out

[Twiglett]

have a decent gluten free muffin recipe will dig it out (but again I added xanthan gum to every gluten free recipe I found)

[hecate]

ahem.
I believe you promised me a gf muffin recipe.
don't taunt me, woman!

[KarenThirl]

If you have a supportive gp (or a dietician who can vouch for you doing the diet) you can get xanthan gum on repeat prescription. Worth pushing for as it can be quite expensive, especially if you use it in everything you bake.

[KarenThirl]

You could try this one:

CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS

5 oz Doves Farm flour
2 tsps of gf baking powder
Half teaspoon Xanthan gum
2 oz butter
1 oz cocoa
Half bar good quality plain chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1.75-2 oz light muscovado sugar (according to taste)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 large eggs, beaten with?
1 tsp good vanilla essence
Milk to bind
2 tbsp quinoa flakes

Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter to breadcrumb stage. Add quinoa flakes.

Sieve in the cocoa and add chopped chocolate, bananas and sugar. Mix these together evenly then add the eggs and vanilla essence.

Add enough milk while you beat the mixture until the consistency is slightly stiffer than that for a sponge cake.

Spoon into cake cases in a deep muffin tin, piled up quite high (they don?t rise as much as sponge buns so you?ll have to start big). You should get about 14 muffins from this quantity.

Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven, Gas 6, 200ºC, 400ºF for about twenty minutes. They will be ready when they feel quite firm on top, not as springy as sponge buns so once you get to that stage leave a minute or so longer. Remove from the oven immediately ? you might need to lever them out of the tins with a palette knife as they are quite soft when warm ? and leave to cool on a wire tray.

These will keep for up to a week in a sealed box at room temperature.

[hecate]

ooh, thank you.