Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Can you help me with a gluten free buffet please?

61 replies

OrchidLass · 06/07/2021 17:26

I'm having a get together in the garden in a few weeks and one of the guests has coeliacs so I don't want to run the risk of cross contamination and make him ill. Normally I would tons of breads and pasta salads out but I need some ideas of what to serve for a lovely, gluten free buffet please.

OP posts:
senua · 06/07/2021 18:54

You would think that crisps would be naturally GF, being just fried potato, but lots are not certified (looking at you, Walkers).
Kettle crisps are, though.

Summerisontheway · 06/07/2021 19:02

Walkers crisps are 'may contain' which is fine for many coeliacs.

pastabest · 06/07/2021 19:09

You can get frozen gf sausage rolls made by Genius who also make good gf bread Hmm Grin

I mean... genius is literally the worst Grin

JustRol and Asda both do readymade gluten free pastry (which is much better than genius in my opinion) if you don't want to make your own.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General food
Iamnotavicar · 06/07/2021 19:21

@Summerisontheway

Walkers crisps are 'may contain' which is fine for many coeliacs.
But it's hard to know whether your visitor will be fine with Walkers or not - and a strict coeliac is unlikely to want to take the risk, so they are best avoided. Also what's the point of going to all that effort and then introducing doubt?

As for puds, Eton mess is a good bet, ditto fruit salad. I've had so many awkward meals and quite a few bouts of illness following other people's catering due to people being sloppy, or lying (!) about ingredients, I'd be delighted OP if you were doing this for me

Heyyeahyouwiththesadface · 06/07/2021 19:29

@senua

You would think that crisps would be naturally GF, being just fried potato, but lots are not certified (looking at you, Walkers). Kettle crisps are, though.
Seabrooks crisps are GF too.
Original poster
OrchidLass · 06/07/2021 20:54

Fabulous suggestions thank you all so much. I'm def doing the whole thing gluten free, I know no one will feel 'forced' into having gluten free if I have enough nice choices. Our friend has been so poorly though being glutened in the past that I know none of us would want that.

OP posts:
PurpleCloak · 06/07/2021 21:17

@Summerisontheway

Walkers crisps are 'may contain' which is fine for many coeliacs.
No, “may contains” are not fine for any Coeliacs! Please get your information correct before posting.

Op, thank you for being so thoughtful about this. Your attitude to it is lovely Smile you have had lots of great suggestions; I would personally say avoid any gf bread alternatives as a lot aren’t great. You might want to check if they can eat gf oats as well as a few coeliacs can’t tolerate them, and they tend to be in a few crackers, biscuits etc. Mezze type platters give you a good variety of options - falafels (some have wheat in but Waitrose standard ones are gf), olives, cheeses etc.

Trytowin20 · 06/07/2021 21:25

Tesco sell a frozenbag of cocktail sausages that just happen to be gf. Not the small bag in with the party food but the bigger bag in the freezers by the other frozen sausages. Classy not so much but popular! 👍

ViperAtTheGatesOfDawn · 06/07/2021 21:36

Schar GF breadsticks are very good

Morrison's frozen GF profiteroles are dirt cheap and really excellent for an easy dessert, just need de-frosting for an hour or so

Summerisontheway · 06/07/2021 21:36

@pastabest

You can get frozen gf sausage rolls made by Genius who also make good gf bread Hmm Grin

I mean... genius is literally the worst Grin

JustRol and Asda both do readymade gluten free pastry (which is much better than genius in my opinion) if you don't want to make your own.

In your opinion.....Genius is the favourite of the coeliacs in my family. I am not coeliac myself. Everyone varies as to their preferences. It is the 3 seeded loaf mine prefer not the white. They say all M&S is better than it used to be.
Summerisontheway · 06/07/2021 21:39

'May contain' is fine for the coeliacs in my family in the case of Walkers crisps...maybe not in the case of everything but it is just the manufacturer not wanting to get sued. It's not like a peanut allergy, you are not going to die from a bit of gluten.
Yes they are medically diagnosed. Maybe not all coeliacs are as severely affected as others.

Heyyeahyouwiththesadface · 06/07/2021 21:52

but it is just the manufacturer not wanting to get sued

Hmm
Ilovefluffysheep · 06/07/2021 21:58

@Summerisontheway

'May contain' is fine for the coeliacs in my family in the case of Walkers crisps...maybe not in the case of everything but it is just the manufacturer not wanting to get sued. It's not like a peanut allergy, you are not going to die from a bit of gluten. Yes they are medically diagnosed. Maybe not all coeliacs are as severely affected as others.
Coeliacs should not be having may contains. Just because your family members don't seem to display any outward symptoms (and lucky them if they don't) they will still be causing damage to their insides. It's dangerous to suggest most coeliacs eat may contains, it's simply not the case. And actually, you potentially could die if you continued to eat gluten and caused that much damage inside. Obviously not an instant thing. You only need to look back through the years and rear stories about people who we would now clearly diagnose as coeliac but it just wasn't really known about back then to see that they didn't have good outcomes.

I know people who simply have a gluten intolerance rather than coeliac disease my choose to eat may contains, but that's a totally different thing.

pastabest · 06/07/2021 22:22

@Summerisontheway

'May contain' is fine for the coeliacs in my family in the case of Walkers crisps...maybe not in the case of everything but it is just the manufacturer not wanting to get sued. It's not like a peanut allergy, you are not going to die from a bit of gluten. Yes they are medically diagnosed. Maybe not all coeliacs are as severely affected as others.
You can see though surely how it's attitudes like that that make it really really hard for coeliacs that are very sensitive to get taken seriously.

Coeliac disease isn't symptom dependent, some people are luckier to have fewer/no symptoms than others but the damage being caused is the same regardless of how bad the symptoms are.

For what it's worth as well, one of my coeliac family members always claimed to be a 'silent coeliac' and appeared to suffer few symptoms. When they went for a coeliac check up it turned out the damage to their liver from eating gluten replicated that of a heavy drinker (they were almost t total, perhaps a couple of beers every few months) it was so bad they were advised to stop eating all gluten and any alcohol immediately.

Walkers are actually one of the worst for cross contamination. They use the same lines for all sorts of things. That's why all walkers crisps are may contain even the ones that have no gluten containing ingredients on the list.

HidingFromDD · 06/07/2021 22:29

Keep the packets for any pre prepared food and bread/crackers and let the coeliacs check themselves. Dd is gluten intolerant but nut allergic and has to be careful.

Check everything you use, especially cooked meat, burgers and sausages. If you’ve not made it yourself from raw ingredients check it. It’s in the most surprising things (soy sauce, stock cubes and a lot of cooked ham products). M&S sourdough is good, but Tesco also do perfectly acceptable gf pitta bread (I eat those too as it’s easier to get one type). There’s a lot of gluten free baking you can do but tends to rely a bit on practice and trial and error so not great for a one off.

And it’s great that you are making a whole thing gf. So much more reassuring for your guest!

Warmduscher · 06/07/2021 22:37

I think you’re really kind to make the whole buffet gluten-free, OP.

I know when it’s suggested that buffets are made suitable for vegetarians or vegans so that everyone can eat everything, you get lots of posters having a conniption at the thought of not having the food if they’re choice.

And yes I know being vegetarian or vegan is a choice and being coeliac isn’t, but it’s interesting to see the difference in approach.

Warmduscher · 06/07/2021 22:39

*of their Blush

HelloMissus · 06/07/2021 22:46

DH and I literally just ate in a GF restaurant.
It was an accident but a happy one.
I had a starter of Chicken Tikka. Then aubergine and okra curry with rice. DH had spiced pork ribs and then lamb scewers.

Warmduscher · 07/07/2021 08:43

@HelloMissus

DH and I literally just ate in a GF restaurant. It was an accident but a happy one. I had a starter of Chicken Tikka. Then aubergine and okra curry with rice. DH had spiced pork ribs and then lamb scewers.
It’s always easy if you’re a meat-eater, and it’s a sit-down meal, rather than buffet-style food.

I couldn’t eat a curry without naan bread myself, but if you can, yes, your meal ticked the gf box!

HelloMissus · 07/07/2021 09:02

Warm there was roti (perhaps made with rice flour?) but I didn’t try it.

senua · 07/07/2021 10:12

There’s a lot of gluten free baking you can do but tends to rely a bit on practice and trial and error so not great for a one off.
Agreed. A lot of GF baking tries to replicate wheat-based products i.e. pretend to be something that they are not, which doesn't always work.
A polenta cake, however, is something that is naturally GF and comes out nicely.
Flapjacks (from certified oats), with a multitude of possible flavourings, are always popular and have the added advantage that they can be made well in advance of the event.
Lemon posset is GF and easy to make; again, can be made up to three days in advance.

LambdaLambada · 07/07/2021 10:23

@senua

You would think that crisps would be naturally GF, being just fried potato, but lots are not certified (looking at you, Walkers). Kettle crisps are, though.
I don't think all kettle crisps are suitable for coeliacs. We have some salt and vinegar ones that had barley vinegar in that were not safe for coeliacs at all. As pp says, Seabrook do certify their crisps gluten-free. Coeliacs is not just wheat, also some other cereals like barley and for some people oats too.
LambdaLambada · 07/07/2021 10:26

Also second the Becky Excell recommendation above for all the coeliacs on this thread.
If you just doing a one-off coeliac-friendly event, then raid the gluten-free aisles and make all the lovely naturally gluten-free food suggested above. But if you are in this for the long-haul and like baking, she is the queen of gluten-free baking and her Fb group is very nice indeed.

Warmduscher · 07/07/2021 10:29

Like naan, roti is made from wheat flour but chappatis are made from gram flour (chickpea flour), which is naturally gf.

Gram flour makes great pancakes - you make the batter by just adding enough water and whisking it. You have to flavour the batter and/or add onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and so on as it’s quite bland otherwise but there are some delicious recipes online. I love making gram flour pancakes as they are so quick and easy.

Tanaqui · 07/07/2021 10:32

Nigella's flourless Brownies are amazing and gf- they use ground Almonds. Would definitely recommend as a pudding option.