Can I have some help putting together a gluten free buffet please

[WillowtreeHouse]

For around 20 folk and would rather not have any hot dishes if possible please. Def a finger buffet. Ideas for little puddings would be great too please and everything must be gluten free. Thanks!

If you want to be 100% gluten free be a little careful as the caeliacs I know have to be very vigilant about GF stuff that is made in factories that also process gluteny food (should be a warning on the label). Likewise they'll eat pre-packagef meat from a supermarket (that's come sealed straight from a meat packing plant) but not from a butchers or deli counter due to risk of cross contamination from pies/breadcrumbs ham etc.

The Caeliac Society has a very helpful list of safe foods.

It's not hard though, just check everything.

For finger foods, I'd do
GF bread and crackers but not too much as they aren't great
stuffed potato skins (lots of these with nice cold fillings, treat as an alternative to sandwiches, for example tuna mayo, smoked salmon and cream cheese, mushrooms in garlic cream sauce, roasted peppers with brie, roast beef and horseradish.)
cheeses (not from mixed deli counter),
make a tray of veg frittata and cut into cubes,
Co-op sausages,
chicken drumsticks,
salad, halved boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives,
GF crisps and dips.

And Little Moon mochi balls for desert as you can hold them to eat them and they are amazing!

Pavlova
chocolate mousse cake
almond orange cake
straberries and cream
jelly

M and S do a lot of gluten free food, pork pies , sausage rolls, quiche and sandwiches etc

Do check (if you haven't already) whether the GF people will risk a buffet, even a GF one. Obviously don't pressure them into it and respect their choice.

GF pastry is trickier to work with than normal pastry but it comes out fantastic, and always feels like a massive treat to me. You so often end up denied anything pastry-wrapped. So my perfect buffet would have quiches, sausage rolls. Watch the sausage meat but most sausages are fine.

Potatoes and rice as the main carbs.

Bowls of: green salad/mixed leaves, a potato salad plus cooked new potatoes dressed with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, Zatar roast cauliflower, baked aubergine and garlic, stuffed vine leaves, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cucumber and celery
Cold sliced meats (I prefer roast garlic lamb, rare roast beef with a mustard or horseradish crust, baked gammon, poached chicken breast slices, but continental sliced meats would be less effort: salami etc.).
Good vegetarian cheeses.
Fruit
Small desserts; mousses, cremes, fruit cups, mini pavlovas, (some) macarons, jellies, most ices.

For desserts get some small shotglass plastic.glasses and make. Lemon poset. Chocolate mouse and apple with macaroons or Eton mess

I would avoid pavlova as its the go to dessert for gluten free people.

You could also do a cheese board with gluten free busicuits/bread

Should have added a yogurt and garlic dressing and a tahini dressing will pull all your vegetable bits together.

Clive’s pies make nice gluten free quiches. you can also include boiled egg halves with mayonnaise, hummus and crudités, rice salad (though take care to keep it cool), leafy green salad, slaw

It's lovely that you're doing this for your friends.

You've had lots of great suggestions - for pudding ideas check out www.glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk - Becky Excell's recipes are usually quick and easy and work well.

One further point if your friends are particularly sensitive to cross contamination - if your kitchen is not GF then I recommend that you clean down all the surfaces, use cutlery etc only directly from the dishwasher, wash your hands thoroughly before starting any prep and again anytime when you have touched something that may have had gluten on it (drawer handles/fridge handle etc), chopping boards & sieves are the worst for cross contamination as crumbs can remain even after thorough washing - consider buying a cheap chopping board & sieve to use. Do not use any already open jars/tubs of butter/jam/mustard/anything you might put a knife in that may have been on bread... if you're wanting to toast any GF bread don't put it in your toaster - either use (a new) toaster bag or use the grill (with clean rack & tray) (apologies if you know all this already - it was stuff I had to learn!)

Good luck - and I know your friends will v much appreciate the extra effort - you're a great friend to do it

I am gluten free and thank you for this.

All fruit and veg are obviously gluten free so crudités with dips are easy, cheeses and meats all easy finger foods.

Berries with cream or an Eton mess, jelly with fruit in individual portions

Look up Becky Excell she has recipes on her pages without having to buy a book

I’m assuming you are not gluten free. Plenty of sushi is naturally gluten free as long as you don’t use sauces containing gluten. There are plenty of ice cream, satay recipes and rice noodles that are gluten free.

A gluten free buffet will be very expensive unless OP chooses naturally gluten free ingredients. Once you include gluten free pastries, cakes, bread etc the cost soars.

Just popping in to say that the Nairns Gluten Free Flatbreads are delicious - I’m not coeliac but I love them in plain, rosemary and caramelised onion flavours. Certified safe for coeliacs. They’re rectangular crackers.

Yes good call re Nairns

I think that including brightly coloured veg makes things look cheerful. (Red/yellow peppers, carrot, cucumber, different coloured cherry tomatoes, ) plus some grapes, (green, red, black) strawberries, raspberries,

All gluten free sounds great as people are right twats with cross contamination.(have an allergic child)

I'm a bit shit on gluten free knowledge though. So going to read others suggestions.

Gluten free sausages on sticks
Cheese and pineapple (classic)
Some sort of rice salad
Chicken/lamb skewers
Greek salad
Crudités with gf dips

Dropping into this to mention that Colmann's English Mustard contains gluten, but if you buy the powder and mix it up yourself, that's gluten free.

Well I'm GF and cook using pastry etc.

People quite happily eat anything I bake which is obviously always GF.

OP I'd suggest

Mini quiches/ quiche
Sausage rolls
Crackers etc as cheese, meat, veg sticks are all pretty safe bets!

Desserts can be brought from any supermarket with a good free from range. Profiteroles, donuts etc.

I'd also look at local bakeries as so many now have GF range and they may be able to help you cater with pastry and pudding stuff and price wise it may not differ too much as Gf stuff isn't cheap.

Agree about serving naturally gluten free food rather than processed ready made versions of food that usually contain gluten (mainly bread and pastry based) so contain alternatives that are usually a bit shit at best. Also expensive.

Same for vegetarian options. Far too many people forget that a lot of food suitable for vegetarians is just normal food that everyone wants to eat, so make enough for everyone rather than a few token bits 'for the vegetarians'.

This is good to know as dh is now dairy free as well as gluten free!

Felafel. Meringues. Dips. Salads with chick peas (check out Ottolenghi-he has some lovely ones) So much easier just to do one buffet for everyone. And lovely for the coeliacs not to have to worry about what's safe to eat for once.

Oh that Delia yoghurt/cream thing with fruit is LOVELY!

Chicken satay
Grilled halloumi
Posh cheese board
Hummus with lamb mince with crudités for dipping
Roasted veg
Roasted sausages in honey and soy

@MillbankTower "Sushi isnt typically gluten free. Sashimi is ?
Some ice cream isnt gluten free.
Noodles are not gluten free
Satay isnt all gluten free"

I suspect we can expect a level of common sense from a person with a severely coeliac friend? 😒

This, basically.

Jus Rol gluten free pastry is very good if you do want a dreaded sausage roll <super high meat content and gluten free bread crumb clearly…>