Top GF tips

[Lagoonablue]

As someone who is very likely to have Coeliacs, awaiting biopsy result, need to get some suggestions.

I stood at the Free From aisle yesterday and was far from inspired! I love crusty bread and am a bit down hearted that it is likely to be off the menu.

There is a lot of choice but it looks awful. So any Coeliacs, what are your suggestions for nice GF food. The best bread, pasta, biscuits etc.

Thanks.

I've been GF for 5 years. I'm by no means an expert but will share my preferences. One thing I would say is be aware that these products often contain lots of sugar (to improve the taste). I learnt to cook a lot more from scratch.

Hands down, genius is my preferred bread. I find the best thing is to shop around different supermarkets because they stock different things! My local is Tesco but I often do trips to Sainsburys and Waitrose for their selections. Waitrose do scones! Tesco do white choc chip and cranberry cookies and triple choc cookies which are delicious! There's a Mesa sunrise cereal that reminds me of Special K.

Warburtons have a GF range. I'm not keen on their bread but they do wraps (so recently we've been having fajitas which I missed!) and sandwich thins - they make lovely toasties.

It's also worth trying your local butcher. Mine does GF sausage and burgers.

Thanks. I am vegetarian too which complicates matters. I can't say I am looking forward to this. Technically, having had the biopsy I could go Gf now but am trying to wind down until I get a definate diagnosis.

I heard Genius was good though.

My tips:-

1. get the Panasonic bread maker with the g-f setting. Makes lovely crusty bread, if you have it warm from the bread maker it is fab. I freeze loaves and re-heat in the oven. It comes with some good gf recipes in the manual - or you can make it even easier and use 'Helen's Brilliant Bread Mix' which makes bread so yummy that I serve it up to non-coeliac guests who all seem to like it.

2. shop at Ocado if you can - they have a great gf range, much bigger than anywhere else, and constantly increasing. Things are almost never out of stock and you can rely on getting your regular favourites. Really easy to identify gf stuff too.

3. Learn what 'normal' brands of things are gf - they're not in the 'freefrom' aisles, and there's lots of them.

4. Join Coeliac UK, great for help when you're getting started, and it's really important to support the work they do in getting food chains and food suppliers to serve the needs of coeliacs.

Don't be down - it will all be worth it. The improvement in your health will be massive (if you cut out ALL gluten, not just cut down) and you will be astonished at the difference it makes to you.

Thanks. Some good ideas.

this is where to buy the absolute best GF bread, which looks and tastes like the real thing and they have everything from tiger baguettes to cheese and onion baps, seeded cobs, sandwich loaves - and iced donuts etc. It is all divine!
www.wheat-freebakerydirect.com/
The first delivery we got, OMG the smell of the breads when we opened the box. DDs face lit up. Truly, these are great products and compare very well with major brands in the shops.