To ask for help for a gluten-free buffet?

[doodlejump1980]

My Dad’s new lady friend is coming round for my boys’ birthday party next weekend. Usually do buffet stuff but she’s gluten and dairy free. I’m really stuck for ideas and really want to make her feel welcome. Any go-to amazing suggestions? Thanks :)

Could you ask her what she’d like to eat? I’m sure she’d have loads of suggestions if she’s coeliac and has been gluten-free for a while.

Dairy is easy to avoid if you read the labels carefully or make your own!

My go to party buffet snacks are marinated chicken wings and potato wedges, both of which are gluten free and most people will like! You can also get gluten free sausages, although I'm not sure if they're easy to get in cocktail sausage size or not. Things like crisps and hummus are nice and straightforward for everyone as well - which might make her feel a bit more included than specific stuff would.

Desserts are a bit trickier, especially if she doesn't eat dairy, but I made a Nigella vegan chocolate cake for my GF/dairy free friend last year and it was really good! I just used GF flour instead of normal.

What would you normally do for a buffet?
If it is pastry/bread heavy, then doing gf/df for everyone will be expensive and yuck for everyone else. I'd do her a nice plate of gf treats - you can get mini scotch eggs, cooked mini sausages and pork pie from Ocado and then let her have salad and crisps (I've never found plain crisps which arent gf) off the buffet

Most supermarkets have a decent ‘free-from’ range nowadays, so I would buy a range of food from their, and ensure it’s kept separate from the other food (or on different coloured plates to,distinguish it etc)

We have a friend who is gluten free, Sainsbury’s and M&S do a good range of GF food, including things like breaded chicken, tortillas and quiche which all our other guests were happy to eat and couldn’t tell the difference.

M&S also do a delicious GF coffee and walnut cake but not sure whether it would be dairy free

If you have a mix of gf and non gf be aware of crumb contamination and mixing serving cutlery. We always let the gf eaters go first but they tend not to have seconds due to crumbs - No matter how hard you try there is always cross contamination.

I'd go for Pencreed's suggestion. As a celiac I'd prefer that over store bought free from buffet items which I'd feel obliged to eat as they're expensive but are mostly shit.

if you buy the Tesco finest cocktail sausages they are GF. You could do a ham or cold meats and salad?

Anything with rice or potatoes, so a rice or potato salad would be good. Crisps, dips, cocktail sausages (Tesco finest are gluten free and most other supermarkets have an equivalent), Spanish omelette or lots of places do a crustless quiche. Bread can be a bit dodgy as a lot of them are just horrible, but there are bread sticks and crackers which are fine.

Gluten free brownies are an easy option, or flapjack with gf oats, or a cheesecake with gf digestives for the base.

Oh and if you want to do a cake, this is amazing: www.bbc.com/food/recipes/gluten-free_passion_23138
Although I use GF flour rather than rice flour (GF is a mix of rice and other types)

I also made individual cheesecakes last weekend when my coealic mum came round for dinner with a maderia cake base for hers.

Sorry, cheesecake no good for someone dairy free, but you can easily do the others without milk products!

The biggest risk for coeliacs is cross contamination. I have been unable to eat at group meals due to others doing things like dipping breadsticks into the hummus, or breaking bread near the cheese, scattering crumbs. Using the same knife for gluteny stuff and gluten free is also common, and when children are there it is very hard to police, so I would either make everything gluten free, or keep her things completely separate and for her alone.
Anyway for a buffet you could do a large frittata, have hummus with gluten free breadsticks, (which no one will even notice are GF) . Salads with rice are easy, or chick pea salads. If she eats meat then you can do a cold meat platter. Marks and Spencer do some good little crackers. You can get GF peppery oatcakes that are good with avocado etc. Sandwiches with GF bread. Potato salads, or little baked potatoes with fillings like chilli, plus green salads.
Dove’s farm flour makes lovely cakes. Remember if using baking powder that you need to get a GF version.

M&S are great for this, their sausages are GF and they do GF buffet stuff

What about jacket potatoes with a chilli com carne? Remember mayo is dairy free but contains eggs.

I always do a vat of Mary Berry's chocolate mousse, it's easy to make if you have a whisk and is GF/DF (as long as eggs are ok)

Thanks for all the suggestions! Just want to get this right :)

Platter of cold meats (ham, beef, salami type stuff) with various salads and baked potatoes. I used to buy a particular "butter" when DD's dairy free friend came over, I think it was Olivio but not sure.

Cross contamination is a key issue for Coelics.
For Coeliacs, gluten avoidance is nonnegotiable, & often lactose intolerance is a sister act.

So, suggest you oh-so-politely enquire I’d Dad’s new LF is Coeliac or if her gluten & lactose avoidance is an expression of choice. Ask your dad, by this stage in their relationship he will prolly know. Although with the slightest doubt on his part, then ask LF directly.

A reasonable question for a host to ask. If you position the question as an enquiry to determine if cross- contamination is a priority, if she is Coeliac she will really appreciate this. She may offer to bring something to save you some bother (do accept) and whatever GF/LF you make for her (& everyone else), keep her portions & plates carefully aside & clearly labelled.

If her gluten & lactose avoidance is an expression of choice, then cater as GF/LF as best you can, but cross-contamination is not such an issue.

Nothing as annoying as a welcoming host (moi) to find non-Coeliac guests have scoffed GF guests carefully prepared food leaving them with next to no food that has not been served up with mixed plates and serving spoons. Grrrrr.

She will be really touched you've made any effort at all and won't be expecting it, really kind of you

If I arrived and there were gf cocktail sausages (M&S), houmous and gf pitta bread toasted and cut up, and fancy crisps and maybe some salad, I would be more than delighted and grateful for your effort (am coeliac).

The Co-op knocked it out the park this Christmas for GF party food, I would try there. It was in the frozen section and all my family Gf and non Gf enjoyed them.

Ok, our daughter is coeliac so very used to catering for gluten free (not dairy free though.) Haven't read the whole thread but I would say M&S is your friend here. They do lots of gluten free food which you can either order or just go in and pick up (although sandwich platters etc need to be ordered.) Lots of their normal 'party' food is GF so it's worth looking outside of the free from section. I would go for things like -

Ham
Salad
Gf oven bake baguettes (Tesco or Waitrose)
Dairy free cheeses (Tesco definitely do these)
M&S GF sandwich platter
M&S GF cakes are divine
Chips? They now do GF McCain Home Fries in Tesco
Anything from M&S party range that is suitable - loaded potato skins etc

All a bit carb heavy - hopefully she's not on a diet!

@Nativityriot did you know that M&S cocktail sausages are no longer GF? So, so annoying.

Echo points about cross contamination. Separate utensils, butter (or dairy free alternative) etc is essential if she is coeliac.

Hi you won't like my answer but you should let her bring her own food.

Believe me I just can't trust other people preparing food for me.

Their kitchen will probably be contaminated.

They don't get it.

Even if people try they usually don't get it.

I would rather actually bring my own food along.

Saying that I do sometimes let people cook for me as I think it is rude if they go to an effort - I always regret it. It is always a risk and I have to act to get through it.

I have one friend I can trust who used to chef.