NOW CLOSED Talk to Mrs Crimble's about gluten free cooking and shopping and be in with a chance of winning a hamper of goodies

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

We've been asked by Mrs Crimble's to find out what your top tips are for a gluten free diet. We've posted a few questions below to get you started but please feel free to add any other comments/tips you have here too. Mrs Crimble's would also love it if you checked out some of the recipes on their website. Everyone who posts their comments on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a hamper of Mrs Crimble's goodies.

~ If you buy gluten free products, where do you tend to buy them from? Do you ever buy Mrs Crimble's products? If so, which ones and where do you buy them?

~ Do you do lots of gluten free cooking? If so, what are your top tips for knocking up delicious gluten free meals/snacks? Please do share any brilliant recipes you have here - Mrs Crimble's may feature the ones they like the most on their website.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

[TheSeventhHorcrux]

The local supermarket (tesco and morrisons) for GF ingredients and Mrs Crimbles Macaroons are scrummy!
As i am G & W intolerant GF cooking is essential so breadmaker as mentioned and pasta maker too feature heavily in my day to day life!

[Ilisten2theradio]

my dad is GF and my son has all sorts of allergices.
I sometimes buy Mrs Crimbles things - amongst other brands - for him.
However, although it is not GF we buy the dutch apple cake and if I can find it the stem ginger one for DS as he is allergic to eggs nuts fish and sesame and cocoa.
I find a lot of the GF stuff has eggs or nuts in or chocolate and struggle to find something suitable to feed both of them at the same time if I want something pre-made.

I use bread flour when I cook GF and also add Xantham gum. I find that the bread flour is better for some things than normal GF flour - and it makes better yorkshire puddings

[Pinot]

:o

[ClaraOswinOswald]

My friend is gluten free. I am always stuck for what to offer her. Asda do a gluten free Madeira loaf but it's a bit dry, so I made a very lemony icing and drizzled it on. Lots of the icing soaked through and it turned a boring cake into something delicious.

[Hopezibah]

just typed a message and the silly computer lost it!!! I buy gluten free for a friend. I used to have myself as a child - but there was so little choice then. So many more nice things nowadays.

The recipes look great. Look forward to trying some for my gluten free friend.

[GetKnitted]

My DH bought a packet of these once, they were yummy, though, as we're not a gluten free house, we haven't bought them again. sorry, that's not much help :)

[8rubberduckies]

What a great thread! I have been gluten free since August, and have been enjoying the challenge of finding tasty alternatives to wheat. My Mum has helped out a lot as she has been coeliac for years, and introduced me to Mrs Crimble. I am a big fan of her cheese biscuits.

I have tried out the Doves Farm recipes for yorkshire pudding and pancakes and no-one inthe family can tell the difference. I have also found a gluten free God, Dan Lepard, who writes baking recipes for the Guardian. I can't work out how to copy and paste links on my phone, but his chocolate and muscovado macaroons and gluten free white bread are both . The white bread recipe has psyllium husks in, which are great for digestion and have magic gluten-like properties.

Psyllium husks are also an ingredient in Tescos gluten-free pizza bases, which are the best I have tried.

For those of you near Bristol for eating out, there is a small chain of 3 cafe bars called Grounded around the city that do really, really tasty wood-fired oven pizzas.

Can't wait to try out some of your recipes .

[Bramblesinafield]

~ If you buy gluten free products, where do you tend to buy them from? Do you ever buy Mrs Crimble's products? If so, which ones and where do you buy them?

We buy from the local supermarket. We like mrs crimble products, particularly the cakes and pastry mix.

~ Do you do lots of gluten free cooking? If so, what are your top tips for knocking up delicious gluten free meals/snacks? Please do share any brilliant recipes you have here - Mrs Crimble's may feature the ones they like the most on their website.

Yes, my dh is coeliac, so everything is home baked. Batch baking is the way forward! The freezer is your friend! I whizz up stale gf bread, combine with grated Parmesan and seasoning and freeze in portion sized bags - great for putting a crunchy crumble topping on top of cauliflower cheese, etc.

[emalushka]

I buy a lot of gluten free products - usually from Sainsbury's or Marks and Spencers. I love Mrs Crimble's products - particularly the coconut macaroons and the pastry mix.

As for cooking, I find it a lot easier than what I thought. One of my favourite meals is home made fish and chips, using gf breadcrumbs for the fish. Lasagne is another - I use sainsbury's 'free from' lasagne sheets and cornflour for the cheese sauce. Dove's farm flour is good for baking and I use xantham gum occasionally. Bagels work well as they don't have to be as soft and spongey like other kinds of bread. I've yet to discover a good replacement for chapattis and naan bread. They didn't work well at home.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Hi Mrs Crimble!



soooooo excited you're doing a webchat. I'm a massive fan. I bloody love your macaroons, me (used to guzzle them in Waitrose before I had any idea I was coeliac)

no recipes atm, but could you ask Mr Sainsbury's to start stocking your stuffing again? we've tried all the others and they are GOPPING. I fear my kids will revolt sooner or later on one of these gloomy winter Sundays

[SpringHeeledJack]

oh, arse

it's not a webchat

I was going to do the biscuit question

mn, isn't it about time there was a gf smiley

hmmmn?

[WillowinGloves]

I'm g/f and dairy-free - that can be a tough combination as many g/f products (stand up M&S) compensate by loading them with butter and milk. We all like Mrs Crimble's macaroons but they are too sweet, I'd agree with others there. Haven't seen the pastry mix that's mentioned here - must keep an eye out because I really struggle with pastry! Supermarkets have a good range of g/f products now so that's where I shop - health food shops have the more unusual items but can be expensive. Genius bread is about the favourite for me, but with most biscuits/cakes, I make my own - they are nicer and cheaper. Exception is the Hale & Hearty classic chocolate cake mix - hard to find but oh, so gorgeous and convinces everyone that it's 'normal'! And on the Continent, they seem to have a much better range of cakes/biscuits/treats ... not sure why?

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

One of my workmates has just been diagnosed Coeliac and I thought he would find it really tough . But I managed to find gluten free Estrella beer for his Christmas gift and I ate a whole pack of the macaroons and had to replace them
Have been writing some simple home cooking recipes for him - I love to look at what's there and I'm pretty impressed that with care you can substitute a lot.

[MerryCouthyMows]

I buy and cook a lot of GF foods, as DS1 was dxd coeliac at 5yo. He's now nearly 11.

I buy quite a bit of Mrs Crimble products. DS1's particular favourites are the coconut biscuitty things. The name eludes me though!

I buy from a selection of supermarkets - mostly Tesco, but also Sainsbury's and Asda.

My main gripe is that so few GF foods are also Free From other allergens.

My DS3 is allergic to dairy, soy and nuts, so having to cope with those allergies on top of having to be GF already makes buying snacks very difficult.

I would love it if Mrs Crimble had some products that were dairy, soy, nut AND gluten free, so that I can buy a pack of biscuits or cakes for DS1 and DS3 to share.

Instead I more and more frequently end up having to home bake EVERYTHING, to ensure that both DS1 and DS3 can eat them.

Which isn't helpful if you just want to grab a quick snack for them.

[Cherryjellow]

I have only once bought gluten free. I bought gluten free flour to make cakes for a friend, no idea of the make and i bought it from tesco. I was surprised how much more expensive it was than normal flour, but i loved the taste!
I haven't heard to mrs crimmble before reading this thread has made me more aware, sounds like there is a good variety! I just supplemented the flour to a basic sponge mix :)

[harleydee1]

@chopchopbusybusy, first time my Yorkies have risen in a long time, my little Boy was thrilled, thanks

I make loads of Cakes and Buns, reducing the Sugar as this Diet is very High in it. I also Bake regularly for School, just to show others that the Diet doesn't taste any different(well the Bread has moments), but it means my Son is included in Various" Activities/Party Treats from other Kids

[StellaMarie]

We are not a GF family but have other allergies so I know how hard it is to source bought products that suit especially with hidden ingredients etc. My daughter's friend has GF diet but I don't know if she uses Mrs Crimble products. I know she does a lot of cooking and baking from scratch and you cannot tell the difference in taste.
I will look out for these products for when she comes over to play.

[Doogle2]

My mum is Gluten free and to be honest its been so many years now that we are just used to cooking without it. My advice is not to spend lots of money on specialised everyday products. Have a good look at what is available e.g. waitrose Cambridge sausages are gluten free. There are lots of lists on the internet and most resturants can cope with GF diners.
We have tried these biscuits and they are lush. Nice treat.

[BestestBrownies]

I am coeliac and over the last 5 years have tried most of the ready-made GF products out there, including the Mrs Crimbles range.

In my opinion, the sweet stuff is always FAR, FAR too sweet (probably because loading a GF product with sticky glucose syrup is the cheapest and laziest way to make it hold together), and the savoury stuff is always chokingly dry and overly salted/flavoured or full of nasty palm oil and trans-fats.

There are a few GF things that are OK, namely the DSproducts breadsticks and herb crackers.

These days I just make my cakes, biscuits, pastry, pizza dough etc from my own recipes (which have taken years to develop and refine, so no I won't be sharing them with you for free so you can test them and then use them to make your company huge profits without even an acknowledgement or thank you). Therefore I KNOW it's perfectly possible to create these things using healthy, quality ingredients, a little scientific knowledge and patience.

Maybe you should try that.

[notapizzaeater]

Son coeliac so we are 95% gf house.

Non coeliacs like the coconut macaroons, coeliac son doesn't !!! Like the brownies but far too much sugar/calories so treat only.

Do like your stuffing but sooooo expensive !

Buy from everywhere - because of each shop stoking different things I swop supermarkets weekly ....

For pizza base I use an Isabel's mix - tastes fab. Bread rolls/bread/bagels/doughnuts I use wheat free bakery direct (tis only bread ds will eat). Latest find is some tiny pasta (available on prescription that cooks like Cous Cous)

My yorkshires

90g cornflour
4 eggs
Milk (to double cream consistency)

Whisk together cook as normal.

[megandraper]

haha notapizza - we're the same about the macaroons. DH and I (non-coeliacs) like them, but coeliac DSs don't. I think it's the coconut, they're not used to the taste.

[CMOTDibbler]

Glad to see other people love Isabels - the cheese ball mix makes amazing (very fattening) pizza as its so cheesy

[notapizzaeater]

I make garlic balls with the cheese ball mix - just pop a cube of garlic butter in the middle and roll into balls, make a few at a ime and freeze in foil "takeaway" tins ready to lob in the oven and use as needed.

[LadyMercy]

I tend to buy gluten free products from the supermarket, health food shops and farmers markets. I have bought Mrs Crimble macaroons.

I cook gluten free by sticking with plain food, which is rather boring I'm afraid. Crumble toppings are made with gluten free flour, and I use ground almonds as a substitute too in some cakes. My DP makes bread with gluten free flour for me because bacon sandwiches are a must!

This cake is great for me and a friend who is allergic to dairy:

2 big oranges, scrubbed
5 eggs, separated
200 g (7 oz) caster sugar
225 g (8 oz) ground almonds

Simmer the oranges in a saucepan of water until soft all the way through. Leave to cool in the water until you can comfortably handle them. Chop up and remove any pips (leaving the skin on) and blitz to a pulp in a food processor.

Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually whisk in half the sugar.

In another bowl whick the rest of the caster sugar with the egg yolks. Stir in oranges and almonds.

Stir in a bit of egg white to loosen the mixture, then fold in the rest.

Cook in a well greased 9 inch cake tin with some baking paper in the bottom, at Gas 4 for an hour. You might have to cover the top if it is cooking too quick. Don't worry if the top splits. Cool in the tin.

[starlakid]

I started following a gluten free diet at the beginning of last year following many symptoms suggesting coeliac disease. I am undiagnosed as yet as shortly after suspecting the condition I fell pregnant after some years of trying and the doctor suggested leaving tests til after birth.
Eating gluten free seems to be getting a little easier - I can go into many restaurants and cafes and find a gluten free cake on offer - I feel it's my duty to then eat it, of course, as they've made the effort to provide it!
Supermarkets could do with catching up, particularly the budget ones like Lidl and Aldi, but I'm always pleased to find brands like Mrs Crimbles on offer in Sainsburys or the Co-op where I usually shop. It's disheartening to find the price still quite prohibitive for so many specialist products though.
Not quite got my head around the baking yet after some mediocre results with pastry, but made a great mincemeat cake at Christmas. Of course, I had to make my own mincemeat first...

Starla
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