Thornleys Gluten-Free sauce range

My Thornleys Week

This week I have had the pleasure of sampling the whole range of recipe and sauce mixes by Thornleys. There are five different sauces in the range:- spaghetti carbonara, parsley sauce, chilli con carne, creamy chicken and herb sauce, and tuna pasta bake. It was my plan to try all five dishes in one week - challenge accepted!

Thornleys are a family-run business, the owner Gail Brown herself is a Coeliac along with her father and daughter. They definitely take being Coeliac seriously and understand about the gluten-free diet and the restrictions this can sometimes place upon us, particularly when it comes to convenience foods.

What I like about the mixes is the shiny, silver packaging - they certainly would stand out on a shelf in the supermarkets. The sauces all come in powdered form and are therefore a real space-saver in your kitchen cupboards, you could have all five sauces in the cupboard and they would take up hardly any room at all compared to having five different jars or tins of the equivalent sauces. This makes the sauces ideal for taking on a self-catering holiday with you, just pack them in your suitcase. I would definitely consider taking the sauces with me on holiday to Cyprus when I next visit my parents (who are based there) as it means I won't be spending ages in a foreign supermarket trying to decipher the labels on products to check whether they are gluten-free or not.

All five sauces are really easy to use, not even I could go wrong with them! So, how did I get on?

Sunday

On Sunday my brother and sister-in-law came round for lunch. This was the ideal opportunity to use the tuna pasta bake. You simply add milk to the packet contents, bring to the boil, add a tin of tuna and a tin of sweetcorn to your cooked pasta, pop in to a dish, grate cheese on top and grill until the cheese is nice and golden brown. We served ours with a bit of salad and garlic bread.

I really liked this sauce as it was so quick and easy to make. There were very subtle herby flavourings which complimented the tuna really well. Everybody said how nice the sauce tasted and they couldn't believe it was gluten-free.

Monday

Monday in our house usually means Mexican night! We tend to alternate between fajitas or chilli and so it made perfect sense to try the chilli con carne mix. Chilli is my ultimate favourite comfort food, I would have it every single night if I could and I love comparing and contrasting different brands of chilli sauce/packet mixes. The chilli is the only sauce you don't mix with milk, instead you add water, a tin of tomatoes and kidney beans. We actually added two tins of beans though to make the meal go further and a green pepper and diced onion. Because there are only two of us we don't like to waste food and so by adding extra ingredients we actually made six portions rather than four, popping the other four portions in to the freezer. The only thing I will say about the chilli mix is that personally, I would have preferred a bit more chilli and paprika flavours in mine, only because I like my chilli with a bit of a kick. This really isn't a criticism though as the great thing about Thornleys is they have made their chilli family-friendly by just adding a subtle hint of chilli and cumin which means kids will love it too.

Tuesday

On Tuesday we went for the spaghetti carbonara. I was really impressed with this one and it was probably my favourite of all five sauces. I found it so rich and creamy and it didn't taste like it had come from a packet. The sauce thickened up really well and was so full of flavour with lots of garlic which is just how I like it. We also added a few frozen peas to add some colour. We used the exact amount of spaghetti suggested on the packet but halved it for two people however we did find that this didn't give us enough pasta so next time we would add more than the packet states. By only using half of the packet we saved the rest for another day later that week.

Wednesday

On Wednesday I needed something quick and easy as I was going out for the evening so I had left over chilli from Monday, defrosted and heated up again in a pan. It still tasted delicious. To make mine more spicy this time I added a teaspoon of chilli powder and a teaspoon of paprika.

Thursday

Thursday was time to try the parsley sauce which we served with some lovely smoked fish and salad, peas and potatoes. I really loved the lemon flavouring of this sauce, it certainly went well with fish and tasted so fresh and light and cleansing to the palette. We saved the other half of the packet to use next week.

Friday

As usual I went for my Friday night swim after work and so there wasn't much time to cook when I got home so we finished off the remaining carbonara mix which was lovely even second-time round.

Saturday

To round off my Thornleys week nicely we had the creamy chicken and herb mix. This smelt absolutely wonderful as it was cooking and I couldn't wait to taste it. The sauce did not disappoint and was full of herby flavourings and oh so delicious, a perfect accompaniment to the juicy chicken pieces.

Overall, I would give the range a 9/10 as they were so simple to use and really quick - ideal for families on the go and definitely great for taking on holiday either abroad or on a caravan holiday. I wouldn't normally go for a packet mix as I tend to prefer to make my own sauces but for times when I'm in a hurry I would definitely keep a couple of Thornleys packets in the cupboard.

The sauces are available to buy on the website http://thornleysglutenfree.co.uk/ and also available in selected farm shops in the North West. They are priced at between £1.95 and £2.20 which I think is very reasonable considering the sauces serve four people.

The Salt Bar, Macclesfield

It's not very often that I get so excited about a restaurant but I literally could not wait to blog about my recent visit to The Salt Bar in Macclesfield. I believe I have found a real gem and Coeliac food heaven which I hope to visit time and time again. Friends and family are probably sick of hearing me rave about this place but if you visit it yourself you will find out what I mean.

Happy Birthday to me!

I heard about The Salt Bar on Twitter about 2 weeks ago and I instantly knew this was where I was going for my birthday meal. The restaurant specialises in Scandinavian food and drink which is a cuisine I've always wanted to try and one you just can't get anywhere else in my local area. The best part - about 75% of their menu is GLUTEN-FREE! They have recently changed dishes on the menu that previously contained breadcrumbs and now use polenta instead. This is amazing news for Coeliacs like me!

What I like about the menu is that it's fairly small but they've obviously worked really hard on perfecting each dish. I found there was still a great selection of dishes to choose from and I actually found it quite difficult to decide what to have - even more reason to go back and try something different! You know you are getting authentic Scandinavian food because it's all cooked by their Swedish chef, Anders.

I was pleased to see that the restaurant was busy which is great especially as they have only been open for about 5 weeks. I can see this place going from strength to strength as more and more people find out about it and spread the word.

What did I have?

To start I went for the leek and potato soup, gluten-free of course. Sadly there isn't gluten-free bread yet but our waiter told us that this is something they hope to introduce once they have established themselves. To be honest though, the soup was so lovely and creamy that I didn't really miss having bread. I could eat a bowl of this soup on its own any day of the week. Delicious!

For my main course I had Swedish meatballs in a cream sauce with fries but you could choose mash as an alternative. The meatballs were absolutely fantastic, like nothing I've ever tasted before, cooked to perfection and so full of flavour. I can't explain how amazing they were you will just have to go and try them for yourself.

My husband went for the Swedish burger with onion sauce and pickles and a side of fries. I was delighted to discover that this was also gluten-free and is something I would love to try next time I visit. Surprisingly this burger didn't have a bun but had an extra burger instead. Meat eaters you will love this.

I was pretty much stuffed at this point but there was no way I was leaving without trying dessert, especially as there was a gluten-free chocolate mousse on the menu! I had assumed this would be a small light mousse but I was so very wrong. It was luxurious, velvety, and rich with swirls of white chocolate. It came served in a cute little jar with a lid - top marks for the presentation.

So yummy

Stick a fork in me, I was done! I can honestly say that this was the most perfect meal out I have ever had - even pre-Coeliac - I just can not fault this place.

The Salt Bar is like a breath of fresh air in an area which is crying out for more Coeliac-friendly places to eat - and just 12 miles from Leek (I actually work in Macclesfield so it's even closer on a work night) it's perfect. Next time I get frustrated by the lack of gluten-free places to eat in Leek and Stoke-on-Trent I'm heading to Macclesfield. I highly recommend The Salt Bar for a sophisticated dining experience, something unique and quirky, in a small intimate setting with amazing Scandinavian food. Definitely book a table though as I can see them becoming VERY busy over the coming weeks and months.

You can follow The Salt Bar on Twitter @thesaltbar or find them on Facebook.

Toaster bags

Hoorah! I have managed to find these nifty little toaster bags in my local Poundland shop again as they've been out of stock for a while now. I'd previously been using the grill whenever I wanted toast but it just doesn't taste the same. You really can't beat toast freshly popped out the toaster!

I love these toaster bags because it means I can have yummy gluten free toast without having to buy a completely new toaster and then having the added stress of finding somewhere to put two toasters in our kitchen, not to mention the expense of buying a brand new toaster. The bags help to avoid cross-contamination with bread crumbs from a 'normal' toaster. It's important that Coeliacs don't use a toaster that has previously been used to toast normal bread because even a tiny crumb from the bottom of the toaster could make us ill. It doesn't matter how clean the toaster is you just never know where those evil gluten breadcrumbs could be hiding. It's really not worth the risk and that's why I was so happy when I discovered toaster bags.

The bags are reusable if you just wash them out after use with hot soapy water and the pack says you can use them up to 100 times, however when I have bought them in the past they have never lasted more than I'd say 20 or 30 uses before snagging or burning. Still, at the bargain price of £1 for a pack of 2 you can't really go wrong.

If you fancy being a bit more adventurous you can even make toasted sandwiches using the bags - just make up your sandwich as normal, pop it into a toaster bag to toast in the toaster and you have yourself a toasted sandwich - genius!

The Movable Feast, wedding catering, nr Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

I LOVE a good wedding! I love everything about them - from the happy couple, the vows, the flowers, 'the dress', the music and dancing, and of course the FOOD - they all play a huge part in making the day special.

Last month we attended a friend's wedding in Suffolk. This was my first wedding as a Coeliac guest. When RSVP-ing to the wedding invite I had obviously indicated that I would require a completely gluten-free meal. I had even asked the Bride and Groom to pass on my phone number to their caterers should they have any queries about what I could eat.

I was so nervous about the wedding catering that I took a bag full of Coeliac snacks - Tyrrells crisps, DS-gluten free pretzels, Newburn Bakehouse muffins, that kind of thing - just in case there wasn't much I could eat. The Movable Feast however were absolutely brilliant at catering for my dietary needs, I can't praise them highly enough! On the day itself the caterers knew straightaway I was Coeliac and so when the food started being brought out I had my own server who brought my food out separate from everybody else's. The food itself was amazing, probably one of the nicest wedding breakfasts I have ever had. I had pretty much the same as everybody else which didn't single me out from the rest of the guests. To start we had chicken liver pate with bread, I obviously had gluten-free bread as a substitute. The main course was guinea fowl, something I have never had before. It was really tasty, served with veg and potatoes and I actually think it was exactly the same meal as the rest of the guests. However when it came to dessert I had a lovely panna cotta whilst everybody else had lemon tart. I'm guessing the gluten-free pastry would have been too tricky to master - a little bit disappointing because the tart did look scrummy. I can't complain though because I really enjoyed what I had, I didn't feel singled out as a 'fussy eater' or different to any of the other guests. The caterers were very discrete and considerate of my special dietary requirements and I had 3 courses of amazing gourmet food that really filled me up - the first time I have felt completely stuffed in ages. Sadly there was nothing for me to eat at the evening buffet, which was a BBQ served outside and the risk of cross-contamination was too high with bread crumbs everywhere. To be honest though, even by the time the BBQ was served at 9pm I was still so full from the wedding breakfast that I probably wouldn't have eaten anything even if there was something I could have had so I didn't really mind at all.

Overall it was a beautiful wedding with fantastic food. This was one wedding where my Coeliac snacks definitely stayed in my bag. A big thank you to The Movable Feast for a wonderful meal with fantastic service. The staff are clearly very knowledgeable about gluten-free catering and they definitely try and adapt their dishes to be gluten-free rather than cook something completely different for Coeliac guests.

If you are a Coeliac in the East Anglia area planning a wedding or just planning a wedding with Coeliac guests I would definitely recommend The Movable Feast.

You can contact The Movable Feast on 01359 231 231.