Gluten-free pot noodles from Kabuto Noodles

I don't know about you but there are certain foods I have craved since being diagnosed Coeliac. For me, it's a pot noodle. (Oh, and croissants).

I don't know why, because I never really ate them when I actually could but ever since diagnosis I've wanted one. I'm always mega jealous whenever one of my colleagues at work brings one in for lunch. We always want what we can't have, right?

Right.

As far as I know there aren't many gluten-free pot noodles on the market. In fact I know of only one,  Kabuto Noodles. But have I ever been able to find any up until now?  No way! 

Well my luck was in yesterday when I did our weekly food shop,  I found these Kabuto Noodles in Sainsburys for just £1.50 each.  They are normally £2 which I think is a bit steep perhaps. I'm not going to grumble at £1.50 though.

What can I say?  I loved them!  They made a great lunch option to eat at my desk at work,  warm &  hearty,  with plenty of Japanese flavours like ginger & spring onions coming through.  I think it would be nice to eventually see a couple more flavours - at the moment the gluten-free flavours are chicken or miso (there are a variety of none gluten-free ones). But it's still a big step forward in to the world of gluten-free convenience noodles for which I applaud Kabuto Noodles.

So simple and yet so tasty! For a fraction of the cost you would pay if you were to buy something similar in a noodle bar you are getting a delicious noodle dish in the convenience of a pot noodle-style tub, you simply just add boiling water, wait 2-3 minutes and what you get is a very authentic tasting (and smelling) Asian noodle dish, just like what you may be served in a restaurant or noodle bar.

I am definitely keeping a few of these pots in my desk drawer at work, they're just so convenient and perfect for a quick lunch at my desk. They taste amazing and healthy too -  a real winter warmer that just makes you feel good. Thanks Kabuto!

Newburn Bakehouse launch two brand new and improved products

This week the lovely people at Newburn Bakehouse launched two brand new products and I was one of the lucky bloggers who got to try them first.

Introducing the new Farmhouse loaf and soft round rolls. The loaves come either white, brown or seeded and the rolls white or seeded. The Farmhouse loaves will replace their existing loaves and the soft round rolls will replace the sub rolls.

I have to admit I was really impressed with both new products. In my short time as a Coeliac I have found that many gluten-free bread products lack that freshness - the smell, taste and texture of a freshly baked loaf from a proper bakery - the Farmhouse loaf and soft rolls are unique in that they actually do feel like they may have just come out of the oven. I think they're brilliant!

The rolls come in a pack of 4 and they are a pretty decent size. I think they'd make awesome burger buns! I tried the soft white rolls just as a sandwich for lunch at work, 1 roll with cheese and salad was enough for me as a lunch. The rolls are topped with a generous dusting of flour which contributes to that freshly baked feeling you get when you bite in to one. I loved how soft and squishy the rolls were, I think anyone would be hard pushed to tell the difference between this and a 'normal' bread roll.

The Farmhouse loaf looks exactly how a farmhouse loaf should with the farmhouse cuts across the top and again the bread is lovely and soft and fresh. I especially liked the full sized slices - no more tiddly half size slices as you can find with some gluten-free loaves. Again the loaf just looks like any normal loaf of bread you'd find in any bakery aisle of supermarkets.

I found the loaf is great for sandwiches and toast.

Newburn Bakehouse have been working for a long time to improve their freshly baked range and I think you can really tell the difference. You may also like to know that all their fresh bakery products are certified dairy free too.

Where can you buy?

Now -  Selected Sainsburys and Asda stores
From 13th October 2014 - Selected Morrisons, Waitrose and Tesco stores

With a RRP of £2.99 for a loaf and £2.40 for a pack of 4 rolls I think these are definitely value for money. This range of fresh bakery products are by far the closest you'll get to 'real' bread and I love it!

Tea 42, Manchester

My apologies for the lack of blogging this past month or so. Things have been a little crazy recently as we are in the process of buying a house and my husband is just about to start his teaching career after a year of intensive training (exciting times ahead!). However, I just have to tell you about this amazing new gluten-free restaurant, Tea 42, I have just discovered.

I finally made it to Tea 42 in Manchester on Monday after my husband's graduation ceremony (his third graduation no less). I'd heard lots of good things about this modern restaurant from my Twitter friends, so I was dying to go and check it out for myself and what better way to celebrate a happy occasion than with some great gluten-free food!

This is probably the best gluten-free place I have eaten at since diagnosis in terms of gluten-free choice, quality of food and Coeliac-friendly staff. It's a modern and stylish restaurant and amid its quirky and vibrant decor, Tea 42 offers an exceptionally high quality dining experience. I mean this could be a Michelin-starred restaurant for all I know.

I immediately felt at ease when, before taking our order, our waiter asked if there was anybody with any food intolerance's. Thumbs up to Tea 42 for understanding people's needs who suffer with allergies and intolerance's. This is probably due to the fact co-owner Will Hannah is a Coeliac himself.

Tea 42 offer an extensive gluten-free menu, practically everything on their menu is gluten-free or can easily be made gluten-free if you just ask, and the menu has options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea and even tapas. Now there aren't many places gluten-free eaters can eat out at that offer tapas. The gluten-free afternoon tea looked amazing too, I definitely need to come back and try that!

Gluten-free tapas!

I was immediately drawn to the tapas and opted for 3 dishes, all reasonably priced at £4.75 each - the Moroccan pulled pork with quinoa salad, tomato, basil and red onion bruschetta and the pesto and parmesan arancini. All 3 tapas were absolutely delicious! What I loved about the food was that each individual dish was beautifully presented and obviously a lot of time and effort had gone in to making the food look good as well as taste great.

Moroccan pulled pork and quinoa salad

Tomato, basil and red onion bruschetta

Pesto and parmesan arancini

Tea 42 offer a great selection of cakes and desserts too which are all displayed in a huge glass display case at the back of the restaurant. When I asked the waiter behind the counter which ones were gluten-free he said all of them were! I really couldn't believe it, this never happens anywhere! As we tend to "eat with our eyes" Tea 42 like you to see the desserts before choosing what to have so we all walked to the display case and had a peek at each mouthwatering cake before we chose - this is a really nice touch I thought.

Scrummy strawberry cheesecake!

Also spotted on the menu was a whole list of gluten-free beers and a host of fancy cocktails. They are a must for next time too!

I'm completely in love with this place and can't wait to go back! The freedom of being able to eat gluten-free here is what makes this restaurant so special.

Here's their website

Newburn Bakehouse square seeded wraps

Last week Newburn Bakehouse announced that their fab square seeded wraps now include an extra wrap in every pack meaning you now get 4 wraps for the same price as we were paying for 3 previously. This was music to my ears as I'm sure it is for Coeliacs everywhere. I love these wraps (they make great fajitas) and they regularly appear in my shopping basket but I have to admit I did find them quite pricey (ranging between £2.90-£3.10 per pack depending on where you shop and where in the country you live). But now we are getting an extra wrap at no extra cost I feel they are definitely worth the money. What you are getting is 4 really substantial wraps that don't fall apart when you pack them with filling, I mean there's nothing worse than a fajita that falls apart in your hands is there?! The cost is definitely justified in that you are getting a great quality product that tastes amazing. Not only that, they are now certified dairy free as well as gluten free. Great news for people that are lactose intolerant or Coeliacs that are avoiding dairy products in the first 6-12 months of diagnosis.

Their square shape means they are really versatile and also make great light pizza bases ideal for lunch or a tasty healthy snack. I'd love to hear from you if you have tried the wraps and used them in a more adventurous way.

These wraps are becoming more widely available as you can now find them in La Tasca restaurants and Starbucks and Costa Coffee are also using them in their wraps-to-go. Read about my review of the Costa wraps here

Feel Free For Gluten Free's new 100% corn pasta range

Finally a gluten-free, dairy-free, wheat free pasta range that looks and tastes like the real thing! I'm talking proper Italian-tasting pasta! It's also egg and soya free and tastes amazing.

I was asked to sample Feel Free For Gluten Free's new pasta range during the recent Coeliac Awareness Week. They are a UK based company located in York. I have to admit it's a brand I wasn't too familiar with before (I've only really tried their chocolate brownie mix which I found in Sainsburys one time). But apparently they have a extensive range of other products on their website which I didn't even know about including pies, frozen meals and sweet bakery products. I will definitely be checking their other products out now that's for sure.

The new pasta range consists of spaghetti, fusilli, penne and alphabet spaghetti (ideal for the kids). It's 100% corn and has a low glycaemic index too which means it will keep you fuller for longer. Even better!

First things first. What I loved about the pasta initially was the packaging. It's eye catching, bold and very stylish indeed, it would definitely stand out on the supermarket shelf against other brands of gluten-free pasta in your local free from section.


Probably the best thing about this pasta is that it keeps its shape when cooked. It feels firm and there's no sticky gloopy mess which you tend to find with a lot of gluten-free pasta if you overcook it even by a few seconds.

It tasted great too, just how I imagine authentic Italian pasta to taste. At £1.99 a packet I feel this is really good value for money for a good quality gluten-free product.

I usually buy Sainsburys own Free From spaghetti and pasta which is rice based and I find that if overcooked it can be very stodgy as it retains a lot of water. 'Feel Free' pasta is different. It was great to try a new brand of pasta that just tasted like normal pasta and I am definitely going to be buying Feel Free For Gluten Free pasta again.


At the moment you can buy this pasta range online at www.glutenfree-direct.co.uk but I would really love to see it in my local Sainsburys and readily available in other supermarkets in the near future. So watch this space.

Homemade Minestrone soup with alphabet pasta.
For big kids too!

https://twitter.com/FeelFreeGF

https://www.facebook.com/feelfreeforglutenfree

The Gluten-Free Guarantee - My Supermarket Survey

This year for Coeliac Awareness Week Coeliac UK are focusing on the availability of gluten-free products in supermarkets. They know how frustrating it can be for Coeliacs having to shop in various different supermarkets rather than just one to do a weekly shop and get everything they want.

I, for one, am constantly frustrated at the lack of new gluten-free products in any of the supermarkets I shop in, in Leek or Macclesfield. When a new product comes out and there's a huge buzz about it on social media, the majority of the time it does not appear in any of my supermarkets until months after (with the exception of the new wraps from Costa Coffee) when the hype has usually died down and we're on to the next new gluten-free craze. This may be because I live in a small town, on the outskirts of the countryside, half an hour from any big city (Manchester or Stoke-on-Trent) but this doesn't change the fact that there are people living with Coeliac Disease who need to shop for food! The availability and convenience of a range of gluten-free products (not just one or two options) in every supermarket is something I feel so strongly about and I really hope that by raising awareness of this need for choice this Coeliac Awareness Week, supermarkets will listen and take action.

Supermarkets are getting much better, I must admit, and do offer a lot more choice than they did, say, 10 years ago as the demand for gluten-free products increases but there's still plenty more they could do. This improvement is due to the sheer number of people being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease which is growing at a huge rate. According to official statistics released this week the number of people diagnosed in the UK with Coeliac Disease has increased fourfold in the past 20 years. And this number is likely to grow which in turn will increase the demand for gluten-free food in our supermarkets.


For Coeliac Awareness Week this year Coeliac UK are asking supermarkets to sign up to their 'Gluten-Free Guarantee'. They would like all supermarkets to stock a core 8 gluten-free items, items we use day to day which they feel should be readily available to Coeliacs which are:-

• Fresh white bread
• Fresh brown bread
• Bread rolls
• Pasta
• Flour
• Cereal
• Cereal bars
• Crackers

I decided to do my own research here because I believe the supermarkets in Leek where I live can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to gluten-free products. I know, Leek, despite being a small town, is not the worst place for gluten-free availability but it certainly isn't the best either and I think there is plenty of room for improvement.

My Challenge

During this week I paid a visit to all the major supermarkets in Leek (including a couple that were a bit further afield but I occasionally shop in when I'm at work or visiting friends in nearby Stoke-on-Trent) to suss out the gluten-free availability in each store. Armed with my Gluten-Free Guarantee supermarket postcard supplied by Coeliac UK and my trusty pen, I spent some time looking at each Free From section and counting the number of items on offer. I did get a few funny looks from people as I stood in front of the shelves scrutinising them but I didn't really care, this was all in the name of research. 

Have you filled yours in yet?

Here are my findings...

	Supermarket
How many types of	Sainsburys Leek	Tesco Hanley	Tesco Metro Macclesfield	Waitrose Leek	Asda Leek	Morrisons Leek
Fresh white bread	2	6	2	3	0	0
Fresh brown bread (includes seeded)	4	6	4	6	1	3
Bread rolls	2	5	2	6	0	2
Flour	3	2	2	4	0	1
Pasta	7	6	2	6	1	2
Cereal (including porridge oats)	18	10	5	16	1	3
Cereal bars	9	4	3	10	3	4
Crackers	7	6	2	5	0	2
Total no of items	52	45	22	56	6	17

As you can see, way out in front were Waitrose and Sainsburys with an impressive 56 and 52 points respectively and no score lower than a 2 or 3 which means that in every one of the 8 categories there was more than one product to choose from. That means choice! And lots of it. Very close behind was Tesco in Hanley with a decent selection in all 8 categories. By far the worst supermarket for choice was Asda in Leek. This is only a small Asda store but the fact that this store did not even have white bread, rolls, flour, and crackers and only one choice of brown bread, pasta and cereal really isn't good enough and fell well below the standard set out by the Gluten-Free Guarantee. I will definitely be writing to head office about this particular Asda store. It's a good job there are plenty of other supermarkets in Leek to choose from otherwise I'd be pretty stuck. The most impressive Free From display must be awarded to Tesco in Hanley who had a massive Free From section, by far the biggest display in all 6 supermarkets I visited - the shelving took up pretty much half an aisle! (Wish I'd taken a photo). The smallest Free From section was Asda who had a pitiful 3 shelves - very disappointing.

On the whole I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of gluten-free products available where I shop. It's great to see that most supermarkets' Free From range are developing and expanding. Sainsburys and Tesco have their own very extensive Free From range, consisting of not only all your essential items such as bread and cereal, but Sainsburys even have their own frozen food Free From section including pizza, sausages, veggie burgers, chicken nuggets and fish fingers, whilst Tesco have a few of the more unusual items such as cous cous and jars of their own pasta sauce. Most supermarkets I visited stocked plenty of well known brands too such as Genius Foods, Newburn Bakehouse, Perkier Foods, Mrs Crimbles and Udi's Gluten Free, perhaps Morrisons being the only exception. I'm confident that over the next couple of years we'll see a lot more variety in our supermarket Free From sections, new companies starting their own ranges and supermarket Free From sections taking up much bigger shelf space in the aisles rather than just a couple of tiny shelves pushed at the end of an aisle. Perhaps also, supermarkets will begin to lower their prices of Free From products as the demand for these increases. We can but dream!

How does your supermarket fare? Do you have access to all 8 items on a regular basis in your local supermarket? Please comment below or send me a photo of your local supermarket's Free From aisle.

Coeliac Awareness Week 2014

Coeliac Awareness Week - 12th - 18th May 2014

Can you believe it's been a whole year since the last Coeliac Awareness Week?

You may recall my post this time last year for Coeliac Awareness Week -  'My Diagnosis Story'. Coeliac Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity Coeliac UK have created each year to discuss Coeliac Disease, bringing it to the attention of the media - I love how social media is a hype of activity at the moment and I'm thrilled that my Twitter feed is jam packed full of tweets raising awareness of Coeliac Disease. It's a great chance to educate people and encourage them to seek medical advice should they believe they have any of the symptoms of Coeliac Disease - thereby helping to increase the number of people getting diagnosed and getting the help they need to manage the condition.

There's been some high profile media coverage of the condition this week too - for example, the Olympic Cyclist Craig MacLean appeared on BBC Breakfast on Monday morning alongside Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Coeliac UK, talking about his diagnosis of Coeliac Disease and how this affects him day-to-day as an Olympic cyclist. Most of the major supermarkets have been providing offers on their 'free from' range in honour of Coeliac Awareness Week and newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Daily Express have featured articles about Coeliac Disease.

Possibly the most important statistic to be released this week in the media by BBC News is that the number of people diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in the UK in the past 20 years has increased fourfold. And it's not because Coeliac Disease is becoming more common, rather it's down to better diagnosis of the condition. Despite the increase in diagnosis,  Coeliac UK have stated that although around 1% of the population have Coeliac Disease they still believe a massive 75% of people with Coeliac Disease have not even been diagnosed which means they are living with the condition and don't even know it! It's really important that people with Coeliac Disease get diagnosed as early as possible, as if left untreated Coeliac Disease can cause osteoporosis, infertility and even bowel cancer.

As more and more people are diagnosed as Coeliac this increases the demand for gluten-free products in our shops, supermarkets and restaurants.

This year Coeliac UK are focusing on the availability of gluten-free products in supermarkets. They know how frustrating it can be for Coeliacs having to shop in various different supermarkets just to do a weekly shop and get everything you need. There will be more about this in a future blog post of mine coming soon.

This year to help raise awareness I decided to target my team of 13 gluten-eating work colleagues. For me it can be quite difficult at times having a communal kitchen at work and I do usually tend to avoid using it and bring my own pre-made sandwiches to eat at work through fear of cross-contamination, particularly crumbs. For most Coeliacs, the risk of cross-contamination is a big concern.

In the past I've had a lot of questions asked by my colleagues which is really positive but I do think a lot of the people I work with still don't really understand what Coeliac Disease is. This is why I want to help raise more awareness of the condition so that people become more tolerant and understanding.

I decided to bake some gluten-free treats and take these in to work with me for my colleagues to enjoy. I baked gluten-free banana bread and gluten-free chocolate brownies...

Now, my office tends to have a constant supply of gluten-containing cakes and biscuits, whether it's somebody's birthday, it's 'Treat Friday' or someone has brought biscuits in 'just for the sake of it' - and usually these are off limits to me. Only very recently have some of my colleagues also bought in something gluten-free for me to eat. Sometimes I have felt a bit left out, this is why it was great that my treats were completely gluten-free which meant I was included and everybody could enjoy them.

I had a very positive response from my cakes - everybody seemed to enjoy them and I got asked lots and lots of questions about Coeliac Disease which was great. One of my colleagues hadn't even heard of it and I really was able to educate her. Everyone was really understanding and seemed interested in what I had to say and I'm hoping that now everybody is aware I'm Coeliac they will be able to help avoid the risk of cross-contamination for me in our works kitchen.

So, it may seem just a small gesture from me to my work colleagues but it has helped raise awareness of Coeliac Disease in my workplace and it's the little things like this we can all do individually that will all make a big difference.

Now it's over to you! What have you done this week for Coeliac Awareness Week? I'd love to hear about it.

New gluten-free wraps at Costa Coffee

After my disappointment of not finding any of the new Tesco gluten-free sandwiches earlier this week (apparently they're only in selected stores - and not in my local one in Macclesfield) I was thrilled to get my hands on one of the new gluten-free wraps now sold in Costa Coffee.

The wraps were only released today Costa Coffee stores and today my luck was in as Costa in Macclesfield was stocked up.

One thing lacking in Macclesfield town centre is the availability of gluten-free sandwiches to grab on the go. If I haven't bought my own lunch to work with me I'm stuck. It's great that Costa Coffee have now released these tasty chicken and basil salad wraps in the run up to Coeliac Awareness Week. Also released in the same week were the Tesco/Genius Foods sandwiches I mentioned earlier - is this a coincidence? I think not.

Costa have teamed up with Warburton's Newburn Bakehouse square wraps and I am already a big fan of these as we use them all the time when we make fajitas. What I love about the square wraps is that they're really quite thick and really do hold their shape when wrapped together with the filling. The gluten-free sandwiches I have tried in the past (Genius rolls at Cafe Nero especially) have the tendency to fall apart after a while and you end up losing half the filling everywhere because the bread has split. Not with these wraps!

Still intact. No filling spillage!

The wraps are filled with British chicken and basil salad and are also dairy free as well as gluten-free

The wraps cost £3.70 which you may think is a little pricey - but to be honest, for me, I think the convenience of having a wrap to eat when you are out and about is definitely worth the money and I would pay £3.70 for one of these again. A pack of 3 wraps can cost £3.10 on their own if you buy them in the supermarket. And because the Newburn Bakehouse have already established themselves as a well known and trusted brand in the Coeliac community, you know you are getting a really great quality sandwich here.

I found there was a good amount of chicken in the wrap with a nice bit of salad (rocket and tomato) and a hint of basil mayonnaise. The only thing I would say is I would have liked a bit more of the mayonnaise - however I'm not too sure whether having more mayo would compromise the solidity of the wrap.

I would give the wraps a 10/10 score because they are just so tasty and satisfying. Thanks so much to Costa for introducing them in to their coffee shops. You can already find gluten-free chocolate brownies and mini bakewell tarts in Costa and I am positive that a savoury product will also be a big hit. Here's hoping for a couple more filling choices in the near future too.

I'm really interested to see whether any other companies jump on the gluten-free sandwich bandwagon in the run up to Coeliac Awareness Week (12th-18th May 2014). Watch this space...

Gluten-Free Scotch Eggs from Staffordshire Savoury Eggs

I discovered these amazing gluten-free scotch eggs at my local market in Leek one Saturday. I can't say I'd ever really tried a scotch egg before then but I have no idea why because they are awesome!

Staffordshire Savoury Eggs produce a range of quality homemade scotch eggs - including gluten-free and vegetarian. The gluten-free scotch eggs are made with crushed up rice cakes which coat the outside of the egg rather than breadcrumbs.

What are they like? Well, for a start they are huge!

For me the egg-pork ratio was good - a generous amount of pork shoulder meat wrapped around the egg -  and I really liked the crispiness of the rice cakes around the outside. I definitely couldn't eat more than one though as they are very filling. I ate one of these for my lunch by itself and it kept me going until tea time. They are really tasty.

You can grab a gluten-free scotch egg at any of these markets:-

Stone/Rode Hall - 1st Saturday of the month
Stafford/Belper - 2nd Saturday of the month
Newcastle - 3rd Friday of the month
Leek - 3rd Saturday of the month
Bakewell - Last Sunday of the month

To place an order you can also contact:- colin@chodgkinson.wanadoo.co.uk

Full English Breakfast at Henley Street Tea Rooms, Stratford-upon-Avon

You just can't beat a good old fashioned English fry-up. I love them! But this is one of the things I definitely miss now when staying in hotels and going on holiday - a full English breakfast is usually off limits to me being a Coeliac. But on a recent trip to Stratford-upon-Avon I was delighted to see that there were a few places that were offering a gluten-free breakfast.

We stumbled across the Henley Street Tea Rooms by accident really after checking out a few other tea rooms first we decided on here as it is located right opposite Shakespeare Birthplace. An ideal spot if you ask me for picking up the tourist trade.

The tea rooms have a whole gluten-free menu to choose from ranging from breakfast, sandwiches, afternoon tea and main meals. Just look at the choice!

The staff were really friendly and knowledgeable about the gluten-free diet which is always a pleasure to see.

The breakfast itself was great, really enjoyable. I was so happy it also came with gluten-free toast and marmalade. Perfect!

It would have been nice to have seen some a gluten-free sausage or 2 on the plate and maybe some baked beans (Heinz baked beans are gluten-free) but it was yummy all the same.

Edward Moon, Famous English Brasserie, Stratford-upon-Avon

I had a great weekend away in Stratford-upon-Avon a few weeks ago (apologies for the rather late blog about it). This was a weekend of visiting the sights of Shakespeare country, taking in the culture, and of course eating great gluten-free food.

Having done my research beforehand I had located a few potential places to eat out. So after a busy day of sightseeing on the Saturday we stopped off at Edward Moon - Famous English Brasseries. The brasserie is situated on Chapel Street and is just a 5 minute walk away from The Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Coeliac-friendly options on the menu are all marked with a (c). I would estimate that about 75% of their menu is gluten-free.

My tasty chicken dinner, complete with chips, yes proper chips!

My chicken was cooked to perfection, very succulent and full of flavour, the chips on the side were a very welcome bonus and the side salad was crisp and complimented the chicken very well. I would definitely recommend Edward Moon to anyone, but especially Coeliacs. As Coeliacs we sometimes find there isn't always a big choice on a menu but this isn't the case here - you can pretty much have whatever you want from the menu. There is also gluten-free bread if you ask.

All in all an excellent gluten-free meal out, in very classy surroundings. I would love to go back!

Frankie & Benny's

I was a big fan of Frankie & Benny's before I was diagnosed as a Coeliac and so when I heard that they had started doing a gluten-free menu I was very excited.

I checked on their website first and yes it was true, their gluten-free menu is there for you to peruse before you dine. It seems like they are pretty clued up on the risks of cross-contamination for people with food allergies and they have kitchen procedures in place to help reduce the risk. Here's what they have to say about their gluten-free menu. When we got to Frankie & Benny's the waiter showed us to our table and it was clear that all the staff had had training on their gluten-free menu and the controlled procedures in the kitchen. Knowledgeable staff, yes! Obviously because the food is prepared in a kitchen that also prepares gluten-containing food it's never 100% safe but as far as they can their procedures help to significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

This was the menu I was presented with.

Excellent choice and variety. 

Now I don't normally go for the full 3 courses when I eat out but this menu was just so tempting and had so many things I wanted to try so I did go for 3 courses. To start I went for the loaded potato skins with goats cheese.

For a starter this was pretty epic. 3 jacket potato skins with their insides scooped out, filled to the brim with goats cheese, with a massive pot of sour cream on the side. A very hearty portion size if I say so myself, and I like my big portions! Great value for money and very filling (excuse the pun). Absolutely delicious too.

I went for the Boston BBQ chicken for my main course - chicken breast topped with cheese and crispy bacon and smothered in yummy bbq sauce. Very tasty!

When this came out from the kitchen my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Just check out the portion size! It looked mouthwatering. The chicken comes with a jacket potato, massive side salad, and coleslaw. Yes I kind of regretted having the potato skins for a starter as this dish also comes with a jacket. It's a good job I love jacket potatoes! To be honest it was nice to not have chips actually (now I never thought I would say that!)

It was probably the best bbq sauce I have ever tasted, mouthwateringly good and full of juicy flavour with a bit of a kick to it. And you get lots of it! For me there's nothing worse than having a massive slab of meat and hardly any sauce. I think Frankie & Benny's have definitely got the balance right here. I'm ashamed to say I ate the whole lot and still ordered a dessert.

At this point I felt like I was the size of a house after everything I had eaten but I really wanted to try the banana split sundae from the dessert menu. Banana's are one of my favourite fruits and if they are on the menu somewhere I order it.

Here it is.

  Sooooooo good and yet sooooooo naughty

Now I was well and truly full, but a very happy Coeliac and already planning my next visit.

A bit of good news from the Dietician!

It's nice to get a bit of good news every once in a while, and believe me I'm due some!

My latest visit to the dietician last week went very well indeed. So much so they decided to discharge me. I've gained a pound in weight since December (yes, a whole pound!). Now I know this isn't very much to a lot of people but regular readers of this blog will know that since my diagnosis last year I have struggled to put any weight on and in fact have been losing weight since changing my diet. I've dropped a whole dress size in the space of a couple of months and it meant I had to go out and buy myself new clothes. 

As I've maintained my weight and my blood tests have come back negative for the Coeliac antibody I no longer need to see the dietician. Result!

My first Coeliac Anniversary!

HAPPY (COELIAC) BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Today marks my 1st Coeliac anniversary. I've survived my first year as a Coeliac, yippee! It's been tough, I'm not going to lie, but I'm proud I've got through it. And what better way to celebrate than with a huge slab of gluten-free chocolate orange polenta cake (I followed the Honeybuns Bakery receipe).

Those of you who have followed my story from the start (a big thank you to you!) may remember my post when I first got diagnosed with Coeliac Disease about my apprehensions about changing my diet and worries of how it may affect daily life . And yes, it has changed my life. But I do think it's changed for the better. I may not be 100% recovered from my symptoms yet, which is frustrating, but I am definitely getting there. I think back to how I felt 12 months ago and am so thankful that I feel so much better now. My health has improved massively over the past 12 months and I know this has all been due to removing evil gluten from my diet.

However, my Gastro and my Dietician are still keeping a careful eye on me as I still don't seem to be gaining any weight (and may actually still be losing a bit) and I'm also still suffering with mild symptoms e.g. sore throat, swollen glands and tiredness, every now and again. Refractory Coeliac Disease has been mentioned to me as a possible explanation for my symptoms not disappearing. This is a rare form of Coeliac Disease which needs to be treated with drugs as well as a gluten-free diet. I really hope this isn't the case but we'll have to wait and see.

So, what have I learnt these past 12 months?

1. Coeliac Disease affects people in very different ways. People can have a variety of symptoms, not just stomach problems. Some people's symptoms improve after a few weeks of going on a gluten-free diet, for others it takes a few months and for some it can take up to 12 months (or in my case longer than that).  I've learnt that it's OK to feel frustrated if this happens, after all no one wants to feel ill all the time. 5 weeks in to my diet change I blogged about some of these frustrations. Everyone's bodies are different and will therefore take different times to recover. There is therefore no set timescale to notice relief from symptoms. This just goes to show how complicated and life changing Coeliac Disease can be.

2. There are a lot of bonuses of going gluten-free. You tend to eat a lot more heathily, eat more fruit and vegetables and eat a lot less processed foods.

3. There is a wealth of help and support online from fellow Coeliacs who have been there, done that, and "free from" companies that know what it's like catering for someone with Coeliac Disease. I have listened to and shared many stories online and there really is a lovely community out there who all look out for each other. A big thank you goes to my Twitter followers and fellow bloggers whom I admire and learn from all the time. Thanks for all your help and advice.

4. My confidence in eating out has steadily improved as I have found more and more places that cater for Coeliacs. You may recall my initial frustration at the lack of places in my home town of Leek and the nearby surrounding areas that provided gluten-free food. However I am confident that this number will continue to grow. I find that by talking to people in restaurants and educating them really does help raise awareness of the condition. If you ask every place you go whether they cater for the gluten-free diet this will only increase the demand for gluten-free options and more places will have to listen and change their menu's. If you don't ask you don't get, that's my motto!

5. Yes, Coeliac Disease is a very serious, lifelong condition but it CAN be managed and to be honest there are far worse conditions to have. I feel so fortunate that what I have is treatable whereas other people with more serious conditions have no control over their illness. I feel I am more in control of my body as a result. I am now eating the foods that my body can tolerate and more importantly I am now getting the nutrition from my food that my body so desperately needs.

6. Blogging about my condition has really been quite therapeutic and has helped me come to terms with having Coeliac Disease. Talking about things always makes them seem better and this is why I started this blog. When I was first told I have Coeliac Disease I felt so overwhelmed by the whole situation and just didn't know where to start; I had no idea about what Coeliac Disease really was. Since then I have gained so much advice and tips from other bloggers that one day I really hope my blog will help someone else who is in the same position like I was a year ago with no clue about living with Coeliac Disease.

I know I still have a lot to learn but I just want to thank everybody who has taken the time to read my blog, I really do appreciate all your support. I also want to thank my husband, friends, family, Coeliac UK and all the medical staff who have helped me along the way to manage and live with Coeliac Disease. It can be a pretty daunting process, from getting that all important diagnosis from your doctor, doing your first gluten-free food shop, exploring what products different supermarkets have to offer and eating out for the first time with Coeliac Disease but I've come a long way and am already looking forward to what the next 12 months has to bring.

Moving forward here's my pledge to you for the next 12 months...

1. I WILL blog more and keep you updated on great products and restaurants I find.

2. I am determined to bake a lot more.

3. If this blog can help just one person I will have succeeded.

Thanks for reading.

Emma