Zizzi, Cambridge

My first taste of gluten-free pasta (not cooked by myself at home) happened at Zizzi in Cambridge as part of my friend's hen weekend. Zizzi is a large chain of Italian restaurants which you will find all over the UK and the great thing about them is they have their own allergen menu's.

They offer a vegetarian, nut free, gluten-free, vegan, soya free, alcohol free, fish free, egg free, and dairy free menu, all separate from the regular main menu - that's quite an impressive list of dietary requirements if you ask me!

I was keen to try their gluten-free pasta dishes as I have found it quite difficult to master the art of pasta cooking at home myself. I've noticed with gluten-free pasta if you overcook it even just by a few seconds sometimes you end up with a sticky mess of pasta all congealed together. Not good! Timing is definitely key.

If you ask for the allergen menu you will soon find the gluten-free section clearly labelled and it's easy to navigate your way down the list. Plus there is actually quite a lot of choice if you love Italian food. Zizzi very helpfully list all their pasta sauces from the main menu that are gluten-free which can all be served with gluten-free fusilli. They also do gluten-free pizza bases which I would love to try next time.

You can view their entire allergen menu online here

I went for the pesto rosso which was a spicy chicken dish with red pesto. Sadly when my pasta arrived it was a little bit undercooked but I blame this on the fact that it was a busy Saturday night and we were part of a hen party of 21 people! The staff were rushing around like mad things trying to get all our meals out at the same time and to be fair they didn't do a bad job. That said, I enjoyed the meal and the sauce was lovely and rich, full of flavour and it tasted pretty authentically Italian too.

So rather than being overcooked my pasta was undercooked which surprised me a little but I would definitely go back again on a quieter night and probably order the same thing to give Zizzi a second chance. Top marks to Zizzi for their allergen menu though!

The Foodamentalists' Gluten-Free Doughnut Mix

The Foodamentalists very kindly sent me a box of their doughnut mix and crumpet mix to sample and review. I wouldn't normally consider using a mix and usually prefer to make things from scratch. But these mixes are great if you are in a rush, plus it also means you don't have to stock several different types of flour in your kitchen cupboards because the flours are already mixed.

I've never made homemade doughnuts myself before but I was so surprised at how easy they were to make and even I couldn't mess these up!

To start with it's great to see that the boxes are clearly labelled gluten-free. I think a few other companies should take note of this. The mixes are also wheat and dairy free and suitable for vegans. All the ingredients are clearly labelled - there are no artificial ingredients - and there is an easy to follow recipe on the back of the box. 

Essentially the doughnut mix is a blend of corn, rice and tapioca flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and xantham gum with just a hint of cinnamon which smells wonderful as soon as you open the box. 

All you need to do is mix 100g yoghurt (I used Alpro soya yoghurt to make mine dairy free too), 12g oil and 2 tablespoons of beaten egg. You then add the doughnut mix and mix together well to form a dough.

I did find that my dough was too dry by adding just 2 tablespoons of beaten egg so I added the rest of the beaten egg. 

Tip - don't throw the rest of the egg away you might need it!

Once the batter is mixed leave it for 15 minutes. Then roll the dough out on to a floured worktop until it's about half an inch thick. 

Use a pastry cutter to cut doughnut shapes. I also used the lid of a coca cola bottle to make the holes for the middle.

Then fry the doughnuts in about 3 inches of very very hot oil (take care!). Fry until they are golden brown on both sides. This literally takes a few seconds on each side. Super quick!

To finish just toss your doughnuts in a bit of sugar and cinnamon. Or if you would prefer to ice them you can, although wait for them to cool first.

So easy to make and they tasted amazing! 

I would definitely recommend eating the doughnuts while they are still warm and the cinnamon really does add a lovely sweet flavour. They are definitely moreish and I'm not sure how long they will last in my house! I loved how fresh they tasted and they weren't too greasy. The dough itself was slightly crispy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside and the smell throughout my whole house was divine. It kind of reminded me of the smell you get when you walk past a doughnut van at a theme park or at the seaside. Mmmmmm.

I made 12 doughnuts from the mix which I thought was a pretty decent number. I think it might be a good idea if the label told you how many doughnuts a pack would make - but this really is my only suggestion. I just like to know what I am getting for my money but that's just me.

The mixes are £2.99 each which I think is very reasonable for the great quality product you are getting.

The award winning Foodamentalists have their very own shop at 47 Wheelock Street in Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 9AB (which I am yet to visit) and they sell a variety of gluten and wheat free fresh products such as bread, cakes and pastries and more, as well as their bread, pastry, yorkshire pudding, tortilla and crumpet mixes. Watch out for future blog posts on their tortilla and crumpet mixes which I am also enjoying trying at the moment. 

You can also buy their produce online here and they also appear at farmer's markets in the local area including Treacle Market in Macclesfield which takes place on the last Sunday of every month.

Simply delicious, fool-proof doughnuts - Thank You Foodamentalists!

Gluten-Free Afternoon Tea at Browns, Cambridge

I had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Cambridge at the weekend to attend a friend's hen party. I'll admit, initially the thought of a hen party away from home in a city I've never been to before did fill me with dread. It's hard enough eating out being a Coeliac at the best of times let alone when you have no control of the places where you eat. However, the wonderful organiser of the hen party was really understanding and accommodating of my dietary needs and every place we ate at she managed to arrange a gluten-free alternative for me.

Part of the hen do festivities involved a visit to Browns in Cambridge where I had my first ever gluten-free afternoon tea. Now, I'm probably not your typical afternoon tea type of girl - for a start, I don't like normal tea and only drink fruit tea infusions - so some might say an experience like this is wasted on someone like me. Because I am Coeliac I can't eat normal scones, cucumber sandwiches and fancy cakes that you would normally serve with afternoon tea, however, on their website Browns state:-

"If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact your local Browns and we can advise you on our menu or our chefs (with a little notice) can prepare a dish especially for you".



So definitely make sure you call them in advance! I was grateful to Helen for calling them beforehand on my behalf.

Here it is - gluten-free afternoon tea for one

Here's what I got:- 3 sandwiches each with a different filling including cucumber and smoked salmon (I can't remember what the third was but it was yummy) all served on gluten-free bread, 4 bakewell tarts (yes 4) and fresh strawberries and pineapple to top it all off nicely. I was actually really impressed considering they don't normally cater for Coeliacs on their regular menu. Because they probably had to go out and buy gluten-free products especially for me this really shows how they will make the effort if you have a dietary requirement all you have to do is ask. I guess it would have been nice to have had a choice of cakes rather than just 4 bakewell tarts but really I was just so grateful to be included in the hen party activities.

Browns not only provide afternoon tea but they also do breakfast, brunch and lunch menu's, cocktails, Sunday lunch and even lobster nights.

To make a booking at Browns click here for more info

Treacle Market, Macclesfield

I literally couldn't wait to visit Treacle Market yesterday as I'd heard the Foodamentalists would be exhibiting there. I follow the award winning Foodamentalists on Twitter and have been meaning to try their gluten-free products for a while since reading the many rave reviews online. This was the perfect opportunity to sample their products and purchase some to take home.

The Treacle Market is held on the last Sunday of the month and is a very popular and bustling market. There are over 100 stalls exhibiting arts and crafts, food and drink and antiques. Not forgetting the great live music and the real sense of community you get as you wander around the cobbled streets.

First point of call, naturally, was to head to the Foodamentalists stall. It was great to chat to them and I purchased some of their tortilla mix - I smell homemade fajita's coming soon! (future blog post to follow). Seriously though, I could have spent a lot more money than I did, all of their products looked amazing!

A couple of stalls down we found Mrs P's chilli jam. Oh my goodness, you have to give this a try! It's the most amazing jam I've ever had with a real kick to it and it's gluten-free so this immediately went in to my shopping bag.

Next, we bumped in to Adam and Marinha on their Delicious Sauce stand. I've not heard of this brand before but I was intrigued to try their Portugese and African-style sauces and oils, as you can probably tell by now I am partial to a bit of chilli. Everybody was dipping bread in to the taster pots but the lovely Adam and Marinha were really conscious that I couldn't have any contamination from 'normal' bread and so they gave me the sauces to try on a spoon. Plus thanks to the Foodamentalists I had a few slices of their gluten-free bread to dip in (leftovers from their samples). All their sauces are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan friendly and use only the freshest and natural of ingredients. If you like chilli then these sauces are for you! I decided on the garlic and chilli sauce in the end after much deliberating mainly because they told me that people use it to make garlic bread with - I was sold! Another blog post to follow I'm sure. I also picked up a bottle of their basil and chilli-infused olive oil.

There was plenty of other food and drink to sample (sadly not for me) but this was a great afternoon out in the sunshine and I will definitely be going again.

You can read more about the market here

Zeffirellis, Ambleside, Lake District - Gluten-free, Vegetarian and Vegan's welcome!

I've saved the best of my Lake District reviews until last because I was just absolutely blown away by my experience at Zeffirellis in Ambleside. I would even go as far as saying this was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had - and that's including my pre-Coeliac days! Not only was the service first class and the food amazing but they really did seem clued up on my dietary requirements. 

This started right from the minute we set foot in the place. The lady showing us to our table had obviously checked the reservation list and noted that I was Coeliac (instant brownie point there from me simply for making the point she was aware I'm Coeliac). She showed me everything on the menu I could have and also said she would personally speak to the chef to remind him that I needed a gluten-free meal. Very good start!

Zeffirellis combines 3 of my favourite things - eating, cinema and music - it's a restaurant with its own cinema and also a jazz bar upstairs. Now there aren't many places where you can do all 3! This is probably my absolute perfect night out and there's no wonder I immediately felt at ease here. There's a wonderful atmosphere once inside. You get the feeling you are in a stylish, contemporary jazz bar with its atmospheric mood lighting, water feature and soft jazz music playing in the background, but you're actually in a restaurant. The decor really is impressive and adds to the experience.

We weren't initially aware that it is a vegetarian restaurant and despite neither of us being vegetarian we found the menu was varied and interesting and I can honestly say we didn't miss the meat. I went for the bean chilli with brown rice which was absolutely delicious - fresh ingredients, well presented, an ample portion size and I couldn't fault it at all. My husband went for the broccoli and blue cheese lasagne which he said tasted amazing. They also do gluten-free pizza. Gluten-free options are marked with a GF on the menu and there are also many vegan options to choose from.

I really wish we had known this at the time but Zeffirellis offer a cinema package - a film and 2-course meal for £18.75 - an absolute bargain if you ask me. Next time we visit we will be doing this for sure!

After our meal off we went upstairs to the jazz bar where we had a couple more drinks and enjoyed listening to the live jazz band to round the evening off nicely.

All in all this was a lovely restaurant - a real gem in the Lake District and when we return to this part of the world we will definitely be stopping by again.

I would definitely recommend booking - especially if you want to see a film too.

You can check out their website here

The Honey Pot, Keswick, Lake District

OK, so the service here wasn't great - we were served by a really miserable waitress who didn't seem happy to be there - but the Honey Pot in Keswick does cater for Coeliacs so I definitely wanted to pay it a visit when in the Lake District. Here's their menu...

Looks good so far

It was great to see they actually had a gluten-free section in their menu as not all places do. I really fancied a bacon and cheese ciabatta but sadly they had sold out of ciabatta's so I opted for a toastie instead. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when my food arrived. It wasn't really presented that well and it looked like something I could have just easily made myself at home with a sandwich maker, nothing special at all. Still, I was hungry and ate it although I did find it a little too greasy for my liking (probably the melted cheese).

To cheer myself up I decided to order the New York Cheesecake which was advertised on the specials board as gluten-free. This was much better and it was my first taste of cheesecake since going gluten-free and I really enjoyed it.

I'm kinda hoping I visited the Honey Pot on a bad day because they have the potential to be a really lovely gluten-free venue, they have variety on their menu and the fact they also do Coeliac-friendly dessert gets them an extra bonus point in my book. I just hope they will work on their presentation in the future - just because it's gluten-free doesn't mean it has to look bad - and also they need to make sure they have everything in stock that they advertise on the menu otherwise they will end up with a lot of unhappy Coeliacs.

I did love their pretty tables though!

You can find the Honey Pot at

6 New St  Town Centre, Keswick CA12 5BB 017687 74974

Coeliac friendly at the Crooklands Hotel, Kendal, Lake District

If you are looking for a Coeliac friendly hotel in the Lake District look no further than the Crooklands Hotel in Kendal. 

We stumbled upon this hotel by accident actually. We stayed here  a couple of weeks ago just for a weekend break in the Lakes and I was really surprised to find out that they offered gluten-free bread as part of their continental breakfast. We hadn't opted for breakfast when we booked as I just didn't think it was worth paying an extra £15 or so each for breakfast when it was highly likely that I couldn't eat most things they offered (or so I thought). However, when we first checked in the receptionist having asked if we had ordered breakfast for the  following morning and I confirmed no she then told us that we could add breakfast on to our bill if we wanted to. Obviously I enquired first as to whether they had any gluten-free breakfast options, not really expecting her to say yes but she confirmed they had gluten-free bread on site! Sadly, they had run out of gluten-free sausages otherwise I could have even had a full English.

Anyway, I was able to eat breakfast in this hotel which was a lovely surprise as I just hadn't expected it. I  had gluten-free bread rolls and fresh fruit plus all the Twinings infusions I could drink. It would have been nice if they had had a couple of gluten-free sausages but I enjoyed my breakfast all the same and was just chuffed that I didn't have to check out on an empty stomach.

To check out reviews of the Crooklands Hotel on Trip Advisor click here