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 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