Gluten Free At Lidl

Lidl Love

I've been meaning to write about this for a while but I wasn't sure that I actually wanted to share my findings, one does hope there aren't many coeliacs around these parts, I'm not fighting for food.

If you're gluten free and you haven't already done so, go take a trip to a Lidl. There, I said it.

If you're thinking na-ah, that's a cheapo shop and is nasty, open your mind to the fact that yes, it is cheap but there's s***loads of offerings for people like us.

If you're a regular reader then I don't need to tell you how fussy I am about food and not just in the gluten free sense, it also has to be great quality.

It all started with my Dad, he's been shopping there for years and has been keeping us in a constant supply of kitchen towels for the duration. As someone who uses a hell of a lot of those things I highly recommend them, the brand is Floralys and they're considerably more effective than Plenty.... or Bounty, I forget what Juan Sheet calls them. They're better than any others I've tried.

My Dad is somewhat of a serial shopper and though I do make fun of him for it, it does make sense. He could stick with Tesco and be done with it but there are just some things that he and my Mum want that even the biggest stores don't stock. I've tagged along a fair few times to see what gluten free offerings Asda and Sainsbury's have and it's true that if you want certain things you have to shop around (Wimbledon cookie only found in Sainsbury's is an example. If you're reading Byron Bay, I love you. (And yes, I'm watching Tennis)).

So next was Lidl (I'd love to check out an Aldi but we don't have any this side of London), it was quite the eye opener.

Pate, something I've made myself but would far rather buy if really good is a food that has been elusive. No matter what kind or what shop it always has either gluten or pepper in it. At Christmas there was an extended selection of the Lidl Deluxe range, lo and behold! Pate I could actually eat. I think there were two kinds, Pork Liver and Pork and something with Lingonberries (I hadn't heard of those before).

It's such a little or in this case Lidl thing, to be able to eat some Pate for most people but y'know, it's discoveries like that which prompt posts like this. Really positive recommendations that get shared.

Another thing which I didn't expect to be able to eat again was Garlic Sausage, that's been a favourite since childhood. Absolutely safe, it's amazing. Every other Garlic Sausage I've checked the ingredients for have been a no-no.

There's also Brockwurst, they're gluten free and delicious but sadly for me they have pepper in them, I found that out the hard way after taking a chance on the 'spices' listed.

There's lots of Continental Sausages on offer and from memory they're good to go (unless you have a pepper allergy) but of course always, always check the label on anything as recipes change.

Naturally gluten free but I highly recommend Lidl free range chicken. It's been superior on occasion to Tesco free range and other times equally as good. Again, naturally gluten free but their Smoked Cod is a dream. In fact, everything that we've ever bought from there has been nothing short of delicious. I must just big up the Bacon, their Honey Smoked Streaky Bacon is to dine for.

Oh wow, and you know what else? Sundried Tomatoes in a jar, best ones that I've ever had, 69p. It's incredible as are my levels of fussiness but Lidl ticks all the boxes. They also sell Artichoke Hearts in a jar at the same price, it's madness.

So yes, if you haven't checked out Lidl I urge you to do so. There's not a free from section or anything like that, it's weird, nothing is made intentionally gluten free from there, it's not advertised as such but if you have a look around and check ingredient lists you will find a bevy of gluten free foodstuffs.

Long Live Lidl.