Owen Potts Quick For Cooks - Good Find!

Since becoming a coeliac I can't tell you how much time I have spent in the stock cubes aisle of my Tesco. Sure it would be lovely to make my own stocks and gravys, but there's just no time when work is so constantly hectic. For well over a year I didn't have a stock cube problem, I was using Kallo chicken stock cubes and very nice they were too (not a patch on my beloved Telma cubes though).

Pho Restaurant Review Wardour Street, Soho, London - Avoid!

It's been a while since I've had the time to write anything on Free From G, but oh my, there's been a lot of stuff that I've been keeping bottled up to write up here the first chance I got. This is that chance.

My last post was a glowing review for a restaurant chain called Pho in glorious Brighton . Seriously, it was the most laid back, stress free meal I've had out since becoming a coeliac. With that experience in mind, when my (now) future In-Laws came visiting from abroad, it seemed an obvious choice to go to a London branch of Pho for the same experience. Let me just state this now, if you or anyone you are dining with is a coeliac, DO NOT go anywhere near this place!

Pho Restaurant Review - Brighton - Gluten Free Friendly

It's been a while, so much to post about yet so little time to actually do it. I have a backlog of loads of gluten free recipes which I could post, but there's no photos to accompany them, so it would all look a bit dull really.

Anyway, a while back myself and my other half went for a day trip to lovely Brighton. When planning this trip we had terrible trouble locating somewhere to eat that was gluten free, there was just no definitive list. After a while we came across a restaurant that we had never heard of, Pho. We investigated the menu, read some gluten free reviews and decided that's where we would have lunch.

Blair's Death Sauce Is Gluten Free!

Don't know why it took me so long, but I finally contacted Blair Lazar on Twitter to ask if any of his sauces or chips were gluten free. He said yes but I should email Karin to get a more detailed answer, here's just that:

Sorry for any delay in getting back to you.  I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.

All of Blair's sauces (both Death and Heat) are gluten free, as well as all chips and all jars (salsa, queso, wing sauce).  However, of our dry spices, only our Nitro is gluten free. The BBQ and Habanero dry spice contain gluten, as does our jerky.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Feel alive!!

Karin

So if you're a chilihead coeliac like me, you can still have Blair's Death Sauces, as well as the other stuff listed as safe. Great news - Blair's Death Sauce is gluten free!!! Feel Alive indeed.

Byron Bay White Choc Chunk and Macadamia Nut Cookies

When you open the packet you can really smell the delicious white chocolate and cookie dough aroma. If you aren't a fan of white chocolate, then this isn't the Bryon Bay cookie for you, but luckily I adore the stuff so this is a taste sensation.

The flavour of the macadamias follow through after the chocolate and they give the cookie a lovely texture. I did find this flavour slightly messier than others I've tried, but the taste is so good that the crumbs don't matter. This is a rich chocolatly taste that has a creamy edge, utterly indulgent and truly delicious!

White Choc Chunk and Macadamia Nut was the very first Byron Bay cookie I tried and since then, I've been converted to the thought that out of all the gluten free cookies I've tried in the 2 plus years I've been an a coeliac on a gluten free diet, Byron Bay Cookies are the best flavours I've had to date.

Byron Bay Strawberry and Clotted Cream Cookie With White Choc Chunks

What you have to understand about my absolute love of these cookies is that my favourite time of the year is and has always been, Wimbledon fortnight. What does tennis have to do with these cookies? Strawberries and cream, that's the signature Wimbledon food to indulge in while you're there, it's terribly English chaps! These cookies are so Wimbledon they should be the official snack!

These cookies made me think of Wimbledon as soon as I opened the packet, it's a sweet but not sickly, creamy smell that I could only dream of my home smelling of on a permanent basis! Actually, I'd like to smell of these cookies, they're so fragrant and fresh.

Byron Bay Cookies Rock!

About 5 weeks ago I discovered Byron Bay Cookies by accident. At this time I began a month long stretch of being a daily hospital visitor as I had a parent who was quite sick. Due to being a coeliac, I was having trouble finding anything to eat on the go, but during one of my early, daily trips to a small Sainsburys, I saw something in the tiny free from section that caught my eye: Byron Bay White Choc Chunk and Macadamia Nut Cookies.

What The BBC Have To Say About Anthony Demetre's Saturday Kitchen Comments

This is the email response to my complaint to the BBC about Anthony Demetre's comments:

Dear Miss -

Thank you for contacting us regarding the BBC One programme ‘Saturday Kitchen’ broadcast on 9 April.

We understand you were unhappy with the comments made by Anthony Demetre about his eating habits even though he has been diagnosed with Coeliac disease.

Anthony is a diagnosed coeliac and his children have shown signs of wheat intolerance. He therefore cooked a dish that was without gluten as it is something he has always been keen to support within his restaurant business.

In discussing his eating habits Anthony was expressing his own personal way of coping with the condition and at no point did he advocate it as a diet that others should try. He accepts that maybe his choice of words could have been better judged but at no point did he intend to anger people and he is perfectly entitled to control his eating in any way he deems right for him. However, he apologises should anyone have been offended or upset by his words but he will continue to serve and cook gluten free food, something that is very unusual in the world of professional chefs.

'Saturday Kitchen' highlights a range of different culinary style and foods. We always strive to provide recipes that are suitable for all diets and we will continue to do so.

We would like to assure you that your concerns were raised with the ‘Saturday Kitchen’ production and registered on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC, and also their senior management.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

BBC Audience Services

www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

His personal way of coping with the condition is DANGEROUS. Sure he may not be telling others to do the same but just by saying it, he is implying that it is ok to do so. I have no interest in how Anthony Demetre feels after eating gluten, all I know is that back when I first found out I was a coeliac, I may have heard those words and thought to myself that I too could have a diet that did indeed include gluten. That simply is not the case.

This goes to show just how little is known about coeliac disease and it makes me seethe.

Anthony Demetre's Comments On Saturday Kitchen

See the video below for Anthony Demetre's comments on being a coeliac and his 'gluten free' diet.

I'm sick of this illness not being taken seriously by people, especially in the food industry (some, not all).

The awareness of coeliac disease is laughable and that video goes to show that.

If you're a coeliac, or close to someone who is, I implore you to complain to the bbc about the dangerous comments made by this professional chef. Someone newly diagnosed or a child with coeliac disease could take what Anthony Demetre said and follow suit. It's plain and simple DANGEROUS.

Make your voice heard: BBC Complaints

Anthony Demetre - Coeliac Chef Without A Clue

Well done the BBC for having such an ill informed coeliac chef making a gluten free dish on Saturday Kitchen.

"I mean... I, I go on this diet with absolutely no gluten for about three months, and uh; and then for two weeks I just eat as much pasta and pizza as I can get hold of. Because I can't cut it out completely, fully because the body just rejects it when you do have it”

He also says he's "100% coeliac".

There's no % when it comes to coeliac, you're either cursed with it or you aren't.

He's no Damian Cardone, but he's a prize twit who shouldn't be allowed to give any kind of advice on TV about being a coeliac or how to manage it.

If you're a coeliac, you don't eat gluten, ever, end of story. If you choose to do so, then good luck with that, just don't make it sound ok for other coeliacs to do so.