Have yourself a Gluten and Dairy Free Christmas

The other week, I saw that Ilumi were selling special Christmas hampers, and it brought back to mind one that I received the year that 'Baby' was born. It was from my sister-in-law and was full of special things that I would have loved to have eaten - except for the fact that 'Baby' was born not long before Christmas, by which time I was dairy free and breastfeeding - so I couldn't even drink the wine!

That year I did not feel up to Christmas anyway, so I shoved the hamper full of goodies (that I would have loved to have sampled) into a corner of a room, thinking that I would maybe be able to consume it all once 'Baby' was 'better'. And there it stayed - almost completely forgotten, until our recent move, when I rediscovered it.

By the time it was rediscovered, all the products were completely out of date (after all 'Baby' isn't really a 'Baby' anymore) and useless. I felt a pang of guilt over the wasted gift and another of sadness - that 'Baby' isn't 'better' yet, at all! So much for the, 'most babies grow out of it by the age of two,' which is what we were originally told!

SO I've turned my thoughts to more positive ones, thinking about the products that we can eat and do enjoy, whether gluten or dairy free. 

If we were to have a hamper this year, here are some of the things that I would hope to see in it:

This one's for 'Baby'!

O'Chocco's by Lovemore are chocolate biscuits like Oreos, but gluten and dairy free. Those have been mentioned before, too, see here. I give these to 'Baby' as Oreos are meant to be dairy free but 'may contain,' and cause 'Baby' some interesting nappies, whereas these don't.

Zero Zebra chocolate animal shapes, I've mentioned before, here. 'Baby' just loves these and so do I!

Then there's a Gruffalo toast and jam set. 'Baby' quite enjoys toast and jam. I'm hoping that these jams won't have what 'baby' calls 'pipsies' in them (pips to you and I) 'cos otherwise she won't eat them!

Udi's Toaster Pastries are also gluten free. I give 'Baby' these rather than the Kellogg's strawberry version (which are dairy free), as she prefers the taste of these. But these are only for a treat as they are quite expensive. See here.

Hotel Chocolat's Dark Chocolate penguins are also a favourite of ours - mentioned before in various posts, including this one.

A Tesco Free From chocolate steamed pudding takes central place in the basket. I found this the other week and thought that 'Baby' might enjoy eating this, rather than the traditional Christmas pudding, which I KNOW she will not eat, because it contains dried fruit. Chocolate, however, well now you're talking!

Moo Free's dairy free, gluten free Chocolate Santas can probably go without explanation, as most of you are probably familiar with them. If not, this post can explain more.

The last item in 'Baby's' hamper is a tin of biscuits, with her favourite Disney character emblazoned all across the tin! There were also Disney Princesses and Mickey Mouse tins. I found these in our local Poundland, around the time of her birthday (they seem to have sold out in ours now). They don't seem to contain milk and I thought they might come in handy for that moment at Christmas when everyone hands around the tin of biscuits in front of 'Baby' - completely forgetting that she can't have them and might become a little upset at missing out!!

One last treat that 'Baby' might like in her hamper is these chocolate logs by Sainsbury's:

Yule log substitutes?

I find them a little dry and grainy in texture, but still quite acceptable. 'Baby,' on the other hand, loves them and so do others, judging by the empty shelf in Sainsbury's yesterday! The graininess may come from the lentil flour, I think, but at least that's good roughage!!  

Well that's 'Baby's' hamper out the way. What about mine? Being gluten and dairy free, there are things that 'baby' can have that I can't, so here's what I'd like in mine:

A little more grown-up... maybe!

Well, there's some Udi's granola (it's included in that post about the Udi's Toaster Pastries). I really, really like this granola, but its quite pricey, so it would be a real treat to have some for Christmas.

Then, Well, surprise, surprise those O'Choccos make another appearance! As does the Moo Free Chocolate Santa!

Mince pies are a MUST for me at Christmas. I've tried making my own once and they didn't work. These by Hale and Hearty appeared in The Independent's top ten the other day and I must say, I do like them - they taste more home made and less shop-bought. Last year Waitrose sold them, but they're not in mine this year. You can get them from Ocado and good health food shops like Planet Organic, in London. I've heard that the Foodamentalists bakery do a good frangipane mince pie, but I've yet to try one. 

Gingerbread is also a traditional favourite, with me. I've tried three this year. The Sainsbury's one (pictured) has a nice taste and texture, but is no good for anyone who can't have oats. The Lazy Days one (Holland and Barrrett) has the nicest flavour but is hard and (as I found to my cost, when I didn't check properly) is made with soya flour. Lovemore's don't quite match the other two, but don't contain any nasties! We got ours from Ocado.

Then there's some Booja Booja truffles. All the Booja Booja truffles are gluten free and dairy free but I can't have all of them, as some contain cashews, which I can't eat. If you haven't tried these before, I can't tell you how nice they are. I usually buy them from a good health food shop or a decent branch of Holland and Barrett - some branches definitely have a better choice than others! 

Nestled somewhere in the middle there, is a tiny bottle of Fruitbroo - a recent discovery. You add some to hot water to make an instant fruit drink. I love the Apple and Ginger, as it reminds me of mulled fruit punch - a great taste for the festive season. This was found in the tea and coffee aisle in Sainsbury's.

Next to the Fruitbroo is Choc Shot by Sweet Freedom. Choc Shot is a new product on me. Liquid chocolate it says. I found it in with the hot chocolate in Sainsbury's and it's also sold by Waitrose. It seems quite versatile, as it can be used in baking and on desserts as well as in hot chocolate. Bit pricey though - I bought mine on offer!

Right at the front of my hamper sits a small Christmas cake by Baked to Taste. This was a discovery at the Wessex Coeliac Fayre in Winchester, not too long ago. I've made my own Christmas cake this year, but that little one is too good to miss! You can get these from Deli Divine, or Love Free From who has just started selling these, alongside another lovely little Christmas cake by Lazy Days, which is great for the nut free.

Not pictured in the hamper and new in Sainsbury's, but quite possibly worth including is a gluten and dairy free Panettone loaf. I have no idea what the real deal tastes like, but I know that you see it around a lot at Christmas. Out of curiosity, I bought this one. I have no idea if it tastes anything like it should, but I like it!

New addition!

Now often in hampers you find cheese and biscuits. Should my hamper come chilled, I wouldn't choose any dairy and gluten free cheese, because there isn't one that truly hits the spot for me, so I've chosen a few things from the chiller, to fill the gap!

First off a Baked to Taste pie. I've tried a few, which you can read about here. They're not all dairy and soya free but they are gluten free. I couldn't possibly choose which one should go in my hamper, but seeing as they're priced so reasonably, maybe I'd have to have them all! 

Then there's Hotch Potch scotch eggs. A new find, from the Wessex Coeliac Fayre, again, they can be bought online directly from Hotch Potch, or through Deli Divine.

This one is made with chorizo - simply delicious!

Finally, for dessert, something by Glamour Puds! I love this passion fruit chiffon pud - it's so light and zingy. The lemon one is great too! These are again stocked by Deli Divine and can also be found at the Whole Foods Market. 

Or perhaps something by Pudology! They are available at Ocado and some branches of Waitrose and Sainsbury's, but sadly not mine! Their chocolate pud is still a favourite of mine, so It's a good job we can get Ocado. Which reminds me - there's still one in the fridge :) Before I go off and eat it, though, I have a question for you:

These are the choices for our hampers, but maybe I've missed something. What would you put in yours?

Treating Father Christmas

Tonight is the night that Father Christmas comes to visit good little girls and boys, isn't it? Baby's stocking has been hung by the grandparents' fireplace, in expectation of the great man's visit and, so far, she is sleeping peacefully. Now, everybody knows what Father Christmas likes to eat don't they? Earlier in the month I harboured ideas of treating Father Christmas to some good old home made mince pies - gluten and dairy free of course!

Not having made pastry for years, and not having even tried to make pastry gluten and dairy free, I decided to play it safe and try out a gluten free pastry mix. It wasn't a huge success - the mixture seemed to require far more fat and liquid than the instructions stated. But, apparently, too much liquid (as I discovered, when I read some recipe a few weeks later) can make gluten free pastry hard.

The ones we made looked good, but...

And guess what? Freshly cooked, the mince (and jam) pies were quite edible, but once they were cold the pastry did become hard - in fact very hard and completely inedible! 

Following this disastrous episode, I really, really meant to give Pig in the Kitchen's mince pie recipe (with pastry made with sweet potatoes) a try, following a tip-off from Hannah, on our Face Book page, or even Pippa Kendrick's, but... time ran out on me!

Previous to my problems with gluten, I was able to eat supermarket own brand mince pies. I think they were Waitrose and Morrison's mini ones. I noticed Tesco's own were dairy free this year, however, now that I am gluten free, these are no longer an option. 

Dairy free, but sadly not gluten free

Instead, the Free From aisle is now the first place I look for mine. Last year's mince pies of choice were Sainsbury's own Free From mince pies. This year, I gave some others a try. Both, funnily enough, we're picked by The Hub. The first choice came from Morrison's. Made by OK Foods, they were cheaper than the next choice, which was Hale & Hearty.

Available from Morrison's, I bought these from a health food store.

I like them both, but in different ways. The OK Foods mince pies were quite sugary, but I have quite a sweet tooth, so that's not a problem for me. There was a good helping of mince meat inside, which balanced the sweetness of the pastry casing, quite nicely.

They also appealed to me, because they were made without maize, which I have been unsure about - sometimes I think that some products made with maize have troubled my gut slightly. These are made with ground almonds, so a no go, for anyone with a nut allergy I'm afraid. The packet also warns that the pies contain sulphur dioxide and may contain traces of egg and peanut.

The Hale and Hearty mince pies were a bit more expensive - they cost The Hub £3.99. They weren't easy to get hold of - they were meant to be available at the Co-op, but none of the branches I visited had any. However, I was fortunate that The Hub, working in the city, was able to get some from Planet Organic.

One of the things I liked about these was that some thought had gone into packaging - they were packaged in two packs of two, inside the box. This is a good idea if you are the only gluten free person in the house - it saves you eating the whole box in one go - although that's never troubled me too much!

Hale and Hearty's mince pies. I like the star-topped look!

Another nice thing about them was that the pastry tasted almost home made and looked more home made too. However, a few of them (The Hub bought three boxes - he thought I might get through a few over Christmas and I think he's probably right) looked just slightly over cooked. This didn't seem to spoil the flavour, though.

Allergy advice, for these pies, states that they are made with egg (so sorry to those of you who can't eat egg). Also, although they are not made with milk or nuts, they are made in a factory that handles these ingredients.

So, what did Father (or actually Mother) Christmas wash all these mince pies down with? Nothing more exciting than a cup of weak black tea I'm afraid - although mulled wine would have gone down very nicely, I'm still breast feeding!!

What about you? What does/did Father Christmas get left as a treat, in your house?

Baby's Birthday

Blogging's gone a little bit by the wayside recently, as I've been a wee bit busy. Baby had a birthday, which was the cause of much frantic house activity - so much of our stuff was still in boxes (following our recent move) and urgently needed shifting!! 

The birthday brought a moment of harsh reality for me - it really brought home to me the fact that Baby is not a baby any more. 

It's something I've known for a while really - she's been growing so fast; acquiring new vocabulary and developing new skills so quickly, I can barely keep up! The Hub and I keep looking at each other in astonishment as she surprises us with something new that she can say or do. In fact her height (she must take after The Hub) and language skills have fooled many into thinking she is a year older than she actually is! 

This is all very scary for me, especially as it looks like she will be my only baby - I have no intention of having any other and somehow I can't seem to break the habit of calling her 'Baby'. It's a hard habit to break... but I am trying!! However, for the purposes of this blog, she will  always remain 'Baby'.

We marked Baby's birthday in the usual way - with a party. Having moved, we know few children her own age, so decided to invite her cousins (who she loves to bits and calls her best friends, anyway). 

The theme was not exactly original  (as I discovered when I Googled it online) but an obvious choice (given her love of bears) it was a teddy bears' picnic!

If you go down in the woods today...

In fact the lack of originality, on my part, meant that I was able to borrow plenty of great ideas from other mummies, who had (scarily) gone very much to town on the whole thing. I decided I was not under pressure to conform to their standards and contented myself with the  knowledge that Baby would have a great time anyway, and she did.

It all began with a trip to 'Build a Bear' (an exciting event, in and of itself). This was The Hub's job. I think The Hub may not have been totally sold on this idea, but, as I pointed out, it's easier to do now (with just a few cousins) than when she's eight and wants to invite the whole class!! A well-timed 25%  off voucher certainly sweetened the pill.

Meanwhile, my job was to frantically re-tidy the house (it had been all in order in the morning) and set the scene.

First I set up Baby's bears, with their own little tea party.

Then I arranged some bear activities:

• 'Hunt the Bear' was arranged in the garden - tiny laminated bears were pegged around the garden, signs were set up, and tea lights were set up strategically to light the way (it took place in the dark). Prizes involved chocolate coins for all. Of course, Baby's were dairy free (from Sainsbury's).

• A table was set with gingerbread bears that Baby and I had made earlier in the week (using a really simple recipe, that I'll post soon). Icing and decorations were left out, so the children could decorate them to their hearts' desire.

• Baby's easel was set up, with a big bear picture and a scarf, so that blindfolded participants (including adults, and yes, they did join in) could 'Pin the Heart on the Bear'. 

• We also played 'Musical Bears' (at Baby's request). The children danced with their teddies to the music, until it stopped. After the first round, Baby declared herself the winner. She was much disgusted when the game carried on and refused to participate - as far as she was concerned the game was over!

• 'Pass the Bear' also worked well. We passed a teddy until the music stopped. Whoever had the bear when the music stopped got a chocolate coin - funny how they all ended up with the same amount (thanks Dad)!!

When it came to food, I set out the picnic 'rug' (a disposable tablecloth) for the children on the floor of our living area, set it with plates and filled it with bowls of food.

The dairy free menu included:

• Pom Bears (of course) of the dairy free 'Original' variety.

• Ham sandwiches (made with dairy free bread and spread) cut into Teddy Bear heads (using a cookie cutter). I would have made marmalade sandwiches (a la Paddington) and honey (a la Winnie the Pooh) but a brief of survey of the mummies involved suggested this would be a 'no go' (their kids wouldn't eat it).

• Cupcakes made with Hale and Hearty's 'Classic Vanilla Sponge Cake' (I ran out of time) were decorated with Betty Crocker 'Buttercream Style' vanilla icing and Flossie Crum's raspberry flavoured icing. They were topped off with Winnie the Pooh characters. 

• The children's own decorated gingerbread bears.

Baby's  Gingerbread Bear

There was of course plenty of non-bear food, as well, such as grapes, mini tomatoes, bread sticks etc.

Cheese, for the those who could have it, was placed well out of the reach of Baby on the adult's table  (there were aunts, uncles and grandparents to feed too) but offered to the non dairy free children as well.

There were also Mc Cain's Smiles (smiley potato faces) and Sainsbury's own Free From Chicken Nuggets. Which went down well, with both children and adults alike!

I had planned to do dairy free ice cream in teddy bear cones as well, but actually, the children had plenty of food and needed to save room for the inevitable dairy free teddy bear cake!

We all had a great time. Although hard work, it was  such fun and as I had provided all the food, I had no worries about what food was safe (or not) for us to eat and could put safeguards in place. However, I must admit, I was tempted by the pizza, on the adults table! *sigh* If I'd had time, I could perhaps have made some for me, oh well! Another time!!

BTW for those of you who, like me, are gluten free, word is that Dominoes now do a  pizza with a gluten and dairy free base! However, not sure if I really want mine without cheese... What do you think?

How to cheat at baking dairy free

How does this look? Not bad huh?

If it wasn't for the box, who'd have known?

'I want a chocolate cake - with icing on it,' wailed Baby, the other week.

To begin with, I did what I know all mothers should do and try to distract her or ignore her, but she was more determined than I. She kept up her assault on my nerves and before long I would have bought her the moon if she asked for it - just to get some peace and quiet. Now I know I shouldn't have, but despite my best instincts I gave in - sort of!

Now I didn't have any cake in the cupboard, nor did I have time to bake any. I did what I thought was the next best thing, though - I took her to Tesco. Please note. I didn't take her to Tesco just because she hollered, I was going there anyway, but her shenanigans  certainly hastened my departure!

The only problem was that Tesco didn't have any dairy free chocolate cake, with icing on. Yes, there was a gluten free one but that had dairy in. Instead, I showed her an iced carrot cake and that seemed acceptable to her so off we went, happy as Larry.

Some days, I don't about you, but I just don't have time to be the Mary Berry of the dairy free world. So then... (shock, horror) I cheat!!!

I have a few weapons up my sleeve.

In the Free From section of many supermarkets you can find mixes that are gluten free and dairy free. Betty Crimble's Muffin and Sponge Mix is pretty good (especially with chocolate chip buttons). Hale and Hearty's Classic Chocolate Cake Mix is  very scrummy but it doesn't make much cake - we made just six large muffins from one pack (maybe that's just as well though).

Would six of these do for you?

There are times however, when I don't even have time for that, which is when Honeyrose's Carrot Cake (which I can get from the big Sainos near me) comes into its own.

Now it's not quite as good as my home made carrot cake, obviously, but... actually, it's not bad at all!

It's organic, gluten free and dairy free, but, sadly, un-iced. Step forward Betty Crocker!

Betty Crocker is my all time favourite baking cheat! It comes in chocolate and vanilla 'buttercream' style and now in new 'cream cheese' style! You have to watch out if you're sensitive to milk though - it may contain milk ingredients. Intolerant, rather than allergic, Baby's been fine with it so far...

This'll go well with my carrot cake.

If you're happy with that, then Bob's your Uncle! You can transform any dairy free cake instantly. Once the tub is open it can be kept in the fridge for about a month, so you don't have to use it all at once.

If I don't have time for that, and can do without cake myself, then the aforementioned carrot cake I bought for Baby is completely ready made, complete with icing. You can get it from the 'normal' cake aisle (it's usually sat next to a banana cake, which is also dairy free). It's dairy free, soya free and organic, but sadly does contain gluten! Heigh ho! Better for my waistline :)

Lookee here!

If you're interested in baking, you might like to read the following posts:

Baking with Baby - Flapjacks

Baking with Baby 2 - Banana Bread

Baking with Baby 4 - Right Royal Rocks!

Baking with Baby 5 - Carrot Cake

Baking with Baby 6 - Chocolate and Beetroot

Baking with Baby 7 - Alien Cookies

Confessions of an Allergy Show Virgin

Confession No. 1 - I nearly didn't go!

Not so long ago, I didn't even know that there was such a thing as an Allergy Show and even if I had, I might not have considered myself allergic enough to go, but things have changed somewhat for us, these days. I have to admit, I still hummed and hahed a bit about going (I had other options that day) but as we were meeting friends in London, for lunch on Saturday anyway, The Hub and I decided to download some free tickets and pop in for a bit. And for us, not living too far away from London, I think it was definitely worth it. 

Confession No.2 - We left it to the last minute

Not having been to Olympia before, I had no idea that there were four exhibition halls, or that we would have to walk almost all the way around the building, in order to find the entrance, but eventually we found our way in.

Arriving so late in the day (we only had an hour) it definitely had that end-of-the-day look and there was no sign of any goody bags at the entrance - just racks of empty stands that had obviously held pamphlets etc. earlier in the day. However, despite it being the end of the day, the place was still humming with activity - most stalls were quite busy with people enquiring, sampling and buying. I was a bit anxious, at this stage, as to whether we would really have enough time to find what we needed/wanted, but it wasn't quite as big as I expected. That said, there were over 180 stands.

Not all of the stalls were relevant to our needs of course, so, time being short, my tactic was mainly to start, keep going and then go back to any we really wanted to see. The main flaw in this plan was remembering what it was that I wanted to see - that and the fact that I couldn't resist diving in on certain stands to taste samples.. and to buy!

It was at this stage that I was thankful for two things: first that Baby was sound asleep in her pushchair (which gave me plenty of opportunity to browse uninterrupted) and secondly that I had  obeyed inner promptings the day before and brought what was (for me - I tend to use a card) a fair amount of cash. This was because you couldn't rely on stall holders having credit card facilities, and cash is quicker, generally speaking.

Confession 3 - I spent more than I intended to

One of the major advantages of going to The Allergy Show was that exhibitors were selling their goods at specially discounted prices. So it wasn't too hard to spot a bargain and take advantage of it. We were soon loaded up with Free From goodies, some of which we could get from a supermarket, but some of which were new to us. I began to see why people who had been before had suggested that it was necessary to take a trolley, and was glad we had the pushchair!

So besides picking up bargains, from some fairly well established companies, I soon discovered that another advantage of attending The Allergy Show was discovering new products. Some of these were from companies of which I'd heard but not yet sampled. Others were obviously still in the pipeline and trying to raise their profile, some were further along the line, and in the middle of plans to expand. Either way, it was interesting to meet some of the people involved, hear a snippet of their story and sample some exquisite products. 

One of my favourites, which we only found near the end, was an ice cream company, called Bessant and Drury who make dairy and soya free ice cream - based on coconut milk. They are only nine months down the road, but already recipients of an award for their lemon ice cream. Having tasted the chocolate version, despite being a train journey away from home (under assurances that it should be good for an hour or so in their freezer bag) I just had to buy some of their small tubs of strawberry, vanilla, lemon and a large tub of chocolate.

My other favourite was a pudding company aptly named Pudology. They produced puddings that were dairy and gluten free. They seemed to have three pudding options on the table. My eye was on the Banoffee - it's the pudding I miss the most but only the chocolate pudding was available to sample. The only way I can describe the taste is that it is just as good as a GU. I would definitely have bought from their stand, if only they'd had some ready for me to buy. Still waiting for endorsement from Waitrose (they've been before the Head Chef) I cannot wait for these to hit the shelves - not just those of Waitrose, and can only hope the company will be able to keep up with demand.

Keeping up with the demand, I discovered is one problem that is currently facing the Celtic Chocolate company - manufacturers of the Choices range. They also, I was told, make chocolate buttons for Asda and Sainsbury's. Following the recent disappearance of Humdingers, Choices are the only ones who make dairy free chocolate buttons for a reasonable price (50p a bag) so it was a no-brainer to buy  a box of fourteen for only £6. As our local Sainsbury's seem to have trouble keeping them on the shelves, I only wish I'd bought more!

Also wish I'd spent more time at Hale and Hearty's stall. I stayed long enough to have a quick sample of their delicious chocolate coated flapjacks - individually packed, so handy to take out. I couldn't walk away without some!

Confession No.4 - I wish I'd had more time

OK, I think it was worth going, even for just an hour, but more time to look around was definitely needed. There were a host of information stalls from which I only had time to take leaflets and I missed out on some merchandise stalls that I really wanted to visit - they looked interesting but were too busy, with time short, for me to hang around. We had Baby with us and there's only so long we get for anything, with her around!

Confession No. 5 - I broke Rule Number One

Rule Numero Uno, for anyone affected by any allergy/intolerance? Always check the ingredients. This I knew! However, ho hum, stupid me! Carried away by the fact that I was in the nearest thing to Food Allergy Heaven, and still being fairly new to this whole thing I'm afraid I made some rookie (but not completely disastrous) mistakes. I saw 'gluten free,' I saw 'dairy free,' I even saw 'soya free,' (although soya lecithin is apparently quite safe) and then I just stopped looking! Good job I took The Hub, then! 

It was he, at my elbow, as I hurriedly sampled a tiny amount of some chocolate goodies at one stall and waited impatiently for a chance to sample the ice cream, spotted that, instead of using dairy or soya, they used raw cashews instead. Good job I went no further! A small amount I could handle, but too much more and I could have been very uncomfortable on the train journey home!

I made a similar mistake on the Naked (don't try Googling that) stall, but after that I became a lot more cautious, so that, when we were departing the venue at the end of the day, and The Hub spotted an opportunity to buy a Hot Dog, I anxiously called after him to make sure it was gluten and dairy free. At that point, a lady with two small children, who was waiting nearby, beamed at me ecstatically and rejoiced with me, that indeed it was! 

For me, that was one of the highlights of the show. As I left the show, clutching my hot dog in my hand, I felt almost normal again - just being able to walk up to a stand and buy some food to take away. It was almost worth going, just for that!

Will I be going again?

Yes, oh yes, oh yes! 

Anything to add?
It was interesting to see the major supermarkets exhibiting too. I just hope, however, that whoever helps select the Free From food that they sell, took time out to mingle among the other stalls and take note. I would love to think that they sampled the same foods and came to the same kind of conclusions that we did.

Did you go to the Allergy Show? If so, how was it for you?