U.K. Pizza Hut Announces Gluten Free Pizza

At first it was a rumor... that Pizza Hut in the U.K. would begin serving gluten free pizzas on October 8, 2012. I had tweeted the rumor to a coeliac friend of mine.

Later that night, she begin to tweet me back and said saw on the Pizza Hut U.K. Facebook page that the news was true! We were both so excited that words cannot express it!!!

Planning on gluten free pizza for dinner on Oct. 8. Review will come shortly.

Gluten Free in Seattle, Washington -- Cinnamon Works

I recently went to go visit my baby brother in Seattle, Washington where he is currently interning! Such a great city. And of course when I visit new places I try to check out gluten free spots for my fellow coeliacs. ;-)

Pike Place market has got to be my favorite touristy spot in Seattle. Such an unreal market, right by the water. They have everything from the most amazing fruit, to dried fruit, spicy/sweet jams, clothes, jewelry, fresh fish! You name it, Pike Place has it. They also have the first ever Starbucks.

So while walking around I came across a stall called Cinnamon Works. I saw a written gluten-free sign and instantly migrated my way towards it. There were so many freshly baked cookies, muffins and brownies! I bought one of them and it was the best cookie I've ever had. My  mom and brother also tried and they said they couldn't even tell it was gluten free! I got one on the first day of my trip and made my way there as well on the last day of my Seattle trip :-)

 They are to die for. They are a bit on the pricey side, $4.95 a pop, but they are so worth it! If you are in Seattle, this is a must-stop gluten free spot.

Pike Place Market = Delicious fruit. "Oh My God" peaches are the best!

Lady Gaga Goes Gluten Free

Sometimes I wonder why celebrities go gluten free. I notice that gluten free foods have more calories then normal foods. The latest celebrity to get on the gluten free band wagon is Lady Gaga. She wants to try and lose 10 pounds, not that she needs to!

What are your thoughts? Do you think being gluten free helps you lose weight? I've been the same since I started… so don't think it helps to lose weight.

Vital Ingredient - Healthy Gluten Free Lunch

I try not to eat out too often as I'm always scared of feeling sick. But every once in awhile I just want to feel normal and go out to grab some lunch with friends at work. Since I can't eat at most places, I don't usually go. I just tend to be a burden to them since I can't eat at most places.

One day a dear friend of mine introduced me to Vital Ingredient. I already had a lunch so I just went to give her some company. As I walked in the the menu was plastered with GF, WF, DF and I was quite impressed. I told myself I had to come back one day…

And that one day is today! I finally made my way back there to actually get lunch. I asked the manager what salad dressings were gluten free and he said one minute and walked away. Few minutes later he came out with a binder and showed me that all the salad dressings were gluten free. It was so nice to see this binder! As most times, employees just say it is gluten free without checking or even knowing what gluten is. I looked through the binder and a majority of soup options are also gluten free.

Vital Ingredient staff were very helpful and I had a very delicious lunch. If you walk by this place in London, I highly recommend coeliacs to sit down and enjoy some food!

Starbucks GF Hazelnut & Chocolate Slice

Starbucks Gluten Free Hazelnut and Chocolate Slice

I have searched high and low for the Starbucks Gluten Free Hazelnut and Chocolate slice. And guess what?! I found it at a store on my birthday! How perfect. So I grabbed it for breakfast. I never eat cakes and things like that, but hey it was my birthday I'm allowed too.

I've had Starbucks gluten free brownies before, and this chocolate loaf was basically the delicious brownie with hazelnuts on top. It tasted nice and rich and hazelnut gave it a different taste as well. However, since I had this loaf for breakfast, pretty early in the morning, I was on chocolate overdose. I think this would be the ideal snack for tea time, but way to heavy and sweet for breakfast.

If you're lucky and manage to find this, definitely a nice sweet treat. Personally, too sweet for me. Won't be having it for awhile now.

Fria Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

One of the best stands at this year's Allergy and Free From show was Fria.  Fria is the Scandinavian market leader in gluten-free bakery products.

And boy are there products delicious!!! My favorite product from all the sampling I did from the whole show was there cinnamon rolls!!!! I've never had a gluten free cinnamon roll and man I've MISSED them. My London family always brings Cinnabon cinnamon rolls from the U.S. And my mouth always waters. But I was just so excited to find GF cinnamon rolls. I was told by someone at the Fria counter that Sweden uses cinnamon for a a lot of their foods, so having a cinnamon roll in their gluten free product line was a given and something Swedish gluten free folks couldn't live without.

They also had many other delicious products. Like their bread, rolls and this really nice Swedish style chocolate brownie cake called Kladdkaka. The bread and cake tasted like normal. My husband who isn't gluten free didn't even think they tasted gluten free!

Fria is trying to break into the U.K. Market and have their products available in stores. So write to your local grocery markets and demand Fria products, I know I've already asked!

Amy's Kitchen - Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Amy's Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Mac and cheese has got to be one of my favorite meals growing up. When I was diagnosed, I couldn't find ready made packages or anything here in the U.K. Some serious Mac&Cheese withdrawal. 

But luckily, Amy's Gluten Free Kitchen came to the rescue. They really and truly have some amazing ready made meals. My favorites are there mac and cheese and gluten free bean and cheese burrito. The Mac and Cheese taste so normal! It is also creamy, but the calories aren't high. It's low in sodium and not too much fat either which makes it a perfect and quick lunch while you're at work. 

Amy's Kitchen stand at Free From Show in U.K. 

The Amy's range in the U.S is very large and when speaking to Amy's Kitchen representatives at the Free From allergy show, they ensured me more of their range will be making it to U.K. Shelves soon. Very exciting!

If you haven't tried the Mac&Cheese go get it now! In the U.K. I've found it in Asda, Whole Foods and Sainsburys. Any other locations, please do let me know! 

Chipotle is Gluten Free Heaven

Chipotle Burrito Bowl with all the works!

When I go to visit my family in the U.S., I actually feel normal. I don't feel like I have coeliac disease because I can go to so many restaurants and order food just like a normal person. It is a wonderful feeling and I really and truly enjoy eating out when I visit home (and boy do I become a fatty).  I wish the U.K. were more coeliac friendly. 

One stop I always make at least once when I'm home is Chipotle. Everything on the menu is almost gluten free. Check out their link here, which states which of their products are gluten free. 

EVERYTHING is gluten free except there tortillas and eggs. My last visit to the states I went to Boston and Orlando. I asked staff members at both locations and they all knew what coeliac and gluten free was. The worst is when a staff member has no idea... then you know you're in trouble.

I always eat there when I visit home and don't feel sick. If you haven't been to Chipotle, I highly recommend it.

How can you not look at the picture --> and get a watery mouth. 

Domino's Gluten Free Pizza -- Not Suitable for Coeliacs

                                     

Domino's launched a gluten free pizza crust… woohoo! BUT there's a catch — they don't recommend coeliacs to have it. That line brought my excitement level to nothing. Well why is it that the case? Here is an excerpt from Domino's press release

While Domino's new Gluten Free Crust is appropriate for those with mild gluten sensitivity, Domino's and the NFCA do not recommend it for those with celiac disease. Domino's and the NFCA found that while the crust is certified as gluten free, current store operations at Domino's cannot guarantee that each handcrafted pizza will be completely free from gluten.

Basically, the crust is gluten free but the environment it's made in is not gluten free. Let's hope in the near future Domino's make a gluten free kitchen. With the numbers of coeliacs rising and some just choosing to be gluten free because of gluten sensitivity it would be one booming business. Check out this ABC News Video below to get the facts on Domino's gluten free pizza and the rising number of gluten free products.

Marks & Spencers Gluten Free Breaded Cod Fillets

I've looked high and low for these M&S gluten free breaded cod fillets! I looked in three stores and no luck. A work colleague had told me he found them and actually bought them for himself for dinner! I got so excited and told him I haven't been able to find it at my local M&S. So I came into work the next morning and they were at my desk.

I was so thrilled that I had it for dinner that night. They were delicious. I had baked them in the oven and you could never tell it was gluten free. The breadcrumbs went crumbly and once baked they actually became crispy and not soggy. It was so exciting to see M&S come out with this. They also have Chicken and Mushroom bakes, which I haven't been able to find. Since M&S are doing fresh bread crumb products, I also hope they start doing chicken kievs, if anyone has seen gluten free chicken kievs, please do let me know where! I tried making them with this Tesco Gluten Free Chicken Kiev recipe, but it turned out to be a disaster!

Any spottings of breaded dinner items, please comment and let me know where!