T'was The Sunday Before Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve!

Ooh, these are exciting times, my friends! The festivities are in full swing and whether you're a grumpy Scrooge-type or a jolly holly sticks Santa-lover with jingle bells on, you can't deny that this time of year has a lot of little pleasures on offer to be excited about.

One such pleasure: an ENORMOUS hot chocolate mug with reindeer on!

One of these little pleasures is stopping in at your local coffee shop. You leave the bitterly cold wind and rain behind, to be welcomed into the comforting bosom of a wam, bustling cafe, so you can rest during your frantic Christmas shop. But which coffee shop?

I've been a loyal follower of Costa for a LONG time, but as a tea drinker, rather than coffee. Why? Because every single time I've had a hot coffee from Costa, I've been really poorly afterwards. In a glutening kind of way. They've assured me over and over that there is no gluten. I've checked all the ingredients and can find no gluten. But having found other coeliacs have had the same problem, I decided to brave a different shop and disappeared off to Starbucks.

Well, that was a mistake! I asked the (rather confused) young man at the counter which of their hot drinks were gluten free...and he responded by pointing out a gluten free cake. I tried again and he asked a colleague, who said I could only have coffee with soya milk, rather than normal milk (?!). I pointed out that milk was gluten free...and was told I could have an Americana coffee with soya milk, did I want that? I think my exact words were 'No thanks. I have a rule of thumb; if I ask about gluten free and I'm met with blank faces like the ones you're all giving me right now, I walk away. Thank you!' (And yes, I did email Starbucks to complain afterwards).

Next up: Cafe Nero. And this time, success! After initial confusion, again, over whether milk was gluten free (where is that even coming from!?), they checked their complete allergen list, which was pinned behind the counter, and confirmed I could have anything except the hot chocolate. Yay!! I had a praline coffee and a chocolate brownie, both of which were utterly delicious. Well done, Cafe Nero!

In other news, my Mum's birthday was on 8th December and she requested some raspberry and white chocolate cupcakes. I couldn't get them to her on her birthday but made them for her this weekend. They're a combination of white chocolate chunks, big, fresh, tart raspberries and vanilla sponge, topped with a drizzle of lemon icing and garnished with mint and a raspberry. They're typically more of a summer cake, but the red, white and green make them look quite Christmassy, don't you think?!

If you're interested in ordering any of these little beauties, please contact me either by email or on my Facebook page, as prices change according to season.

Anyway, that's it from me for now until Christmas, but I do want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me over the course of this year. I can't tell you how much your support and your custom means to me and how wonderful it feels to hear from you, so thank you! Before I bid you all goodnight and wish you all a wonderful Christmas, here's a little something that pretty much sums up my week!

T'was the Sunday before Christmas

And all round the kitchen

Lay the remnants of cooked treats

From cheesecakes to chicken

The aprons were smeared with chocolate and flour

Dirty pans piled high into a tower

Worktops were covered with crumbs and icing

Ginger and cinnamon from all of the spicing

Gingerbread fudge and gingerbread men

Cheesecakes, cookies, biscotti and then

Enough carrot cake for six families

And three platters filled with crackers and cheese

The kitchen's a mess, the house is in tatters

But I no longer care; none of it matters

For right now I've drunk half a bottle of wine

And this business is tough, but this is business iS mine

I've destroyed the house and my husband's a wreck

It'll take hours to clean up every fleck

But when push comes to shove, it's been worth all the fuss

So sit back and relax, and have a merry Christmas.

That's it folks. Have a very happy gluten free Christmas! 

Some Christmas Cheats

With only a week and a half until Christmas, everyone's thoughts are turning to the  for wonder of Christmas dinner (also known as the horrors of Christmas dinner, depending on who's doing the cooking this year). While many of you will be looking forward to sitting down to a feast that has been prepared by a friend or relative, I suspect an awful lot of you are bearing the responsibility of COOKING the damned thing.

Mr Bubbles (left) & Miss Gizzy, awaiting Christmas dinner

While the myriad cooking shows currently filling the airtime on The Food Network and GoodFood tell us that it's EASY to cook a juicy turkey with homemade cranberry sauce, or minted lamb, or even the perfect homemade trifle, in truth the day is often very different. While you're madly waving a tea towel at the smoke alarm, simultaneously trying to whisk the lumps out of the gravy and swearing at the cat for swiping some chicken, you stop feeling so Nigella-ish and begin to feel more Tazmanian Devil-like.

Just another winter's day

And of course, there's also the fact that, when you're avoiding gluten, you often feel deprived of some of the best parts of Christmas dinner. So...what if you could cheat a little? What if you could make something that tastes as good as a non-gluten free counterpart AND it was ridiculously easy?! Well, here are three recipes to boost your Christmas dinner from great to WOW, with some pictures I've borrowed because I'm cheating today as well.

Gluten Free Bread Sauce

1/2 loaf white bread with crusts removed
1 and 1/2 pints milk (whole is best)
3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1-2tsp onion granules
Salt and pepper

Bread sauce is one of my Christmas luxuries. My favourite thing has always been to pour it into my yorkshires and save them til last. SO good! To make it, blitz the white bread in a blender until you have fine breadcrumbs. Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan, and put over a medium heat. Stir frequently. When it reaches boiling point, reduce to a simmer and leave it there, stirring constantly, until it's thickened. Personally, I'd remove the cloves and bay leaf after the first 10 minutes, but taste it at 10 minutes and if you want to leave them in a little longer, do. Serve piping hot once it's thick and creamy.

Photo courtesy of About Food (www.about.com/food)

Perfect Yorkshire Puds (adapted from Good Food)

140g gluten free plain flour (I use Dove's Farm)
200ml milk (I use Lactofree semi-skimmed)
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Sunflower oil
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees C. Pour 1tsp sunflower oil into the bottom of each hole in a 12-hole muffin tin, and place the tin in the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix the eggs and milk, then add the flour and whisk thoroughly to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once the oil in the tin is heated up, pour an equal amount (around 2tbsp) into each hole, quickly as you can without burning yourself, and pop the tin back in the oven. Leave for a good 25-30 minutes and either serve immediately or allow to cool, freeze and re-heat  220 degrees

Sage & Onion Stuffing

We generally use Mrs Crimbles Sage & Onion Stuffing, because it's delicious. But we've had a couple of years in a row now where we haven't been able to find it around Christmas, so I ended up creating our own. This really could not be easier!

1 pack gluten free breadcrumbs
1 jar dried sage
Equal quantity dried onions
Seasoning, to taste
Freshly boiled water

 Now, what you do first really depends on how fussy you (or your guests) are. I'm VERY fussy and really hate when you take a bite of stuffing, only to find big, chewy pieces of dried onion. Blech. If you feel the same, stick the dried onions in a food processor and pulse for a bit so they're a little smaller. Once you've done that, pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl, and add the sage and onion. Quantities vary because some people don't like their stuffing to sage-y and others don't like it too onion-y. Personally, I like it with an equal balance of both, so I add both in equal proportion to around a half to two-thirds breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Mix everything together so it's evenly combined. Then pour enough boiling water to ensure it's a dough-like consistency and all the water has been absorbed. Use a fork to create lines running across the top, so it gets a little crispy and delicious on top OR get creative and make balls (hehe, dirty!).

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of dish and serve immediately with your roast.

Photo courtesy of BBC Food website

That's all for now campers! Wishing you the best of British luck in preparing your Christmas dinner!

Surviving Christmas As A Coeliac (Without Killing Anyone)

Merry not-quite-Christmas!

Like most of you, I LOVE this season. The tree, the songs, the awkward carol concerts where you don't want too sing too loudly in case people hear you singing (no? Just me?), pretending you like the thoughtful-yet-weirdly-inappropriate presents from loved ones (I once got a set of 2 padded coat hangers. Still don't understand that one), but most of all THE FOOD!! The hugeness of Christmas dinners, with or without the much-maligned Brussels sprouts, the chocolates everyone swears not to touch but eat anyway. If you haven't gained half a stone by New Year's Eve, you're just not doing it right.

Well, that's my pud. What are you all having?

After 11 years with coeliac disease, I'm a seasoned pro at surviving the festivities, but I've noticed this year how many of you feel utterly distressed at the idea of facing the Christmas season armed only with an awkward 'no thanks, I can't eat that' and a feeling that you're missing out on the best bits. So, without further ado, here are some tips to help you get through it without wanting to throw yourself under Santa's sleigh or drink yourself stupid with cocktails...

Don't mask your pain with tequila. It's not big or clever and will lead to more pain in the morning.

 1) When your office has a CONSTANT supply of Christmas biscuits and people shove them under your nose every 30 seconds...

Make it very, very clear that you WILL NOT be goaded into eating a biscuit. This is no time for embarrassment, guys. Once you tell them that they will be clearing up the mess you leave behind as you crawl your way to the toilets if they make you force one down, they'll stop asking, and you won't see another non-gluten free biscuit this year! Feeling like you're being left out? Make your own selection box. Grab the DS Choc Nobbles (Waitrose, £2.05), DS Choc Fingers (Sainsbury, £1.99), Prewitts Xmas Tree Shortbread (Tesco, £1.85) and even bake a few of your own. I used to get plain biscuits and cover them with chocolate, nuts, etc. Do all this, pile them up in a box and dig in whenever anyone else tucks into theirs. THEY have to share...you get your own selection. HA!

Make everyone jealous cos you don't have to share your biscuits!

2) Uh-oh. Your work has organised a Christmas party and there won't be anything you can eat.

If it's a party with a buffet, make yourself something REALLY delicious before you go out so you won't even be hungry. And treat yourself to a fancy pud of some kind as well. Because...well, why shouldn't you, damnit?! You'll dance off the calories anyway. If it's a meal out somewhere, it's trickier. Call the restaurant and ask if they can cater for coeliacs (if they don't know what that means, RUN). If they can, fantastic! If they can't, speak up and see if you can rearrange to go somewhere you CAN eat. If they can't or won't rearrange, pass on it and organise your own meal out with your nearest and dearest. Why would you want to go out with a group of people who make no effort to include you anyway? Choose to go out with people who WOULD make an effort for you instead. So there.

And your friends will join you in wearing a moustache and sombrero

3) You're going for dinner at someone else's home and you're not 100% confident they'll make everything safe.

This is an easy problem to solve for one key reason - the host is probably TERRIFIED at the idea of catering for an allergy!! End the misery for both of you. Call them up or go round and talk about it in detail. Offer to help cook, if possible. Take your own stuffing and offer to cook it. Take your own yorkshires and pop them in before or after the non-gf ones. Take your own gravy and serve it in your own jug. And bring a pudding you can eat if they can't provide one you can eat. Make it a team effort and have some fun with it. After all, working together, having fun and enjoying the season is what it's all about, isn't it?

Help out by making some gluten free yorkshire puddings

4) Your work provides a fancy Christmas lunch, but they can't or won't cater for you.

Again, easy to solve if you prep for it. Where I used to work I had this problem every year. The on-site restaurant put on a HUGE Christmas lunch, with live music and decorations and all sorts. And the first year they did it, I was SO miserable. I drank  glasses of wine, ate nothing and went back to my desk too tipsy to care about work that afternoon. It was a good day in the end! Anyway, after that, I made myself a fancy pasta I could reheat for lunch (proper parmesan and all sorts). I took an extra glass of wine, and I bake a chocolate mousse cake, which I then whipped out, cut a huge chunk from, and ate in front of my colleagues, who were having 'Baileys' trifle that didn't taste much of Baileys at all. I ended up giving them slices from my cake and we had a brilliant time. I did that every year I was there after that.

Take your own pudding and embrace the wonder of having something you know you'll love

5) Someone has very kindly, but ever-so thoughtlessly bought you something edible that isn't safe for you to eat. What do you do?!

This has happened to me, more than once, I'm afraid and I know how awkward it is. Every bone in your body is SCREAMING at the giver...but the thing is, at least they tried. Sort of. So thank them for the kind thought and make a mental note to raise the issue with them later, because now is not the time. At the next available opportunity, give the gift away to someone who will be able to really appreciate it and be thankful that the calories will be going to someone else's hips. Look at that! You just saved yourself a bazillion calories!

Gingerbread, Gingerbread and ChocoNut Biscotti

Why was Cinderella no good at football?

Because her coach was a pumpkin.

That was how my weekend got started, courtesy of my good friend, Clare. Much eye-rolling took place while she texted me a series of such jokes. It's a VERY good thing I love the sort of jokes you get in Christmas crackers! 

Moving on, today we went to pick up our Christmas tree. This is a long-held family tradition and it's probably my most treasured. We drive to a farm in the middle of the Dorset countryside (I still don't know where exactly) and my sister and I pick out the BIGGEST trees we can find. We've been doing this since we were 4 years old and I don't think my Dad, my husband or my sister's husband have ever had a say in what tree they lumber onto the car!

The Great Christmas Tree, 2014

So...our Christmas officially starts once the tree is up and when Mum's birthday (tomorrow) has passed. But believe, the prep is underway! Presents have been purchased, advent calendars have been started, and I've been working on other Christmas delights. In other words, FOOD!

A couple of weeks ago, I perfected a recipe for chocolate biscotti with chocolate chunks, pistachios and whole almonds; something I'm choosing to call ChocoNut Biscotti. And it's ohhhh my goodness good (she said, humbly). It's delicious on its own, but dunked in a thick hot chocolate or, even better, a perfectly brewed mug of coffee, it's even better. I'm officially not allowed to make it any more unless it's for an order because I'm getting fat again! But it's sooo crunchy and chocolatey and just...yum.

This week, though, has been ALL about the gingerbread! I've never made gingerbread before, but it's festive and fun to make, so out came the cookie cutters, treacle (which I need to buy more of because I've made so much I've accidentally used the whole tin!), and rolling pin. I made a HUGE batch, which was a very good thing because everyone has been stealing little bits of it away!

As you can see, the piping needs a little bit of work, but I added enough Christmas spices to put a smile on the face of any grinch, and they came out firey, sweet, soft and chewy. The only problem with them is trying to stop eating them, because they're small enough to convince yourself that you aren't eating too much!

And, of course, trying to stop the cats from stealing them, because I'm pretty certain they aren't meant to have ginger! Anyway, I'll be making more very soon to pass out to family and friends, and don't forget you can order some for yourself, by dropping me an email at thebuttercupbaker@gmail.com. A bag of gingerbread starts at £1.50.

There will, of course, be more posts before Christmas, and very soon, I'll post my favourite gluten free Christmas products, so keep your eyes peeled for that, along with some tips for surviving the festive season as a coeliac. In the meantime, remember that a biscotti is for life, not just for moustaches.

Much laughter being had, as off-camera, Gizzy was trying to steal the biscotti from my hand!

Have a great week, everyone!

Bournemouth Marriot - Gluten Free Afternoon Tea

For many people, the highlight of the past week will have been a mixture of Thanksgiving and 'Black Friday'. The latter, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a day on which thousands of people queue outside shops for hours on end in the freezing cold, before beating each other to a bloody pulp as they try to grab key items such as TV's at dropped prices before the person standing next to them.

For me, however, the highlight of my week was a far more civilised experience, courtesy of The Marriot Hotel in Bournemouth, who invited myself and fellow gluten free blogger Vicki (The Free From Fairy) to try out their brand new gluten free afternoon tea! Ohh, the excitement was through the roof, I can tell you!!

On arrival, we were given the option to sit by the window or in a HUGE separate room that we could have all to ourselves...since it was too dark by then to see the beautiful view, we opted for the separate room, and once seated were able to choose our tea. Assam for me, Early Grey for my sister, Peppermint for Vicki and a coffee for her husband. There were a LOT of options so there's something for almost everyone. When the tea arrived, there was a real sense of ceremony, as the length of brewing time for the leaves was set with the help of egg timers - one for the peppermint and another for the black teas! Perhaps unnecessary, but it was a quaint, fun little addition we all thoroughly enjoyed.

But, of course, what you want to know about is the food! Well...how about this:

So...what you're seeing here is three separate platters of sandwiches, all gluten free, and then broken down further into dairy free, vegetarian, and a mixed selection for the meatosaurs. On the tiered cake stands, there were fruit and plain scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam; then chocolate and raspberry brownies, rocky road brownies, lemon and white choc eton mess, raspberry eton mess and thin slices of 'almond, peanut and caramel tort' (that were clearly Almondy tarts, but still very good).  As you can see, there was a LOT of everything!

The sandwiches were filled rolls, cut in half. As a veggie, I was worried my options would be limited, but I was provided with tomato, cucumber, egg, and cheese. The rolls were dense but very nice, and there were MASSES of them!! The scones were beautifully flavoured. They hadn't risen very well (except the ones that were also dairy free, for some reason!?), but my goodness they were good!

Everyone agreed though, that although the chocolate and raspberry brownies were tasty (that perfectly gooey texture reminiscent of raw cake dough. Yum!), the real hero was the raspberry eton mess. A marshmallowy, sticky, thick Italian meringue (I think), layered with tart raspberry coulis, and finished with a tiny spear of milk chocolate, it was so incredible that we each had two of them! I'm afraid the pics didn't come out too well, but here's a close-up:

I'm ashamed to say that we didn't manage to eat it all, but the staff are kind enough to provide small, compostable, cardboard boxes so you can take home any leftovers (with the exception of the shot glasses of eton mess, of course!).

After eating until we couldn't move, the executive chef, Matthew Budd, joined us so we could talk to him about his policy on providing allergy-friendly food, and sustainability. We were all  impressed with his dedication, which sees him attempt to offer foods free from as many of the 13 known allergens as possible, and also replace gelatine with vegetarian alternatives wherever possible. Fellow coeliac vegetarians will appreciate what a rare gem that makes him and his team!

Priced from just £16, the Marriot have not only answered the much-asked question of where a coeliac can find a really great afternoon tea, but also where they can get it at a reasonable price. For that, I really cannot thank them enough and I'm already plotting a second visit! Book now, because I have a feeling that once word gets out, they'll book up fast! 

Genius At Work!

Okay, before you turn away, aghast at my shameless self-congratulation, this post isn't about me, but Genius the company - one of my very favourite gluten free brands.

Recently, the lovely team at Genius sent me a box of delicious goodies that I'd never tried before. As you can see from the pic below, I received crumpets, triple-seeded bread, triple-seeded rolls, chocolate cupcakes, a white bloomer, and chocolate chip brioche. If you're a regular reader, I'm sure you can imagine the bouncing-around, hopping-on-one-foot level of excitement. If you're a new reader you may think I'm exaggerating and you would be wrong!

First up to the taste-test was the crumpets. You might be surprised to hear (read?) that I've never had crumpets before, pre or post-diagnosis. And well, they're a bit odd, aren't they?! Toast them up and they become crunchy on the outside and squodgy in the middle (yes, squodgy. It is a word, I assure you). Served with butter and jam, they are really rather nice! My non-coeliac husband wolfed down the remaining two crumpets and gave them a thumbs-up.

Amazingly, the chocolate chip brioche survived a little longer than the crumpets (by about 5 hours!). I actually remember having brioche before I was diagnosed and I HATED them then, but I've now concluded I was clearly mad because these are SO good! Slice a brioche in half, slather with salted butter and you have a delicious treat that even your hips won't regret.

Now, here's a little bit of a negative, I'm afraid. My one issue with Genius bread is that although it always tastes great, it's always hit-and-miss as to whether it will be so full of holes that you can't really use it. I get the brown sandwich bread on prescription and last week, one was totally unuseable because of the large gaps in it.

So, I was a bit worried about reviewing the triple-seeded loaf. Well, there were cracks in it, as you can see from the pic, but they were small enough that the bread held together pretty well. The seeds give it a lightly crunchy texture and the loaf is incredibly soft and light. Plus, everyone knows seeds are great for you, so it's okay to thickly cover it in jam or Nutella, right? Right!

Unfortunately, the white bloomer didn't escape the holes and cracks, which ran right the way through the loaf. But, on the positive side, it was really very nice. The crust is slightly chewy and the inside of the bread is wonderful for a sandwich or French toast. Yum!

On the topic of the bread, I should add that I forgot to take a pic of the rolls! Sorry! They were excellent though. All the seedy-fluffiness of the loaf in a nice, fat roll. They're perfect for packed lunches or to serve with soup. Their texture means they'd also be fantastic as burger rolls, so next year these will be popping up at our barbecues!

Finally, the chocolate cupcakes. Technically, as a baker, I think I'm meant to tell you all about the inferiority of mass-produced, store-bought sweet bakes. But the truth is that sometimes, I have too much to do or I just don't have the energy and it's easier to buy something on-the-go. Well, these cakes are a brilliant option! Although yes, I prefer my own, the cake is rich, light, moist and chocolatey, and the buttercream is incredibly smooth and silky. However, I wouldn't recommend ordering them online because the icing got a little smushed in transit...!

So there you have it! I thoroughly enjoyed myself this week, working my way through everything. Overall, there were a few issues with the breads but everything tasted great and I really cannot recommend the chocolate brioche, in particular, enough!

Gingerbread Fudge!

Hello and happy Sunday to you!

I am aware it's only mid-November, so if you're currently denying the existence of mince pies, twinkle-lights and all other signs of Christmas, look away now.

CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Still with me?

Okay, good!

Now then, I'm still working on festive products right now and this week (in between soaking fruit in various alcoholic fluids and 'feeding' the cooked one with brandy), my focus has been fudge. Cadbury may have declared that 'a finger of fudge is just enough' but as it turns out, they lied. Anyway, why have I been working on fudge? Well, firstly because it is THE most fun confection to make. And secondly because I've had the idea in my head for a few weeks now to make a gingerbread-flavoured fudge. Doesn't it sound good!?

Well, as it turns out, fudge is no different from any other recipe I try. The first attempt is duty-bound to go a bit wrong, as you can see from this pic of the 'fudge dust' that happened when I cut it!

Surprisingly, it actually taste pretty good! Although there wasn't enough spice in it for my liking and it was (obviously) overcooked. Damn and back to the beginning again!

This time, I was prepared to turn the heat off a little sooner. Here's the issue: the first key step to getting fudge right is to heat it to the correct temperature. You want to get it to the 'soft ball' stage (wherein you waste a hearty globule of delicious fudge by dripping it into very cold water and hope it holds its shape). This, they tell me, happens at 118 degrees C. Well, they lied, as it turns out because the second time around, it only worked at 108 degrees C.

It has a few good shakes of Christmassy spices in it, to give it that dark, spicy warmth you get in a really great gingerbread. SO good!!

 

 In the future, I intend to offer this as a product available for purchase, which would be great as I could post it anywhere in the UK! Woohoo! But there are new labelling laws that, quite frankly, confuse me and I need to sort that out first. So, watch this space and I'll let you know as soon as I can offer it for postal deliveries! In the meantime, if you're local to the Poole and Bournemouth area, a perfect pack of fudge can be yours now for the cheap, cheap price of £1.50 a pack! Just drop me an email to thebuttercupbaker@gmail.com if you're interested. 

Next week, I hope to tell you all about the successes of my Christmas cakes AND there are exciting things afoot, so stay tuned, food fans!

Picking Up and Christmas Prep

Well hello there!

Goodness, it's been a little while, hasn't it?!

I'm afraid I've spent the last two weeks laid up with flu and sadly, contagious illness and kitchens just aren't the best of friends. However, I'm on the mend now (my family are, I think, a tad less eager than I am to celebrate the return of my voice!) and to begin the process of building myself back up, I've been working on our Christmas cake!

Now, the great thing about baking a Christmas cake is that it's really quite simple, and very easy to tailor to your own tastes. You can use whatever fruit you prefer, you can soak it in your choice of booze. Indeed, you can choose to keep it virgin (!?) and omit the alcohol if you're feeling particularly virtuous, but where's the fun in that? Anyway, the process of soaking the fruit and then making the cake itself means you can split the work over a few days, or longer if need be. Then, once it's baked, you can wrap it snugly, store it away and routinely douse it in yet more booze for a truly indulgent Christmas treat that will discreetly get your Nan completely plastered.

Doesn't that sound like fun?!

Originally, I had intended to make a whole heap of delicious gluten free, dairy free Christmas cakes, and offer them up for sale along with gluten free iced Christmas biscuits. Unfortunately, I fear my flu may have put paid to that for this year, although time will tell. (Incidentally, if you are particularly keen, please email me or send me a message and I'll see what I can do). Still, no point crying over spilled snowballs, and there is always next year.

In the meantime, as I type, the incredibly delicious smell of Christmas cake is wafting out of the kitchen, where it will sit in the oven until around half-past midnight because I forgot that it takes almost five hours to cook until I'd already put it in the oven...*ahem*. But the smell is heavenly and is edging me dangerously close to feeling the festive spirit.

So deck the halls and jingle those bells and I'll be back with the end result of our cake in my next post!

Reviews: Fun With Food! CoYo and Genius Muffins

Over the last few weeks or so, there have been a lot of new, coeliac-friendly products hitting the shelves, and every time one announces its arrival, I feel that desperate urge to give it a damned-good taste-test. After all, it's research that helps people, right? Right!? (The correct answer here is 'yes') So, with great excitement, I took myself off to a local supermarket and made a couple of purchases.

In recent months, I've had to give up on lactose, and although I've found great lactose-free alternatives to many products (mainly with thanks to Lactofree's greatness), I did get rather excited when I came across CoYo. A yoghurt that's free from dairy and gluten, and positively loaded with goodness?! Even better, it was made with raw chocolate. Yum!

There are other flavours available - Natural, and Mango - but frankly, the idea of raw chocolate sounded far more appealing!

As you can see from the pic, the texture is slightly mousse-like and very decadent; silky and creamy and just lovely. Unfortunately, I have to say I didn't really care for the taste. The flavour combination was a bit weird for me. The raw chocolate has a very strong bitterness, and was a little bizarre against the sweetness of the coconut. Having said that, I imagine this would be great for coconut fans and although I didn't enjoy it, I would recommend giving it a try. You can pick one up at a local Tesco for £1.69 (at the time of publishing this post).

But for me, the great find of my week was the Genius Blueberry Treat Muffins.

Generally speaking, I don't like reviewing cake products on my blog because, well, it seems a little counter-intuitive to say 'Hey, this is a GREAT product...now please buy my cakes!' but this one really does deserve a review. For one, I despise fruit in cake (why would anyone ruin perfectly good cake with fruit!???!?), but this is the one time I have ever been able to make an exception!

There are two muffins in a pack, each in its own tulip paper case. Don't you just love them? They're golden on the top and bursting with blueberry goodness. And if you aren't sold immediately on the way they look, you will be on the first taste.

They are, without a doubt, the lightest, moistest, most sweetly decadent store-bought cake I've ever had the luxury to try! They have an almost creamy taste to them, that reminded me somehow of a milkshake. They're fluffy and absolutely packed with juicy blueberries, so there's at least one in every single bite. In fact, the only downside to these morsels is that they're rather high on the sugar and fat scales. But they're so delicious, they're almost worth the extra time on the treadmill..

...which may well be a very good thing! You can pick up your very own pack of muffins for just £2 from your local Tesco (and you'll be pleased to hear they have a good shelf-life on them but can also be frozen...if they last that long!).

Enjoy! 

The Blogs To Watch...My Top Five Allergy-Friendly Bloggers

When I started this blog at the beginning of the year, I did it mainly as a way to raise the profile of The Buttercup Bakery. I figured it would help to keep the business current, and also give me a different way to reach out to potential customers.

But along the way something changed. I realised that I really enjoyed the writing part. A lot. I started to pick up more readers, more followers on Twitter, and among both there were other food bloggers. These were men and women who, like me, had experienced coeliac disease or other allergies or intolerances; people who had, at least in part, dealt with a new lifestyle by helping others adjust to similar situations, using product reviews, recipes and advice. Currently, I probably read some 15-20 blogs and checking the latest posts on them is the highlight of my week.

What makes these blogs so good? They are informative, they are fun to read, they have food porn by the saucepan-load, and they are very well written. The authors are also friendly and supportive of other bloggers - something I hadn't expected.

So, without further ado, here are my top five allergy-friendly blogs, in no particular order:

1.  Wuthering Bites


The name itself is fantastic, but what really sets this blog apart is the sheer volume of food porn. Oh yes. You want to see a gooey, sinful pudding, oozing with chocolate or caramel? Want to see meat, glistening with tender juices? Trust me, it's all right here, along with recipes that will have you reaching for your utensil drawer before you realise what's happening. There are reviews as well and it's worth noting that this blog was a Grand Finalist in this year's The Food Reader Awards for Best Food Blogger.

http://wutheringbites.co.uk/

2. The Free From Fairy

One look at The Free From Fairy blog shows you it's something special. Beautifully designed, but still with an air of fun, this blog began after the author's daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease and lactose intolerance. Although there are recipes and reviews in abundance, the thing I love most about this blog is the high level of information dispensed in the posts. Through video posts and written posts, the reader can learn all about catering for a child's birthday party, dealing with school meals, and there's even a whole section dedicated to offering advice for those in the catering biz on catering for coeliacs! Keep your eyes peeled for competitions here as well!

 http://freefromfairy.com/

3. Dairy Free Baby and Me

Started in 2012, this blog covers the experiences of raising a child diagnosed with non-Ige cow's milk allergy. This is not the same as lactose intolerance, and can be very tricky to negotiate. There is a huge amount of information specific to avoiding dairy, and there are recipes for and reviews of dairy free food and drink. If it's dairy free and NOT on Dairy Free Baby and Me, it's probably not worth buying. Even better, there's help on eating out and travelling, which can be a real challenge on a restricted diet.

http://dairyfreebabyandme.blogspot.co.uk/

4. Free From Favourites

Recognition should go to the author's brother-in-law, who desgined this fantastic website. But, of course, the main focus has to go to the author herself, who started blogging about gluten free and dairy free recipes after she was diagnosed with Arthrochalasia - a form of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. There are three main things to say about this website: recipes, recipes, recipes! Want a recipe for breakfast muffins? Struggling to work out what to have for lunch or snacks? You'll find recipes here in abundance, safe for coeliacs and lactose intolerants alike. I especially rate the recipe for jaffa cakes!

5. Last, but by no means least, The Happy Coeliac is a pro in the world of food blogging. Diagnosed in 2011, the author has emigrated fairly recently to the Netherlands, but this hasn't stopped her from providing some of the best gluten free blog posts around. Not only are there regular recipes, reviews (including mentions of products and eateries in the Netherlands), giveaways AND drool-worthy food porn, you can even buy her ebooks on cooking gluten free at Christmas and for dinner parties. Special mention has to go to the video post 'My Gluten Free Kitchen: A Peek Inside'. If you ever wanted a good look at someone else's kitchen, this is definitely a post worth checking out!

http://thehappycoeliac.com/