A Cake-tastrophe and A Lucky Win From Udi's!

How the devil are you? Been a bit of a rough week? Grab a slice of (gluten free!) cake, and a cuppa, and sit down with me for a couple of minutes.

This week has been something of a mixed bag. It was my Dad's birthday on 29th, and I had planned on making him a chocolate orange birthday cake. I figured I usually make him lemon so it might make a nice change. Oh, what a mistake! Let's just say that I found out the hard way using fresh juice squeezed from an orange was not a great idea. It looked fine when I put it in the tin but that was about it. It was solid on the bottom, oily and gross on the top, and the texture was AWFUL!!

He ended up with chocolate orange fudge instead. He liked it, but it's a little tricky to put birthday candles n.

I'm actually getting quite into making fudge. It's super-easy and you can put almost anything you want in it! If it weren't so damned expensive (each batch makes about 30-odd pieces and uses 450g sugar. P.S. Not a health food either) and I was sure people would buy it, I'd love to make more of it. Mm....fudge.

In other news...look what I won!

During my entire childhood the only thing I ever really won was a postbox-shaped piggy bank at Danielle Tucker's birthday party one year. But since then I've been quite lucky for some reason! I won countless Disney Channel and Nickelodeon goody bags; even a Toy Story 2 cutout signed by Buzz Aldrin. These days, I enter quite a few competitions and then promptly forget all about them. So I was really excited when I was contacted by Udi's a couple of weeks ago to say I'd won a prize in their competition (that I have no recollection of entering). And my hamper arrived yesterday afternoon. Cinnamon & raisin bagels, apple & cinnamon toaster pastries, strawberry breakfast bars and a pack of their toffee and chocolate chip muffins.

Best of all? Two days ago I was contacted by Newburn Bakehouse to say I'd won something in a competition with them (which again, I don't recall entering at all!). I'll have to let you know what I get when it comes through, but I'm really excited!

In the meantime, I'm baking a cake for my Grandad's birthday tomorrow (for God's sakes, let it be better than my attempt at Dad's!) and plotting a barbecue for next weekend. Watch this space!

A Bit Of A Catch-Up!

Well hello! How nice to see you again.

Yes, it's been a while since my last blog post. Sorry. It's been a bit of a busy week and I've actually been able to do almost no baking whatsoever! Something I intend to make up for in the coming weeks...

So what on Earth have I been doing!? Well, I turned 29 on Sunday (eek!) and I really was thoroughly spoiled. My lovely Gran gave me some great stuff to help with the business, including a nice big cake spatula thingy (and yes, that is it's technical name, so there). It's a large, flat circle of metal with a handle attached, which makes transferring cake and cheesecake from one surface to another a far easier task. Excellent stuff! My husband made me an incredible cake - more on that in a minute - and my twin sister, Nikki, gave me a Buttercup Bakery apron, which she made for me from scratch by herself! She even handstitched the website address!

Pretty nifty, huh!?

Now, back to that cake! It's a rare occasion that someone bakes something for me, since I tend to do so much baking myself. So when my husband said he wanted to bake me a birthday cake, I was quite excited! Well, it turned out beautifully. He made a death by chocolate sponge cake, then filled it with chocolate, caramel AND vanilla buttercreams! Ooooh, it's lovely! Although it's more likely to be death by buttercream than by chocolate!

The day before my birthday, we went out to the New Forest for a picnic with the ponies, then for ice cream, which was all a real treat. On my birthday we had a family picnic, which was great. And then yesterday, we went for a meal with my Nikki and her husband, Jamie, to Carluccio's in Dorchester. Honestly, one of the best meals I've eaten out....veggie antipasti for a starter, and for pudding a chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream. SO good!

Rich and I at Carluccio's, Dorchester

Jamie and Nikki at Carluccio's, Dorchester, shortly before that poster behind them tried to kill Jamie!

Oh, and I also was given a LOT of tequila! Two great big bottles of tequila blanco (also known as silver tequila) and an enormous bottle of XO Patron, a coffee flavoured tequila.

It was a great birthday weekend, from which I'm still recovering a bit. But I am looking forward to getting back to my baking again this week. Look out for some great new things in upcoming posts!

Coeliac Awareness Week Day 5 - Supermarkets and Other Tales

As you probably already know, gluten free food is usually two to three times the price of its gluten-containing counterparts. My favourite items for comparison here are bread and cereal, both things often considered essential. An average 'normal' loaf of brown bread is around 800g and costs anything from 80p (Sainsbury's own brand brown bread) to £1.50 (Allinson Wholemeal).

Gluten free bread, on the other hand, is difficult to find in a size bigger than 600g, and that size loaf will set you back between £2.89 and £2.99. The situation with cereal is much the same. All gluten free cereals come in 300g at most, and cost between £2.50 and £2.99.

Sainsbury's cereal - £1.50 for 500g. Nature's Path cereal - £2.99 for 284g

So, as you can imagine, when there are offers on gluten free ranges, it's a free for all and everyone tries to maintain a modicum of dignity while throwing themselves at shelves, headfirst, elbowing little old ladies and small children out of the way if necessary. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but it gets very busy very fast!

Because of that, this week, I've been out scouting for deals in Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose. I would have looked at Asda, but their website indicated no special offers for Coeliac Awareness Week.

This is what I've found:

Tesco - 3 for 2 on gluten free, but not in my good books. Ordered shopping with them on Sunday for Monday morning, but the offer wasn't noted on their website until Monday morning. Went to the store, where there were no offers in the Free From section. I asked at Customer Service, where they told me it was 'online only'. Not impressed. Complained and they agreed to give me free delivery. Later found out it IS in store, but Customer Service clearly had no clue!

Sainsbury - in general, I'd prefer to shop at Sainsbury's, but their offer was 5 for 4 on gluten free. At £2.99 for a box of cereal, I'd have to spend £12 on cereal to get one box free! I don't consider that to be a great offer. Feels a little like they're taking advantage of coeliacs. Have bought nothing.

Waitrose - the winner for me. They invited members of the Bournemouth & Poole Coeliac Support Group (myself included) to their Wimborne store for a meeting about what they're doing. They have 3 for 2 on most of their gluten free range, and almost everything was in stock. They took us out the back, so we could see their gluten free stock (see pic below), but their were items they hadn't made enough effort to stock. Newburn Bakehouse seeded wraps, for example, they get ONE PACK of at a time, and they said it sells immediately. They couldn't answer why they didn't order more.

Free from stock in the back at Waitrose, Wimborne

Local support group meeting with Waitrose, Wimborne

I did grab some bargains, which has made me a VERY happy girlie! In the offers this week, I've got 3 packs of jaffa cakes, 3 boxes of chocolate teacakes, a loaf of bread, 4 bags of flour, 3 boxes of cereal, 3 packs of 9 Bars, 1 pack of Genius Pain au Chocolat, 3 boxes of cherry bakewells, 3 Georgia's Choice Mexican Bean Bakes, 3 boxes of biscuits, and although there must have been one other thing, I can't for the life of me remember what it was!! I've spent a fortune, but it'll keep me in goodies for birthdays, etc for months to come.

Coeliac Awareness Week Day 4 - Coriander in Bournemouth, Reviewed

Alright food fans. It's nearing the end of the week and you're thinking you might want to find somewhere to eat out on Saturday night. You run through the list of pizza places and take-aways but you want something uplifting. Fun. Lively, perhaps.

Let me introduce you to my absolute favourite restaurant - Coriander in Bournemouth town centre.

I should tell you first of all that it isn't usually surrounded by imposing scaffolding!

As you can just about see, Coriander is a Mexican restaurant. It's hard to pinpoint just one reason that this is a fantastic place for a coeliac to eat, so if you'll allow me a few minutes of your time, I'll tell you the many, many reasons that I place it miles ahead of any other restaurant I've been to. Ever.

1. You're never too old for crayons.
When you're seated, you look down and think 'Okaaayyy...why is my placemat a sheet of A4 paper?!' Then you see the crayons and let me tell you something, after a few cocktails (oh yes, there is a cocktail menu, and there are virgin cocktails for the teetotallers), anyone can start to think they're Picasso. But what's especially great is they keep the best ones to display and/or frame on the walls, like so:

A plain piece of A4...

Can become something special...

Especially after a few tequilas...

And may even be framed!

2. The AMAZING food. There's no separate gluten free menu because, rather than make a coeliac feel awkward asking for their own menu, they slap all the gluten free things right there on the normal menu. And what's even better, they make ALL their enchiladas and their nachos using gluten free corn tortillas, so the risk of cross-contamination is extremely low. Everything is made fresh to order, so you know you're getting top-quality.

 I'm especially pleased about this because frankly, if I could eat one thing every day for the rest of my life, it would be their nachos:

And that's just the starter!! Check out the spinach and cheese enchiladas (aka - heaven on a plate):

Quick explanation needed here - they look a mess because I slathered them with guacamole and sour cream before I remembered to take a photo. But as you can see, the portion sizes are extremely generous, and I've never walked away without being full up, having only managed dessert as well twice. And yes, they do have some gluten free desserts, including ice cream. Want to try something different for dessert? Try their Patron XO Chocolate Shake (on the cocktail menu). It's incredible!

Oh, and did I mention their range of sauces that come with your meal?

L-R: fresh salsa, blow-your-mouth-off hot sauce, and sour cream

3. The little touches that make every trip special. 
For example, on the day we went (Wednesday) the enchiladas were half price if you ordered a starter. PLUS they are, at the time of publishing this post, running a promotion that entitles you to a free shot of tequila (ooooh!!) if you take a pic of yourself wearing one of their much-famed sombreros, post it on Facebook or Instagram, check in at Coriander, and show it to your waitress.

Yes, that is my 85 year-old Gran, yes that is a sombrero, and no, she didn't drink the tequila!

4. It is THE best place in town to have a party. While we were there, a 21st birthday was finishing up and another party was settling in upstairs. Having had a few parties there myself, I can honestly say they know how to get the party atmosphere going and while coeliacs would normally need to worry about the dangers of eating safely when a whole party is being catered for, I can proudly say Coriander is the ONLY place to (so far) never have 'glutened' me. Quite an achievement where many have failed.

Downstairs

Upstairs - the 'party' floor with its own bar

So there you have it! As a coeliac, and a vegetarian, and a lover of having something different on a night out on the town, I honestly cannot recommend Coriander enough. From the Mexican music in the background, to the art on the walls, to the spectacular food and service (our waitress didn't need to write our order down and STILL got all three orders completely right), to the happy and fun-loving atmosphere, you'll never regret giving Coriander a go for your night out.

Wicked Wednesday - Your Chance to Win Buttercup Goodies!

Okay folks, this is a new one for me and I'm quite excited about it!

As part of Coeliac Awareness Week, I want to give you all the opportunity to win some delicious treats from The Buttercup Bakery. One of our most popular products is our double chocolate fudge chunk cookies - a soft, chewy, dark chocolate cookie, crammed with chunks of chocolate and fudge pieces.

You could win your own supply, AND some cookies and cream fudge - even if you're elsewhere in the UK! Please note all products are gluten free and oat free but do contain dairy.

Sound tasty?

For your chance to win, all you have to do is email me at thebuttercupbaker@gmail.com with the subject line 'Cookies and Fudge' and say 'I WANT TO WIN!!' Don't forget to leave your address, so we know where to send your prize!

Here's the legal bit: 

The winner will have their name picked at random from a boot (just to shake things up a bit), and my decision is final. The winner will be chosen on Sunday 18th May at noon, and will be contacted by email straight away. The prize will be sent by First Class Royal Mail. No exchanges or cash prize offered as an alternative.

Okay, boring stuff done with. Best of Buttercup luck to you!

Coeliac Awareness Week Day 2 - GF, DF Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ahhh soup.

When it's cold and rainy outside, there's little more comforting than the smell of a fresh soup, cooking away on the stove. And this soup is one of the best, I promise you (as long as you like carrots and ginger, that is). It requires some prep but it's 100% worth it, and it'll leave your home smelling like 'proper home cooking' for a couple of days. Best of all, it's gluten AND dairy free!

It's slightly sweet because of the carrots, yet has a warming sense because of the ginger, and it's just thick enough to really satisfy hunger, especially served with slices of crusty white rolls or soft white bread.

Here's What You Need for 4 servings:

1200g fresh carrots
10 shallots or 2 smallish onions
4 cloves garlic
2 baking potatoes
a large chunk of ginger - around 1inch x1 inch
2 low-sodium stock cubes
2tbsps dried/fresh thyme
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to season

Let's Make Some Soup!

Set the oven to 200degrees C/400degrees F/ Gas Mark 6.

Peel and chop the carrots into thin slices, so that all the pieces are roughly the same size (around 1/4cm thick) and place in a large roasting tin. Peel half the shallots and chop in half, or peel one onion and cut into 4, then chuck in the tin to keep the carrots company. Poor, lonely carrots. Spear the two baking potatoes a few times with a sharp, thin knife, then squash in with the carrots or just pop them on a separate shelf on an oven-proof tray.

Sprinkle the carrots, onions/shallots and garlic with the thyme, salt, pepper and oil, then put the lot in the oven for an hour, giving it all a good mix, and turning the potatoes, halfway through.

In the meantime, take the remaining shallots/onion and peel them. Do the same with the chunk of ginger, then give them a quick whizz in the food processor so they're chopped up nice and finely. Wheeeee!!

When the carrot mixture and potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for a mo. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a LARGE pan on a low heat, then throw in the chopped ginger and onion/shallots. Let them soften for a little, stirring frequently so nothing burns. Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the now soft middles and put the fluffiness into the pan. Give another stir, then add the carrot mixture.

Boil up a litre of water, pour over the stock cubes, let them dissolve, then pour into the large saucepan. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for about 10minutes or so, depending on how patient you are (cos at this point it smells AMAZING!).

Once you're sure all the carrots, etc, are tender, take a hand blender to the lot and LET RIP! For Gawd's sakes, where an apron for this part or you'll get carrot splatter all over you and you'll never get it out. Trust me. I have experience here. Blitz away until it's all smooth and creamy and delectable.

At this point, you can either let it cool completely and freeze it for later, or you can re-heat it and serve it piping hot with a big chunk of fresh gluten free bread. SO good! I think I know what I'll be doing with it...

(Decorative sprig of basil optional)

Coeliac Awareness Week Day 1 - Black Forest Cupcakes

Hello hello hello and welcome to Coeliac Awareness Week day 1!

If you have a moment, why not pop on over to my website - www.buttercupbakery.com - and check out the FAQ page for more info on coeliac disease?

Over this week, I'll be doing a new post every day. And to really help mark the occasion, later this week I'll be running a competition where you could win some of the very popular double chocolate fudge cookies, and some brand-new cookies and cream fudge!

Double chocolate fudge cookies

In the meantime, let me tell you about my latest baking experiment - gluten free black forest cupcakes. These lovely bites are a combination of a dark chocolate sponge cupcake, stuffed with cherry jam, swirled with a soft, squidgy vanilla buttercream, and topped with a drizzel of melted chocolate. Sound good?

To test the flavour, I took the batch along to my last Open University tutorial on Saturday afternoon at Bournemouth University and shared them out among my fellow students. It seemed as though this was a great way to round off two hours of work on international politics (!) and the feedback was overwhelmingly popular. I was absolutely thrilled with some of the comments - the main one being that they would never have known they were gluten free. Since there is a common misconception that gluten free means everything has to taste horrid, this is probably the nicest thing a non-coeliac can tell me.


So here they are! I'll be putting them up on my website soon, so if you're interested in buying some, keep an eye out. In the meantime, happy Monday and chocs away!

Coeliac Awareness Week - here's what The Buttercup Bakery will be up to!

This coming Monday (12th May) marks the start of Coeliac Awareness Week. (If you'd like more info on Coeliac Awareness Week, you can find everything you need on the Coeliac UK website right here: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/get-involved/awareness-week-2014/.

I have to say that this is sort of like Christmas to me. Lots of shops do great special offers on gluten free products, some restaurants run specials as well, and there are usually events to go to, depending on the area you live in.

Because it is kind of a big deal to me, next week we'll be celebrating Coeliac Awareness Week at The Buttercup Bakery. During the course of the week, you'll be able to see a new post every day, including:

• a recipe for a great gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian carrot and ginger soup
• orange cupcakes
• cookies and cream fudge
• a review of a great gluten free product
• a competition to win Buttercup Bakery goodies

 And much more. So stay tuned. Until then, have a great weekend!

A Quick Digression From Baking To Talk About....Ice Cream!

I promise I'll get back to baking after this, but it's of absolutely vital, life-and-death importance that I tell you about this. Well, maybe not life and death, but I'm going to tell you anyway!

Like a lot of women, I'm something of an ice cream officionado. I've tasted almost every gluten free ice cream out there, and up until a couple of years ago, I would have said the chocolate gelato I had in Rome was the best. Or maybe Haagen Dazs Chocolate Pralines and Caramel. But then, one day, we decided to take a drive out to the New Forest, and on the way, we stopped for a little walk around Lyndhurst High Street.

That was when I first laid eyes on what would become one of the (increasingly growing) great loves of my life...Forest Glade Ice Cream.

Now, I'll grant you it doesn't look like anything terribly special from the outside, but on the offchance, I nipped in to see whether they do anything gluten free. And why yes, they do! With the exception of cookie crunch (which I've only ever seen once anyway), all of their flavours are totally gluten free AND they're made in-house, so you don't have to worry about some far-away factory making a mess of it.

And the best part is that, in addition to the usual flavours - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, yaddi yaddi yaddah, they squirrel away at making interesting new ones. The shining glory in their crown HAS to be the pistachio. It's refreshing and delicious, as well as being creamy and light. But today, I found out they've introduced a brand new flavour - salted caramel. Hardly innovative, but utterly delicious because they have the ratio of salt to caramel spot on. Oh, and don't forget their sinful white chocolate ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate!

Clockwise from the spoon: pistachio, salted caramel, honeycomb, and white choc with dark choc chunks.

I must admit, it's a bit of a trek to get out there, so in the summer we tend to combine it with getting fruit from the Pick Your Own farm at Sopley, but for an occasional treat, it's well worth it. After all, look how happy I am!