With that in mind, if you find yourself in the unenviable position of catering for a coeliac without any prior knowledge of how to do so safely, here's what you need to know.
1. A Coeliac Must Have NO Gluten Whatsoever
Coeliac disease is an auto-immune condition where consuming gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye) causes damage to the lining of the small intestine. This damage causes malnutrition and can increase the risk of various cancers AND diabetes type 2. And if you're thinking that surely a little bit must be okay, go grab some sand and pull out a grain. See how tiny it is? That is how much it takes to cause damage to a coeliac. It will also provoke some serious digestive pyrotechnics in most coeliacs, so if you value your bathroom, look after the coeliac!
2. It's More Difficult Than Just Not Giving Them Bread
Oh yes, this is where it gets fun, folks! See, gluten is in all the obvious places; bread, pasta, cake, biscuits, blah, blah, blah. But those crafty manufacturers sneak it into ready-made sauces, chocolate bars, ice creams, herbs and spices, even cheese! Basically, cooking for a coeliac means you are committing to checking EVERYTHING you give them. And I do mean everything. Some companies pack ground pepper out with flour. But all is not lost. Labelling laws mean that every product produced within the EU for human consumption MUST state if there is wheat or gluten on the packaging. So, check the ingredients and the allergy warnings. If you don't see 'gluten' or 'wheat' listed, you're good to go.
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| Notice the allergens are listed in bold on some products |
3. Avoiding Cross-Contamination Means Being Very Thorough
So, you have all the ingredients and now you're ready to start cooking. My advice would be to start by cleaning down everything that your coeliac guest's food will come into contact with and certain things must NEVER be shared. So, you've bought gluten free bread for your coeliac? Get a new butter at the same time, so you don't risk transferring crumbs. Sounds silly, but my husband has accidentally 'glutened' me before by handling the butter with his crumb-covered hands, which I then transferred to my toast unknowingly when I picked up the butter. Yes, it's that easy.
Use a freshly cleaned chopping board. Make sure everything is spotless. Don't share a toaster. EVER. If you need to toast something, put foil over the grill pan and stick it under the grill. And if at all possible, cook the coeliac's food first, so you don't have to worry about washing your hands a thousand times. If you have to oven-cook things, either put the coeliac's food in at the top and the gluten-containing food at the bottom or, if possible, use a separate oven. Cook pasta in a separate pan, well away from 'normal' pasta.
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| Never give a coeliac butter or spreads that have been used by non-coeliacs |
4. Don't Make A Fuss About How Much Trouble It's Caused You
I feel like this is an important point to make. A coeliac isn't following a fad diet. They aren't 'choosing' to avoid gluten. So please just let them be another guest at the meal and don't tell them how difficult it was for you. I've eaten places before where the host has complained repeatedly about having to cater for me. If a coeliac had a non-coeliac round for dinner, it would require the same level of attention to avoid making themselves ill in the process or afterwards, so please give them a break. They would LOVE to be less of a bother to you, believe me.
And that's it for today's lesson, folks! Please remember that if you ever have any questions about catering for a coeliac, or if you're a coeliac concerned about being catered for by a friend or family member and you'd like some advice, you can email me, at thebuttercupbaker@gmail.com.
Happy munching!
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