The Gluten Free Blog

At Gluten Free Towers we’re always getting sent new things to try.

Last week we received some gluten free brown ciabatta rolls from DS (Dietary Specials). DS is one of our fave brands: their products are all good quality, well priced and available in most UK supermarkets. Oh and don’t forget to visit the DS website and sign up for their gluten free starter pack.

Anyway, back to the ciabatta rolls. After five minutes in the oven – to give them that homemade freshly-baked vibe – we scoffed the lot with some Covent Garden Leek and Potato soup (yes, we still like soup – even in the summer). And, we have to say, they were very good indeed: moist, light and bouncy in the middle and with a nice nutty flavour. They’re a good size as well and perfect for packed lunches stuffed with a tasty filling.

Ciabatta brown rolls come in packs of four, cost less than £2 and are available in all major UK supermarkets. (We found them in Asda for £1.73.) Try them for yourself and let us know what you think.

Marks & Spencer has got a new range of gluten free breads and cakes. It seems they’re not available in every store, but we hope that’s just a temporary glitch and we’ll see all these gluten free goodies in all branches of M&S soon.

I recently tried the Orange & Polenta Loaf Cake which is made with – as you may imagine – polenta, orange juice and sweet almonds. The cake was buttery and sweet without being sugary, although I did think it was a tiny bit dry. My Father, who is also a coeliac, disagreed and loved it.

The Orange & Polenta Loaf Cake costs £2.29. Give it a whirl and tell us what you think.

We’re a big fan of salads, here at Gluten Free Towers.

So when we were sent a couple of new gluten free salad dressings to try out, by the nice people over at Righteous, we couldn’t wait to crack them open.

There are three dressings in the range but only two are gluten free: Lemon and mustard seed and raspberry and sweet basil. All the dressings, however, are made with 100% natural ingredients and have none of the additives, preservatives, artificial colourings or gunk usually packed into salad dressings.

So what are they like? Well you can really taste the flavours. The lemon and mustard dressing is totally tangy and kicks like a mule, which means you only need about a teaspoon to brighten up your plate of salad. And that’s probably just as well because a 15ml serving (about 2 and a half teaspoons) is a fairly hefty 68 calories. But it’s all good fat. Because all the dressings are made with rapseed oil, which, according to the press release, is a well-known source of polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats, vitamins D and E, and can help lower cholesterol, improve the immune system and strengthen bones. 

The raspberry and sweet basil dressing is fruity, sweet and pretty in pink. Fruit dressings are not my favourite. But this one grew on me and was particularly nice with a goat cheese salad. And at 49 calories a serving it’s a bit lower than the lemon and mustard dressing.

Righteous was started by foodie Gem Misa in January 2010 after years spent trying to find tasty dressings. She began making them on her kitchen table and in just a few months had secured shelf space in some of London’s swankiest stores.   

 “We want to show people that salad dressings can be natural, healthy and taste great. We only use the best ingredients in our recipes, which means that the flavours really stand out. Unlike other salad dressings we never add water or starch to our products to bulk them out and dilute their flavour.” says Gem Misa. 

Righteous salad dressings are so right for the barbecue season. You can buy them from £2.69 a bottle from Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Whole Foods and Partridges.