The Gluten Free Blog

When you’re diagnosed with coeliac (or celiac) disease, or you’ve been advised to follow a gluten free diet, it feels like everything you’ve ever enjoyed is off limits.

But there are numerous foods that are naturally gluten free (although we recommend that you always check the ingredients list.)

Check out our list of gluten free foods.

Proteins

• Fresh meat
• Fish and shellfish
• Poultry and game

Green and fruity

• All fruit
• All vegetables
• Fresh herbs

Carbs for energy

• Rice
• Rice cakes
• Rice noodles (CARE: Some rice noodles have wheat added. Always check the ingredients.)
• Corn tortillas (CARE: Authentic corn tortillas are made without wheat or gluten. But always check the ingredients or ask your waiter.)
• Corn chips (CARE: Authentic corn chips are made without wheat or gluten. But always check the ingredients or ask your waiter.)
• Tapioca
• Pulses, lentils and beans
• Corn flakes
• Millet flakes
• Polenta

Flours for cooking

• Corn flour
• Gram flour
• Rice flour
• Tapioca flour
• Soya flour
• Buckwheat flour
• Millet
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese (not cheese spreads)
• Yogurt (the ones without the wheaty bits added)
• Milk
• Ice cream
• Fromage frais
• Cream

NOTE: If you’ve been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be lactose intolerant as well.

The body produces lactase which breaks down the sugars found in milk. But if your intestine is damaged by coeliac disease you may temporarily have lactase deficiency. So avoid dairy products for a while, follow a gluten free diet, allow your intestines to repair and slowly reintroduce dairy back into your diet.

Spreads

• Jam
• Marmalade
• Marmite
• Black treacle
• Honey
• Golden syrup
• Peanut butter

Snack attacks

• Nuts (CARE: Some dry roasted, ‘chocolate’ coated or ‘yogurt’ coated nuts contain whet or gluten.)
• Dried fruit (CARE: Some dried fruit coatings such as ‘chocolate’ or ‘yogurt’ contain wheat or gluten.)
• Popcorn
• Jelly

Cooking basics

• Bicarbonate of soda
• Cream of tartar
• Coconut milk
• Dried and fresh yeast
• Dijon mustard
• Horseradish sauce
• Garlic puree
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tomato Puree
• Tamari Sauce (a wheat free and gluten free soy sauce)
• Vegetable oil
• Sunflower oil
• Olive oil
• Cider vinegar
• Wine vinegar
• Distilled vinegar (not malt vinegar)
• Xantham gum (add to gluten free flours to get delicious breads and pastry)

Drinks

• Coffee
• Tea
• Herbal tea
• Fruit juice
• Fruit drinks (not barley water)
• Alcoholic drinks
• Wine
• Champagne
• Port
• Sherry
• Ciders
• Liqueurs
• Spirits, including whisky, are all gluten-free

Have we missed anything? Let us know.

This recipe is taken from The Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook by Terence Stamp & Elizabeth Buxton.

These ginger cookies are very crisp.

• Fine oatmeal flour – 55 g (2 oz)
• All-purpose wheat-free flour – 55 g (2 oz)
• Pine kernels – 2½ tbsp
• Grated fresh root ginger – 3 tbsp
• Runny honey – 2 tbsp
• Baking powder – ⅛ tsp
• Sunflower oil – 1½ tbsp

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.

Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and gather together with your hands to form a ball. Kneed the mixture in the bowl until it is smooth. The mixture will start out feeling rather wet, but as the flour absorbs the honey and oil, the dough will become firmer. It should look very glossy and have no cracks at all. If necessary, add some more oil to moisten.

Pinch out enough dough to form balls of about the size of a walnut and place these balls on an ungreased baking sheet, 7.5 cm/3 in apart. Using the heel of your thumb and palm, flatten the balls of dough as thinly as possible. This can also be done using a metal spatula. Tuck any loose edges of the mixture back into the dough to form a circular cookie.

Bake for 20 minutes or until evenly golden and cooked thoroughly. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 8 cookies.

It wasn’t long ago that the only gluten free foods available were from health food stores. And they weren’t cheap either. These days though, the big chain grocery stores all have their own gluten free products. And there are now whole aisles in our local supermarkets dedicated to food that’s gluten free.

Grocery stores such as Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco all have their own ‘Free From’ ranges, as well as carrying other gluten free brands. Definitely worth checking out are Sainsbury’s gluten free muffins: they’re moist and sweet and taste like the real thing. And with Christmas coming up fast, it’s worth stocking up on Sainsbury’s gluten free Christmas pudding and gluten free mince pies. These come highly recommended. Delicious!

Tesco’s is another grocery store with their own ‘Free From’ range. Some of our favourites include the gluten free double chocolate cake. As well as cupboard staples like gluten free brown bread and gluten free pitta bread.

Mrs Crimble's Gluten Free Chocolate Macaroons

Another grocery store with a gluten free range is Asda. We particularly like Asda’s gluten free penne pasta and spirals pasta. These both cook really well and don’t disintegrate into a wallpaper paste consistency like some gluten free pastas.

All the high street grocery stores carry other gluten free brands such as Glutano, Kelkin, Tru Free, Organ, and Juvela. Don’t forget to try Mrs Crimble as well, now available in most of the major supermarkets. The gluten free chocolate macaroons are amazing. But will you be able to stop at one?

What grocery stores stock your favourite gluten free products? Let us know.