The Gluten Free Blog

The nice people at Dietary Specials sent a gluten free starter pack to GFB towers this week. (Have you signed up for your starter pack yet? Do it now).

Inside were some DS Ciabatta white rolls (which were nearly as delicious as their brown rolls). Plus a packet of TruFree Digestive biscuits which I’m ashamed to say I practically finished off in one sitting. As a coeliac I’m used to eating gluten free delights. But how do they compare to the real thing? So, before I scoffed the entire packet, I let my gluten eating work colleagues try them out.

They described TruFree’s gluten free digestives as crispier and crunchier than normal digestives. Sort of chunkier, more like a cookie. Not as smooth as a normal digestive but that didn’t matter. And less sweet, which was nicer. And concluded these gluten free digestives would be perfect for cheese but not necessarily for dunking.

So there you have it. Market research. Sort of. If you’re a coeliac in a gluten eating family you could probably slip a packet of TruFree’s digestives into your biscuit tin and there probably wouldn’t be too much hullabaloo. Or you could hide them at the back of the cupboard and keep them for yourself.

TruFree gluetn free digestive biscuits are available in most UK supermarkets priced at approximately £1.80.

Gluten free ciabatta rolls from DS Gluten Free

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

Last week we received some gluten free ciabatta rolls from DS Gluten Free. 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 around £2 and are available in all major UK supermarkets. Try them for yourself and let us know what you think.

You can read more about these gluten free ciabatta rolls on the DS website.

A packet of DS Gluten Free Brown Ciabatta Rolls

Gluten free pasta is a staple of any coeliac sufferer’s diet. But what’s in gluten free pasta? And why do some taste like the real thing; while others taste like wallpaper paste?

Wheat free pasta is made from rice, corn, potato and vegetables. (Or more often than not a mix.)

Rice pastas
Orgran do a range of rice and rice/mix pastas including stoneground buckwheat and rice pasta; vegetable rice pasta; and a plain rice pasta. When you’re cooking, you need to keep an eye on the rice and rice/mix pastas otherwise they do have a tendency to go a bit gloopy. And they need a thorough rinse once they’re cooked.

Doves Farm do a number of rice based gluten free pastas that are organic and are really nutty and flavoursome. Favourites include their fusilli, penne and spaghetti.

Corn pastas
Corn (maize pastas) are quite neutral in taste and make a great base for spicy, tangy or creamy sauces. They’re often flavoured with spinach, peppers and sundried tomatoes as well. But, like rice pasta, corn pasta can fall apart quickly. So you need to ensure you don’t overcook it. One minute it looks fine and the next minute it’s a mushy paste in the bottom of your pan. Now personally, I think corn pasta gets a bit rubbery when it’s cool so it’s not great for salads.

Orgran do a number of corn only pastas which are pretty good.

Rice/corn mixes
The easiest gluten free pastas to cook – and the most versatile – are the corn and rice mix pastas. So it’s always worth having a couple of bags in the cupboard.

Doves Farm produces a delicious corn/rice penne, made in Italy. As does Dietary Specials, Orgran, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Our favourite gluten free pasta though is the buckwheat, corn and rice spirals from Hale & Hearty. Perfect with a tomato sauce, oven roasted vegetables, olives and smoked mozzarella. Delicious!