Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery Opens
Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery actually opened yesterday, but I only found out late last night from a waitress in Carluccio’s.
It was well worth a visit and I had a cup of tea, a chicken pie and a loaf of bread to take home for fourteen pounds.
The chicken pie was superb and was one of the best lunchtime snacks, I’ve ever had. The pastry was just how it should be and I’ve never had gluten-free pastry like it before.
If you want to go, the easiest way is to walk down Upper Street in Islington from either the Angel or Highbury and Islington stations. It’s virtually opposite Islington Town Hall.
A Great Way To Cook Cabbage
On Friday night, I cooked Lindsey Bareham’s recipe for Pork Chops With Braised Cabbage
A Great Way To Cook Cabbage
I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I doubt it would have been acceptable to life-long cabbage-haters like C.
A Fish Pie For St. David’s Day
Lindsey Bareham on Friday published a recipe called Cinty’s French Fish Pie.
As it used a lot of leeks, surely it is not French, but Welsh. The leeks were cooked in fifteen minutes, and placed in the bottom of one of my Le Creuset dishes, then covered with a fillet of haddock for each dish, which was then covered with crème fraiche and a crust of breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Here’s the finished pie.
![DSCN7850[1]](https://anonw.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dscn78501.jpg?w=450&h=337 "A Fish Pie For St. David's Day")
A Fish Pie For St. David’s Day
Have Just A Few Products Taken The Terror Out Of Gluten Free Cooking?
When I first came across a coeliac in 1972, who was a friend’s young son, life was very difficult for his mother. When C looked after the child, whilst his mother was working, the list he came with, was a short list of what he could eat!
When I was diagnosed in the early years of this century, things were a little better, but gluten-free bread was made from processed cardboard and gluten-free pasta had a special glue, that stuck it to the side of the saucepan.
Since C died in 2006, I’ve been responsible for my own cooking and in that time, I’ve relied heavily on the Dinner Tonight recipes of Lindsey Bareham in The Times. Over the years, I have a feeling that her recipes have got more coeliac-friendly, or at least friendlier to me, as I find more to try out. But then today, The Times has six quick weekend recipes, five of which are gluten-free except for the bread.
I do tend to ignore some recipes, like those involving pastry, as I don’t have a rolling-pin and feel that pastry might be too much for my left hand.
But now there are just a few products, that if you have in the cupboard or fridge, are all you need to create gluten-free meals, that those who eat gluten find acceptable. Obviously, you’ll need the same fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, as everybody else.
Gluten Free Bread
Genius is my favourite, but there are others, that other people prefer. As I write this, I’ve just had two pieces of Genius toast with Benecol and some Tiptree marmalade. When I was first diagnosed, I would have almost killed for some nice toast.
I once had a gluten-free crostini in a top drawer Italian restaurant in Den Haag and it was sublime, as the flavour was just right for all the garlic. Carluccio’s gluten-free crostinis are pretty good too!
What I would like is some really nice gluten-free crusty bread. But I suspect, I could find that at Romeo’s Gl;uten Free Bakery when it eventually opens.
Gluten Free Pasta
This was rubbish, when I first tasted it, but now I have a jar full of Carluccio’s excellent gluten free pasta on my worktop. I rarely eat pasta out, even in Carluccio’s, as I can cook it quickly at home if I want it.
I suspect as with the bread, others will prefer other brands of pasta, but they are all so much better than ten years ago.
Gluten Free Flour
Lots of recipes like the odd spoonful of flour. I use Dove’s Farm plain flour and haven’t found anywhere, where it hasn’t worked.
Gluten Free Sausages
I’ve always liked my sausages and when I lived near Newmarket, I got a liking to Musks gluten-free ones.
Now I live in London, they are difficult to find, so I usually use those from the Black Farmer or a specialist butcher.
I always have a six-pack of Black Farmers ready for action in the freezer!
Baked Beans
Most good tins of baked beans are gluten-free and as my dietician told me to have a small tin once a week to keep my cholesterol at the right level, I always have a tin in the cupboard.
Other Products
I also have a selection of not specifically gluten-free products, like Rachel’s yoghurt with honey, Waitrose ham hock, eggs, bacon, onions, butter, smoked salmon and a wide range of spices, so I can make a selection of appetising meals, whilst I’m watching the television.
I haven’t cooked a ready meal in six months.
Are Things Happening At Romeo’s?
I passed Romeo’s Gluten Free bakery on a 30 bus and took this picture.
Are Things Happening At Romeo’s?
The web site says that they’re opening in November 2013.
Change After Forty Years
My middle son, who is in his forties came round for supper last night.
For the first time ever, he had a cup of tea. Normally, he drinks coffee!
Gluten Free Ready Meals On Eurostar
On the Eurostar from Paris, I was very hungry. I had thought that there was no gluten-free food was available, but late in the journey on reading their on-board magazine, I found that they had two Waitrose ready meals in the cafe-bar.
They were not labelled as gluten-free, but was this an omission?
Mushroom Risotto is here on the Waitrose web site, where it is labelled as suitable for those avoiding gluten. The Chicken tikka masala shown here is also labelled as such.
It strikes me, that Eurostar are making a mistake somewhere.
Gatslow
There used to be adverts that talked of Gatquick, but on my flight out, it was one of the slowest experiences I’d had in any of London’s airports.
As I was travelling economy and the airport was extremely busy, I found it very difficult to find anywhere to sit.
One mistake I did make was to eat at Carluccio’s in Islington before I left for the airport, as I thought this would be easier, than queuing up at Jamie Oliver’s in the airport. It was easy and I had a good lunch, but if I’d gone to Jamie’s I’d have had somewhere pleasant to sit.
I thought Gatwick was getting better since it was sold, but it still isn’t fit for purpose!
Not Pure Genius
I needed a snack this afternoon and thought some Genius toast with some strawberry jam would do nicely!
Not Pure Genius
These were the first two slices I got from the packet! So they were discarded.
On the subject of holes, I’m always reminded of a story about a former MP, who died some months ago.
A friend of a close friend of my late wife’s was at a party when she was chatted up by the MP. He thought he had struck lucky and escorted the lady up to a bedroom.
Everything went fine, until he took off his shirt to reveal a grey vest with large holes in it.
Catkucios
This unusual spelling was used by my son, when he was suggesting where we might go for supper.
Is it a restaurant that serves moggies?
The Anonymous Widower 