A Good Gluten Free Party
Tonight, I went to the launch party for Celia lager at the Regent Pub in Islington.
The pub supplied some of their gluten-free pizzas and there was also a selection of savouries like quiches from the WAGFree Bakery in Brixton.
What more could a coeliac want?
Everybody seemed delighted with the beer and the accompanying food.
I’ve already virtually finished the twenty-four bottles of Celia lager I bought a couple of weeks ago from Deli Divine and ordered some more yesterday. So at least I’m voting with my wallet.
The Guy From Iceland Has A Point
In this article on the BBC web site, the boss of the Iceland chain, blames councils for forcing down meat quality and prices.
Local councils are to blame for driving down food quality with cheap food contracts for schools and hospitals, the boss of Iceland has said.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, Malcolm Walker said the “problem really lies” with councils buying food from the poorly supplied catering industry.
He may not be totally right, but I do think he has a point.
I must admit, that I have met several individuals, who through their farm or company have supplied the big supermarkets for a number of years and from their comments, dealing with the supermarkets isn’t always as difficult, as the press would have us believe. But then saying the supermarkets are honest and good, doesn’t sell newspapers.
An Obvious Shortcut
I did chuckle, when I saw this sign outside of a pub.
An Obvious Shortcut
It’s funny, but Π for pie is rather obvious and simple, but I’ve never seen it used this way before.
When Did We First Test For Horse DNA In Beef?
This may seem to be an obvious question, but I can’t seem to be able to find the answer on the Internet.
There is also the related question of when were we able to test for equine DNA in beef?
After all, if we’ve been able to do this for some years, could we have detected the fact that crooks were putting horse in beef earlier? And then there’s how long has it all been going on?
Perhaps, we should ask people if they find a Findus beef lasagne or any of the other suspect products in the freezer with a date of last year, they should take it to get tested.
Love Is In The Air!
Or is it the Tube?
Love Is In The Air!
I took this picture this afternoon. I hope this guy’s extensive preparations went down well with his wife!
In some ways, I miss St. Valentine’s Day more than others, as C and I usually went somewhere nice to have a meal. I’d also usually got her some nice underwear or cashmere from one of the many on-line sales after Christmas. She was very easy to buy underwear for, as she was a very common size and she always liked expensive sets, that she knew had been picked up for a bargain.
It’s now six years since I had a good St. Valentine’s Day. Tonight, I’ll be cooking myself a pork chop with some vegetables and watching the football. I shall probably have a couple of Celias.
Call To Scrap Gluten-Free Food Prescriptions
This article on the BBC’s web site, talks about a call in a learned journal for gluten-free prescriptions to be stopped on the NHS.
I have had gluten-free prescriptions in the past, but quite frankly, living where I do now, to take them would be a waste of my time and the NHS’s money.
So what specific gluten-free foods do I buy?
1. A few ginger cakes from Waitrose, as I find they help my dry throat. I can’t make cakes any more and to be fair, I haven’t got any cake tins.
2. I usually have one loaf of Genius bread a week, which I can buy from any number of outlets locally, like Waitrose, Sainsbury or the Co-op.
3. I’m not much of a biscuit person, but I probably eat one pack a fortnight. I actually prefer genius toast with Benecol and jam.
4. As you see from this blog, I do buy the odd ready-meal like the venison from Marks and Spencer. But these are the standard product.
5. I buy some of the EatNatural gluten-free breakfast cereal. I get through about a packet a week.
6. I do buy a specialist gluten-free beer called Celia over the Internet.
If I take out the beers, which are £2.10 each, I probably spend under ten pounds a week on specific gluten-free food. Although of course, I do spend quite a bit more on quality fish, meat, vegetables and fruit.
If I had to get gluten free food on prescription, it would mean going to the surgery and back. Probably I’d walk, which would be good for me, but I have better things to do with my time. I’d then have to go to the pharmacy to collect it.
So for people like me, this would be no inconvenience at all.
Obviously, for those on a very limited income, it might be more of a problem.
But the real key to a successful gluten-free diet is to eat lots of natural foods like meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. None of these cost more if you are a coeliac, as they’re all naturally gluten free.
The expensive gluten-free items to buy are bread, biscuits, cakes, sandwiches and beer. But it could be argued that most people eat too much of these anyway.
If gluten-free food was stopped on the NHS, the only people who would complain, would be the chattering classes, who are probably allergic to nuclear power, HS2, fracking, the Supersewer, the Congestion Charge and using public transport. Many though, like me, will probably have their lunches in upmarket cafes like Carluccio’s.
I would apply the money saved in the NHS, by using it to subsidise the cost of quality gluten-free bread, pasta and perhaps some cakes and biscuits. So for example a gluten-free loaf would then cost very much the same as a quality gluten-rich one.
That way all coeliacs would benefit.
It would also create jobs. Just think of the quality sandwich shop, where the owner makes his own sandwiches to order. So you want gluten-free bread? – No problem!
We don’t have a coeliac health problem over diet in this country. We have a health problem over diet. So let’s solve them all together with a proper integrated policy to get everybody eating well.
You won’t get everyone to eat better, but at least you’ll get some avoiding the problems of a bad diet.
Eating Off The Menu
On Saturday in Manchester, I noticed that Carluccio’s were serving vitello tonnato as a starter. Now it is one of my favourites.
So today, when I ate with my son in their restaurant near Oxford Circus, he negotiated a large portion for me, to eat as a main course. It went down a treat.
Coeliacs like me, often find that what is on the menu can be easily modified by the removal of an ingredient, from a dish with gluten to one that is totally gluten-free.
A part of Carluccio’s gluten-free menu is created by taking the standard dishes and removing something like bread and it is a technique used in quite a few restaurants.
But some restaurants aren’t so flexible, when it is obvious to those with rudimentary cooking skills like me, that simple changes can make a meal gluten-free.
These will not get my custom!
I’ve talked here with respect to coeliac disease, but it equally well applies to other dietary and other preferences.
I also remember a few years back, when I spoke on the radio to a well-known celebrity chef about his attitude to providing gluten-free food. He said, that providing you need it, when you book the table, no good restaurant should ever refuse to provide something suitable.
He said, that if they do, then they are not a good restaurant! And they are not worthy of your custom!
Marks And Spencer Get Their Timing Right
Last night, I tried one of Marks and Spencer’s new FullerLonger meals.
Marks And Spencer’s Venison
As you can see it’s slow-cooked venison in a red wine and onion sauce.
It has only been about a couple of weeks and note the “New” on the packaging.
With all the horsemeat problems, this problem just says impeccable timing by Marks and Spencer, although there is some beef stock and gelatine in the product. And the only allergen is a small amount of skimmed milk!
And Now The McCamembert!
This product (?) is being launched in McDonalds in France and the row is reported here in The Australian, although I first saw the story in The Times.
It’s certainly one, I won’t be buying as camembert is not one of the cheeses I like. But I haven’t been into a McDonalds except for a Coke or some fries for about fifteen years.
The Best Food I’ve Ever Tasted
I’ve eaten in some amazing restaurants and I’ve also eaten very well in my own house or those of others.
But whether, I’m talking about meat, fish, fruit or vegetables, all good food has one thing in common.
It has been cooked from the finest ingredients, that have been grown or gathered with the utmost care.
I remember eating some vegetables once in guest house in a small stately home, that was owned by the local farmer somewhere near Bishop Auckland. He had grown the vegetables in the kitchen garden and didn’t serve any vegetables he didn’t grow. I’ve also eaten vegetables and chickens raised in the same way on a West Indian island and the taste couldn’t be faulted.
I actually don’t think either of these places were certified organic, but they were just grown, by someone who knew their stuff.
And this is the key fact, when you are growing food. It’s all about knowledge and careful husbandry.
I’ve also had beef, that was illegally home-killed by the farmer. But as he shot the animal in the field, there was no stress. It was without compare!
The trouble is that most people don’t know the taste of real food! To find out the difference this summer, try a few strawberries from a proper farm or garden, where they are grown with care and compare them to those in the local supermarket.
I don’t like parsnips. But three years ago, we did a favour for a farmer, who grew them for the supermarkets. He brought round a tray of just harvested and hand washed parsnips from the field, as part of the thanks. Because they were quality vegetables, just an hour or so out of the field, they were unrecognisable when compared to the product sold in any supermarket. And yet they were the same!
In my view, the only reason to buy organic food, is that the farmer has put more care into its production. So for a start they’ve probably grown it in their best field, and as they get a premium price, they’ve made sure, it’s had the best of husbandry.
The Anonymous Widower 