O! hole-y goodness

A midnight shop at Tesco Extra, a wander down their ever expanding Free From aisle, and lo and behold three new flavours of Udi's Gluten Free Bagels bringing the range to a selection of six. That's Plain, Savoury, and (the ever elusive) Cinnamon & Raisin now joined by Multi Seeded, Chocolate Chip, and Sundried Tomato; all proudly gluten and dairy free. This latter will be key for kookaberries's visit from Berlin as her lactose intolerance combined with vegetarianism and my gluten intolerance will make for quite the 'free-from' weekend.

Udi's GF bagel selection at Tesco

Udi's website doesn't even list the three newcomers so perhaps Tesco is testing the line. I am hoping to see a classic sesame seed bagel join the lineup before long as Montréal bagels remain, three years on, one of the most missed elements from home.

Grate Cooking

The last time I flew home to Montreal, my parents were wary as to what they would feed me if not the staples of my diet the first 25 years of my life (pasta, bread, and beer). The weather was fantastic so twist of a nozzle, up went the flames and the barbecue presented me with what I quickly learned was one of the most reliable ways to cook gluten-free.

Gluten-free Barbecuing

Back to London, and we invested in a charcoal BBQ, which, while admittedly more finicky and time consuming than a gas one, lends a wonderful smoky taste and smell to whatever we happen to be grilling the hell out of. A whole meal came out of the first BBQ session, chicken brochettes (cubed peppers, onion and mango), slathered in paprika and a bit of a honey mustard glaze and to the flames/ashen charcoal they go. Jacket potatoes wrapped in foil rested directly on the coals and to make the most of the hot grilling space (a small rectangle is much more ergonomically sensible than a round grill) we threw on a package of my favourite Heck gluten-free sausages for good measure, thinking there might be a few left over for breakfast. We thought wrong. It was bloody fantastic.


 Now to brainstorm ideas for barbecued desserts.

Jackpot Mainland Europe

Finding an expansive and well-stocked shop of gluten free items both new and familiar is bliss.

The Vitalia health food store in Alexanderplatz S-Bahn station in Berlin is a right gold mine of gluten free food. Thanks to my friend kookaberries, whom I was going to visit in Berlin, who in turn linked me to the wonderful Gluten Frei Berlin blog, this little gem of a shop did not go overlooked. Stocking a very wide range of Dr Schär products - who are the parent company of the Dietary Specials brand in the UK - I quickly regretted traveling with only hand luggage as I could have easily stocked a suitcase of goodies to bring home. I was quite impressed with their variety of frozen goods, breads and flours in such a compact location; the latter, in particular an all-purpose flour blend by Schär, was used to create a luscious lemon meringue pie.

Imagine my sheer excitement when 2 months later I find the same range and diversity of products in Italy, everywhere from a positively massive gluten-free aisle at the Coop megastore in Modena to the tiny local grocery store in a town of 1000 people. From Barilla's own gluten free pasta range (oh how I've missed your assorted shapes!) to Schär's special Savoiardi biscuits, with which I will attempt to create a Tiramisu.