Christmas Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Rolls - Boots

Apologies for not have blogged in a good while - to keep up with what I am doing you can however visit my Twitter and Instagram pages that are (nearly) always up to date! 

I don't know about you, but I am a massive fan of the Boots meal deal of a lunch time. I work in a busy environment and don't really get the chance to have a proper lunch break. Having said this, I do find the options in Boots a lot broader than they used to be - and now, they have introduced their Christmas Gluten Free Roll. 

Considering Boots never used to have any products I could eat, now they are so popular it's a miracle if you can get your hands on them. 

T :) x

Weekends Away When Gluten Free

Weekends away are something I dread. I dread them with a passion. Especially if you are going with people you don't really know that well! 

One of my good friends is getting married next month, and this weekend was her hen do. 

For a moment I forgot my dietary requirements and was excited when first asked to go away to Bath for the weekend. 

Then the anxiety kicked in...what am I going to eat? Am I going to have to bring my own food...if we eat out where will be eating? 

It turned out I didn't need to worry. The maid of honour made me feel so comfortable and had accommodated to my needs - which she really didn't have to do - but it was so nice to feel at ease!

On the Friday we stayed in and had a dinner party with lots of prosecco, popcorn and films. We had home made gluten free Lasagne, which was AMAZING.

Everyone had gluten free Lasagne and said they couldn't tell the difference! It really was great. 

For breakfast we had scrambled egg and again..I had my very own bread which made all the difference. 

For lunch we went to Brasserie Blanc - where they had a great set menu. 2 courses for £9.99 and they had a few gluten free options, which was amazing! Again this was something thought about by the maid of honour, which meant that I didn't have to umm and ahhh about whether I could eat in there or not...and be the annoying embarrassing one who 'can't' eat this'. 

I generally worry when I go on weekends away with people I don't really know, but this weekend was so lovely, perfectly organised, and I even had Genius croissants like everyone else to help the hangover on Sunday morning. 

T :) x

Are M&S planning to take over the Gluten Free market?

Are M&S planning to take over the Gluten Free Market? Probably not, but it is amazing that they are making a conscious effort with so many of their products, ensuring they are clearly labelled as Gluten Free, and introducing products that people like me really appreciate. There is now a wide range of products available in all sized M&S stores, from cocktail sausages to chicken nuggets and from scotch eggs to sandwiches.

You can walk into an M&S store and pick yourself up a range of sandwiches, with great fillings. Cheese Ploughman, BLT, Ham Salad rolls and of course, my favourite the Christmas Sandwich which has been missed off the product list for some years. We now get to enjoy a festive sandwich along with all the other lunchers. 

While the price point of these products are still a little higher than the average person can afford on a daily basis, it is so nice to be able to go into a store and not have to check the

back of every packet. Even ‘normal’ products such as the tortilla chips now have clear labelling so you can see they are gluten free. Some people aren’t a fan of allergy branding and making people aware products are gluten free, but for me, personally it really helps and I think it should be rolled out across the grocery sector.

Who knew scotch eggs would ever be something available to buy in packets, the same with pork pies and sausage rolls. These typically British foods that I had been brought up on are now available so I can eat them (and I don’t have to badger my mum to make me a batch!) and I am chuffed to bits.

 This isn’t to say I eat them every day, but when you can’t have something, it’s all the more exciting when you can have it. Picnics have resumed normality!

Thank you M&S for your range, your dry products such as bread, pasta and cakes are also growing, from a single shelf to now a filled rack in most stores. 

Brian the Bicycle and Udi's Bagel Brunch

On Wednesday Brian the Bicycle visited me at my office on the Strand - London. 

It was a great surprise to have bagels delivered to the office and everyone enjoyed a free lunch (some didn't even know they were Gluten Free - how great is that!!). 

Thanks Udi's for visiting with Brian - I hope he has safe travels around the countries promoting a great Gluten Free brand!