My Gluten Free Guide to Broadway Market - London

Broadway market is a Victorian Street Market that runs every Saturday in Hackney, London. It is open from 9-5 and it offers so much from flowers to gluten free meringues. There are also loads of cute shops and restaurants running along side it. It is honestly such a bustling and enjoyable place.

The closest station to get off at if you are coming in from London would be London Fields. The market is just a short walk away through the park from London Fields station. We got the tube to Liverpool Street and then the overground to London Fields, it didn't take too long.

I thought I would put together a few recommendations from my visit to share with you all. It is a must visit!

Eat n Mess

Eat n Mess is honestly a must visit at the market. Their range of gluten free baked goodies is amazing. From cookie pies to smores cheesecake slices. It is gluten free heaven! I was so stuck with what to choose because it all looked amazing. I eventually chose the smores cheesecake, chocolate orange cookie pie and a peanut butter and jam donut. I have tried all of them since I visited and they are all heaven. The flavours are just incredible, proper melt in your mouth moment!

They also have a cafe in Sevenoaks in Kent if anyone is local to there or visiting.

Floris Bakery

Floris bakery is another gluten and wheat free bakery which is also just amazing! They do all sorts also from arancini balls to jam and custard donuts. I again could't decide what to pick! But I decided to try a jam donut and the custard donut pictured above.

Meringue Girls

Meringue Girls has the most amazing selection of meringues that are 70p each. The flavours range from passionfruit to chocolate. They all looked so delicious but unfortunately I couldn't try them all! I picked up a passionfruit one and it was so sweet and tasty. 

They also had some large meringues but I just went for a small one as I had already eaten a lot!

The Bach

The Batch is a cafe at the bottom end of Broadway Market. I visited here after lots of recommendations from other people who have visited, and I am glad I did!

It is the perfect brunch spot, it is quite small but there is a few tables and seats outside as well which would be lovely when it is nice weather! So it can get full really quickly and they do say to try and go before 11am as it gets busier after then.

Their menu has plenty of gluten free options on and they are really clued up on allergens. Again, with plenty of choice it was so hard to pick what to have!

I decided to go for the gluten free cheese and ham toastie with tomato chutney and it was delicious!

I was so surprised because I literally got two toasties instead of one!! It's fair to say I couldn't eat it all but I did give it a good go!

Makatcha Eats

Makatacha eats is a fully gluten free indonesian curry stall. There were three different types of curry available on the day and I decided to try the vegan one as it looked sooo good with the mushrooms, chickpeas and rice! And I was right in what I thought because it was sooo delicious! I would never usually go for a vegan curry, I love a meaty curry however this one really caught my eye. It was slightly spicy but was great because I was full of cold at the time!!

Other places I found but did not try:

1. Galettes stall

I also found a galette stall that offered gluten free galettes. I don't think they were all gluten free so there is a cross contamination issue for me there as they make them on the spot. So if you do want to try them, I would recommend speaking to them about allergies first.

3. Osu Cocunuts

Osu Cocunuts are a pancake company and their pancakes are 100% coconut based and gluten free. They were offering Berry Mad pancakes with berry coulis, coconut caramel sauce and date syrup. The other pancake that they offered was banana choc which had caramelised banana, peanut butter and chocolate sauce. They both sounded absolutely delicious however I was so full again, I could not stomach a pancake! 

However, with it being 100% gluten free, I would try it next time I visit!

So there we have it! That is my gluten free guided to Broadway Market in London. I would highly recommend visiting if you haven't visited yet, it is just amazing!

My top tips for traveling with coeliac disease

One thing that I find that I get asked a lot is tips for travelling. So I thought I would write a blog post with my top tips. These may not all suit you, but they are things that suit me and I find most helpful!

1. Plenty of research is KEY

I will not go anywhere unless I have researched it before hand. I find it incredibly important, because the last thing you want is to end up somewhere and not be able to eat anything. And of course, naturally when you are just diagnosed, this is something that can be easily done. I didn't think as much into things when I was first diagnosed then what I do now.

Firstly, when you are going abroad, it is generally either self catering, bed and breakfast, half board or all inclusive. If you are going self catering, you obviously need all the cooking facilities and storage facilities, which I am sure you will in self catering accommodation. However, with self catering you are going to be eating out a lot, unless you are cooking in the accommodation.

What I usually do is just search into google (for example if I am going on a holiday to Prague) "gluten free Prague" and you will find that it comes up with LOADS of pages on recommendations into gluten free places to eat in Prague. 

When you find a restaurant that you might like, go onto Trip Advisor and search in the box "gluten free" and it will come up with all the reviews with the word "gluten free" in. Or you can even search "coeliac" and reviews may come up with that word in.

I would only ever go to a restaurant if it has good reviews and recommendations from people that have actually experienced it. A lot of restaurants think it is okay to put "gluten free options" but actually, a lot of people have had bad experiences with the restaurant.

If you are going bed and breakfast, half board or all inclusive I would highly recommend doing your research on the hotel beforehand. Best ways of doing this are:

• Contacting the hotel (emailing them or phoning)
• Again, searching on trip advisor, click onto the hotel and then search the key words in the search bar
• Search on Facebook groups or ask for recommendations. Some pages that I recommend are "Coeliacs in the UK" or "Coeliacs Abroad" there are loads of support pages. I would recommend joining them and having a search through.

2. Take the essentials

Essentials to me are snacks and medication. If you can fit it in your suitcase then take a few snacks with you. I would recommend checking with the airline as I wouldn't like to say how much you can take into different countries. There is loads of different dried goods that you can take: biscuits, bread etc.

Firstly, I carry some important medication on me that I feel I need to be with at all times. I will put some in my suitcase as well. Again please be careful about taking medication in your hand luggage/hand bag into certain countries (I wouldn't like to say how much you can take and where)

The things that are most important for me are imodium, buscopan and my lansoprazole. I generally do not go anyway without these. General medications as well I make sure I bring is paracetamol and ibuprofen. These are just the important ones for me in case I get poorly, but you will more than likely have different medications to me.

3. Translation cards

There are loads of translation cards out there in loads of different languages that you can download or print out and take along with you. Just as an example this is one website: http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/

Of course if you have a family member or friend that is knowledgable at a certain language then maybe you could get them to help you out also.

4. Don't be afraid to ASK!

One thing that I find with travelling is that you just have to ask. There is no harm in going up to someone in a restaurant or someone that is trying to get you into a restaurant on the street and just asking if they cater for gluten free/coeliacs.

Sometimes with certain places i.e Ibiza, a lot of the members of staff are English as it is a place they work for the season. So a lot of people will liaise with the rest of the restaurant staff and the chefs to check they can cater for you. Sometimes it is more reassuring when there is no language barrier there for confusion.

5. Travel insurance

Another thing that I find really important is travel insurance. A lot of people just brush this off and think that they will not need it and then when it comes to them needing it, they regret it. I always get travel insurance wherever I go out of the country. You should also really declare that you in case you to get really poorly on holiday from eating gluten.

So these are my main tips for traveling with coeliac disease! I hope they are helpful to you all. I have a few travel guides on my blog in case you wanted to check any of them out to help you with recommendations that I have. Head to www.glutenfreedanielle.blogspot.com/search/label/Travel if you would like to check them out!

Danielle x

Popcorn Shed Review

Popcorn Shed sent me a few samples of their range to try and I can honestly say I really enjoyed the majority of them!

So I thought I would review each one of them for you guys. I think the ones in the shed style boxes are the perfect stocking fillers for Christmas. I honestly think the packaging is so eye catching and just fabulous for a present!

1. Butterly Nuts

So this one is Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn with Roasted Peanuts. This one was 100% my favourite, I could eat sooo much of this. I love peanut butter so the taste was perfect for me. It obviously does contain dairy with it having butter in it, however it is 100% gluten free. This one I can definitely recommend, 10/10!

2. Pop 'n' Choc

I wasn't sure on this one at first, I never really eat chocolate popcorn so at first it was a weird taste, but then I did get into it. It is chocolate caramel popcorn with Belgian milk chocolate. It does have the perfect chocolatey taste in my opinion, and I do actually like how its not a dark chocolate popcorn, I really prefer milk chocolate. This one also contains dairy but is again, 100% gluten free. I would give this one a 8/10 😊

3. Salted Caramel

This one was another one of my favourites, I just love anything to do with salted caramel, it is one of my faves! This one is as it says on the tin, salted caramel popcorn with a hint of creamy Belgian milk chocolate. Absolute yumminess if that is even a word! 😆 This one I would give a 9/10. It does contain dairy, however is 100% gluten free.

4. Berry-Licious

This one unfortunately for me I didn't like. I really am not into mixing fruit with popcorn, I just don't like it. To be fair, I am not a particularly fruity person when it comes to snacks. This one however, you may enjoy if you do like that. It is raspberry & dark chocolate caramel popcorn. The 3 for me just do not mix unfortunately, however my boyfriend did enjoy them. This one again is 100% gluten free but does contain dairy. I would give this a 3/10.

5.  Say Cheese!

Cheesy popcorn... I was scared about trying this one and the other cheesy one that they do. Again, it is something I wouldn't usually mix! This one is just cheddar cheese and I actually really liked it! I do love cheddar cheese in general, I don't really mix my cheeses I just generally stick to cheddar or red liecester 😆 So this one obviously has dairy in it with it being a cheesy popcorn, but is 100% gluten free. I would give this a 7/10.

6. Pecan Pie

This one was honestly so yummy. I absolutely love pecans and this was perfect. It is caramel popcorn with pecan nut pieces. I know.. sounds delicious doesn't it! I loved it finding the pecan pieces within the pop corn as well 😆 This one also contains dairy but is 100% gluten free. I would give this one a 9/10!

7.  Sweet Cheesus!

Another cheesy popcorn which I was quite nervous to try! These ones are kind of like a bush tucker trial when you're not sure and you just have to go for it 😆 This one is actually a mixture of cheddar cheese and caramel which is such a strange mix! In all honesty I did prefer the say cheese ones just because they were not mixed with caramel. But if you want to try a quirky flavour this is definitely the one to try! This one obviously again contains dairy however is 100% gluten free. I would give this one a 4/10!

So you can buy all of these flavours that I have reviewed on their website, click here: Popcorn Shed and you can buy all of their shed packs which are £3.50 each. They also do jar's of popcorn as well which is another fab stocking filler idea! You can also pick them up in Superdrug, Selfridges, Harrods, Waitrose food hall's, The Co-Op and on Not on the High Street, Amazon and Ocado.

Enjoy! 😊

Gluten Free Cheese Scones

Ever since I was diagnosed I have craved Gluten Free Cheese Scones a lot! So I thought I would share my recipe with you all incase you feel the same way! They are super easy to make and you can also put your own twist on them if you want to!

Ingredients:

1. 350g Self Raising Gluten Free Flour (I used doves farm for mine)
2. Baking powder (I bought mine from Dr Oetker)
3. Salt
4. 60g Margerine
5. 75/80g Mature Chedder Cheese
6. 200ml Milk

Method:

1. Set your oven to 180c fan/ 200 degrees/ gas mark 6
2. Mix all together the 350g self raising flour, 1 1/2 tea spoons of your baking powder, 1/4 tea spoon of salt and the margerine. Rub in the margerine until the mixture turns into breadcrumbs.
3. Next mix in about half of your cheese into the mixture. Obviously the more cheese the more cheesier it will be so feel free to put whatever you want into the mixture!
4.Next, mix in the 200ml of milk to make a dough. I used 200ml but pour in what you think is right, do it gradually so it makes a nice dough. If you think you need less or you need more add it into the mixture.
5. Sprinkle some flour onto your chopping board or clean work top and place the dough on it.
6. Pat down the dough until its about 2-3cm thick.
7. Cut the dough into whatever shape you would like your scones to be! I did squares however I wish i did circles when making them so go for circles if you want to, or even hearts!
8. Put the dough shapes onto a baking tray and brush them over with some milk. Sprinkle the rest of your cheese on top of them also.
9. Bake for 17-18 minutes. 
10. Once baked leave to cool and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy making these! Make sure to tag me in your pictures if you do 😊

Danielle x

My Gluten Free Guide to Tenerife

So I went to Tenerife at the beginning of October on my holidays and naturally I was worried about what I was going to eat there.
We went all inclusive which I was really nervous about. I contacted the hotel before we booked it to see if they did any gluten free options and they said they can do gluten free pasta and bread. It was enough for me as I knew that we would eat out as well and the drinks would be all inclusive. The hotel wasn't the best, I wouldn't really recommend it to people with allergies. However, on the buffet which was help your self at set times they did have labels with allergens on, so I did get a bit more into it towards the end of the holiday when I familiarised myself with everything. If you guys do want to check the hotel out, it was Compostela Beach and Golf Apartments.

I firstly highly recommend Tenerife as a holiday. It's gorgeous, it has loads to do and is perfect for everyone! We stayed in the Playa De Las Americas area and I personally think this is great for couples/family holidays. There is loads to do for kids as well as adults.
One thing I will also say is that Siam Park is a must if you go. It is honestly the best water park ever.

So like my other Gluten Free Guide's I decided to write one up for you guys on my trip to Tenerife:

1. Siam Park

I read up on what to eat at Siam Park and saw something about the beach cafe so decided to try there. As soon as I mentioned to the server that I was gluten free he told me exactly what I could have and was really helpful.

I decided to go for the roast chicken and chips that they had. He went and got a chicken that had been cooked separately to the chickens that you could see roasting. The fries were gluten free so I just went and helped myself to them.
Naughty but they do say you cannot bring food in with you.. but us Coeliac's know a way around this. I just wrapped some crisps I had brought prior in our towels in my beach bag and brought them in with me. You could easily bring some sandwiches etc as well if you wanted to!

2. Taste Sin Gluten - Av. La Habana, 11, 38650 Los Cristianos

I had to visit this Restaurant whilst I was staying in the area. It is a 100% gluten free restaurant! Just a tip with finding this: when I put it into my apple maps it really was not clear where the restaurant was, we couldn't find it. It will take you to the road but not to the restaurant. Further up the road there is a whole row of restaurants, it is above the restaurant called Habib, so just look out for that and you will see the Taste Sin Gluten sign 😊

The food was so amazing! And the view made it even better. It is right over the beach so you can watch the sunset if you go there for dinner. I had the Calamari and chips and my Boyfriend had steak which was also lovely! The staff were so attentive as well which made the whole experience. Highly recommend!

3. Mcdonalds

I mean you have to visit a Mcdonalds when you're abroad! Not going to lie I think I may have had one nearly every day... but oh well! Just down from Taste Sin Gluten is the beach and there is a Mcdonalds along there. I also went to one in Playa De Las Americas which is just on the strip of Veronicas.

Yumm! You have to go all out and make the most of it!

4. Hard Rock Cafe - Av. Las Americas, 38660 Playa De Las Americas

We love to visit Hard Rock Cafes if we can as we went to one in Barcelona last year and it was amazing. So we decided to visit the Hard Rock Cafe in Tenerife as I knew the standards had to be the same with allergens. Naturally I was quite nervous ordering but the waitress was really helpful. 

I went for the American style burger and fries which was soooo good. It is a must if you are visiting Tenerife!

5. Mercadona Supermarkets

To my excitement we had a Mercadona right outside our hotel so I knew I would be fine for food worst case scenario. The Mercadona's are amazing, they are full of gluten free food. I took some pictures of my favourites:

I could list so much more but these were my favourites. I found some chocolate bars with cookies in (I know), something similar to Smarties which are amazing and also an alternative to Maltesers! All sooo tasty! I also found Mercadona incredibly cheap. The Beers above were only 2 euros 75! I also found some gluten free churros which I was so happy about but they were frozen unfortunately so I couldn't bring them home with me! 

6. HiperDino Supermarkets

Another brilliant Supermarket chain is the HiperDino Supermarkets. All the labels with the prices on are white, however if the products are 'Sin Gluten' they are black... I know, amazing! I wish it was like that in the UK, it would be much easier than reading through all the ingredients! Just look at the black label and stick it in your trolley! Below are some of my favourite things I found:

I ended up buying some Chorizo to have with my gluten free pasta at the hotel on some nights which was nice! The chicken nuggets I was sooo excited about when I found them but unfortunately we didn't have a oven in our apartment. The cheesy puffs I bought a few packets of whilst I was there, and brought a couple home with me they are amazing! They also had a couple of Schar breads as well in there.

So that is my Gluten Free Guide to Tenerife! Feel free to contact me on my social media if you would like any more tips! I hope this helps someone who was just as nervous as I was! 😊

Danielle x

A Gluten Free Guide to Playa D'en Bossa Ibiza

Welcome to my Gluten Free Guide to Playa D'en Bossa, Ibiza! Going on a "party holiday" is quite nerve wracking I think when you are Coeliac so I have decided to write this guide to try help other Coeliac's out! I think I get quite nervous just because you're not sure what you will be able to eat when you're out there and especially with the language barrier. I would really recommend doing your research before so you are prepared!

I was really surprised that a lot of places I went to were really helpful. Don't get me wrong sometimes I was too nervous to eat the full meal however some places were really reassuring. I feel it's more the cross-contamination that I get worried about or people presuming that gluten isn't in certain foods like sausages, beans etc.

So here goes!

1. El Limonero Ibiza - Calle Argelagues 15, 07817  (behind Sankeys night club)

This is literally the perfect place if you are Coeliac to eat at. The owner is English and he was extremely helpful with my needs. He said that a girl who works for him is Coeliac also which was really reassuring! He came over and told me everything that I could have off the menu that was safe to eat and even could adapt some of his dishes. He said that he had gluten free pasta and that he could make me something, and that the meatballs were gluten free also. When we had ordered he came out with the binding agent that he uses for his sauces and showed me the ingredients which was lovely.

He then came out with some bread and dip for me which I didn't even ask for which was lovely!

The food was so tasty and exactly what I wanted. The only critical thing I would have to say is that it's quite expensive, so I would go for a treat. However it's exactly what you want when visiting a restaurant and especially in a foreign country is someone that is so helpful and reassuring.

2. Ibiza Rocks Diner - Carrer de Porreres, 07817

We ate here a few times during the time that we were in Ibiza as pretty much everything off the menu except from the bread was gluten free. They even do gluten free carrot cake! Staff again were really helpful and the food was very tasty!

The first time I ate there I had the loaded potato skins with cheese and bacon on which were so nice.

So cheesy which is what you want on a dish like this!

And then the second time was for breakfast and I had eggs, bacon, sausages and beans.

Literally the perfect breakfast for when you are hungover! 😆

And then finally the third time that we ate there I did go big with this meal! I had the skinny burger (no bun) with salad and then on the side I had the loaded potato skins again (couldn't resist having them again! 😆)

So I really would recommend this place! Reassuring and very tasty food!

3. Rona's Deli - Calle Porreres, 07817

This place is actually on the same street as the Ibiza Rocks Diner. I researched this place before and it said actually at the time it was the number one place to eat in Playa D'en Bossa!

It's a burger restaurant that do gluten free buns, they also do gluten free beer! The lady that worked there was so helpful and was really chatty which was nice!

The burger was presented really well. It was so meaty which is what you expect from a good burger! The bun was not dry which is a bonus and just tasted so good! I would really recommend this place for anyone that's visiting the area.

4. Burger King - Av. Pere Matutes Noguera, 116, 07800

I mean visiting a Burger King abroad is a must for a Coeliac. They do gluten free buns which are amazing! Unfortunatley the chips are not gluten free sadly. I had the cheese burger a couple of times which was absolutely divine!

Not incredibly expensive either with is great! If you struggle with finding it, it is just round the corner from Sankeys and opposite SWAG Ibiza.

5. Mumak - Calle Porreres, 1, 07817

This place is on the same street as Rona's and Ibiza rocks diner and it's right on the beach which is so pretty. This is another place that I had researched prior to visiting Ibiza and it was really nice. They did have a few gluten free options that one of the waitors listed out to me but I had heard before that the Pad Thai was gluten free so I decided to opt for that.

It was soo nice! I couldn't finish it all as I get really nervous eating out but once I knew I was fine after eating it I took some in a box with me. Tasted amazing and the chicken and prawns were really nice also. I have to say the lady that initially served us was not helpful at all but I spoke to another man which was really helpful.

6. Dausol Resataurante - Carrer de la Murtra 4, 07817

Spotted this place on the off chance as they had a sign outside stating that they had gluten free food so decided to check it out for breakfast. It is on the same road as Burger king and is just opposite Swag again which is a night club.

I wanted breakfast but they did say that they do gluten free pasta and pizza which is worth a try.

They do gluten free toast also but I didn't want to risk it. I just went for a minimal breakfast of just bacon, eggs and beans because again I get really nervous! The food ended up being really nice so I would really recommend if you fancy a quick bite to eat!

There is a Supermarket just up from the Restaurant which is just next to the La Sirena supermarket which sell the best gluten free sweets if you have not tried them yet!

Something that I really miss! Fair to say I brought a lot back with me! 😆 And if you follow my Instagram I did a competition with them as well!

Other spots:

If you are not staying in Playa D'en Bossa and you are staying in San Antonio, I have also been there before and it's really good for gluten free.

There is a Pizza Hut which do gluten free pizza's that are really nice. There is also several restaurants along the front where the large fountain is, one of them do really nice gluten free pizza but I cannot remember what it is called! There is also a place called Skinny Kitchen which have loads of gluten free options.

If you are visiting Ibiza town there is a Mcdonalds which is also really nice when you're going abroad to have!

So that is my gluten free guide to Ibiza! I hope it has helped you out if you are going! It's very nerve wracking but you just have to research and don't be afraid to ask places! If you would like recommendations on any other aspects of Ibiza like things to do, how much money to take etc just message me on Instagram or Twitter 😊

Have a great time!

10 Foods you may not know are Gluten Free! *correct as of May 2018

1. Asda's Own Gnocchi

So this Gnocchi is not actually in the free from section in Asda. It is actually in the section with all the wheat filled pasta's! I couldn't believe it when I saw it! £1.60 what a bargain! No gluten containing ingredients on the back of the packet, bonus!

2. Classic Beef Peperami

I found these a while back when i was routing through the chilled snacks. I was so excited when I saw on the back of the packet that they were marked as Gluten Free! Nothing on the front however so I wouldn't usually pick these up! I used to have these a lot when I was young, always something that was in my packed lunch! Yum!

3. Passions Prawn Crackers - From Aldi

I don't know about anyone else but I really miss prawn crackers from the Chinese Takeaway! These are sooo good! No gluten containing ingredients on the back so perfectly safe for us to eat... but very addictive! 

4. Yushoi Baked Pea Crisps

I picked these crisps to put on the list because it does not state on the front that they are gluten free, so not something I would usually pick up! But it has a lovely sign on the back to state that they are. I have to say I personally didn't think they looked too appetising to me when I saw them but I am always willing to try something new! They are actually really nice! They are low calorie and low fat so you can't go wrong!

5. Marks and Spencer's Chocolate Fudge Pudding

So I know that this has a small symbol on the front to state this is gluten free so possibly something you might pick up. However, It is in the section with all the gluten filled puddings so I generally would not look through this section. I was so happy when I found this, a massive Hot Chocolate Fudge Pudding, something I really miss. It tastes so good also, so I would highly recommend!

6. Tesco's Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich Filling

Now this has to be one of my favourite sandwich fillings. Southern Fried Chicken.. i mean! Again something I really miss in a sandwich and it has a gluten free crumb, yey! I always get this for my sandwiches, and it is only £1, bargain! 

7. Tesco's own Chipz

Before I was diagnosed I literally used to eat Pringle's all the time, they were my favourite! Tesco have their own brand called Chipz and have no gluten containing ingredients in them, yey! These are sooo good, I literally cannot eat just one, they are so addictive!

8. Tesco's Own Onion Bhajis

Something I really love with a Curry are Onion Bhajis. Tesco do their own with no gluten containing ingredients in them. They also do a takeaway version as well. I sometimes have these as a snack as well, I have loved them ever since I was diagnosed! Very yum!

9. Daim Chocolate Cake

So I usually find this in the freezer section in Tesco and it has a small gluten free symbol on the bottom. This is honestly so nice. Daim bar is one of my favourite chocolate bars anyway, so in a cake is even better! I put this on here because of it's small gluten free symbol on the front, I think it can be easily missed sometimes!

10. Tesco's Sushi

I found these a few days ago as I was really craving some sushi and I was so shocked to find that all of their sushi packs had no gluten containing ingredients in them! The reason why I was on the hunt was because I find a lot of sushi packs have gluten in their soy sauce, but these are all labelled gluten free on the back! I am now obsessed, love them!

So I hope if you are newly diagnosed and you're struggling to find things you like this this has hopefully helped you! Enjoy 😊😊