Stroud Farmers' Market

Window of Cornflower & Calico

Unlike our first visit to Glasgow the other week, Stroud in Gloucestershire is a place we have been to many times and also have a connection with, as both friends and family live in this hilly town on the edge of the Cotswolds. It had dawned on us recently, that several years had whizzed by since out last visit, so a timely invite from our old college friends was a welcome reason to make a weekend break of it.

It is always a culinary delight when visiting these particular friends, as the lady of the house has the ability to rustle up the most amazing meals in front of our eyes with what appears to be the absolute minimum of effort. As we sat catching up on the past few years, eggs benedict, on a bed of chard fresh picked from the allotment, was produced from scratch, and just as a lunch-time snack. Delicious! So it comes as no surprise that our friends are also huge fans of the multi-award winning Stroud Farmers' Market that takes place each Saturday in the streets surrounding Cornhill Market Place.

It was a bitterly cold wind that whooshed us down the steep hill into the town, with the two men making straight for the calorie-laden Pippin Doughnuts stall, (oh, if only!) followed by an interested mooch towards the Artisan Baker, where I was delighted to find (one) gluten-free loaf available.
"The rest have already been snapped up this morning" said the girl.
This must surely say something?!

Following this gluten free discovery, I made it my quest to see what else I could find. Funky Falafel clearly advertised their gluten-free products, and the Hinton Marsh Farm had gluten-free sausages.
"Only the plain GF ones today. Usually we rotate all the other flavours in turn"
I took a pack of the plain ones and having had them for tea last night, I can say they were truly delicious.

For the non-meat eaters there were plenty of wonderful vegetables available...

...as well as vegetarian options, often doubling with dairy-free and gluten-free.
As the men were indulging in the calorie laden doughnuts and cheeses, I was opting for these comparatively healthy and interesting gluten-free options, with products from both the Veggie Deli and Saira's South Asian Savouries having passed the 'ok for me' test!

Back to the off-limits but delicious looking home made pork pies from the Stowe Herd Farm (oh, if only!)...

...and a colourful array of local vegetables from Duncan Paget & Co...

...and hidden away at Hobbs House Bakery, these happy little chaps!

On a morning where sharp rain showers punctuated the sunshine and the bitter wind whipped the awning covers into the faces of the passing shoppers, it certainly didn't seem to deter the masses coming out to visit this veritable congregation of culinary delights (and indeed, other products too). For those of us with dietary requirements, I'm pleased to say there was plenty of choice here, which is reassuring to see.

With our bulging bags wafting their delicious aromas, we began the long climb back up the steep hill, stopping off along the way for a reviving cuppa in front of the fire at the Bisley House Bar.
What a delightful way of spending a Saturday morning.




(Thanks to all for allowing me to take photos)

Tea 42, Manchester

As many of you will know, I am always on the search for anything which will make my gluten-free life more normal. With our eldest also having recently joined the ranks of the increasing band of gluten intolerants, my weekend trip to Manchester to visit her, gave us both the opportunity to try out a brand new establishment in the city centre.

She had got wind of the opening of this cafe/bar, where their USP was to cater well for gluten intolerants, whilst mainstream options were also available. So it was no surprise to discover that the Managing Director, Will Hannah of Tea 42 is also a gluten intolerant. As I have always maintained, it often takes someone who 'walks in the same moccasins' to have the understanding and foresight to take the bull by the horns.
Bravo to him!

There was so much to choose on the menu, all clearly marked up for GF and, where appropriate, V. We had arrived for a late lunch, and having already eyed up the fantastic selection of cakes (all GF) in the display, we sat back in the crisp, stylish surroundings of this up-market cafe, to choose something hot from the menu. Before long, we realised we were being watched - not by the friendly waitresses but by the pictures on the wall, which were changing and moving, Harry Potter style! Following this little diversion we went back to the matter in hand and each chose just a starter/light bite. Daughter chose Oven baked Camembert with red onion marmalade and artisan toast and I chose Garlic mushrooms in white wine with double cream, again with the artisan toast.

Also sharing the same passion for tea, the two of us were in heaven to find that, as the name suggested, Tea 42 specialised in serving up a huge choice of teas. Whilst we were waiting, we both ordered a pot of Royal Tea, (not a teabag in sight) complete with a mini bottle of milk of our choice, which included cows milk; lactofree; soya or almond. This choice recognising the fact that food intolerance can be wider than just one food group.

As we waited for our order to arrive, we were able to take in the surroundings, appreciating the clever concept of being able to transform through the day from a morning coffee and afternoon tea space; to dinner and bar environment, which will be serving a wide selection of gluten free beers.

Our order arrived (excuse me for photographing my food but it is appropriate here!) looking and smelling divine! Neither of us were disappointed with our choice, and greatly enjoyed the amazing dark rich bread, made with molasses and treacle. What a refreshing change from the otherwise noble attempts at GF 'bread'.

After this delight, we were both so contented, we hadn't got enough room left to do justice to the cakes we had eyed up earlier - that would have to be for another time. And another time there will be, now that we have discovered a place to safely and comfortably eat.

Promoted as having a gluten free menu, it possibly still isn't perfect for coeliacs, although I gather they do have separate preparation areas in the kitchen. Coeliacs would need to check on an individual basis of course. However, what isn't promoted here is that gluten free choices are actually suitable for anyone and my fear is that much more education is still needed to make the 'anyones' aware that gluten free food, isn't freaky food to avoid.



So, our verdict on Tea 42 situated at 58 High Street, Manchester -

Whoop-whoop! finally somewhere that has sat up and taken note that there is an ever-increasing number of people having to follow a gluten free diet.
(*Rant alert* - I will keep begging the question, why?
What are the food producers and medical professions doing to address it? -*rant over*)

The food we had was excellent and beautifully presented.

The surroundings were fresh and stylish and I would look forward to enjoying trying a bar-style evening.

Value - whilst not targeting the value end of the market, it is sensibly pitched to reflect the carefully chosen menu and, as gluten intolerants, we are accustomed to paying a little more to ensure we have suitable good quality food.

I say, Tea 42 - certainly one to consider when in Manchester and I look forward to this group expanding out across the country. It can't come soon enough!

Gluten

Now, if you'd have asked me five years ago what gluten was, I wouldn't really have had much of an idea. The nearest I would have got would be an adjective:-

glutinous adjective  Like glue in texture; sticky

and then I wouldn't really have been sure where it came from. However, ask me now what gluten is and I can tell you what it is, and more.

gluten mass noun  A mixture of two proteins in cereal grains, especially wheat, which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye has come to control my way of life in the last few years. I didn't want it to but it has been essential for my general well-being. It all began when I started to lose weight, and those that know me also know that this is something I definitely don't need to do! I would also suffer badly after eating my favourite bread from our local baker and will spare you the details but lets just say there was a little room in the house that I became intimately acquainted with!

I hadn't appreciated how, over a period of time, my diet had been affecting my health, until one morning, the one closest to me had again found me shut away in the little room, crippled up in agony and drained of all colour. He had just returned from a business meeting where he had met an old neighbour of ours and who also happened to be a nutritionist. Having already been dismissed by the medical profession with the all too common coverall of IBS, it seemed this was a 'nothing ventured' desperation option.

Over the following few weeks, I went on the exclusion diet, dropping all wheat containing products for a period before re-introducing them, then repeating this for barley, rye and also oats. The overall result was quite amazing. each time I reintroduced wheat, barley and rye, the offending product would trigger a reaction, oats, fortunately didn't. Armed with this information, I returned to a sympathetic GP who understood my desire to get to the bottom of this (excuse the pun). By now of course, I had read around the subject of gluten and realised that there were two things it could be - gluten intolerance or coeliac disease. Determining which one would also determine how I would live my life ahead.

To cut a long story short, I went through a period of feeling very uncomfortable whilst once more eating all of the gluten containing foods, essential for the medical test that were ahead of me. I had blood tests, tests with tubes from all directions and biopsies. All very unpleasant but tolerable when knowing that this should determine the cause of all my symptoms, of which there were many, now looking back on it.

Finally came the best result I could have hoped for. I didn't have coeliac disease.

For those with coeliac disease, it is essential to avoid all gluten containing foods as even the smallest breadcrumb for those most sensitive, can be critical with this immune disease. For those who do have this disease, I have every sympathy as my diet is now very similar to that which coeliacs must follow. However, as a gluten intolerant, I don't have the associated issues should I accidentally be 'glutened'. I just feel rough for a while but know that it won't have done any lasting damage.

Some of the gluten-free options available today

So, what has being diagnosed as gluten intolerant meant for me? Well, firstly and most importantly, I have isolated what was making me feel so ill (weight loss, assorted gastric issues, lethargy, non-age related night sweats, mouth ulcers, aching joints, headaches, momentary dizziness... and so it went on). It was...

GLUTEN 

Since cutting it out of my diet in a controlled and monitored fashion (I had dietary guidance from the hospital, and shouldn't be something to tackle alone) I have felt so, so much better.

On the down side, I have had to cut out most of the food group that were my favourites, cakes, biscuits, breads, puddings etc. It was so incredibly hard in the early days, to the extent I frequently found myself in tears in the supermarket whilst walking down the cake aisle during the shop for the rest of the family, and upset when yet another food was found to contain gluten. Thankfully, the choice within the (highly expensive) gluten free ranges has increased dramatically over the last couple of years that I don't feel so 'left out' any more but it comes at a price and not just in pennies, these foods can sometimes be higher in fats and sugars to compensate on flavour. 

In the early days, the rest of the family would roll their eyes when eating out as I would inevitably ask the question "Is this gluten free?" to which I would get mixed responses from the establishments. Mostly it would be, "What?" and they clearly didn't have a clue which food group was involved. Occasionally it would be,"Yes we can cater for you!" and equated to removing the bread roll from the plate and replacing with... nothing.
'Can you not see, I'm on a special diet not a weight loss diet!!!'
(To those who are contemplating a gluten-free diet just as a (current fad) method of losing weight - don't!!) Oh, and our idea of a gluten-free dessert is not endless supplies of fruit salad. Worthy and lovely as it is, there are so many tempting alternatives that can be offered... please? I have yet to find an establishment where I have had a good choice of food, where they have fully understood and I haven't had to explain or ask questions... but it is getting better. Education is the key.

I have also blogged about gluten-free food having found that it is possible to cook my own tasty alternatives:
Christmas Cake
Pancakes
Rhubarb Cake

So why now? Why have I recounted my story now?
This week is Coeliac Awareness week and I take an empathetic stance in raising awareness of this disease which affects 1% of the population.
I am fortunate that I have gluten intolerance.
Also, another member of my family has just presented with the same gluten intolerance during the time of final university exams and thankfully is now much better as a result of following the gluten-free diet. It begs the question, why me, why my offspring and why so many people in general are finding themselves falling-out with gluten, something that has been part of all of our diets for centuries?

In my opinion (and it should not be taken as medical evidence) there are several factors.
- A trigger - historical gastric illness plus stress.
- A family disposition - in hindsight my maternal grandfather presented with symptoms.
- An increase in consumption of food groups - Cereals, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, puddings etc in one day.
- Antibiotics - an increase in the use of these valuable medicines may have caused a change to our gut linings.
- Plant breeding - in the quest for high yielding grains, the gluten content has increased. 

What I do feel, is that there should be a review, indeed a quite urgent review, of why so many of the population are suddenly finding they are gluten intolerant. This review should be carried out by the medical profession, the plant-breeding / farming communities and also food manufacturers, who need to realise that there is no need to include 'hidden' doses of gluten in their food products - there are alternatives.

Thankfully, in Ireland, where I am currently on holiday, there is a greater awareness of the need for gluten-free food, due to the higher incidence of coeliac disease amongst the Irish population. This means that there are far more food products available and whilst in general, I have moved my family away from processed foods, there is one food group that can't be left out when it comes to a full cooked Irish Breakfast...

...sausages and black / white pudding ...just as a treat of course!

Operation Rhubarb

Back in the Wintery depths of January, a social networker and fellow photographer, Nathan Dainty aka Nate British Bake Off, posted a desire for baking something containing rhubarb.

I responded as follows:

A busy few months passed but I did keep Nate updated with the growth progress of his object of desire. The rhubarb grew some, suffered a snowfall set-back, and then grew some more, until last week there was enough lovely new growth to share with the aspiring baker, as planned.

Home-grown rhubarb was fresh pulled on the baking day, carefully packed and checked to ensure there were no back-packers coming along for the ride down to SE London.

A couple of hours later on a lovely Spring day, NBBO (as he will be known from here-on-in) quickly set to work with both hats on - baker and photographer. (I set to work photographing the photographer!!)

Mission for the afternoon Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Rhubarb washed and weighed...

...chopped and sweetened...

...baked until...

...soft and syrupy...

...the delicious juices thoughtfully drained off in a Pantone co-ordinated mug!

Mmmmmm!

Meanwhile, the matter of the cake mix.
Now, some of you may already be aware of my need for a gluten-free diet and so it was a breath of fresh air to find that NBBO embraced the requirement, simply by substituting the standard self raising flour for my Doves Farm gluten-free flour. It turns out that this was to be a good practice exercise for NBBO, as his soon to be father-in-law also requires a gluten-free diet.
(So, why are so many people presenting with dietary issues related to gluten? That perhaps is a question to tackle on another occasion)

Rhubarb aside, the other ingredients were prepared:

• 250g pack butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 150g pot ready-made custard (not the chilled kind; such as Ambrosia)
• 250g self-raising flour (gluten-free)
• ½ tsp baking powder (gluten-free and ½ tsp xanthan gum) 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g golden caster sugar

Reserve 3 tbsp of the custard in a bowl. Beat the rest of the custard together with the butter, flour, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and sugar until creamy and smooth.

Spoon one-third of the mix into the tin, add some of the rhubarb, then dot with one-third more cake mix and spread it out as well as you can. Top with some more rhubarb, then spoon over the remaining cake mix, leaving it in rough mounds and dips rather than being too neat about it. Scatter the rest of the rhubarb over the batter, then dot the remaining custard over.

At this point, NBBO added the extra crumb topping which was also gluten-free.

*Intermission time for a salmon layer bake first course*




Bake for 40 mins until risen and golden, then cover with foil and bake for 15-20 mins more. It's ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool in the tin, then dredge with icing sugar when cool.



Time had been ticking on and it was a question of whether it would be too late for this eagerly awaited desert course.

Keen not to miss an opportunity though, NBBO hurried the process along by turning the cake out of the tin before it had fully cooled and we all sampled the warm cake.
I fear we were all rather full and sleepy from dinner and couldn't do all his hard baking work justice.
It was now a 'Late Nate Bake'!

It was also time I hit the road back to East Anglia and so a couple of slices of the Rhubarb and Custard Cake were packed up for me and my other half to enjoy at our leisure.

And there was a bonus! A couple of slices of Red Velvet Beetroot Cake which NBBO had baked earlier in the day (busy man!). An absolutely stunning looking cake, which had inadvertently surprised NBBO by also being gluten-free, and delighted me that finally there was an option for catering establishments to no longer offer fruit salad as the gluten free desert option. Happy Day!

So, NBBO is eagerly awaiting my verdict on the Rhubarb and Custard Cake.

Well, this delicious desert cake was consumed with much enjoyment, complemented with a generous pouring of cream. (Definitely not counting the calories with this one!) Not a crumb left and the fact it was made with gluten-free flour, didn't appear to affect the double whammy of the cake and the crumble. Our only comment - in our opinion, the given recipe was a bit light with the rhubarb.

...so Nate, when shall we come knocking your door again with a double helping of rhubarb?!!

Pri's Kitchen - Shoot

A little while back, I was asked by the lovely Pri Bamford, if I would shoot an Indian Cookery demonstration she was doing as part of the Words in Walden series, as she wanted the images for use on her Pri's Kitchen website and for publicity. Of course, I was more than delighted to fulfil her requirements.

It was a snowy afternoon but it didn't deter the audience arriving for a sell-out event. Pri soon began to explain the methods of the Indian cookery that she had grown up with during her childhood in the foothills of the Himalayas, and recalling the sights and aromas from helping with the cooking. Indeed, most of the recipes to be followed were family favourites handed down through generations, and the audience were soon to be in for a similar aromatic treat as the spices were dry roasted during part of the preparation for a chicken curry dish.

It wasn't long before the audience participation began, again adding to the whole experience. As the dishes began to cook, Pri told of tree planting schemes she supports in her homeland, and in return, she had been given some special village-produced rice by the grateful people. A small pan of that special rice was to be shared with the curry at the end of the cookery demonstration.

Another important element of the indian meal is roti, or chapatis to you and me. As a child Pri had been given the task of rolling out the roti, perfecting the shape and thickness. We watched as she effortlessly demonstrated how...

 ...this

...with a bit of this

...and the use of this

...produced something as perfect as this.

Time for a bit more audience participation.

It really wasn't quite as easy as it looked.

Carefully watched over by Pri, some tried to impress!

(Sorry Dave but pancake day was a few weeks ago!)

Whilst everyone was involved with roti-making, the chicken curry, chick peas and rice were all cooking nicely, ready for everyone to sample the results- including the photographer. (Now that's the sort of shoot I enjoy!)

After lots of mmmm's and thumbs up, Pri received some well deserved appreciation for her amazing food.

And if this wasn't enough, Pri went on to do the whole demonstration all over again to another sell-out audience last Sunday, rounding off the Spring, Words in Walden series.

If you would like me to shoot your event for use in your own promotional material or for adding to your website, please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your requirements.