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LaurieLaurie

VIP Member
I’ve been gluten and dairy free for 7 years. I’ll come back to this when I have time tomorrow.

It’s easy once you get into it.
 
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Emoji

Chatty Member
Aww, how old is your daughter? I got diagnosed as an adult so easier for me to deal with.
Are you in Scotland? If so you can get some gluten free food on prescription like bread and pasta. I think England have phased it out, not sure about Wales or NI.
What food does your daughter enjoy? Then I could recommend a replacement.
The main things to avoid BROWS. Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat and Spelt. Luckily all foods in the U.K. have to put allergens in bold so easy to read.
You can eat barley malt vinegar as the way it is distilled the barley is well under the safe limit.
If you are in facebook there are some fantastic support groups for information.
Feel free to ask me any questions you have.
 
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SavvyBee

VIP Member
Soy sauce - you can get a gluten free brand called Kikkoman which tastes pretty much the same to me.
Cous cous contains gluten
Cornflakes - contain gluten! Had no idea.
Double check anything in a pickle - malt vinegar contains gluten.

Coconut flour is good for baking / coating things like fish or chicken to make “nuggets”.

The free from aisle in most supermarkets has a good range - Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose have heaps of alternatives to bread, biscuits, pasta and sauces etc.
Good luck! I think it’s getting easier in this day and age with awareness of such conditions so hopefully it’s not too difficult an adjustment for you all.
 
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cushtybert

VIP Member
Highly recommended Becky Excell, she has a blog with the most amazing recipes. She’s on Facebook and Instagram as well
 
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summersuzy

Well-known member
Great tips above and just to add to be careful of cross contamination, utensils, toaster etc. The supermarkets have great freee from ranges now it’s overwhelming at first but it will get easier
 
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JellyWobbles

VIP Member
Just gone GF myself so following with interest - Morrison’s have offers across most of their GF range this month. I’m no baker but really missed Teacake with a cuppa - Genius do s light spiced fruit loaf they also do some pancakes which I had this morning for a treat and they was lovely!

I didn’t realise how many things have Gluten in them! (Was genuinely shocked about the soy sauce) x
 
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Anonymous192025

New member
M&S do the tastiest gluten free chicken goujons. You’d never know they were gluten free - lots in a pack and they’re always on the 3 for £12 offer and they freeze. Their free from fish fingers are brilliant too.
Tesco pasta and gravy mix are better than the other supermarkets in my opinion 👍🏼
 
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Rippedjeanmaybe

VIP Member
Obviously, avoid regular flour. Vingear contains gluten as well. You can get snacks like gluten free Porridge, MOMA do a gluten free option. Waitrose do some good Gluten Free options, and Charlie Bigham's do some gluten free ready meals.

You can create some great dishes at home that are gluten free though. A chilli con carne, a cottage pie, a curry. These dishes are easy to make gluten free.

Be aware of gluten in things like sausages and burgers, which are often made using breadcrumbs. Many soups and cheese sauces use flour too.

If ordering a takeaway, I find Deliveroo is good for labelling allergens, but Just Eat is a little generic.
All vinegar is gluten free in the uk, including barley malt vinegar. Coeliac uk has confirmed this. :)
 
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Kutikuti

Well-known member
Thank you all for all the tips and suggestions. She’s just turned 6, so she’s old enough to understand that she can’t have certain things and why she can’t have them, but not old enough to fully understand the whole picture of how much life is going to change. My youngest is dairy free so at least she’s not the only one in the family with an allergy and different foods.

We are going to a birthday party tomorrow and we’ll have to bring our own food as is too short notice. I’m just worried she’s going to feel quite isolated and different, which at this age is the opposite of what she wants to be.


I did a shop on Sainsbury’s today and even-though is not a big one, it had a decent range. I was surprised of how many things had wheat in them (McCain french fries!). She’s quite fussy when it comes to food, more of a “beige tapas” kind of girl so I guess is just trial and error to find fish fingers/chicken that she likes.

I also bought a new baking tray and little pan to cook her pasta in, to try to avoid cross contamination.

Any recommendations on brands of pasta? We had Sainsbury’s free from tonight and it wasn’t very nice.
Also, any good chain restaurants?

Thank you
 
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Hi. I’ve been coeliac for over 20 years. Whenever you’re eating out ask if they have a gluten free menu as a lot of restaurants do now and even if it’s not advertised they will often have gf pasta or bread available. Prezzo has a good choice on their gluten free menu. You can also get gluten free pizzas at Dominos, Pizza Express and Pizza Hut (certainly the ones near me). I tend to buy my pasta at Tesco as at my local one it’s only £1 a bag. What’s really handy now is that prepared sandwiches are now available I really like the M&S ones. M&S gluten free cakes are worth a try too :)
 
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Countrybumpkingirl

Chatty Member
Ah you are brilliant. Thank you so much for all of that info 👍🏻
I've been coeliac 16 years now. The improvement compared to when I was first diagnosed. People actually know what gluten is now!
Sweet wise, much of the normal gummy sweets are gf just look out for things like laces. Wouldn't risk pick and mix due to cross contamination.
 
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calmyourritas

VIP Member
Check everything!!! Some things have gluten in which you wouldn’t expect. A lot of sauces and seasoning do.
On a side note, Zizzi do amazing gluten free pizzas.
 
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Emoji

Chatty Member
Highly recommended Becky Excell, she has a blog with the most amazing recipes. She’s on Facebook and Instagram as well
Oh yes, Becky’s recipes are the best! Her pancake recipe always gives me the most perfect fluffy pancakes 😍
 
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Tui

VIP Member
I strongly recommend joining Coeliac UK - full of useful info and they have an app which enables you to scan bar codes to check the gluten contents (Gluten Free Food Checker)
 
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Countrybumpkingirl

Chatty Member
Thank you all for all the tips and suggestions. She’s just turned 6, so she’s old enough to understand that she can’t have certain things and why she can’t have them, but not old enough to fully understand the whole picture of how much life is going to change. My youngest is dairy free so at least she’s not the only one in the family with an allergy and different foods.

We are going to a birthday party tomorrow and we’ll have to bring our own food as is too short notice. I’m just worried she’s going to feel quite isolated and different, which at this age is the opposite of what she wants to be.


I did a shop on Sainsbury’s today and even-though is not a big one, it had a decent range. I was surprised of how many things had wheat in them (McCain french fries!). She’s quite fussy when it comes to food, more of a “beige tapas” kind of girl so I guess is just trial and error to find fish fingers/chicken that she likes.

I also bought a new baking tray and little pan to cook her pasta in, to try to avoid cross contamination.

Any recommendations on brands of pasta? We had Sainsbury’s free from tonight and it wasn’t very nice.
Also, any good chain restaurants?

Thank you
I was diagnosed at 13 now 30! It is a million times easier now than it was. Pasta they are all pretty similar.
Chain wise look for ones that are coeliac accredited. I would join the fb groups coeliac eat out too and coeliacs eat abroad. The frozen sections of supermarket gf are really good.
I would also join coeliac UK makes life 100x easier.
At home make sure separate toaster (or toaster bags) and just make sure wash things properly.
If ever get accidentally glutened peppermint tea, flat lemonade and gluten free ginger biscuits (M&S and Lidl have nice ones) work a treat.
Private message if you want anything else
 
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Emoji

Chatty Member
Could you recommend any gluten free chocolate bars or jellies? Want to make up a treat bag for someone coeliac
Most of the haribo sweets are, the Halloween bags I bought definitely are. Maom sweets, swizzel lollipops and their chewy ones are gluten free. Galaxy chocolate, wispas, flakes, twirls, buttons are ok. Snickers are gf too.
Ones to avoid are malteasers, mars bars, Milky Way bars, toffee crisps, anything with wafers in. I hope that helps.
 
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