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Gluten Free

  • 27-12-2024 6:30pm
    #1
    Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I couldn't find a gluten free thread. I'm newly diagnosed with coeliac gene and don't really know much about gluten free anything. I'd love suggestions for recipes, good gluten free products from supermarkets, etc.

    Any suggestions welcome.

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


«1

Comments

  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 12,167 Mod ✭✭✭✭igCorcaigh


    Thanks for creating this thread OP.

    I'm not gluten sensitive myself, but hopefully other posters might contribute to the discussion, as it is an important one. 👍️



  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 4,805 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tree


    I can recommend the Doves GF self raising flour for straight 1:1 drop in for odlums SRF.

    Less a fan of the McCambridges GF soda bread kit, maybe give that one a skip.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 255 ✭✭micah537


    I'm not sure if you already have it, but the Coeliac Society of Ireland have, or at least had a few years ago, a little book with all gluten free products from different brands.

    Knorr used to have a lot of GF sauces and gravy etc where other brands had wheat in them. Evergreen shops had GF pasta and lasagne sheets etc.

    I'm not a Coeliac but one parent was so I'm not as up to date with it as I was since I don't live at home, but they liked the weetabix type cereal you could get in Tesco/Dunnes and Lidl bread.

    Recipes are easy enough to work around with GF flour



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 951 ✭✭✭3d4life


    Years ago I was told that I was a coeiac. Back then there was free access to Coeliac.ie. After a few years that was stopped ……. but that was OK by me as I had more or less figured out how to cope with G/F life. I wonder whats in coeliac.ie now ? Is it still locked down ?.

    Used to make G/F bread with a breadmaker. For a good few years now have been buying Aldi/Lidl badged bread made by the guys in Donegal.

    If you hunt around you will find some G/F lagers ( nothing great about them ). Most wines and ciders are OK - just check the label first

    Was shocked to find gluten labeled in some instant coffee ( some years ago ). Now grind beans.

    Of course, the majority of food "products" in a supermarket are off limits.

    Eating out is a whole bundle of fun …… :(

    FWIW it was well over a year of G/F life before things came right for me

    On a different angle, it seems that coeliacs are at enhanced risk of all sorts of stuff….for example the implants used for inguinal hernia repairs frequently result in a coeliac developing rheumatoid arthritis ( a few papers on this on Pubmed …. but seems its not taught in Irish medical schools :( )



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,566 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    If you are looking for beer, all 9 White Beer products are gluten free both on draught and in bottles.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭Avatar in the Post


    Great idea for a thread. Gluten intolerant, have seen many health benefits from giving it up (Asthma gone).


    Got a bottle of 9 White beer as a Christmas present. Very nice. Must see if I can find it in a pub in Limerick. Cider okay for a pint or two, but prefer lager. Mostly drink wine at home.

    Pavlova are great. Lots of crisps gluten free. Avoid anything that says may contain gluten, it does.

    One other thing, because Coeliac food is expensive, if you are a diagnosed Coeliac the Coeliac food you buy is tax deductible. You need to be diagnosed coeliac to get the tax relief. The likes of Dunnes stores will send you a statement at the end of the year totalling your gluten free spend.

    Alas, not allowed for gluten intolerant 🥺



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,826 ✭✭✭Ceepo


    For cereal I'd recommend "Delicious Ella" most SuperValu and Tesco stock it.

    For bread I prefer "Wellness Banking" soda bread. By far the best bread.

    Id avoid most foods from a deli due to cross contamination.

    Few other times for you.ake sure that ALL foods you buy state they're gluten free.

    Be prepared to pay considerably more for the vast majority of foods you buy as well.

    Be that person in a restaurant that asks "are you sure it's gluten free". The person serving won't be the one suffering the consequences of you do eat something containing gluten.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,566 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Their draught stout, if you can find a pub stocking it goes down really well with Guinness drinkers, too.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Thanks all, great suggestions. I never even considered gravy would be a problem. I'm going to have to start paying more attention. The gastroenterologist took one look at me when I walked in and asked me was I coeliac. He then told me I was. I have the look of it apparently!!

    I thought you were either coeliac or you weren't. But he said there is a spectrum, and while I might not be a "true coeliac" (I can share a toaster with normal bread for example) I am definitely a coeliac carrier. Gluten free/reduced diet has made a huge difference to me.

    I've felt shi**y for years now and just thought that was normal. After cutting down significantly on wheat products I can't believe the almost instant change in how I'm feeling. I'm still finding my way, so have spent the past 3 days feeling crappy again because I keep eating stuff thinking "maybe this won't really affect me" and of course it does!

    Please keep the suggestions coming. Like I said I genuinely haven't a clue so am going to be looking at a lot of new brands etc. Lists of things that I mightn't realise are a problem too are very helpful.

    Thanks gang ☺️



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,557 ✭✭✭✭thesandeman


    My Aldi are selling off all their gluten free Christmas stuff for half price and less today. Might be worth checking out your local if you want to pig out for the new year.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 200 ✭✭rule supreme


    It takes time to get used to watching everything you eat . Get into the habit of reading ingredients on the back ,it's surprising how many products contain gluten. Tesco has some nice gluten free cereal . There are also apps you can get so you can scan products to check if they are gluten free . Did you have an endoscopy



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,307 ✭✭✭naughtysmurf


    Dunnes stock gf Peroni, a gf beer that the mrs likes, Tesco do Daura, she was diagnosed in the mid 90’s when there was sweet f.a. available, now there are a lot of options, various breads, wraps, bagels, breakfast cereals, pasta, frozen pizza, fries, goujons, loads of sauces, curry, pasta etc all available gf,

    Eating out has also improved significantly, most decent restaurants have gf options, some have separate gf menus, it’s nowhere near as frustrating as it was



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,037 ✭✭✭Jellybaby_1


    Knorr Gravy granules are gluten free and I think Bisto have brought a GF one out as well. I use Knorr GF granules but I would always add a glug of Worcestershire sauce (for colour) and a splodge of tomato puree (to assist colour and thickening). The flavour is pretty good but it will never be as good as a good old beefy gluteny gravy. All fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat are GF, but stay away from breaded or battered anything unless it states it is GF. I use Promise GF bread because it is a nice soft bread. I suggest you join the Coeliac Society as they will provide you with much more information on the foods you can eat and I believe they have an App now which you can use as you go round the supermarket. They didn't have that when I was a member. With experience you will probably manage without them but as a newbie I'd stick close to them for now. Gravy, sauces and soups are things to be careful of, even if someone makes a home made one for you, it's vital to always ask for their exact ingredients. Good luck!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,344 ✭✭✭lazeedaisy


    As a GF baker, I don't recommend Doves Farm Flour as the results are always very grainy. There are some good flour mixes out there, the best at the moment is Odlums, can't recommend it enough. You also need a little Xanthum gum to stop your bakes crumbling. You only use a tiny amount but can't get away with it. There is a great Irish gluten free page on Facebook, I recommend you browse as the information is great.

    It's unbelievable what products contain gluten when you start your research and cross contamination whilst eating out can be hit and miss due to education.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    I have tried both, and I think I agree with you. I've made buns and cakes with Odlums and found no difference to regular flour, bit lighter and fluffier if anything. (I always add a splash of milk to bun mixture.)

    Bread made from the Dove Farm does seem a bit dry, and leaves a taste/sensation. I haven't used any Xanthan gum. Will pick that up soon and see if it makes a difference.

    Post edited by Big Bag of Chips on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 351 ✭✭Exiled1


    Best of luck with the diet.

    One piece of advice when eating out. Always tell the server at the beginning that you are coeliac. You will be generally well looked after. Kitchens really respect this approach. Most restaurants in Ireland are now well clued-in to the issues and necessity of avoiding cross-contamination.

    That is a significant difference from the 'gluten intolerant' diner. All too often I have seen the latter tearing into a decidedly gluten laden dessert with the excuse 'ah, sure I am not allergic to this.'

    The difference between the two is night and day, one 'lifestyle' (probably f*rts a little too much), and the other is a disease.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Thanks Exiled1, I was out with work recently for our Christmas night and asked for the gluten free option and immediately the waiter switched mode into looking after me! He brought me my own portion of bread before the meal (I was just going to not eat from the bread basket) He suggested things I could try, things I was not able to have.

    I really appreciated it, especially as I'm not sure myself yet what's allowed or not.

    The family are talking about getting a Chinese tonight. I suppose I have to sit that one out 🫤



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭Avatar in the Post


    You shouldn’t underestimate gluten intolerance. While not as severe as being coeliac your comment about gluten intolerance is uninformed stupidity.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    Thank you for starting this thread. I am GF/coeliac for over 20 yrs now. I miss the forum that used to be hosted by the Irish Coeliac society. It covered many other topics as well as food and was easy to navigate.

    Bread: my favourite is Sowans Brown Bread mix ( 40 mins bake, add buttermilk and cider vinegar)

    Beer: Brown Bear from Aldi, individual bottles of 500ml. Daura is 330 ml but in packs of 4 when you can find them.

    Biscuit: I make my own with peanut butter base but favourite to buy is Tesco ginger chocolate.

    Fish: other half has Donegal Catch etc but I will do plain fish in foil and there are GF oven chips (Green Isle).

    Eating out is still an issue especially for snack/lunch.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,566 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Regarding Chinese food, many people don't realise that most soy sauces contain gluten.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    There is a brand of soya called Tamari that is wheat free and availabe in supermarkets. A good restaurant should give you some for the table but soya is included in many basic recipes so hard to avoid. I have never noticed a reaction to same… it must be such a small amount in a recipe.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,566 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Tamari is a style of soy sauce rather than a brand. While tamari is usually gluten free, it isn't always, so best to check the label.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,826 ✭✭✭Ceepo


    You don't need to miss out of the family Chinese meal at all. Like most restaurants they will have a few options that you could have. It goes without saying stay away from anything in a batter. Or as someone else said soy sauce also contains gluten. You could have a chicken chop suey or breast of chicken with sweet and sour sauce, Also fired rice is out as well so it will have to boiled rice. But like everything you order in a restaurant you would will need to ask is it gluten free and maybe more that ask once. In the main restaurant are pretty good , but they're human as well so mistakes can happen even in the best of restaurants. Don't be afraid to ask multiple times.

    Eating at home is relatively straightforward as for the most part you know that you're sticking to the diet unless you inadvertently eat something you shouldn't. Eating out can be a right pain in the arse, especially if you're on the go. Avoid all deli counter foods including salads,as there can be a lot of cross contamination. The vast majority of take away foods are out of the question, depending on your sensitivity the could mean even a bag of chips. Always try to eat foods that specific state that they're gluten free, if not read the ingredients on everything else you eat.

    Also you will need to be careful with snack foods like chocolate, crisp peanuts etc as some of these contain gluten. A lot of crisps manufacturers add a sprinkle of flour to help them be more crispy.

    Edit, O Donnell crisps are gluten free



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,566 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Keogh's crisps are also gluten free.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Thanks Ceepo - how ironic that I may even have to avoid a Big Bag of Chips 🙁🤣



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭Avatar in the Post


    I really missed Tayto crisps. Kettle had lovely crisps, but can’t seem to find them anymore. But, reducing crisps is no bad thing 😊


    I prefer Keogh’s to O’Donnell’s, but I don’t crave them.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    About to recommend Keoghs…

    As for gravy, cornflour is your friend. Cornflour can be used to bake biscuits, make a coating for cooking meat/fish.

    I feel the world has moved on to vegan and gluten seems old hat now for restaurants. It is cruel to have to scan a menu even with allergy symbols to finetune what you can eat. Many dishes can be modified by simple omission of a bread item. Be great is there was always a separate printed up menu and well done for some places that put a 'gluten free' flag on a dish when presented.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,826 ✭✭✭Ceepo


    You might have to change your username now 😉🤣



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭mondeoman72


    My wife is coeliac. We have to plan ahead and I have seen her go hungry multiple times. You get used to it and learn to plan ahead. People not understanding is a real problem. We went to a spanish restaurant in Temple Bar one night and the manager said an ingredient had gluten - but would pick it out before serving! Sadly, I am serious.

    She can eat O'Donnells crisps but not Keoghs. She knows now which cafes and takeaways can cater for GF, but it is all planning, planning, planning. Restaurants do try, but it needs more work. Standard response is salad (without croutons), or steak.

    The BeFree range of breads is quite palatable, while she has found the Lidl GF pasta is good. She hates the kelkin stuff. Rosie and Jims chicken products do GF which is good but watch out for marinades. She gets chick fillets in the butchers marinated in whatever, but they changed the supplier and the new stuff had gluten.

    You WILL be glutened, no matter how hard you try, all you can do is try to avoid it as best you can.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭mondeoman72


    What area do you live in? If in Dublin, we can tell you about a few places



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭mondeoman72


    Just to add, I dont think that is enough "talk to the waiter" You need to talk to a mature server or manager.

    We went to a hotel in leixlip and I said it to the server - not trained - probably 16 or 17 years old. Do you have anything GF? Response was ——— everything is GF! Not his fault - not trained.

    Rang The Church cafe bar in town and asked did cater for coeliacs. The woman burst out laughing and said "A what?"

    Popped into The Baily restaurant Enniscourthy on way to Rosslare.

    "Do you do GF?"

    "Yes, my mum is coeliac"

    Told the wife to get in here quick!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭OscarMIlde


    O Donnells have a gluten free gravy sachet, which is really nice. They also do gluten free curry sauce. I second the recommendation to join the coeliac society and get the booklet. It has every gluten free product on the market.

    A lot of the supermarkets here are great for gluten free products. A lot of the normal prepared meat (meatballs, burgers etc) in Super Valu and M&S are gluten free )(as are all the sausages in M&S). Dunnes is less so for prepared meats, but they have clearly marked gluten free meat items.

    For GF pasta, I'd recommend the GF rummo or Barilla range as the best. Barilla sauces are gluten free also.

    For crisps, a lot of brands are not gluten free. The specially selected crisps in Dunnes are all gluten free however and are really nice (I gravitate towads them as I also have a milk allergy and a good few are milk free). Keoghs and O Donnells crisps are also gluten free.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭OscarMIlde


    If you want chips and they state they are gluten free, always double check they have a dedicated fryer. They may be gluten free before they go in but they won't be coming out if they are in a shared fryer. If you are in Dublin Beshoffs Bros have gluten free Fish and chips with a dedicated fryer.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭OscarMIlde


    Also Bunsen do gluten free burgers and all the chips are gluten free. Were are you based? Some people can probably recommend some restaurants/fast food in the area.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,307 ✭✭✭naughtysmurf


    Kikkoman gf soy sauce available in Dunnes, mrs also prefers the Promise brand of bread, gf brioche buns readily available in the larger supermarkets, for years the mrs had to have a burger with no bun. Keoghs crisps are the favourite in our house among everyone

    Some restaurants we’ve been in have some of their plates marked gf or something else so from the start of plating to delivery to customer it’s helpful, as you go more upper end restaurant wise they seem to be significantly more aware



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭mondeoman72


    My wife swears by the chipper on mespil rd, opposite the garage. Has a seperate GF fryer. Loves the smoked cod and chips.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    That place on Mespil Road is Beshoffs…. yes my 'go to' place … park around corner in Burlington. They do scampi as well as battered fish but it is a while since I've been there.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,284 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I have been eating gluten free or wheat free for 30 years, in the early days it was almost impossible. I am not coeliac but I am better with no wheat. Though funnily enough I had a DNA test done and the only marker for any illnesses was the coeliac one. Most of my immediate family are at least wheat free, through to one who is sensitive to wheat, milk, eggs, and all kinds of associated things.

    I find the Aldi and Lidl bread are very acceptable, though I always toast them. I am not seeing any issues with excessive amounts of fat or sugar in either of them. The aldi pasta and gf flour is good, I use the gf flour for thickening, coating meat etc, as well as the occasional bit of baking. There are some good recipes for cakes made with polenta. I make porridge bread, gf oats, yoghurt, fruit and nuts, eggs and baking soda, very easy and makes a good breakfast bread. Anything Kelkin is horrible.

    I don't eat chocolate either and generally the gf option for cafe cakes is brownies, so thats a bit useless, but I don't eat much cake anyway so not a problem. Again the Aldi and Lidl cakes are nice. Tesco's free from stuff is all too sweet. Nairns oat and other biscuits are good. Also Aldi and Lidl digestives. Aldi's gf sausages are excellent. I generally use ordinary oats and it doesn't seem to be a problem, oats don't have gluten except for whatever wheat might have might been growing in with the oats so they are not considered gluten free. Barley has gluten. Some wheat sensitive people can cope with spelt, an old kind of wheat, I don't chance it though.

    Reading labels becomes reflexive, at least until you know what is in everything.

    If you are in Waterford the small cafe in the Waterford Health Park (Lisduggen) does only gluten free food.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,037 ✭✭✭Jellybaby_1


    I usually buy Donegal Catch for hubby but I would normally cook fresh salmon on a separate dish for myself. I was pleased to find that Birds Eye have a GF breaded cod which I usually find in SuperValu but harder to find in other supermarkets or maybe they're just sold out as they might not stock so much of it. Coeliac Society can provide proper GF food lists for Coeliacs but for myself I'd really like to find recipes that actually work and taste nice as I find recipes online hit and miss.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭mondeoman72


    Just another thought. You can claim GF food bills on your income tax. Look it up.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    Oats are worth adding to your diet. I used to make porridge with groats or whole oats but it became difficult to source. You would notice a stray grain if mixed in! There is always problem of stray cereals getting into field and at processing stage. But with big companies like Flavahans, that is probably less likely. You can pay a bit extra to get oats that claim to be free of any cross contamination. It is said that only one in twenty coeliacs have a problem with the specific type of gluten in oats so worth finding out that you are not affected. In time your own body will tell you what is problem for you. It was Maltesers that caught me out in early days! aaah Barley!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 209 ✭✭Roald Dahl


    The MIL is a coeliac and is staying with us over Christmas, so we're used to cooking gluten-free and avoiding cross-contamination. Here are a few discoveries, based on recent purchases…

    Lee Kum Kee makes a gluten-free soy sauce.

    Branston Pickle is newly-certified as gluten-free. Apparently, it always was gluten-free as the barley malt extract it contains results in less than 20 ppm gluten, but it was only actually tested and certified recently.

    Nairn's make a gluten-free cracker selection box, bought for the Christmas cheese board along with the Branston. I'm sorry I didn't buy two boxes of them as they didn't last long.

    Yesterday I made smoked salmon pasta, with a base sauce made from cornflour. The penne pasta was Tesco Free From and to me was indistinguishable from wheat pasta. Herself maintains it didn't have quite the same bite, but I couldn't really tell.

    Chef sauces - red (ketchup), brown and BBQ - are gluten-free and the packaging states they are suitable for coeliacs. Dunnes also has a selection of own brand sauces which are officially certified with the crossed grain logo.

    Lidl has a list of their products which are either completely gluten-free or which have less than 20 ppm. It seems that most of their frozen chips, for example, along with their wholegrain mustard and cornflour among others, are gluten-free.

    Regarding the 20 ppm threshold, EU Regulation 828/2014 allows for the following:

    Products may bear the term ‘gluten-free’ if the gluten content does not exceed 20 mg/kg in the food as sold to the final consumer.

    However, according to coeliac.ie:

    Unfortunately even a tiny amount of gluten can trigger the full auto-immune reaction of coeliac disease. People with coeliac disease will have a reaction if as little as 20 “millionths” of their food has gluten. This is often written as 20 parts per million or 20ppm.

    Does this mean that they consider under 20ppm to be safe or not? Can anyone add their own knowledge regarding this 20ppm threshold?



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,629 Mod ✭✭✭✭DM_7


    GF for around 6 or 7 years now and it's getting a little easier all the time to find GF options, possibly thanks to more people interested in avoiding wheat so the market has grown.

    As said on thread, most food basics/not processed foods are gluten free (very, fruit, meas, fish and so on, if you can run it under the tap it's probably going to be okay to eat.

    For the extra's the major supermarkets all have a good selection of products and a study of that part of the shop is a great indicator of the foods that would normally have gluten in them for anyone trying to get their head around it.

    I often mind more and more products around the shop outside those sections marked gluten free, for example Lidl and Aldi do gluten free pasta sauces which are great on a Gf pizza base (B-Free do a lovely base) but they are located with the other sauces.

    Outside the supermarkets lots of Cafe's now buy in gluten free items to have with your coffee. O'Heris have gluten free products they bake. Others carry brands like Broderick's, Denise's bakery, foods of athenry or have a GF option set aside.

    McCambridge do a nice brown bread. A lot of the GF products come from abroad like Shar who do a great variety of options in breads and snacks. Good option is to stock up in Dunnes when using their money off voucher. A lot of bread products will be in thicker plastic which normally means they need to be toasted to give them life.

    Tesco carry Genius bread products from Scotland and they are very good. Their tiger loaf is brilliant, soft tasty and does not need to be toasted.

    Tesco free from own brand breads are very similar to promise but cheaper.

    For on the go (assuming oats are no bother to you) Trek do some good flapjacks and bars.

    One catch is a lot of GF are also Dairy free, some products could really have done with some dairy included in the recipe. Others are grand so it is trial and error to find which items you like the taste of best.

    Last thing is the bigger shops are often worth a visit as their range can be bigger. Where I am Tesco Extra has a smaller offering than say Liffey Valley would.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,284 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I find that the fresh cakes etc in cafes are good, but all the packaged stuff is not worth eating. A nice scone is hard to find, all the packaged stuff (especially M&S) are pretty horrible. Dove Hill in Clonmel/Carrick on Suir, Co Tipp make their own gf scones which are very nice if you are in early enough to get one. They need to be warmed a bit. Some of the most disgusting were from Waterford Castle, you could have killed people with them if you threw them hard enough. In fact their very expensive gluten free afternoon tea is a disgrace. The gf bread in cafes is interesting, some of it is especially nice, but you don't tend to see it in shops. Agree about the Tiger bread, its the only one I would eat not toasted.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Tesco Tiger Loaf? Is it Staffords? Or is there a particular brand?

    I love Tiger Loaf but had been avoiding it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭OscarMIlde


    It's the genius brand. Only Tesco seem to stock it in Ireland. I think M&S do a tiger loaf also, although I haven't tried it.

    M&S are great for gluten free, if you go through the regular aisles you will see the gluten free symbol on a lot of normal products. The three for 12 euro meats, a lot of the processed ones (posh dogs, most of the burgers, there is gluten free tempura chicken/chicken nuggets/breaded chicken steaks) are gluten free. M&S also do really nice GF breaded cod fillets. Dunnes do GF breaded cod bites, GF haddock goujons and GF cod fishcakes. Kinsale co. do nice GF breaded haddock goujons as well, tesco stock them.

    Also for aisan food, I think the entire Thai Gold range is gluten free. You can also get GF Hoisin sauce from Lee Kum Kee. The White Mausu peanut rayu is also gluten free. The insanely good company has loads of gluten free condiments.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Cheers Oscar, loads for me to watch out for now 👍🏻

    It'll be interesting to keep the thread running and see where we all are this time next year! I sincerely appreciate all the suggestions so far. As I said, it's something that was never really on my radar. But I'm really struggling these days with sickness and just have to cop on and get on with it now.

    I don't usually shop in Dunnes or M&S but happy to start.

    Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate all the advice and suggestions.



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,629 Mod ✭✭✭✭DM_7


    Genius - Handcrafted Tiger Bloomer.

    You can get a lot of good soups that are GF. Cully and Sully. Avenmore have GF soups. Just check the packaging.

    Clonakilty go GF sausages. Dunnes, Lidl and Aldi all have own own brand.

    The sub shop in Supermacs do GF soups and GF baps. The baps are wrapped individually and only opened when you order, they will change gloves, chopping board etc. As said on thread there is a risk of cross contamination with the other foods so wouldn't recommend to anyone very sensitive but I personally can get away with it.

    Another brand I like is Honest Chips - get them in the chiller (not freezer) in Aldi or Tesco. They are gluten free and closet to chipper chips I have ever got outside a chipper.



  • Administrators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 15,140 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Big Bag of Chips


    Not to be today. At least I know now what I'm looking for.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 902 ✭✭✭cobham


    Pizza is something I missed when GF diet started. I try various offerings but they seem to vary even within same brand and I have not found a favourite. I would add extra toppings to cheer them up. (Aldi years back did a lovely one) … Eating out I have had decent ones in Milanos (Pizza Express in UK) but suggest asking for it to be baked a few minutes extra as dough can be a bit underdone. Supervalu do a decent plain fresh base but too big for one person.

    Clonakilty do a lovely apple tart.(Supervalu). I section it up and freeze portions. Again Aldi did one years back that was delicious and well priced. You can get GF readymade pastry….ordinary and puff.

    Hellmans mayo and Heinz tomato sauce both GF.



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