Gluten free food and some great BBQ cheese!

This week's Eco Cuisine post is all about food which is gluten free, and if you're someone who suffers from Coeliacs Disease then you'll be all too aware of what a nuisance it can be...

But, before we get onto what Sonya's been doing recently, let's clear up a few misconceptions and make a few things clear for those of you who are new to this:

1: If you're gluten free, you really need to be careful: it may sound like a ridiculous allergy which really isn't that bad, but for a Coeliac, eating food with gluten in can be a real nightmare, resulting in stomach aches, diarrhoea and all-round bad feeling.

2: By all accounts, true Coeliacs differ from those who have just a slight intolerance to gluten. They can't eat barley, wheat, rye or spelt (also flour). More importantly, they have to avoid it in everything, because...

3: Gluten is in EVERYTHING. It's in wheat flour, and that's used in cake, biscuits, bread, desserts...you name it, it's in it!

So next time someone tells you they can't eat things with gluten in, please re-think what you're going to give them at dinner!

Now we move onto Sonya's adventures of the last week, which is where the no-gluten-thing comes in. The brief was this: a private party in Leytonstone, London, and it had to be totally free of this troublesome ingredient which is so good for binding bread and the like. Fortunately, Sonya and her crew know their stuff, and were able to create a range of food for the family which would be suitable for the 2 Coeliacs in question. And it worked out wonderfully. On the menu were dips, 'burnt' aubergine and tzatziki with carrot batons and oatcakes. Add this to all kinds of other lovely things – such as potato & beetroot rostis with soured cream made from Doves Farm wheat/gluten free flour – and you have a success story. Also on offer were individual tortillas, smoked mackerel pate and a waldorf salad using only natural yoghurt dressing. Lastly, there was rice noodle salad with sweet & sour dressing!

In other news, the School of Economic Science were the lucky receivers of a brand-new dish. That dish married the magical thing that is halloumi – that great cheese you can toast on a BBQ! – with whole-wheat pasta and roasted vegetables; in the mix were aubergine, carrots, courgette, onions and beetroot. All freshly cooked and a fantastic change. Because every once in a while there really is nothing like a change, right?

As for Sonya's van – you may recall an earlier blog post detailing Sonya and Mario's car-chase which resulted in them getting the stolen van back in what seemed to be one piece – the insurance company have finally made an offer, so that's good news. Hopefully it'll be sorted soon and a new van will be back on the road again.

Back again soon with more news, tips and interesting info courtesy of Eco Cuisine!