Happy New Year to you if it’s not too late to say it.  I can feel a tad ambivalent about New Year.  Having already broken one of my New Year’s resolutions I feel I am not off to the best start but perhaps things can only get better.  I do acknowledge that for some reason the change in year on the calendar does give me a little kick to change things I have been procrastinating about even if I don’t always follow through with said changes.  I’m thinking about them.  Surely that’s a good start?

Way back in the dim and distant past or a couple of weeks before Christmas I made this carrot cake found on Lottie + Doof.  I only had time to snap one picture and I’m going to link to the recipe because I followed it pretty much exactly.  It was delicious and hearty and the warming spices are just the thing at this time of year.

Recipe here

Predictably for New Year we are on a bit of a health kick around here and I have many recipes I am eager to share here in the (I hope) not too distant future.  I’m currently dealing with a toddler who is existing on a self imposed diet of peas, grapes and yoghurt.

In other news we’ve discovered an amazing gluten free and vegetarian cafe, Cafe Meon, which is absolute heaven as far as I am concerned.  The food is amazing and my carnivore hubby even loves it.  I cannot express how exciting it is to eat out somewhere and not have to think about checking everything with the chef.  The entire menu caters for people like me.  Added to this is the fact the cafe is housed in the beautiful Chesapeake Mill selling antiques and vintage wares so I get to combine two of my favourite things, food and antique browsing.  Website here.  Pictured above, their beetroot burger which so far is my favourite thing on the menu.  They also do fantastic cakes and hot chocolate.

Autumn Bits and Bobs

As I type this, my lap top feels like it’s about to overheat so maybe I’d better speed things up.  I thought I’d take a few moments to appreciate autumn with its contrasts, colours and interesting weather!  Here’s a little of my autumn so far...

I kicked off the season with a visit to a friend who took me antique hunting in Saffron Walden.  I loved this underground antique shop and it was actually pretty reasonably priced too!

I’ve been experimenting with a few smoothie variations.  This one is blueberry and pear topped with bee pollen which I love!  I also like this tea towel a bit too much.  It may feature in a few too many posts in the near future.

I’ve made Sprouted Kitchen’s lemon loaf a few times.  It is absolutely delicious. 

I’m continuing my quest to own all Bruce Springsteen’s albums on vinyl.  It’s good to have a dream... 

These walking boots get taken through their paces at this time of year.

I never tire of the autumn light.

Still our favourite winter stew on repeat at the moment.

We took a trip to Southsea and visited The Garage Lounge on a friend’s recommendation.  The decor is fantastic.

I couldn’t test out the bread or cakes as they weren’t gluten free but I could definitely appreciate the display, gorgeous glass cake cabinet.

Having a few days holiday from work led to me inevitably catching a cold!  I’m powering through with lemon, ginger and honey tea in my favourite cup.  Simply fill your cup with hot water, add some grated fresh ginger, a squeeze of honey and a slice of lemon.  I’d love to hear your natural cold remedies!

How is your autumn going?

Paris Sans Gluten



I’ve been in Paris, but you knew that because the title says so.  This was perhaps our strangest visit but no less enjoyable for that.  We’ve visited Paris four times, on the first visit I was a happy gluten eating honeymooner chomping my way through pastries, baguettes and anything else I could lay my hands on.  Since then I’ve had to be gluten free in Paris.  It’s not easy but it’s doable and my husband was always very kind about not eating piles of croissant in front of me.  On this visit however I wasn’t the only one with a diet restriction.  Thanks to a recent illness my husband couldn’t have caffeine, alcohol, butter, chocolate, tomatoes or citrus.  So there we were, two people in the city of pastries, butter, red wine and chocolate unable to eat any of it!  So what did we eat?  There was a lot of salad...

This is a sort of round up of research I’ve done about managing a gluten free diet in Paris (complete with random pretty Paris pictures).  Rule number one, rent an apartment.  It’s just as cheap as a hotel and you get to play at being a Parisian.  This takes the pressure off having to eat out all the time as you can cook your own food.  Paris has some wonderful food markets abundant in fresh produce.  If you are anything like me, then wandering through a market will make you happy.  Even the small supermarkets have a pretty good stock of fresh produce.  Not the kind of limp lettuce and bruised fruit you find in your average UK corner shop. 

 

I found this chain of organic shops called Naturalia very useful.  They stock a good range of gluten free products including pastas and flours.  Supermarkets also carry a range of gluten free foods but these tend to be more processed and less healthy.

 

Take your own gluten free snacks.  You can deal with croissant cravings a lot better if you have food to cram in to your mouth to distract yourself.

 

If you are a braver soul than me and more confident in your French speaking abilities then eating out is much more possible.  I always find myself rather intimidated by the speed of French waiters.  It’s always a good idea to phone ahead to your chosen restaurant and explain your condition.  These restaurant cards come in handy as they explain the coeliac diet clearly.

 

There is a gluten free cafe called Helmut Newcake.  I was desperate to try this place but sadly it was shut on the one day we were planning to go.  I hadn’t realised how many shops and museums close in Paris on a Monday!  Don’t get caught out like me when you are planning your trip.

David Lebovitz has a great post all about dining and eating gluten free in Paris.  This is a great place to start.

If you are unfortunate enough to be unable to enjoy caffeine and alcohol then sipping tea at one of Paris’ tea salons is always an option.  MariageFrères do a good range of tea, with many caffeine free options.  We sipped a cup of their Casablanca blend at Chez Félicie.

Finally, a couple of Paris blogs I like to give you a few ideas of things to see and explore, sometimes off the well beaten tourist track.  The HiP Paris Blog and Lost in Cheeseland

Bon appétit!

Lately with my Iphone and Instagram Changing Seasons...

The last few weeks have been all about enjoying the end of summer and looking forward to autumn.  I am loving the clear, crisp days.  As much as I hate to say goodbye to summer fruits like peaches, nectarines and strawberries I also welcome the arrival of blackberries, plums and pears.  I’ve been coming home from the market with bags of victoria plums. So sweet and juicy.

 

We’ve been out most weekends picking blackberries.  There’s a wasp casually sitting on the edge of the table waiting to pounce on the blackberries...

My neighbour gave me damsons from her tree!  These lovely little fruit look like baby plums.

They are a bit too sour to eat raw but are transformed when cooked.  They were perfect in these crumble bars which I adapted to gluten free from this recipe.  I’ll post it soon.

Autumn leaves and shadows outside work.

Reflections in the early evening light on my way home from the station.

The obligatory Sunday morning coffee fix.  The waitress now knows our order by heart, I guess I’m in a coffee rut but at least I’m not alone.

I actually went out and ate in a restaurant, a rare event these days.  Gluten Free Pizza at Bruschetta...it is amazing.  If you are visiting London I recommend you take a trip out to Kingston upon Thames and try this restaurant. Cross contamination is not an issue as these pizzas are prepared separately and cooked in their own pizza oven.  I dived in before I thought to take a photo because basically, I’m greedy.  Mozzarella, aubergine and ricotta for me.  Mozzarella, Italian sausage and chilli for him.  The base was thin and crisp and so light. Everyone in our group tried some and thought it was better than the regular pizzas so there you go!

I couldn’t skip desert either!  Gluten free tiramisu and cheesecake (we switched half way through).  Again I failed you on the photo front but here are the remnants of what was a truly delicious cheesecake with berry compote.  So good.  Next time proper photos, hopefully!