Wuthering Bites teams up with SupperThyme to celebrate Gluten Free!

Gluten Free pop ups come to Bristol and Bath!

A new chapter has begun for Wuthering Bites, and i am very excited! Over the next couple of months i will be teaming up with Bristol’s fantastic pop up restaurant SupperThyme to bring, initially, the South West creative and delicious gluten free options in a series of pop up events in March and April. We’re really looking forward to showcasing how easy and delicious gluten free options can be as well as giving you both healthy and indulgent offerings.

SupperThyme, Pop up, Bristol

In order to get our pop ups as refined as possible, we’re asking a select few people to take part in a Question and Answer session in March based in Bristol, to get some initial thoughts from the Coeliac and gluten intolerant community. In turn they will be able to sample some tasty free treats!

We’ll be popping up another blog post on this soon to get on board anyone who may be interested in attending the Q+A and more news on the pop up dates!

Wuthering Bites, Supper Thyme, Pop Up, Gluten Free

In the meantime make sure you follow our twitter feeds @wbites and @SupperThymeChef for constant updates on our testing and developments and give us any ideas on what you think we could name the events! – WutheringThyme isn’t doing it for us at the moment…hah!

Stay tuned lovelies!

Sarah xoxo

Fancy a River Cottage Gluten Free Baking Day?

Hello all! The lovely people over at River Cottage are running a fantastic Gluten Free Cookery day in Devon in February with local nutritionist Naomi Devlin. The day is full with recipes and advice, and bakers take home a fragrant booty of brownies, breads, savoury tarts and muffins to enjoy over the days!

 Gluten Free, river cottage, day

Naomi Devlin says “If you’re looking for a Valentine’s gift, birthday present or even just a great day out for yourself or a gluten free friend, my gluten free day is sure to fill them with excitement about the potential delights of the gluten free kitchen. For anyone just diagnosed with Coeliac disease, or looking for a way to eat well without wheat, I can explain away the mystery and fill you with hope and curiosity for all the amazing foods you can make with your new found baking knowledge!”

gluten free day, river cottage

As there are a few last minute tickets left, River Cottage has kindly asked to give my gorgeous followers a cheeky 30% discount for the February course! Simple enter this code WBFEB30 on Checkout!

I expect to see photos of your creations on twitter! mmm…

Have a Gluten Free Christmas (Part two)

Have a Gluten Free Christmas. Nibbles, Pies and all sorts!

Christmas is so close i can feel it! So here’s the second round up of everything you need to have a perfect Gluten Free Christmas. Lots of nibbly things this time from Crackers, Nibbles, Drinks and Pastry. OoooooOOOoooooh.

The Best Gluten Free Crackers and Nibbles.

It goes without saying for all ‘Gluten Free-er’s’ that Mrs Crimbles Cheese Crackers is an ultimate staple for cheese munching. You can pick these up in most supermarkets in the free from section. Ultimate staple for me and some of my gluten eating friends are obsessed with these too!

If you want something a bit different and fancy for a cheese slice, i’m in love with Raw Health’s Crispbread Provencal. They are delicious, and ever so addictive, the taste is intense and they’re generally very healthy for you. Win Win. You can buy them from Goodness Direct.

Now if you need a good Crispy nibble this Christmas, i cannot recommend more highly the Stilton and Port Kettle Chips. These are absolute heaven.

The Best Gluten Free Mince Pies and Christmas Puddings.

Now i am a strictly, must-make-your-own Mince pies and what not kinda gal. I do find shop bought ones way too sweet for me but obviously i can understand hugely if you need a pie in an instant; so here is my shortlist of my personal faves.

Lovemore Gluten Free Deep Filled Mince Pies, are wonderful. These are always in my local shop so i tend to get these more than others, they are wonderfully filled and not too small either. On heating they keep their shape very well too, which gives these a thumbs up in my opinion.

OK Foods also do lovely mince pies, i much prefer the filling of these ones -a bit finer. However these do seems to burst like crazy after a short blast in the microwave, so using and oven is the key to warming through with these!

The final mince pies i recommend are the Genius ones, which are my ultimate favourite in terms of buttery taste. Unfortunately i haven’t been able to come across these in the shops yet, but i would encourage you to order these online or via supermarkets online as they are much much better than the supermarket varieties which seem to all be just plastered with sugar inside and out.

If you’re like me, and you like to make your own Mince Pies, i have found that Dietary Specials Shortcrust Pastry and the Naturally Good No added Sugar Mincemeat is an excellent combination. Especially if you just want to get in the kitchen and put some together quickly that are not sickly.

For Christmas Puddings i would definitely suggest you track down the M&S Gluten Free Luxury Christmas Pudding (in green packaging). I had a small one of this last year at a friends house and remember it being rich and gorgeously fruity- you could really taste the zest which made it a nice fresh change from an overload of brandy.

As for someone who likes a more fruity taste, i have got my eye on Jenkins and Hustwit’s Gluten Free Fruit Pudding. I have not yet tried this but looking in the ingredients list it seems to me like a winner. I may have to go for this one myself this year. If anyone has tried it -please leave a comment below!

Christmas Gluten Free Extras/Essentials.

Free and Easy, Gluten Free, Gravy

The ultimate gravy in my opinion is one that’s made entirely from scratch from all the natural juices of the meat, and all you really need is a tiny bit of GF Doves Farm Plain Flour (easy to get in all Supermarkets Free From sections) to thicken things up a bit. If you’re cooking for just one gluten free guest though, it may be easier for you to buy a separate alternative and one of my favourite gravy’s is the Free & Easy Caramelised Red Onion Gravy. Rich and full of flavour but i highly encourage you to make your own with gluten free plain flour… nothing goes better with your meats than homemade ;)

Wondering what to give a Gluten Free/ Coeliac guest for Breakfast? Order some of these Fria Cinammon Rolls and they will be in imaginary gluten heaven. Cinnamon Rolls and pastries are things we dream about..and these are dangerously addictive. Perfect for an indulgent croissant alternative.

Aside the obviously new alcoholic Gluten Free Beers, check out Carly from GlutenFreeB’s post here on comparing the best. A fabulous non alcoholic drink, good for any cold symptoms too, is Belvoir Fruit Farms Spiced Winter Berries Cordial, which you can serve up a bit like a posh hot Ribena really.

I hope this has given you some good ideas and aided you in how to cater for gluten free dietary requirements over the holidays. Please let me know if you’ve seen any good Christmas gluten free nibbles and things and i’ll add them to the list! There’s always discussion on Twitter @wbites – get involved :)

For Gluten Free Chocolates and Advent Calenders see my Part One blog post here!

Happy Holidays!

Sarah x

Ash x

Miko x

Winter Salad Days

Salad for the winter? You must be crazy.

Chinese leaf, winter, salad, gluten free,

My husband Rob is a massive salad fan. He will have salad, whatever the weather. I am quite sure that a lot of people do not mind it either, but until now i have found winter salad eating, ludicrous.

It got me thinking really. People are prone to colds in the winter and result in eating comfort foods that may not be high in the veggie stakes. Although lots of slow cooked recipes involve plenty of the good stuff, the longer you cook a vegetable the more the nutrients disappears. My mother used to say ‘the brighter the food the better it is for you’, and i am sure i will now get challenged once again by Rob with ‘but SKITTLES and Relentless are brightly coloured!’ Other sweets and energy drinks are avaliable.

The key to salad in the winter is to make it wholesome and full of lots of interesting things. So after a raid in the fridge we came up with a naturally gluten free salad i would happily eat every winter and good enough to fight any cold from the offset. The chinese leaf is so additively sweet and goes extremely well with the heat of the chilli and the fragrant basil; The smell is incredible. Gorgeous with steamed salmon or a jacket potato.

Chinese leaf, winter, salad, gluten free,

Winter Chinese Leaf Salad

Makes enough for 2 very hungry or 4 not so.

2 Whole Chinese leafs

1 White Onion

1/2 a Cucumber

Juice of 1/2 a Large Lemon and 1/2 a Lime

4 Basil leaves

2 Red Chilli’s

Drizzle of Red Wine Vinegar

Chop the Chinese leaf into medium- large chunks.

Pop the Onion, cucumber, basil leaves and chilli into a food processor on the slice blade. You can also do this by hand, but we liked the thinness of the cucumber and onion this way.

Mix the Chinese leaf in with the sliced onion, cucumber, basil and chilli.

Pour over the lemon and lime juice and mix this in with clean hands.

Taste and season accordingly with red wine vinegar.

The perfect cold buster on it’s own or with a hot steaming jacket potato.

Gluten Free Hot Spot- La Panameña, Bristol

Simply described as “Latin America meets Italy. Panamá meets Mediterraneo. Bringing real Latin American food to Bristol” , La Panemeña aims to bring some authentic fever to the Bristol food circuit.

I was so glad i could come to their first Bristol pop up event. All Gluten Free apart from one dessert option, i was truly in allergen heaven.

La Panemena, event, bristol

On booking the event Carla from Can Be Bribed With Food (La Panameña’s creator), put my mind at ease by telling me that everything but one thing was to be Gluten Free. I did a tiny dance in my seat. I love trying different foods, and the words ‘Homemade’ and ‘Comfort Food’ make me sink at the knees.

The first event, entitled Dia de la Bandera (Day of the Flag) invited us for a mere £20 per person for a 3 course meal and bring your own. “Come join us celebrate Panamá’s independence from Colombia at 40 Alfred Place for a Sunday lunch filled with Latin American warmth! One sitting, communal tables, lots of food, colour and music.” I decided to bring along my camera and take some photos. I knew this was going to be fun.

La Panemena, event, bristol

That’s exactly what it was, a food celebration. Unlike going to a restaurant, this felt like an occasion; i love things like this and it gets me excited even when writing about them. The atmosphere on the Sunday was fantastic, everyone wanted to be there to celebrate tasting this new food, it was warm, cosy and vibrant. Just what i wanted on a freezing cold November day.

La Panemena, event, bristol, gluten free, sarah kreczmer, photography

Food was plentiful and communal. Handing round bowls and having conversations mostly about how to get the recipe off the chef, is exactly what you want from an event like this. No one should be discussing anything else but the food.

La Panemena, event, bristol, gluten free

Highlights for me were an amazing Tazita de Guacho (rice, beans and pork soup). Wholesome, peppery and packed full of flavour, i could have eaten a whole bowl.

La Panemena, event, bristol, gluten free, food, photography, sarah, kreczmer

Ceviche de Pescado Blanco and Patacones (fried green plantain), which made my husband want to go home and re-create this straight away; we already started planning on how we can work it into our weekly food list. Beautiful Sea Bream mixed with coriander and sweet fresh tomato, cured in a tangy, sharp marinade; fragrant, fresh and addictive, contrasted excellently with chopped cashew nuts to add another element of texture.

La Panemena, event, bristol, gluten free

My favourite dish however, was the Homemade Beef Tasajo in Tomato and Coconut Sauce with Arroz con Guandu (Rice and Peas from the Caribbean side). So tender and rich, with a bit of sweetness. Our table did a conclusive ‘oh my god this is good’ in our heads. We didn’t have time to say anything because eating this was more important.

La Panemena, event, bristol, gluten free

What i love about all of this food is that is doesn’t scare you to try to recreate it at home. It so packed full of comfort and love that it’s almost enticing you to make it your own and try some more. It also proves that using naturally gluten free ingredients can make some of the best food you have ever tasted.

La Panameña have set them up for a long subscription of event attendance from me, and i do hope other Bristolians or any out of towners venture to attend to one of the events (*whispers* i hear the next one is in January). You can start by liking the Facebook page.

Have a Gluten Free Christmas (Part One)

On the Wuthering Bites Facebook Page I’ve been starting to give some advice on what to buy or offer Gluten free friends and family for Christmas. This Christmas I’ve decided to prepare a lot in advance, unlike last year where i was unfortunately in an immense rush to the shops after work, every day for a week prior to Christmas day. Not recommended.

So as well as giving advice on Facebook and Twitter I’ve naturally decided to do a two part list on the blog on everything that I’ve seen that will aid your gluten free Christmas this year. A round up of my favourite things that hopefully will either reconfirm that they are gluten free or give you some new ideas this year.

This part will focus on my favourite thing; Chocolate.

Lets begin!

The Best Gluten Free Advent Calendars

My first choice for a Gluten free advent calendar is a rather luxurious one, I suppose it’s me hoping that my husband will get us one this Christmas, unfortunately I didn’t get one last year- due to him saying that advent calendars aren’t for adults? I’m sorry, but I will do everything in my power to have an excuse for chocolate.

So here’s the solution for the adults, The Truffles for Two Advent Calendar.

Although a tad expensive, these choccys from Hotel Chocolat never fail to please me. These chocolates really count down those days.

Hotel Chocolat also do simple Milk, White and Dark versions but if you’re going to go luxury darling, you may as well aid the ‘How much’ yelp from your partner by saying ‘but it’s chocolate for BOTH OF US’. I’ve thought this through, obviously.

My less expensive choice is for the kids, and if you like to have things that look traditional round the home instead of say, a Transformers Advent Calendar.  The Thorntons Children’s Advent Calender is very sweet this year, and I like the element of personalisation of icing the big Christmas day chocolate with a name. Free from gluten, artificial colours and flavourings.

The Best Gluten Free Chocolates

After the whole discovery of finding out that Terry’s Chocolate Orange’s may contain traces of gluten, and indeed most of Cadbury’s chocolate, it’s fair to say I shall be avoiding Cadbury’s this Christmas. Although Roses boxes and tins I believe are gluten free, I am always skeptical now of ‘cereals’ in their allergies information, but of course I may be just venting at the fact I cannot have my beloved Chocolate Orange this Christmas.

gluten free, chocolates, christmas

To satisfy my Terry’s Chocolate Orange craving this year, I shall be sticking to the gluten free Quality Street Zingy Orange Matchmakers.

So incredibly addictive, and a box of these (or the mint ones) will cure any temptation for a tin of gluten chocolate being handed round. Also Wilkinsons have a good deal at the moment.

Quality Street boxes are safe, BUT I believe they are to have only a small amount of Barley Malt Extract, which should be okay for Coeliac’s, but I would still be aware of this.

Celebrations tins are a no go.

To satisfy anyone’s chocolate craving there are lots of gluten free alternatives:

All Toberlones are completely gluten free, and who wouldn’t be happy with a massive bar of that?!

A cheap alternative for Christmas this year, which I found while I was building my sweet table for my wedding, is via the Chocolate Buttons website. If you go to their Christmas section, and select ‘Gluten Free’ under their allergen filter, you can create your own gluten free Christmas mixture! All their standard chocolates are very good quality. A nice alternative from the main brands too.

For a more luxurious selection, after trying their chocolates in Paris I cannot highly recommend La Maison du Chocolat enough. These Hat boxes are pure indulgence.

And if you’re looking for Christmas tree decorations, How about this kit from Cocoapod Chocolates to design your own?

What gluten free chocolate treats do you like to get at Christmas? List them below or tweet me @wbites and I’ll add them to the list!

Gluten Free Christmas part two will feature the best gluten free crackers and nibbles, mince pies and Christmas puddings/alternatives… stay tuned :)

Could you vote for me? Pretty please. With a morello cherry on top!

Hey all,
I’ve been working so hard on this blog for the past year and it truly is my baby (aside Ash and Miko, of course), It’s where i love to lay down my thoughts on local ingredients, suppliers, gluten free woes, gluten free highs and my forever love of photography. I love sharing my stories about my wacky self on Wuthering Bites and it’s nice to have somewhere that i can express my passion for gaining more Gluten Free awareness in the U.K.

I would love it if you could vote for my blog in the Food Mag 2013 Food Reader awards in the Best Food Blogger category. I hope that over the past year and a bit i’ve shown you my dedication for providing good content and recipe sources with some mouth watering photographs.

Best food blogger, food, mag, reader, awards, 2013

All you have to do is click this link right here and enter in some other categories too. I know how tiresome these forms are, but if you do get time, i really would appreciate it from the bottom of my gluten free heart. <3

I’d also just like to tell you how much i’ve appreciated all of my followers support over the past year on Facebook, Twitter and WordPress- i’ve met some wonderful people!
Lots of food love,

Sarah x

Ash x

Miko x

A is for Autumn.. and a new cat.

Finding it hard at the moment to type due to having a fluffball on my lap. I love how cats can just lay about where they please, yet we find it hard to move them if they cause us any hassle. They just look so cute don’t they?

Maybe it’s to do with the warmth.

A is indeed for Autumn, and warmth is what we need at this time of year. My main reason I convinced my husband to let us get another cat was undoubtedly for heating purposes. Obviously ;)

Miko provides me a lot of warmth actually, he’s got quite a fluffy coat on him. All ginger and white. My dad calls him a ginger panda, which can only be a good thing. Pandas are like my second favourite animal.

He’s fast, like lightening. I think he’s already mastered the cat flap too (although I daren’t let him out yet!)

This past weekend saw the weather change drastically here in England, and although some people moaned about it, I will embrace it with five layers of cashmered arms. I love cosing up in front of the tv and makeshift candle fireplace, with a blanket -and the cats on the blanket, with a cup of tea and my hubby. That to me is an idyllic situation, as long as I have good food (I’ll forget about the trip to the supermarket in the freezing cold for now) I’m happy.

Rosemary, spiced ,Scones, Gluten free, easy, recipe, autumn

This weekend was about scones. Cake was a bit of an effort for the cold weather transition. These scones took 25 minutes to make and gave me way more time to be on the sofa with Ash and Miko.

I hope you like my new baby.

Rosemary, and, spiced, Scones, Gluten free, easy, recipe, autumn

 Autumnal Spiced Scones with Rosemary

Fragrant and Comforting, best served with Clotted Cream or Butter and Honey with a cup of Rooibos Tea. Delicious.

Makes four big or 6 medium scones

100g Hazelnut Flour

100g Almond Flour

85g Sorghum Flour  (or Brown Rice Flour) plus extra for dusting.

2 Tsp of Gluten Free Baking Powder

Half a teaspoon of xanthan gum

Salt

2 Eggs

Half a teaspoon of Chopped Dried Rosemary

1 Teaspoon of Cinammon (Heaped, if you like ;)

1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

A Drizzle of Olive Oil

A Drizzle of Honey

Drop of Single Cream

Sprinkling of Granulated Sugar

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.

Pop your Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Sorghum Flour, Baking Powder, Xyanthan Gum and Salt into a Food Processor and give it a quick pulse.

Add in the eggs, Rosemary, Cinammon, Ginger and pulse once more until well combined.

Add in a drizzle of Olive Oil and Honey until the mixture is sticky to the touch, but not so sticky it comes straight off onto your fingers. If it ends up too sticky add a teaspoon by teaspoon of a chosen flour until you get the right consistency.

Take your dough out of the Food Processor and place onto a floured board.

Knead the flour into the dough with your hands until you have a workable mixture.

Divide equally into either four or six pieces and roll into balls. Flatten them slightly to about 5cm tall.

Place them onto a greased and floured baking tray (or baking paper) and brush the scones with a layer of cream. Sprinkle them all with the sugar.

Pop in the oven for 10-12 mins, keeping an eye on the tops, cook until golden.

Gluten free, easy, recipe, autumn,

Eat Warm :)

Time to visit an Ice Cream Farm

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Lets face it. I was pretty damn excited about this trip.

The morning came and i swear i felt like a child on Christmas morning.  Unbearable excitement basically. (but to be honest i still feel excited on Christmas morning and i’m 24 almost.)

Marshfield Farm Ice Cream is situated in Marshfield: Interesting fact number one! It’s about a twenty minute car journey from the center of Bath. As we went in a group, we got a taxi from Bath Spa Station there together, although if you do have a car i would highly recommend it as the fare was a bit much!

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

The kind owners Will and Dawn Hawkings (who’s fantasy ice cream flavours are Toad in the hole and Prosecco) kindly invited us to try out their ice cream (all 25 flavours) at their new ice cream parlour and get a deeper insight into the production process! A true farm lifestyle, a dog, a cat, cows and lots of mucking about going on- gotta love the wellies!

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Marshfield offer 17 gluten free flavours, which is pretty good going! As there is such a great variety to choose from, it really doesn’t matter that you can’t have the chocolate fudge brownie flavour. Honestly.

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Will Hawking started his ice cream journey 21 years ago with a very small ice cream machine than what he’s used to now on the farm, although they still use a small one for testing with various toppings and ripples. They really don’t have to worry about what’s for dessert that night.

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

The testing process however, is crucial. A whole lot of trial and error goes into making sure your ice cream will taste palatable, have a smooth consistency, good shelf life , and a fantastic aesthetic. From the way Dawn talked us through the entire start to finish process, it shows that they take a lot of care and pride in what they create at Marshfield. With no Addictives, no Artificial Colours, and the challenge of working around allergen options, it’s obvious that they make this ice cream with all the love in the world, ensuring everyone gets a scoop!

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Interesting fact number two is that pavlova may be gluten free on making, but it isn’t in the ice cream process. I was mythed by why the Raspberry Ripple Pavlova had gluten in, but Dawn explained that in order to get the pavlova ‘crunchy + chewy’ consistency, they had to put a special coating on top to help it keep it’s shape during the freezing process, otherwise it would just dissolve!

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Interesting facts number three, four and five, is that in order to naturally flavour their stunning Succulent Strawberry, Mint Choc Chip and Caramel fudge in clotted cream they use Beetroot Juice, Chlorophyll and Turmeric!

Their new ice cream parlour is open only during the summer months, and i only wished i visited sooner in order to give you enough time to visit, but if you are available and in the Bath area, do take a trip down as they close at the end of September.

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

It is in the early stages, but by next year we hope to try lots more of their delicious sundaes they’ve put together! Plus there’s always an excuse to see cows in abundance. Isn’t there? ;)

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

marshfield, gluten, free, ice, cream, farm, tasting, parlour, cows, milk, process, flavours, trip, bath, u.k, somerset, farm, dog, cat, ice cream,

Sarah’s Top Five Gluten Free Marshfield Flavours:

1- Blackcurrants in Clotted Cream

2- Honey and Stem Ginger

3- Carribean Coconut

4- Caramel Fudge in Clotted Cream

5- White Chocolate with Honeycomb Crunch

See what my lovely blogger friend Abby chose as her top five flavours are in her blog post here.

Pastr..easy

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Enemy Pastry Since knowing I had a gluten intolerance, I avoided pastry like the plague. It was never going to work. Damn gluten free pastry. Always collapsing, falling apart, breaking, burning, crumbling, singing Justin Beiber; you name it. So I … Continue reading