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.
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
