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Are you about to host a dinner party but have a guest(s) who’s gluten-free?

Feeling a little apprehensive?

A bit flustered?

Is your head swirling with questions as you wonder how to go about it?

Let us help you!

(For some easy gluten-free treats, check out our !)

What Gluten-Free Means:

Gluten is a protein found in the cereals wheat, rye and barley.

Most people don’t have a problem digesting it but there are some for whom it causes problems; those with the auto-immune condition coeliac disease and those who suffer from an intolerance to it.

So these people have to avoid gluten – coeliacs especially must avoid it at all costs. They eat ‘GF’.

It's surprising how many foods do contain gluten (apart from the obvious bread, pasta and bakery items) when you start to look into it.

So to host a gluten-free dinner party you have to have some knowledge...

The Basics:

To get you started we suggest you use the national charity Coeliac UK for straightforward information. They explain which foods are safe for those on a GF diet.

From them you can access a list of products that are GF – very handy for when you’re out shopping!

Bear in mind fresh unprocessed foods are safe – meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, cheese.

But of course we use many other things when cooking - think of all those ‘unseen’ ingredients like stock cubes, soy sauce, mustard, chocolate etc. – be warned many of these DO contain gluten.

New labelling laws ensure that any food labelled ‘GLUTEN-FREE’ is safe for those on a GF diet. So that’s easy enough but, importantly, all pre-packaged foods now require a label if they contain any of 14 allergens and this includes gluten-containing allergens.

So CHECK THE LABEL when you’re shopping.

Cross-Contamination:

Sounds a bit dramatic? Maybe, but this is a very important thing to avoid when you’re preparing food for those on a GF diet.

Don’t let gluten-containing food come into contact with GF food. For some, even a tiny speck of flour or a breadcrumb can affect them (think crumbs in the butter!).

Be mindful of your kitchen workspace, crockery and utensils. 

It’s easier if the whole dinner is GF but if you’ve a mixture of people it can be tricky.

Again, check out Coeliac UK for more on this.

Top Tips:

• It’s important to reassure your GF guest(s) that everything is GF...

or at least have the GF food pointed out to them.

There’s nothing worse than worrying that your host has forgotten or hasn’t paid enough attention – I speak from personal experience as a coeliac!

• If serving drinks and nibbles make sure the crisps are GF – you’ll be amazed at how many crisps DO contain gluten!

And, if you’ve done your homework, you’ll realise that beers contain gluten due to the barley (but there are pretty good GF beers out there!).

Wines and spirits are safe (thank goodness!).

• A note about oats:

Oats are naturally GF BUT during the production process they can become contaminated by other non-gf cereals. This makes them unsafe for those on a GF diet. Only buy those that are labelled GF.

• The menu:

It’s really not as daunting as you think!

Most meals can be adapted to be GF - even lasagne... yes there are gluten-free versions of it (and very good too I must add!).

Think about what you’d LIKE to cook then see how you can adapt it.

Don’t forget there are plenty of wonderful GF products out there – you’re not expected to bake your own GF bread rolls (though GF flour does work well for baking and sauces)!

You’ve done your research, your shopping, you’ve prepared and cooked with care - now you can ALL enjoy the GF meal!

Your guests will greatly appreciate your efforts!

Did you know:

• At least 10% of UK consumers are now following a GF diet, for health reasons (Coeliac UK).
• Around 1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease but only 36% are diagnosed (Coeliac UK).
• May 2024 is Coeliac Awareness month in the UK. The aim is to spread the word about the condition, particularly the different symptoms, with the hope that more people will come forward to be diagnosed.

Here at ÔÚÏߺÚÁÏÃÅ we have a wide range of ready to treat your GF friends.

We even have hampers that are both !

Beautifully presented, our hampers are packed with delicious sweet and savoury gluten free treats, all tried and tested here.

Being gluten-free should never mean compromising on taste and quality!