Gluten free tiramisu is an extremely rare occurrence, so I was fascinated to try the offering from Paradiso Artisan Tiramisu on Sharrow Vale Road. This business has grown from being a conession in Krynkl, the shipping container development, to having their own premises.

Tiramisu is one of my absolute favourite desserts. I used to work in an Italian restaurant as a teenager (waaaay before my Coeliac diagnosis) and I developed a fondness for it there. It’s not difficult to find brilliant gluten free Italian food in general, but the GF desserts in Italian restaurants sadly almost never feature tiramisu.

I make a big gluten free tiramisu myself once or twice a year – always at Christmas and sometimes in summer if there’s a worthy occasion. It’s a bit of a labour of love, as I like to make my own Savoiardi biscuits rather than use cake, so the texture is perfect. I soak my biscuits in a mixture of espresso and Kahlua (or rum), and I use mascarpone, eggs and sugar for the silky cream. It’s absolutely wonderful! (Recipe here if you want to try it)

So I was very excited to call in at Paradiso this afternoon to pick up some takeaway tiramisu to try out, without all the effort!

There was a real buzz around the shop on Sharrow Vale Road, with a gaggle of people waiting outside. There are a few tables at the back of the shop where you can eat in – coffees and cannoli are on offer as well as the tiramisu – but most people were taking away, like us.

As well as their ‘Classico’ tiramisu, there are a variety of flavours on offer such as pistachio and biscoff, although understandably, the gluten free version is the classic one. We kept it simple and bought a Classico one for my husband and a GF one for me, then went home to enjoy them with a coffee.

So, what’s the verdict? As with many free from foods, the GF tiramisu is also vegan, as well as being free from coffee. And all of Paradiso’s tiramisus are alcohol free. It was a lovely afternoon indulgence, with a very light and sweet cream, and a flavour of coffee – but without the booze and the dairy, it didn’t quite pack the same punch as my own. I’m sorry it’s not a rave review from me, but it’s still great that they’ve gone to the trouble of making a gluten free option and it’s worth a go if you’ve been missing tiramisu, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

Paradiso Artisan Tiramisu
345 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield S11 8ZG