Steeliac

Category: Family

  • Review: Browns Brasserie

    Review: Browns Brasserie

    The brasserie and bar chain Browns recently launched a Coeliac UK accredited gluten free menu, giving us coeliacs another go-to food option in Sheffield!

    I took the boys for a posher-than-normal-for-a-Wednesday pub tea before we went to see the excellent Fantastic Mr Fox at the Lyceum. I booked a table online and put in the comments that 2 of us were gluten free, and when I arrived, I was really impressed that the waiter showing us to our table was fully prepared with a pair of gluten free menus. So points for organisation and extra points for having a separate gluten free menu with plenty of choices. Great start.

    Boy 1 mad a beeline for the mussels starter, which seemed a bit extravagant for weeknight tea but we decided to share them. I was just a bit disappointed when they came topped with two pieces of lightly toasted sliced white. Particularly as I saw a non-gf version go past a bit later with two hunks of crusty bread. There are plenty of options for rolls, baguettes etc. out there!

    Having said that, the mussels were great, with a nice sauce that we enjoyed dipping.

    I then had a salad from the ‘Light Mains’ section. Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t do it much justice. It looked lovely and was full flavour. At the bottom was a big smear of beetroot humous, there were plenty of asparagus spears, and the salad was packed with beetroot, quinoa and rice. I even enjoyed the leaves – so often salads come with bitter tasting leaves, which I can’t stand.

    This was really filling and I’d definitely order it again. The chicken was an addition, but you could have the salad on its own or with with smoked salmon or feta.

    Boy 1 opted for the chicken burger on a brioche style bun with a portion of fries. The waiter wasn’t sure if the ketchup was gluten free so he went to the kitchen to check, which was reassuring.

    The burger looked and tasted great, although again, I thought the bread brought it down slightly. It was just a bit too chewy really and the meaty filling needed something a bit softer around it. (Actually, I reckon the brioche bun would have been great to dip into the mussels sauce.)

    We still had plenty of time before the theatre so we even fitted in a pudding. We shared a slice of chocolate tart (as they were out of brownie). This was made with a rich ganache and a good pastry, and the ice cream was topped with honeycomb sprinkles, which went down well. All in all, a good pud!

    So, how can I sum it all up? 

    It’s great to see another chain making so much effort with a separate gluten free menu and some interesting choices. The staff were helpful and friendly. I felt confident in what we ordered because of the Coeliac UK accreditation, so I would definitely go back. I just hope the guys in the food sourcing department can take another look at the bready aspects of the gluten free offer – a few tweaks would really lift it up.

    I know that the big issue with gluten free bread is that it’s not as good as the real thing, but there are decent products out there, and they’re getting better all the time.

    Browns, St Paul’s Chambers, 8-12 St Paul’s Parade, Sheffield S1 2JL

  • Restaurant review: Rajdhani

    Restaurant review: Rajdhani

    We took the boys to the Rajdhani curry house in the old train station building at Dore and Totley the other week. It was fun to get off the train and go straight into the restaurant. The restaurant was fairly quiet, as we went for an early tea as soon as the doors were opened, but one of the other tables seemed to be regulars, which has to be a good sign.

    We brought our own poppadoms with us, which the waiters were sort of ok with us eating, especially when we ordered some more for the gluten eaters along with a pickle tray! And I have to say, this was one of the best pickle trays I’ve ever had!

    Normally on a pickle tray, there’s mango chutney, raita and onion salad, and then some super spicy dips that blow my head off. There was a super spicy lime pickle, but there were also two really interesting dips: a curried tomato salsa and a smoky, spicy mango chutney. Quite different flavours and a welcome change.

    For our main course, we ordered mild dishes as we were with the kids (from a specific mild section on the menu). We went for the ubiquitous chicken tikka masala and a Badami chicken, which is made with pistachios and cream. (I’d normally have gone for something like a lamb saag or a biryani.) I also ordered a side of aubergine,  one of my favourites, and a tarka daal, which is a necessity.

    The main meals looked lovely – great colours and well presented; really fresh looking. The boys loved both of the curries, and although they were a little sweet for me, there was plenty of meat in them and the sauces were flavourful. But the daal and brinjal bhaji (aubergine) were delicious.

    We left happy and full. This is a nice little restaurant with an added bonus of views of the trains passing through the station. I’ll definitely be back for some more of that pickle tray, and maybe a more adventurous curry next time…

    Rajdhani, Dore and Totley Station, Abbeydale Road South S17 3LB

  • Banana bread 

    Banana bread 

    Bananas generally get scoffed in our house. I like them a bit under-ripe, so they have a bit of bite, then there’s usually a window of opportunity of a few days when the boys will eat them, before they start to go brown. After that, we usually keep them to make pancakes at the weekend.  Recently, my boys have been asking me to save them to make banana bread instead, so I’ve been experimenting with a few recipes from t’internet.

    Our new fave is this one, from the I Quit Sugar website. I can’t copy the recipe here, unfortunately, but I wanted to share the link because it’s so good and very easy to make.

    The recipe uses dry ingredients and wet ingredients, measured separately, then mixed together. The wet ingredients are 3 bananas, 2 eggs, coconut oil, milk, cider vinegar and vanilla essence.

    The dry ingredients are: buckwheat flour, almond meal (I assumed this meant ground almonds) baking powder & soda, salt and a variety of spices. I used cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg, as I didn’t fancy the cardamom suggested – it seemed too exotic for banana bread.

    It also has an interesting topping of pecans drizzled with coconut oil and cinnamon, which we really liked and did the second time I made it. They give it a bit of texture, but soften over a couple of days – unless you eat it quickly, of course. I chopped mine up to make the loaf easier to slice.

    One tip I would give is to grease the loaf tin and pour the mixture in directly, rather than faffing about lining with paper. My loaf tin is fairly old but it is non-stick and it turned out very easily.

    As you’d expect from IQS, there’s no added sugar in the recipe, so it feels very virtuous and the kids think it’s cake. Winner. Best served still warm and slathered with butter.

  • Pub review: The Doctor’s Orders

    Pub review: The Doctor’s Orders

    ***UPDATE Sep 2026 – Think they use food concessions rather than making their own now, so I’ve no idea if there is still a gluten free offer***

    We were looking for somewhere to go for a Sunday lunch with my mother in law, who lives in Broomhill, and Tripadvisor suggested The Doctor’s Orders, which is right next to the Hallamshire hospital on Glossop Road. We’d always thought it was just a student pub, but it has very good reviews on Tripadvisor for food and specifies gluten free, so we decided to give it a whirl.

    It’s a fun, themed pub, with medical memorabilia, such as  a full height skeleton and old fashioned framed advertisements. It was interesting explaining some of these to the boys!

    The kids really enjoyed reading the Staff Prescriptions board and spotting who was serving us. We’re fairly certain Liam R and Rob looked after our table, and very attentive they were, too. They obligingly took my various ingredients questions to the chef and came back with confident answers, which is always reassuring.

    There were a few gluten free choices marked on the menu (e.g. steaks, nachos, baked Camembert). Others can be made gluten free, such as the fish and chips (they have a separate fryer, but don’t batter the fish for GF) and the burgers, which can be served with a gluten free bun.

    We decided to order a starter portion of nachos to share. I took a photo but it’s not pretty because we’d already started eating, so it won’t do it justice. It was a great big bowl full – plenty for all 5 of us to have a helping, with a generous amount of the cheese, salsa, chillies and chicken toppings.

    For mains, my older boy tested out a gluten free burger. He went for the Smokey Swine, which was a monster stack of pork, bacon, pulled pork and cheddar on a pretty good gluten free bun. It came with some great wedge chips and a nicely spiced bbq sauce. A whopping portion, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

    I opted for something a bit more Sunday lunchy from the specials menu: a whole ham hock served with creamy apple mash, honey roast carrots and parsnips and a cider jus. It wasn’t marked as GF, but I was informed it was.

    I too was presented with a proper Yorkshire portion. I’m not sure anybody really needs to eat a whole ham hock in one meal (and I consider myself a bit of a pig, so that’s saying something). But it did taste divine. The meat just fell apart, and the mash sweetened with apple was fantastic – a very well balanced flavour.  The only thing it could have done with is a bit of green veg because it was so rich, but all in all, I really enjoyed it. I’d say the jus was a gravy to be honest, but that’s not a complaint – I like gravy.

    We really enjoyed our meal, but were far too stuffed for pudding. Mind you, there didn’t seem to be any gluten free choices on the menu, and I forgot to ask! I did enquire about the Sunday roasts and found out that they have gluten free stuffing, but not gluten free Yorkshire puds.

    The Doctor’s Orders, 412 Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2JD

  • Gastro pub review: Castle Inn, Bradway

    Gastro pub review: Castle Inn, Bradway

    ***Update – The Castle changed hands since this article so I don’t know what the food offer is like anymore***

    On the last day of the Christmas holidays we treated ourselves to one final meal out. We went to the Castle Inn off Twentywell Lane in Bradway for a gastro pub tea with the boys.

    The Castle is run by Jack Baker and Jack Windsor, both formerly of Smith & Baker on Eccy Road, who have great reputations in Sheffield, and according to this article they relaunched the pub in about May 2016.

    The pub doesn’t have a specific gluten free menu, but there were a few things to choose from and the chef was able to tell us what could be made gluten free. Based on the photo in the link above, it was Jack Windsor who talked to us, and he certainly seemed to have an in depth knowledge of his ingredients. He told us straight away that the chorizo contained some rusk and that I couldn’t have the pulled pork as it contained English mustard. Whilst this might be what you’d expect, I’ve been served barley in a Michelin starred restaurant before now, so a chef who knows what he’s on about in terms of allergens isn’t always a given!

    I chose a fish pie from the specials board for the boys to share, and the chef made up a special one with no flour in the sauce, so frankly, I was really impressed. It even came served on a fish shaped plate, which we loved (I’m easy to please!) although you can’t tell from the picture unfortunately.

    The boys really enjoyed the fish pie, although there was a very long and drawn out episode of getting boy no. 2 to eat a couple of green beans and try the cabbage. At one point he offered the contents of his piggy bank in exchange for not eating the green beans, which was very tempting as it contains his birthday money. He saw sense eventually. Apologies to the people on the next table – things got slightly raucous at one point.

    I opted for a flat bread, which are highlighted on the menu as being available as gluten free. I wondered why they didn’t call a pizza, but when it came I understood – the base was definitely more flat bread than pizza dough. My topping was meat feast and although one or two items had to be substituted, what I got was great. It included meatballs, bacon, ham hock and tandoori chicken, (which is a better combination than it sounds!) with sweetcorn and chillis and a teensy bit of salad to make it feel healthier than it is.

    It was quite an indulgence really, but I very much enjoyed it. I would definitely go back and have another of these – plenty of other toppings are available…

    Also on the menu is their rotisserie chicken, which comes with a variety of sides and sauces. There are loads to choose from including roast potatoes, slaw, corn on the cob, red pepper and walnut pesto, lentil dahl, harissa yoghurt amongst others. I’m sure not all the toppings will be gluten free, but I bet enough are to give you a decent choice.

    The pudding menu was a bit more limited in options but they did have a gluten free pistachio creme brulee. I was too stuffed to eat a dessert in any case. They also serve the delicious Moevenpick ice creams and sorbets, many of which are gluten free (see their allergen info).

    We had a really nice meal at the Castle Inn, and the serving staff were also great. I’d completely recommend it – a big thumbs up from us. 🙂

    Castle Inn, 1 Twentywell Road, Sheffield S17 4PT

  • Buckwheat blini

    Buckwheat blini

    I’ve been meaning to try making my own blini for a while now, to make the most of buckwheat flour being gluten free. I already use it to make galettes (the French savoury pancakes) but I was really pleased when I came across this easy peasy recipe on the Doves Farm website. Blini are traditionally made with yeast, but these are much simpler and just use a bit of baking powder as a raising agent. Whisking the eggs really well to make them frothy helps give a really light consistency to the batter.

    I was so pleased with them, I made them a second time when we had our mini Christmas family gathering last weekend. They look quite spectacular all together on a platter.

    The ingredients are:

    2 Eggs
    175 g Buckwheat Flour (I used Rude Health sprouted GF buckwheat flour)
    2 tsps Baking Powder
    300 ml Milk
    2 tbsps Oil

    Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until quite frothy – this takes a few minutes.

    Sieve in the flour and baking powder, then gradually add the milk, continuing to whisk until the batter is smooth but frothy looking.

    Heat a smear of oil on a heavy frying pan and drop in teaspoons of the batter. I found I could cook seven or eight at once on my big pancake pan.

    When the underside is golden and the top looks almost cooked (stopped being shiny) then turn over and cook the other side briefly. Repeat until all the batter is used up. I have made 60-70 from this amount of batter using teaspoonsful.

    Rest the blini on a wire rack to cool, then decorate with whatever toppings you fancy.

    I did, in descending favourite order:

    • brie and baked Parma ham (tear the ham into strips and roll into loose balls, then bake until crispy at 180C – 10 to 15 mins)
    • beetroot and mint dip from the Co-op with some Merchant Gourmet puy lentils (warmed through and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper)
    • smoked salmon and cream cheese
    • chicken, sweetcorn and mayonnaise sprinkled with smoked  paprika
    • red pesto, mozzarella, basil & baby tomato

  • Home made gluten free fruity fibre cereal

    Home made gluten free fruity fibre cereal

    Boy no. 1 has been on his gluten free diet for a few months now and is adjusting well. I’ve had to rethink my after work/school weekday teas but there are plenty of things available to replace the old glutenny favourites almost like for like. It’s easy to get hold of gluten free gnocchi, pasta or fish fingers, and regular things made out of meat, fish or vegetables only need the odd tweak.

    Weekday breakfasts have been a bit more trial and error. Cereal is the norm in our house and of course, the obvious choices are packed with evil gluten. In his first gluten free week, we ordered a whole load of boxes of different gluten free cereal, partly to make it fun, but mostly to try to find some new favourites. Unfortunately, we found that most of the gluten free cereal is either a bit bland or full of sugar or chocolate – no surprise there. I ended up having to endure some particularly cardboardy stuff that he understandably rejected.

    His new favourite, non-chocolatey option became Kellogg’s GF Puffed Corn Cereal, which isn’t on their website, so here’s a link to it elsewhere. (In fact, bafflingly, there isn’t even any mention of anything gluten free on the Kellogg’s website, according to the search.)

    Unfortunately, the Puffed Corn is coated with sugar syrup and molasses, so whilst it’s a favourite for him, it’s not something I want him filling up on first thing in the morning. But a few weeks ago, I had a bit of a brainwave. I realised that one of my cereals, Dove’s Farm Cereal Flakes, would probably make a rather fine replacement for his old favourite, Fruit and Fibre. So I added a box to the shopping order, along with a new cereal box shaped plastic tub, and a variety of fruity bits to add in:

    banana chips
    flame raisins – the big ones
    coconut shavings
    dried apple

    I mixed a box of Cereal Flakes together with a handful of each of the fruity bits in a large bowl. The dried apple wasn’t quite as dry as I’d have liked and I thought the moisture might make the rest of the mixture soggy, so I put it on a baking tray at 100C in the oven to dry out more, which took about 45 minutes. Once cool, I added them to the mix and transferred the whole thing to the new tub. He was delighted at breakfast time the next morning. He still likes to sprinkle a few Puffed Corns on top but I can live with that.

    I haven’t totted up what this cost, but it’s undoubtedly 2 or 3 times the price of a box of Fruit and Fibre. well, that’s being gluten free for you…

  • Cocktails and kebabs at The Botanist!

    Cocktails and kebabs at The Botanist!

    We were looking for a lunch venue on Saturday in town when we stumbled upon very new bar The Botanist in Leopold Square. Not particularly somewhere I would have planned to take the kids but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of a cheeky cocktail and a new place to review. 

    They have clearly spent a fortune on this place. It’s done out with lots of dark wood, flamboyant light fittings, botanical pictures covering the walls and reclaimed looking banisters up the stairs (with just the right level of chic rustiness). 

    The cocktail menu is extensive with, of course, lots of botanicals in the ingredients. I went for a Thyme for Cherry, which is a cherry liqueur with rum, lime and fresh thyme, including a generous sprig to decorate. It was a satisfying long drink to sip while I did the obligatory cross referencing of the allergen menu with the regular menu. 

    There weren’t many gluten free starters on offer except olives, chicken wings and pork crackling. We ordered some of the latter for a starter as the boys love a bit of crackling, and we were amused when it arrived on a tray with a miniature wheelbarrow of apple sauce with chilli and spring onion. 

    There is a variety of gluten free items you can choose to make up a pick n mix deli board. These include humous, Greek salad, pickled veg, ham, chorizo coronation chicken and cheeses. Although you wouldn’t be able to have the fougasse bread that comes with it. I didn’t have chance to ask if there is a gluten free alternative. 

    For mains you can have steaks, kebabs, Malaysian curry or seabass, which I thought was a reasonable selection. And most of their sides are also gluten free. These include chips (hurrah!) winter slaw, roast carrots and parsnips, corn cobs and salad. 

    We all decided to go for kebabs which were rather spectacular, hanging on a cast iron stand with integrated sauce dribbler at the top! Chicken and pork were the gluten free options so I opted for the pork kebab and the kids had mini chicken ones from the kids’ menu. Nice to see something different from the usual fish fingers and pizza on the kids’ menu, although now I think about it. I suppose it was still chicken and chips, albeit served elaborately!

    We all enjoyed eating them and it was something a bit different. The belly pork on my kebab was lovely and tender, although I always forget how fatty it is. And I ended up having pork for both courses – whoops. That’ll be the cherry liqueur!

    The service was a bit mixed and distinctly showed this is a very new establishment, but we didn’t have to wait long for the food and we really enjoyed the quirky presentation. 

    I think I’ll definitely go back to sample some more of the cocktail menu – without the kids in tow. And it’s great to know they’ve thought a bit about having some gluten free options on the menu. 

    The Botanist, Unit 5A and 5B Leopold Square, Sheffield S1 2JG

  • The Cabin: cafe review

    The Cabin: cafe review

    ***5th October update: Somebody has commented that this cafe is not employing adequate cross contamination controls, so please use your own judgement about its suitability. My mum and I have both eaten there on separate occasions without becoming ill, but I’m going to get in touch with them to find out about their procedures. Watch this space…***

    I was tipped off on Twitter this week about a brand new independent cafe in Sheffield centre, that serves gluten free waffles and pancakes! As I was in town on Saturday, I took the opportunity to test it out with the family. The cafe is called The Cabin and it’s on Fitzwilliam Street just off the Moor. It used to be a rather drab coffee shop and it’s been completely transformed into a welcoming and fun place. The decor is fun, with stained wooden cladding, hand made tables and lots of bears and moose (including a life size bear near the entrance that you can give a hug to!)

    The menu is fairly simple, with the main offering being regular or gluten free waffles and pancakes, with a variety of toppings – brunch, sweet and savoury. They also do bagels, but didn’t have any gluten free ones today.

    The food arrived more quickly than I expected despite the cafe only having been open a couple of weeks, and it being fairly busy. Hubby and I went halves on a Mexican chicken waffle and a waffle with bacon, brie and chilli jam.  The Mexican chicken one came with strips of spiced chicken, and dollops of salsa, guacamole and sour cream. The boys had pancakes with bacon, egg and maple syrup. We all ate gluten free so we could share, and for once, I didn’t feel like I’d inflicted inferior gluten free food on everybody. The waffles and pancakes were super soft and clearly freshly made. This is seriously good comfort food.

    While we were there, we witnessed a young, skinny guy take on the Pikes Peak Pancake Challenge, where you have to try to eat a huge stack of 12 pancakes with toppings in about 20 minutes. The reward is to get yourself on the wall of fame, as well as probably stomach ache. But a challenge is a challenge! The guy was gutted not to complete all twelve, and blamed it on the Nutella, which apparently made it all a bit too much. His recommendation for toppings, should you wish to embark on this, is fruit.

    img_4581For pudding, the boys shared a waffle with Nutella, which we were pleased to discover is also gluten free. Happy days!

    I was really pleased to read on their menu, that their coffee is ethically sourced, take-away packaging is eco friendly and they use local producers such as Sheffield favourite Our Cow Molly. They also sell some gifts and cards, and some deli foods including maple balsamic and maple mustard.

    I highly recommend this place. I can see me thinking up lots of excuses to pop into town so we can pay a sneaky visit here. And that will keep everybody happy, as the boys think it is the best cafe ever.

    The Cabin, 20-24 Fitzwilliam Gate, Sheffield S1 4JH

     

     

  • Sweetcorn fritters

    Sweetcorn fritters

    Now one of the boys is gluten free as well as me, I’m having to go back to the drawing board a bit on weekday tea ideas. Previously, I was able to persuade them both to have a hot meal at school a few times a week so I could make something quick and light for tea –  like omelette or egg & beans. But now that packed lunches are every day, I’m having to think of five quick hot meals per week. With a few of my glutenny staples now out of the window, I’m in need of new ideas. 

    In a flash of inspiration on Friday afternoon, I had a look for recipes for sweetcorn fritters, which sounded like good comfort food to me. 

    One small tin of sweetcorn yielded seven fritters, so three each for the boys and one for the cook. The boys enjoyed them with a bit of mayonnaise but I thought they went rather well with sweet chilli sauce. 

    Could be a new family favourite. I wonder what else I can make into a fritter! 

    Ingredients:

    • 125g gluten free self raising flour
    • 1 large egg
    • 150 ml milk
    • 198g can sweetcorn
    • Groundnut oil for frying

    To make the fritters, sieve the flour into a bowl with the egg, and gradually whisk in the milk to make a batter. Drain and dry the sweetcorn before stirring enough of the batter into it to coat. It depends on your preferred corn:batter ratio, but I found there’s more than required. Season the mix. 

    Heat up a tablespoon or so of oil in a frying pan and cook spoonfuls of the mixture on a medium heat. They only take a couple of minutes on each side until golden and crisp. 

    Next time I might add some chopped spring onions or spices for a bit of extra flavour. 

    And I’m going to experiment with making something sweet out of the left over batter.