Steeliac

Category: Friends

  • The Oxford Place – Leeds!

    The Oxford Place – Leeds!

    ***Sadly The Oxford Place closed permanently in July 2026***

    Now, I’ve decided to break a golden rule. The rule was to only write about places to eat in Sheffield, mainly to avoid confusion. But the discovery of a 100% gluten free restaurant in Leeds is too good to keep to myself!

    I discovered The Oxford Place because I went on a girls’ shopping trip to Leeds – on a pilgrimage, if you like – to John Lewis. Let’s not go there though. Suffice it to say that the Leeds store is a different experience.

    Now, normally, we’d have been looking for some street food, a quick and cheap option, so we could maximise the retail time, but we didn’t want the uncertainty and disappointment of looking for somewhere on the day. So it turned into what I find is fairly common – we ended up choosing somewhere more expensive to guarantee a good experience. This is another reason why Coeliac’s disease is so annoying – quick and cheap food options are generally off the menu.

    However, we did have an absolutely fabulous meal, and it was a joy to be in a place where there was no need to quiz the waiter about cross contamination, and where none of the menu was off limits. The restaurant itself is boutique style, with non-matching crockery and eclectic decor – we all admired the animals in picture frames wallpaper. And the chef’s Michelin star experience shone through the presentation and flavour of the food.

    For a starter, we all shared this fabulous vegetable tempura, which came with home made sweet chilli sauce. The batter was wonderful and crispy

    For my main course, I had pan fried seabass with tomatoes, samphire, brown shrimps and beurre blanc. It tasted as good as it looks – absolutely gorgeous. Crispy, seedy skin on the fish, salty samphire, and finished with a pretty flower.

    We were too full for a pudding and needed to get back to the retail, but before we left, we were treated to a shot of something (schnapps maybe?) to send us on our way. A reminder of my dim and distant youth! I might have been tempted by the tiramisu though – I’ve never seen gluten free tiramisu in a restaurant.

    So, I’m very much looking forward to another trip to Leeds so we can go back here. As you can tell, I would highly recommend it.

    The Oxford Place, 2 Oxford Place, Leeds LS1 2AX

  • The Summer House

    The Summer House

    I was delighted to find out that The Summerhouse on Abbeydale Road has re-introduced a gluten free menu. The restaurant has been expanded, so I assume they have a much bigger kitchen with the capability to avoid cross contamination. It’s also got a lovely atmosphere, with lots of nooks and different kinds of spaces with quirky lighting, great for cocktails with friends or an intimate meal. I went recently with a good friend and had a great evening and a lovely time catching up.

    We started with an appetiser of bread and olives. I have to say the bread was surprisingly good, with a brilliant texture – a very promising start to the meal. I was told it came from Morrisons, but I’ve no idea what brand.

    For my main course, I chose their signature dish, Tandoori Cod. This was really impressive from a gluten point of view, as it came with all the trimmings from the gluten-containing menu… so I was able to have the onion bhaji! It also came with Bombay potatoes, mango puree and mint yoghurt. It was delicious.

    I absolutely did not need a pudding, but I went for a chocolate brownie anyway, which was served with white chocolate sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Not a light dessert, by any stretch of the imagination. I was completely stuffed by the end of the meal.

    The Summerhouse is also open from 9am most days for breakfast and lunch, right through to the evening, and it seems to be very popular, so definitely worth booking a table.

    The Summerhouse
    289a Abbeydale Road South, Sheffield S17 3LB

  • Bella Italia

    Bella Italia

    We had a family weekend break to Centerparcs recently, which inevitably involved a fair bit of eating out. We prepared our own breakfasts and lunches in our cabin, but had a couple of evening meals out and one takeaway delivered to the cabin. I have to say, the Centerparcs team seem to have a very good handle on allergens, and although there’s inevitably a bit less choice, I always had confidence in what was served.

    Our Sunday night meal was spent at Bella Italia, after an epic day of crazy golf followed by many hours in the Tropical Swimming Paradise. Other than the meal seeming to take a while to come (we were absolutely starving!), I was very impressed, so I looked up where our nearest one is. It turns out to be at Centertainment to the north east of Sheffield, with the cinema and bowling alley etc.

    So first of all, I was given a separate gluten free menu, which always impresses me. And there was plenty of choice on it, with bread and olives, starters, salads, grills, pasta, pizza and some lighter choices using spiralised veg. (They also have a decent vegan menu.)

    I was also assured that the kitchen staff take good cross contamination precautions, such as separate prep equipment, and separate trays for the gluten free pizzas, which go on the top shelf of the pizza oven. I’ve just called the Centertainment branch and they offered the same assurances.

    For a starter, I went for the Burrata, which is a very creamy version of fresh mozzarella cheese, served with some sun dried tomatoes and an artichoke and red pepper dip. Very nice.

    My main course was a pizza. I chose the Tonno Puttanesca, which included tuna, olives, capers, garlic, red onion, red peppers & chilli on a fiery* tomato base. The menu doesn’t mention mozzarella as a topping, so I asked for that as an extra.

    *Not so fiery, thankfully – just a little bit of heat

    I have to say, I was super impressed with the pizza – the base was possibly the best I’ve had. It was a generous size and there were plenty of toppings. It seemed very much like the real (gluteny) deal – I loved it!

    My friend went for the Risotto Funghi, which also features on the gluten free menu, and was apparently very nice. Mushrooms don’t do it for me, but I’m assured it was lovely, so here it is: 

    We were far too stuffed for desserts, but there’s a choice of pannacotta, ice cream and sorbet – we went back to the cabin for wine and board games instead, once the kids were in bed.

    I also liked the rather cheery ceiling lights, although they might just be at Centerparcs. All in all, a very successful and surprisingly good meal. Next stop, Coeliac UK accreditation..?

    Unit 3, Valley Centertainment, Broughton Ln, Sheffield S9 2EP

     

  • Gluten free meaty feast at Smoke BBQ

    Gluten free meaty feast at Smoke BBQ

    We recently went to a birthday meal at Smoke BBQ, which is at St Paul’s Place, very close to the Charles Street ‘Cheesegrater’ car park and near the Winter Gardens. (Incidentally, the Cheesegrater has just been voted the world’s number one quirky car park!)

    It’s your classic barbecue fayre, with lots of spiced, smoked meats on the menu, served with chips and a side. Not much in the way of vegetarian food, other than a bean chilli – but we went with a party of hungry carnivores, so it worked for us.

    Smoke has a separate gluten free menu, which, if you’ve read other reviews of mine, you’ll know puts it high up my list of places to go. It’s much more pleasant to choose your meal from a list of food you can have, rather than search for things on the main menu.

    I opted for the brisket pit plate, as somebody had previously enjoyed it. This had smoked brisket and burnt ends (which is much tastier than it sounds) with chips and I chose a side of pickled slaw, which I went halves on with a friend who ordered sweet potato mash. There are plenty of choices, including steak, pork belly, chicken, pulled pork, and an assortment of sides including corn on the cob and greens, as a token gesture to vegetables!

    I really enjoyed my meal, which had bags of flavour and great textures to the meat. However, the serving style is a bit trendy: food on a metal tray and my red wine came in tumbler. So if that’s the sort of thing that annoys, this might not be the place for you!

    We were too full for desserts, so I don’t know what’s on offer, although they are referred to on the gluten free menu. Children’s portions are also available, although you need to speak to the server about these.

    Smoke BBQ, St Paul’s Place, Sheffield S1 2NB

  • Cutlery Works

    Cutlery Works

    I went for a great works night out recently at the Cutlery Works on Kelham Island. The Cutlery Works describes itself as a food hall, with a mix of permanent and semi permanent independent restaurants, communal dining spaces, bars and coffee roasters.

    This makes it a great space for informal groups that can satisfy pretty much any dining requirement, from vegan and gluten free, through sushi to pies and chips. Everybody can hang out together and eat from the different places. Although I couldn’t get it to work on my phone, you can order and pay for your food an an app and it will be brought to your table.

    I ordered my food from a vegan restaurant called Shed, but I think they’ve since updated the menu and I can’t find it any more! But it was a fresh tasting salad bowl with rice, broccoli, celeriac, a pickled slaw and I think a tahini dip. They have a variety of gluten free dishes on their current menu including sweet potato bravas, a Sri Lankan curry and a selection of desserts (a beetroot brownie sundae and a cacao and rhubarb mousse amongst others).

    Other gluten free options include Canadian ‘poutine’ from Gravy Train (posh chips and gravy) and plant based desserts from Elly Joy. There are other potential options of Indian and Japanese food, but I’ve not been able to look at menus for those.

    Later in the evening, after a couple of very fashionable gins in fishbowl glasses, I noticed that Fin and Bone were serving chips from a dedicated fryer. I did the decent thing and went over to talk chips with them just to make sure, and I was delighted to buy some piping hot fresh gluten free chips. An unusual treat on a night out – delicious.

    The Cutlery Works has a really nice vibe, with all sorts of different kinds of people. It was a really fun evening, and whilst the place did get busy, there was never really much of a queue for the bar. The table service for food was great, and the huge variety of food was a winner with our group of people.

    It’s open from morning until evening Wednesday through Sunday, so we’re planning to go back with the kids too.

    Cutlery Works, 73 – 101 Neepsend Lane, Sheffield S3 8AT

  • Gluten free profiteroles – blink and they’re gone!

    Gluten free profiteroles – blink and they’re gone!

    We recently hosted a bring and share BBQ for our friends – the last one of the season, I imagine. There were five families in all, with children, and out of nineteen of us, an impressive four are gluten free. I made some chicken and vegetable kebabs and a butternut squash and feta salad, so I wanted something I could assemble quickly for dessert. I ended up buying a few packs of these Rule of Crumb profiteroles, which you keep in the freezer until a few hours before you need them, then defrost and serve. Super easy.

    The profiteroles are filled with cream and come with two sauce sachets, one salted caramel and the other chocolate, which drizzle on nicely. They didn’t last long! Everybody said they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them and gluten containing ones.

    As well as being delicious, these are also accredited by Coeliac UK, for an extra level of reassurance.

    I know it’s a bit early to use the ‘C’ word, but these will definitely be putting in an appearance over Christmas in our house! I might need to find a slightly classier serving dish though…

    PS this is absolutely not a sponsored post! I bought them, and we ate them.  🙂

     

  • Restaurant review: Bill’s

    Restaurant review: Bill’s

    I went out with a group of friends for a Christmas meal last week. I’d heard Bill’s restaurant in the city centre has a good reputation for GF so I was keen to try it.

    I was quite impressed with their group booking system, where all the attendees can log on to the website, pay a deposit and choose their meal. So much less hassle than having to round up everyone’s money and order!

    My experience in the restaurant was also good. The place has a trendy, industrial feel to it. The serving staff were on the ball about gluten free food and my meal was great. My Christmas menu started with some lovely big olives and garlic toast (the regular menu item is a flatbread). Then I had duck and fig terrine for starters (more toast!)

    My main course was roast cod, which came with curried lentils and a fennel salad (as well as a very big piece of lemon!) – this was quite different and a nice variety of textures.

    I chose a cheese board for pudding, which was a fairly generous portion with some oatcakes and walnuts, as well as a dish of fruit compote. The cheeses were Camembert, Cheddar and Oxford blue. All very nice.

    The allergen menu is available on the website, although there is a slightly disappointing disclaimer on the front of it. They want people to feel reassured they will look after our needs, but can’t guarantee a 100% free environment. Having not spotted that before I went, I was quite happy with their attitude to catering for coeliac’s disease.  It would be great if they could take the next step and get Coeliac UK accreditation, so we could have a bit more confidence.

    Bill’s, 2 St Paul’s Place, 127 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JF

  • A Coeliac Christmas survival guide

    A Coeliac Christmas survival guide

    Christmas can be hard for coeliacs, especially when you are newly diagnosed. And of course, it isn’t just the one day – there’s a whole month to get through when it feels like you’re surrounded by stuff you can’t have. Plus, there are so many social minefields to navigate, from work parties to big family celebrations. It feels like it’s really designed for ‘advanced’ level coeliacs, so it’s a bit unfair on beginners, but it’s something you have to get through and adapt as best you can.

    I was diagnosed in February, and having gone through the general ups and downs that go along with a restricted diet for over eight months, I felt I knew what was what. I had started to move on from the newly off limits treats and started to come up with new favourites, I was becoming confident with eating out, and I knew which of my friends were happy to have me round for nibbles or food; it was all good.

    But then Christmas came, and it was a big shock! From the first of December, a massive, unexpected second wave of treats and goodies I couldn’t eat, that I’d forgotten all about because they only put in an appearance in December. Panettone, Lebkuchen stars, festive sandwiches, and of course, everywhere you turn there are mince pies being offered. Food is a massive part of the festive season.

    I have been thinking about those early days recently, and I thought I’d put together a few ideas to help, particularly for people who are about to experience their first gluten free Christmas.

    The work Christmas do

    • If you’re going for a meal and are presented with a set menu, talk to the person who’s organising it, and if they aren’t confident to order you a gluten free meal, take it in hand yourself. Ask for the number of the venue and contact them in advance to talk about what your options will be.
    • You might need to lower your expectations slightly as to what you’re offered, because the party venue is unlikely to be one of your designated easy places to eat out. For example, you might be able expect the pleasure of a Christmas dinner without the stuffing, the pig in blanket and the gravy. I recently went to a do where I was given an ace main course, but the starter was pate without the bread! You can only try to laugh in this situation – you know that better gluten offerings are available when you go to the right places.
    • On the plus side, if you do get served up a particularly disappointing pudding, you may find yourself eligible to enter the now annual #Fruitisnotapudding competition, hosted by gluten free blogger Carly Talbot aka @gfreeb.

    The open house drop in party

    • The likely scenario here is usually that your friend or family member has gone to a fair amount of effort to include a bit of something gluten free for you. But there are twenty other guests who aren’t gluten free and don’t know you are, so the majority will have no idea about the gluten free ‘section’ or have no idea about cross contamination. Of course, somebody is bound to dip a big piece of crusty bread into the melty Camembert, or unknowingly snaffle the gluten free items. It’s the classic buffet scenario, and the only solution really, is to dive in to the food the minute it’s offered. Fill your plate before anybody else does and don’t be ashamed of it!
    • It might be a bring and share, where all the guests contribute a bit of something and it’s not obvious what you can and can’t have.  I have been known to rifle through the bin looking for packets to read the ingredients – oh, the shame! But at least you can bring something you know is safe to eat. As with most parties, my advice would be don’t turn up starving. Eat something before you go, even if it’s just a bit of a snack. The good news is the wine and fizz are perfectly gluten free, so you’ll need something to soak it all up! 🙂

    The Christmas dinner

    • I suppose it depends how much you’re into your Christmas dinner, but I think the best advice for your first gluten free one is probably to cook it yourself at home. (Unless, of course, you’re lucky enough to have a host who’s already used to gluten free cooking – in which case you might be confident to be cooked for.)
    • If you like cooking, you’ll probably be able to adapt your old recipes (especially savoury ones) to gluten free versions by swapping out a few ingredients. Gluten free flour to make the gravy, for example, and free from crackers with your pate. Devils on horseback (dates wrapped in parma ham, baked in the oven) are a big winner in our house, and are served as well as pigs in blankets. It’s probably simplest to make the whole meal gluten free, so you don’t even need to worry about cross contamination.
    • If you’re not a big cook, or if, like me, you are happy to cut a few corners to save time on Christmas day, the supermarkets this year seem to be bursting with Christmas free from products. M&S has a particularly good selection of GF pre-prepared food including stuffing and sausages, and party food like pork belly squares, yakitori chicken kebabs and sticky Asian style chicken lollipops.
    • Try something new for pudding. Our family favourite is Christmas ice cream. I have no idea where the recipe comes from as it’s a handwritten one, but it’s made by soaking fruits in booze, and mixing them into a chocolate ‘custard’, then stirring every now and then as it freezes. It’s the perfect pud because you can make it in advance so it’s no hassle on the day. I will post this recipe up mid December, when I make it.

    Mince pies

    • I’d recommend carrying an emergency mince pie in your pocket/bag at all times throughout December to avoid feeling left out at any impromptu social occasion, like people bringing treats into work, or when you go to buy your Christmas tree and they’re offering a mulled wine and mince pie. (You can, of course, still have the mulled wine.)
    • Most shops with a free from section have launched their own brand mince pies. These have been selflessly tested by a number of magazines and bloggers. There’s a fairly comprehensive review here by The Independent, and there are hundreds of taste tests and reviews by bloggers posted all over Twitter. You could read the reviews, or of course sample as many as you can, in the interests of research.
    • Or you can make your own. If it’s your first experience with gluten free pastry, you’ll probably find it’s not as easy to work with as regular pastry, but nothing beats a home made mince pie, does it? My recipe, with a crunchy macaroon top, can be found here.

    IMG_0034-4

    Cakes and other treats… Sheffield style

    • Sheffield has some rather excellent free from offerings in the way of treats. If you have a sweet tooth, try Joni’s macarons, available from the Christmas market at Fargate or from her shop in Walkley. Honestly, click on the link just to see the photo on the website and you’ll see why they are really quite special. These make a great gift or an excellent self indulgent treat.

    img_4924

    • Sheffield-based free from company Delicious Alchemy have re-launched their super easy to make Christmas cake mix. It’s probably stocked in some supermarkets, but definitely available from their online shop for £5. It doesn’t really need to be made in advance, and doesn’t take long. I will definitely be getting one of these, as I can’t be bothered to try making a gluten free Christmas cake, even though I love cooking. 🙂

    So there you have it. Coeliac Christmas 101. I really hope this is helpful to a few people who are about to experience their first gluten free festive season. I’d love to hear how you get on or any other tips people have to share. Good luck!

  • Mini puds

    Mini puds

    We had some friends round for tea a few weeks ago and I fancied doing some mini desserts to nibble at in the evening. After a lot of wasted time looking through recipe books and failing to find quite what I wanted, I managed to get some better inspiration from the good old web.

    img_5416I made a couple of simple but effective mini-puds, as well as a third I’ve not included, that was very much edible, but not as good and much more faff.

    The easiest was strawberries (I know, not quite in season) dipped in a mixture of melted dark and milk chocolate. I use Green and Black’s as a default, which is deemed safe by Coeliac UK. I rolled the dipped strawberries in either chopped pistachios for a bit of colour, or popping candy for a fizzy crunch! (I was very pleased with myself for thinking that up.) These went down rather well with the kids. 🙂

    Next was something I’ve been intending to try making for ages, peanut butter cups. Frustratingly, I only took photos of the finished article, so you can’t see the stages of how they were made, but it was very simple.

    I followed this Martha Stewart recipe, which involves making alternate layers of melted dark chocolate and a mixture of peanut butter with melted white chocolate. Again, I used Green and Black’s white and the dark 70%.

    I used petit four cases (unfortunately I could only find brown ones) in a mini cake tray and topped them with unsalted peanuts, which I chopped and baked to give a bit of colour and crunch. You need to get the nuts on quickly while the chocolate on top is still wet, so they stick.

    Both of these are easy crowd pleasers. I need to come up with a third to go with them though. Suggestions on a postcard… or rather in the comments.

    Ironically the other day, somebody on Twitter suggested an even quicker version of peanut butter cups, which is to dip a square of dark chocolate in some peanut butter. I immediately regretted finding out about about this possibility, as I went straight to try it out. A very good return for next to no effort, but definitely something I kind of wish I could un-know.

     

     

  • Las Iguanas

    Las Iguanas

    We had a great evening at Las Iguanas in West One last week. It was my book club Christmas night out, so we started with a few cocktails to get us into the swing of things. They have quite a range, including some 2 for 1 deals. Uh-oh!

    Las Iguanas is a 50 strong chain serving South American food in lively restaurants. It’s also a company that clearly takes dietary requirements seriously, which is great to hear. You can download a full allergen menu from their website, but they also have a dedicated gluten free menu, which is always a delight when eating out. (They also have a special veggie/vegan menu.)

    So it felt like I had plenty of choice when ordering. For starters, I went with the Nachos, with an extra topping of smoked chipotle chicken. These came with guacamole, salsa, soured cream and cheese. It was a hearty Yorkshire portion and would have definitely fed two people for a starter. I soldiered bravely through it (with a view of absorbing the alcohol from the cocktails) but I didn’t quite manage all of it – which is highly unusual for me!

    For mains I ordered an interesting dish I’ve never heard of: Xinxim. Chicken and crayfish in a creamy lime and peanut sauce, with spring onion rice and green beans. A couple of others had this too, so I know that the gluten free version omits a garnish of plantain, which would have been nice, but the taste made up for this. It was a really different flavour, and I would really recommend it. Zingy from the lime, but sweetness from the peanut sauce, with soft chicken and crayfish, which go together surprisingly well.

    According to the Iguanas website, where you can find the recipe, the dish is a fusion between Portuguese, African and native Latin American Indian cuisines.

    Also on offer are the expected selection of chillis, some interesting curries and fish dishes, as well as a few unusual salad mains, such as the cranberry and avocado ensalada. They even have gluten free soft tacos with a variety of toppings – plenty to try out.

    I didn’t have a pudding as I was completely stuffed, but there were a couple of gluten free options: mango sorbet or a creamy set coconut pudding with mixed berries and mango puree.

    We had pre-ordered our food, and I was quite impressed with their organisation. The waitress remembered I was coeliac on arrival, which immediately inspires confidence. And for each meal that came out of the kitchen, the serving staff knew who it was for and with mine, that it was gluten free.

    I’d definitely recommend this place and am bound to go back. It’s a fun, noisy restaurant with some really different food choices – great for groups. Las Iguanas is also in Meadowhall.

    Las Iguanas, 8-9 West One,  Fitzwilliam Street, Devonshire Green, Sheffield S1 4JP