Steeliac

Category: Product review

  • Product review: Genius fruit loaf

    Product review: Genius fruit loaf

    This week we had a school inset day on Monday, so months ago we arranged with some friends to make the most of the extra day by taking the kids camping. And for once, we were rewarded with amazing weather! We went to a lovely rural campsite not too far away in the Peak District, where we were able to take the boys bike riding, have BBQs and generally hang out in the sunshine. And it was a pure joy to wake up feeling warm under canvas, instead of a shivering wreck as per my normal camping experiences.

    On the first morning we had bacon butties with tomatoes and beans for breakfast – classic camping fodder. But with a limit to the life of our cool boxes, I chose mostly baked goods for day two’s breakfast, with (non GF) pain au chocolat and crumpets for the kids. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to that breakfast, but I had a rather pleasant surprise in the form of Genius’ sliced fruit loaf.

    I have had a bit of a downer on Genius recently, having had quite a few loaves with massive holes in, the remains of which crumbled upon touching. So I hadn’t been in a rush to try this fruit loaf. But it seemed worth taking camping.

    I toasted a few slices in a pan on our stove then slathered on some butter, and was impressed with the result. The bread even before toasting had a good texture, and didn’t crumble at all. Toasting really brought out the cinnamon flavour and the lovely juicy currants and raisins. Even the non coeliacs were impressed.

    As with all gluten free bread, at £2.50 for a 400g loaf, it’s not the cheapest, but I’d say it’s relatively good value for money, particularly as all the slices were edible!

    I’ll definitely be buying this one again. I might even keep some in the freezer for nice weekend breakfasts.

    Thank you, Genius. A good loaf at last.

  • Product review: M&S gluten free wrap

    Product review: M&S gluten free wrap

    I was in Birmingham for work this week so I took a risk that I would be able to pick up something for lunch from trusty M&S in New Street station.

    They had a choice of two gluten free wraps in the Made Without Wheat range and I chose the Piri Piri chicken one. (I think the other was a bean wrap but for some reason, I can’t track either of these down on their website!)

    Anyway, I thought it was really good. The filing was generous, it had a nice spice to it and a crunch from the coleslaw. And I thought the wrap itself was excellent – I’d go as far as to say it was the best gluten free wrap I’ve had. It was soft and folded at the bottom without tearing, which is unusual for a GF wrap!

    Nice work, M&S

  • Product review: Nem Viet Vietnamese spring rolls kit

    Product review: Nem Viet Vietnamese spring rolls kit

    I picked up this Nem Viet rice paper rolls kit on a supermarket trip a couple of months ago and I’ve been looking forward to trying it. It reminded me of the Vietnamese cafes we used to live near in Surrey Quays – we loved eating there.

    The kit contains the rice paper rolls, some vermicelli rice noodles and a sweet chilli dipping sauce, so you need to buy the filling to go inside them. I chose carrot, spring onion, mint and king prawns. I shredded the vegetables and sliced the prawns in half lengthways. To cook the noodles, you cover them with boiling water in a dish for a few minutes then drain them.

    With the fillings prepped, on to the rolls. Each roll has to be dipped in warm water to soften, then placed on a dry plate, so they need to be done one at a time. I put some of each of the fillings on a small pile in the middle of the roll, with a line of prawns on the top. Rolling them up is fiddly, but the rice rolls are stronger than I expected, so they were fairly forgiving for a beginner! I pulled in the sides and then rolled from top to bottom, trying to keep all the ingredients in place, but with mixed success!

    I was quite pleased with how they turned out, although I’ll try to find a YouTube video for some tips before I try them again. I’m sure there’s a knack to it.

    The rolls tasted great, especially with the mint – I love that flavour in them. And the dipping sauce was nice and thick.

    The pack contains 8 rolls, so enough for a starter for four people, but we made six (I ran out of fillings) and we had three each as part of our main course. I’ll definitely get them again.

    Nem Viet also sell a Pho kit which unfortunately isn’t gluten free, and bottles of the dipping sauce. You can buy the kits from various supermarkets or online – see their website.

  • Product review: Voakes…free from pies

    Product review: Voakes…free from pies

    I took the opportunity to pick up some of the very well reputed Voakes…free from pies while I was at the Sheffield group AGM last week. I’ve been meaning to try them for a while now, and they are a fairly local company (York), which is great.

    They sell quite a selection, with pasties, sausage rolls and all sorts of pies: pork, steak and ale, chicken, game, spiced lentil and vegetable…

    I went for a pork & black pudding pie and a pork & chilli chutney. I also picked up some of their ready to roll pastry.

     I used the pastry to make this chocolate & pecan pie. Although I think the pastry is probably more suited to savoury pies, it worked out reasonably well. It rolled out well and was very easy to handle, which was unusual for GF pastry. I rolled it out on some cling film and turned it out onto a greased flan dish.

    I trimmed the edges really roughly, intending to trim it properly after blind baking, but by then it had become a bit too crisp to make a good job of it so I ended up leaving it. It also receded slightly. Hence the rather free form shape! But it turned out rather well once it was filled and baked.

    As for the pork pies, we heated the two pies and shared them between four of us as a sort of amuse bouche before our tea. We’re very classy! They really were delicious – well filled with great flavour and excellent pastry.

    Even my pie-loving non-coeliac husband and father both approved. The latter went straight on to the Voakes website to see what could be ordered, with the thinly veiled excuse of convenience for my mother.

     I’d definitely buy the pies again. Great to keep in the freezer for when you want an easy, comforting tea, and proof that gluten free food doesn’t have to be second rate. The delivery cost is a set amount regardless of how much you order, so make some room in your freezer…

  • Fish finger butties

    Fish finger butties

    We love a good fish finger butty in our house. I’ve always been a bit of a snob when it comes to fish fingers – I only ever buy really good quality ones.

    I was quite impressed by these Rule of Crumb fish fingers. They were fairly chunky, with a good amount of fish inside, and a nice, crunchy coating. What’s not to like?

    I’ve just had a look at their website, and Rule of Crumb also make chicken goujons, chicken Kievs, breaded fish, muffins, cereals and part baked rolls. Worth a gander as theyhave an online shop and links to their stockists. And, they’re Coeliac UK accreddited.

    We had our fish fingers on Newburn Bakehouse seeded rolls, which we slathered with tartare sauce to provide a bit of moisture. The kids usually have ketchup, but obviously tartare sauce is much more grown up!

    A nice and quick weeknight supper. Better make up by having some veg tomorrow!

     

     

    .

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • No G gluten free sausage roll: Product review

    No G gluten free sausage roll: Product review

    They do say (whoever they are) never do the food shopping when you’re hungry. I would add to that never do the food shopping when you’re stressed at work. This, I did, about a fortnight ago, and I was tap happy on the sofa, adding all sorts of gluten free naughtiness to the online basket that I don’t even usually look at when I’m in sensible meal-planning mode.

    One such item was this golden piece of loveliness from No G. It’s been years since I’ve eaten a sausage roll, and whilst it’s not a food I’ve particularly yearned for, there’s something about not being able to eat one that makes me want it.

    It looked a bit pale in the packet, but a few minutes in the oven and it browned up a treat, unlike plenty of gluten free pastry I’ve either cooked or made myself. It was really rather nice – light and flaky pastry, crunchy and crispy on the outer layers, with plenty of filling. Not much more to say really but a very nice, savoury, cheer-you-up treat.

  • Plenty More – Yotam Ottolenghi: book review

    Plenty More – Yotam Ottolenghi: book review

    Having been in a bit of a vegetable rut, I asked for Yotam Ottolenghi’s book “Plenty More” for Christmas, and Father Christmas was very obliging – I must have been good last year!

    I asked for it based on seeing a recommendation somewhere on the internet, and foolishly, didn’t realise (even though it’s obvious from the title) that it’s a sequel.

    Ottolenghi is a chef who specialises in vegetables (although not vegetarian, I understand).  So it’s a book full of new and interesting ways with vegetables that can be sides or meals in their own right in many cases. I’m a bit guilty of cooking meat too often and relying on things like sausages and fish cakes for a quick meal for the kids, so I was very keen to experiment with some new vegetable recipes. I’m always on the lookout for the next family favourite.

    The photos show the first two recipes I’ve cooked from the book. (Both in February, as January disappeared under a mountain of work). Right is root mash with wine braised shallots, which we had as a change from my usual array of veg with the Sunday roast. The flavours were fantastic. Puy lentils through mashed carrot, celeriac, squash and sweet potatoes, flavoured with cumin and maple syrup. And the crowning glory on the top are the shallots braised in red wine. Loads of flavour going on and nice and easy to make.

    The second picture  is aubergine with sesame and spring onion. This is genius and packed with oriental flavour. You only have to peel and steam the aubergines then tear them into strips and dress with a sauce made from mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and maple syrup. Top with toasted sesame seeds and shredded spring onions. Utterly delicious and fast to cook.

    The book is organised into cooking methods: grilling, brasing, steaming etc, and includes a variety of different cuisines. Plenty of the recipes are gluten free or can easily be tailored as long as you buy the right ingredients, such as soy sauce, and avoid the freekeh, which I discovered to my disappointment is not gluten free.

    I’m very much looking forward to trying the fig salad, the saffron, date and almond rice, and the Thai red lentil soup very soon. There’s so much I want to cook!

    I might even have to check out Plenty to see what I’ve been missing in that!

    You can buy the book online from Ottolenghi’s website, all of which are signed by the man himself.

     

  • Product review: Booja Booja chocolate truffles

    Product review: Booja Booja chocolate truffles

    Where do I start with these beauties? Gluten free uber indulgence. Frankly, I’m sort of glad they’re gluten free, so we can keep them to ourselves.

    I think my mum discovered Booja Booja about nine months ago. We were visiting one weekend and she produced a very small box of ginger truffles. They were perfection. Soft, rich, dark and delicious.

    I try not to go crazy with refined sugar, but sometimes a treat is necessary – and I’m usually a 70% dark Green and Black‘s kind of girl. But for an extra special indulgence, Booja Booja truffles are what you need.

    Father Christmas very kindly brought me a big box of truffles, which contained an assortment of ginger, rum sozzled sultana, champagne and espresso truffles. I managed to spin them out for a few weeks, and in the process, I have concluded that far and away the best are the espresso and the ginger ones.

    So last week, to cheer up what was rather a gloomy January, I snuck a small box of Around Midnight Espresso into the virtual shopping trolley, to enjoy over the weekend. I love them. I love the bitter cocoa on the outside and I love the sweet, dark truffle inside.

    Obviously, they have now gone, but I remembered to take one of my rather fine photos* before recycling the box. And I did at least share them. 🙂

     

    *yes, I’m being sarcastic

     

  • Product review: Delicious Alchemy Christmas fruit cake mix

    Product review: Delicious Alchemy Christmas fruit cake mix

    Yes, this is a bit late, I realise. But I made it just before Christmas and this is the first time I’ve made it back on to the blog. It was so good I wanted to write about it, and I’m really hoping Delicious Alchemy are going to put this cake mix out next year. (Hint.) I would definitely make this again rather than do my own!

    I’ve never made a Christmas cake before, as I can’t be bothered (eating or preparing) the marzipan and icing. But when I was offered a sample of this mix to try, I thought it was worth a go.

    I always used to wonder why people used packet mixes for cakes, but the amount of time, cost and effort saved with this made it a no-brainer. And you can make it at the last minute, which you can’t easily with a normal Christmas cake.

    In addition to the mix, you need 110g soft unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, zest of an orange and 75ml of brandy (or orange juice).

    It only took a few minutes to prepare a cake tin with greaseproof and mix all the ingredients – I did it by hand and it didn’t take long. Then an hour and 45 to bake, although I cooked it a bit less because my tin was slightly bigger than the packet suggested. When the cake’s cooling, you feed it with some of the brandy, which I enjoyed doing, as I love any kind of drizzle on a cake to keep it moist.

    I decorated mine very simply but there’s no reason why you couldn’t do the full marzipan and icing if you’re so inclined.

    My family were all impressed (except the little one, but he’s more of a chocolate cake kind of guy) and the best thing was, the last bit tasted just as good as the first a week later.

    Another Sheffield-based triumph, Delicious Alchemy! Good instructions, simple to make, great result.

    Actually I’ve just looked and this is in the sale in their online shop. I might snap myself another one up before they disappear. £3.50!!

  • Product Review: Bfree Fajita kit

    Product Review: Bfree Fajita kit

    IMG_3314I’ve never been big into convenience foods, but I did used to enjoy buying a fajita dinner kit back in the day. Since being coeliac, I have even found myself wishing someone would make one. It wouldn’t be that difficult to mix some spices and do it yourself, but frankly, sometimes I want a bit of convenience too! Earlier this year, my prayers were answered when I stumbled upon this in the free from aisle at my local supermarket. Yeah!

    IMG_3317The lovely chaps at BFree, whose wraps I have eaten on occasion, have created their own version of the fajita dinner kit. And it’s pretty darned good too. In the box are 6 wraps, a packet of spice mix and some salsa. So you just need to cook some chicken, peppers and onion in the spice mix, heat up the wraps and away you go.

    IMG_3316We’re a bit greedier than that – it is a treat, after all – so we also added grated cheese, refried beans, some spinach leaves and a dollop of soured cream. It was absolutely lovely. The spice mix and salsa combination make a nice heat, and the wraps held together as fajitas better than I expected, with minimal dribbling!

    This is actually the second time I bought the kit – the first time we scoffed the lot before I got round to taking any pictures!

    I can also recommend making beef fajitas. If you do, get a decent piece of steak and slice fairly thinly. Sear it in the pan then take it out while you cook the veg in the spice mix. Just before you’re ready to serve, pop the beef back in literally to warm through, for some lovely and tender, perfectly cooked beef fajitas. Delicious and warming. Perfect with a glass of Rioja.