Steeliac

Category: Sheffield

  • Carluccios to launch Coeliac UK accredited menu in October

    Carluccios to launch Coeliac UK accredited menu in October

    Carluccios logo3I went back to Carluccios recently. I was looking for somewhere interesting to go on Ecclesall Road with some family friends at the end of the summer holidays, and given the range of eateries on Eccy Road, it’s surprising that so few have much in the way of a gluten free offer. I’m yet to thoroughly investigate Sharrow, and we wanted to go somewhere we knew was reliable and where the kids would eat, so we ended up back at Carluccios.

    I am pleased to say that they have taken the gluten disclaimer off their menu. And on further investigation, I discovered that they have gained their Coeliac UK accreditation. This happened back in July – I have no idea how I missed that news. I must have had my head in a bucket! (See my previous posts about Carluccios, here and here)

    Anyway, I’m beaming to report, after being in touch with CEO Simon Kossof, that “At least in part as a result of your original communication we [Carluccios] reviewed the possibility of gaining accreditation from the coeliac society.” And I’m advised that the new menus are aimed to be released around the second week of October. In fact, I’ve just looked online, and here’s a link to the new gluten free menu with the Coeliac UK symbol. I’m looking forward to checking out their home baked GF focaccia bread.

    So it really does go to show what can be done if we let restaurants know how important it is to get good quality gluten free food and why it matters so much to us coeliacs.

    We had a lovely meal – some gluten free sharing platters to start, and I had lobster pasta for mains. I shared a bottle of prosecco with my lovely friend, as we were celebrating the kids being back at school – hurrah!

  • Whitby’s Fish and Chip Restaurant: review

    Whitby’s Fish and Chip Restaurant: review

    IMG_3029My youngest boy’s absolute favourite meal in the world is fish and chips. Which is why I was delighted when somebody on Twitter let me know that there is a chippy in Sheffield that serves gluten free fish and chips.

    As it was small’s birthday this week, there seemed no better option than to take him to check out Whitby’s in Catcliffe for eat-in fish and chips. Not our usual Sunday tea, but it saves on the washing up. There were seven of us, so we booked a table for 4pm, and the restaurant was surprisingly busy. (The only reason I say that is because I would have assumed most people would be eating a roast dinner on Sunday afternoon.)

    IMG_3023There are two Whitby’s restaurants: this one in Catcliffe and the second in Doncaster, in a converted fire station, which sounds quite fun. The Sheffield ( or is it Rotherham?) restaurant is sited on an industrial estate in a rather less characterful building, but inside it’s quite cheery with lots of colourful art prints on the wall and this huge fish hanging from the ceiling over our table.

    The restaurant and the take away are housed in separate parts of the building, which is quite thoughtful.

    IMG_3027The menu is varied, with much more than just standard fish and chips on offer: there are starters, with gluten free options of prawn cocktail and soup. For mains, the standard cod, haddock and plaice can be served in gluten free batter, floured and fried, or poached, and there’s also a gluten free seafood pie available, along with a variety of fish salads. I went for the haddock and chips in gluten free batter, with some garden peas. (Sadly, no gluten free gravy – I really miss that – but you can’t have everything.) The food came reasonably quickly and was rather good and generous portions. Nice crispy batter and well cooked fish (I can’t stand over-cooked fish) with good, chunky chips, which I slathered in ketchup (also GF). So far so good – everybody enjoyed their main course.

    Happily, having consulted with Coeliac UK, I was also able to indulge in salt and vinegar on my chippy tea, as the fermentation process involved takes enough of the gluten out of the malt vinegar to make it safe to eat.

    None of the desserts on the menu were marked gluten free, but I thought it was worth an ask, given that ice cream and rice pudding are on there. Imagine my surprise when I was told that all the desserts were or could be tailored to be gluten free! Really? Even the sticky toffee pudding? Let me check with the kitchen… Yes, that’s also gluten free. I became rather over-excited at the prospect of a home made date sponge sticky toffee pudding with custard, but it was short lived, as when the order was placed, a message came back from the chef that no, it wasn’t gluten free after all. Aaargh. My hopes were dashed. There were still options of rice pudding and ice cream, but I was too disappointed to order anything else. It sounds a bit silly, but I was. I don’t mind being told things aren’t safe to eat – it’s par for the coeliac course – but a let down like that slightly took the shine off my dining experience.

    Anyway, the rest of my family had desserts and the portions were immense. My newly five year old ate a heroic amount of a full size portion of the sticky toffee pudding (Yes, I had to watch him eat it and look happy about it as it was his birthday! Ah well, at least I had a glass of wine…) and the seven year old had a knickerbocker glory that was so big he had to kneel up on his chair to eat it.

    All in all, we had a great meal apart from the dessert disappointment. It was nice to be able to eat in, as this place is too far from where we live to use as a take-away. The prices are very reasonable, portions generous, staff friendly if slightly uninformed, and plenty of choice. I’m sure we’ll be back…

    (There seem to have been one or two other chippies serving gluten free fish and chips in Sheffield over the years,but I’m not sure if they are still open. The best well known seemed to be Green Steps on Hickmott Road, which unfortunately closed down a few years ago. I gather it turned into the Banner Chippy on Ecclesall Road South but I’m not sure if they are still open for business. Other possibilities for gluten free options may be Townend Fish Bar on Gleadless Road and Seafayre on Charles Street. If anybody knows about these and their gluten free credentials, please let me know! I have checked with the new Harry Ramsdens on Ecclesall Road South, and they are not able to serve gluten free food.)

  • Silversmiths: Restaurant review

    Silversmiths: Restaurant review

    *** Under new ownership since this was written – take a look at my more recent review***

    IMG_3003Hubby and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this week! What a decade it’s been: we moved to Sheffield and made it our home, we got cats, kids, moved house twice. Lots to celebrate. Obviously, a swanky meal out is called for, and we had a lovely meal somewhere we’d been keeping for a special occasion. We went to Silversmiths once in the days BC* and have always looked forward to going back there.

    The restaurant is located in an up and coming, rather hip area of town, Arundel Street, and the decor is reclaimed wood and low lighting. Silversmiths’ branding reflects the local cutlery heritage, with a logo created from silver hall marks, which I particularly like. Their ethos is to provide good quality, local food and they certainly lived up that that.

    The good news is that plenty of their food is either gluten free (marked on the main menu) or can be easily tailored to be gluten free. They completely understand coeliac disease, which means it’s great not having to have “that conversation”.

    IMG_2997We started with a house cocktail, the Gritstone Grape Martini, which was made from freshly squeezed grapes, gin and sauvignon blanc, served in a rounded martini glass with three different coloured grapes on a cocktail stick – very nice.

    For starters, I chose the pressed pulled pork. It was soft and delicious, but served cold, which was a bit surprising (room temperature may have increased the flavour) with some potato salad, crispy rasher of very good quality bacon and a rocket salad.

    IMG_2998Hubby chose the roast cauliflower tartlet with Yorkshire blue cheese and Henderson’s onion jam. Not gluten free but a generous portion and a great starter, I’m told.

    For mains, I went for a spiced beef burger with a sweetcorn chilli relish. The bread would normally have been a rosemary polenta bread, but this wasn’t gluten free, so mine came with a gluten free seedy roll (supermarket, but good quality). It was all very flavoursome with a warming spice to the meat and a contrasting, tangy relish. Great burger.

    IMG_3007For a side, we shared a portion of chunky chips, which were fabulously crispy, crunchy and salty. I love it when I can eat decent chips as they are so often off the menu for coeliacs.

    The pudding was awesome. We shared a frozen chocolate parfait, which was as pretty as a picture. The parfait was topped with Baileys caramel mousse, and it was served with berries, cream, popping candy, biscuit crumbs and chocolate shavings, amongst other little treats. It was delicious and exactly the sort of thing I can’t normally have as a coeliac. Top work, Silversmiths.

    I would highly recommend this restaurant as an atmospheric place for a special meal. The service was great and the staff were knowledgeable about gluten free food and very helpful.

    Now I just need to find something else to celebrate so we can go back…

    * Before Coeliac

  • The Summer House: new restaurant opened in Sheffield

    The Summer House: new restaurant opened in Sheffield

    summerhouse logoThe long(ish) awaited and much publicised Summer House near Dore and Totley train station has opened this month. I popped in earlier this week for a coffee with a friend, which gave me a chance to check out the menu. Folks, the initial reports are looking rather good if you’re a coeliac.

    There is a rather good choice of gluten free food on the menu (yes – actually on the menu!) including cooked breakfasts, carpaccio, risotto, moules frites, hanging kebabs and tempura fish. Most of their sides are gluten free, such as sweet potato fries and coleslaw. They also do some delicious dessert cocktails, such as hubby’s favourite, the Espresso Martini. We’re looking forward to trying those.

    So far, so good.

    I’ve heard a couple of mixed reviews in terms of the service, but they sounded like teething problems to me. We should give you a few more weeks before judgement! I’m looking forward to dining with you very soon…

    Thanks to the Summer House for providing me with their logo.

  • Ego: Restaurant review

    Ego: Restaurant review

    IMG_2843-0In the summer holidays, I went with my family to a restaurant called Ego in Lytham St Annes on the Fylde seaside. I don’t normally write about restaurants outside of Sheffield, but Ego is a small chain of ten restaurants, and it just so happens there is one right here on our doorstep, in Sheffield town centre. I’ve not been there yet, but I would definitely be inclined to after my experience in the Lytham restaurant.

    Ego is a bright and modern Mediterranean restaurant, serving a mixture of tapas, tagines, steaks, pasta, risotto and more. That may sound like a bit of a mish-mash, but it’s nicely done, and for a coeliac, it means plenty of choice! (In times BC*, I might normally have gone for a place that focuses on one type of cuisine, but in the AD** years, I am considerably less fussy about that type of thing!)

    First things first – Ego have a gluten free menu! So we’re already off to a great start as there’s no trawling through the ring binder of doom, and no major conversations other than to confirm that mother and I are actually coeliac, and not just faddy eaters. Even better, they publish their current menus on their website, so you can even look before you go. (I am liking the look of the lamb kofta and the Andalucian pork fillet on their autumn GF menu.)

    But back to August, for my starter, I had a delicious and very pretty confit duck salad with pomegranate and a soy and lime dressing. This was full of flavour and I could have eaten it again. For mains, I had their Moroccan lamb tagine, which I think is a signature dish. That was delightful, with very tender slow-cooked lamb and aromatic spices. Unfortunately, we may have had a glass or two of prosecco, so despite my good intentions, I completely failed to take any photos of the first and second courses. (What kind of second rate food blog is this!?)

    For pudding, I shared a mixed berry and ginger Eton mess with my mum – and I did manage a photo. It was a bit on the sweet side for me, but it was the birthday girl’s choice, and it was attractive and full of fruit and ginger.

    A triumph, with competent gluten free cooking and a nice and easy restaurant experience. Definitely to be recommended. Prices are about £6-7 for starters and £13-19 for main courses.

    * Before Coeliac
    ** After Diagnosis

  • Lokanta: Restaurant review

    Lokanta: Restaurant review

    I took hubby to Lokanta in Broomhill for some Turkish tapas on his birthday this weekend. Having seen their website earlier this year talking about their response to the allergen laws (see my previous post), I figured this place would be a fairly safe bet for gluten free food.

    IMG_2927It was a Sunday evening, but when we arrived, the place was reassuringly busy. We sat down at our table and were given menus, whereupon I asked the waitress for their allergen menu, and, horror of horrors, was presented with the dreaded ring binder of doom. Normally, this is a huge disappointment in terms of the dining experience, so my spirits dropped slightly, but then they were raised on seeing all the menu items in exactly the same order in the ring binder, and even more pleasantly surprised to see that a sizeable number of them were gluten free. It was the best presented ring binder of doom I’ve seen.

    We had decided to go for a selection of mezze rather than starters and mains, and I think all but one (cous cous) of the cold meze items and about half of the hot items were ok to eat. So we had plenty to choose from. I avoided the sloppier items, such as hummous and other dips, knowing that I wouldn’t have any bread, and we ordered a selection of spicy sausage, stuffed vine leaves, prawns, potatoes, lamb shish kebabs, warm aubergine and peppers, and some halloumi cheese.

    IMG_2929The food arrived relatively quickly and along with it, the waitress brought some bread and a tomatoey salsa. Obviously that wasn’t gluten free but at least hubby could eat it, and I was told I could have some carrot sticks instead. But having some carrot batons to dip as well as hubby’s bread, we took the opportunity to order some pastrami baked hummous, as well as some extra lamb shish kebabs, which were divine!

    After the extra two plates we were far too full for pudding, so I can’t even report on what the options were. (Lokanta has a menu on their website but it doesn’t highlight the gluten free options.) I might have had some Turkish Delight, but the staff hadn’t been able to ascertain from the supplier if the starch listed on the ingredients contained gluten. I think it probably doesn’t, based on a quick Google search, but best to err on the side of caution and I appreciated the honesty.

    Overall, a great meal and a good dining experience, with a high level of confidence in the cooking. And the waitress let me know that the chef/management are looking at making more of the menu gluten free, so worth another visit in a few months, maybe. Might even take the kidlets…

  • The Angel at Holmesfield: Restaurant review

    The Angel at Holmesfield: Restaurant review

    IMG_2798The Angel is somewhere I’ve known about for a while and not visited, probably because it’s on the outskirts of Sheffield. Actually, it’s in Derbyshire, but this place is worth the drive out if you’re coeliac. It’s a traditional looking pub in Holmesfield, about 30 mins drive from the very centre of Sheffield. It has a bar area and a restaurant with a small conservatory. But it’s not just any old pub – they actually specialise in cooking gluten free food!

    We found a good reason to go to the Angel on a Monday lunchtime in the school holidays before taking the kids to see Minions at the cinema in Chesterfield. Top tip there, Sheffielders – if you live on the west side of Sheffield, Chesterfield cinema is smaller and nicer than the Sheffield cinemas in my opinion, and usually easier to park. Anyway, I digress – back to the Angel…

    The fabulous thing about this place is that most of the meals on the menu are gluten free. So unusually, I had a really great choice of food. The gluten free dishes are all marked on the menus, which avoids the tedious browsing of an allergen folder, and makes for a pleasant ordering experience.

    IMG_2804We only had time for one course, so I opted for seared duck with a shredded duck and spring onion hash and a 5 spice sauce from the specials board. Exactly the sort of thing I can’t normally have. The duck was well cooked and still slightly pink inside, although I would have gone for a slightly crispier skin. The hash cake was a generous size and crispy on the outside but lovely and soft inside. It came with a little side dish of vegetables and a nicely flavoured sauce. All in all, it was divine, particularly as I’d not had to have a conversation about gluten free food and didn’t have to worry about whether the chef understood.

    IMG_2803Hubby ordered a beef and mushroom pie off the main menu, which came with gluten free pastry. This was a bonus as I was able to give it a try too. Hubby thought the pastry was very good gluten free pastry, although he could tell it was gluten free as it was very short – but I think that’s a fact of life with GF pastry. There was plenty of meat in the pie and the mash was very smooth.

    We ordered the seafood chowder from the light lunch menu for my two boys. This came with regular bread (no need to inflict GF bread on them if I don’t have to!) but they would, of course, have provided gluten free bread if we’d asked for it. The chowder was fab too – choc full of potato, prawns, fish, peas and mussels. One of my boys isn’t keen on mussels, and I was pleased when the waitress offered to make one chowder without any in – a good indication that things are being cooked freshly. They scoffed the lot.

    IMG_2806We didn’t have time for pudding, but there were again plenty of gluten free options, such as sticky toffee pudding, pecan and chocolate brownie and apple and berry crumble, amongst others. Gluten free pudding? Choice? Pinch me!

    All in all, this was a rather unexpectedly special trip to the pub. It felt like before I was (diagnosed) coeliac, when I could order without worrying and try other people’s food. Combined with attentive service and friendly staff – what a gem. The Angel was lovely for lunch, but I think it would also be great for an evening meal out.

    Go there – it’s ace. And it certainly lived up to its name.

  • Nourish: Restaurant review

    Nourish: Restaurant review

    IMG_2626It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to have lunch at Nourish, but I was in town doing a bit of Fathers’ Day shopping, so I dropped in with my 4 year old.

    I love eating at Nourish. It’s one of the few places where I don’t have to even mention that I’m coeliac, which really is a joy. And I am able to choose the sort of food I would buy if I wasn’t gluten free – perfect for me, and very healthy to boot.

    Nourish is right in the centre of Sheffield on Pinstone Street, opposite the Peace Gardens and serves nutritious, fresh, fast food, to eat in or take away. It was established in 2013 by a nutritionist, a personal trainer and a chef – they seem to be doing well as they are about to open a second branch in Leeds. I really hope this place stands the test of time as it’s a really great lunch stop.

    IMG_2623I had a chicken satay hot pot, pictured on the right. It was much fuller when it arrived, with plenty of big pieces of chicken, lots of spiralised vegetables and a lovely sauce made from almond butter, coconut milk, chilli and coriander.

    I also had a delicious smoothie, made with vanilla protein powder, almond butter, spinach, almond milk and blueberries. It doesn’t sound all that as a list of ingredients, but whizzed up in a blender, it’s fab.

    Small boy is a bit harder to cater for at Nourish. In the past, he’s had a hot sweet potato, but he didn’t fancy one today so I got him a salad box with chicken, broccoli, spinach, boiled egg and some sweet potato and quinoa balls. I had to eat those though, as they turned out a bit spicy for the boy. Maybe not the best value meal for him, but between us, we only left a few spinach leaves and a bit of egg.

    Nourish are excellent at food labelling, with icons on their menus and packaging to advise whether the food is gluten free, dairy free, low carb, vegetarian, vegan (and others). They cater well for all sorts of dietary requirements! Their packaging and cutlery is all recycled / recyclable and / or biodegradable – another box ticked for me.

    We chose a window seat right at the front, where we enjoyed watching the comings and goings of the city: we watched the cranes at work and pointed out people with silly hair – perfect entertainment for a 4 year old.

  • Product review: Delicious Alchemy Vanilla Sponge Mix

    Product review: Delicious Alchemy Vanilla Sponge Mix

    IMG_2581I’ve had some fun this afternoon making retro fairy cakes using a gluten free Vanilla Sponge Mix from Sheffield company Delicious Alchemy, who have very kindly sent me a few samples to try. I’m hoping there will be a few left to share at my little boy’s friend’s birthday picnic on Monday…

    IMG_2559I started with this mix, which can be used to make 2 regular 20cm sponges for a birthday or Victoria sponge cake. But I fancied making some old fashioned buns, and I ended up making an assortment of little fairy cakes and a few bigger blueberry muffins. They were nice and quick to make, although I did then spend a while playing around with the different toppings.

    The packet instructions are simple. You mix the contents with 3 large eggs, 180g soft unsalted butter and 20ml water. The instructions say you only need to whisk the ingredients for a total of 25 seconds with an electric whisk, but I had to whisk it for a fair bit longer to get a smooth consistency. This might have been because my butter wasn’t quite soft enough, or because my electric whisk isn’t particularly powerful, but nevertheless, it produced a nice cake mixture:

    IMG_2562IMG_2565

    I 3/4 filled a few fairy cake cases with some of the mixture as it was. I then added a few leftover blueberries into some of the mix to make some bigger muffin-size buns. Into the remaining mix, I put a little raw cacao (not too much as I didn’t want to change the consistency) and some chopped up chocolate, and put this into some more fairy cakes cases.

    The fairy cakes took about 18 minutes at 180C in my fan oven (they were rather full up) and produced really nicely risen little buns. The larger blueberry ‘muffins’ took a few minutes more to get a golden top

    IMG_2569IMG_2573

    I decorated most of the buns with icing and sprinkles, and made a butter cream topping by mixing butter and icing sugar for the butterfly buns. But my favourite has to be this one with the cherry on top. Perfect.

    IMG_2584

    I’ve just sampled one of the blueberry ‘muffins’. The sponge is really nice and light inside, and you can definitely taste the vanilla. The golden top gives a lovely, sweet crunch, and you really wouldn’t know these were gluten free. Packet mixes like these are particularly useful if you’re coeliac because they save you having to faff about with various different flours to get a nice texture – Delicious Alchemy have already done the hard work in that respect.

    If you’re watching your sugar like me, these would have to be a rare treat, and I won’t be able to eat the ones with icing on. There are probably about 16g sugar in each of the buns excluding icing and sprinkles – yikes! But I really enjoyed making these cute buns and I’m sure my boys and hubby will help with making sure I don’t get the opportunity to scoff too many!

    I’m not sure what the etiquette is in this situation, but I should probably declare that Delicious Alchemy kindly sent me a few products to try out after my recent blog about them, however I have not been paid to review the products. 

  • Born and bread in Sheffield: Delicious Alchemy

    Born and bread in Sheffield: Delicious Alchemy

    DA LogoI recently made a discovery that there’s a fab gluten free food company on my doorstep, in the centre of Sheffield.

    Delicious Alchemy was set up by coeliac Emma Killilea, who discovered she was coeliac after having a bad reaction to some wheat that had become stuck in her sock! According to the company website, Emma was disappointed about the availability of natural and healthy gluten free food when she was diagnosed. She must have been pretty frustrated about it because she quit her job as a computer games producer and started making and selling food in 2006.

    DeliciousAlchemyFullRangeN 2015 (2)Emma’s company makes and sells bread, cake and cookie mixes, as well as porridge oats in a variety of guises (instant, quick cook, oat muesli) and rice flake porridge. All in attractively bright packaging.

    The company has grown a lot since 2006, and Delicious Alchemy products can be found at (selected) Morrisons and The Co-operative stores and they also work with some of the larger supermarkets, but that’s all top secret! Very intriguing.

    Their website is worth a gander – it’s easy to navigate, very bright and informative about gluten free eating and has lots of info on the company’s history, values and aims – making the gluten free world more delicious.

    They also have an online shop, so you can buy directly from them.

    I think I can feel a product review coming on…

    All images copyright Delicious Alchemy (thanks for letting me use them)