Chef Wise

Gut horror; 3 in 10 Brits believe gluten is a carbohydrate found in potatoes, pasta and pizza   More than one in ten Brits have switched to a gluten-free diet   91% say they know what coeliac is, yet two thirds of those don’t know the symptoms   9%, of young adults, think Coeliac is a famous Italian restaurant   1 in 20 think IBS is a Silicone Valley computer company LONDON, 11 MAY 2015: New research out today, and in time for Coeliac Awareness Week, has revealed we’re still a nation that’s ignorant about intolerances despite over 1 in 5 of the UK thought to have a food allergy or intolerance. The research, by Udi’s Gluten Free, has revealed that more than one in ten (11%) have now switched to a gluten-free diet. Indeed 29% of those aged 18-24 have cut gluten out of their diet. Despite this, ignorance of coeliac disease is still widespread. Just 14% of young adults recognise the symptoms of gluten intolerance; with 9% thinking ‘coeliac’ is a...

Foods You Can, a resource website for multiple food intolerance, allergies, lifestyle & health, is excited to announce that they now have Slimming World recipes on their website. The Foods You Can website has a variety of informative sections where you can compare foods, find places to eat, search for recipes and much more. “We're very excited to now be listing Slimming World recipes! It can be confusing trying to follow a plan when you're unable to eat certain foods,” said Bunmi Scott, the founder of Foods You Can. “By having recipes available, we're working with Slimming World to help make life much simpler for those who follow the Slimming World healthy eating plan and have a food intolerance, allergies, or live free-from out of choice.” The Foods You Can website now features a 'Slimming World Friendly' option on the recipe search tool. “You can use our bespoke search tool to select what you are free-from, and if you want meals to be Slimmin...

The UK's first frozen gluten and wheat free donuts have picked up an award in the prestigious Free From Food Awards 2015. Free From food brand Feel Free For Gluten Free celebrated their success at the awards ceremony in London last night.  The sugared ring donuts made the shortlist in the 'tea time' category, competing with products from larger free from brands and supermarkets. Feel Free For Gluten Free's delicious donuts were declared joint winners in the category. Sally Allister, Managing Director of Feel Free For Gluten Free who has coeliac disease and must follow a gluten free diet herself, said: “I'm still waiting for the news to sink it – it's beyond amazing for our small company! “The Free From Food Awards are the Oscars of the free from world and recognise the very best in foods made for people with restricted diets. To have two products on the shortlist of 270 products was great for us, but for our donuts to win – particularly...

No need to avoid the delicious taste of fresh, homemade pasta with this recipe for gluten free sweet potato ravioli. Filled with sweet potato and goat’s cheese, these parcels make an authentic Italian dinner that everyone will enjoy.  What’s more, the goat’s cheese can also be left out for a dairy free dish. Sweet potatoes, which are full of vitamins, minerals and high in fibre, are just as delicious in the summer as they are available all year round. Unlike regular potatoes, they count as one of your five-a-day, and can be used to replace all sorts of ingredients in everyday cooking. The Love Sweet Potatoes campaign is designed to tell consumers about the benefits of sweet potatoes and of all the different ways they can be used. The North Carolina farming family at Scott Farms is behind the campaign and has been growing sweet potatoes for over four generations. They are now the largest importer of sweet potatoes into the UK. For more information please visit ww...

The Phil Vickery Seriously Good!™ range of gluten- and dairy-free mixes makes it easy to create free-from bakes that are as tasty as traditional recipes, so you can make sweet treats for everyone to enjoy together. Phil’s new-look range includes Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Natural Vanilla Cupcake Mix, Very Lemony Cupcake Mix and Very Chocolaty Cupcake Mix, all with natural flavourings and no preservatives or artificial colours. They’re also suitable for freezing which is great news for planning ahead. Even the toppings are covered: if you want to decorate a cake safe in the knowledge that everything is suitable for gluten- and dairy-free diets, try the new range of Gluten- and Dairy-Free Fondant Icing Mixes available in chocolate, raspberry, lemon and strawberry. Simply mix with water as per the packet instructions to make a gorgeously smooth, delicious topping. Xanthan gum, an essential ingredient for homemade gluten-free cakes and bakes, is now also available as...

Always thought of porridge with fruit and a dairy smoothie as healthy food options? Not quite! Holistic Nutritionist Elizabeth Montgomery explains why these (and other) food combinations will only hinder your digestion, and what food combinations you should opt for instead  Five faulty food combinations:  1) Animal protein and carbs Different enzymes are required to breakdown these very different foods. When eaten together the foods to not get properly digested which leads to: indigestion, fermentation and putrefaction in the digestive tract.  2) Fruit with carbs Fruit digests much more quickly than any other food. Many people think that adding fruit to porridge is a healthy breakfast option; however it will only hinder the digestive process. It's better to always eat fruit on an empty stomach and ideally early in the morning.  3) Dairy with fruit Smoothies are a breakfast favourite for many people. The problem is that yogurt is an animal protein ...

Gluten and wheat free brand Feel Free for Gluten Free are moving into the free from breakfast market with the launch of their granola and granola bars. The new range, which will be launched at the Allergy & Free From Show in London’s Olympia on 4, 5 and 6 July, includes three types of oat free granola and three granola bars. The granolas have been developed using a blend of buckwheat and millet flakes, avoiding oats which some coeliacs and others on a gluten free diet cannot tolerate. Feel Free For Gluten Free’s granola comes in three varieties: honey & nut, fruit & nut, and strawberry & almond. They are sold in 340g boxes. Sally Allister, Managing Director of Yorkshire-based Feel Free for Gluten Free, said: “So many of the free from granolas already on the market that we tasted felt like they were lacking something. We were keen to create a granola that wouldn’t leave us feeling that something was missing. “We also wanted our granola ran...

Free from baking academy Gluten Free Baking & Living have announced new course dates for autumn and winter 2014, including their popular Christmas baking days. Yorkshire based Gluten Free Baking & Living, run by husband and wife team Ian and Deborah Thackeray, offer expert tuition in gluten free baking in three UK venues: London, the Wirral and their hometown of Harrogate. Since early 2013 they’ve been helping coeliacs and other people who avoid gluten and wheat in their diets get to grips with baking with alternative flours. Gluten Free Baking & Living use a variety of gluten free flours – from teff and tapioca to maize and sorghum - to produce a range of mouthwatering bakes. Bakers on their one-day courses are taught anything from simple loaves and pastry on the intro course, to pain au chocolat and choux pastry on the patisserie course. Deborah Thackeray, nutritional therapist and baking course developer, said:  “Ian and I aren’t the ...