Wahaca

I went to Wahaca, Southbank recently with the Meetup Gluten Free London Club.

It's always a nice outing with the group, and all the restaurants selected have gluten free options.

The Wahaca Southbank branch is quite cool, built with containers and overlooking the river, it was a fantastic location for a Spring evening.
They do have a dedicated Gluten Free menu, so that says to me they do take it seriously.

I ordered the British Steak plato fuerte as main and mango sorbet to finish.
The Steak dish comes in two large soft wraps with lots of salad, and two side sauces, guacamole on the left, and creamy black beans with corn tortillas on the right.
By far my favourite flavour was that of the creamy black beans.
I found that on the main wraps there was quite a lot of salad but didn't seem to have any dressing, which made it very dry.
The steak bits were quite nice, as the grilled cheese on top, but overall, if I went again I would choose the smaller dishes ordered by some of the others (street food tacos).
They got three small wraps per dish, and two or three dishes per person seemed to be a good portion.
As a special they had corn tortilla lasagna pictured here on the bottom left, interesting dish, which according to Ben was good.
The sorbet was very nice, and I'm glad I ordered it. Actually all the ice creams ordered by the group were enjoyed.
I ordered two drinks, a Citrus fizz and a Hibiscus mojito and both were a bit watered down and disappointing.

Overall it was a good evening, as the group is great, but the food was quite unremarkable, maybe because it was a busy Friday? It might be worth going again on a quiet day and compare....

Dairy Free Chocolate raisins - Fabulous Freefrom Factory

These raisins are really nice, advertised as dairy free (and no gluten containing ingredients).

I found them at Holland and Barrett, a 75 gr bag for £1.69

Unfortunately, as I was doing some more online search for this brand I've found this March 2014 notice from the Food Standards Agency, it seems that one of their batches contains milk:
http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/allergy-news/2014/mar/milk

So, one to be cautious about.

Cote restaurant

I recently read somewhere that at Cote restaurants they cater for gluten free eaters, but couldn't remember who it was that recommended it or if they had a separate gluten free menu.

So, as I was passing by Cote in Wimbledon village, and feeling in need of some dinner, I went in.
They had a set menu that included a steak with salad and fries that looked tempting.

Water comes along in an earthware bottle that keeps it fresh, it reminds me of Spanish botijos (earthware jugs) and that made me smile!

The steak came promptly and it looked quite delicious, I had asked beforehand about the fries and they reassured me that they are cooked separately from anything else, so I was very happy to tuck in.

The steak was fantastic, it never tastes like that when I cook it at home, how do they do it?
I'll definitely eat here again!

There are a few branches around London and in the rest of the UK:
http://www.cote-restaurants.co.uk/

Helen's Chocolate Cupcake Mix

After trying and loving Helen's brilliant bread mix, I saw this pack at Sainsbury's and decided to try it.
It couldn't be easier!
Melt butter (or sunflower spread for me), mix with eggs, add the shifted mix, put in the oven...
After a few minutes, some gorgeous cupcakes will come out of your oven.
I never use frosting, but if you do, there are some instructions for that in the pack.

Very chocolatey, I would recommend it.

Gluten Free Crackers Comparison: Orgran v Wellaby's

I found these two packs of crackers at Sainsbury's and got both of them to compare, I always like a battle, and I could compare them to the Marks & Spencer ones that I reviewed recently.

So much choice!


 Orgran Deli Crackers

The look of these crackers is not it's strongest point. They are very pale, and it looks as if they are still to go in the oven. On the other hand, the taste is quite nice, although a bit subtle.
They are made in Australia, it seems a bit far for some crackers!
Ingredients: brown rice, wholegrain sorghum, wholegrain millet, salt, poppy seeds, vegetable protein extract, calcium carbonate, natural caramel colour

Wellaby's Delicate Humus Chips

The look is more apetizing, the colour is more golden and they seem crispier, however, the taste lets these chips down. They are a bit boring and dry, and I am struggling to finish the packet.
Ingredients: chickpea flour, corn flour, potato starch, sodium caseinate, palm kernel oil. whey proteins, sugar, black olivees, pea flour, milk (cream), garlic, sea salt, emulsifiers, leavining agents, lemon
They are produced in Greece, but the pack doesn't say who imports them into the UK (only info available is who imports it to Australia and New Zealand). I wonder why?

Between the two, I would definitely eat the Orgran crackers, although they are not better that the Marks & Spencers I reviewed recently, so unfortunately I'm unlikely to buy either again.

Helen gluten free bread mix

 Finally!!! I have never been very good at using yeast, I always blame it on my drafty kitchen, so I've always been a bit irritated by my lack of success at bread making, but thought there wasn't much I could do.

On a recent visit to a large Sainsbury's I found Helen's Brilliant Bread mix in the free from section and decided to have another go at bread.

I must say the instructions at the back of the pack are brilliant, perfect for someone like me who has not made bread before.

On reflection the tip seems to be using the right temperature for the water in the mix (200ml cold from the tap + 100ml hot from the kettle to make the tepid water) and the way to keep the mix while it raises.

The pack recommends to keep the bread tin inside another tray filled with warm water, but just warm from the tap and not from the kettle.

The photos on the right show the mix as first in the bread tin, after raising and as it comes out of the oven.
In the oven I had it at the correct temperature but did use the fan, and I think it has burned slightly on the outside. When I do it again I probably won't use the fan.

Today it is already the third day after baking and the bread is still good to eat, nice and soft.

I would definitely recommend this mix and I'll be buying again.

Potato salad with vinagrette - naturally gluten free

Now that the weather is lovely, my favourite lunch is a salad, and the other day I made some potato salad with vinagrette.

This is a quick lunch, boiling the potatoes is probably the longest process here.
I boil them in the microwave cut in slices so that it takes even less time, but you can boil them in your preferred way.

The vinagrette is made in two parts:
* The solids: shredded lettuce, shredded boiled egg, roughly chopped olives
* The liquids: three parts of olive oil to one of vinegar (I use cider vinegar), salt and freshly grounded black pepper to taste
Mix all together, pour over the potatoes and enjoy!