Hello everyone,
Caroline Oldham
This week I have been in the Cotswold's. What a beautiful part of the country, I have always heard such wonderful things so was very exciting to be going especially staying a gorgeous Spa hotel called Barnsley House Hotel and Spa. We only ate breakfast in the hotel, which wasn't looking too great for me on the buffet side but they came with some gluten free bread and said they would make a cooked breakfast to order. I ordered the smoked salmon and scrambled egg to keep it simple, however I noticed on arrival the eggs looked a little creamy, I asked them to double check and I was right, full of butter!
After this I did feel quite unconfident but they were really apologetic and had some new staff so think it was a genuine mistake. They did bring another breakfast back, which was delicious and was very happy of how they dealt with it. The industry is still adjusting to the laws and making their staff aware of all the different allergens during training. The gardens and spa here is wonderful and perfect for a romantic getaway and really helps you to switch off and relax which if you have a busy lifestyle like me are always needed.
With winter coming in and the weather getting cooler I always like to cook more hearty food. Before I was diagnosed with coeliac disease there were a few dishes that I hadn't tried yet and I always wondered what they would taste like. One of these dishes is Chicken Katsu Curry, not only does the base sauce have soy sauce in it, the chicken is also covered in breadcrumbs so I thought I would have an experiment and it turned out pretty good I have to say, my test is always to try it out on some non coeliac and they seemed impressed too! Check the Recipe here: http://blog.biteappy.com/blog/gluten-free-chicken-katsu-curry/
I had a bit of a nightmare this week, for all those gluten free or coeliac will know that gluten free bread can be difficult to find and expensive. I have always stuck to Genius 'Triple Seeded Loaf' which I think is fantastic. Unfortunately my supermarket didn't have it this week so I tried their brown sliced loaf instead. I was hugely disappointed it when I opened it, half of the slices had holes in it and the rest crumbled away in my hands.
I contacted Genius and they have informed me that they are having issues with some of their products and working really hard to sort this out. They wrote me an apology letter and also sent me some vouchers, which was really nice to receive. If you experience the same issues as I did just make sure you get in contact with them they are aware of the issue or like me just stick to that fantastic triple seeded loaf!
Restaurant Hangout Of The Week
In the heart of Cirencester there is a few wonderful places to eat, it was a last minute lunch so I didn't have time to pre call but I asked the manager as soon as I got in who told me very confidently the chef was fantastic with food allergies and cross contamination and they would cook anything I wanted to order! Fabulous!
We were delighted to be seated behind Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen, our first little celeb spot! I chose to have a cooked chicken breast on a bed of roast vegetables and salad that was really tasty, I felt really confident eating here and the food was wonderful.
Top Tip of the Week
If you are like me and have a sweet tooth and like to bake here is a great tip for making anything sweet. Instead of using regular caster sugar that you would normally use substitute for coconut sugar, a more natural and organic way of using sugar while baking.
You will always find that your puddings are a l lot lighter using coconut sugar and you won't get the usual rush which will help keep your cravings down.
Tagged in Caroline Oldham