I know what you're thinking......why have dairy free teabags when there is no dairy in tea? Well yes you're right my little brewsters, tea is dairy free until you pop milk in but some people either don't put milk in or use a dairy alternative.
Well PG Tips have created a special blend that goes perfectly with alternative to dairy milk. I have performed my own experiment to test the difference and I think it is very nice. It's stronger and very tasty. Now I do tend to have cow's milk or goats milk in my tea as I find I need a bit more of a creamier addition to my brew but then I can tolerate dairy so that's ok I find all the dairy alternatives, (and I've tried a lot) tend to be a bit on the thin side, a bit like skimmed cow's milk. This is great if you like a really strong brew but I like mine a bit more milky. The Rice milk is actually nice, my preference out a lot of dairy alternatives. I tried:
The good news is even if you do like a bit of cow in your brew the dairy free teabags taste blooming lovely anyway and if you need an alternative you have that extra taste. It does have a stronger taste than the tasty decaf with rice milk. There is definitely a difference in taste but in my opinion of a chief tea taster it tastes good with whatever milk you add. I suppose you would notice it more if you are a regular non dairy customer so if you have tried these teabags please let me know how they taste to you. There are those people who think all tea is just the same, oh my goodness!! I can tell you they don't and I have tasted a lot of tea. I'm here though to advise you on which ones are great and worth spending your cash on. So please keep reading my posts, for good advice or in case you may just fancy a bit of a giggle because I hopefully provide both. You can find these teabags in most good supermarkets but for more information about PG Tips go to their website at: www.pgtips.co.uk Thank you for reading today, please grab your brew and join me again tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now......... Take care.
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While I shopped at Asda the other week I picked up one of their free magazines. The August edition has a great little article about food intolerances including lactose, gluten, fructose, egg and soya. This is also accompanied by two pages of just some of the Free From products you can purchase from the store. The article is mainly aimed at spotting intolerances in children but it does include some important information for anyone.
Asda have also introduced a custom filter on the website www.asda.com so that if you are shopping online you can search for foods to match your own diet. This is brilliant as on some sites you can be going up and down the virtual aisles before you can find any Free From item. I don't shop at Asda all the time but I can say I am impressed with their selection of foods and they do cater for all dietary needs it seems. I did try a few of their products last weekend at a family get together and they are very tasty. It was good to eat quiche and pizza I felt as though I could buffet like the rest of the family. So well done Asda and carry on the good work. I do have to say apart from the Free From article catching my eye I do enjoy this little magazine, it has so much information and advice I would actually go and shop at Asda now and again just to pick this up as it's worth a read. Tell me though if you shop at Asda, do you find it has a good selection of products for your diet? I would be interested to know. Thank you for reading today, if you are not too exhausted from all this heat do try and reach for that device tomorrow and join me for some talk about Autism on Autism Support Saturday. Take care for now. Oh my goodness I may just be in cereal heaven right now as I found this cereal at Tesco yesterday. Having to go on a gluten free diet leaves you with a lot of adjustments to make and there are a lot of foods I miss so much, cereals being one.
Now I have tried and tested a few cereals and been a bit disappointed. Cornflakes had a good gluten free substitute but it wasn't like the real thing and well the Weetabix was ok but no where near the original. I do come to expect that most products are going to be different as gluten makes a massive difference to the construction of our favourite popular food choices. I'm not looking for perfection honestly but something similar would be good. These Free From Special Flakes are so like Kelloggs Special K you would not know the difference. Hurray I can just tuck into a nice cereal again. I love my gluten porridge but I did fancy something else. I'm so happy I cannot rave about this enough and if you are anything like me and on a restricted diet, when you find products that work you want to tell the world and do a little happy dance. I also spotted a box of Frosted Flakes as well which may have to be tested soon but with all the sugar tax and talk of obesity I thought I would go for the supposedly healthier option but I guess there are a lot of sugar in all cereals. To be honest though these do not taste sugary at all so I'm impressed and I do tend to pop a bit of fruit on instead of adding sugar to try and stay healthy. If you are on Slimming World a 25g portion will cost you 5 syns or you could try and work it into your HEB (healthy extra B choice). This cereal is milk free so if you are on a dairy free diet you can add your dairy free alternative to milk and enjoy, it also states it is suitable for vegetarians so all good. I can totally recommend it so give it a try and let me know what you think too........not a bad price at £1.45 for 300g - all I can say is thank you Tesco!! Thanks to you too for reading today, come back tomorrow for a chat about Autism on Autism Support Saturday but for now take care. Not a lot fast food as we are all trying to eat healthy but do you know those times when you are busy and nip into the local supermarket, it would be nice to pick up a sandwich or when travelling on the motorway. I want to grab a quick burger.
I was chatting to a chap this week who owns a local eatery and he was saying how difficult his friend found it to get some food quickly while they were attending a concert. This was in London and he was quite shocked at the lack of a gluten free quickie. Maybe someone can enlighten me on that as I haven't visited London a lot. I did go about a month ago and found a bunless burger which was ok but blimey how much fuss would it have been to get some gluten free buns in?? I think that's the problem for some establishments. You see they would have to have a dedicated preparation area, different fryers etc because of cross contamination but as my friend said......he has a small kitchen in a tearoom and he manages it. So why can't these huge big companies like McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Birds Bakery give us a gluten free meal? I miss Birds bread rolls, cakes, pork pies......in fact everything there but it does surprise me as a company as big as theirs that there is no gluten free bread. I don't really want to 'make do', I would like to be able to order a quick meal like everyone else. Not all the time but there are times when even ourselves with dietary needs, we need to eat too. I'd like to go to an event such as a concert and see a van that says gluten free food here......I've got a feeling there would be quite a queue. Maybe I need to just take my own bun with me to Maccy D's or buy myself a little caravan and go and set myself up with my gluten free food van. It would be light up in huge lights so you could see it for miles, like an oasis in a desert.......big pink hearts on it too. I know I'm going overboard now but a girl can dream. Maybe it will get better and these companies will actually realise they could make an extra bit of cash appealing to the gluten free market. Don't tell me they can't afford to do it as these companies make millions so that's not going to work with me. Let's have the choice of a McGluten Free Burger just as a change from salad, now and again. I know I shouldn't moan as the saving from eating fast food is probably preventing me piling the pounds on so I could look at it as a good thing. I could pack my own meal and be more prepared but why should I?......Why can't I have the access to a quick fix like everyone else? Sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm ranting but it is something that gets me a bit hot under the collar or t-shirt should I say. I don't always want a burger, a nice healthy sandwich with gluten free bread in the supermarket fridge would be nice - a gluten free meal deal. - a sandwich, fruit and a drink Yay!! Thank you so much for reading......what do you think the answer is? Do you miss a quick snack too? I'm just jealous of the amount of food on offer to non gluten free'ers. Gluten Free Equality - oops, do I need to make a placard? I will be back again next week for more Free From chat but join me for Autism Support Saturday tomorrow. Take care for now. Yes all are welcome at The Joiners Arms whether you're after gluten free or a vegetarian you can be happy here. I know this because I've tried this establishment a few times now. I had to go more than once just to prove the first time wasn't a fluke........honest!!! The things I do to bring you a recommendation for all your dietary needs. Oh go on then I'll carry on. The Joiners Arms is situated in the lovely Derbyshire village of Quarndon I have mentioned it before in one of my posts for Teapot Tuesday because I had a brew there and the teapot seemed never ending......ah that's why I'm a fan. No seriously I'm pretty impressed with the menu and the way your meal can be adapted to a gluten free option. They have nifty little symbols on the menu such a G for gluten free, V for vegetarian and O. O is for dishes which can be converted to a gluten free option.....see O for Optional, blooming clever eh? It doesn't mean that by the time they have taken all the glutinous things away that you are left with a plate full of peas, you still get a decent meal. The staff are so lovely and really helpful too. On my recent visit I tried the Sunday Roast because it was Sunday and what I ate was definitely a roast dinner. Beautiful beef, vegetables and a gravy. They made all mine gluten free so the gravy was fine and I think the only items I couldn't have were the Yorkshire puds and a cheesy cauliflower dish so that was ok. Then I had a big fat chocolatey pudding which was also made gluten free but we don't talk about that because although I did devour it, in my mind I'm in denial. Sorry Slimming World. The Joiners in part of the Chilled Pubs family and there are three other establishments: The Swan at Walton on Trent, The Bulls Head at Repton and The Hunloke Arms at Chesterfield. So pick one and go for a visit you won't be disappointed. At The Joiners there is a Garden Room Restaurant where you sit amongst the trees and it all looks very magical. Outside in the real garden there is a huge wooden gazebo type structure with hundreds of fairy lights which look enchanting in the evening, and if you get a little chilly you can even borrow a blanket too. This is the home of authentic wood fired pizzas, tasty gins, homemade gelato, cocktails, yakitori sticks and homemade lemonade.......perfect!!! I'd better give you the website eh as you are just bursting to book.
Here you go........www.theja.co.uk You're welcome!!! If you have been did you enjoy it? Let us know what you thought of the place or how does it compare to the other pubs in this group? Thank you for reading today, come back tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now......... Take care. I went out last night for a meal and as I looked down the menu I started feeling a bit worried and disappointed as there didn't seem anything clearly labelled as gluten free. It's then I start to wish that I was somewhere where I knew there would be gluten free food even if it was just have that sense of familiarity.
This pub did used to have quite an extensive Gluten Free menu as I have reviewed them before but obviously there had been a change. There used to be clearly labelled gluten free buns with burgers and pasta too so I thought oh this will be ok. After a while looking at the menu I have to start to work out myself which options would be the best to eat. I thought with my choice that I really couldn't go wrong but then I was to be told that the dish wasn't available as the lamb cutlets had been sold. Oh not good.....I could almost start to imagine that now sold lamb and had visions of it sitting on my plate so now I had to choose again. I wasn't sure I had a second option so here I go......I'm going for.........a curry yes thats will be ok but I'm going to just check and ask if it's gluten free. I wasn't going to have naan bread that was obvious but yes good news it was gluten free. Yes!! Success. It was blooming gorgeous as well. So my message is that even though food isn't clearly labelled on the menu always ask the staff what is gluten free as most establishments will be happy to tell you. I always used to be a worried about asking but now I do a lot more. I don't want to feel poorly and it is also the job of the waiting staff to tell you anything about dietary requirements after all they don't want you to be poorly either. Some menus are better than others and there is an element of excitement when I do see gluten free written down. Another menu I came across recently had a G for gluten free then they would have a different symbol for a dish that could be altered to your own requirements which I think is a great idea. The menu is only a guide anyway so always ask! Hope this helps a little but please tell me what menus you have found good or bad and what would the perfect menu look like to you? Thanks for reading today, join me for more tomorrow when it's time for Autism Support Saturday but for now take care. I tend to think of Free From foods to mainly include gluten free, dairy free, meat free but I tend to leave out the sugar free aspect sometimes. That is probably because I'm a bit of a sugar addict so it's probably a case of not wanting to talk about because I'm under the impression that it's not a problem.
It is a problem for a lot of us though isn't it? Sugar is like a drug.....it's addictive and so hard to wean yourself off it. I gave up smoking a couple years ago now and that was difficult especially when the cravings rear their ugly head but I am starting to feel the same with sugar. I've been dieting along time and when I get my head around it and get in the zone I can cut down on my sugar intake quite a bit and have been successful as the weight has come off. When I get a craving for sugary stuff though there is no stopping me at all. I can't seem to fight it. I've tried drinking water to fill myself up or tried to eat fruit as an alternative but I still want chocolate or that slice of cake. If that temptation is in front of me I really have to build that willpower up so much to resist it. I know I can do because I have done it like I say and when I do cut it out it not only feels good but the cravings do subside just like smoking. The cravings for a cigarette or few and far between now and I can't actually believe that I did smoke. I have just got to get there with sugar. I can't give it up completely and I don't think it's good to do that anyway. The daily allowance isn't a lot at no more than 30g a day for an adult ( equivalent to seven sugar cubes). It is possible to cut down though by swapping sugar in hot drinks to sweeteners and cutting out the biscuits, crisps, chocolate and cake. All the things I love, I do use a sweetener in my brew but then there is a lot of negative publicity about artificial sweeteners too. Maybe it's good to try and cut it out altogether......I may try. I'm not sure whether there is more temptation around now days or whether we just don't move around like we did years ago. A lot of us sit at desks all day while working, the kids don't play outside as much as they used to and we exercise less. If we turned all that around maybe the nation would start getting slimmer. It is difficult but not impossible. I'm going to keep trying to cut down and not only lose some more pounds in weight but improve my general health and hopefully save my teeth too. It's scary to think a can of Cola can have as many as nine sugar cubes so that goes over the average adult daily allowance No wonder we now have a sugar tax which I can't help thinking is a great idea. Let me know if you struggle with sugar and have you conquered the addiction to the sweet stuff? What techniques have you used? What foods do you use to replace sugary foods? Lets help each other. Thank you for reading today. If you would like some useful information about sugaring our diet then go to the NHS Change 4 Life website here www.nhs.uk/change4life/food-facts/sugar There is even details about a useful app there too which you can use to scan certain food products and find out how much sugar it contains. Join me tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday but for now...... Take care. Wow I saw these potato snacks in Aldi this week and got so excited. I love Bourbon, I like barbecue flavoured things and I love crisps. Part of me said nooooooooo Sue from the Brew, do not buy these as they are no good for the waistline and you'll have to count millions of points on ya Slimming World. The devil took over me and oh they fell in my trolley.
Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey Potato Chips are absolutely gorgeous and they are gluten free. I'll be honest they haven't lasted long and this was a 120g bag, that's how yummy they really are. The barbecue flavour kind of takes over a bit but there is a whiskey tang to them which definitely works. Burts also produced some Guinness flavoured crisps too a while back but they did contain barley which always falls into a grey area in the gluten free world. Some people can tolerate some can't. There are a few other crisps in the Burts range which are gluten free so take a look. There website has all the nutritional advice you need and you can find that here at www.burtschips.com For those on Slimming World you are looking at 6.5 syns for 25g of all varieties of Burts Hand Fried Potato Chips so maybe save them for a treat or a low syn day. These were as I say available in Aldi so check out your local store. Let me know what you think of them. I'm off to go and clear the shelves at our local store so I will catch you tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday. Take care until then. Oh my goodness I have finally found a loaf of bread that is just amazing. I know I've posted about bread before, I've made some myself and moaned about the quality of some of the gluten free loaves available but this is the best!!
It is produced by Warburtons and is from their Artisan range. This Tiger Bloomer was just great. it's sooooo tasty. It doesn't fall apart.....no big holes in it and it is the closet thing to the 'real thing' I have tasted. I'm so excited about this because I think bread is one of the most disappointing aspects of a being on a gluten free diet. I have honestly missed a big doorstep sandwich and fresh tasting bread. I made a gluten free fish finger sandwich with this and it passed the test with a huge 10 out of 10. It's pricey like the rest of the gluten free foods but I don't mind paying the extra for a decent loaf. You can slice it yourself so just cut thinner slices to make it last longer. It toasts well and you will not know the difference between this and the gluteny stuff. Well maybe the size.....it is a bit smaller but then the best things come in smaller sizes and it fits in my toaster. Go try it now....I really don't think you will be disappointed. I'm definitely hooked now. If you have tried it what did you think? Let me know, I would be interested to know what everyone else thinks. Thank you for reading and letting me get excited about bread.....I know I need to get out more but it's important I tell you as you may be crying over a pathetic brittle loaf and now you can have something wonderful. Take care.....oh and feel free to join me tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday. It's National Fish and Chip day today
you can cook them in loads of different ways But here on a Friday we like them gluten free stops you from having tummy trouble if your anything like me I don't want to be trumping after a plateful of chips my cod might even be seen pursing it's lips If it had a nose and it's fins were long, it would shield from the smell I know it's already dead but that would just be hell To get our fish and chips we usually have a special day but I think us gluten free'ers would like them anytime if we had our say They have to be cooked in their own personal fryer otherwise they'll pick up the gluten we don't really require It's complicated for a chippy you see to produce fish and chips for you and for me I bet on this annual National Day gluten free fish and chips are not available in any way You could of course cook them yourselves so all is not lost, get them spuds from the shelf It's really easy you don't have to fry just shove them in the oven - go on give it a try It's the only way you're gonna get them gluten free unless your chippy's 'Free From' day is today you see Tough isn't it being on a funny different diet? No fish and chips? I predict a riot!!! 🐟🍟🐟 Thank you for reading today. Join me again tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday for now though.... Take care xx |
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