Jamie's Italian Gluten Free Pasta U-Turn

In the world of politics someone can't simply change their mind without it being called a u-turn. I'm not sure why, I change my mind all the time, particularly when faced with a wonderful sounding menu, and I've never referred to it as a u-turn. So whether you want to call it a u-turn or a simple change of heart someone at Jamie Oliver HQ decided that gluten free pasta was no longer for them. I felt the need to write a blog because I have previously reviewed Jamie's Italian in Glasgow and didn't want to mislead or misinform. I first heard rumours that the chain had stopped doing gluten free pasta on Twitter. I already had a table booked, so I sent a tweet to Jamie's Italian to find out if the rumours were true but got no reply. Others also got no reply from the same question. A quick check on their online menu showed no mention of the gluten free pasta they had been previously proud to shout about. There was now a 'gluten free' section which showed a couple of starters and mains and only a handful of sides. I was less excited about the visit than I had been previously but intrigued to find out more. What had led to the gluten free u-turn?

Around the same time as the decision to remove gluten free pasta from their menus, a number of newspapers ran articles about a coeliac customer being provided with the incorrect meal at Jamie's Italian and suffering as a consequence. She was ultimately awarded damages and the chain admitted it had got things wrong. According to the article  'Environmental health experts visited the premises and an investigation was launched revealing "lamentable failures" over food allergy issues'. I can't comment on the particular case with the limited information provided in newspaper articles, but the timing of the withdrawal of the gluten free pasta appears to coincide with their fine. From the information in the article it clearly caused some suffering, however, I do know people who have been 'glutened' by restaurants in the past and have given feedback without the need to go to court. I'm on the fence as to whether or not raising the failures of the chain through this method was the best way to get a satisfactory outcome or not.

When the day came to visit Norwich's branch of Jamie's Italian I thought I would double check that gluten free pasta was definitely off the menu. I was expecting to hear that it had been taken off while they ensured they had the correct controls in place to ensure customer safety. Instead, our waitress explained that: 'It was not in-keeping with the brand and the fresh pasta they served'. I'm not the only person who appeared to be given the same rationale, with others citing on Twitter that they had been told the same. It's was a slightly alarming and defensive response given the recent press. So gluten free pasta was no longer good enough for the chain?

The meal itself was fine. Interestingly they are willing to adapt some other dishes on the menu so the online 'gluten free' section isn't as limiting as it suggests. I would have expected that there's a greater risk adapting meals than serving gluten free pasta but perhaps their controls have changed. I had one of the planks featured in my original blog which was still great. For main I chose to have a  burger without the bun. It looked very sad on a plate by itself. At £10.95 for a burger with a slice of cheese and bacon on it was underwhelming to say the least. A side of apple slaw perked up the plate but the slightly bitter taste left by their gluten free pasta saga remained. I'd love to see gluten free pasta back on the menu with the right controls in place. The high street has leapt forward recently with multiple gluten free offerings, it would be a shame to see more u-turns and a step back for coeliacs.

Gluten Free Fish and Chips, Southwold Pier, Southwold

I hadn't had 'chip shop' fish and chips since going gluten free. We've had home-made ones which have been really tasty, but there's something very British about having fish and chips at the seaside. Today, we took a trip down to Southwold in Suffolk. It's a beautiful place, the pier has little shops selling handmade souvenirs, it's home to Adnam's ale which has a large flagship store selling all sorts of wonderful produce and the harbour is dotted with little fishmongers and smoke-sheds.

Southwold

Southwold pier has three places to eat; The Boardwalk restaurant, The Beach café and The Clockhouse. On the first Saturday of every month, coeliacs get to fulfill their fish and chip cravings! Both the Boardwalk restuarant and The Beach café serve gluten free fish and chips. The fryers are cleaned beforehand and fresh gluten free batter is prepared. You can even get battered gluten free sausages (I'm definitely going back to try one of these)! The fish and chips were excellent, a light, crispy batter around fresh tasting cod and beautifully cooked chips... and you can't have fish and chips without a side of mushy peas! It was great to see somewhere catering so well for coeliacs and the regular pundits didn't seem put off by the gluten free day either; the place was bustling. Hopefully more places will see how successful this is and get in on the act.

Gluten free fish and chips at Southwold Pier

Leek and Gorgonzola pasta with crispy chilli breadcrumbs

I do enjoy blue cheese, but unfortunately my fiancée does not. Needless to say, when she's out for dinner with friends, it's one of my go too foods. I don't often blog recipes because I'm usually following them rather than creating them, but I thought I'd share this really simple supper which uses classic combinations and is ready in minutes. For those who also don't like blue cheese try this with some ricotta.

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 onion diced
2 leeks sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
200g gluten free pasta
125g Gorgonzola cut into pieces
1 slice of gluten free bread (the crust works well)
2 dried red chillies
Salt and pepper

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and sauté for 2 mins. Then add the leeks, garlic and thyme and season.
• Blitz the bread and dried chillies in a mini-chopper or blender. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and add the bread crumb mix. Keep the mix moving so you don't burn it
• Now get your pasta on. I used Juvela fusilli which I put into a large pan, poured on boiling water and boiled for 8 minutes. When done, add this and a couple of table spoons of the pasta water to the frying pan with the leeks. Stir in the Gorgonzola and remove from the heat.
• Pour the pasta, leeks and Gorgonzola into a bowl and scatter over the chilli bread crumbs. If you've got a few thyme flowers scatter these over to help show off your presentation!

Leek and Gorgonzola pasta with crispy chilli breadcrumbs

Heinz goes gluten free

Heinz's PR company got in touch and asked if I wanted to review a couple of their new gluten free products. As this is my first 'product' review as such, I feel the overwhelming need to justify it! Not everyone agrees with receiving free samples but I've promised an unbiased review. Can a review be unbiased when you've received a free sample I hear you ask, well you'll have to be the judge of that I'm afraid. If it helps other gluten free people understand their options, then so be it.

The fact that companies such as Heinz are joining the gluten free market clearly demonstrates it's become big business. Currently, the small 'free from' section in supermarket aisles is full of smaller niche brands you don't find elsewhere during your shop. So what do Heinz bring to the mix? Well a tasty pasta for one thing. I tried the penne (they also sell macaroni and spaghetti) and it had a good texture and taste. For those who don't have access to the brands available on prescription it also gives you more choice than the handful of brands available at the moment. It cooks well too, gluten free pasta likes to stick together - literally - but this posed no problems. I found Heinz's choice to launch a range of gluten free pasta sauces a slightly strange foray into this market. We rarely buy ready made sauces but I can certainly understand the convenience, but more often than not are most pasta sauces not gluten free anyway? It seems particularly strange when there are other areas so severely lacking in options (a quick ready to eat pasta salad?). I found the sauces a little sweet for my palate, The Tomato Frito reminding me slightly of one of Heinz's most popular products, tomato soup. The Tomato and Oregano one was more flavoursome. They would provide a decent base sauce if you want to add more ingredients, some roasted Mediterranean veg or some smoked streaky bacon would go well. Its not gourmet food, but what it does provide is convenience, which the gluten free market so often lacks. With the sweetness, I think Heinz's pasta and sauce will especially appeal to people with gluten free children, providing a quick and tasty meal.

So judge the review how you want. After all, that's all I've tried to do with the products in it.

Rhubarb and Custard Eton Mess

Eton Mess is one of my favourite desserts. Its popularity on menus is often something of a saviour too, since coeliacs frequently struggle in the dessert department. One blogger has even started their own campaign comically titled 'fruit is not a pudding'. So often fruit, a miserly excuse for a dessert, is dished out to gluten free people up and down the country by those lacking the awareness or creativity to dish up a coeliac friendly pud. So back to Eton Mess, I love it, and like I said it's usually naturally gluten free.

This recipe is ridiculously simple, although the dedicated dessert king or queen can complicate it as much as they like by whisking up their own meringues or custard. The slightly tart rhubarb helps to offset the sweet components nicely. If you are gluten free, don't forget to double check any shop bought ingredients. Quantities are all fairly approximate as you can layer it up how you like it.

Ingredients (serves 6 - 8):

300ml double cream

500g ready to pour custard

6 meringue nests

800g rhubarb

Bar of white chocolate

A sprinkling of caster sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees, chop up your rhubarb into small, bite sized pieces and put in a single layer in a baking tray. Sprinkle over some sugar and place in the oven for 15 minutes. The rhubarb should be soft but not mushy, you want it to hold together. Set aside and leave to cool. Now whisk the double cream till thickened, then fold in 3/4 of your custard, to create a slightly marbled effect. Crumble up your meringue nests and coarsely grate the white chocolate. Now it's simply a case of assembling your mess and that's completely up to you! I started with a layer of rhubarb, followed by a layer of the cream and custard mix, a little more of the custard, crumbled meringue and then white chocolate. Just repeat until you reach the top. Best served in tall sundae glasses.

Rhubarb and Custard Eton Mess