Teapig Liquorice and Peppermint Tea*

Is it just me or is our British summer well and truly over? I know we tend to have a surge of warmer weather in September, but right now in August I feel we are in the depths of autumn. Feeling this way, I decided it was time to dip into my tea cupboard. Trying to find a warming tea flavour in the summer is a hard push, but I went for the Teapigs liquorice and peppermint tea, as the liquorice sounded like it would add warmth to the flavour.

My favourite aspect of a Teapigs tea, is the bag is that they use good quality temple bags. Not using the cheaper paper bags means that you don't get that horrendous papery taste that many teabags infuse into the tea, particularly when the flavours are lighter.

 Liquorice root and peppermint are the only ingredients in this teabag. I really enjoy the fact you can actually see this, so many tea bags are milled to almost powder and have too many unnecessary ingredients in, which ultimately makes them taste artificial. Teapigs always taste clean and fresh.

On first sip the tea didn't taste too dissimilar to the Teapigs peppermint tea that I love, but then suddenly there's a sweet kick. This sweet kick turns into a warmth that you feel in the back of your throat, and as odd as it sounds, as if its warming your mouth. I think I described it at the time as drinking a scarf, as it felt so cosy. Absolutely perfect for a cold day!

The sweeter notes surprised me, as when I think of liquorice, I think it is very herbal and not all that sweet. Although, I have only ever had natural liquorice and I haven't had any in years, so I may have to try some again!

Sat down with a good book and some Hotel Chocolat choccies, minty ones of course, this tea was perfect! Only trouble is it put me in the mood for Christmas shopping as I always start in late September! But I don't want to feel christmassy just yet!

Holidaying in Devon next week, I'm certainly taking my Teapigs with me as the UK weather is so unpredictable!

Hannah x

*This product was sent to me to try, all views and opinions are my own

Sainsbury's Coeliac Disease Leaflet

I know a leaflet is a very odd thing to blog about, but when picking up my prescription, out of the five different leaflets in the pharmacy in Sainsbury's, a coeliac disease one was one of them.

Although I am very familar myself, I thought I would pick one up to have a read to see what was published and if it would be helpful for my family members who don't know whether they are coming or going when trying to feed me!

On first impressions of opening the leaflet, I found that all the sections were divided up pretty clear and I wasn't overwhelmed with text, even though there is plenty of information it's spaced well.

The first heading is 'what is coeliac disease' which gives you a brief description and symptoms you may experience. Very clearly worded this section may even highlight to someone that doesn't think they have an intolerance, may do. 

The next section is the one I think is most convenient for you to have on hand, particularly when trying to educate in gluten free eating, as it is a list of foods to avoid. This list includes all the common places you find gluten but isn't always obvious to those not following a gluten free diet, such as sauces and barley squashes. It also highlights that just because something is wheat free, it doesn't always mean that this product is gluten free. 

Gluten alternatives is the next on the list. This basically lets you know all the gluten free products that are available, such as breads and other types of flours. Fantastic for all the Nan's who love baking for their grandchildren, because although I'm 20 my Gran loves to bake and never knows what to do for me. 

The next subheading is the most interesting, being titled 'what about oats?'. As not all oats need to be avoided, as you can buy pure un-contaminated oats in the free from section of your local stores. 

'Watch words' are next, this shows you a list of ingredients to look out for. Even James would benefit from this sometimes, as even though he is very used to my dietary needs, he isn't always too sure what is safe and what isn't when looking on the back of a packet. 

The last two sections are about Sainsbury's themselves and products they offer in both their 200 product strong free from range, as well as their regular range which are suitable for those looking for gluten free options and how they are labeled. There is also a healthier eating guide, which is just a generic guide.

I think that it's fab that so many places are getting involved in making people more aware of coeliac disease and that it isn't just a fad, as many people I meet think that is it my diet choice! I think that this leaflet should be put in their free from isles for everyone to have easy access to, as many buying free from food are not necessarily buying for themselves. 

Do you think the people around you would benefit more from these leaflets and information being more readily available? 

Hannah x 

Delicious Alchemy - Baking Soft White Bread Mix*

For the last few weeks I have been baking on either a Saturday or Sunday. I have really been enjoying this new found weekend tradition James and I have, so we have been trying to keep it up!

Again this week we have decided to use a packet mix. As A, it barely ever goes wrong and B, I have a lot in the cupboard at the minute and it would be a waste not to use them. For a change this week we decided on a savoury bake, I needed some bread anyway so we took a look through my bread mixes to see which ones I had all the ingredients for.

The Delicious Alchemy mix for their soft white bread required 325ml water and 2tbs vegetable oil. I had the oil in the cupboard so I went for this option and all my others needed yeast, which I don't tend to have on hand, as I only buy the packs as and when I need them.

To make this loaf, add the mix to a bowl and pour the tepid water and oil over. If you are using an electric mixer mix for one and a half minutes on low, then medium for the next minute and a half. My mixer is not the best so I decided to do it by hand.

Once incorporated, the mix is thick and a little sticky. Place the mix in a loaf tin. I lined mine with baking parchment, smooth it out and let it prove for 40 minutes. It will not rise all that much, but once this is done, it is ready to go in the oven at gas mark 4/5 for 90 minutes.

Out of the oven, the bread rises nice and even and there is a good tap to the top of the loaf. Browned perfectly, this loaf comes out golden and domed, as if it needs to be in a 1950's advert!

Once cut, the bread has a lovely soft texture, I think if you used a handheld mixer or Kitchenaid it would be a lot lighter. The taste is what you'd expect to find in a free from bread. The last bread mix I did turned out awfully and tasted horrible, so I am glad this one wasn't like that!

So far I have tried this bread toasted, as it is with butter and as a toastie, all three were fantastic. I will be doing a second post of eats of the week using this bread to see all the ways we can use it and how it turns out!

Hannah x

*This product was sent to me to try, all thoughts and opinions are my own

Delicious Alchemy - Chocolate Brownie Mix

Saturday, we decided to head for a picnic. Being inspired by The Great British Bake off, I wanted to bake a cake fast. I went through my baking cupboard and picked out my Delicious Alchemy brownie mix, firstly because I love brownies, but secondly as it only requires 2 eggs and 100g butter, which were in my fridge already.

With this mix, all you have to do is melt the butter and add it to the dry mix. Once incorporated, this turns into a paste. At this point the whisked eggs are added, making the mixture into a much smoother texture. Then all you do is pour this into a cake tin and smooth out. The recipe says that this brownie will take around 20 minutes at 180 (gas mark 4) but I found it took a little while longer.

Once baked, you can see that a good crispy top developed, which once you cut into the brownie masked a soft and slightly gooey centre, as you can see as I took some of the top away in the picture to reveal the inside. Perfectly baked brownie! As I was in a rush I didn't get chance to film this bake for you, but I do have a second packet of this mix, which I will certainly bake soon as it was so good!

The taste and texture of this brownie is perfect and I think I may experiment by adding some nuts and white chocolate chunks to the next batch to see how it turns out. The mix does have milk choc chips already but being the chocoholic I am I think adding some extra chunks, which will leave chocolate pockets would really enhance this cake! That's the fantastic thing about packet mixes. They can be used as a good foundation to adapt upon!

So keep an eye out for my next batch of Delicious Alchemy brownies, hopefully with a successful twist! I have also got hold of some raspberry flavoured icing sugar. I have a Delicious Alchemy vanilla sponge mix too, I think this is going to be a perfect paring!

Anybody else been inspired to raid their cupboard since GBBO has started? I know packet mixes aren't from scratch, but it's all the fun, with half the mess!

Hannah x

Phil Vickery - Stir-Fried Rice With Avocado and Horseradish

In barbecue season it is always hard to find new and different sides to have with your burgers! Phil Vickery always comes to the rescue, in the form of the seriously good gluten free cook book. Pasta salad is a firm favourite, but with having increasing amounts of grilled meat, things can get a bit repetitive!

This recipe is super simple, you will need. 

• 2x 115g packs of microwaveable basmati rice
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado, cubed
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 2 spring onions
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I didn't use this in the end)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon horseradish 
• Salt and pepper

I halved the recipe as I used it as a side dish for three people. All you do is chop the veg and coriander and pop in a bowl. Microwave the rice for the guided time then put it in the pan with the egg and mix. Mix through until the egg is cooked. Then add this to the bowl with the veg and mix in the horseradish. Done! 

Simple is what I like, even more so when everyone loves it! Cooking in mere minutes, this rice is very fresh and light, brilliant with steak, as the horseradish is it's perfect pairing! Being naturally gluten free it's makes this dish perfect for big family BBQ's where you all bring as dish as you can double or even quadruple it very easily.

I would love to know what your favourite side dishes are or if there is a Phil Vickery recipe I need to try! I could not find the recipe on his site, but Phil has a similar one online here.

Hannah x 

What's in my Snackly box? - August 2015

It's time for another Snackly open box! August should bring lovely summery weather, we have seen a couple of good days, but let's hope the bright yellow sticker and Lego style image on the card along with all these summery snacks makes the sun kick itself into gear!

What with taking a holiday to Dorset in the next couple of weeks, these are perfect in the car snacks for what could be a 6 hour journey! Also I have held onto some of my other Snackly goodies to have for picnics whilst away! That's why I love these sizes!

So what's in this month's box?

Honeybuns Mini - Almond Moon - RRP - £1.05
My eye was instantly caught by this product, you all know how much I love Honeybuns. We saw this featured in our April box I think! I am very very happy to receive another Almond moon as I love the flavour and I am waiting to get through a few more cakes I have in my cupboard and freezer before I do a buy a bulk from Honeybuns! This will certainly tie me over in terms of a Honeybuns fix!

Kent & Fraser - Choc Chip Cookies - RRP £2.29 for full box
Ginger, Lemon and now Choc Chip, we are slowly getting through the whole range! These cookies have had a fantastic consistancy so I am excited to try the choice chip version! Seeing that the chocolate chips are dark is also a perk for me, as I love dark chocolate!

Darling Corn - Sea Salt Toasted Corn Kernels - RRP £10.80 for pack of 18
A few months ago I received the barbecue version and loved them. It'll be interesting to try a plainer flavour, I love a lot of salt in general so I hope these are well salted! They only contain corn, sunflower oil and sea salt, so there is no major allergens which means they are great for egg and dairy allergy suffers too!

Quibbles - Chilli Honey Peanuts - RRP?
I have never heard of Quibbles before, this is why I love Snackly, there's always something new! This 30g snack bag which is made in Britain seems to only have natural clean ingredients. I imagine these will be like the chilli peanuts my Dad loves as through the bag they look more coated in a crispy coating rather than a seasoning. This bag contains 150 calories , so is nicely portion controlled.

Hale Kale - Sweet Chilli Crisps - RRP ?
Kale crisps are something that passed me by as I think they are so hard to find. This sweet chilli flavour is completely me if it isn't too hot as I love the M&S sweet chilli crisps. This will make a healthier, more nutritious change to regular crisps. At around 25 calories for this bag they are a great low calorie snack.

Handmade by Cobden and Brown - Hazelnut Chocolate - RRP ?
I have a recipe to share soon on an amazing chocolate hazelnut cake my brother baked from the Hairy Bikers book. My family (expect my Dad, who clearly needs help!) love hazelnut and chocolate, so I will have to keep this well hidden. Handmade in Northern Ireland this 50g bar is wrapped in a very crafty way, which speaks to the card-maker in me!

I would love to know what you're most excited to try from your box, I think the chocolate and kale crisps are a must try first!

Hannah x

B Free - Stone Baked Pittas*

Pitta breads are one of the most versatile bread products in my option, from being able to use them as pizza bases to a breakfast wrap filled with egg and bacon. Pittas can be great for almost anything. To date I have yet to find a gluten free pitta that would open enough to put anything in, but B Free have changed this!

At around 135 calories a pitta, I find that this is fantastic for lunch as it is similar calories wise to two slices of bread. Free from gluten, egg, suitable for vegans, high fibre and low fat, what more could you want! Other than great taste of course! 

With 4 in the pack these were on sale at the free from show last month in London, however do not seem to be online yet. Leading me to not be too sure how much they will retail for. I assume they will be around £4 mark per pack. In comparison to all the free from pittas I have had in the past, these are in a league of their own. Being super soft and pliable, I find I can actually fill these, unlike all the others I have tried which I have had to use to dip into humous or use as a side to a salad as they do not open without crumbling.

The flavour is quite smokey, so really met the expectations of their stone baked name. I took full advantage of their stuff-ability and mainly ate them with a Greek salad filling. This was an M&S pre-made side dish, which consisted of red onion, tomato, cucumber, olives and feta. There is no sign of crumbliness or any after tastes. I microwaved these for 20 seconds as I felt grilling or toasting might dry them out a little. It is hard to believe that these do not have gluten in as they are just as good, if not better that the mainstream ones I remember!

What I ate: 

I was very boring this week and three of the four pittas I had with the M&S side salad I mentioned, as they were just the most perfect pairing! Feta and olives in particular work so well with these pittas. You can see that you can fit tons in, which I love and it made for a very filling lunch. 

Houmous and cucumber slices were what I ate with the last pitta, this was also very enjoyable but I have to say, after having them filled again it just wasn't quite the same and felt like I was waisting the pitta! 

I am hoping these will be online or in stores soon as I would love to make some pitta pizzas with them! They have passed all my expectations and I will not buy any other pittas for quite some time! If you have any other great recipes, let me know! When I can get hold of some more I will be doing some pitta recipes! 

Hannah x 

*This product was gifted to me to try, all opinions are my own   

Ed's Diner - Gluten Free Menu

 Yesterday we took a trip to Ed's Diner to try out the newish gluten free menu. I was so excited I honestly didn't know what to pick. With a wide range of burgers and hot dogs it is honestly a gluten free heaven!

I toyed with the idea of a hot dog because I haven't had one in such a long time, as many places do gluten free burger buns now, but then I decided on a burger anyway as I wanted to see how well the bread roll had been executed. I love GBK but I find sometimes their rolls can be on the dry side, so I thought I would try an Ed's Diner burger to compare.

I finally decided on the classic after much deliberation, which surely is a first for us free fromers, having an actual choice! The classic consisted of a beef burger, bun, tomato, lettuce, onion and gherkin. You can't beat a classic burger and I thought it would be a good place to start. I also had the chocolate milkshake and the cheese and bacon fries.

The chocolate milkshake was amazing, very much like the ice-cream milkshakes I make at home. For almost £5 you get a metal jug with two servings. I would suggest if you were to have a milkshake to either go light on the sides or have none at all, as they are quite filling. The chocolate was not an artificial taste, which is one of my greatest pet peeves in life. Over the years James has made me realise I am actually very fussy about the quality of my chocolate, the flavour and the brand. So if this met my apparently fussy high standards (which I don't think I have!), they must be onto a winner!

When the burger arrived it was served in a typical sesame seed bun, very much like the type you find in any fast food burger place for a mainstream audience. It was so similar to the real thing I was glad James had a regular bun so I could compare. The burger itself came with all the elements separate so you could build it yourself. The burger was of good quality and all the salad was crisp and fresh. Combined with the super soft, fluffy bun, it is honestly hands down the best burger I have eaten out.

The chips on the other hand were not so to my liking. I really enjoyed the plain chips and think they are cooked beautifully, but the cheese sauce was WAY too overpowering and there was way too much of it. I couldn't actually finish them as they were completely not to my taste and would have spoilt my meal. The chips lower down were so saturated I picked round the ones I could and left the rest. Next time I will definitely save the extra couple of pounds and have plain ones! Saying that if you love a rich cheesy sauce these would be perfect for you! But I think it is great to have more than one option of chips, you can even have chilli chips! YUM!

I think Ed's diner is a fantastic place to eat as it is accredited by coeliac UK and I was perfectly well after leaving, no bloating or any signs that there was even a drop of cross contamination. The menu is very extensive and have a wide range of options you do not tend to find, including hotdogs and chips, and different varieties of them! Our meal averaged at £15 per head so I think that is a fantastic deal for the amount of food and drink that was presented to us!

Seeing as they have a loyalty card and so many gluten free options many options, I'll just have to go back to try a hot dog now... It'll be rude not to!

Hannah x