Big weekend for us coming up… coeliac daughter heads off to university to start her first year.
She’ll be in self-catering accommodation, because that just seems easier for her, though the university does say it can cater for coeliacs. We’ve already spotted a café on campus that serves gluten free food, and a gluten free fish and chip shop in town (she does love gluten free fish and chips…)
We’ve equipped her with an endless list of stuff: pots, pans, plates, knives, airer, cleaning products, pens, post-its… even down to a door wedge, which is, apparently, essential equipment for making friends.
She’s registered with a doctor on campus, and we’ve discussed signing up for a prescription season ticket (which she will do once she’s too old to receive free prescriptions).
She’s practiced cooking a variety of meals, including things like risotto, fish pie, chili and macaroni cheese – and was baking again today. They’re going to be well supplied for gluten free chocolate brownies…
And of course we’ve organised a student starter food pack. This includes:
Grocery items:
- Salt, pepper, chili powder
- olive oil, sunflower oil, white wine vinegar
- sweet chili sauce, gluten free soy sauce
- tomato puree and cartons of chopped tomatoes
- stock
- cornflour
- tea, coffee, sugar
- butter, milk, cheese
- orange juice
- jam, chocolate spread
- Salute gluten free pasta
- Tesco’s gluten free couscous
- rice: arborio and basmati
- pulses: red lentils and kidney beans
- a few tins/jars: tuna / ready made pasta sauce and balti / tikka masala sauce
- some fruit and vegetables, including onions and garlic
Prescription items:
- Juvela pasta
- Wellfoods flour
- Juvela buns
And specifically gluten free products, mostly bread and treats:
Breakfast:
- UDI’s bagels – she likes the chocolate chip ones best for breakfast, though there are other flavours, including plain, and the new multi-seeded ones (good for lunches)
- UDI’s apple breakfast bars (these are new, and a little like fig rolls – yum!)
- Nestle’s gluten free honey cornflakes – we’ve not seen these before, so this is an experiment
Lunch (we expect she’ll be making up packed lunches most of the time)
- Sainsbury’s gluten free baguettes
- Warburton’s gluten free thins
Sweet treats
- Tesco’s chocolate wafers
- Sainsbury’s mini chocolate logs
Mixes
- Helen’s Brilliant bread mix
- Helen’s Brilliant scone mix
- UDI’s chocolate cake mix
Savoury treats
- Tesco’s salt and vinegar Chipz
Now I look at it, it is a long list!
She’ll need to buy meat and fish when she gets there, but she should have enough provisions for a few meals, as well as enough basics to get her through a few weeks.
So tell me, what have we forgotten to do, or to pack? What would you take?
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I’ve written a book summarising what we’ve learnt over 20 years of dealing with the gluten free diet, and it might be just what you’re looking for. It packs the lessons we’ve learned into what I hope is a helpful and straightforward guidebook. It’s available on Amazon, as a paperback or for your Kindle… |
Is there a gluten free chocolate drink please
Hi Kate
You’ll need to check the labels, but I believe that the following hot chocolate drinks are gluten free (in the UK):
own label ranges from M&S, Sainsbury’s and Tesco; Green and Blacks; Nestles Aero (incl. the mint version); and Tassimo Cadbury (the 408g jar).
There may well be others…
Hope that helps
Hi think I’m being stupid but are you doing free sample boxes of your gluten free range if so how can I go about reciving one. Thanks x
Hi Philip – I’m not a food manufacturer or retailer, so I don’t have a gluten free range to sell. Where are you based? If you’re based in the UK you could try the big names such as Glutafin or Juvela – and I’d definitely recommend going to food fairs so you can try a wider variety of options.
Is there something in particular that you’re looking for?