Gluten Free Mince Pies from Waitrose

Yay, my first mince pie of the year. I am on a mission to sample every brand of gf mince pie before christmas (hard challenge). These arrived at my local Waitrose in Fulham last week, would have been rude not to buy them really. 

Four in a pack for £2.50 isn't too bad on the gf scale. 

As we all know there tends to be a lot more calories and fat in gluten free substitutes, I guess its because of the change of recipe they need to pack it out with all sorts of unhealthy things. These are 216 Kcal and 20.9 grams of sugar (I only discovered this after my second, and felt incredibly sick for the rest of the afternoon). The pastry hardly falls apart when you bite into it and the mincemeat is perfect. 

Mark out of 10: 8 

Too Good To Be Gluten Free - Quiche Lorraine

I first discovered the No.G range when I moved to London and took my first trip to Whole Foods. Quiche was something I was a huge fan of back in my gluten eating days, so was thrilled to discover that gf quiche existed. The price always put me off buying it, as it was £4 for a very small size, but every time I went in I loved eyeing up the shelves to see if the cost of these items had been lowered. 

This payday, I decided to treat myself. The price had been lowered to £3.50 (that 50p makes all the difference), and I was desperate to try. 

The size is small, I reckon you could eat one to your self with salad for lunch/dinner.

It tasted amazing. Exactly how I remember Quiche Lorraine tasting back in the day. The pastry had a really nice flavour to it, and although it didn't hold together so well (c'mon, this is gluten free after all, we aren't expecting miracles), and was tricky to get out of the foil tin, it was definitely strong enough to eat with your fingers if you wanted. Made with maple cured smoked bacon, extra mature Cheddar and Emmental cheese in a free range egg custard. Yum.

Available in Sainsburys, Whole Foods or online at Ocado. They have a full range of products including pies, tarts and cheesecakes. Website here. 

The only negative about this product is the price. 

Marks out of 10: 8 

Gluten Free Afternoon Tea at Gravetye Manor

For my birthday last week me and my family booked to have afternoon tea at Gravetye Manor. We researched for places that serve gluten free tea in Sussex and chose Gravetye Manor from the positive reviews on Coeliac UK. Its near East Grinstead, about 40 minutes from Brighton (I was home for the weekend). 

We had a warm welcome by the staff when we arrived, who greeted us with umbrellas from the car and walked us to the entrance. 

The historic manor is situated in beautiful gardens which would be perfect in the summer. The rooms start at £250 a night and with only 17 to choose from i'd recommend booking well in advance. 

We made our way to the sitting room which was small and cosy, and only a couple of other parties in there, making it peaceful and relaxing. As we had pre booked they where all ready with our two gluten free (for both me and my mum) and two normal cream teas. Any choice of tea is available from Green, Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Grey or just traditional English Breakfast. 

The gf afternoon tea was amazing, the scones where double the size of the normal scones, and the sandwiches came in a variety of fillings. I completely overindulged and it was fantastic.

My mum and dad suited and booted for the occasion. 

I cannot recommend this place enough, they were on point with the gluten free availability and completely accommodating to our needs.

Tea was £22 per person, each stand was for two people. Available everyday from 15:00 - 18:00. Book in advance.

Mark out of 10: 10