The Big Book of Wheat-Free Cooking: Includes Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Reduced Fat Recipes

These days, our busy lifestyles mean we need to have a flexible approach to food. This is reflected in these recipes, which can be adapted to suit your tastes and needs. It is easy, for instance, to halve or double the quantities according to your needs. You can also play around with the ingredients. If you like the general idea of the recipe but not the main ingredient you can, for example, swap salmon for a similar oily fish such as tuna, marlin or swordfish. A turkey recipe, for example, can be swapped with chicken, pheasant or guinea fowl. Red meats can be changed to other red meats and so on. You can substitute fresh or dried fruits with different varieties and combinations and substitute dairy products with goat, sheep or alternative dairy-free products. In my view, a good recipe book should provide ideas and inspiration and should be followed in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

Think Local and Organic

One of the aims of this book is to show you how easy it is to convert to the wheat-free way of eating so that you can feel confident enough to try all sorts of delicious foods. There is no danger of becoming bored with these new recipes – they’re fun, easy to prepare, interesting, delicious and, with a little help from you, they’ll be forever evolving.

I have selected many seasonal recipes, as I believe in eating food that is grown or reared in this country and which is sold in season. I am not a great fan of foods being flown from all around the world, picked too early and sold unripe. I am, however, a great fan of organic foods, farmers’ markets and local produce. With organic produce, the difference in taste – aside from the lack of chemicals and preservatives – is enough to convince me that the extra effort is worthwhile. Why not try some of the recipes using only organic products and see if you think there is a marked difference in sweetness, flavour and texture?

If you only buy a dozen organic products each week, I would always recommend that you opt for organic dairy products, eggs, chicken, tomatoes and carrots, as these make the biggest difference to the recipes.

I have always loved cooking and entertaining at home; my boundless enthusiasm for excellent food is equalled by my fascination for creating new and contemporary allergy-free recipes for all occasions throughout the year. Warm and comforting food in winter, and cool and refreshing dishes in summer all add up to a diverse and exciting food year. I hope my desire to make cooking without wheat rewarding and fun is reflected in my recipes and that you will have hours of pleasure preparing and enjoying them.

At-a-Glance Do’s and Don’ts for a Healthy, Wheat-Free Diet (#ulink_6b52419e-c653-5788-b62e-8612dbbf83ec)

At-a-Glance Guide to Common Foods That Contain Wheat, Gluten and Dairy (#ulink_8b35ac3f-7da7-5232-b02b-c041c4e82c18)

These lists are very basic so please do always read the labels before purchasing any products; the most surprising foods contain wheat, gluten or dairy.

Foods Containing Wheat

Watch out for:

WHEAT PROTEIN, BINDER, THICKENER OR THICKENING

PITTA BREADS AND WRAPS, CHAPATTI AND NAAN BREAD

TORTILLAS, NACHOS CHIPS WITH A MIX OF WHEAT AND CORN

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS, PANCAKES, WAFFLES, TOAD IN THE HOLE

BATTER-COATED FISH OR VEGETABLES

NOODLES, POT NOODLES, PASTA, GNOCCHI

CAKES, COOKIES, PASTRIES, SCONES, MUFFINS, DOUGHNUTS

BREADS, BREADSTICKS

BREADCRUMBS IN STUFFING; CRUMB-COATED FISH, CHICKEN OR VEGETABLES

RUSK IN SAUSAGES, BURGERS AND OTHER MEAT PRODUCTS

PIES, SAUSAGE ROLLS AND SPRING ROLLS

SOME CHOCOLATES AND CHOCOLATE BARS, OTHER SWEETS AND CANDIES

ALL PREPARED CHILLER CABINET FOODS AND SAUCES

ALL READY-MADE FROZEN MEALS, SNACKS AND DISHES

MOST CANNED PREPARED FOODS, SAUCES AND SOUPS

DURUM WHEAT (PASTA FLOUR) AND SPELT (FLOUR)

SEMOLINA, COUSCOUS AND KIBBLED WHEAT

BOUILLON OR STOCK CUBES

MOST BREAKFAST CEREALS AND INSTANT OATMEAL PREPARATIONS

MOST CRISPBREADS, CHEESE BISCUITS AND COCKTAIL BISCUITS (TWIGLETS ETC.) AND CANAPÉS

CRUMBLE MIX AND CAKE, MUFFIN, BROWNIE AND COOKIE MIXES

CAULIFLOWER AND MACARONI CHEESE AND WELSH RAREBIT

CAESAR SALAD WITH CROÛTONS AND ANY CROÛTONS WITH SOUPS

CROISSANTS, BRIOCHE AND GARLIC BREAD

CUSTARD POWDER AND SAUCE

DUMPLINGS AND DANISH PASTRIES

QUICHES AND TARTS

SCOTCH EGGS

STEAMED PUDDINGS, SCONES AND CRUMPETS

SLICED PROCESSED HAM, TURKEY AND MEATS

MOST VEGETARIAN PREPARED DISHES

SOME PÂTÉS AND MOST MOUSSES

Foods Containing Gluten

Watch out for:

RYE, BARLEY, OATS, BRAN

MALTED PRODUCTS, MALT VINEGAR, MALT, MALT WHISKY

STARCH (INCLUDING MODIFIED STARCH)

MIXED SPICE (PIE SPICE) AND OTHER BLENDED SEASONINGS

ALL OF THE FOODS PREVIOUSLY LISTED AS CONTAINING WHEAT