Gluten Free

Lucky you

Anniebach

No one has ever asked me to bring my own food to their homes

Nor me, but l eat anything.

No one has ever asked me to bring my own food to their homes

How intolerant people who are not intolerant to gluten are! If you suffered the abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea the intolerance causes you would be more sympathetic I’m sure.

I agree with Anniebach it's the persons own responsibility to look after themselves not get anyone else involved

coeliac disease! It's not all about the bread

gluten is wheat, barley and rye* so is in sauces, gravy, and coatings on foods even some frozen chips! you can only eat 'real food' .. you can of course get gluten free gravy granules.

if you just prefer gluten free bread, well, it's horrible, why would you.

no kfc's or mcdonalds pizza's.

just saying!

and by the way......
gluten free bread contains tapioca and maize to make up for no wheat! other additives are just very similar to what is in any shop bought bread! I've just compared. the two

Invite someone to eat a meal in your house but bring their
own food!

Surely hospitality is about providing food and drink for an occasion which is meant to be enjoyed?

Is it really so difficult to buy a small loaf or pack of gluten free rolls to cater for a guest who has decided, for whatever reason, to eliminate gluten from their diet? If you don’t wish to freeze unused bread just let her take it home.

I’m coeliac so my house is a gf zone but my friends and family never complain about having to eat gf bread or home made cake. I have a close friend who is vegan so I often bake a gf and vegan cake - now there’s a challenge!!

I wouldn’t dream of asking a visitor to bring their own food.

Abuelamia My comments were addressing the OP who claims her SIL is selectively gluten free. She insists on gluten free bread on certain occasions while at other times she devours wheat bread in quantity, as indeed she did on holiday.

If she had a genuine medical intolerance to gluten, she would not be able to eat her way through so much wheat bread and croissants etc. I'm therefore assuming she has self diagnosed an intolerance based on something she has read or heard.

I was in no way minimising anyone who suffers from any kind of allergy. Working in hospitality it is something we are all acutely aware of and go to great lengths to accommodate and take precautions against cross contamination.

This is extremely time consuming and expensive and can be irksome to say the least if we discover (which happens quite often) that the guest concerned is on a gluten/dairy diet by choice rather than medical necessity and has not informed us. If we knew, we would not have to employ extra staff and segregate a part of the kitchen to specially prepare their food.

By the way, I was avoiding gluten way before Gwynnie came along.

Obviously a 'self absorbed pain in the bum', I will continue to avoid gluten as I dislike the diarrhoea it induces.

Gluten is not just in bread, cakes and pastry. Lots of frozen chips have it in the coating, lots of sausages have it, trendy macaroni cheese and other pasta dishes have it.

Try looking at food labels, just out of interest, to see how much everyday food has it in.

Jaffacake2

I always take my own food to meals as it reduces the anxiety for friends and family to cater for me. I have anaphylaxis to wheat protein and nuts and am very sensitive to cross contaminated foods, have been in shock multiple times.
It's made more difficult to cope with when people minimise a gluten free diet. People then sometimes don't fully understand people like me who are very allergic. Several people at my WI group and church often say things like " just cut the piece of that you can't eat " . They think I am just being fussy.

'Several people at my WI group and church often say things like " just cut the piece of that you can't eat " . They think I am just being fussy.'

What a ridiculous comment to make Jaffacake2! Do they not realise how dangerous anaphylactic shock is? Having witnessed several anaphylactic patients in shock during my working life I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Perhaps you could suggest that the WI have a medical professional speaker to do a presentation on the topic with some very graphic illustrations? But, then again, you can't educate stupid.

Having to be constantly on the alert for anything that might. trigger this condition is often exhausting and I hope you cope well yourself

As for the OP, I don't think it unreasonable to ask someone to bring their own choice of gluten free bread roll to a buffet where the host has catered with all other foods that everyone can eat. It's a buffet for goodness sake and the baby shower should be all about the mum-to-be and her baby, not someone who has CHOSEN to go on a gluten free diet.

Flappergirl “These days I make a point of asking the client if they are coeliac (which is an extremely serious condition). Nine times out of ten they are not coeliac and have no medical foundation for avoiding gluten. It's often because someone like Gwyneth Paltrow has declared it bad.

If only they knew the expense and extra work it requires for kitchen staff (no cross contamination, separate preparation area etc) just to cater for a fashionable whim.”

I am not coeliac, but the smallest amount of gluten makes me ill within minutes and lasts for days. Please don’t assume or tell me this is a fashionable whim.

OP, I eat gluten free and I wouldn’t mind being asked to bring my own bread. In fact, I would rather bring my own bread as I don’t like most of the gluten free bread available.

Witzend I think most gluten-free bread is disappointing too. (And full of harmful additives.)

I find these very nice, although expensive.
deliciouslyguiltfree.com/products/keto-bread-roll-bag-of-6-rolls

1summer

Thank you for the comments, maybe I am being unreasonable. Just to clarify she is not coeliac, she thinks gluten gives her digestive problems. But she admits if offered really nice bread when out she will accept and in Spain last year she ate all the Spanish bread as she thinks it is made differently and doesn’t bother her tummy!!
I know she keeps GF Bagels in her freezer so I didn’t think I was being unreasonable to ask her to bring one.
On the other hand a friend of my daughter sent me a lovely acceptance note saying she was Vegan but for me not to cater for her as was more than happy to bring her own food.
Oh well off to buy GF bagels. 😀

If that's the case I would tell her to eat what she can from the buffet. I wouldn't cater especially for her. I work in hospitality and people who demand gluten free products when there is no medical reason are self absorbed pains in the bum. Gluten free products are expensive, limited in variety and things like quiche and sausage rolls aren't always easy to get. It's a headache.

These days I make a point of asking the client if they are coeliac (which is an extremely serious condition). Nine times out of ten they are not coeliac and have no medical foundation for avoiding gluten. It's often because someone like Gwyneth Paltrow has declared it bad.

If only they knew the expense and extra work it requires for kitchen staff (no cross contamination, separate preparation area etc) just to cater for a fashionable whim.

People like your SIL make me cross.

I am Coeliac and I would willingly bring my own bread products. I understand how difficult it can be to cater to allergies and intolerances (though coeliac is actually an auto immune condition not an allergy or intolerance)

I would hate someone to go out and buy a whole loaf of gf bread or pack of bagels ( trust me most shop bought gf bread products are vile) just for me.

I once took a gf packed lunch to a casual wedding reception (it was a buffet with sausage rolls, quiche etc) and I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat any of it.

So, absolutely, not unreasonable to ask someone to bring there own gf bread/bagels.

NotSpaghetti

I wonder if Spanish bread is made with a "lower than UK" gluten flour and a "mother dough"?

Many European soft wheats do have less gluten than the American hard red wheat we eat in the UK. The hard wheat has more protein, much of which is gluten. It was introduced to the US in the 1800s, because (I think) it was easier to grow and harvest on the vast prairies. We started importing it in the mid 1800s. It made fluffier bread than the soft wheat so was in demand in a world that hadn't identified gluten as the cause of coeliac disease. The Italians have something called 00 flour which is low in gluten, and the French use T55 flour, also low in gluten. I think Spain also developed a special low gluten flour but I can't remember what it's called and no idea if it's in use.

Jaffacake2

I always take my own food to meals as it reduces the anxiety for friends and family to cater for me. I have anaphylaxis to wheat protein and nuts and am very sensitive to cross contaminated foods, have been in shock multiple times.
It's made more difficult to cope with when people minimise a gluten free diet. People then sometimes don't fully understand people like me who are very allergic. Several people at my WI group and church often say things like " just cut the piece of that you can't eat " . They think I am just being fussy.

Maybe you should change your username. 😂

I have Coeliac disease. I always take my own food to anything like this. But l wish hosts would keep the packets from food they are supplying so l could have a quick check eg chocolates, crisps, meringues, flour coated chips, coleslaw etc.
I agree with PP, M and S brown seeded loaf is one of the best.

TinSoldier

Squiffy. My diet is mostly fruit, veg, pulses etc. I don't buy a lot of processed food but I do like something to dip. If I make bread I use gram flour. Schär crispbreads are 21 to a box and cost £1.50 so only 7p a slice.

Will look out for those 🙂

Squiffy. My diet is mostly fruit, veg, pulses etc. I don't buy a lot of processed food but I do like something to dip. If I make bread I use gram flour. Schär crispbreads are 21 to a box and cost £1.50 so only 7p a slice.

I always take my own food to meals as it reduces the anxiety for friends and family to cater for me. I have anaphylaxis to wheat protein and nuts and am very sensitive to cross contaminated foods, have been in shock multiple times.
It's made more difficult to cope with when people minimise a gluten free diet. People then sometimes don't fully understand people like me who are very allergic. Several people at my WI group and church often say things like " just cut the piece of that you can't eat " . They think I am just being fussy.

halfpint1

Callistemon21

halfpint1

Gluten free bread is without gluten and then full of other chemical nasties. It is to be avoided.
I mainly eat vegetarian and can't remember the last time I ate
bread because its not that good for your blood sugar. Going
1 meal without bread is not difficult, people just like to make
it so for attention.

people just like to make it so for attention
Really?
IT CAN BE DANGEROUS!!

I said its not a big deal to go without bread, any bread.

Of course its harmfull to eat if you have a problem but
eliminating it completely is the answer, gluten free products are full of additives and chemicals to replace the gluten.
Try reading the packet and its horrible to eat.

Oh, I see.

Yes, I know, just thrown out the last bits of gf bread to the seagulls.

Witzend Schar gf products are more expensive, but very good. They have a longer shelf life than other gf makes. Their Wholesome Seeded Loaf is lovely and so are their panini rolls (especially if you sprinkle water on them and put them under the grill to crisp up the crust!).