In need of....

Chaos, if it is still so hot, you won't want to be slaving away in the kitchen. Why not go and trawl around a lovely air conditioned supermarket, visiting their "Free From" ranges? I am sure you will find lots to feed you and your friend, you will have more time to spend with her/him, and not stressed out. You can then make fabulous puds, that you say you enjoy doing.

My latest favourite from the excellent Anna Jones is this lovely chocolate cake:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/09/anna-jones-chocolate-cake-recipes

Spelt is fine for most people avoiding gluten (although it can be a problem for serious coeliac disease I think) and you have to be careful with the chocolate frosting as it uses a bar of chocolate so you have to find the dairy free kind. I have made it without the frosting and it' s great.

Does she need to be completely dairy free? We have a family member who is lactose intolerant and when she is here, we just all use the lactose free dairy products. You can buy lovely dairy free ice cream.

We buy oatcakes for savoury biscuits and make macaroons for sweet biscuits. Strawberries, lactose-free or soy based cream or ice-cream + a macaroon or meringue = very posh pud!

I rarely use supermarkets and when I do, may go to any one of about 6, so I can't remember where I saw part-baked gluten rolls, but I did get some for a friend's visit.

I am a simple soul so have meringue is my go to pudd chaos, lovely in the summer, can make a ‘creative’ glass with crushed gf biscuits, crushed meringue and fruit layers with some dairy free pretend cream or stick with a pavlova type. Meringue is very adaptable! .

Most main course recipes can be made gf with little hassle. Just substitute in recipes you enjoy cooking. I don’t make sweet or savoury biscuits, supermarket offerings suit me fine. If you want to eat outside then bbq food is easy enough with lots of salads. GF pasta is more than good enough if you wanted to make a pasta salad or indeed serve hot pasta.

I’m sure kittylester will be along soon, she enjoys cooking and knows a lot about GF so will be more help.

Don’t worry too much, your friend is coming to spend time with you, not to check the standard of the catering .

Pretend cream!

Oh! the grossness and revoltingness!!

How could you, corner?

Thanks for your faith in me corner!! But I'm currently panicking in case my dairy free sister in law comes for Sunday lunch!

My advice would be the same as coroner's, to cook just what you normally would. Gf pasta is perfectly acceptable to non gf people and there are also acceptable (or so I'm told by said sil!) dairy substitutes.

Just check any products you buy very carefully - I'm still in shock that frozen chips are not gf!

There are some gf recipes in the gn food bit.

Maybe you could think of what you would normally and easily do and we could help you adapt the recipes.

And, as corner said, your friend is coming to see you!

You are such am amazing bunch, thank you. The chocolate cake is a "must try"! nannarose
I have always gone with the steak & baked potato/cold cuts and salad/roast lunch approach.
Now very encouraged to try lasagna.....does anyone know if dairy free milk works in sauces?

Seafood paella is easy and gluten free.

Chaos - Yes, dairy-free milk works in sauces. My DiL made bread sauce with it one Christmas. It was exactly like normal bread sauce. (However, after steeping an onion and some spices in it, she careful strained them out over the sink - kept the onion and lost the milk and had to start again.).

I’m hanging my head in shame baggs. .

Kitty.Have a look at mc cains frozen chips, some if not all are gf.

I do use McCain frozen chips, seaside but I can't get over having to check!!

A warning about gf pasta dishes, chaos, the pasta doesn't freeze awfully well. To get ahead I make the sauces and freeze then just assemble when needed.

Oatcakes are not generally completely gf ( something about how they are treated ) and I can't eat them.

Nestle gf cereals are good.

Schar (sp?) breads are good, look for the bright yellow packaging, and they have good frozen rolls plus ambient ciabattas. I think they are also lactose free. The nicest fresh bread imo is m&s but large Sainsbury's have acceptable fresh bread.

Could you "go Asian" and use rice (as rice, as noodles, etc) instead of gluten-containing grains? You don't have to go all spicy as well unless people like it.

If you are cooking a traditional meal eg a roast chicken dinner, that is gluten free if you use cornflour to thicken the gravy or Bisto gravy granules are gluten free.

just saying

So it is! I'd never thought of that, om—mainly because I never think about gluten!

I just reduce my gravy and don't use any thickening.

I was just going to suggest doing a rice based meal. Chili, curry, stroganoff using df cream?

Given the weather,cold roast beef, ratatouille, my favourite coronation chicken (no cream or DF ) red rice salad with sun dried tomatoes, grated courgettes and pine nuts and for puds, big bowls of pineapple, mango, raspberries or strawberries with DF cream or lemon sorbet.

Thank you again.
Kitty, the M&S fresh bread tip is particularly useful as I will make a summer pudding.
I think I shall try a lasagna with salad & ciabatta on Friday, a chicken stir fry on Saturday and a roast on Sunday. We are likely to be out for lunches, so I dont need to plan.

She will always throw me a curved ball by saying some veg or another is not okay now, although it was on her last visit, but we are very old ftiends so I go with the flow ?At least the range of available foods has increased greatly since I first needed to look for her.

Isn’t lasagne plus ciabatta a bit carb- heavy Chaos? Just saying, but wouldn’t a mixed salad suffice?

Watch any salad dressings for gluten and, of course, dairy. Some sauces and dressings have malt vinegar in, brown sauce is a no no as is soy sauce.

But, you don't have to buy only from the freedom aisle where products often have a premium, check the ingredients of 'normal' stuff too.

Kikkomans do a GF soy sauce and I use cider vinegar instead of malt.

I disagree about spelt flour. It might contain less gluten but can still cause some very unpleasant symptoms. Better to be safe than sorry.

Tesco's GF sponge mix is very reliable. I always use it for cakes and puddings They do a chocolate one as well.

Sainsbury's frozen lemon meringue roulade is GF and my standby for family occasions.

Maw, you have revealed me as a carb junkie! However, I do always serve bread as an optional extra .....avoidable by those who are more restrained!

merlot... I am very fond of the aforementioned roulade, but am fairly sure it is heavy on dairy.

Tesco's 'free from' Olive bloomer is a good substitute for ciabatta.

I can't cope with spelt either merlot. And, I've not come across the kikkomans gf soy sauce - must look for it. I use tamari.