Coeliac awareness week 2013

Coeliac UK has just uploaded a couple of photos for people to set as their profile pic on social networks, in order to raise awareness this week. The pictures have a link to loads of flyers which can be handed out - unfortunately I live in Spain and language is a bit of an issue when it comes to handing out leaflets and stuff, but it would be really cool if lots of people could get involved, not just with fundraising, but also just by circulating the information through acquaintances or handing it out at their workplace, street, wherever. All I can do right now is change my Facebook picture, and I really encourage you to do so too. Here are the pictures in case you can't be bothered going to look for them!

Carluke Chef wins top award

CARLUKE chef Peter McKenzie has been awarded the title of Coeliac UK’s Gluten-free Chef of the Year.


Mr McKenzie, head chef for South Lanarkshire Council, received the award from two-Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc at a special presentation in his award-winning restaurant and hotel, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire.


This year’s competition, which was run in association with the Institute of Hospitality, had two categories – Gluten-free Chef of the Year for professional chefs and Up-and-Coming Gluten-free Chef of the Year for catering students.


The competition, to design a three-course gluten-free meal, was launched earlier this year to raise awareness and highlight the need for increased provision of gluten-free menu options for the 1 in 100 people in the UK with coeliac disease.


Mr McKenzie wins a one week placement at Gleneagles with two-Michelin-star chef Andrew Fairlie, a trophy from Coeliac UK and a signed copy of Raymond Blanc’s latest cookery book.


The standard of entry was extremely high but it was decided that Peter’s entry stood out above all others, with a menu of fillet of red mullet, breast of pheasant and vanilla and basil panacotta.


Mr McKenzie has worked at many hotels across Scotland and England but for the past three years has been based at South Lanarkshire Council headquarters, Almada Street, Hamilton, where he is responsible for three kitchens at the council headquarters catering for everything from breakfasts to buffets and banquets.


He said: “I am trying to put an end to the myth that local authority catering is just pies, chips and peas. I entered this competition not only to get recognition for the council, but also help raise awareness for special dietary requirements. I strongly believe that people with coeliac disease should be able to enjoy tasty food without having to feel it is a burden to ask for gluten-free options.”


Raymond Blanc supported the recipe competition and judged the entries, saying: “I was really impressed by the quality and attention to detail displayed in the entries for this competition and congratulations to all the winners. Although more common than many people realise, the condition is not taken seriously enough by far too many chefs. A wide range of gluten-free sweet and savoury recipes can be created by anyone and we all need a few really good gluten-free recipes in our repertoire. Each of my businesses has for a long time been catering for people with coeliac disease.”



Source: Hamilton Advertiser

Coeliac tourists in Spain

Being coeliac is a bit of a bummer, but when it gets really bad -and we all know it- is when it comes to eating out. When you go to a restaurant you can ask whether they have gluten-free food, and 90% of waiters and waitresses probably won't even know what gluten is.

It's so much harder to find gluten-free food abroad, specially when it's a different language (back to the case where you ask the hotel receptionist where you can buy food for coeliacs, and once again, no idea...).

If you're coming to Spain, you might be renting an appartment. If that's the case, it's easy enough. Just hop over to your local Mercadona supermarket, which has quite a variety of gluten-free food. Even if it's not special food, it is marked gluten-free "Sin gluten" whenever it can be eaten by coeliacs. Another place where it's relatively easy to find special food for coeliacs is in the supermarket of the department stores "El Corte Inglés". In this case, the normal makes aren't labelled (so, you either know Nestlé milk chocolate is gluten-free, or you start reading all the labels!), but they do have special lines of gluten-free food, from bread to pizza bases, some nice little cakes, quinoa flakes, their own brand of choco-krispies...

Now, I've mentioned the "Sin gluten" mark on Mercadona products... that's really easy to spot (here's an image of this symbol on a packet of microwave popcorn, not too good but better than nothing!). But this symbol is only used by Mercadona's own line of products. If you get something from another brand it will almost never have any symbol, although it may have something like the international gluten-free symbol and say something by "Controlado por FACE" (FACE is the Spanish coeliac association in charge of putting together the guide of what you can and what you can't eat, etc). And this symbol is sometimes VERY small...

As far as labelling goes, that's pretty much it. I believe that products have to (or will soon have to) clearly state when they contain gluten. The problem is, that ranges from "Ingredientes: harina de trigo" to "Puede contener trazas de gluten". Although usually everything is labelled in English too, so, if you know what you can eat in English, you're ok...

If you're going to a hotel it can be quite problematic, but on the FACE website there is a list of hotel chains (with the link to their websites) which have a stricter control over the gluten-free food they offer, although the site does advise that the hotel you chose should be warned in advance if you're a coeliac. Although you can also ask at other hotels whether they have gluten-free meals, I would say these are a safer bet.

Also in the same website, there is a (very short) list of restaurants where you can find gluten-free food, although the ones mentioned are actually chains of restaurants, and it seems to be that they don't serve food for coeliacs in all their branches (although I imagine they should in most shops in main cities). Just bear in mind that IKEA is usually out in the middle of nowhere, Telepizza is pretty much in every medium to large town, and VIPS restaurants are only in larger cities. Also, VIPS is actually a chain of restaurants and bars, some called VIPS, others not so obvious (check website for more information), but as far as I can see, it's not really possible to find out online which restaurants serve gluten-free menus!

And last but not least... it seems that FACE can supply the list of can / can't eat foods to any tourist, who can order by phone . Remember, for international calls, the Spain code is +34.