Twice As Nice Bakery

Having followed this 100% bakery on Twitter for ages, I finally got round to making a special trip to visit them.

The café is situated in Newcastle-under-Lyme so it's almost an hour away from Ashbourne but it was worth it. Twice as nice has a small grocery store, even stocking Coori pasta, Voakes pies as found in Selfridges.  There's a wide range of take out food and the café has two small tables so you choose to eat in. 

My special guest was the youngest gluten-freer in our family and she chose a cheese sandwich.

 I had a goats cheese, grated carrot salad and peppers sandwich. Both were desktop made on a small loaf of very tasty bread. The flour used for the bread contains millet flour, which I've not used before. 

I then went for a vanilla doughnut, it was SO airy, it seemed to melt in my mouth. I wish they came in giant sizes as I honestly think I could eat about five of them! 

We selected a chocolate and stout cake, and a brownie to take home and they were delicious too. Laura has developed all the recipes herself and has won several awards over the past year. I noticed that many of the menu items were also dairy free and some were vegan too. 

I got a bit lost trying to find the café so we didn't have very long to enjoy the surroundings but I'd say it was a perfect spot if you need a safe gluten-free lunch and ideal place to order freshly baked bread and grab an afternoon treat. 

 

http://twiceasnicebakery.co.uk

Perhaps the perfect holiday...

The one time that being coeliac bothers me the most is when planning and going on holiday. This year is the first time I've had to factor in travelling with a gluten-free child too. Previously, I've always taken a few snack bars for me in case of extended trips out, but this time I took a whole heap of Glutenfree food so that there was little chance of her feeling left out. I took some Doves Flour and xanthum gum to make pancakes a couple of times, Scahr chocolix bars & chocolate fingers to pack as treats if cafés had no gf desserts, a packet of Natures Path O's cereal, Prewetts chocolate biscuits, Pink Panther wafer biscuits, Delicious Alchemy brownie mix, Sweet Pea Pantry flapjack mix, Grass Roots Bakery bread roll mix, Venchii chocolate spread and Meridian Peanut Butter and I packed toaster bags! I'm not exactly known for packing light but even I have to admit that I thought I'd gone a bit OTT! Bet I'm not alone though, sure there are other parents of kids with allergies who do the same...?

So now you're probably wondering how I managed to fit in any clothes or other holiday essentials? Well, we were taking our car, which despite being a large 4x4, it was jam packed! Our destination was Jersey. I've been curious about Jersey for years and very excited to discover the island. 

Previously, the definition of luxury on holiday might have been about the stunning sea-view, or a super special hotel with butler service, maybe a safari where the host fills quails eggs with bath oil. This time, luxury means a little playground right outside a self-catering apartment, an English speaking kids channel on TV, a kids bedroom that stays dark in the morning & a pool within throwing distance. All of this courtesy of Les Ormes. A spacious apartment, not particularly stylish but all the mod-cons including a washer-dryer. This meant that I could sun worship as soon as I woke up, kids could play instantly & hubbie could relax until he was ready to join us. They have lots of extra activities that you can book as well as an indoor pool, a FunZone indoor play area, and sports clinic on site. I managed to book into a last minute Pilates lesson with Sonja which felt great. 

https://www.lesormesjersey.co.uk

The other benefit of travelling to Jersey with gluten-free travellers is that just up the road there was a Waitrose and a Marks & Spencer. Perfect for stocking up on gluten-free bread, quiche, beer etc. Also just up the road we found a farm shop that had a considerable gf range including products from a nearby gf bakery. 

http://classicfarmshop.com

Now don't get me wrong, one of the pleasures of being on holiday is discovering new foods and eating out & Jersey restaurants were fantastic. Here are a few highlights;

Seafish Café, St Aubin

http://www.seafishcafe.com

A fantastic upmarket fish and chip restaurant with a wealth of other seafood options and the warmest welcome. Typical fish and chips was available Gluten-free & in mini portions. My favourite was the asparagus & crab starter, closely followed by a red mullet, chorizo, butter bean special 

The teeny harbour at Rozel Bay is a beautiful spot. Our girls loved dipping their toes in the sea after dinner and we made a return trip to build sandcastles on the beach the following day. It's a great small beach for families as there's a little stone wall at the side where you can pop your bags and keep them sand-free. 

As well as The Navigator which is open for lunch and dinner, there's a cafe called The Hungry Man & Rozel's tea-room which looks unimposing from outside but has a lovely sun terrace and a huge selection of gluten-free food. 

Navigator, Rozel Bay 

https://navigatorjersey.com/about-2/

Caramelised fig with the starter was a nice touch & my sea bass dish was really delicious.

Rozel Bay tea room

http://www.rozelbaytearoom.co.uk/all-day-breakfasts/

Gluten-free scones, a sausage & egg sandwich and a brownie were quickly devoured here after an early start for a stunning boat ride. 

Portlet Bay Café

http://www.porteletbaycafe.com

Think this little bay was my absolute favourite. You have to park at the top near a pub and walk down 130 steps. Walk along the beach a short while and you'll see a wooden building that houses a pizza cafe. Usually they have Glutenfree pizza bases, but not suitable for coeliacs due to cross-contamination. I knew this in advance and was expecting to order a salad, but was relying on the pizza option for our gluten sensitive child. They had run out. I thought we were going to have to climb the 130 steps straight away and it was boiling. We ordered a drink to cool down & then I asked if little one could have a little pick and mix plate of various pizza toppings and salad bits & bobs. She was SO good about not getting a pizza and we had a lovely evening. We watched the kids walk down to the beach after they'd finished eating and joined them for a play before catching the sunset. 

El Tico

http://www.elticojersey.com/home

Driving along the west coast, we were running a bit late for lunch when we drove straight past this place. We decided to turn around and I'm so glad we did. El Tico is beach side café, the ceiling is decorated with surfboards, there's loads of outdoor seating, and a very varied menu. Little one chose grilled chicken and chips and I had a huge and really tasty salad. The rest of the family had desserts whilst I sipped a large glass of super chilled wine - perfect pit stop. 

We did plenty of self-catered breakfasts and lunches and the occasional evening meal if the kids seemed too tired. Jersey has a fabulous selection of family friendly restaurants and we found them all to be very approachable in terms of allergies. We treated ourselves to a couple of very special eating out experiences for our last couple of days on the island. 

Mark Jordan At The Beach 

http://www.markjordanatthebeach.com/location

This is right on the beach although our table was by the entrance so we didn't really appreciate the view on this occasion. This didn't matter though as we ate the most delicious food of our whole trip & one of my favourite desserts ever! 

I enjoyed an ox tongue and scallops with minted peas starter, a perfectly cooked pink lamb, tomato, garlic and onion dish with dauphinoise potatoes and then fantastic desserts. Mine was a soufflé with passion fruit ice-cream, perfect!  The service here was exemplary and makes me wish we'd made time to experience The Atlantic Hotel - maybe next time!

Longueville Manor 

http://www.longuevillemanor.com

After experiencing the most relaxing spa session ever - I actually felt my body momentarily drop off asleep during a facial and why i didn't give into it rather than snap back awake, I'll never know - the family joined me at Longueville Manor Hotel. We had pre-ordered afternoon tea, specifying that we needed gluten-free. The hotel which has 30 rooms appeared smaller than I'd imagined. The grounds were so peaceful and calming. There is a tranquil garden, tennis courts, a huge kitchen garden and a lovely, small swimming pool, with comfortable sun loungers in various corners. 

There's also a lake with a tree swing that our girls adored! As well as a small climbing frame with a slide hidden amongst trees. If I were visiting without children, I am sure the attentive service and private feel to this hotel would be my first choice. I'm not sure that the atmosphere is best for allowing children to let their hair down and enjoy being kids. In fairness, the hotel's brochure describes making children feel very welcome, they can even stay for free, with babysitting to dedicated menus, from interconnecting rooms to kid's DVDs, they do their utmost to make younger guests feel at home, but I heard parents telling kids to shhhhh - which I do enough of at home! Anyway back to the afternoon tea...knowing that our youngest wouldn't eat the grown-up sandwiches she enjoyed a plain choice. We all thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon tea, the Glutenfree scones were delicious, the jam they were served with was a superior quality choice. I loved the fact that the gf version was very similar to their regular tea with only one little pastry substituted. Chocolate pavé, raspberry macaron, summer berries macaron & a panecotta cake. A very special occasion indeed. 

I loved the seaside cottages around Jersey that reminded me of Cornish fishing villages as well as the gorgeous homes that reminded me of mini French chateaux! Place names such as Bonne Nuit, house names such as Le Bon Coin, Le petit chatelet.

Jersey gardeners LOVE hydrangeas, they are everywhere! They're used alongside roads instead of hedges, used on grassy verges, in every colour you could imagine. 

(Photo https://www.lamarewineestate.com )

Little roadside honesty boxes with stalls selling garden flowers, jersey royals, free range eggs, chutney and veggies were very common. 

If you decide to visit Jersey, I'd highly recommend booking a Seafari trip before you travel. Our girls said this was their favourite activity and I have to agree with them. A fantastic & exciting way to see the coast. 

https://www.jerseyseafaris.com

Le Mare Wine Estate & chocolate room, the small Jersey Lavender farm, Durrell wildlife park with a baby bear and Gorillas were our other highlights. We also enjoyed a pony trek with Le Claire Riding School which was a lovely way to spend an hour. There are so many other tourist attractions though that I think we'll have make a return visit. 

https://www.lamarewineestate.com

http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk

https://www.durrell.org/wildlife/

https://www.facebook.com/Le-Claire-Riding-Stables-528067930566242/

We had fantastic weather, stayed on GMT which keeps life simple with kids! We all enjoyed the French influence, fantastic food, gorgeous scenery and sunsets and made some really special family memories. Now, if anyone would like to invite us back we'll be with you in a jiffy! 

Thanks Jersey! 

Other practical info; 

- If you choose to travel by ferry, Condor ferries offer soup & jacket potatoes as gluten-free options 

- Our satnav didn't work in Jersey, cue initial panic over using an actual map! However, excellent 3G/4G coverage so google maps to the rescue

- many of the cafés and restaurants featured are small, you would be best to book in advance 

PS let me know if you follow in our footsteps?! X

 

Gluten free offerings at Hack Wood Farm

Happy New Year Everyone!

Think I just can just about get away with saying that still. I'll be honest, I do not seem to fair well over New Year...but slightly longer days already and a bit of sunshine today, so all is well. Hope you're off to a decent start yourself.

I have driven past a sign for Hack Wood farm shop countless times, but have always been en route to somewhere, until today... 

Forgiving the pot hole drive (they're waiting to have it resurfaced) and after the crazy amount of rain recently, the parking was very muddy. No matter.

From

The initial approach it doesn't look like there'll be much to see, but just around the corner is a great courtyard, must be lovely in summer.

Great range of fresh vegetables and fruit outside 

Then you open an in imposing stable door and you're in for a surprise! A considerable butchers counter is waiting for you.

Complete with Glutenfree sausages (usually) and a range of Glutenfree pies by Voakes 

The rest of the farm shop has a few Glutenfree products including a local range of flavoured chocolate buttons by www.bittersweetchocolates.co.uk 

...and biscuits and traybake style cakes 

Nice to see a free from gluten biscuit range made with butter and no vegetable oils 

They also stock Thornleys GF sauce mixes which I haven't seen in other local

Farm shops.

They have two types of Doves Farm GF flour, but do not stock any gluten free bread 

Then if you look around the corner, there's a huge space dedicated to a cafe area. Some great signs of coeliacs being catered for judging by the menus. 

And a special deal for the over 60's and ginger aficionados are even catered for 😉

Even four legged friends are catered for! 

I spoke to the lady who made the GF chocolate brownie and she reassured me that clean equipment is used and hands washed etc so they seemed aware of cross contamination risk. My only point of hesitation would be the gluten packed cakes being right next to the brownies and them not being covered or protected from accidental crumbs - not sure what you think about that? Also, whether a separate serving slice would be used or not? If you are a coeliac, then it would be safer to have it protected from other baked goods.

There were little wrapped biscuits available too 

I came home with a great selection of foods and would love to go back for a return visit and enjoy the menu in the café. They even have a leaflet describing a 3mile circular walk from the farm shop...maybe once the threat of snow has disappeared. 

So spread the word, a great farm shop, the origins of which go back more than 200 years. Certainly adapting to modern times, thank you for catering for coeliacs.

http://www.hackwoodfarm.com/

 

Paris with my poppet

I have a massive soft spot for Paris. Well who doesn't, surely? My first ever visit was when I was about 15. I was staying with family friends in Holland, and we took the train. Actually, we *didn't* take the train that we were booked onto because - naive, inexperienced traveller that I was at that time - my teenage self didn't realise that I needed to bring my passport along - oops. Anyway I had the perfect introduction to Paris including the Eiffel Tower from lovely Lyliane. Aged eighteen I went to work as a teaching assistant and as the group travelled to various destinations, we passed through Paris. I was too love-sick to join them as they went out clubbing, preferring instead to go to bed and pine after my boyfriend! I also lived in Paris for six months whilst studying. I was meant to join a videoconferencing firm as a French/English salesperson but the technological descriptions were too much in English, let alone in French. So I joined the super efficient Nicole on the administration front. They were brave leaving me on phone duty, the first few messages that I tried to relay were far from clear! 

I've returned for little city breaks several times, one of the most memorable being for my 40th birthday with my sisters, we had a super busy itinerary & now that kids and jobs are in our lives, it was so special to have 3 full days together. They made the trip so special for me. 

So two years on & I decided to take our eldest daughter. I think I was more excited than her to be honest, but the moment she saw the Eiffel Tower from our bedroom window was fantastic! 

Anyway, the point of this blog is to bring you news about gluten free finds isn't it, so down to business...

http://www.helmutnewcake.com/

First stop was a Friday afternoon pick me up. This new addition to Helmut Newcake is more like a patisserie shop with a small counter for a couple of guests. We chose an amazing chocolate eclair & warm chocolate fondant, both were really good. I found out later that the chocolate cream in the eclair was also dairy free 

http://chambelland.com

Our next Glutenfree stop was across the other side of town. Chambelland has seats inside and a couple outside if you want to eat in & serves sandwiches, soups, along with hot drinks and fresh lemonade. They sell a few Glutenfree products such as a flour blend, cookbooks, jams. Their sandwich bread was novel. It seemed to be cooked in a very wide and relatively flat tin so they cut the bread horizontally across rather than vertically down. Avoids the issue of bread that doesn't rise too much, and no crumbly slices. I thought the bread in my sandwich was really tasty, it was covered with poppy seeds. My daughter took one bite and refused to eat any more. Luckily she loved her brownie & my raspberry tart was quite nice too. 

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=169897883041047

Unfortunately the place we had chosen for dinner was still closed for summer holidays but it's worth mentioning here as Broceliande is one of the best “creperie” in Paris, located in the village of Montmartre. So a perfect place for a casual dinner and walk afterwards by the artist area and the Sacré-Coeur.

 

On our last day, we were booked in for brunch at Helmut Newcake, rue bichat. However, my travel companion was so exhausted that she slept in so late that the timings didn't work out. I thought we'd pop there before catching Eurostar back, as I'd need a bit of caffeine & cake by then. When we arrived, the coffee machine was broken, zut! I was peckish as I'd not scoffed *another* crêpe Nutella, unlike a certain little person. From her perspective the trip was very much fuelled by crêpes, chocolat et orangina! 

(Above: not Glutenfree, but you're not missing out on anything, I watched someone pay 5euro for cold churros that had been sat there for who knows how long!) 

Back to brunch; by the time we arrived, their set brunch was finished and on a Sunday that is all they offer - apart from all their lovely cakes. The host was very lovely and offered us a bread basket - all of which were absolutely delicious and gluten eating child ate them happily. They also made a special plate of ham and salad for me - which wasn't an option on any menu but it was perfect. This branch of Helmut Newcake has plenty of quirky seating, the staff are really friendly and they had lots of patisserie to choose from. I took a slice of cheesecake for the train journey. 

Since I returned home, I've discovered (via Twitter) http://because-gustave.com 

They've shared a bunch of other places that I hadn't heard of. 

http://www.maisonbon.com/

Paris seems to have more dedicated glutenfree places than London now, so I'm going to have to do a return trip, now...who's up for that? Xx