Did you know that one in every hundred people has coeliac disease? It is a condition which affects the immune system and has no cure, but is managed by diet. Details of the disease and its management can be found on http://www.coeliac.org.uk.
It strikes me that feeding yourself or your family with a gluten free diet should not be too difficult. Choose recipes which are not based on bread, cakes, pastry or pasta and you really do not have a problem in knowing what is safe to eat. Check out our recipe section and you will find plenty of really filling meals using fresh local produce which do not contain gluten.
I have been asked if I can put an icon against each recipe to denote whether or not it contains gluten. I have thought long and hard about this, and decided that it is not really necessary, as any sufferer already knows the foods to avoid, or has a supplier of gluten-free products to replace the usual pastas and breads.
The really big problem has to be in finding places to eat out who really do understand the issues of cross-contamination and take them seriously. It is one thing to say that a particular dish is gluten-free, but if the restaurant also produces dishes using 'ordinary' bread or pastry products, it is all too easy for cross-contamination to occur. Restaurant owners and chefs can contact Caroline Benjamin on info@fatc.co.uk who runs awareness training courses which cover issues of cross-contamination in the kitchen and in the serving area.
Take the time to find out more about this very serious condition and how to ensure that you do not inadvertently harm anyone when you are entertaining.
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