At Last, Coeliacs Get a Pizza the Action!

16 Oct

Well come on, I work in the newspaper industry, you’ve got to give me the opportunity for at least one dodgy headline on here haven’t you?!  Anyway, if you are coeliac or following a gluten free diet then unless you’ve been living a sheltered life recently then you’ll have witnessed the wave of excitement in the last couple of weeks over three gluten free pizza announcements.  First of all Prezzo announced they would be serving gluten free pizza bases, have a look at the comments on this post for some great review comments from Elizabeth and Jessica.  This was closely followed by a Coeliac UK announcement that Pizza Hut would be following suit.  Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better it was announced the very same day that Domino’s would be serving gluten free pizza from November.

There was initially a lot of scepticism amongst the coeliac community as to whether this type of restaurant could really take cross contamination seriously enough to make these pizzas coeliac friendly.  However, it seems all three companies have worked closely with Coeliac UK and all have cross contamination controls in place.  Having looked on enviously at my social media feeds over the last week and seeing picture after picture after delicious looking pizza, I met up with fellow Plymouth gluten free blogger Sarah Ram to try the Pizza Hut offering.  Big congratulations to Sarah who passed her driving test just before we met for lunch!

I’d rung ahead to make sure the restaurant we were visiting had the gluten free bases, and also downloaded a voucher from Voucher Cloud giving any pizza plus salad for five pounds.  I had previously read that the salad bar was a bit of a cross contamination risk, so Sarah and I both avoided that and headed straight for the pizza.  Like we were there for the salad anyway!

We were told all toppings were gluten free, but being the sceptic that I am I also asked to see the allergy list so we could check our order.  We both chose the Americano, which consisted off chicken, bacon, sweetcorn and BBQ sauce.  Could you really ask for a better combination!

The pizza was a nine inch square pizza.  It looked kind of small when it arrived, but I have to say it was very filling and I was very full by the time I finished.  The pizza itself is square to make it stand out, and gives you confidence that you’ve actually been given the correct pizza.  The gluten free pizzas are baked on their own square trays to minimise cross contamination risks, and a clean pizza cutter is delivered with your un-sliced pizza again to cut out another risk from the kitchen.

The base itself was very nice.  It wasn’t very crispy if this is how you like it, but this suited me.  The balance between topping and base was spot on and we both really enjoyed the pizza.  I remember Pizza Hut being very greasy when I used to be able to eat there, but there was no hint of grease on this pizza at all.  Actually my wife always used to complain about the grease, and I would not be surprised if she would prefer this base to the standard one.

The staff seemed very keen to help and I have seen this mentioned a few times by other people.  There seemed to be genuine interest on what we thought of the pizza, and they were keen to tell us about good feedback they’d received from other customers about it.  There seemed to be some genuine interest/excitement from the staff about the new option.  They were happy to take us through the allergy list, and I even troubled them to show us the dessert options even though we’d already told them we weren’t having any.  Pretty slim pickings in that respect.

I would definitely go back for another go, and it is great to have another readily available option when out and about.  It was also really nice just to sit in a pizza restaurant and feel a little bit normal for a change.  A luxury once taken for granted and now so precious.  I’d love to hear about your Pizza Hut experience.  Please comment below and let everyone know how you found it.  I look forward to hopefully bringing you Prezzo and Domino’s reviews in the near future.

Update 28/02/12: Pizza Hut have now extended their gluten free operations, and their gluten free pizza base is now also available from their 300 delivery outlets. More from Coeliac UK below:

http://www.coeliac.org.uk/node/249829
 

Kevin, Gluten Free by the Sea

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Gluten Free Labelling Removed from Seabrook’s Crisps

8 Oct

UPDATE 21/03/13: Great news, gluten free labelling to be restored. This post has been superseded, see new post here

Since I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease last year, Seabrook have been one of the heroes as they labelled some flavours of their crisps gluten free.  This was particularly welcome in light of the issues we had with Walkers (packs previously labelled “suitable for coeliacs” now said contained gluten).   It has recently come to light however that Seabrook’s have removed the “gluten free” labelling from their packaging.

I contacted Seabrook’s to try to find out why the gluten free labelling had been removed, and this was their reply:

We have not put gluten into the flavours that previously didn’t have any gluten containing ingredients. A recent legislation meant changing the packaging  information and, instead,  if a packet contains ingredients which contain gluten an allergy warning will be stated on the packet.

Pretty much what I expected and not really telling us much.  I emailed some follow up questions, and here they are along with Seabrook’s answers.

Q1:  Could you give more information on the legislation that has caused the change please?  We are a knowledgeable bunch when it comes to gluten, so we know all about the 20 parts per million values that have to be met in order for the gluten free label to be applied.  I would really like to know exactly what has forced the change, and exactly how these legislations are impacting the food industry.  Sorry to be persistent here but it is a really important issue for us.

A1:  This was the Food Standards Agency Guidance on the composition and labelling of foodstuffs suitable for people intolerant to gluten Jan 2012 report.

Q2:  One concern that coeliacs had when Walkers removed the “safe for coeliacs” labelling was that although ingredients had not changed, Walkers no longer had any reason to be vigilant when it comes to cross contamination from other gluten containing products.  Are you still taking measures to prevent cross contamination from flavours that do contain gluten added ingredients, and if so what?

A2:  We still maintain the same strict standards within our manufacturing environment and our cross contamination procedures have not changed. However, as a result of the legislation we have chosen to remove the gluten free message across our range at this point in time. Instead, products that specifically do contain gluten include an allergen warning on the pack.

I also asked Seabrook’s if they could provide a list of flavours that have no gluten containing ingredients, and they sent back the following list:

Unsalted
Sea Salt
Cheese & Onion
Prawn Cocktail
C/Cheese & Chives
Canadian Ham
Oriental
2 Chilli
Desi Curry
 

I would have preferred a little more info on question one, but thanks in any case to Emma from Seabrook’s for answering my questions.  So what do you think as a fellow coeliac?  Will you continue to eat Seabrook’s crisps in light of their answers, or will you be sticking to the Pom Bears in future?  I would love to hear your thoughts so please comment below.

Update 15/10/12.  Following questions posed by Alex Gazzola in comments below, here is the latest response from Seabrook’s:

At Seabrook, we have not changed our manufacturing methods or quality controls in respect of gluten cross contamination since the 2012 guidelines were issued. All our analytical results demonstrate that we have fallen within the 20ppm threshold. However, the additional testing requirements to comply with the 2012 guidelines involve a degree of rigour and cost which, at the time they were issued, the business elected not to progress and accordingly we changed our packaging to reflect this. The authorities allow a period of grace for manufacturers in this situation to change the packaging over, hence the delay in some of the new packs appearing in the market place. One thing that we did not anticipate however was the extent of interest from our gluten intolerant consumers and, as a result, the business is committed to reviewing its policy in this area and will make further announcements in due course.

I welcome the fact that Seabrook’s are reviewing this policy in light of customer feedback.  Emma from Seabrook’s has promised to let me know of any further announcements, and I will of course share any good news with you all.

Update 21/10/12. Thanks to Shirley Quarmby, who has passed on a further reply received from Seabrook’s which is below:

Until recently we were able to claim our product as gluten free but due to new legislation of this year we can no longer state that claim.

Some of our products are wheat free but because they are made in a factorywhere gluten products are also made we can only advise customer that theyhave no gluten containing ingredients.

We have not made any changes to our recipes or our manufacturing processes, our change is all down to legislation.

I’ve attached a list of all our flavours and the allergens they contain.

UPDATE 21/03/13: Great news, gluten free labelling to be restored. This post has been superseded, see new post here

Kevin, Gluten Free by the Sea

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Gluten Free Plymouth News in Brief 30/09/12

30 Sep

Prezzo introduce GF pizza

One thing that coeliacs and people on a gluten free diet always seem to crave is a good old pizza.  I was happy to read this week that the Prezzo chain now have gluten free pizza available in all of their UK restaurants.  I was even happier to discover that tucked away in Royal William Yard we actually have a Prezzo in Plymouth.  I see that Coeliac UK have commented on the story linked above, so hopefully Prezzo have done their homework with regards cross contamination issues.  Has anybody tried the Prezzo GF pizza yet?  Please comment below with your verdict if you have.

Le Bistrot Pierre to open

There is also news of another bistro opening at Royal William Yard in the form of Le Bistrot Pierre.  The restaurant will offer French dishes, and more importantly seem to take gluten free extremely seriously.  There is an impressive gluten free page on their website, and the food sounds delicious with a good range of gluten free choices.  I’m looking forward to trying this one when it opens in Februrary 2013.  Again good to see they have been working closely with Coeliac UK.  Royal William Yard is fast becoming a gluten free hot spot.  Le Bistrot Pierre will join the River Cottage Canteen and the soon to open Las Iguanas as offering great gluten free options at RWY.  Combined with the Prezzo news above I think I’d quite like to move there!

La Tasca closes

Not all good news on the Plymouth gluten free eating out front unfortunately.  News recently that La Tasca has now closed with the loss of thirteen jobs.  Offering Spanish Tapas with clearly marked gluten free options on the menu and even gluten free beer, this was on my to do list but I never made it to try.  There are many other branches throughout the country though, and it’s always good to be aware of gluten free friendly chains when eating away in strange places.

Plymouth Greengrocer adds more lines

Julie and Mark at Plymouth Greengrocer are continuing their amazing work supporting the gluten free community in Plymouth.  They seem to be adding more gluten free products weekly now and if you are living gluten free in Plymouth I highly recommend you pay them a visit.  Recently announced new products from the Foodamentalists are now in store, and the shelves are now brimming with the coeliac community’s favourite Pom Bear crisps.  This week has seen the addition of delicious GF cupcakes from a Piece of Cake Bakery, products from the Warburtons gluten free range and gluten free sausages and sausage meet from the local Paul Bray & Son Butchers.  Also recently added are gluten free brownies from Peck & Strong, and I am pleased to hear that hot chocolate stirrers from my friends at Sweet Devotion are soon to arrive on the shelves.  A fantastic range of gluten free products now available so make sure you stop by and take the chance to support many local businesses.

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