So just what is it that our lovely home economist, Kay does of a week? Let’s find out!
“As a Glutafin home economist every week is different. This week, my Monday started with the alarm going off at the ungodly hour of 5am! I had to be rapidly out of the house and on the road for an 8.30 start at a children’s coeliac clinic in Reading. I really enjoy children’s clinics as I can bake pretty little fairy cakes and help children understand their diet better.
Despite all the preparation I have to do for a clinic, often the most time-consuming part of the day is finding the way to the hospital, parking the car and finding the right department in the hospital! And all whilst laden down with all the Glutafin samples, literature and supporting paraphernalia required!
For this children’s clinic I displayed a range of Glutafin products including samples of our new Baguette. I had also prepared butterfly fairy cakes and fresh bread made with Glutafin Multipurpose White Mix (a gluten free version of plain flour). All the children who visited enjoyed sampling the foods and went away with goody bags (and the knowledge that they could still have their cake and eat it!). Many of the medical team in the department also enjoyed seeing what Glutafin had to offer and were enthusiastic about our Glutafin pens!
The rest of my week was varied and kept me on my toes! On a daily basis, I help with customer care calls, helping consumers with queries on baking breads and making recipes. I really enjoy speaking to customers as often I learn just as much from them as they do from me!
I have also been working on our Glutafin recipe cards. We have done some online research recently with our customers using Facebook to help us decide what recipe cards to work on next for our cookery demonstrations. My job involves creating the new recipes, testing them all out using the Glutafin mixes and then preparing them for photography which go onto the finished cards. So this week, I have been very busy cooking up tasty new recipes and trying out all kinds of new dishes. Watch this space!
The week ended on Saturday with a cookery demonstration at the Swansea Coeliac Society Group meeting in Neath, Wales. This involves a lot of preparation so that there are lots of tasty samples to try, so I am always very busy in the days leading up to a cookery demonstration. When the date for the meeting was booked we had not realised that the 6 Nations rugby match was on between Wales and Scotland on the same day! So I had to leave home extra early to avoid the queues of traffic around Cardiff heading to the Millennium stadium. Luckily I got there in time and those who chose to attend the demonstration thought it was very worthwhile.
A Sunday to recover after a whole new week of challenges! Watch this space for more blogs of a Glutafin home economist!”
Hi Kay – I hope you may be able to help me, please. I was diagnosed Coeliac in 2008 and I’ve come to terms with it and cope quite well. However, I’ve been told I’m lactose intolerant too and that I find harder than being Coeliac. A lot of recipes call for creme fraiche, cream, cream cheese or milk. I tried making a fish lasagna which was alright, but making it with cornflour and lactose-free milk it was not very creamy. I’ve found some lactose-free soft cheese which I grated on the top with some breadcrumbs which I made from my bread, but the filling was not quite right. Can you suggest a white sauce type recipe which actually tastes OK for lasagnas or carbonara meals, please?
Comment by Julie — February 23, 2010 @ 10:10 am |
Hi Julie. It might be worth pointing out that some of our products are not Milk/Lactose free. Take a look at our website for more details on individual products.
Regarding White sauce and improving the creaminess and texture I have found adding silken tofu helps with mouthfeel and gives the sauce an improved richness. This is now commonly available. Using mild olive oil as an alternative to dairy free spread will also add fat and therefore creaminess to a White sauce. Use 2 x15ml tbsp for every 25g/ 1oz fat.
I hope this helps
Kay
Comment by Glutafin — February 25, 2010 @ 11:16 am |