I was in Rees in Germany the other day and I stepped in to the drugstore DE. To my surprise, I found gluten free food products that I haven’t seen before. Next to a large  stand with Schar products (which are cheaper than in NL) I noticed gluten free food from the organic brand FruSano. There were for instance gluten free ketchup, gummy bears, drops, lactose free chocolates, protein bars, rice in lactose free chocolate, gluten free and fructose free jams. Perhaps nothing unusual but if you are around and use these kind of food products, you might like to enter.

I bought a couple of ciabatta’s. I really like to have them from time to time.

I regret I didn’t buy this ketchup. It was quite expensive and I usually buy Heinz Bio, which is also GF, but who knows perhaps this one is even better.

Some gluten free candies – also low in fructose. Not for me though. I cut off refined sugar from my diet and I feel way better now.

Jams. They looked really nice but ehhh the price! I prefer the jams (also free from refined sugar) from the brand FiordiFrutta (from EkoPlaza).

The prices of the biological products are quite high but so is the quality. Most of the products are lactose free and refined sugar free; some even fructose free. I think they are aimed at a certain group of people with these specific food intolerance’s and allergies.

Next time I see a drugstore abroad I will surely step in to check out the rack with the special food.

Do you have similar experience with the drugstores in other countries? I have been to drugstores Rossmann in Poland and they had a wide assortment of gluten free food too.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

Whatever gluten free product you need, you can find it here!

The Free From Shop in Apeldoorn provides a wide assortment of the gluten and lactose free food products. Luckily for me, Apeldoorn is just a half an hour drive from Arnhem.

From fresh baked goods and any baking/cooking ingredient, that you might think of, to frozen ready meals – you can find there everything.

I bought a couple of things

What I forgot to place in the basket are: gluten free beer , suikerbrood and beef croquettes from VA Foods.

I have heard of a soy-based whip cream before but I have actually never seen it in any shop before.  I was happy to find it there :-)

‘Gevulde koeken’ (filled cookies) were always my favorite Dutch sweets. Unfortunately, most of the gluten free filled cookies are packed per one and they are ridiculously expensive. You can imagine my joy to find a package that actually contained 4 cookies :D

Yeyy, a gluten free marsepain (in different colors)! I regret I didn’t buy aromas for baking, there were a couple of them with different flavors. Oh well, next time!

I bought Sam Mills pasta made of corn flour and quinoa flour. Something new to try.

A Belgian mayonnaise Delaan without preservatives and color agents. So good! I don’t want to eat any other mayo from now on :-)

The suikerbrood (sugar bread) from Specialetaarten.nl was amazing! I have noticed too late that it contained wheat starch < 20 ppm (it was enough to fire up my rash and make me feel like this). Further, it was mouth-watering :D

Many different breads were for sale; they contained all kind of flours. I chose a walnut bread which, unfortunately, contained wheat starch (<20 ppm) as I found out at home (luckily, before I ate it).

Freezers were full with different gluten free cakes and pastry, breads and ready meals. Definitely, many reasons to go back to Apeldoorn!

If you have a chance to visit The Free From Shop, I am sure you won’t regret. Just  remember to read the labels if you are sensitive to wheat starch. I was so excited I forgot to watch out for it.

This post is not sponsored. I recommend this place because I love it! :-) 

Cheers,

Kati xxx

The Free From Shop

info@thefreefromshop.nl

Soerenseweg 22

7314 CD Apeldoorn

The Netherlands

Finally, I went to Gebaksjuwelier! Twice :-)

Gebaksjuwelier is a gluten free bakery in Culemborg, 30 km below Utrecht or an hour-tje drive from Arnhem. Bakery! Everything is gluten free!

We drove to Culemborg by car. It was easy to find the bakery as we used a navigation. It is located in a quiet area, next to a couple of other shops.

The owner of the bakery is Paula Onink.  Paula is the nicest baker in a Dutch province Gelderland! How cool is that?! (the picture below is ‘borrowed’ from here)

The bakery is a lovely and charming place, designed in a cute inviting style. I took a couple of pictures to give you an impression. I bet, though, that most of you have already been there!

I celebrated my birthday in March and I wanted a gluten free cake. On a short notice Paula agreed to make me a cake (the orders should be placed at least 2 weeks in advance). As we needed a cake without gluten and without dairy, we had two choices for the filling: vanilla or coconut. Besides, if you have wishes with regard to size or a cake decoration, Paula will take them into account. Check out these pretty roses and curly leafs!

The cake was really tasty, with a light filling, moist and not too sweet inside. I ate soo much of it :D

Once in, you can’t leave empty handed. To be honest, I wanted to try EVERYTHING!

We bought all three types of bread that were in stock: white bread, sunflower seeds bread and multi-seeds bread (brown bread). They all were so delicious that I don’t really know which of them I liked most :| Decisions, decisions – I take them all! :D

I can tell you one thing – the best gluten free bread I have ever had.

We went back to the bakery before Easter. We came back home with a bag full of delicious goods.

We tried:

• Brownies and pecan pie

• Mini apple pies (gluten&lactose free)

• Mini Easter fruit cake

• Baquettes

• Chilli bread snacks

• Chocolate (gluten&lactose free) cookies

• Mini quiche

• Paasstol

And we got a sample with granola to test :-)

I am very happy I finally went to visit the bakery. Within two weeks I have been there twice and I can’t wait to go again!

This post is not sponsored. I wanted to share with you this awesome place that bakes gluten free goods and that I absolutely loved!

PS. If you know other places that are worth visiting and suitable for a review on this blog, please let me know.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

GEBAKSJUWELIER

www.glutenvrijgenieten.nl

I spent the Valentine weekend with my partner in one of the Landal Parks – Landal Heideheuvel in Beekbergen, near Apeldoorn (The Netherlands).

The search criteria’s for our destination were following

• Dogs allowed
• A bungalow with a kitchenette
• Gluten free catering
• Private sauna and a fire place
• Away from pollution (city)
• Clean air and the amazing smell of forest

The bungalow we rented had a modern and stylish interior. We had a steam bath with a solarium in the house and a real fire place. I was especially impressed by the floor made from real wood. The kitchenette was equipped with everything that one needs, even a dish washer and a coffee machine.

What about gluten free catering

I did a research and I came across a webpage (here) promising ‘Gluten free menu card’ in Landal Parks. Later, I found a positive review of the park on another blog (the review). With these high expectations I was awaiting our Landal experience. Before we left, I emailed info@landal.com to book a table in the restaurant. Despite all the positive reviews, I wanted to warn them about my gluten and dairy free requirements and give them an extra time to prepare (just in case). Soon, I received a confirmation by email.

Food bag

I like to be prepared and I really don’t like to be hungry so I gathered some food to take with us.

• Gluten free crackers, Genius bread
• Hummus, ham, bacon, boiled eggs, Unox knackwurst sausages
• Pesto, refined-sugar free jam, rice-chocolate spread
• Vegetables: cucumber, sauerkraut, avocado, snack carrots
• Fruits: Mango, bananas, plums, grapefruit
• Snacks: popcorn, lovechock, corn chips
• Mineral water, rice milk, tea, Senseo coffee pads (we read that there is a Senseo coffee machine in the bungalow)
• Fresh salads from AlbertHein for lunch

As I expected that I won’t be able to order any cake for a dessert in the restaurant, I baked my own cake at home and took it with us to the park. It was worth it!

Besides, I never leave without my own toaster, a small frying pan, a small cooking pot and a plastic cutting board.

Local shop at park

In the park there is a mini supermarket. I went to investigate it. Although I didn’t see any certified gluten free or dairy free products I found fresh meat (without spices or marinade), fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, Alpro Soy ‘milk’ and pudding, rice, eggs, smoked fish and Unox sausages and pate (without gluten). If you happened to take no food with you, you could fix yourself some tasty GF meal from these fresh ingredients.

Dinner at the restaurant

The staff in the restaurant is young and very friendly. They had a note regarding my diet. I asked if they were aware of contamination and they replied positive. To give an example, they keep a separate oil to fry the French fries.

At the restaurant we ordered our drinks and we were patiently waiting for the famous gluten free menu card. But the card never arrived. Instead, we got a ‘random’ menu card and I was told I could choose anything from it, which would be ‘adapted’ to my diet requirements. Honestly, I have heard it a couple of times before in my life and it just NEVER makes me feel comfortable. I read the menu and I chose the safest dishes, which I thought had the least chances to go wrong: salad with grilled vegetables and a salmon with vegetables baked in the oven (in a sleeve). We also got the gluten free French fries with mayonnaise (I asked if the mayo was safe and they said yes). The waiter was wearing gloves when he served our food. I took it as a good sign.

The salmon ‘package’ contained the fish, cougette, pumpkin and fennel. It was accompanied by a sauce that looked (to me) as not free from dairy so I didn’t eat it. My partner had a carpaccio and a mixed grilled meat (no photo, sorry). The food was truly delicious.

The other days we preferred to cook ourselves at the bungalow from the fresh ingredients that we bought in the local shop. We decided to enjoyed the dinner in front of the fire place.

Snack bar

On Saturday we went to buy the gluten free French fries again but now from the snack bar. There, I asked about the mayonnaise and they said it wasn’t gluten free (?!). I only hope it was a different mayo than the one they gave us at the dinner (the restaurant and the snack bar are connected and kind of share a kitchen). Another possibility is that the young people working there weren’t aware of what is and what isn’t gluten free. Unfortunately their English wasn’t fluent either and my partner had to translate all my questions.

Despite some small disappointments about the catering, we had a lovely stay in the park. The entire Valentine weekend was sunny and we had great long walks with the dog in the forest. Evenings spend in front of the fire place were romantic and steam bathing in sauna was not only detoxifying but also MEGA relaxing. We sure go visit the other Landal Parks in the future.

P.S.

1. The Park offered a lot of activities for children (entertainment, mini-zoo, swimming pool, free guided activities etc.) so it is a great place to go for families.
2. If you are especially interested in sauna – it is available in bungalows marked with ‘L’, like e.g. 6L (6-persons luxurious).
3. Your car can be parked just next to your bungalow.
4. If you don’t travel by car, there is a bus stop about 2 minutes walk from the Park.
5. Unless you are very patient and don’t mind waiting for your food loong time – try cooking something in the bungalow ;-)
6. If you forget to pack your book, kitchen towel, soap or anything else – you will be able to find a substitute in the local shop.

I hope the review was informative to you. If you want to have some short/long get away – I recommend the Landal Heideheuvel.

Cheers,

Kati xxx

To not spoil such a beautiful snowy day with boring shopping we went to get food for the next week in Germany.  A fun trip. On the advice of Veronica (in a comment to the post on shopping in the German supermarket Real), the choice fell on Kaufland in Kleve.

From outside, the supermarket didn’t look very big but once inside we quickly realized that we will be able to buy anything we need in there. There is a bakery (nope, not gluten free) and a café inside, also a stand with delicatessen, tapas and things like that. In the middle part of the shop, we found food department, drugstore department, baby stuffs department, department with things for animals, clothes, kitchen accessories, other household stuffs and many more. In one word, everything!

Before I even show you what I bought, I will note that we paid much less for a full basket of food than we paid in Real. We bought a lot of organic vegetables and fruits, a couple of gluten free (some even biological) flours, quite big amount of meat and still, we ended up with a dream-bill. The only thing I didn’t like in Kaufland was no gluten free department as such. The gluten free products were distributed amongst all the other products. It took us some time to walk through the alleys and try to spot the GF logo. Also, the meat we bought in Real seemed fresher than the meat from Kaufland.

Sometimes, the GF logo (and lactose free) was depicted (as below) but not always.

Now, to the point. Let me show you the products that you might be especially interested in.

Bread like things

Flours and mixes

 Pasta

Processed meat &  Vegan Cheese

I am really happy with the wide assortment of gluten free products in Kaufland. I could choose products I wanted to buy as there were many choices for people who follow a gluten free diet. Besides, there were many lactose free product in the stock too. It was a pleasure to shop today!

Cheers,

Kati xxx

Last Thursday, I went to the center of Arnhem to find Christmas gifts for my parents. I found gifts and I bumped into Bagels & Beans (B&B Arnhem). I knew the brand quite well from reading stories on other blogs. Excited, I decided to check if they had gluten free bagels.

First, I asked if they had gluten free bagels as well. The girl working there seemed very confident and quickly replied that yes of course they have. I was already giggling and jumping inside!

She said also that they are taking care of gluten contamination. She asked if I was intolerant. I said that I had coeliac disease and she recognized the term. Now we were talking!

It wasn’t really a right time for lunch or dinner or even a snack so I took 4 bagels with me to enjoy them at home. I chose the frozen bagels as I thought that the less it was moved around the less chances of contamination. I paid 6 euro for 4 gluten free bagels. It is a good deal as far as I’m concerned.

My bagels were unfreezing for the entire night. They were fine in the morning, perhaps just a little bit too hard. I cut one half and placed it in the hot oven. It still felt a bit hard after but it was nicely warm. It had a nice sweet flavor. On the package there was no label and I forgot to ask about ingredients. Something to do the next time. In my opinion, they are made of soy flour or/and with lupine flour addition. There are sweet types of lupine and their flours are quite yellow (just as was my bagel inside) due to the high content of beta-carotene.

I didn’t take pictures of my dressed bagel. I ate it with a tiny bit of mayo, smoked salmon and sauerkraut. (The latter I eat 3 x per day to rebuild the micro flora in my guts. It seems to have a really good effect on me).

To conclude, the bagel had a very good taste. The texture was good as well even though they were frozen before. I blame my poor ‘handling bagels’ skills for the bagel to be hard. I am giving it another go. But the next time I let the girls in Bagels & Beans prepare it. Only then I will judge if it is still hard or not.

In the past I was always having my lunch in Manu (my review) once I was in the city (Arnhem). Now, I can add Bagels & Beans to the list of safe places to dine in Arnhem. Happy  :-)

Bagels & Beans

Koningstraat 69 
6811 DJ ARNHEM
T. 026-3701445

• Monday 12:00-17:30
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9:30-17:30
• Saturday 10:00-17:30
• Sunday 11:00-16:00

• Arnhem – Emmerich (32km)
• Arnhem – Kleve (40km)
• Arnhem – Rees (50km)

Real (Grüttweg 42, 46459 Rees, Germany)

Why we shop in Germany

• It is cheaper than in NL
• Bigger choice of products (e.g. endless types of meats, thousands different brands)
• New gluten free brands/product
• A big choice of lactose free dairy products
• The biological vegetables (and other bio foods) are cheaper there
• German vegetables are famous for containing less pesticides
• It is fun like a mini road-trip
• Our car is very efficient so the travel does not cost us much

The first thing I acknowledged – LACTOSE FREE & GLUTEN FREE SIGNS!

The second thing I acknowledged – THE ALLERGY-FRIENDLY SHELVES ARE FULL!

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

The third thing I acknowledged – THINGS ARE SO CHEAP!

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

What I bought

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

..also some cheap kitchen utilities

• Waffle maker (39.99,-)
• Toaster (9.99,-)
• Brush (0.99,-)
• Cream piping bags (1.00,-)

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Definitely recommended !

Breakfast was, however, a bit disappointing because I got spoiled by all the kind people in hotels and restaurants who usually prepare for me a basket with different types of breads, rolls and muesli. This time, I was served only two slices of a gluten free bread.

Breakfast basket

• Two slices of gluten free bread

Dinner in the Zeeduin hotel restaurant, on the other hand, was delicious and from the menu of the day I could choose anything. They would use gluten free ingredients or offer alternatives. The latter is very common when dinning out and having celiac disease.

My dinner

• Tomato soup
• Codfish with baked potatoes and poached vegetables
• Freshly made sorbet – four different tastes (amazing!)

Callantsoog – Fletcher Hotel,  Badhotel 

Why Fletcher hotel? Because we (my fiancé and myself) can travel with our chocolate Labrador and she definitely loves hotels! As always, I emailed the hotel before our arrival and asked if they could prepare gluten free meals for me. I did not have to wait long for their response. They had no problem with my diet restrictions.

Breakfast at Badhotel

I got a special basket with gluten free breads:

• Ciabatta’s
• Two different types of rolls
• Slices of white bread
• Slices of brown bread
• Sweet bread with raisins
• Take away plastic bag

My choices from the breakfast buffet are described in a previous post.

Dinner at Badhotel

I could choose from the ‘special’ menu whatever I wanted to eat and they offered to use gluten-free ingredients or otherwise offer alternatives. I had a wonderful meal.

• Delicious, freshly prepared tomato-basil soup (instead of a soup of the day)
• Fried fish with baked potatoes and string beans (in Dutch ‘snijbonen’) (fish was fried without flour)
• Sorbet cake with strawberry sauce (instead of a chocolate cake)

More possibilities to dine in Callantsoog – you find here!

Are you on a road trip in Belgium or you are staying in Bruges but missing a real good gluten free meal? Oostende is a beautiful place, only 30 km away from Bruges. I had a pleasure to enjoy a dinner in ‘De Foyer’ restaurant. They have a gluten free menu card and can be found on the glutenfreeroads.com.

The staff was very friendly and caring. Not only were my portions huge but also delightful. The quality of the food was high. The meals were prepared from fresh ingredients, I could choose anything from the menu card and it would be adjusted accordingly to my diet wishes. In the end, I enjoyed a delicious fish with potatoes and vegetable fries. The sauce with the fish melted in my mouth! Apart of the ice cream dessert, I was served additional gluten free sweets. The latter being a courtesy of the staff. Many many thanks!

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Restaurant ‘Italia in Tavola‘ !

• Fair prices
• Excellent food
• Diet suitable menu (also lactose free, dairy free, egg free)
• Wide choice of the gluten free meals
• Home made pizza’s and pasta’s
• Freshly prepared meals
• Amazing taste and great food texture
• Very friendly staff
• Restaurant away from the busy city center
• Greatly reviewed by many
• To be found on glutenfreeroads.com

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

My apology for not taking any pictures for you. The meals looked lovely, it is just that I was so hungry I did not want to delay my ‘feast’!

PS. The featured image was found in one of the reviews of the restaurant.

* The above review is based on my personal perception. I wrote it out of my free will and have no profit of it. 

Prior to the arrival, I emailed the hotel and kindly ask if they could prepare a gluten free breakfast for me. Their immediate reply was ‘yes, of course!’

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Every morning a special basket with

• Ciabatta
• Mini broche
• Slices of bread
• Croissant’s
• Corn flakes

My choices from the hotel’s breakfast buffet

• Boiled eggs
• Mini butter from Quality
• Mini jam’s from D’arbo
• Mini honey from Meli
• Mini hazelnut chocolate spread from Nutella
• Natural yogurts and quark
• Fresh fruits (not cut)
• Cut vegetables (if not polluted in the kitchen-ask)
• Cheese (if not polluted in the kitchen-ask)
• Tea & coffee

Gluten free shoppings

Just few meters away from the Flanders hotel there is a supermarket ‘Smatch’ (Langestraat 55, Bruges) which offers gluten free products. You can buy snacks, breads, pasta etc. They sell products of Damhert but also local brands like e.g. Poensgen.

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Ah! Leonidas has some gluten free chocolates 

One thing that we, people with celiac, miss are the Belgian chocolates from Leonidas. There is, however, a tiny collection of gluten free choices (amazon.co.uk). After careful examination of my present – Leonidas’ Lollypop Duck, I found out that it is indeed gluten free :) (Thank you Dragica&Henry)

[See image gallery at glutenfreelady.nl]

Gluten free restaurants in Bruges

I did not find a restaurant with a gluten free menu in Bruges. All restaurants, however, were very eager to improvise a gluten free meal for me. Simple and safe!

My dinners

• Steak with fries and green salad – available at almost all restaurants (ask if they use the oil only for fries)
• Grilled salmon with rice and Greek salad –  restaurant ‘De vier  winden’ (Markt 9, Bruges)

• I email the hotel beforehand and ask if they can prepare gluten free breakfast for me.
• Always taking emergency bread/crackers along (long-expiration date, ready to eat, sealed package) or my own gluten-free muesli/flakes (not for people sensitive to dairy or using Thyrax (the thyroid hormones are not well absorbed in a presence of the dairy protein casein)).

What I eat from the breakfast buffet

• Boiled eggs
• Mini-jams from Hero (contain MSG)
• Mini-butter
• Mini-pate’s from Unox
• Babybel cheese from Bell
• Fresh fruits (not cut)
• Mini’s from De Ruijter:  jams, honey, peanut butter, dutch ‘appelstroop’, chocolate paste (made of the gluten free ingredients but not tested on contamination; I do not get sick after eating them)
• Milk and natural yogurts (the latter in the small containers)
• Cheese (if not contaminated in the kitchen –ask)
• Cut vegetables and fruits (if not contaminated in the kitchen –ask)
• Tea / coffee

Tips

• I always try to enter the restaurant just after it is open for breakfast. This way, I eliminate the possible contamination done by other guests of the hotel, who use e.g. the same fork to get cheese, ham and other products.
• Besides, the service is not yet too busy to prepare my gluten free bread.

– Info about products was obtained by emails with the manufacturers or www.livaad.nl.
– What is good for one person can be not good for someone else. Each person has its unique sensitivity level to the gluten contamination or other food sensitivities. Each body has its unique biochemistry. My story should not be seen as a medical guideline.