Gluten Free Tips for Chocolate, Pasta, Cookies and More

Greetings my fellow Gluten Free Castmates!

Like all good therapists, I took the month of August off. Well, really I was away on vacation, and then had to recover from vacation, but here I am again, my cheery gluten-free loving self, with lots of products to show you from our trip to the Land of the Gluten-Free, IRELAND!!!

Yes, Ireland is where it is at if you are a gluten-free person, and we spent two glorious weeks with family in Donegal, where we found plenty of options for Ruthie, thanks to our family and friends.  The incidence of celiac in Ireland is very high, in fact it is one of the highest in Western Europe. As such, awareness is commonplace.  We simply note to people that Ruthie has celiac, and the veritable red carpet is rolled out for her.  Restaurants and shopkeepers alike are knowledgeable of her needs, and product labeling is outstanding.

We are also fortunate that Ruthie's Auntie Ann is also gluten-free, so she usually stocks up Granny's kitchen with GF goodies, and her other aunties and uncles are all fantastic about having GF stash in their cupboards as well.  Below are a few of the favorites we encountered on our trip:

GF Chocolate Options: Yes, Paddy, there is wheat in European chocolate; flour is often used as an emulsifer to thicken it.  Our hands-down favorite was Moser Roth chocolate, and we stocked up on it to bring home.  The milk chocolate was Ruthie's favorite, and mine was chocolate with orange and almond.  The mint was also very good, if you are a fan of dark chocolate like we are. 

The second runner up was Dairyfine chocolate, which is very reminiscent of Cadbury in terms of the bar's shape and size.  Very good, and many options to choose from as well.

GF Bread: This is always tricky, and we opted to bring some of our Udi's stash with us, just in case we couldn't find something palatable. (Many GF breads smell like old socks and taste horrific).  However, we discovered Juvela brand bread, thanks to Ruthie's Auntie Ann, who also is gluten free.  Ruthie enjoyed the Juvela brand bread very much, opting for it over her Udi's bread on most mornings.  At least now we won't have to worry about schlepping bread in the suitcase next time we cross the pond.

GF Pasta: Pasta is hard to come by in Ireland to begin with, never mind GF pasta.  But again, thanks to Auntie Ann and her delivery of all things gluten-free, Ruthie was able to have pasta (both spaghetti and other shapes) on several occasions.  Tesco, one of the major grocery chains, carries their own brand, and we had enough to bring back with us to other side of the pond (since no one else in the family but us tends  to eat it.

GF Cookies: Tea is served several times a day in Ireland, and it is practically a crime to have tea without an accompaniment.  Cookies tend to be Ruthie's favorite, and Tru-Free sandwich cookies hit the spot every time.  We stocked up on these for the trip home and have been enjoying them at home.

GF Potato Chips: No review of Irish food would be complete without a review of a potato product, and for GF potato chips (yes, the flavourings can have wheat as an additive) our choice is Walkers.  Luckily, we can find these at Irish specialty shops in Brighton, MA, so we don't have to stock up and carry back bags of them.