Welcome
When a small group of us met in June 2018 with the aim of starting a Coeliac group in North Hampshire we were looking forward to having a local group which could organise events and support members in this area. I think it’s true to say that things haven’t quite gone according to plan since then - and there has been a fair bit of stopping and starting!
In that first year lots of you joined us at a coffee morning, a gluten free dinner at BCOT restaurant and a fish and chip supper when we had a talk from Laura, the coeliac dietician at Basingstoke hospital. Things came to a halt after that as our group organiser moved away from Basingstoke and another committee member had to stand down due to increased work commitments. Fortunately, we now have a new committee and we had various events planned for the first half of 2020 – a dinner at BCOT restaurant, an afternoon tea, a children’s soft play event and a coffee morning. We were finalising the details for these when Coronavirus arrived and everything had to be cancelled. So, despite our best efforts we haven’t been able to hold any events since June 2019.
We wanted to let you all know that we are still here and although none of the events we had planned have taken place, we do hope to be able to get up and running again when it’s safe to do so – though we have no idea when that will be!
We would be keen to hear from any of you with ideas you may have of things we could do either in lockdown or when we are able to meet again properly. Please email us if you have any suggestions at northhampshire@coeliac.org.uk.
We do hope that everyone is coping with the challenges of lockdown - we know that these vary enormously from one individual to another. We are looking forward to seeing you at some of our reorganised events, hopefully in the not too distant future.
Margaret, Keith, Tom, Gemma and Lesley
Update from the Coeliac UK AGM
On 20 June, James Chappell (Chair of Trustees) and Hilary Croft (Chief Executive) chaired the meeting, which included voting on the appointment of two Governors.
We learned of the achievements of 2019, including accreditation and awareness. Membership of the Association of Medical Research Charities is proving valuable for lobbying and research opportunities.
Clearly the financial situation for 2020 is difficult, and members are encouraged wherever possible to recruit new members. The charity thanked its staff for keeping operations running and thanked the members who had donated to the Save our Future appeal.
Hilary Croft outlined the charity's strategy beyond the crisis, including strengthening awareness of Coeliac UK and achieving a 50% diagnosis rate. A better patient/member experience, and growth in partnerships and global licensing and research are further goals.
A children's diagnosis campaign planned for 2020 is hoped to be launched in 2021.
In response to participant questions about food banks, we learned that Coeliac UK had engaged with Defra on gluten free availability in food parcels. The national picture appears quite variable. Members may wish to contact their own neighbourhood scheme to find out how they can help.
Fundraising
We would love to hear what you have been doing to fundraise for Coeliac UK to help the charity during this difficult time.
For those who can afford to, it is not too late to buy your tickets for the Coeliac UK Summer Community Raffle, with a top prize of £2000, plus 28 other prizes. Please enter by 6 July 2020.
Terms and conditions for the Coeliac UK raffle, including rules and regulations for players and problem gambling information. This raffle is only open to United Kingdom residents over the age of 18 (this excludes Isle of Man, Channel Islands and BFPO addresses according to the Gambling Act 2005 regulations).
Quick quiz
- How many people are thought to be suffering from Coeliac Disease in the UK?
- What is the name of the skin condition linked to coeliac disease?
- In which year was the Coeliac UK charity first founded?
- Which famous tennis star attributed his return to health as a result of following a gluten free diet?
- Who are more likely to suffer with coeliac disease – men or women?
- Which of the following is gluten free – durum wheat, bulgur wheat, spelt or buckwheat?
- What is the legal requirement that must be met in order for a food product to be labelled “gluten free”?
- Which famous TV chef became Coeliac UK Food Ambassador in 2010?
Answers can be found towards the end of the newsletter
Buying gluten free food online
Whilst we are hopefully now on the road to recovery, with supermarket shelves much better stocked than a few months ago, we are aware that it could be many months before everyone feels comfortable venturing into supermarkets again. Tom from Ash shares some advice that he has compiled which we hope you find useful.
“When I struggled to get Gluten Free products, at my local supermarkets, I looked online. I’ve listed below some of the sites I found, and ordered from which helped me until local supplies improved.
Chemist net - https://www.chemist.net/
This is an online pharmacy selling most of what you would find in your local pharmacy. They have quite a wide range of Gluten Free products available. Note that your local pharmacist may also be able to get Gluten Free foods as well, and not just bread (though they may have higher prices).
Doves farm - https://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/products/freee/gluten-free-food-box
Doves farm are well known for their excellent flour, but they also have other products. They offer a Gluten Free box option – you cannot choose what goes in the box, so it’s a lucky dip but it will meet the following criteria – 3 x 1kg bags of Gluten Free flour, 2 Gluten Free cereal products, 2 packs of Gluten Free pasta or spaghetti, 2 packs of Gluten Free oat bars and 1 pack of Gluten Free mix (e.g. pancake mix).
Morrisons Boxes - https://www.morrisons.com/food-boxes/box/Gluten-Free-Food-Box
This is specifically for Coeliacs and is said to contain enough to support a couple for about a week. The website lists the ingredients though they may make substitutions (if they do obviously check the ingredients).
Juvela - https://shop.juvela.co.uk/
Normally Juvela products (other than bread) are only available through local or online pharmacies, but they now have started a subscription service. You can have a monthly delivery, every other month or every three months. You create a box that suits your needs from a range of 10 breads, 2 flour mixes, 6 pastas, 5 cereals, oats and crispbreads.
There is a possibility of the range being extended but I suspect this will depend on uptake. You can miss a delivery, change frequency, cancel or change your order, this can be done through a online portal they setup or by ringing their friendly customer service team.
Free From All - http://www.freefromall.co.uk/
A relatively new retailer offering a growing range of products. Friendly service.
For alcohol, I have two suppliers that both have good options and prompt delivery
Jubel - https://jubelbeer.com/sales/
Greene King - https://www.greenekingshop.co.uk/”
Featured recipe - Gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes
Suzy from Bramley shares her favourite gluten free cake recipe. Makes approx. 12 cupcakes or 1 large cake.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 3 large eggs
- 175g gf self raising flour
- 175g butter or margarine
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp lemon curd
Topping
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 100g granulated sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together all the sponge ingredients, except the lemon curd.
- Fold in the lemon curd
- Bake at 180 deg for approx. 15-20mins (cupcakes) or 30-35 mins (1 large cake)
- Make the topping by mixing the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Tastes good with lemon zest mixed in too.
- Drizzle the topping over the cakes as soon as they are out the oven
*Top tip* try swapping the lemon curd for other types of curd for a different flavour. You can also swap the drizzle topping for buttercream made with lemon juice.
And finally…
Visit our website (https://www.coeliac.org.uk/local-groups/north-hampshire/) for a map of accredited venues in the North Hants area, updates on future events (when we are able to hold them again) and other information.
You can also find us on Facebook – we have a Page and a Group. To join the group, search for “Coeliac UK North Hampshire Local Group” and respond to the two membership questions.
Or you can email us at northhampshire@coeliac.org.uk if you would like to get in touch.
