Welcome
Welcome to our local group summer newsletter! Well, dare I say it, it looks as though government restrictions will be coming to an end in just a couple of weeks and that means that we can finally start to think about meeting up in person again. No indoor meetings yet, of course, but it’s OK for our summer picnic to go ahead as planned on July 10th, so if you’d like to come along and haven’t signed up yet, please see below for how to join our waiting list. It will be lovely to see both long-standing and new members there.
We’ve held 2 Zoom events in the last couple of months – a question and answer session with Laura, a specialist coeliac dietician from Basingstoke hospital, and a get-together for the parents of coeliac children – and had very positive feedback from both. If you have any ideas about the sort of events you would be interested in for the future (Zoom or in person) please let us know.
Although we haven’t quite made it out of restrictions yet, we know some of you have been celebrating being able to go out to eat again – thanks to those of you who told us about some lovely places you’ve found (and especially the pictures!). You can read about these below.
As always, we love to hear from group members so please feel free to get in touch. Our website, email address and Facebook details can be found at the end of the newsletter.
Margaret, Tom, Keith, Lesley, Gemma, Carol and Clare
Summer Picnic – Saturday 10 July
We are delighted to confirm that our planned picnic in Basingstoke is going ahead.
Because of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, we have to limit those attending the event and so have been advised to require registration (please note that the venue has been changed from that originally planned, when we first notified you of the event, a few months back).
We have seen high demand for this event, so if anyone has not yet registered, please email us (NorthHampshire@coeliac.org.uk) to confirm how many people would like to attend and we will put you onto our waiting list.
If you have registered in the last week, there’s no need to register again. Everyone who has registered should have received an email with details of location, time etc. Please can you inform us if you are no longer able to attend, so we can offer your place for someone on the waiting list.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Myth buster – barley malt vinegar and barley malt extract
“Are barley malt vinegar and barley malt extract suitable for a gluten free diet?”
As Coeliacs, we know to avoid products with gluten containing ingredients, which include “barley” amongst others. Therefore, we are sure it will come as no surprise that “barley malt vinegar” and “barley malt extract” are two ingredients that people on a gluten free diet find particularly confusing. As this is one of Coeliac UK’s frequently asked questions, they have a useful page on their website to help shed some light in this area.
Coeliac UK’s website explains the difference between these two ingredients, the importance of gluten levels being 20 parts per million (“ppm”) or less, as well as recent changes made to their Food and Drink Information listings last year. As you will see, whilst products with these two ingredients usually contain 20ppm of gluten or less, the problem is you can’t tell this just by looking at the packaging unless it has been labelled gluten free or you ask the manufacturer.
Therefore, ultimately the answer as to whether a product with these ingredients is safe to eat is “It depends”. To help make it clearer for the gluten free community, Coeliac UK’s objective is to encourage more manufacturers to label products with these ingredients as “gluten free” where applicable, so watch this space!
Read more here: https://www.coeliac.org.uk/blog/barley-malt-vinegar-and-barley-malt-extract/?&type=rfst&set=true#cookie-widget
Post lockdown celebrations
Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories and photos of their post lockdown celebrations (including some lockdown baking). We have included a selection of these below for you all to enjoy.
John came across a few "new (for me)” gluten free beers. Whilst not usually a lager drinker, his favourite is the Pilsner Lager from the Free From Beer Co, bought from Caviste at Newlyn's Farm, North Warnborough: https://freefrombeerco.com/our-story/
Andy and his son, Stephen, made some delicious looking cakes to enjoy over the Easter holidays, yummy!
Carol and her son, Finlay (16), enjoyed “the best GF afternoon tea we’ve come across” at the Chocolate Frog in Oakhanger (Bordon, GU35 9JA) for £16.95. Finlay has been diagnosed for about 6 years, alongside his older sister, Sophie (who is credited with choosing the venue), who’s been a coeliac for 21 years since the age of 7.
Lesley celebrated a special occasion with dinner with friends in the Glasshouse Restaurant at Oakley Hall Hotel (Oakley, Basingstoke RG23 7EL). “I was amazed at the varied choice of dishes, which all sounded mouth watering, making it very difficult to make my selection. I finally decided on Beef Carpaccio for my starter, Pan Fried Sea Trout served with vegetables for my main course and to finish off ......Chocolate and Orange Tart with Cherry Sorbet for dessert! The food was delicious and the staff were very helpful and attentive throughout”.
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 and other information.
You can also find us on Facebook, where we have a public Page and a private Group. To join the group, please ensure you respond to the two membership questions.
It is great to receive suggestions from our members of what you would like to see from your local group. If you would like to get in touch, you can email us at northhampshire@coeliac.org.uk
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