I'm so excited! I've just received the e-mail I've been hoping for: a congratulations from the FreeFrom Food Awards that The Local Bakehouse has been shortlisted for its gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes. So what does this mean? It means I'm doing a little jig around the kitchen! Oh all right, it also means the cakes stand a chance of being nationally recognised as the best freefrom cakes money can buy. It also shows dashing through London last week to get to the judges in

This past week, there's been a flurry of excitement at The Bakehouse. Why? Because we've just hit upon a new and quite fabulous recipe for a vegan gluten-free cake that has NO listed allergens. Yep! That's right: no soya, no dairy, no nuts, no eggs and no gluten. (N.B. I'll take it for granted you don't think I put some of the other allergens in my cakes - like crustaceans and celery.) (Okay, I need you to imagine I've just put on a school ma'am voice.) "Now let's get those t

I recently had a phone call from a frantic customer in Sheffield. He needed a vegan wedding cake but had been told he couldn't have what he wanted. The cake makers he'd called had really fallen short. The first few told him he would have to have a naked wedding cake because they didn't specialise in sugarcraft. The next lot said he could have the design he wanted but it couldn't be vegan. He then phoned a place that told him it simply wasn't possible to have what he wanted, t

Firstly, an apology. The image above has probably put you off your cornflakes. If you're wondering, I promise it's sanitary. To put you out of your misery, this is what happens when you try a new ganache recipe and overheat the chocolate. Basically, I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen. Thankfully, nothing is being tested or eaten by anyone but me, so the wet turd above didn't go any further than me and the bin. Actually, I tell a lie: I didn't even try it. That

Most people by now have heard of gluten. Or, at least, the freefrom aisle in the supermarket. It’s definitely made things a lot easier than ten years ago. What was it like at the turn of the 21st century? Hmmm. Music-wise, great. TV-wise, brilliant. Diet-wise? Not spectacular. At least, not if you were a Coeliac. I’ve had Coeliac Disease for over 15 years. It’s meant a significant lifestyle change and not just because I have to be careful when I eat. After all, if I