Gluten Free at Pizza Express

When it comes to introducing gluten free items to your menu, Pizza Express have really gone the extra mile. Instead of simply adding a GF pizza base and feeling smug, they spent 18 months trying hundreds of bases to find the very best one, worked with Coeliac UK to make sure they were doing everything right, introduced measures to prevent the risk of cross contamination and invited a group of gluten free bloggers to give the seal of approval to the menu. Not content to just introduce a gluten free pizza base, Pizza Express are also launching a delicious risotto starter, Green's GF Pilsner and a rich gluten free brownie for dessert! The children's menu is getting the same treatment, with a gluten free piccolo pizza base and brownie.

A gluten free pizza you can order with confidence!

Last Monday, I went along to meet the team behind the new gluten free menu items and taste the results of their hard work. To say that Pizza Express listen to their customers would be an understatement!  Head of Marketing, Emma has been carrying a print out of a guest post, written by @DavidJ_GF, voicing his concerns about the trials of the gluten free menu at selected restaurants. The whole team have been using the (very eloquently written) post as the basis for addressing the commonly held issues most Coeliacs have with GF items in chain restaurants. Pizza Express really care about how we (customers and Coeliacs) feel about eating at their restaurants and have been working with Coeliac UK to get NGCI accreditation so that anyone ordering a gluten free meal can to so with confidence. 

Instead of being apologetic about their efforts at gluten free dining, the team at Pizza Express decided to work toward something they'd be proud to shout about and I think they should boast about the new menu!

To deal with the risk of contamination from airborne flour, Pizza Express have replaced all flour with a gluten free flour mix for dusting surfaces and stretching dough. All gluten free pizza bases are individually wrapped and as soon as the first GF pizza is ordered in a restaurant, the kitchen will open a new passata and mozzarella, use separate ladles and pizza screens and serve the pizza on special boards to distinguish the gluten free ones from the wheaty ones.

If that's not enough to fill your heart with cheer, then you'll be pleased to know that Food and Drink Manager, Holly and Development Chef, Anton's mammoth global effort (they actually sampled bases from as far away as Australia!) to source a really great pizza base has paid off. The pizzas are outstanding and all the more delicious for the peace of mind that comes from all the measures Pizza Express have put in place to ensure that cross contamination is not an issue in their kitchens. 

A delicious Risotto d'Oro for starter.

Every member of Pizza Express staff have undergone thorough training, ready for the launch of the new menu tomorrow (30th April) and all new-starts will receive exactly the same training as part of their induction, so you can always be confident that your order is treated the same in every branch, every time you visit. 

I'll definitely be heading to Pizza Express for the new menu launch on 30th April, find your nearest restaurant and try it, too!

The Great North Gluten Free Fair

This Saturday, 27^th April, the North's first gluten free fair will take place at the CastleGate in Newcastle city centre.

The Fair’s organiser is TASTECLUB (formerly Taste North East), the Club for everyone who makes, serves, sells and loves great north food and drink. There will be around 40 stands at the event, made up of some of the best local and national producers, shops and restaurants that make or sell gluten-free food and drink. 

Spopnsered by Newburn Bakehouse, you will be able to sample their range of free-from products, including brown, white, seeded and fruit loaves, baguettes, wraps, teacakes and muffins.

Entry to the inaugural event, which will run from 10am to 4pm, costs £2 for adults and is free for children. All attendees will receive a Newburn Bakehouse muffin. To book tickets in advance, go to the TASTECLUB website.

If you can't attend the fair, you can still take part by entering the competition on The Great North Gluten Free Fair's Facebook page by liking and sharing their competition post to win a hamper of Newburn Bakehouse Goodies!

Fruit is Not a Pudding!

Have you checked out the brilliant Fruit is Not a Pudding blog yet? Carly (the wonderful Gluten Free B) started this blog to celebrate great naturally gluten free puddings and to name and shame those restaurants and caterers who think that fruit salad is an appropriate gluten free dessert.

We've all been there, haven't we? At a function or dinner and everyone else is enjoying a plate of profiteroles, summer pudding or cheesecake and you're brought a fruit salad. (What's that? Yes, there is melon in there! Isn''t that from the starter?) It's maddening, especially since there are so many delicious desserts out there than are naturally gluten free.

I recently shared my panna cotta recipe with FINAP and it's in great company with fantastic pudding recipes like Hokey Pokey Knicker Bocker Glory and Black Cherry Meringue Parfait. It's a great resource, especially for friends and family of Coeliacs, who want to make them something that's gluten free, but doesn't involve shelling out on specialist ingredients. Go check it out yourself, then send everyone you know!

If you have a Pudding Hero to recommend to others or a rubbish dessert to nominate for a Sad Banana Award, visit the Fruit is Not a Pudding Facebook page, or email FINAP.