Christmas Food Guide 2016

Gluten Free Christmas Menu, as featured on Belfast 89FM

If you’re gluten free or catering for a gluten free guest this year, use our sample Christmas menu to plan the perfect meal, everyone can enjoy.

Sample Gluten Free Christmas Menu

(Available GF = mainstream foods which are available gluten free)

Starters

• Chicken Liver Pate – available GF
  • French Toast – homemade with Brennans Gluten Free Bread, Purebred or other GF brand
  • OR Oatcakes or Crackers –e.g. Amisa, Schar, Nairn
• Melon
• Prawn Cocktail
  • Prawns
  • Marie Rose Sauce – available GF
  • Salad
• Smoked Salmon
  • Crème Fraiche
  • Beetroot
• Toast – homemade with Brennans Gluten Free Bread, Purebred or other GF brand.

Things to beware of – dressings, vinegar*, breadcrumbs and croutons
*Malt Vinegar is distilled, removing gluten but some people report being affected by it. If in doubt, leave it out.

Main Course

• Roast Turkey – butcher or supermarket – check for glazes
• Stuffing – any GF bread, blitz with nuts and herbs, adjust cooking times if cooking inside turkey
• Beef Wellington – GF puff pastry from Jus Rol, Silly Yak, Genius or Glutafin.
• Salmon
• Ham – check glazes are GF
• Vegetables (naturally gluten free)
  • Brussel Sprouts with chestnuts and sage
  • Roast Potatoes
  • Roast Winter Veg
• Cocktail Sausages wrapped in Bacon – Gluten Free sausages from Dohertys, Oh So Lean, M&S or local butcher

Sauces

• Bread sauce – any white GF bread
• Port and cranberry – check Port is GF
• Gravy – deglazing plus GF flour (potato, buckwheat, tabioca) or cornflour, Knorr GF gravy, KALLO gravy mix

Dessert

• Christmas Pudding – Foods of Athenry, We Love Cake
• Brandy and vanilla butter – check Brandy is GF
• Plum Pudding – GF flours, check Brandy, GF baking powder, GF breadcrumbs, GF suet (rice flour based)
  • See Jamie Oliver Recipe link on his website
• Custard – Birds, Avonmore, Sainsburys fresh custard
• Trifle – GF madeira cake – Purebred or self bake, check brandy, check jam
• Ice Cream – Vienetta, Mackay, Lidl
• Cheesecake – buy GF or use gluten free biscuits for base
• Pavlova – available GF
• Yule Log – available GF or make at home with gluten free flour

Drinks

• Wine – gluten free but storage barrels can contain flour paste
• Spirits – distilled so GF but ingredients may be added afterwards
• Beer – Celia, 9 White Deer, Daura Damm

Snacks

• Mince Pies – Foods of Athenry, FreeFrom
• Shortbread – Walkers, FreeFrom

Sweets

Check imported versus UK or Ireland made – UK and Ireland free from lists, issued by manufacturers only apply to UK and Ireland factories. The same box of sweets from the same company, made outside the UK and Ireland may have different ingredients and/or cross contamination.

Always check the label for the latest information but this should get you started:

• Quality Street – GF
• Quality Street Matchmakers Mint, Orange & Honeycomb – GF
• Cadburys Heroes – GF
• Cadburys Roses – GF
• After Eights – GF
• Terrys All Gold – GF
• Thorntons – range of GF
• Green & Blacks – GF
• After Eights – GF

Not Gluten Free

• Lindt – flour
• Celebrations – wheat flour
• Terrys Chocolate Orange – may contain wheat
• M&Ms – may contain oats
• Black Magic – wheat flour

Nestle UK GF List: https://www.nestle.co.uk/asset-library/documents/nutritionhealthwellness/gluten%20avoidance%20list%20v1.pdf

Cadbury UK GF* List: https://www.cadbury.co.uk/products?ing=ing_gluten_absent
*Cadbury define their list as “do not (deliberately) contain Gluten”, which leaves some room for interpretation regarding cross contamination.

Gluten Free Hampers for Christmas

For a gluten free hamper, visit our hamper show at www.glutenfreeireland.com/hampers

Share your favourite gluten free Christmas foods and where to find them in the comments below.