If you’re hosting and terrified of accidentally “glutening” your gluten-free guests, I’ve got your back. Here’s my top tips for hosting an event suitable for those with Coeliac Disease or Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity.
And if you’ve recently been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease yourself, you can apply these tips to your life!
Keep it simple with fresh & natural foods.
Gluten-free hosting doesn’t need to be hard. There are plenty of wholefoods that are naturally gluten free. These include vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, lean meat (non-processed), fish, chicken, eggs and extra virgin olive oil. You can be rest assured that these foods are coeliac-friendly, just be aware of any added seasonings, marinades or stuffings (if they do, look for a gluten free label).
Think grazing boards with plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, cheeses and some select gluten-free dips and crackers (I’ve included suggestions at the end of this post). Alternatively, you can organise a gluten-free BBQ, just ensure any processed meats (e.g. sausages) contain a gluten free label. Or go to a butcher and ask what meats are gluten-free!
Stick to the gluten free labels.
Perhaps the most obvious, yet important tip. Deciphering ingredient labels can be overwhelming and it’s easy to make a mistake. For people that have been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, it takes time and practice to get it right. Instead, just stick to products that have a ‘gluten-free’ label to take the guesswork out of it and ensure that it is safe for someone with Coeliac Disease.
Be mindful of condiments and sauces.
Gluten is often found lurking in unsuspecting items, and one of those is sauce and condiments. Keep an eye out for a gluten-free label and if unsure, either message your guest or keep the sauces/condiments separate.
Be mindful of oat-containing products if you live in Australia.
In other parts of the world, oats are considered gluten-free, so you’ll find many “gluten-free” recipes on the internet that have oats in them that aren’t yet considered safe here (but this may change in the future with some exciting research being done in this area). So, if you choose to cook a gluten-free recipe, ignore any that contain oats or oat milk.
Prevent cross-contamination.
If you’re going to have both gluten-free and gluten-containing options available, it’s important to prevent cross-contamination. Always keep gluten-free and gluten-containing foods in seperate containers, use different cutting boards and cutlery, and present the food on different boards/plates. Also have separate dips to prevent crumbs transferring over.
If in doubt, ask.
People with Coeliac Disease are often used to bringing their own food so they don’t burden the other person. So the fact that you’re thinking of them will be very much appreciated!
Gluten-free options from Coles & Woolworths.
Some easy & safe snack options from Coles and/or Woolworths to help you plan a picnic, brunch or BBQ:
Naturally gluten free
Fruit
Vegetable sticks
Unflavoured nuts
Cheese (be mindful of flavourings, and double check grated cheeses)
Meats (be mindful of marinades or stuffings, and double check all processed meats)
Dips
Look for the gluten free labels!
Obela dips
Yumi dips
Chris’ dips
Black Swan dips
Crackers
Arnott’s gluten free Jatz (they taste so similar to the original ones!)
Sakata crackers
Pekish crackers
Wellabys crackers
OB Finest crackers (gluten-free range)
Olina’s Bakehouse (gluten-free range)
Carman’s Kitchen gluten-free crackers (instagram: @carmanskitchen)
Schaer crackers (instagram: @schaerglutenfree)
Legumes and Chips
The Happy Snack Company roasted chickpeas & fava beans (instagram: @thehappysnackcompany)
Cobs popcorn (instagram: @cobspopcorn)
Mission corn chips
Kettle chips
Ajita’s vege chips
Table of Plenty rice cakes & chips (Instagram: @tableofplenty)
Sweets & Cakes
Arnott’s gluten free range of biscuits (look for the green gluten free label)
Coles Ultimate gluten-free cookies (these are the best cookies)
Schaer biscuits (instagram: @schaerglutenfree)
Tom & Luke snack balls (instagram: @tom_and_luke)
Wallaby chocolate bites (instagram: @wallabyfoods)
Kez’s Kitchen biscuits (instagram: @kezs_kitchen)
Table of Plenty chocolate rice cakes (Instagram: @tableofplenty)
Greens gluten-free cake mixes (instagram: @greensbakingaustralia)
Tip: my go-to cake is a victorian sponge cake using the Greens gluten-free golden butter cake mix, with a gluten-free jam, cream and strawberries. Our guests always love this cake!
If you’re looking for some recipes, you can also check out my chocolate nut slice and zucchini slice.
I hope these tips help give you some guidance on gluten-free hosting. The more you do it, the easier it gets, I promise! For more information about gluten, check out my post, “Everything You Need to Know About Gluten.”
Until next time,
Chanté
