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For the love of all things gluten-free

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Handmade bakes

If you have an event or date in mind and need some treats especially for it, such as handmade afternoon-teas with all your favourite things, whole cakes for birthdays and special dates, check out the Local bakes tab and get in touch.
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Make at home donut kits

Award winning.
Sent nationwide.


Gluten-free + Vegan.
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Makes 18-20 donuts.
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Easy & Fun.
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Use what you need and save rest in fridge or freezer for another day.
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Customise your own with extra toppings.

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A few markets

Next Market date:

No dates at the moment

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Hello...

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Hi! I’m Naomi (nicknamed Nibsy) and I live in Reading, Berkshire with my husband and two young boys, Bradley and Leonard.
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The gluten-free 'journey' began back in 2009, having felt increasingly unwell in the previous few years; I was diagnosed as gluten-intolerant and since then gluten (and wheat) has been excluded from my diet and I quickly noticed the improvement in my health and overall well-being.

However, the change in diet was a big eye-opener; many of life's small pleasures such as enjoying a sweet treat were suddenly out of reach most of the time.

I desperately wanted to 'fix' this problem and saw a big opportunity to make a positive difference. So after a lot of day-dreaming, research, reading books and putting plans together.... Reading's first exclusively gluten-free coffee shop opened on beautiful Cross Street, in the early autumn of 2014. It was called "Nibsy's". It was a special place for everyone, not just those of us on a restricted diet. And I met some amazing people and the support from customers was incredible. As well as a great bunch of team members who all helped make it what it was.

After almost 7 years, I made the very difficult decision to put the coffee shop part of the business up for sale. The new owners saw all the value and care that had been put in into the coffee shop and they wanted to kept it entirely gluten-free. I helped pass over loads of the recipes and much loved creations that had been born out of Nibsy's. They re-named the coffee shop Yaylo and it is still Reading's only entirely GF venue.

I self-published a gluten-free recipe book with a selection of the most popular recipes so you to make them at home too! And have been presented with a "Pride of Reading" award which was such an honour.

I now bake on a much smaller scale, around a full-time role as well as being mum to my two boys. If you need some gluten-free treats for a special occasion take a look at the Local Bakes tab and get in touch and I'll come back to you to let you know if I can help. 

​Love,

Naomi AKA Nibsy x

​Gluten-free and Vegan? Here are a few easy recipes

There are lots of reasons to try a vegan diet To get involved and to find out more click here.
​And here are some gluten-free and vegan recipes from the recipe book, for some easy inspiration.


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Rice Noodles - Tofu and Mushroom with beansprouts, gf tamari, spring onion, ginger and red pepper.

There’s a dish that Pho do; Vermicelli noodles, with tofu and mushroom which I adore. Whilst this is not the same, it's my take on it and you can enjoy it with some peanut butter dip on the side. 


Makes: 2 portions
Prep time: 30mins
Can you freeze this? No
 
Ingredients and Allergens in bold:
120g “Glass”, sweet potato Vermicelli noodles (you can find them in a good Chinese shop) or something similar will work, such as rice noodles.
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1 x small thumb’s worth fresh zested ginger
1 x small red pepper, sliced
150g  firm tofu, drained (soya)
1 x tablespoon corn flour
300g mushrooms
2 x spring onions
1 x small red pepper
125g beansprouts
4 x teaspoon gluten-free  soya sauce (tamari)
Sprinkling of sesame seeds
Drizzle of sunflower oil (for the frying)
Fresh spinach to garnish
Dipping bowl of sweet chili sauce
or peanut butter (nuts)
Salt and pepper


Equipment needed for this:
Saucepan
Frying pan
Large bowl
Grater/zester
Scales
Sharp knife

Method
  • Unpack the tofu, and drain it well, then place the amount you need onto a few kitchen towels and press the tofu down and try and get as much of the water out of it. Then roll it in a teaspoon of corn flour – this will help it brown up when cooking it in the frying pan.
  • Peel and slice the spring onion and slice the red pepper into strips, place these to one side
  • Cook the noodles for 10mins in boiling water – don’t salt the water! It seems to make the noodles mushy if you do.
  • Meanwhile, put a small drizzle of sunflower oil in two separate frying pans on a medium heat and use one pan to cook the tofu and the other too cook the mushrooms, cook both until they are golden and season them whilst they are on the heat. You might want to add garlic to the mushrooms. Once cooked, park them to one side.
  • Once the Noodles are cooked, drain and pop them in a bowl with a small 2 x teaspoon soya sauce and mix it in.
  • Peel and zest the ginger into the noodles
  • Place the spinach onto plates. Now we need to fry the beansprouts.  To save on washing up, you could tip the mushrooms and tofu together and use the other pan. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil and fry them off for a few minutes.
  • Now everything is ready you can plate up, putting the noodles onto the plate, followed by everything else and finally, sprinkle with sesame seeds and get yourself a side dish of sweet chili sauce.


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Popcorn Bars

These are really easy to make and you can vary them to your liking by using a different type of chocolate and caramel; in this recipe everything is vegan. You may want to add nuts and other delights to this too. Just bear in mind it needs an hour to “set” in the freezer before you can cut into it and enjoy. The idea for these came from my cousin and very close friend, Lorena. She gave me an interesting looking gluten-free bar from one of the high street coffee chains that was made with popcorn and caramel and tasted really good. And so it inspired me to make this version.
 
Makes: 1 rectangular tin: 27cm (10.5”) x 18cm (7”)  and 2.5cm (1”) deep
No. of portions: around 8
Prep time: 40 minutes + 1 hour in the freezer
Can you freeze this? Yes
 
Ingredients
 
For the caramel
½ can of coconut milk (so 200ml)
75g light brown sugar
0.5  x teaspoon vanilla essence
1 x teaspoon cracked salt
 
For the bars
240g dairy-free white chocolate
50g popcorn (sweet, salty or mixture)
60g gluten-free crispy rice cereals
40g cranberries
40g raisins
 
For the topping
30g melted dark, dairy-free chocolate
Sprinkling of coconut flakes
 
Allergens in bold
Equipment needed for this:
Rectangular baking tray
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Scales
Measuring spoon
Small saucepan

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Method
 1 First, make the caramel, which will take 25 minutes. Shake the coconut milk before opening and pour half the can into a pan with the brown sugar and vanilla essence. Regularly stir it on a medium heat for 25 minutes. The caramel won’t be very thick but it’s used for drizzling on top of the popcorn bars, so it doesn’t need to be firm. Once the caramel is ready, stir in the salt and leave it to one side while you prepare the popcorn bars.
 
2 Line the tin with parchment paper so it comes up all four sides. Gently melt the white chocolate in the microwave or in a small bowl over simmering water in a pan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl.        
 
3 In a large bowl mix the popcorn, gluten-free crispy rice cereals, raisins and cranberries and once melted, mix in the white chocolate. There isn’t much chocolate in this recipe so it needs to be well mixed to get it distributed throughout.
 
4 Pour the mixture into the tin. It should initially look like there is a bit too much but it should eventually all fit (unless your tin is much smaller). Spread the mixture evenly across the lined tray. To help flatten and condense the mixture, to make more solid units, cut a large sheet of parchment paper and place it over the top. Using a rolling pin, bash, press and roll the mixture firmly into the baking tin.
 
5 Once the mixture is looking satisfyingly flattened, drizzle the caramel over it. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and flick this over the top followed by the coconut flakes.
 
6 It’s now ready to be placed in the freezer for 1 hour to set. Once cool, remove the tray from the freezer and cut the slab into little bars while it’s still frozen as it’s much easier when hard and will create well-defined edges. It’s a good idea to then individually wrap these and then store the bars in the fridge or even in the freezer as they can pretty much be eaten straight from the freezer!
 
7 Store airtight and in the fridge or freezer.

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Butternut Squash, Red Pepper, Coconut and Chilli Soup

This soup takes a little longer than most, as you have to prepare and roast the butternut squash in the oven first. But it’s worth it – and this recipe will produce a beautifully thick and filling soup. One of my absolute favourites in the colder months, really filling and satisfying, full of flavour and warmth.

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Makes: 4 large portions
Prep time: 1.5 hours
Can you freeze this? Yes
 
Ingredients
1.17kg (1170g) peeled and chopped butternut squash
100ml sunflower oil + 2 tablespoons
1 x teaspoon dried mixed herbs
2 medium sized onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed  
Salt and lots of pepper
350g roasted red peppers drained from a jar or tin 
¼ x teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 can of coconut milk/cream (400ml)
1 vegetarian, gluten-free stock cube
(celery)
750ml boiling water
Small handful of bay leaves
 
Equipment needed for this:
Good chopping knife
Large saucepan
Garlic crusher
Measuring jug
Large bowl
Large mixing spoon
Food processor or electric hand-held blender
​Method
1 Pre-heat the oven to 190C/350F/gas mark 5 and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
 
2 Peel the butternut squash and chop it into small cubes or wedges, discarding the seeds. Place the chunks of butternut squash in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, plenty of seasoning and 1 teaspoon mixed herbs. Toss the butternut squash pieces around in the bowl, to get them evenly covered in oil, herbs and seasoning, then tip them out onto the baking tray and roast them until they’re soft with some added colour. The cooking time will vary depending on how big or small the pieces have been cut but will take at least 30 minutes in the oven.
 
3 Meanwhile, put 100ml sunflower oil in a large pan, with the chopped onions and garlic, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat until the onions are looking nice and golden. They’re better to be slightly over cooked than under, in my opinion. Allow at least 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
 
4 Drain and then weigh and chop the red peppers and add them to the pan of cooked onions and cook for a further 10 minutes. Then add a ¼ teaspoon of chili flakes if you want a add a bit of a kick to the finished taste.
 
5 Once the butternut squash is cooked, add it to the pan along with 750ml of boiling water and a stock cube. Season again adding 1 x teaspoon of salt and plenty of cracked black pepper as well as a few bay leaves, tucked to the side of the pan (which you’ll need to take out later). Put the lid on, leaving a small gap and cook on a low heat for another 10 minutes.
 
6 Shake the tin of coconut milk and add the lot to the pan and leave to cook on a low heat for another 10 minutes. Then, take out the bay leaves and blend the soup to be as chunky or as smooth as you prefer, using a food processor or a hand-held blender. If you find the soup is a tad too thick just add a little more hot water and blend again. You may want to add a tad more salt and pepper to taste.
 
7 Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Double Chocolate cupcakes
 
Makes: 12- 18 cupcakes (depending on how big you want them)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
 
Ingredients
Wet
350ml soya milk
1.5 x tablespoon apple cider vinegar
120g olive oil
 
Dry
285g gluten-free self-raising flour
300g caster sugar
75g cocoa powder
3 x tablespoon gluten-free ground flaxseeds
½ x tablespoon baking powder
1 x teaspoon salt
 
Chocolate Icing
100g dairy-free spread
100g dairy-free “butter” block (FLORA blocks are very good)
50g cocoa powder
700g-750g sieved icing sugar
And then add an additional flavour of your choice, from below (optional)
  
Icing flavour ideas that can work well on top of the above
Mocha – add a bit of instant coffee with a splash of warm water and a dash of cocoa powder
Caramel - a shot of the caramel syrup that’s used in coffees
Orange – Zest of one orange
Peppermint – 1 x teaspoon peppermint extract
 
Equipment needed for this:
1 or 2 x 12 hole muffin baking trays
Ice-cream scoop
Cupcake / muffin cases
Scales
Measuring spoons
Whisk or cake mixer
Large bowl
Sieve
Method
1 To make the cupcake sponges, start by putting all the wet ingredients together in a jug and let them sit for 10 minutes to ‘develop’. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
 
2 Place cupcake or tulip cases in 12-hole cake tins. You can make between 12 to 18 of these cupcakes; it depends how big you want them.
 
3 In a medium bowl, put all the dry ingredients together and mix so that everything is nicely incorporated. Gently pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and thoroughly whisk until the batter looks nice and smooth. Let it sit in the bowl for 5 minutes. This allows it to thicken a little bit more.
 
4 Using an ice-cream scoop (the mechanical type, if you have one) scoop the batter evenly across the paper cases and bake for approximately 12-18 minute. Bear in mind the cooking time depends on how big your cupcakes are, so keep a close eye towards the end of the cooking time. Use a skewer or knife to check it comes out clean.
 
5 Once cooked, leave them to cool completely before icing them.
 
6 Make the icing. I have found that using a mixture of two types of spread makes for a much nicer vegan icing: 100g of dairy-free soft spread (any type) plus 100g of a dairy-free and vegan style butter block, which must be soft. If you just have 1 type of spread or butter, rather than 2, then just use 200g of what you’ve got!
 
7 Put the soft “butter(s)” in a large bowl or cake mixer along with 700g icing sugar (sieve it first, if it’s a bit lumpy). Then add the coca powder. To avoid a mini explosion of sugar and cocoa, it’s a good idea to use a splash lid or tea-towel over the mixing bowl. Mix everything together continuously with the electric whisk until eventually all the ingredients come together to create an icing. You may need to add a small dash of water if the icing feels too dense. Or, if you have a caramel syrup for coffees, a glug of this in the icing makes it taste amazing! 
 
8 You can add some additional flavour to the icing and mix it in, or use it as it is. If you have a piping bag and nozzle, pop the icing into the bag and ice your cupcakes or simply spread the icing on top using a spoon or small palette knife. They’ll taste the same anyway! Fresh fruit and nuts are always nice on these too.
 
9 The cupcakes taste best the day they are made and kept at room temperature. If you don’t use all the icing at once, store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It will become very hard so next time you need to use it, it will need to loosening up using a mixer and by adding a dash more water or caramel syrup.

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Loved meeting those of you who came to the Allergy and Free-from show in London and Birmingham. 

Some exciting news

The DIY donut kits have won GOLD in the gifting category of the prestigious Free From Food Awards.
Check out their socials @FFFoodAwards or visit their website to see which other amazing brands (large and small) have been awarded for great taste, quality and innovation! 
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For social media links, see below.
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