New Challenge

My doctor is a bit tick happy. Blood test, sure, why not, I was a bit anaemic last year. But why does she tick all the obscure, random boxes, just in case? Anyway, she ticked, more blood tests were done to confirm and now I'm waiting for a biopsy to confirm coeliac disease.

I knew a bit about it - it's gluten intolerance, right? I will have to cut back on wheat and so on. Well, yes, and no. Coeliacs can't tolerate gluten AT ALL, so I've been scouring the backs of packets to look for gluten free products. So far, I've found gluten in all breads, cakes, pastries, crispbreads and biscuits (of course), stock cubes, all cereals even porridge, pickles and vinegar (malt product), sauces, oven chips and similar cheaty products, hot chocolate, some dried fruit (!), mustard, custard, sausages, burgers, some cheeses like Stilton...the list goes on. It's quicker to relate what was gluten free in my kitchen. Um...fruit. Vegetables. A bit of elderly Brie. Olive oil. Even dried spices weren't all completely safe.

So, a few shops in gluten free aisles in the supermarket, and a trip to a great health food shop in Glastonbury later and I have some gluten free alternatives. So far, OK. Bread has the wrong texture but toasts OK (but is nearly £3 for a tiny loaf). I'm not a huge fan of cakes and biscuits. But all the alternatives were a) hugely expensive and b) difficult to source. This is going to be a challenge. The hardest thing will be eating out - going out for a meal is one of our favourite treats, especially when we go away for a few days. Well, I like a challenge.

Meanwhile, I'm researching folklore and legends on Dartmoor, and will need a bit of a field visit. There's a gluten free restaurant on the way down, at Crediton...