Australians And New Zealanders Hellooooooo :)

[11475]

Okay - Most of Ben & Jerrys is also gluten free an cadburys roses are completely gluten free. Watch out for their other stuff though cause some of it does have gluten - they have a chart on their website that says what has gluten. I am soooo naughty!

"Thoroughly researched and prepared for inevitable chocolate attacks", not, "Naughty" !!

[nutralady2001]

yeah - the Coeliac society says when its processed to that degree that there is no detectable gluten whatsoever. If we can't trust them - then who can we trust.

I'm afraid my opinion of the Australian Coeliac Society has moved down several notches with their "push" to have the gluten free status of food raised from <5ppm to <20ppm . We were always the frontrunner in Coeliac Disease ....no more.

[beebs]

I'm afraid my opinion of the Australian Coeliac Society has moved down several notches with their "push" to have the gluten free status of food raised from <5ppm to <20ppm . We were always the frontrunner in Coeliac Disease ....no more.

Hmm - now that you point it out...I rang the the other day to ask them a question about the gluten challenge for a baby. They didn't know. Then they said he should have the genes test because if he didn't have the two common genes then he could be ruled out as having coeliac. Even I know that isn't true!

[11475]

Has anyone tried 'Anathoth' jam? (They make chutneys and relishes also.) Lots of different flavours...I'm planning to try them all.

I searched my local supermarket and found them to be the ONLY brand without any corn additives (yes, even the 'organic' brand failed my test). Better yet - it tastes so fantastic, and only has fruit and sugar..no nasty and unnecessary preservatives or other additives.

Search 'Anathoth' to check out their website if interested, but I believe they are available in most supermarkets in Australia now, and, of course, in New Zealand (where the company is located).

So delicious, I actually can't believe how quickly I'm going through the 'pottle' of jam..but then again, I've been without jam for so long, I'm justifying it by thinking that I'm making up for lost time!

Has anyone else tried their products?

[mushroom]

I love Anathoth products - they are the best! Just remember to keep your jams in the fridge, because they have no preservatives.

[11475]

I love Anathoth products - they are the best! Just remember to keep your jams in the fridge, because they have no preservatives.

Which is your favourite? We don't have the full range over here yet, but I believe they're working on it! It took me ages to decide between three different flavours of jam. I eventually chose Strawberry, but next I'm going for Three Berry...which won't be long now, since I can't stop eating jam..

[mushroom]

Which is your favourite? We don't have the full range over here yet, but I believe they're working on it! It took me ages to decide between three different flavours of jam. I eventually chose Strawberry, but next I'm going for Three Berry...which won't be long now, since I can't stop eating jam..

Well, I don't know, every one I am eating becomes my new favourite. I always used to buy Barkers, but I just bought Anathoth raspberry for the first time - I know, raspberry, so prosaic, and oh my gosh, it is sooooo good!

[11475]

Well, I don't know, every one I am eating becomes my new favourite. I always used to buy Barkers, but I just bought Anathoth raspberry for the first time - I know, raspberry, so prosaic, and oh my gosh, it is sooooo good!

I'm expecting to find the same thing (that each new flavour I try becomes, 'the best!'). Most of my family are buying the raspberry flavour now as their first one to try..I'm still going for Three Berry next though , but I'll get to it, and probably think of you when I do haha!

[mushroom]

I'm expecting to find the same thing (that each new flavour I try becomes, 'the best!'). Most of my family are buying the raspberry flavour now as their first one to try..I'm still going for Three Berry next though , but I'll get to it, and probably think of you when I do haha!

I just saw Cherry Berry today, and so wanted to get it - but there's only so much room in my pantry (and my fridge - because my hub always opens everything!)

[11475]

I just saw Cherry Berry today, and so wanted to get it - but there's only so much room in my pantry (and my fridge - because my hub always opens everything!)

Haha - I'm bad like that too - I always think, 'Well, I just want to try a little, just to see how it tastes'...but I mean a little of each thing I've bought..

Hope you can enjoy the Cherry Berry soon

[weluvgators]

We are planning a trip to Australia and would appreciate learning more about the gluten free culture there. How are restaurants and markets at responding to enquiries about gluten (and other allergen) information? How do you figure out which places you will try? We are also dairy and soy free, so are there recommendations for approaching people about our dietary needs? We plan to have a kitchen and shop at markets, so information and recommendation on those would be appreciated as well. We would also enjoy eating out, and I am curious how Australian coeliacs approach restaurant eating. We plan to spend the bulk of our time in Sydney (Manly Beach recommendations would be great), Melbourne and Perth, but we will also be travelling through more rural areas, like driving from Melbourne to Sydney.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

[Mack the Knife]

We are planning a trip to Australia and would appreciate learning more about the gluten free culture there. How are restaurants and markets at responding to enquiries about gluten (and other allergen) information? How do you figure out which places you will try? We are also dairy and soy free, so are there recommendations for approaching people about our dietary needs? We plan to have a kitchen and shop at markets, so information and recommendation on those would be appreciated as well. We would also enjoy eating out, and I am curious how Australian coeliacs approach restaurant eating. We plan to spend the bulk of our time in Sydney (Manly Beach recommendations would be great), Melbourne and Perth, but we will also be travelling through more rural areas, like driving from Melbourne to Sydney.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

You shouldn't have too many problems. Australia has a really high awareness of coeliac disease. It's pretty easy to be a coeliac in Australia.

Lots of restaurants and cafes (especially in the inner city) cater for the gluten free diet. An awful lot of restaurants now mark menu items as gluten-free which is fantastic and some even have separate gluten free menus. Most restaurants have gluten free bread and sometimes pasta as an option on their menus and usually some sort of gluten free or flourless cake or muffin as well. The staff will usually have heard of coeliac disease and are generally pretty helpful. We have lots of ethnic restaurants and I find that Indian and Mexican restaurants are generally pretty safe.

All major supermarkets in Australia (Coles is best for gluten-free stuff) have a health-food aisle which is usually well stocked with gluten free bread, pasta, biscuits, cereal, museli bars, etc. The supermarkets all carry lots of Orgran products Open Original Shared Link which are all gluten, dairy and soy free. You should be able to buy rice or almond milk in most inner-city supermarkets and health food stores as well. Also, check out the freezer section in the supermarkets as most will have a gluten free section with gluten-free pies, pizza, felafals, crumbed fish and chicken, etc.

Also, Australia has the strictest gluten free labelling laws in the world. Products labelled "gluten free" must test under <3ppm (in Europe and America it's <20ppm) and if a product contains wheat, barley, oats or rye they MUST state it on the packaging. All major allergens, including dairy and soy, must also be listed in the ingredients.

The one thing you won't be able to get in AUstralia is certified gluten free oats. Oats aren't regarded as safe for coeliacs in Australia and labelling laws prohibit any products containing oats from being labelled gluten free. So even if we wanted to eat oats it is impossible to buy gluten free oats here.

I find that the Urbanspoon iPhone app is invaluable when I am trying to find somewhere to eat out in Australian cities that I don't know well.

Here are some websites which may be helpful.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

(This is also a really good iPhone app!)

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I live in Melbourne, so feel free to message me closer to the time you are coming out and I can give you some more detailed dining out recommendations.

[Kalgar]

Hey all! New Coeliac, new forum arrivee as well. I live in Sydney, work in Surry Hills, and am currently struggling with finding stuff I can guarantee is *safe* for me in that area (when I want to eat out).

I don't suppose anyone could recommend any places around there? (I know about Matsuri Japanese restaurant - they're awesome)

Cheers!

~ Andrew

[Kim69]

I am finding tha IGA supermarkets offer a great range of gluten-free foods. I bought a cottage pie today. I am traveling for work and am tired of restaurant meals so this will be an easy and hopefully yummy meal.

Personally, as an engineer specializing in analyzers, I know how difficult and expensive analysing down to very low ppm (parts per million) can be. I am hoping that the Coeliac society has done suitable research to conclude that the number of coeliacs that are sensitive enough to react at 30 ppm are very low or non- existent. Coming in to line with other nations will increase the variety available to us and will make it easier for manufacturers to label their food as gluten free.

[Kim69]

Why can't Australia import gluten-free oats? I SO miss my muesli!

[Kim69]

Hi weluvgators. I live in melbourne. We have lots of restaurants and a huge variety of specialties such as Indian, thai, Malaysian, Greek and Italian. When eating in country towns I stick to simple pan fried fish and veggies.

Oh and you MUST try the Grill'd fries- they are gluten-free and are to die for! When at this yummy fast food joint I ask for a chicken burger gluten-free style without the gluten sauces (they know) and without the bun (they do offer a gluten-free bun but it is gross and amounts to about a weeks worth of carbohydrate!)

Sydney and Perth I found difficult as a traveller especially for a quick lunch. I had mcdonalds fries and a salad  At Italian restaurants you will have difficulty - check at all restaurants whether the risotto is gluten-free. Even if they say it is, it may not be

[Mack the Knife]

Oh and you MUST try the Grill'd fries- they are gluten-free and are to die for! When at this yummy fast food joint I ask for a chicken burger gluten-free style without the gluten sauces (they know) and without the bun (they do offer a gluten-free bun but it is gross and amounts to about a weeks worth of carbohydrate!)

Be really, really careful when eating at Grill'd because their cross contamination awareness and control is absolutely non-existent!

They do have gluten free buns and the staff can tell you which toppings are gluten free..... However:

1) All the buns go through the same toaster thing and it is covered with crumbs;

2) They use the same spatulas to scrape toppings on to all the buns (gluten and no gluten) and then stick them back into the containers;

3) They hold all the buns over the toppings as they scrape them on and you can see big crusty bits of toasted bun fall into the containers;

4) And if you actually visually survey the containers of toppings you can see bits of (non-gluten free) toasted bread sticking out of them.

After I watched them put a gluten free burger together for me (you get a really good view of this at the Brunswick St Grill'd store), I walked out and never went back.

Their chips are probably okay because they don't deep fry anything else. But I wouldn't be getting a burger from there either with or without the bun.

I think Lord of the Fries now offer a gluten free burger but I haven't checked that out yet

[Mack the Knife]

Have you discovered Mrs Parma's in Little Bourke St yet?

Open Original Shared Link

They have a gluten free menu with 8 different kinds of chicken (and vegetarian) parmagianas on it. They also have gluten free beer.

I eat there a lot and have never had a problem.

[Mack the Knife]

You should also try Hooked Healthy Seafood to Go in Prahran and Fitzroy if you feel like fish and chips.

They have a gluten free menu and can do gluten free chips, and fish and calamari in glutne free batter. They have a dedicated gluten free fryer. They also have optional gluten free soy sauce if you want to get the rice and bok choy instead of chips.

Open Original Shared Link

[mushroom]

I finally found a tasty cracker made by Orgran - Deli Crackers - multigrain with poppyseed (made with brown rice and sorghun - no corn, soy, potato Yay!!!) They are more like a chip than a cracker, great for dipping. Try them, you'll lovel them.

[Glutinator Girl]

Hello everyone, this is a huge thread! I'm going over to the Gold Coast and staying at Broadbeach, does anyone know of resturants or shops that are gluten free there?

[kiwibird75]

Just thought I'd crop up and say hi! Aucklander here... mostly able to be gluten free even when we eat out these days.

Recommendations for places to eat out where they have options or are particularly helpful:

Squid Row - top of Symonds St - heaps of choices and when I selected one particular option the kitchen came back out to me and said they had checked the label on the spices and that it "may contain traces of gluten" so perhaps I'd like to choose another option! Let them know you need to see the allergy listing menu - lists dairy, eggs, gluten, fish, garlic and from memory a couple of other things too.

The FoodStore - down on the Viaduct - lovely fresh food - open kitchen so you can see exactly what is going on, and lots of options listed as gluten free. They were happy to discuss my concerns re CC and because I could see into the kitchen I know they took me seriously!

Dine by Peter Gordon - Sky City Grand Hotel - we had the shorter pre-theatre menu and they had some lovely options for me and were happy to make substitutions to make sure everything was okay. I phoned ahead here to check if there were options and they not only advised that there were, but marked on our booking that I was coming and celiac and made sure to point the options out before I even had to ask.

The New Brew Pub - Albany. There are definitely options here, and I'm working with the owners to make sure that there is no risk to anyone (they're friends of ours).

The cafe at Snow Planet had a completely separate gluten free menu and used the fabulous gluten-free breads made somewhere in Matakana.

Fatimas - they offer a gluten free wrap option for your pita. Have eaten here many times and never had a reaction.

The Chip Shop at the Royal Oak roundabout - they have a gluten free menu and cook it all in a separate vat... yummy for that fix that I had been missing.

That's all I can think of for now - will continue to update as we try more places since I'm lucky enough to have a supportive SO who loves to eat out and will go to great lengths to make sure there is food available for me too.

[MissBonnie]

Why can't Australia import gluten-free oats? I SO miss my muesli!

they do. coles has them in their gluten free section

[mushroom]

they do. coles has them in their gluten free section

Oh, but you see, we don't have coles here in Kiwiland, only lots of coals

[Mack the Knife]

they do. coles has them in their gluten free section

Are you sure? I've never seen them. Just because they are in the healthfood aisle doesn't mean they are gluten free. You can't legally label oats gluten free in Australia. How are these labelled?