This book is tried and tested: first published ten years ago, it has now been updated and republished in view of the large changes in the experts' knowledge about coeliac disease, and in the gourmets' discovery of new suitable ingredients and recipes.One of my friends is a coeliac so I am well aware of the problems it can pose for a balanced, healthy, tasty diet. However, gluten-free products can be a positive source of diversity in the diet, as well as the solution to an important problem. For some of the recipes in this book look so nice that I can well believe Bette Hagman's claim that many of her new recipes came from non-coeliac friends who just enjoyed cooking with gluten-free ingredients!
Bette Hagman gives many invaluable recipes for baked goods, mixed dishes and pastas that coeliacs would otherwise have to forgo. With the advent of home bread-making machines and the increasing availablity of ingredients in supermarkets, these recipes are even simpler to make than they were when the book was first published; the emphasis throughout is on practical, easy-to-follow recipes.
She also includes sections on what it is like to be a coeliac or the parent of a coeliac; she clearly speaks from experience and her advise is sane, sensible and comforting. Chapters such as 'The Hidden Glutens' 'Travelling and Eating Out' and 'Time-and-Money-Saving Tips for the Cook' come in very handy.
A good buy to enhance your lifestyle, whether or not you are (or plan to entertain) a coeliac!
