[GillyM]

Just wondering if anyone out there knows if there is much gluten free food available in the shops. My daughter gets free prescription food here in the UK. Thank you

[tea drinker]

Pretty sure that there is a good range but not sure of what in particular.
Try using the search button up at the top as I know that someone has asked about this as well.

HTH

No idea whether your daughter will qualifiy for prescription food though.

[Ana&Steve]

We noticed its availability. Almost every cafe we went to had at least one gf dessert option. Even Hell pizza has a gluten-free crust option. Others on hare have talked about grocery stores having gf products.

BTW, we're not celiac but we have a close friend who is, so we've been trained to be label checkers:D

[PonyGirl]

Great question! My hubby is doing a gluten free diet and we've been wondering what the availability of gf products is. Thanks for the info!

[peebles16]

PLenty of gluten free food available :) Not sure about the prescription food though but will ask friend at work who is coeliac - think from memory you have to have had a specific test to qualify....

I'll get back to you

Karen

[TonnyTessa]

much more choice than in the UK. Even in the small vilages shops I have seen gluten free things. And I know in Christchurch there is a glutenfree bakery.

[James 1077]

I can honestly say that I have never seen so much gluten free produce in my life as you get here in NZ!

[72andsunny]

My daughter gets free prescription food here in the UK.

Pharmac's schedule lists gluten free food (page 179): http://pharmac.govt.nz/2009/09/01/Schedule.pdf

It does say "Hospital Pharmacy Only". In a few months, I'll be able to tell you what that means to your daughter.

[talisker]

As everyone else has said, it's really common here. A good selection of gluten free produce and ingredients in most supermarkets, let alone health food shops. Lots of cafes will provide gluten free options, e.g. providing gluten free toast with breakfast etc.

[peebles16]

Ok so asked my friend at work - in her opinion, you have to have formal diagnosis from specialist via biopsy or such like and foods are not free but subsidised and limited to pasta, flour, breadmix etc. It's been a while since she checked it out so may have changed... Hope that helps :)

Karenx

[kiwigirl]

We have afriend in the UK with this condition, I have beensending him some lush chocolate biscuits home, he thinks he has died and gone to heavan, as he hadn't tasted choccie biscuits for years.

[adacakes]

this website has some very good gluten free recipies

http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/


by the way a cheap way of making gluten free baking powder is:
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
8 tablespoons cornflour

sift together 3 or 4 times and store in an airtight tub, use as you would use normal baking powder, but use within 3 months

[grady bunch]

My 9 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Coeliac 4 months ago here (NZ) after an endoscopy. She is also Diabetic (she has all the fun!), you can get a prescription if diagnosed by a doctor but it actually works out cheaper to buy the stuff from Supermarkets. They stock a great range of GF stuff, especially Bread Mixes, Cake Mixes, Pasta, Biscuits etc. At our local Pak'n'Save, Albany there is half an aisle of stuff. If you get flour from the chemist it actually works out at $30 per 1kg (you have to pay delivery), if you buy 1kg bread mix in PnS it is $8.50 (About £4 for 2 loaves). As an example San Remo Pasta is $3.50 per pack of Spaghetti/Penne/Spirals, all good stuff.

Prescriptions here also cost $17 (at our docs) and the list is very restrictive to only Orgran Pasta which is pretty naff. Check out the Coeliac Society which is based inn Albany, Auckland. You can join if you have a docors letter and the Youth support group is very good, meets up a couple of times a year at a GF cafe in Onehunga (Librabry Cafe) which does loads of GF stuff.

You also find lots of bakers that make GF Afghans, bread, pizza bases etc. Once you work out the places to go, its endless, much better than the UK. Lots of the Asian population are Coeliac so if you eat out there is great knowledge and availability.

Feel free to PM me if you need to know more!!

Sasha

[MichelleD]

My local new world supermarket just started labeling Gluten Free products with little green tags making them easier to see. Foodtown has a nice gluten free/organic aisle, so it is actually quite easy to find the products.
In Auckland there is a dedicated gluten free store where you can buy everything you need, and a few dedicated organic stores which also have lots of GF foods :)

Its quite easy if you know where to look.

[grady bunch]

By the way does anyone use a good GF bread mix? I am using Simple at the mo, are there any places that sell in bigger quantities at cheaper prices?

[nifta]

there really does seem to be a bigger focus on this in NZ/aus than a lot of other places. i've come across a number of references to it while reading beer related articles in aussie publications :)

apparently this is a good site - their products are available in NZ:
http://www.sillyyak.com.au/gfb/index.html

also some breweries in aus do gluten free beer... e.g. o'briens (http://www.gfbeer.com.au/) , and billabong (http://www.billabongbrewing.com.au/). not sure if they export to NZ tho.

[napiers]

My cousin spent just over a year in NZ (Christchurch) about 10 years ago. He seemed to manage without too much trouble and he's a big rugby playing lad - having said that, he's never been too into buying huge amounts of pre-prepared gluten free food because there wasn't alot of it around until the last few years. He's always made his own food and just learned to avoid what he can't have - except when he's been tempted after a few drinks! :eek:

[Ana&Steve]

My 9 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Coeliac 4 months ago here (NZ) after an endoscopy. She is also Diabetic (she has all the fun!),
Our friend Ben is diabetic and celiac (and partially deaf and blind and recently got diagnosed with a rare thyroid hyperactivity disorder!:uhoh). I used to feel so sorry for him but one day I realized that he is the happiest guy I know and he and his wife had their 1st baby last year; I think his trials formed him into the cheerful upbeat guy that he is;)

[grady bunch]

Our friend Ben is diabetic and celiac (and partially deaf and blind and recently got diagnosed with a rare thyroid hyperactivity disorder!:uhoh). I used to feel so sorry for him but one day I realized that he is the happiest guy I know and he and his wife had their 1st baby last year; I think his trials formed him into the cheerful upbeat guy that he is;)


Lucky Guy, so Ellies got some catching up to do!! Could be worse, once you get one auto-immune disease you are more likely to get others. But I'll settle for coping with Coeliac and Diabetes first! Mind you if she was deaf she wouldn't hear me telling her to tidy her room!!

The health service is great here for her she has a specialist Gastro and Diabetes team, in the UK she just had a general Paediatrician. She has bloomed since they realised she has Coeliac, her bones don't stick out any more. So if you are worried about the care her don't be!!