Tips and Recipes for a Gluten Free Christmas

Get your supplies ready

Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry. However, it can be overwhelming to keep track of what festive foods are suitable for people with coeliac disease. But it's just a case of being prepared with a stock of gluten free ingredients!

• Make a list of any treats you need from the supermarket in advance
  This will make shopping much easier. Plan your menu and identify which gluten free products you’ll need beforehand to avoid last-minute trips to the supermarket.
  
  
• Update your prescription
  Update your prescription now to ensure that you have Juvela's gluten free flour mix to make festive treats with and fresh bread for a Boxing Day turkey sandwich!
  If you take gluten free food on prescription, you’ll be relieved to know that Juvela is delivering gluten free bread all throughout the festive period. However, our delivery schedule to pharmacies will be a little bit different.
  View the schedule here.

Which Christmas foods contain gluten?

Plain turkey, ham and roast vegetables are all naturally gluten free - you’ve just got to keep an eye on seasonings, marinades and sides. If a product is breaded or contains a crust, check the label. 

To check that a food is gluten free, scan the ingredients for any allergens which will be highlighted within the ingredients list. You might also notice a ‘may contain’ statement on pack, which means there is a risk the product could be contaminated with gluten. If the packaging mentions gluten, wheat, Khorasan wheat (kamut), spelt, oats and rye, then it isn’t suitable for people with coeliac disease.

Common culprits of hidden gluten include snacks such as dry roasted nuts and crackers. Sausages can contain wheat rusks, so make sure you check the ingredients for pigs in blankets!

Soups, sauces and gravies can often contain gluten, so be sure to check the label or make your own following a gluten free recipe. 

Experiment with gluten free recipes in advance

When you’ve first been diagnosed with coeliac disease, it’s easy to focus on the things you can no longer eat. But take a quick scroll through some gluten free hashtags on Instagram, and you’ll see that the world of gluten free food is full of exciting and mouth-watering options!

Get inspired and find some festive recipes to experiment with in the lead up to Christmas Day. If it’s your first time making gluten free food, it can sometimes take a bit of research and practice to perfect a recipe.

At the bottom of this page there are easy-to-follow recipes for every starter, side and main you’ll need for a delicious gluten free Christmas Dinner!

Avoid Cross Contamination

Whether you are in your own home or someone else’s, it’s a good idea to put a system in place to avoid cross contamination.

Prepare the kitchen with these easy tricks

• Toaster bags
  Use toaster bags to avoid crumbs from other people’s gluten-containing bread.

• Foil on trays
  Put foil over cooking trays to ensure no traces of gluten get on your food. 

• Use separate utensils
  If a cooking utensil touches gluten containing food and then your gluten free food, it will be “cross contaminated”. Make sure a separate spoons and stirrers are used to prepare your gluten free food.

• Use separate butter dishes
  Crumbs! They’re little but if they contain gluten, they can still make you unwell. Using a separate butter dish is a simple and easy hack to avoid cross contamination.

Avoid confusion

It’s easy for things to get mixed up in a busy kitchen while you’re cooking Christmas Dinner! Here’s some ideas to keep your gluten free food separate:

• Clearly label which things are gluten free
  Make it as obvious as possible which products are gluten free. 

• Store gluten free food in a separate place
  It’s harder to accidentally mix up products if they’re stored separately.

• Colour code bowls and plates if sharing snacks
  Who else can’t help but load up on the festive snacks before Christmas Dinner? If you’re worried about stray hands cross contaminating your snacks, try getting a different coloured bowl or plate as a subtle reminder of which food is gluten free. Alternatively, everyone in the household could just opt for gluten free snacks to make things easier. 

Get family and friends on board

It’s important to make sure that the people in your life really understand what coeliac disease is so they can properly support you. Friends and family members might need help understanding what cross contamination means, and how seriously it can affect a person with coeliac disease.

Try sending along this blog or this resource to educate them about coeliac disease and cross contamination!

Christmas Day is a time to celebrate, relax and enjoy food. Don’t let gluten get in your way!

Christmas Dinner Recipes

If you need some suggestions for festive treats suitable for people with coeliac disease, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve created an extensive range of delicious recipes covering starters, mains, sides and desserts using our gluten free food products. 
With over 25 years experience in all things gluten free, Juvela's range of gluten free bread and Mixes will deliver superior results every time.  

Mains

Sides

Desserts