Brownies by post

What lovely friends we have made via the internet. We were delighted to receive a parcel of some award winning chocolate brownies from Charlotte at Go Free Foods Ltd.

The brownies arrived wrapped in pairs in cellophane bags, tied with a pink ribbon.  Sous Chef J was keen to try them out and soon declared them to be "delicious".  The deep, chocolatey flavour was amazing and the brownies had a dense, but soft, texture. 

With a cuppa and a sit down in the sunshine they made for a lovely, restorative treat.  The remaining packs were perfect for taking out for days out for those, all too common, just-in-case moments, when eateries have no gluten free cakes on offer.  However, they didn't last long... they're just too tasty.

Thank you Charlotte (aka @GoFreeCakes on Twitter) - we thoroughly enjoyed our delicious treat eats!

Mmm-macaroons!

In the last post, we mentioned we met up with Charlotte, MD of Go Free Foods Ltd, in order to buy some almond macaroons. Having spotted an opportunity to meet up and buy some macaroons when we were down in London last week, I liaised with Charlotte to find a mutually convenient time and place.   Our expectations were more than exceeded.  We bought 15 almond macaroons (kindly packed in family sized bags of 3 for us) and Charlotte said she'd included some scones too... much to Sous Chef J's delight.

We took possession of the lovely box of goodies and (after our meal at Leon) opened the box when we got back to the hotel.  The macaroons were packed in cellophane bags adorned with pink ribbon bearing labels.  Also inside were the promised scones (two packs) and Sous Chef J was most impressed with their appearance. 

It was agreed to try a macaroon each and save the rest for when we were home.  The macaroons were moist, almondy and dusted in icing sugar... the ingredients are listed as Almonds, sugar, egg and essential oil of bitter almonds.  They were delicious!


When we got home Sous Chef J was keen to get his hands on the scones.  This is what he did...

Scone, cut in half

Added jam and cream

Final creation

Then ate the fruits of his labours... slurp.

What a lovely way to end a hectic couple of days in London!  Thanks again to Charlotte at Go Free Foods Ltd for meeting us... we look forward to seeing you soon.

Lovely Leon

When we travel to London for Sous Chef J's hospital appointments we are always on the look out for places that serve Gluten Free food.  Prior to this week's visit, we relied on Starbucks, M&S and Waitrose for whatever takeaway offerings they had on the shelves.  Not any more!  Having arranged to meet up with the lovely Charlotte (from Go Free Foods Ltd) to buy a batch of her (delicious) Almond Macaroons (more on them in the next post), we got talking about where to eat and she suggested we try Leon on Regent Street.  It sounded like a great plan so off we trotted.

Having arrived in our chosen Leon restaurant, we were pleased to see a menu which detailed clearly whether items were Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian and so on... and it didn't take Sous Chef J long to realise there was a kids' menu which offered a Gluten Free CHOICE!!  He was thrilled.

We made our selections, left B to place the order and grabbed a table for three.  Sous Chef J was tired out after a lot of walking in London but B turned up with a bowl of olives and some chilli roasted nuts... and they seemed to revive us all nicely!

Grilled Chicken Kids Meal

After a very short time the food arrived and we barely had room on our table for all the lovely bowls-ful of tastiness. We were so keen to dig in that Sous Chef J only had time to take this pic of his Grilled Chicken kids meal.  He chose fresh Leon-made lemonade as his drink and was delighted when a cloudy, lemony glassful arrived.  Having been able to have a kids meal, there was also a brown envelope containing an activity sheet, sticker and badge.

Kids pack

Pecan Pie

The food was delicious, freshly made and the service was spot on.  Staff were friendly and informative without being OTT.  In addition to Sous Chef J's meal, we chose bowls of broccoli and chilli, slaw and rice accompaniments to my BBQ chicken dish and B's hot grilled chorizo which was served on a wooden platter.  Having demolished the main course offerings, we re-visited the menu and opted to try out some puds "just because we can". And, my goodness, we were not disappointed.  Sous Chef J went for Life by Chocolate Mousse and B and I had the Pecan Pie with organic vanilla ice cream.  Luckily there were no calorific values on the menu but, whatever the amount, the pecan pie was divine.  I had a cup of jasmine tea with my pud and B tried out some rooibos.  We didn't get chance to try the Strawberry'ade but have it in our sights for our next visit.

Leon will be a "must visit" on our hospital day-trips for Sous Chef J... and he's already looked at the map and decided the Strand will be closest (and easiest to access on the bus) when he's next at Great Ormond Street.  If you haven't tried Leon, whether a Gluten avoider or not, give it a go - we think it is a fantastic find.  Thank you so much Charlotte, for pointing us in the right direction!