Now I know how we all feel about supermarkets- we love to loathe them, and it's a favoured Great British pastime (after discussing the weather) to complain loudly and publicly about them at any given moment. However, the reality is that most of us still do the vast majority of our shopping in them regardless. If know if I could do all my shopping at local co-ops and farmers markets I would, but sadly my resources do not stretch to such luxuries.
I am however afforded the dubious honour of having a variety of supermarkets within striking distance of my home. Having formed an opinion of their provision of gluten free foods over the past few years, I have a definite ranking system in my mind of those which I prefer to visit. It goes something like this:
- Sainsbury's - has the most extensive selection of gluten free wares in their aisles. In the bigger stores they have a wide variety of items from cereal to fresh bread, including frozen foods. My recommendation(s): everyday items, frozen margherita pizzas.
- Marks and Spencer - carries the most deluxe selection of gluten free products. Sadly, this is reflected in the price, and they mix the gluten free items inamongst all the other food which can be a little frustrating. Stock is also highly variable per store. But it's worth the hunt - it's all so tasty! My recommendation(s): party food selection, seeded brown rolls.
- Waitrose - has an interesting selection of products, mostly at the higher end. You'll find things here that you can't get anywhere else. Also most likely to have interesting chef-type ingredients. Again, you pay the price for this, but it's generally worth it. My recommendation(s): tamari (gluten free soy sauce), fresh sliced loaves.
- Tesco - expanding as we speak, now stocking Amy's Kitchen and Udi's, as well as some of the usual suspects. Variable selection, even in the bigger supermarkets, but they do tend to carry something in most stores. My recommendation(s): Bonta D'Italia frozen salami pizza, Udi's bagels.
- Aldi - no dedicated gluten free line as such, but a lot of their products are naturally gluten free and marked as such, which most other supermarkets don't. Everything is such good value that you could eat the best value gluten free meals from here, hands down. My recommendation(s): new milled linseed with goji berries, sunflower and sesame seeds (a sort of cereal or cereal topper), any meal cooked from scratch using good value ingredients
- Co-op - a small range of gluten free items, and their own brand is fairly decent. But it's by no means comprehensive and it's quite expensive. My recommendation(s): ciabatta rolls, white or brown, porridge oats.
- Asda - do carry a range of gluten free items, and in the past have introduced some interesting products like gluten free wraps, but the selection is usually small and inconsistent. My recommendation(s): BFree Multigrain Wraps.
- Morrisons - even in the most giant hangar-sized Morrisons, there never seem to be the actual items on my shopping list, which I can't understand. I invariably end up having to go somewhere else. Their gluten free selection is patchy and contains a lot of biscuits. As much as I like sweet things, man cannot live by biscuits alone. My recommendation(s): leaving and going to Aldi instead.
I should add that I get my bread and pasta on prescription (more on that here) so I'm covered for the basics if all else fails. This does enable me to do the vast majority of my shopping in Aldi, and then top up at one of the higher-priced supermarkets for any special items not carried by my favourite low cost retailer.
What is your favourite supermarket for buying gluten free foods?
-Rachel
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