The River Cottage Gluten Free Cookery Course

For Christmas this year I was given a place on the Gluten Free Cookery course at the River Cottage in Devon. I'm booked on this Sunday the 9th and I couldn't be more excited! We are heading down on Saturday as my parents-in-law live not too far away, so we get to see them as well.

This was booked such a long time ago that I'd almost forgotten it was coming up.... almost. I have managed to do a little bit of research into what we'll be making though, and I'm pretty excited about a couple of things on the sylllabus (I'm going to call it that; how grand), particularly the sourdough bread, and Pissaladiere tart, whatever that may be. We will also cover muffins, brownies, and buckwheat pancakes. I make brownies almost weekly in our house and muffins less regularly, so I'm looking forward to learning a new slant on an old favourite. I'm also looking forward to seeing how they make thier buckwheat pancakes and whether or not they'll be similar to the gorgeous gallettes de sarrasin we had in France when we visited last. There will also be sessions on gluten free eating and nutrition in general, different flours and how they work, and so forth. I will also get a gluten free lunch included.

I'm really looking forward to it, and as a keen baker, I know I will use the recipes time and time again. I do hope they give us the recipes to take away but I make take a note pad just in case.... I will try to take as many photos as I can during the course and will post about it after the weekend.

Wish me luck!

Review: Le Bistrot Pierre

Location: This is a small chain of about 11 restaurants spread across the country, but mostly focused around the Midlands

Style: French although probably slightly Anglicised

Budget: 3 courses and drinks for about £25 a head; often lunch offers on

The menu: A separate gluten free menu is always provided and it’s pretty extensive.

What I ate: Mini chorizos in honey for an aperitif, which were amazing as ever. I always have these, come rain or shine, as they are one of the best things on the menu. I then had the haddock risotto for my starter, which had little bits of leek in and the rice was slightly crunchy and delicious. It was a little on the filling side, though. For my main course, I chose the minute steak as the French do these like nobody else. It wasn't quite as authentic as those I have had in France but it was tasty nonetheless and the cut was of reasonable quality. No shoe leather here. For pudding I went for the chocolate mousse with meringue pieces, which came with some unannounced extras – firstly a huge dollop of cream on top which I’d have rather not had, and secondly it was actually a chocolate orange mousse which perhaps they ought to have told me first. Luckily I like chocolate orange things but others may not be so lucky! This is a minor point though and I'm being picky. It was tasty and big helping, which was very, very solid, so I couldn't finish it. They also provided gluten free bread on the side just after my starter for no extra cost.

Service: Pretty good, a little variable – sometimes too keen, sometimes absent.

Good things: the menu is great for coeliacs as there is plenty of choice. The wait staff are not surprised by gluten free requests and are pretty knowledgeable about the issue. It’s pretty good value and a relaxed ambiance which is perfect for catching up with friends or bringing the whole family

Top Tips: The mini chorizos are to die for. Ask for gluten free bread if you want it; sometimes they forget. The lunchtime offers are generally good and they do a Sunday Roast on a Sunday.

Areas for improvement: the menu has been the same for quite some time now. It’s a good menu, don’t get me wrong, but some variation would be nice.

Final score: 4.5 out of 5. Only marked down slightly because the menu is pretty static and I feel I’ve almost exhausted it. Other than that, it’s brilliant.