Lucinda’s guide to gluten-free living

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Chef Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, whose son is a coeliac sufferer, offers tips on where to spot that hidden ingredient that can mean a diet disaster for some.

Look for the crossed wheat-ear symbol on products, which means Coeliac UK has approved them as being gluten-free.

Use wine, not beer, in casseroles

Try tamari sauce in place of soy sauce

Add fresh stock not stock cubes

Cook with brown rice or quinoa instead of couscous and cracked wheat

To prevent delicate, home-made gluten-free pastry from breaking up, roll it out between two sheets of cling film.

To thicken soups, sauces and gravies, substitute an equal quantity of rice flour or cornflour for wheat flour

Swap wheat noodles, pasta and pearl barley with rice, buckwheat noodles or rice-and-millet pasta, beans and pulses

For cakes and puddings, replace plain flour with 50% rice flour, 25% ground almonds and 25% cornflour

For self-raising flour, add 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder per 110g gluten-free flour. To ensure the cake is moist, light and holds together, use three eggs for every 110g flour

In recipes calling for barley wine, stout or ale, substitute rum, brandy, earl grey tea, wine or Grand Marnier

For a balanced diet, eat brown rice, quinoa and millet; pulses; gluten-free cereal, bread and pasta; and lots of veg, fruit, meat, fish, eggs and dairy produce.