With an estimated two million plus people in the UK living with a diagnosed food allergy and 48% of consumers trying to avoid at least one food type or ingredient, trying to find ‘food tolerant recipes’ that taste great can be difficult.
Cordon Bleu trained mum, Lucy Parr, who has two children both diagnosed with multiple food allergies at a very young age has just published the perfect book to help deal with this dilemma. The Friendly Baker, published by Meze Publishing at £23, provides 144 pages of information and inspirational recipes.
Lucy – herself a long-term vegetarian with a passion for cooking – started writing a blog in 2012 and over the years has developed over 800 unique allergy-friendly recipes. The Friendly Baker is her first published cookbook and provides a range of seasonal baking recipes suitable for various allergies and intolerances including dairy, egg, peanuts, and sesame. Whilst vegan cookbooks usually include nuts or other allergens such as soya in baked goods recipes, Lucy provides naturally plant-based recipes and each one is free from some or all of the allergen ingredients. She has provided a simple key which lets you see at a glance which recipes are suitable for which intolerance.
What is really useful is how the recipes follow the seasons of the yea, providing a year-round source of inspiration for any baking enthusiast or family cook creating delicious plant-based meals and treats to keep everyone happy. To make the book even more flexible, there is a handy guide to swapping common ingredients with alternative substitutes.
Dip into The Friendly Baker to find every day, celebration and seasonal bakes with cakes, scones, pastries, puddings, and sweets. We have included just one of Lucy’s tasty recipes but there are plenty others in this really useful cookery book. It is available to purchase from leading bookshops and direct from the publishers mezepublishing.co.uk.
Chocolate Tiffin Mousse Cake from Lucy Parr
The idea behind this recipe is that it is a decadent pudding worthy of celebrations, but it can be made easily anywhere in the world. It works with dairy-free or conventional cream, any chocolate you choose, and can easily be made gluten-free depending on biscuit choice. In my experience you should be able to buy the six basic ingredients in almost any size of food store, even small local ones, enabling you to make a sensational pudding for everyone, anywhere.
This recipe is dairy free, egg free, gluten free, nut free, peanut free, soya and sesame seed free.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 85g dairy-free chocolate
- 60g dairy-free margarine or butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup, honey, or maple syrup
- 8 biscuits (such as digestives, ginger nuts, or rich tea)
- 250ml dairy-free double or whipping cream
- 150g dairy-free dark chocolate or 175g dairy-free milk chocolate
Method:
- Line the base of an 18-20cm springform cake tin or place a cake ring onto some baking paper on a baking sheet.
- Melt the 85g of chocolate with the margarine and syrup in a microwave or bain-marie.
- Roughly break up the biscuits and add them to the chocolate mixture. Stir well so they are completely covered. Press into the base of the cake tin and place in the fridge to set.
- Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. In a microwave or a bain-marie, melt the remaining chocolate (to 45°c if using a thermometer).
- Whisk one third of the whipped cream into the chocolate to equalise the textures, then gently fold in the rest of the cream until well combined.
- Pour the chocolate mousse mixture onto the biscuit base and level off the top.
- Place in the fridge to set.
- Remove from the tin and decorate as desired. Chocolate shavings in a pattern make a nice design. Once decorated, keep in the fridge until serving.
