Weekly shop for a gluten free friend

bylromarha

Hi all

Not an OSer myself **ducks** but know how many amazing things you guys can do. :D:D

After some advice for my friend. She needs to cut back on the spending and I'm happy to help her with this. A quick chat said she did a budget review last year and she was chuffed to get her food budget down from £75pw to £55pw. She has to be gluten free, so don't know how much of a difference this makes to the spend and cooking.

However, there is only her and her OH, so £55pw seems a lot to me! But I don't need to buy gluten free - how much of a financial difference does it make?

Due to her mobility problems, she uses Asda Click and Collect - going to Aldi/Lidl/walking round the local shops/market is something which she is unable to do.

So my questions are:

1) What meals are easy to whip up and cheap and gluten free?
2) Are there any good internet shops to buy cheap gluten free goods in bulk?
3) What would be a realistic weekly food budget for her which includes the expensive gluten free items?

Thanks

burtha

Hi check that she is getting g/f bread/pasta ect from her doctor's ,a quick check of any web page of juvela or any of the main makers will tell you what she is allowed on script, if she pays for scripts a prepayment is cheaper. Dr can put 8 x bread for example ..

hulda

I am gluten intolerant and I spend the NZ dollar equivalent of 10-15 pounds a week(household of one, plus this includes toiletries, cleaning products and the cat's food). With the exception of gluten-free pasta, I don't really buy the expensive gluten-free versions of gluten-based foods. Instead, where you'd generally have gluteny food, that part of my diet is largely based on rice and rice flour. I scrutinize the ingredient labels and buy the cheapest brands that don't contain gluten, wheat, and derivatives.

Your standard meat and 2 veg type meal is usually gluten-free, a lot of Indian recipes are too. Home made Soups etc too, as long as they're thickened with corn or rice flour.

Hollyberry

From what I remember, Asda isn't too expensive for their own brand gluten free pasta and crackers. I don't tend to buy bread, as in most places it is an eye-watering £3 or so unless on offer, and is a small loaf, dry and often tasteless.

As for gluten free food in bulk online, there are some places, but none particularly cheap. I buy crackers from Holland and Barrett, who do a loyalty scheme which gives you a decent return, and you can also use Quidco. No discount over the shop however, although I do find that their GF selection is better stocked online. I also use Goodness Direct for bulk buying, although again they are not cheap. They are a cooperative, and try to keep prices down.

There's a thread which has been recently updated here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/122529 which has some nice recipes to try, and a general discussion of gluten free options.

For cooking, I rely on things that are naturally gluten free, and I eat a lot of rice, potatoes and corn. Our meals are pretty normal : chili, roasts, pastas with tomato based sauces, kedgeree style rice dishes etc.

I'm lactose intolerant as well as coeliac, so my spent will probably different as I buy specialist milk (£1.33 litre) which affects my budget.

terra_ferma

I don't know if this is any help, but some bread machines let you make gluten free bread (you can buy a second hand one on ebay).