Far be it from me to blow my own trumpet but - my long waited new gluten and dairy free cookbook has finally hit the shops! (Only long awaited because I actually finished it some time ago but for one reason or another, publication kept on getting delayed...)

Anyhow, it is now here! Over 200 recipes all of which are gluten, wheat and dairy free - and often free of lots of other things too! Nothing too fancy (as those of you who follow my recipes on the foodmatter sites will know, I do not really do fancy cooking) but lots of interesting and unusual combinations of flavours and ingredients.

I would make you all a special offer except that it is impossible to offer it to you cheaper than you will get it on Amazon - cover price £14.99 - Amazon price £11.24 including free delivery......

Here's hoping that, if you do buy, you find it useful....

Hi Michelle

Hi Michelle
The Food Resource has just launched a new product to the UK at the Fine Food Fair last week, called MozzaRisella which is made from organic brown rice and has 0% lactose, 0% cholesterol, 0% gluten, 0% animal fats, 0% preservatives, 0% food colouring, 0% soya, 0% carrageenan and is organic, suitable for vegan etc. I was wondering whether you would like to try this product, particularly in view of the fact you design recipes and have just released a book called cooking, wheat, gluten and dairy free.

I can be contacted by email on mandy@thefoodresource.com.

I've looked online for more details about this product but all the pages are in Italian!

I like that this is preservative and colourant-free but how is it gluten-free when rice contains a form of gluten? This wouldn't be suitable for gluten intolerants, and doesn't mozzarisella contain cheese?

Hi Sarah -

We asked Mandy at the Food Resource Company about MossaRisella - and she says:

MossaRisella is made with organic sprouted brown rice. Brown rice does not contain gluten. The brown rice contains plenty of nutrients which play a key part in keeping healthy. Please see our website www.thefoodresource.com for further information. MozzaRisella is both lactose and gluten free and is suitable for vegans.

We exhibited this product at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair 2011 and it was very favourably received. We shall also be presenting this at the Chef Show 2011 Olympia 11-13 November 2011 and we are already receiving some favourable comments about this new product.

I'm still doubtful about this product being truly gluten-free.

According to "Glutenology", by Dr Peter Osborne, Rice contains Orzenin (5% of total protein) which is a type of gluten.

Micki Rose, in her TrulyGlutenFree ebook, insists that there is gluten in ALL grains, not just in wheat, rye, barley and oats, and she lists rice as an "unsafe" food for gluten sensitives, though wild rice is listed as "safe".

Hi Sarah
Well, it all depends on what you mean by gluten free... If you take the accepted medical/coeliac view then the only grains which affect coeliacs are wheat, rye and barley all of which contain the protein gliadin; other grains (corn, millet, rice etc) are fine. However, if you follow Dr Osborne and Micki Rose, then being gluten intolerant means being intolerant to the gluten in all grains, even though it does not include gliadin.

So, according to the former, Mozzarisella is fine as it is rice based - according to the latter, it is not....
Which applies to you will just depend on you and how sensitive you are.