(^22) Hampshire Life: February 2019
From nibbles and every day
suppers to indulgent desserts
and dinner party showstoppers,
Jane’s Hassle Free Gluten Free
is a sumptuous collection of
home-cooked recipes which are
perfect for any family occasion.
It’s exactly what Jane wanted to
achieve from the very beginning.
“When I was writing the
book, my harshest critics were
my children. If I gave the kids
something and they didn’t
comment on it being gluten free,
then I knew that I’d passed the
test,” she laughs.
Moving away from gluten free
offerings of the past and living in
rural Hampshire, Jane took the
view that if ingredients couldn’t
be sourced in her local shop or
supermarket then the recipe
couldn’t go in the book.
“So many of the books I’d
looked at for inspiration when
cooking for Ben had ingredients
which I couldn’t get hold of or
were for those on a bigger budget
than us. The one thing that
should be accessible in our lives
is food. If you can create dishes
which make family life easier,
meals that everyone at the table
can enjoy, then that’s fantastic.
One of the biggest problems I
come across when I meet parents
of children with severe allergies
is that their children don’t eat.”
Continuing to spread her
message far and wide, an
exciting opportunity to champion
her cause further came when
Jane was asked to showcase
her delicious recipes at The
France Show, the UK’s greatest
celebration of all things French,
from 25-27 January at Olympia,
London.
“I was thrilled to be asked. I
wanted to show how you can
take a beautiful French dish and
easily convert it into something
gluten free,” Jane shares. “I love
France but the one thing we
struggle with is finding gluten
free options.”
Demonstrating how French
cookery can be adapted easily
to cater for restricted diets, Jane
has created two bespoke recipes
- a luxuriant twist on a classic,
Confit Duck Shepherds’ Pie, and a
patisserie favourite, Apricot and
Almond Cake Tatin. Both draw
on ingredients Jane loves when
on holiday in France.
“I wanted to create lovely
warming dishes – something
indulgent, wintry and
quintessentially French,” she
BELOW: Jane’s
new book has
been inspired by
her son’s gluten
intoleranceshares. “It’s about getting the
message across too. Helping
others to access support is vital.”
At the heart of everything she
does, whether it’s supper at home
or cooking for demonstrations,
chatting to people at events or
sharing recipes from her book,
is Jane’s passion for food and
family. That’s what makes her
such a joy to listen to – she’s a
mum who practices what she
preaches.
“Food should be a pleasurable
experience for everyone. I get
such immense pleasure from
being able to create moments
when we sit and eat together.
Who cares if it’s sausages and
mash or a macaroni cheese?” she
laughs. “It’s about sharing food.
Food brings people together.”Head to hampshire-life.co.uk
to find Jane’s two sumptuous
recipes, Confit Duck Shepherds’
Pie and Apricot and Almond
Cake TatinINTERVIEW