Pie, Pasta and Associated Problems

Now, there is nothing wrong with pasta or pie. In fact, I happen to be quite a fan of both. In theory, at least.

As usual, the actuality is a little more complicated.

Dry pasta you get in a bag has never been a problem. It is dry, they don't need to add preserving acids to it. What you put ON it is a different matter. Think about it, pretty much all pasta sauces are made of either cheese or tomato. So far, apart from doing a white garlic sauce the only recipe I have found is this pizza sauce by Vicky Clarke, which also works well on pasta.

Ready-made pastas are generally a no-go because of the sauces. You may rarely find a tuna one where the mayo used is citric acid free, but I've found these to be too few and far between to bother checking any more.

Making you own pie is probably the easier option if that is what you fancy. As long as you make sure the butter you use is safe in the crust, the gravy granules do not have citric acid or E330 listed in ingredients and the veg is all on the sage list then you are good to go!

Buying pie from the supermarket you have to check the label EVERY time. Chicken and mushroom is usually your likeliest bet to be edible. Steak pies might be ok if you are lucky. As I said, you have to check the label.

Dessert - Making Trifle Safe

As you can imagine, the amount of jelly (and sometimes fruit) in a regular trifle renders it poisonous to those with a citric acid intolerance.

But, fear not! With a little work, and a few recipe tweaks, you can still enjoy a trifle this holiday.

Ok, so your whipped cream and custard are fine to stay, it is the jelly, the fruit and possibly the cake that need addressing here.

The jelly: you cannot (to my knowledge) buy any ready-made jelly without it has citric acid in. So, we have to make our own. You will need:

• squash (see the post on drinks)
• gelatin sachet (you can get these in the home baking isle of most supermarkets)
• hot and cold water

then you just make it up as per the instructions on the gelatin packet sachet. Do not forget to dilute the squash, though! Alternatively, you might be able to use apple juice, but I haven't tried with this.

The fruit: You can either leave it out, or a straight swap for apple/pear/blueberry chunks works well

The cake: You can either go around the shops checking packets until you find a plain victoria sponge that is safe, or you can make your own and ensure you use a butter that is safe. I always opt for make your own the day before you make the trifle, but that is just because I like the be 100% sure everything is edible.

Combine ingredients as per the usual order et voila!

Making a Sandwich 101

Making a sandwich is such a simple thing, right?

Yeah, right.

That is to say, it is easy once you have the right ingredients. Initially finding them, however...

Let's start from the top. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:

The Bread



You would think bread would be a pretty safe thing to eat. In general you would be right, and both white and brown loaves are edible.

Exceptions are: anything with lemon or tomato (obvious, but it is good to state the obvious sometimes, especially where allergies are concerned!), sourdough or rye (citric acid is produced or used in the making process somewhere) and some of the very, very cheapest supermarket loaves, which contain citric acid in the ingredients list.

The Spread

As I think I have said elsewhere, many margarine varieties contain citric acid. If you have the choice, stick with butter, as these are usually safe.

If in doubt, just leave it out! I generally eat my sandwiches without the spread anyway.



The Filling

This is a HUGE topic, so I'm going to gloss.

If you are putting your fillings together yourself from scratch then just use your common and you'll be away. If, however, you want to buy sandwich fillers from the supermarket or elsewhere you're in for a tougher time. Don't assume that anything is edible until you have thoroughly checked the label. A lot of things add lemon juice (which you cant taste, and most people wouldn't even notice. I know I never used to.). There are SOME ones you can eat, but as I said; check, check, check!

Oh, and beware ye the mayonnaise - citric acid is often a preservative. If you are a mayonnaise fan I know Heinz mayo is safe enough.