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Standard Issue Engineer
Standard Issue Engineer

Plant-based and gluten-free foodstuffs

·1418 words·7 mins
Food Groceries
Table of Contents

Disclaimers
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Gluten things
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I went gluten-free in my early 20s due to some health issues though I’ve never followed up with the test for coeliac disease. Taking the test(s) requires eating gluten for a few weeks beforehand - a process which isn’t worth the discomfort (to me).

With that in mind I might have products on here which are not certified for someone with coeliac disease, such as oat milk, as I don’t seem to have any noticeable reaction. I’m not handing out any official dietary advice here so you do what’s right for you.

Plant-based substitutes - rolling the dice
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I want to highlight that there is an awful lot of terrible vege* food and substitutes in the world, so if you’ve tried one thing before and it’s made you write off the whole concept, I implore you to try a few of the things in this list and see if you still feel the same. There’s a running joke within vege* circles that companies threatened by the rise of plant-based substitutes deliberately release products which are awful enough to taint the ecosystem; I’m sure it’s not the case but sometimes (as with lots of food/restaurants) one really does question whether someone in the production line or kitchen actually ate what they are making/serving.

Anyway, the range and quality available these days is astounding so I’m sure there’s something out there for everyone.

Your recommendations are unhealthy
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Yes, probably. I’m not really one of those health-focused plant-based people. I’m not anti-health and I eat plenty of things are aren’t processed (such as, you know, vegetables), but if I’m going to make some boss potato mash or a ‘cheese’ toasty that will make your eyes roll into the back of your head with pleasure, I’m going to use some fat and salt. I used to be really pedantic about my food and these days I’m much happier to eat whatever I feel like in relative moderation.

Location
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I’m currently based in southern England so some of my grocery recommendations may be localised/unavailable where you are.

Butters & creams
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I’ve used many butter substitutes over the years but I’ve finally settled on this Flora one - it’s so on-par with normal butter my partner’s 80-year-old father stole half a block thinking it was ‘real butter’ we’d bought just for his visit.

For creams, the oat ones are banging:

Breads
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A great breakfast deserves some thick crusty bread slathered with butter and if you’re prone to avoiding the gluten do yourself a favour and check out The Gluten Free Bakery.

Additionally, if you can get down there, the Infinity Foods bakery in Brighton does a tapioca and rice flour loaf which is eye-rolling good, though the loaves are in the smaller dimensions you might be familiar with if you’ve been eating GF for a while.

Cheeses
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Don’t give up on vegan cheese, there are plenty of bad/average ones but there’s also some absolute bangers. Top of the list is pretty much anything by La Fauxmagerie and I DARE YOU to not find their Brixton Blue an absolute game changer.

The soft cheeses (Brixton Blue/Boursin) pair well with general cheeseboard fare such as crackers, grapes, pears, olives, nuts, chutneys or jams, and pickles. The Applewood block is perfect for grating onto pizzas and unlike some plant-based cheeses, does a pretty good job of melting down. Slices of course can be used in sandwiches or toasties as you would normal cheese. The Violife feta is a pretty decent feta substitute; I use it in salads or avocado + feta on toast.

Milk
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Alternative milks have been a thing for so long now I’m sure you’ll find one to your liking. I generally use Oatly Barista Edition as it tastes good and froths well - although I don’t think the UK/EU version is suitable for coeliacs.

Tofu & bean curd
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Tofu is pretty ubiquitous these days and there’s plenty of pre-flavoured options, some of my favs the Clearspring silken tofu (available in many supermarkets) which makes a boss tofu scramble and the Taifun ones which are full of flavour and great in all manner of things such as rice bowls, sushi rolls etc.

If you’re lucky enough to have one, check out your local asian shop for some tofu-knots or various bean-curd sheets or rolls.

Ajvar - the G.O.A.T.
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Ajvar (pronounced aye-vahr) is an eastern-european spread which was one of my most delicious discoveries. It has become increasingly popular over the years and you can find at least one version of it in every-day supermarkets. That said, not all ajvar is created equal. I have not conducted an exhaustive review of global ajvar production but of the ones I have tried my preferred brands are (in order):

Grandma’s (from Ask Foods in Kosovo) is much harder to find. I emailed them a few years ago asking if I could buy a case of it, but alas they never returned my email.

Mama’s is easier to find and comes in a close second.

Last but not least, Pelagonia has done great work bringing ajvar to the common people, stocking at a selection of supermarkets which should make acquisition a breeze.

Personally, I would avoid the Podravka brand if you see it. It was not to my liking and I cannot endorse it for this recipe. My preference is for creamy consistency and closer to orange in colour - the ones I’ve tried that are redder/wetter or mixed with tomato (??) have not sparked joy, but each to their own I guess.

If you want to know more about ajvar, Balkan Lunch Box has a really good write-up and recipe to make it from scratch (it’s pretty intensive!).

Meat substitutes
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I know many prefer not to partake in the meat substitutes, but as someone who did eat meat (mostly) until around my early thirties, I appreciate there being some meat-like textural options available. There are so many options now you’re likely to find something for everyone. Here are some of my favourites, though:

Stock
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My mother used these - Massel - Ultracubes Stock Cubes Vegetable - and I’ve never found a better stock cube.

They taste great, dissolve well, and are an accessible cooking cheat code that’s right up there with onions/garlic/olive oil.

They’re Australian so slightly harder to find, but you can buy a 12-pack from Broadway Candy which makes no sense to me given it’s an online American supermarket, go figure.

Kala namak
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Also known as Indian black salt, this is kiln-fired rock salt that has a distinct sulphurous/eggy smell. This is the star seasoning of my scramble tofu dish but can be used anywhere you’re going for that deep flavour.

Salthouse & Peppermongers have it in chunks suited to use with a grinder or pestle and mortar, as well as the pre-ground version.

Don’t forget: if you see black salt in the shops, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be the kiln-fired version. I’ve made that mistake a few times!

Kraut
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Do yourself a favour and make your own kraut! You will need something like:

  • Fermentation jar such as this 3L Kilner
  • ~2kg of white and/or red cabbages
  • Around 20g of salt per kilo of cabbage
  • Slice it up
  • Massage it in a big bowl with the salt until it’s super juicy
    • I like to add whole peppercorns, dill, and fennel seeds
  • Stuff it in the jar and leave it on the bench for 2–3 weeks

There are so many fermentation guides out there, so read a few blogs to learn about temperature and hygiene best practices.

But for the times you don’t want to DIY, there are plenty of kraut options in most supermarkets. If I’m not getting a heat-treated/shelf-stable one, I’ll usually pick up something like Vadasz - Garlic and dill sauerkraut.