Cast your mind back 20 years. Britney Spears was topping the charts, Google was born and Frank Sinatra died. It doesn’t seem too long ago – but for those with coeliac disease, a lot has changed. Back then, gluten-free products were only found in the pharmacy, coeliac-friendly bread tasted like cardboard and, when it came to eating out, well, forget it – unless you had something planned well in advance.

Things have changed considerably in that time for coeliac consumers, and you only need to look at the supermarket shelf for proof. The gluten-free market is estimated to be worth €29m in Ireland and is experiencing year-on-year growth.

Trends in the UK are also always a good indicator of how things are looking. According to a Bord Bia report on gluten-free foods, there was accelerated growth in demand of 16% between 2011 to 2015. Supermarkets and food companies were keen to push gluten-free, with a 50% growth in advertising spend in the UK in 2015, to reach a four-year high of over £9m.

Here at home, pharmacies are still the main port of call for gluten-free products, but they are meeting fierce competition from retailers. This Thursday sees the announcement of the FreeFrom Awards, the products that are blind-taste-tested to provide guidance to consumers on what is good on the palate.

We will report on this year’s winners in next week’s paper, but if last year’s awards are anything to go by, expect Aldi and SuperValu to rate well again, with traditional bread companies such as McCambridges proving that gluten-free bread can now be eaten without toasting it to a crisp.

John Burke from FreeFrom Food Awards Ireland says: “Looking at the FreeFrom Food Awards entries over the past three years, from a category and price point of view, we feel that there is no doubt that the number of gluten-free and free-from products has increased greatly.

“In the last five years, products [have become much more] widely available throughout Ireland and, furthermore, now in local and smaller convenience stores, which is a huge change for consumers.

“Price is definitely coming down. It is beginning to normalise in the likes of Tesco and other supermarkets, and there is a general trend of prices decreasing – although it is safe to say it still remains more expensive as a diet. Certain categories are normalising. What are still more expensive are breakfast cereals, for example, and bread: staple foods,” he describes.

John says there is also a clear trend of food producers producing foods for the entire market, which happen to be gluten-free or dairy-free. “We are seeing this with products such as breaded chicken Kiev’s, for example, which weren’t available five years ago – and which are now being sold in the general food sections. Other items, such as soups and sauces are seeing a gluten-free niche, and they are recognising that coeliacs and other free-from consumers need information on the labels and will be drawn to those that clearly state they are gluten-free.”

Janet Drew from Janet’s Country Fayre now has an exclusively gluten-free factory for her production of chutneys, pasta and pizza sauces. She says: “We started as a chutney company, which is naturally a gluten-free product but when the recession hit, we had to start thinking outside the box. Consumers want healthy but convenient products, so we looked at expanding our range and making our products gluten-free, and lower in salt and sugar.

“Our products aren’t just aimed at the gluten-free market, but it means that if there is a member of the family that is coeliac, parents can make a pasta dinner for all the family that is tasty and nutritious without having to make a gluten-free alternative.

“We are involved with SuperValu’s Food Academy, which has really helped to get our product out there.” Priced at €2.79, Janet says her sauces are only about 20c more expensive than the likes of Jamie Oliver’s pasta sauces, but with a full set of green, indicating that they are lower in fats, sugars and salt. CL

One person who has recently had to make the transition to a gluten-free diet is Niamh McInerny from Doneraile in Cork, who was diagnosed just last year, aged 16.

“I really started getting sick in the October. I was very unwell, kept getting chest infections from being run-down and I was so tired. My mam also has coeliac disease, so when my test results came back in January and they were very conclusive. I wasn’t too surprised, but I was very upset. The hardest thing to give up was doughnuts – and I still find it hard going into bakeries. I feel so much better, though. I know the doughnut just isn’t worth it.

Niamh says despite her upset, the diet isn’t as restrictive as she thought. “I love spaghetti Bolognese and my mam is a great cook and makes lovely homemade sauces but the gluten-free pasta is fine. I barely taste the difference, and it is available in so many different places.

“The Wellness Bakery Listowel has lovely cakes and cookies, and me and Mam love the Taste of Goodness sauces. Eating out was a bit stressful at the start, but I am lucky my friends are understanding. When we go into Cork city, I find Uncle Pete’s on Paul Street is very good to cater for coeliac needs, as is Luigi Malone’s and El Pedrino. In Mallow, the Wild Goose has a full gluten-free menu, which means there is lots of choice. All these things have made the transition a lot easier.”

Tips for hosting a coeliac guest

  • • Discuss what you plan to cook with your coeliac guest (or their parent, if they’re a child) in advance. Often a meal can be made gluten-free with some minor tweaks.
  • • Cook gluten-free food separately. If using a deep-fat fryer ensure the oil is changed if previously used to cook a gluten-containing food. If using a toaster, try toaster bags to ensure bread is not contaminated.
  • • Sharing is not always caring where a coeliac guest is concerned. For example, using the same butter knife for standard and gluten-free bread could make your guest ill. Allow your guest to serve themselves first at a buffet meal to avoid cross contamination. Providing a separate dish for butter or dips is also a good idea.”