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Gluten free is a piece of cake

THE success of Clare’s Cakery is evidence that even when someone has to avoid certain foods, they can still have their cake and eat it.

Clare Butlin, who is the woman behind the growing business, was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2006. This autoimmune condition means that the body cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats, so there had to be a rethink about the traditional ingredients used in cake baking.

The result is a range of cakes that meet the needs of people like Clare, who are on a strict gluten-free diet, yet still want to eat food that looks and tastes good.

Clare said: “My mum had been diagnosed with the same condition a few years earlier and when I was diagnosed in 2006, I knew that it would mean a huge change in what I could eat. “At the time the choice of gluten-free products in supermarkets was limited and those that were available were not very nice to eat. I had always been a keen cook and began cooking meals from scratch and experimenting with baking cakes.

“There were a lot of failures, but I started taking those that were a success into work to share with my colleagues who seemed to enjoy them.”

In 2009, after working for ITV in London for over 13 years Clare decided to take voluntary redundancy to start a new challenge. After a few months of preparation and help from friends and family Clare’s Cakery opened for business.

Clare said: “Our main goal has always been to make delicious cakes, tarts and goodies that are suitable for coeliacs to enjoy but that no one would ever know were gluten free. We now supply cakes to cafes and tearooms across Northamptonshire and also bake for individuals. Everything is baked fresh to order and our product list is always changing as we experiment with new ideas, flavours and ingredients.

“Our most popular cakes are carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, Italian-inspired lemon polenta cake and coffee and walnut cake. We also do a range of sweet and savoury tarts and, at this time of year, orders are flooding in for our almond sponge-topped mince pies and chocolate yule logs.

“We’re now looking forward to our next decade and hope to reach out to even more cake-starved coeliacs across the county.”

To find out more contact Clare’s Cakery, Frost Court, Great Doddington, NN29 7NL.

Phone 07837 176890, see Facebook: Clares Cakery Gluten Free or Twitter: @clarescakerygf

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