by Laerke Christensen, reporter 

A Tonbridge bakery is attempting to unite people with Coeliac disease with gluten-eaters but are finding that the main point of difference is price.

The award-winning bakery Oast to Host in Tonbridge has released its line of gluten-free millionaires just in time for Christmas, hoping to appeal to gluten-eaters and Coeliac sufferers alike.

Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disorder which leaves the person diagnosed with it unable to consume products containing gluten. The protein is commonly found in wheat, rye and barley, but some people might find that they are sensitive to oats as well.

Sally Black, partner of Oast to Host, said that the bakery’s products were made for everyone.

“We need people to realize that it’s suitable for everybody to enjoy.”

“We’d like people to produce a tart or pie that everybody around the table can eat, it’s not just okay, there’s yours, you’re the coeliac, you have that.”

 

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However, for people who live in families with Coeliac sufferers and non-sufferers, both taste and price are the deciding factors in whether to put two types of bread on the table or just one.

Sarah Booker, from Sittingbourne, suffers from Coeliac disease and has two daughters who are also affected by the autoimmune disease.

She said that for her, the price was the sticking point.

“We can get everything that we want from a gluten free point of view but it probably costs us three to four times more than it would cost to buy the gluten equivalent of it.”

“You can buy a loaf of bread for 20 pence in the supermarket and the cheapest you’ll be able to buy a gluten-free loaf is about £2.50-£3.”

She also said that while it is possible to make most products without gluten, for gluten-eaters, the taste difference in products like bread makes it hard to convince them to switch.

For more information on living with Coeliac disease, visit https://www.coeliac.org.uk/home/ where you can also take an online assessment if you think you could be suffering from Coeliac Disease.