Apple Muffins - Gluten free of course!

I tried a new recipe today for Apple Muffins and it's one worth sharing:
 (Makes 12 Muffins)

Pre heat the oven to 180C (165C for fan ovens)

Ingredients:
Two and a half cups of Self-raising flour (I used gluten free flour)
Half a cup of brown sugar
One teaspoons cinnamon
One cup of milk
Half cup of vegetable oil
One egg, lightly beaten
 Three small eating apples,
Method:
Grate one apple. Chop the second into small chunks and slice the third.
Mix together flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the oil, milk and egg. Combine thoroughly but without stirring too much (this would make the muffins heavy and chewy). With a wooden spoon fold in the grated apple and apple chunks.
Place spoonfuls of the mixture in muffin tin or cases.
Before baking, place a slice of apple on the top of each muffin and sprinkle with a little brown sugar .
Bake for 20 - 25 mins until golden. Leave in tin for a couple of minutes before taking out and placing on wire rack to cool.

The observant among you will notice that I forgot to add the sliced apple before baking..... Colin, don't say a thing!!

These are lovely served with a little crème fraîche....

Wimbledon's Coeliac champion!

For the past two weeks Colin has occasionally taken a little time out to watch the tennis from Wimbledon. My interest grew when I learnt that, like me, Novak Djokovic, has Coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease is not, as some think, an allergy, or asimple food intolerance. In fact it's an autoimmune disease, where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. In people with coeliac disease this immune reaction is triggered by gluten, a collective name for a type of protein found in the cereals wheat, rye and barley. A few people are also sensitive to oats.

There is no 'cure' but it is possible to avoid the symptoms of the disease by adhering strictly to a gluten free diet. Djokovic claims that changing to a gluten free diet has helped him with his game. He says the main change for him is his sharper focus and feeling much better physically.

Today this was proved beyond doubt when he triumphed over Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final.

This is a victory for Djokovic but let's hope that the focus which has been given to Coeliac by his success will encourage some of the 80-90% of undiagnosed sufferers to go to the doctors to be tested for coeliac disease!

Well done, Novak!