Review of Glebe Farm Gluten Free Oat Products (Coeliac Safe)

Oats can be so confusing when you have coeliac disease. They’re naturally gluten-free, but most are grown and processed beside other grains, therefore they are contaminated. But, thankfully, we don’t need to miss out, because some oat farmers, like Glebe Farm in Cambridgeshire, produce gluten-free oats which are safe for coeliac sufferers.

Glebe Farm has very kindly gifted me with some of their products so that I could write an honest review here on my blog.

Please click here for more information about coeliac disease

Why are Oats so Good For You?

Oats are an excellent way to start the day.

They are a very healthy grain. They are high in soluble fibre, rich in antioxidants and packed with many vitamins and minerals. Regularly eating oats is known to help lower cholesterol which could possibly lower the risk of heart disease. Eating oats may also keep blood sugar levels stable and promote a healthy gut.

As well as being found on the breakfast table, oats are often used when baking.

Oatmeal cookies can make a healthy snack. Oatmeal and raisin cookies are delicious and if you add some nuts or seeds, they become even healthier. You could add oats to a crumble mix to put onto fruit like apples or rhubarb or make sweet and syrupy flapjacks. There are loads of ways to use oats in baking.

(If your baking needs to be gluten-free, you will get lots of tips and recipes on this Facebook group.)

Glebe Farm Gluten Free Oats

Glebe Farm is the only company in the UK that grows and then processes gluten-free oats into porridge flakes and flour.

Rebecca Rayner and her brother Philip run Glebe Farm near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. A designated processing unit steams and rolls the gluten-free oats which are then used by manufacturers and bakers.

The oats are also used in the Glebe Farm’s own bakery products and retail packs of gluten-free porridge oats, muesli and granolas.

Allergens

The Glebe Farm factory doesn’t handle nuts at all, therefore, if you have a nut allergy, these are 100% safe.

All allergens are marked in bold on the food label. Oats are in bold because they are an allergen. However, they are gluten-free, therefore safe for most coeliacs.

Are Gluten-Free Oats Really Safe for Coeliacs?

The majority of coeliac suffers can eat gluten-free oats. However, oats contain a similar protein to gluten called avenin which a small percentage of people cannot tolerate.

Click here for advice on understanding food labels

Glebe Farm Gluten Free Porridge Oats

Glebe Farm gluten-free porridge oats comes in a 450g resealable bag. Porridge has always been a staple in the diets of Scottish households. It’s good, filling, wholesome food which heats you up in the morning and it doesn’t cost a fortune.

It only takes a few minutes to cook in a pan on the stove or even faster in the microwave. You can cook it with milk or water and add some fruit, honey, maple or golden syrup.

I cook mine in the traditional Scottish way – with water and a pinch of salt. That’s where tradition stops. I then sprinkle it with sugar or drizzle it with syrup. (If you know my Dad, please don’t tell him I do this. It’s just not Scottish. The Scottish way is to eat it with no sweet flavouring, just a dash of extra milk or even cream.)

Glebe Farm Gluten Free Oat Fruit Muesli

The Glebe Farm Muesli comes in a resealable 400g bag. This is lovely muesli with loads of fruit. I ate some with yoghurt for my breakfast. A nice way to start the day.

Main ingredients of the Muesli

Gluten free oats, dried fruit (sultanas, dates, apricots, banana chips and pineapple), linseeds and coconut.

Granola Cereal

Granola is made by combining oats and other ingredients, then baking to form clusters. It’s a healthy breakfast or lunch served with milk or yoghurt. It is also a tasty snack.

I even heated some milk and added it to the granola some mornings. It gave me a very fast heated breakfast. The other good point to that is that very often, my trigeminal neuralgia doesn’t like me eating crunchy food like granola. Problem solved!

All of the Glebe Farm gluten-free granolas come in resealable 325g bags.

Glebe Farm Gluten Free Oat Granola (Plain)

It has no other flavouring. It’s plain and simple. But I like it like that. You can add flavouring, fruit or yoghurt and it’s no longer plain. It’s delicious.

Main Ingredients in Plain Granola

Gluten-Free Oats, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Glucose Syrup, Honey.

Glebe Farm Gluten Free Strawberry Oat Granola

The first thing I noticed on opening the Glebe Farm strawberry granola was the intense aroma of strawberries. The flavour was jumping out of the bag to meet me. If I could dine on smell alone, I’d be a happy diner.

The flavour didn’t let me down. It made a deliciously tasty and healthy breakfast. A small bowl left me full until lunchtime a few hours later.

Main Ingredients of Strawberry Granola

The main ingredients in the strawberry granola are gluten-free oats, crisp rice, freeze-dried strawberries (pieces and powdered), sultanas, coconut and honey.

Glebe Farm Chocolate Gluten Free Oat Granola

I am officially a chocoholic. I am now also a chocogranolaholic. It’s out of this world. So chocolaty. And delicious. And I am reserving these amazing clusters of yumminess to nibble on while watching television.

Main Ingredients in the Chocolate Granola

Gluten free Oats, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Cocoa Powder, Glucose Syrup, Honey.

Glebe Farm Maple and Banana Gluten Free Oat Granola

Again, the flavour didn’t let me down. Bananas and maple syrup are such a good combination. Add to those oats and it’s a recipe for deliciousness.

Main Ingredients in the Maple and Banana Granola

Gluten-free oats, crisp rice, sweetened dried banana chips, maple flavouring and honey.

Don’t Forget the Milk – Glebe Farm Pure Oaty Dairy Replacement – Totally Gluten-Free

I don’t have any problems eating or drinking dairy foods. But many people do. One alternative is oat milk but if the person has coeliac disease, most oat milk contains gluten. Glebe Farm also makes a milk alternative.

Glebe Farm Pure Oaty

It’s gluten and dairy-free with no added sugar or sweeteners. It has a long shelf life and doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened. (Mine has a best before date of 26th of January, 2021)

The Taste Test

I’ve never tried oat milk before, therefore, I can’t compare it to any others. I wasn’t even sure of what to expect. However, I can say that I enjoyed it. There is no added sugar, but there is a slight sweetness to it. I drank some and I used some in my granola for breakfast. Had I not added it to the granola myself, I would have thought it was normal dairy milk.

So Glebe Farm’s gluten-free oat milk also gets a thumbs up from me.

Where You Can Buy Glebe Farm Gluten-Free Oat Products

You can purchase Glebe Farm products directly from their website here or from many retailers. You can also find them on Amazon often at discounted rates for multipacks. Click here to visit Glebe Farm on Amazon.

My Overall Impression

I enjoyed all of their products so will definitely be purchasing more myself. If you are able to eat gluten-free oats, I’d recommend these. Please do take a look at their website to see their full range of products. They also sell baked goods like bread, rolls and pizza bases which all look worthy of trying.

Thank you to the lovely people at Glebe Farm for giving me the opportunity to review their products.