Boxing Day Brunch and Flour Free Fancies

Although the indoor athletics season will soon be upon us, Christmas time is still family time and relaxation time. But blood sugar wise and exercise wise, it's still a challenge for me to sit still in front of the TV for any length of time (except for when Downton Abbey is on of course). And as is tradition for many people on boxing day, my family and I ventured out this frosty morning to one of the beautiful London parks to blow away the Christmas cobwebs and work up an appetite for brunch by going for a winter walk.

Brew, Putney- London

As we're in London, we decided to walk along the Thames, through Putney park and past the location of the start of the boat race, which takes place in the spring. Starting to build up an appetite after walking a few miles, we began looking for somewhere cosy to stop for a coffee. But very surprisingly for London, nowhere was open, so we carried on walking and stopped at the very first cafe we came to. Which was a happy accident as Brew, the cafe come restaurant we found, was a great location at which to stop.

Cosy Corner

On entering Brew, the door was politely held open for us by the manager and it was like leaving the London suburbs and stepping into a Swedish lodge! The awning at the front of the restaurant had massive leather sofas with inviting fur pillows, ready to just dive onto, and open fires shrouding everyone in warmth. There were even wool blankets waiting on the tables, and as many people with diabetes know, we don't half feel the cold, especially at this time of year. Moving further on into Brew to find a table, my family and I settled at a cushioned sofa come dining set with pillows galore and started considering our order.

Cinnamon Spiced Latte in 'Flower Pot' Mug

When the friendly waitress came over I enquired about what gluten free cake options there were available at Brew (it is Christmas after all... I hope my coach isn't reading this). She mentioned that there was a 'flour free' brownie, which as the waitress explained, was without flour/gluten ingredients, but was prepared in a kitchen where flour was used. So there were no absolute guarantees of the gluten-freeness with it. Although the digestion of gluten doesn't have a positive affect on my digestive system or my blood sugars, I find something like this is okay for me, although I know for others this might differ and their gluten intolerance is much more sensitive. Receiving my chocolate brownie and a cinnamon spiced latte, I tucked in, taking an educated guess at 50g of carbs... decadence I know! The 'flour free' cake was excellent, rich and chocolatey but without a funny after-taste, I really enjoyed it and within an hour of eating it my blood sugars were 7.2mmol- one of the many rewards of trekking before treats.

'Flour Free' Brownie... well what's left of it!