Are you sick of shop-hopping to find all the gluten-free ingredients you want? After years of doing precisely that, one Jersey couple has decided to remove the need of relying on supermarkets by opening their own store dedicated to gluten-free goods.
Jess Rodrgiues and Tom Hubert this weekend opened TJ’s Bake and Browse on Georgetown Road. The store is Jersey’s first and only gluten-free shop and bakery.
The pair – who have celiac disease, and a gluten and dairy allergy between them – explained that the idea was born out of “frustration” with supermarket shopping.
Pictured: TJ’s Bake and Browse opened this weekend. (Robbie Dark)
Tom explained: “Some shops don’t even have a [gluten-free] section. Some items are spread around the shelves, so you have to look through everything which takes so much longer. We were just a bit frustrated with it all.”
Around 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, but that doesn’t account for intolerances, anaphylaxis and autoimmune conditions that can also require people to consume a gluten-free diet.
Therefore in Jersey, it is like that at least 1,000 islanders will have to eat a gluten-free diet.
Tom said that being a celiac sufferer, “there’s always anxiety” around shopping and eating out.
Those worries are exacerbated, Jess added, when they go abroad.
“Any time we go on holiday, our biggest anxiety is figuring out where we’re going to eat, especially if we don’t speak the language,” she said.
“We always either look for like a grocery shop or dedicated restaurants.”
Pictured: The shop is located on Georgetown Road. (Robbie Dark)
The couple have stocked a variety of items in their corner shop, including baking ingredients, sauces, snacks and cereals. International foods are also dotted around, including those from France and Italy.
Jess said: “We just wanted to get a good mixture of everything.”
Looking to further supplies in the near future, Tom added that they wanted to hear feedback from customers about what they would like to see on the shelves.
“We’ll try to provide whatever people are after,” he explained.
Also available is a gluten-free baked goods section courtesy of their home kitchen. Jess will be sharing her tried and tested recipes for brookies, cake pops and other sweet treats.
Since getting the keys to the shop two months ago, family and friends have chipped in to get the store ready for opening day, from the hardware to the logo and website.
Customers will also soon be able to purchase groceries through a ‘click and collect’ service through TJs’ website and find updates on their Instagram page.
Related