If you’re hosting a drinks party with someone who has coeliac disease, don’t rely on the tiger crust: choose a product clearly labelled gluten-free. Bake-at-home rolls or ciabatta are a good choice if you want to share warm bread; flatbreads work better with dips. Always check the latest packaging and keep the gluten-free portion separate from ordinary bread during preparation and serving.
An explicitly labelled gluten-free product is the starting point. Keep it separate from ordinary bread and crumbs while slicing and serving, too; the Dutch Coeliac Society highlights the risk of cross-contamination, even at home.
If you mainly want to put warm pieces of bread on the table, consider gluten-free bake-at-home rolls, mini baguettes or ciabatta. Check the cooking instructions for your chosen product before the drinks party begins.
If you’re planning a drinks party at short notice, it’s important to find the format you want. Check your shop’s current range and be prepared to choose a different format if the bread you’re looking for is unavailable.
First, decide whether the bread needs to be suitable for someone with coeliac disease. Then choose a format for your drinks party: warm bread to share, a flat product for dips or something that needs very little preparation.
Choose these: if you want to serve warm bread to share.
Bear in mind: you’ll need oven space, and you should follow the instructions for the specific product.
Choose these: if guests mainly want bread or crackers to go with dips.
Bear in mind: they have a different format and texture from warm tiger bread.
Choose these: if a shareable loaf matters more than a tiger-bread-style crust.
Bear in mind: ranges vary, and ingredient and allergen information may change.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free choice | Look for an explicit gluten-free label and read the latest ingredient and allergen information. Set aside separate utensils for preparation. | If someone with coeliac disease is joining us, I want to be able to check what I’m serving and make sure crumbs from ordinary bread don’t get mixed in. For around 46% of consumers, choosing a gluten-free option comes first. |
| Warmth and shareability | Check whether the bread needs baking, and look at the number of pieces and the cooking instructions on the packaging. | I want to put warm bread on the table to share and have time to bake it. Around 36% of consumers give this bread experience top priority. |
| Convenience and availability | Check your shop’s current range, the pack size and whether preparation is required. | When the drinks party is about to start, I mainly want a product that’s available and can be served without much preparation. This is the most important need for around 18% of consumers. |
The name tiger bread says nothing about whether it’s suitable for someone with coeliac disease. The Dutch Coeliac Society says a product may be labelled gluten-free if it contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
Choose a product explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the packaging again when you buy it.
Even after you’ve bought it, contact with ordinary bread crumbs or shared utensils can cause cross-contamination.
Use a clean, separate board, knife and serving plate for the gluten-free bread. Keep dips and toppings separate, too, if people are using knives that have touched ordinary bread.
Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS also list other gluten-free bread formats that work well for a drinks party, including flatbreads, ciabatta and mini baguettes.
Search for the format you need: bake-at-home bread to share or flatbread for dips. Then assess each product based on its own label.
Availability can vary by shop and over time. Product information may also change.
Check availability shortly before you shop, and read the physical packaging before serving.
Albert Heijn’s own-label range includes Mediterranean party bread, white rolls, pistolets and multiseed rolls.
Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list Schär products including flatbreads, ciabatta and mini baguettes.
Albert Heijn lists Nairn's flatbreads, including Original and Rosemary & sea salt, in its gluten-free bread range.
Albert Heijn lists Consenza high-fibre chia seed bread, gluten-free and organic, in its bread range.
This gluten-free bread mix is a good choice if you want to make your own bread for a drinks party. It isn’t a ready-made or bake-at-home alternative to tiger bread, so allow time for preparation and check the instructions on the packaging.
No image available
For anyone who wants to make their own gluten-free bread for a drinks party instead of buying a ready-made loaf.
1 kg bread mix. Follow the instructions on the packaging to prepare it; if someone has coeliac disease, keep the bread separate from ordinary bread and shared utensils.
Read the latest ingredient and allergen information carefully, especially if soya is relevant to one of your guests.
You can’t tell from the name or crust. If you’re serving someone with coeliac disease, look for an explicit gluten-free label and check the latest packaging. The Dutch Coeliac Society says products can be labelled gluten-free if they contain less than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
Gluten-free mini baguettes, ciabatta or rolls that you can bake at home are a good choice if you want to share warm bread. Flatbreads and crackers are better suited to dips and have a different texture. In both cases, check the gluten-free label and the cooking instructions for your chosen product.
Slice and serve the gluten-free bread using clean, separate utensils, away from ordinary bread and crumbs. The Dutch Coeliac Society points out that cross-contamination can happen in your own kitchen, too.
Don’t assume this is true of all gluten-free bread products. The Dutch government lists salt and bread with added iodine as possible sources of iodine; the Schär mini baguette described by PLUS lists iodised salt. Check the ingredients list of the product you buy.
The range varies between chains and may change. Albert Heijn and Jumbo list a variety of gluten-free bread formats, while Lidl says its extra gluten-free products aren’t always available. Check your shop’s range before planning your drinks party.
