We are Gill and Paul McLean – a wife and husband team from Northumberland with an inherent love for food. Since the age of 30, I, Gill, have suffered from coeliac disease and my two sons have also been diagnosed since they were young.
We have continually struggled to find safe, gluten-free food that doesn’t compromise on quality, especially when eating out or on the move. Therein lies the inspiration behind Dou_h & Co, to bring 100% gluten-free, delicious food to the masses.
As if by fate a local pizza trader was selling his trailer, we took the plunge and bought it.
We began researching, testing and trialling different gluten-free flours and finally found a formula which created the light and fluffy, yet soft and chewy texture for a pizza base we were yearning for.
Testing our pizzas on friends & family, we were overwhelmed by the the reaction – many said they couldn’t tell it was gluten-free (often, gluten-free dough has a rubbery texture and fails to provide the delicious crunch and chew of normal dough).
That’s when we knew we were onto something.
Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease, it is common and affects one in 100, hundreds of thousands of people in the UK have the disease. Knowing this, we realised that there must be a demand for high-quality food that not only tastes amazing but has the assurance of being totally gluten-free.
After employing the help of Lazy Grace in Rothbury, who helped with our logo, we had the trailer wrapped with our brand. We’re now firing up its authentic wood-fired oven every week serving a mouth-watering menu of artisanal, gluten-free pizzas made using quality ingredients locally sourced where possible.
Our homely little trailer is also available for private hire, including weddings, parties, functions – basically anywhere where there’s a pizza-craving crowd. We pride ourselves on providing quality, handmade gluten-free fodder which has been crafted out of a love for food, and a desire to make others happy. Let the good times roll!
