ASDA’s gluten-free mince pies are praised as ‘fantastic’ by shoppers, who insist they are available all year round

Christmas Day is just around the corner and that means families all over the world are preparing for their festive celebrations.

Supermarket chain Asda has launched mince-free pies to cater for people with specific dietary requirements.

The mince pies, which come in a bright red pack of four, consist of gluten- and dairy-free sweet patties with mince filling and a generous amount of sugar.

And fans are so impressed that they’ve called for them to be made available all year round.

‘These gluten-free mince pies are FABULOUS!’ wrote one customer. ‘The pastries are excellent – truly the best gluten-free pastries I have eaten. The only negative is that they are only available at Christmas!’

One enthusiastic foodie called them ‘absolutely beautiful’, and another reviewer described the cakes as ‘the best’ available in supermarkets.

‘A few seconds in the microwave and a dollop of ice cream – delicious! I think I prefer them to muggles,” they said.

And some were delighted to discover they were both dairy and gluten free, praising both the pastry and mince as ‘excellent’.

It comes after This Morning announced it will host a gluten-free cooking segment on Thursday, after the show’s suffering aunt Vanessa Feltz came under fire for her ‘irresponsible’ comments about celiac disease.

A leading charity called on ITV to formally apologize after 61-year-old Vanessa was accused of spreading misinformation about the disease, which causes the immune system to attack tissues when gluten is consumed.

During the show, Vanessa addressed viewers’ dilemmas when a caller named Alison called to complain about being ‘forced to have a gluten-free Christmas’ by her mother-in-law who wants to serve one guest.

Vanessa read out the issue to co-hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle, adding that Alison has a daughter, 15, who is a ‘bit of a picky eater’.

Vanessa said: ‘When Alison said, “Can we bring our own food then? Can we bring food in a snack box?” She said no.” So she’s treating celiac disease like it’s some kind of fatal, potentially fatal peanut allergy and that they can’t have anything with gluten in the house, which is completely unreasonable.”

Vanessa then advised: ‘That’s not reasonable at all Alison. The thing is, though, if you tell her, “Look, he can eat gluten-free, he doesn’t have to, it’s not contagious.” What will she say? How will she react?’

Alison responded, “She’ll tell me I don’t know the facts and tell me to read up.”

Vanessa added: “But she’s not and she’s wrong, I mean she’s just unequivocally wrong about that. Completely wrong.’

While Vanessa told Alison she was “100 percent right” about the situation, she advised that she would “pretty much have to come to terms with it” to keep the peace.

‘Have a snack on the way, take something to eat in the car on the way, don’t stay too long, but don’t argue with your mother-in-law about a little gluten, that’s what I think. Or the lack of gluten,” she added.

Josie then stepped in to point out that people with celiac disease should be wary of gluten cross-contamination.

Vanessa then replied: ‘But they don’t need to have cross-contamination, especially if they bring their own food from home and her 15 year old has what he really likes and takes that in the snack box, that would be fine.

“But I just think it’s worth arguing with her, digging in your heels and making a big pile of it, when it’s only one day, about one meal?”

The segment immediately angered viewers with the condition, with Celiac UK, a charity for people living without gluten, quickly calling Vanessa out for her comments.

On We are very concerned about the content and advice given to a caller attending a family Christmas event where all food will be gluten free to protect the health of someone with celiac disease.

‘We are actively monitoring @ITV. You can read our open letter in the comments below and share any responses we receive.

‘In the meantime, we ask that you contact This Morning to ask them to apologize to our on-air gluten-free community for this harmful and inaccurate information, and to work with Celiac UK to ensure their information will be accurate in the future.’