As I have Coeliac disease I always try to do my bit to support Coeliac Awareness Week. This year I really pushed the boat out and ate out not once... but twice!
Eating out as a Coeliac can be frought with peril due to a lack of understanding by some eateries as to what "gluten-free" actually means. This is what puts me off eating out - but it's also why Coeliac Awareness Week is so important, as it raises awareness of Coeliac disease and highlights the requirements of those of us with this condition. If Coeliacs don't get out there and eat out, we'll never see an improvement in the choice and selection available to us and be able to feel confident in the choices we are making.
So! I geared myself up for two dining experiences last week.
I think it's probably important to highlight here that I have probably eaten out in a restaurant only two or three times this year - if you're lucky! Risking gluten-poisoning fills me with dread and takes all the pleasure out of the dining experience for me. So to eat out twice in one week was a challenge for me in itself!
For our first outing we went to our local College to have lunch in their hospitality training restaurant. Every year they do a gluten-free lunch as part of Coeliac Awareness week and I try my best to go along and support it. This year was the busiest yet and the restaurant was absolutely crammed full!
The entire menu was devised to be completely gluten-free and suitable for Coeliacs. Starter options were sweet potato and roasted red pepper soup or tomato and mozzarella stack. Main courses were a choice of chicken stuffed with cheese and pepper sauce on a bed of tagliatelle, salmon and asparagus fish cakes, or mushroom and pea risotto. Dessert was white chocolate cheesecake, or sticky toffee pudding with custard.
Yes, I did just actually say sticky toffee pudding. Here is the photographic evidence:
I thought I had died and gone to heaven! There were 8 of us in our group - four of us Coeliacs - and we all opted for the sticky toffee pudding option. The non-Coeliacs couldn't tell that there was anything gluten-free about this dessert - they found it to be as delicious as we did! Definitely the highlight of my week. I'd be tempted to go further and say the highlight of my year - culinary-wise, at least! If you are a fellow Coeliac then you may just understand!
I have since emailed the College and requested the recipe - if they share, I'll pass this on!
The second of my dining experiences was to a local grill restaurant. I'd heard on the grapevine from a Coeliac friend that this restaurant offered a gluten-free menu and I was keen to put this to the test. I contacted the restaurant in advance to check, and the proprietor offered to email me a copy of their gluten-free menu for my perusal. They also advised that, with 24 hours' notice, they could arrange for a gluten-free burger to be supplied from their butcher.
The menu was varied and included a really good selection - I was impressed that they recommended potatoes as a side dish rather than chips as they could not guarantee there would be no cross-contamination with their fryers even though the oil would be changed. To me this indicated that they had a good awareness of Coeliac requirements.
We were having lunch so I opted for a baked potato with chilli con carne, cheese and side salad. I checked with the server that the chilli was gluten-free before ordering and she seemed clued up as to what I was taking about, which was a pleasant change. The food was delicious and well cooked, and no gluten poisoning for me - result!
The restuarant proprietor also advised me that they are working on devising a dairy-free menu too so they can accommodate as many dietary requirements as possible. It's fantastic to hear that the hospitality industry is taking notice of these conditions.
Overall I had a lovely time eating out as part of Coeliac Awareness Week and despite some reservations and nervousness about the experience I'd say my confidence has grown somewhat and I'll be less apprehensive when eating out the next time!
I hope those of you who also took part in Coeliac Awareness Week enjoyed your experiences too.
Best Wishes
Debbie
You can read more about Coeliac Awareness Week and Coeliac disease on the Coeliac UK website.
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