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Edible Gluten Free Foods

Let’s be honest, most GF bread tastes like s#@t, I’ve put together a list of all the ones I find to be edible and relatively enjoyable to eat! GF foods are so expensive it’s devastating when you get it wrong.

Not all supermarkets are made equal, some offer a fantastic range and others are a bit rubbish.

Morrisons - Was the first to make a big free from effort. They have a good range and some good offers. Watch out for their GF fresh pizza’s it’s a hot bead for cross-contamination. Although the ingredients are gf It’s not something I would risk after quizzing rather clueless staff a number of times.

Asda - I’d say they are doing a great job atm. Asda seems to be tackling the affordability issue with living Gluten Free. They have super low prices on staples like pasta where bags are just pence not pounds. I have been super impressed with them. They have a good range and there seems to be something new to try each visit!

Sainsbury and Tesco I’d say are pretty similar. A good range nothing to shout about, I do find that both stores tend to use a lot of oat flour in their own brand biscuits which is a no go for me and many coeliacs. I do wish this wasn’t the case but since coeliac UK decided that oats arnt’t an issue for most coeliacs everything seems to have them in so read your labels!

M & S - I do love so many of Marks and Spencer’s gluten free range, they do lovely fresh ravioli which I wish was more widely available but at £3.50 a pack which isn’t enough for 2 adults it’s so expensive.

The coffee and walnut cake is sooo good. they’re all pretty good apart from the Victoria sponge which I personally think is a bit dry and too sweet.

They used to do a fab scotch egg which sadly disappeared and the pork pies were good too. They do a good sandwich range, depending on the store but I have found over the last few years the range has got smaller, not larger in my local stores. Which is a shame. They do a lot of their food GF and has the cross-grain symbol on the label.

Aldi - They used to do bread, pasta and flour as standard but this has stopped. They now have the odd item on special occasions. Many of their products are gf so it’s with doing a label check. Their sausages are mostly gf and their breaded ham too. Don’t be caught out by the multi-grain rice crackers, they have gluten in them.

Lidl - In all honesty, I don’t have one local to me, I have noticed though that again all of their gf biscuits have oats in them so are off the menu.

Restaurant + Eating Out

It can be very distressing trying to eat out and sometimes it is just best to avoid it all together depending on how sensitive you are.

There are only a hand full of places I am happy to risk eating out and it’s all based on trust.

I know that nowhere can 100% guarantee I won’t get sick, but I am happy as long as they have tried their absolute best to minimise the chance of it happening. I always tell the waitress that it affects my brain not my gut and that while I know they can’t be 100% sure is the chief willing to try his best and recommend dishes that won’t have been compromised in their preparation or ones he can cook fresh. I usually find them accommodating and if I get a hint of unwillingness or lack of understanding I will not risk it.

If you don’t feel comfortable but your friends are eating out, I have called ahead to see if I can pre order or bring some safe fruit or foods that I could eat discreetly and offered to pay a fee to eat them there. I often find this gets well received and they want to help me feel included as best they can.

My favourite place to eat is Bistrot Pierre they are consistently good at gluten free at all locations I’ve visited.

Honest burger is great if you want a burger and fries fix they are adding new locations all the time

Wagamama has always delivered on their gluten free promise for me.

Now I know that many chains say they can do GF but, my body tells me different. I am super super sensitive and have been glutened off a mug before (I think someone had touched bread then put the mug away) I also take issue with being charged the same and my gluten free version has half the food in the dish just missing. The above just have dishes that are already gf and ones they can alter to make the gf but you still get a decent plate of food.

I also recommend becoming regulars at a few choice pubs or restaurants so you build trust and loyalty. You will find a handful of places that are happy to meet your requirements and make eating out less stressful.

Try not to be afraid to ask, somedays I just don’t want to ask or explain myself and feel very emotional about it all. If you don’t ask you don’t get and they won’t know there is a demand for it.

Tips for going for a drink in a bar or dining out

There are a few things I look for when drinking and eating out that you may not think are a problem and it may not be for you but I have discovered a few extra precautions to make sure you don’t get glutened. People may think you’re just being paranoid, but I have genuinely been made ill and now I watch out for these things I’m not.

1. Avoid ice and a slice in your drink. Always look for where it is in a bar. In the UK it is often in big troughs behind the bar where drinks are passed across the top, one splash of lager in there and you’re done for!

2. Same as above for straws

3. Ask the bartender to wash your glass out, It can feel a bit awkward but it will have been washed in a washer full of beer or bread because everyone loves beer and bread so ask them to give it a quick rinse. I often make a joke of it and say I know it’s clean I’m just really allergic to lager and they are quite happy to do so.

4. If you’re having a glass of wine or a spirit (make sure what you choose is not from grain, the safe spirit list from Coeliac UK is not for us we are more sensitive than that so watch out!) Ask the bartender to use a clean measure for your drink, if they’ve used whiskey in it and just given it a light rinse or not at all again you will pay the price.

5. Cutlery, always ask for fresh cutlery and I do give mine a wipe myself. When they set the tables they touch them.

6. Look out for wooden tables where bread is hard to clean out from. Now I love Bistrot Pierre but they have a heavy grain on their tables and they serve crusty bread and it does give me anxiety, but I do not put my cutlery on the table I keep it on my plate and keep an extra side plate to do so.

7. Always ask for anything you are drinking or eating from to be rinsed first no matter how awkward you may feel.

8. Unless you ask if they’re gf avoid the chocolate on a cappuccino. I can’t be bothered to read the packet which I’m usually asked to so I omit it.

Good luck!