The Roaches Tea Rooms, Upper Hulme, Leek

Could this tea room have possibly one of the best views in the whole of UK? I certainly think so.

Take a look at this for a view.

Not a bad place to stop off for a brew and a piece of cake is it?!

I recently discovered that The Roaches Tea rooms not only have amazing views of the Peak District countryside, but also their very own gluten-free menu! And it's only a short drive from Leek where I live.

Here's a copy of their GF menu

I was really impressed with the choice. Plus there's always a good selection of gluten-free cake.

It's still quite rare for a restaurant to have a separate gluten-free menu so any place that makes the effort to print their own gluten-free menu's will certainly get my business time and time again.

I've been here a couple of times now, the first time just for coffee and cake, but the second to have lunch - which was a lovely tuna mayo ciabatta with chips and salad. Now there aren't many places that actually will have gluten-free ciabatta's available either!

The tea rooms are ideally located at the South-western edge of the Peak District National Park and so is a very popular pit stop for walkers and hikers alike. It can therefore get quite busy at peak times, so may be best to call ahead and either reserve a table or get there nice and early before the lunchtime rush. I would highly recommend one of the tables outside (weather permitting) with their breathtaking views.

I'm so incredibly lucky to live near here!

http://roachestearooms.co.uk/

Cupcake Cafe & Bakery

Today I had my first ever gluten-free eating out experience. This was a really big step for me. My friends and I decided to visit the Cupcake Cafe and Bakery in Leek, Staffordshire and this is where I sampled my first gluten-free cupcake.

The Cupcake Cafe is a small, friendly cafe situated at the end of a cobbled courtyard in the centre of town. Although slightly off the beaten track (it's behind another building) it's well worth the visit. You can either sit in or take-out and they also do celebration cakes and special orders if you have a birthday or occasion and need to buy in bulk. The cafe provides a wide range of delicious cupcakes and cakes all home made on site (and also sandwiches and soups) but in the past year have also introduced a dairy and gluten-free cupcake of the week. Every week the flavour changes and this week the cupcake of choice happened to be Bakewell - I therefore couldn't wait to give it a try.

Check out the beautiful vintage-style china too!

I have to say this is one of the nicest cupcakes I have ever had and as it was my first ever taste of gluten-free cupcake I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really couldn't tell the difference between a normal cupcake and gluten-free. The sponge was lovely and light, yet moist, with a jam centre and the vanilla icing (dairy free) was rich and creamy - topped off nicely with a cherry - perfect. I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy a second cupcake to take home for later!

If you are ever passing through Leek I would definitely recommend you stop at the Cupcake Cafe and give their tasty treats a try. I wonder what the flavour next week will be...

www.cupcakecafe.co.uk/ or www.facebook.com/CupcakeCafeandBakery