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/

East & West Bakery, Barnstaple

I must give the East and West Bakery in Barnstaple, Devon a mention because they are doing a fabulous job catering for Coeliacs down in Barnstaple. We visited here one afternoon as my friend had mentioned that they do gluten-free cakes. I was naturally keen to sample their delights, I mean, a bakery that actually provides a selection of gluten-free cakes is a rarity in my part of the world and as I seem to be obsessed with satisfying my sweet tooth at the moment I couldn't wait to see what the bakery had to offer.

When we walked in it was clear that the bakery was a very popular place as there were about 5 or 6 people in the queue in front of us - always a good sign! My friend pointed out to me the section of gluten-free pastries and cakes which were located to the far right of the counter as you walked in and were all displayed on their own separate tray, away from all the gluten cakes. I also happened to notice that they bake their own gluten-free bread and sell it by the loaf, individually wrapped and ready to take away.

I decided to go for the coffee cake as it just looked amazing! I am not kidding when I say it was the nicest gluten-free cake I have ever tasted - the light, moist sponge, the layers of coffee flavours and the fresh cream on top all complimented each other well, plus the slice itself was huge! I almost forgot to take a photograph of the cake because I was enjoying it so much but here's a quick picture I took before I devoured the whole slice...

Apparently they take orders too so you can order a specific type of cake if you call them in advance and they will bake pretty much anything for you -  01271 377577.

I can not wait for my next visit!