The Pepper Mill, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

I've visited The Pepper Mill in Longton a few times these past couple of months and every time I've visited I've had a great gluten-free meal with no nasty after-effects.

I was recommended to go here by a friend I used to work with as she had noticed when she went for a meal there that on the menu it advertised they offer Genius bread as an alternative to normal bread with their sandwich options.

I then visited their website and discovered their whole Main Menu Allergy List. This is basically a condensed version of their main menu highlighting all the dishes that do not contain wheat or gluten. There are starters, sides, mains and desserts to choose from. Even better, the chips are marked gluten-free!

The Pepper Mill serves mainly pub food but they also have a tasty carvery served daily. So far I've tried the chicken tikka masala, chicken melt and the carvery (twice). All four meals I could not fault.

Not only do they offer Genius bread sandwiches for Coeliacs but if you ask the staff they will provide gluten-free gravy with their carvery. It's awesome that I can now go out and have a carvery just like everybody else (avoiding the yorkshire puddings, stuffing and normal gravy of course).

What I like about The Pepper Mill is that their staff seem pretty knowledgeable about the gluten-free diet, they are very accommodating and willing to help and there is an impressive choice of dishes to choose from, not just one or two. It's great to find somewhere like this where I don't feel restricted or left out and where I am treated the same as everybody else.

I can see myself visiting here time and time again not only because the location is handy for a lot of my friends and family but also because The Pepper Mill offers great gluten-free pub food in a lively atmosphere.

The Honey Pot, Keswick, Lake District

OK, so the service here wasn't great - we were served by a really miserable waitress who didn't seem happy to be there - but the Honey Pot in Keswick does cater for Coeliacs so I definitely wanted to pay it a visit when in the Lake District. Here's their menu...

Looks good so far

It was great to see they actually had a gluten-free section in their menu as not all places do. I really fancied a bacon and cheese ciabatta but sadly they had sold out of ciabatta's so I opted for a toastie instead. I have to admit I was a little disappointed when my food arrived. It wasn't really presented that well and it looked like something I could have just easily made myself at home with a sandwich maker, nothing special at all. Still, I was hungry and ate it although I did find it a little too greasy for my liking (probably the melted cheese).

To cheer myself up I decided to order the New York Cheesecake which was advertised on the specials board as gluten-free. This was much better and it was my first taste of cheesecake since going gluten-free and I really enjoyed it.

I'm kinda hoping I visited the Honey Pot on a bad day because they have the potential to be a really lovely gluten-free venue, they have variety on their menu and the fact they also do Coeliac-friendly dessert gets them an extra bonus point in my book. I just hope they will work on their presentation in the future - just because it's gluten-free doesn't mean it has to look bad - and also they need to make sure they have everything in stock that they advertise on the menu otherwise they will end up with a lot of unhappy Coeliacs.

I did love their pretty tables though!

You can find the Honey Pot at

6 New St  Town Centre, Keswick CA12 5BB 017687 74974

Las Iguanas - muchos gracias

www.iguanas.co.uk/

Following on from Saturday's cupcake success I was feeling brave and found myself in Manchester on Sunday night to watch a gig. We needed a quick bite to eat before the concert started and so we decided to give Las Iguanas' gluten-free menu a try (yes, they have a whole gluten-free menu!) 

Having searched the Coeliac UK website beforehand, using their very handy venue guide, I had decided this was the best place to go for my first gluten-free meal out in Manchester (Deansgate) . It also happens to be my favourite type of cuisine and one of my favourite places to eat ever, and the fact that they also have a gluten-free menu was definitely a bonus. Their chilli is possibly the best chilli I have ever tasted (pre gluten-free) and yes I would consider myself to be a bit of a chilli connoisseur.

Upon arriving at the restaurant I made myself known to the waitress and explained that I required a gluten-free menu, no big deal was made of it, no fuss, I was just given the gluten-free menu instead of the normal menu when we got to our table- no problem. I think the staff here are pretty used to this kind of thing.

The gluten-free menu is basically a selection from their main menu that the chefs have adapted to be gluten-free. The gluten-free options are also on their main menu marked with a 'GF' by the side but it is handy having your own gluten-free menu and that way you don't have to trawl through the rest of the menu just to pick out the gluten-free options. There is a good selection to choose from (sadly no chilli option) and I found that there was something on the starter, main and dessert menu that tempted me. I opted for the Feijoada de Vaca (a Brazilian stew with beef, chorizo, and black beans in a red wine sauce) and I must say it was absolutely delicious!

To view their gluten-free menu click here

Although I am still new to gluten-free eating out I think Las Iguanas are certainly up there with the forerunners in Coeliac dining out. The fact that they have taken the time to produce their own gluten-free menu which means that you can see exactly everything that you can eat just shows how accommodating and aware of Coeliac Disease they are. I did worry that going to a restaurant for the first time with a special dietary requirement would be embarrassing and I might be made to feel like an inconvenience or one of those  'fussy eaters' but this simply wasn't the case with Las Iguanas. Asking for a gluten-free meal was about as normal as asking for a vegetarian option. The waiting staff are friendly and knowledgeable about the food and were keen to recommend a dish if you are unsure what to have.

It must be noted that I visited the Deansgate, Manchester Las Iguanas and although I'm sure the other restaurants within the chain across the UK will offer the same kind of experience, I have only commented on their Deansgate venue.

Muchos gracias Las Iguanas for a very enjoyable fuss-free gluten-free dining experience. First meal out - in the bag!