Gluten-Free Afternoon Tea at Browns, Cambridge

I had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Cambridge at the weekend to attend a friend's hen party. I'll admit, initially the thought of a hen party away from home in a city I've never been to before did fill me with dread. It's hard enough eating out being a Coeliac at the best of times let alone when you have no control of the places where you eat. However, the wonderful organiser of the hen party was really understanding and accommodating of my dietary needs and every place we ate at she managed to arrange a gluten-free alternative for me.

Part of the hen do festivities involved a visit to Browns in Cambridge where I had my first ever gluten-free afternoon tea. Now, I'm probably not your typical afternoon tea type of girl - for a start, I don't like normal tea and only drink fruit tea infusions - so some might say an experience like this is wasted on someone like me. Because I am Coeliac I can't eat normal scones, cucumber sandwiches and fancy cakes that you would normally serve with afternoon tea, however, on their website Browns state:-

"If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact your local Browns and we can advise you on our menu or our chefs (with a little notice) can prepare a dish especially for you".



So definitely make sure you call them in advance! I was grateful to Helen for calling them beforehand on my behalf.

Here it is - gluten-free afternoon tea for one

Here's what I got:- 3 sandwiches each with a different filling including cucumber and smoked salmon (I can't remember what the third was but it was yummy) all served on gluten-free bread, 4 bakewell tarts (yes 4) and fresh strawberries and pineapple to top it all off nicely. I was actually really impressed considering they don't normally cater for Coeliacs on their regular menu. Because they probably had to go out and buy gluten-free products especially for me this really shows how they will make the effort if you have a dietary requirement all you have to do is ask. I guess it would have been nice to have had a choice of cakes rather than just 4 bakewell tarts but really I was just so grateful to be included in the hen party activities.

Browns not only provide afternoon tea but they also do breakfast, brunch and lunch menu's, cocktails, Sunday lunch and even lobster nights.

To make a booking at Browns click here for more info

Treacle Market, Macclesfield

I literally couldn't wait to visit Treacle Market yesterday as I'd heard the Foodamentalists would be exhibiting there. I follow the award winning Foodamentalists on Twitter and have been meaning to try their gluten-free products for a while since reading the many rave reviews online. This was the perfect opportunity to sample their products and purchase some to take home.

The Treacle Market is held on the last Sunday of the month and is a very popular and bustling market. There are over 100 stalls exhibiting arts and crafts, food and drink and antiques. Not forgetting the great live music and the real sense of community you get as you wander around the cobbled streets.

First point of call, naturally, was to head to the Foodamentalists stall. It was great to chat to them and I purchased some of their tortilla mix - I smell homemade fajita's coming soon! (future blog post to follow). Seriously though, I could have spent a lot more money than I did, all of their products looked amazing!

A couple of stalls down we found Mrs P's chilli jam. Oh my goodness, you have to give this a try! It's the most amazing jam I've ever had with a real kick to it and it's gluten-free so this immediately went in to my shopping bag.

Next, we bumped in to Adam and Marinha on their Delicious Sauce stand. I've not heard of this brand before but I was intrigued to try their Portugese and African-style sauces and oils, as you can probably tell by now I am partial to a bit of chilli. Everybody was dipping bread in to the taster pots but the lovely Adam and Marinha were really conscious that I couldn't have any contamination from 'normal' bread and so they gave me the sauces to try on a spoon. Plus thanks to the Foodamentalists I had a few slices of their gluten-free bread to dip in (leftovers from their samples). All their sauces are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan friendly and use only the freshest and natural of ingredients. If you like chilli then these sauces are for you! I decided on the garlic and chilli sauce in the end after much deliberating mainly because they told me that people use it to make garlic bread with - I was sold! Another blog post to follow I'm sure. I also picked up a bottle of their basil and chilli-infused olive oil.

There was plenty of other food and drink to sample (sadly not for me) but this was a great afternoon out in the sunshine and I will definitely be going again.

You can read more about the market here

Zeffirellis, Ambleside, Lake District - Gluten-free, Vegetarian and Vegan's welcome!

I've saved the best of my Lake District reviews until last because I was just absolutely blown away by my experience at Zeffirellis in Ambleside. I would even go as far as saying this was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had - and that's including my pre-Coeliac days! Not only was the service first class and the food amazing but they really did seem clued up on my dietary requirements. 

This started right from the minute we set foot in the place. The lady showing us to our table had obviously checked the reservation list and noted that I was Coeliac (instant brownie point there from me simply for making the point she was aware I'm Coeliac). She showed me everything on the menu I could have and also said she would personally speak to the chef to remind him that I needed a gluten-free meal. Very good start!

Zeffirellis combines 3 of my favourite things - eating, cinema and music - it's a restaurant with its own cinema and also a jazz bar upstairs. Now there aren't many places where you can do all 3! This is probably my absolute perfect night out and there's no wonder I immediately felt at ease here. There's a wonderful atmosphere once inside. You get the feeling you are in a stylish, contemporary jazz bar with its atmospheric mood lighting, water feature and soft jazz music playing in the background, but you're actually in a restaurant. The decor really is impressive and adds to the experience.

We weren't initially aware that it is a vegetarian restaurant and despite neither of us being vegetarian we found the menu was varied and interesting and I can honestly say we didn't miss the meat. I went for the bean chilli with brown rice which was absolutely delicious - fresh ingredients, well presented, an ample portion size and I couldn't fault it at all. My husband went for the broccoli and blue cheese lasagne which he said tasted amazing. They also do gluten-free pizza. Gluten-free options are marked with a GF on the menu and there are also many vegan options to choose from.

I really wish we had known this at the time but Zeffirellis offer a cinema package - a film and 2-course meal for £18.75 - an absolute bargain if you ask me. Next time we visit we will be doing this for sure!

After our meal off we went upstairs to the jazz bar where we had a couple more drinks and enjoyed listening to the live jazz band to round the evening off nicely.

All in all this was a lovely restaurant - a real gem in the Lake District and when we return to this part of the world we will definitely be stopping by again.

I would definitely recommend booking - especially if you want to see a film too.

You can check out their website here

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

Coeliac friendly at the Crooklands Hotel, Kendal, Lake District

If you are looking for a Coeliac friendly hotel in the Lake District look no further than the Crooklands Hotel in Kendal. 

We stumbled upon this hotel by accident actually. We stayed here  a couple of weeks ago just for a weekend break in the Lakes and I was really surprised to find out that they offered gluten-free bread as part of their continental breakfast. We hadn't opted for breakfast when we booked as I just didn't think it was worth paying an extra £15 or so each for breakfast when it was highly likely that I couldn't eat most things they offered (or so I thought). However, when we first checked in the receptionist having asked if we had ordered breakfast for the  following morning and I confirmed no she then told us that we could add breakfast on to our bill if we wanted to. Obviously I enquired first as to whether they had any gluten-free breakfast options, not really expecting her to say yes but she confirmed they had gluten-free bread on site! Sadly, they had run out of gluten-free sausages otherwise I could have even had a full English.

Anyway, I was able to eat breakfast in this hotel which was a lovely surprise as I just hadn't expected it. I  had gluten-free bread rolls and fresh fruit plus all the Twinings infusions I could drink. It would have been nice if they had had a couple of gluten-free sausages but I enjoyed my breakfast all the same and was just chuffed that I didn't have to check out on an empty stomach.

To check out reviews of the Crooklands Hotel on Trip Advisor click here

Primo Piano, Leek, Staffordshire

Primo Piano is a Ristorante and Pizzeria based in Leek, Staffordshire. Yes, you did hear me right, Leek - that's where I live! Finally, somewhere in Leek I can review, Hurrah! As far as I know this is the only restaurant in my home town offering to cater for Coeliacs (at the moment). But I'm really hoping I can change that soon.

It was a special occasion, our 3rd wedding anniversary, so we decided to book a table there on a Wednesday evening (I've heard it can get quite busy on Friday and Saturday nights so definitely book in advance). Family friends had mentioned that they offer some gluten-free options on the menu and I also checked www.onionring.co.uk in advance too and was pleased to see that "gluten free dishes available" was clearly stated on this website. A quick phone call to the restaurant a couple of days beforehand also clarified this for me. You can find a copy of their menu on onionring (although I'm not sure how up to date this menu is).

Once we were seated at our table the waitress very kindly explained that all the chicken and steak dishes could be prepared gluten-free so I could choose any of those. I had heard that they do provide gluten-free pizza bases so you can also get a pizza there but I decided to go for a steak, it was a special occasion after all, and I never would normally choose steak on a menu.

I must say I was a bit disappointed to see that although there were options I could have on the menu, there was no mention of a gluten-free pizza base on the menu and it would have been nice if there had been a gluten-free pasta option on there too. Still, the meal I had was delicious, steak in a blue Italian cheese sauce with salad and potatoes. The steak was cooked exactly how I liked it and the sauce was absolutely moreish, rich, creamy and filling and yet not too overpowering to the steak. I would most definitely order this again when I go back although I am trying to be careful with my dairy intake at the moment so I have to be careful with creamy sauces like that.

I'm hoping that the more people that get diagnosed with Coeliac Disease (and it is becoming more and more common) and as the demand increases for gluten-free cuisine, smaller restaurants like Primo will develop their menu to include more pasta and pizza dishes in line with some of the bigger chain restaurants that are already doing this. The good thing about Primo though is that it is my local restaurant and they do offer some gluten-free choices so it means I don't have to travel to Manchester for a meal out, however, if you don't like chicken or steak (or you happen to also be vegetarian) I do wonder whether there would be anything for you to have here. Also, the steak dishes happen to be the most expensive meals on their menu rather annoyingly! I do think in the future Primo should work on their menu, maybe highlight on there with a 'GF' symbol all the dishes that are gluten-free so it is really clear and if they could expand their menu to include one pasta dish this would ensure I came back time and time again. Still, I have to give it to Primo for being the first restaurant to openly advertise gluten-free choices in Leek and I'm hoping that other venues in Leek and the surrounding areas will catch on and also do the same.

If you're a restaurant/cafe in Leek, I'm coming for you!!!!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Misco's Chocolates and Truffles, Leek, Staffordshire

I managed to pick up some Misco's Chocolates randomly at an open evening at my local hair and beauty salon a couple of weeks ago where the company were exhibiting their wares. Having never heard of them before I was pleased to discover they are a local company based in Leek, Staffordshire - hurray!

The chocolates are handmade from only the best ingredients and use no artificial colours and the best bit is they are gluten-free.

They come in a variety of flavours including:-

Violet Cream
Coconut & Vanilla
Ginger Wine
Passionfruit & Raspberry
Dark & Gold leaf
Hazelnut Truffle
Port
Champagne & Galliano white or dark truffles
Cherry Kirsch
Intense Coffee
Blackcurrant & Blueberry
Salted Caramel
Strawberries & Cream
Lemon Cream
Raspberry & Vanilla

They all sound amazing, but I opted for a box of 4 for £3.80 which contained Passionfruit & Raspberry, Cherry Kirsch, Champagne & Galliano white truffle and Intense Coffee.

I found the chocolates were incredibly indulgent yet not too rich or sickly, perfect for that little naughty treat every once in a while. The fruity flavours really came through and I was impressed by how fresh they tasted and how crisp the chocolate was. They also melt in your mouth just perfectly. I would definitely consider ordering a box for a special occasion or as a gift for someone special. All their chocolates are made fresh every week and sent out on a Thursday for delivery in time for the weekend.

As they are a local company I am giving my full support to Misco's Chocolates & Truffles who are flying the flag for gluten-free producers in Leek and I am so glad they are! We need more companies like this in Leek! It seems they are going from strength to strength too by appearing at local markets where you can pick up their tasty delights. If you are out and about visiting the Artisan Markets in Staffordshire and Cheshire you may well see them there so pop over and say hi.

****Winner of the Totally Locally Leek Award 2012 for Totally Locally Producer/Maker****

To find out more and to order online you can visit their website here

Or you can follow them on Twitter or Facebook