Being a celiac means living on a very strict gluten free
diet. Managing this at home is
relatively straight forward however eating out is fraught with potential
difficulty. This article shares a personal experience of eating out and
the issue general ignorance about what food contains.
Eating out when you are on a restricted gluten free diet
always has the potential for difficulty.
Only yesterday I was reminded of this when we went out for a late
meal. As always, we had rung the restaurant to ensure they had a gluten
free menu. In fact, it is one I have used before but it pays to check. Gravy is the usual problem for a traditional
Sunday roast dinner, however we were assured that the chef would produce a
gluten free version.
So far I have yet to find any catering establishment that
produces a gluten free Yorkshire pudding which I miss so much. If you know of one, please let us know so we
can spread the work through my website and blog.
We had been putting a room straight after decorating all
day, so were tired and more than ready for our meal.
All went well throughout the meal until we went to order the desert.Those who know me well know that I really enjoy the desert
the best of all. Whilst I love fruit at home, I love choose something different
when eating out. I do get annoyed when
restaurants offer fruit/ fruit salad as the only gluten free option as it shows
so little imagination.
Back to our meal. On
the menu board there were two good gluten free desert options or so I thought
initially. Eton mess, which is a mixture of broken meringue, raspberries and
whipped cream and a lemon cream bruleé.
I ordered the Eton Mess but as always I asked the waiter to ensure it
was gluten free.
Unfortunately, he came back and told me that the only option
I could safely eat was strawberries and cream. Not the end of the world but
somewhat irritating if you have got your mouth watering for something else. Such a disappointment!
Next of course there is the decision whether to challenge
what is said or to go quietly. My sister
had the Eton Mess; in fact, they served it up in a biscuit basket, which
was of course made with wheat and so was not gluten free as described on the menu. As for the bruleé – who knows whether I could
risk that being gluten free. Both deserts could very easily have been made
gluten free if the chef had the right knowledge.
I think that in a society like ours, which is becoming ever
more ready to sue when things go wrong, restaurants get very nervous and in the
end make decisions based on ignorance. People,
including chefs and restaurant owners, simply do not know enough about what it
means to be gluten free. I will be sending them my "Gluten Free Guide For Cafes And Restaurants", before I eat there
again.
You would think that if offering a gluten free menu, café and
restaurants owner would ensure that their staff are well trained. Especially
since May 2015 is gluten free awareness month! Pass on the link to my book to as many café
and restaurant owners as you can so that they have the opportunity of getting
their gluten free menu right!
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