A gluten free day in Bath

It’s the first weekend in December, so I decided that it was time to get out of London and go and visit another Christmassy city. I decided on Bath. I haven’t been since a child, but I have heard wonderful things and it was rated to have one of the best Christmas markets in the country!

So off we went...early start on Saturday morning to make the most of the day. We decided to grab breakfast in the station so we didn’t have to faff around at home. We did double check before we made that decision that there was somewhere I could get food (obviously). I knew there was a Pret in Paddington, which meant there was a gf breakfast. 

I have previously tried the Pret porridge which is gluten free. Although I was incredibly pleased to see they had introduced gf porridge, I was really disappointed with the bland taste and odd texture (sorry Pret!). I’d have it again if it was the only thing there, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a tasty breakfast option.

This time I noticed they did another gf option – the veggie power pot. It is made up of beans, mushroom and a poached egg, so I thought I would try this as it would probably make for a filling breakfast. Oh man it was good! Way better than the tasteless gruel that is the gf porridge. The power pot was delicious. The egg was perfectly poached (although concerningly small…Pret...should we be concerned by the ridiculously small eggs?) the beans were a delicious mix of beans, tomato, onion and mushroom and it as big enough to keep me full until lunch! All in all, a good breakfast.

We got on the most crazily busy train to bath and off we went! An hour and a half later,we had arrived. First stop was the Christmas markets. I can understand why they are voted one of the best in the country – it was great! Mostly because a lot of the produce was local. I’m a big fan of buying local produce wherever possible and supporting small businesses, so the market was perfect! From gin to soaps to honey, all from Bath. Buskers were playing Christmas music, the streets were full of cheery people, smell of mulled wine in the air – it was a perfect way to kick of the day of festive fun!

After walking around pretty much most of Bath we decided to try and find some lunch. We walked around seeing if we could find anywhere that was gf that did a good pizza or something equally treat like but I couldn’t find anywhere that wasn’t packed and that did gf food. While walking around we stumbled upon a bagel shop called the Whole Bagel. Usually bagel shops don’t do gluten free so my hopes weren’t too high…but how wrong I was! They actually did do gluten free bread and they told me they use a different toaster and clean knives to make the sandwiches! Amazing! I was so pleased! I ordered a brie, bacon and tomato chutney sandwich, oh it was delicious! We decided to take them away and eat them in the park near the crescent in Bath. It was perfect, surrounded by autumn leaves, beautiful architecture and eating one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.

After our sandwiches we has a walk around the crescent, through the park and had a poke around the shops (the sales were on so when I say a poke around, I mean I bought more Christmas presents than I could actually carry!). After a spot of shopping we decided to go on a hunt for cake.

Will and I are a big fans of coffee and cake – wherever we go we like to find a good cafe. Will is becoming a bit of a coffee geek and I’m becoming more obsessed with cake as the days go by. The unfortunate thing about Bath is that a lot of the cafes and restaurants seemed to be chains. But after walking into a few coffee shops and deciding it wasn’t for us we found the most perfect coffee shop for us - Cascara! It sold only gf cakes and delicious coffee. We decided on a Columbian chocolate cake and a raspberry and marshmallow cake. I had a cappuccino and will had a late.

The cake was actually to die for! Now, not to blow my own horn, but because I do bake a lot and can bake good cakes, sometimes the cake we have in cafes can be a bit of a let down. Not this time…the cake was so good! The cholate cake was moist, rich and full of chocolate chips. The marshmallow and raspberry cake was like no other cake I have had – the marshmallows provided a great texture and the raspberries cut through the sweetness. I would highly recommend Cascara to anyone, not just gluten free people!

We finished the day with a walk around the Christmas markets, a glass of red in a cozy pub and then headed back to London for dinner. I wasn’t blown away by the dinner options in Bath and it seemed to be getting busier and busier. We decided we were better off going back to London and heading out to my fave local pizzeria Zia Luccia.

Overall, I would say that Bath didn’t have the biggest choice of gluten free options, but they few they did have were fab! I would definitely go back just for the café and bagel shop!

Waffles!!

I CAN EAT WAFFLES!  Who would have thought!? I have seen brownies, bread, wraps, pizza bases but never gluten-free waffles!

I came across Van’s Gluten-free Waffles in the frozen section of the local supermarket in Sarasota. I bought the original and the ancient grain waffles to try them out. They also have blueberry, flax and apple cinnamon but I’m not a fan of flavored waffles – I’d rather add my own toppings of fruit.

The original waffles were delicious; they tasted just like normal toaster waffles. I couldn’t use the toaster as it was contaminated with wheat bread, so every morning I dry fried 2 frozen waffles, topped it off with fat-free cool whip and added a chopped banana…just heaven! Although I loved the original waffles, it was the ancient grain option that I bought again. The ancient grain waffles had a better taste and flavor as well as being lower in calorie and more fiber.

For anyone traveling to America – you should definitely give these a try. They are tasty, a good size and a good texture. If only they were available over in the UK!

Gluten-free Baseball

I’ve always wanted to go to a baseball match – the game is not too hard to understand, the atmosphere always looks amazing and the classic hot dog stands everywhere! This year we decided to go and see the Tampa Bay Rays play against the Boston Red Socks.

Obviously I thought that there wouldn’t be an option for gluten-free eating there. I have been to football matches in England and they cater for the pie and chip lovers and that is about it. However, when I walked into the Tropicana Fields Stadium I found that I was completely wrong. Inside the stadium there were food stalls everywhere – Outback Steak House, Pappa Johns Pizza and a gluten-free hot dog stand!

The hot dog wasn’t the most thrilling thing I have ever eaten – it didn’t come with cheese or sauce, but the most important thing for me was that I could see a baseball match and eat a hot dog – a very touristy thing to do...but something everyone should get the chance to experience!

I have learned that being a coeliac shouldn’t put you off going to places, doing things and it certainly doesn’t mean missing out!

Dutch Valley – Our Breakfast Tradition

I have been to this part of Florida for a few years now. Every time we come we have a tradition of going to the local diner for breakfast on the first morning. The local diner – Dutch Valley – serves the most delicious breakfast and the biggest, creamiest pies I have ever known!!
 

I have not been to the USA since being diagnosed with coelic disease so I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little worried that I would have to miss out on this family tradition that has become almost religious. I knew that I would have to miss out on the biscuit – a fluffy scone that is grilled and then drenched in maple syrup – but I wasn’t too sure what else I would miss out on.

I usually order a skillet which is basically home fries, 2 eggs (however you like them), lots of cheese and 2 fillings  (bacon, ham, broccoli, onion, mushroom...pretty much anything you like!). I assumed that none of this stuff would have gluten in it and I was correct! The best bit was that there was a separate gluten free menu! Not only did I get my skillet I also got a replacement for the biscuit – gluten free raisin and cinnamon toast – thank goodness! Something I could drench in maple syrup!!

The reason I am blogging about this is that it came as a shock to me that a little, independent, local diner had such a brilliant gluten free menu. This is something that I wouldn’t expect in the UK, usually it’s only the larger chains that know how to cook gluten free food – even some chains such as Pizza Express have only had a gluten free menu for about 6 months. I would hope to see more smaller, independent restaurants providing a gluten free menu. Knowing that my favourite restaurant has a gluten free menu has made my holiday! I know that traveling with coeliac disease is hard – but the USA seems to be the opposite, it has so far been incredibly easy to be a gluten free holiday maker!

Delta Airline Food

Most airlines should do gluten – free meals, as long as you order them in advance. When we booked our flights there was no gluten–free option which was worrying. We called Delta and they assured us that a gluten-free meal was ordered for my boyfriend and I. On arrival to the gate at Manchester Airport I went to check with the lady at the desk whether my gluten-free meal was on board. I was told that no special meal was ordered and there was no way I could get one on board before take off.

I was angry as this is not a case of being a vegetarian (a lifestyle choice) this is a medical necessity! The lady at the gate seemed unwilling to search for a solution to the problem. I was told to buy food from the terminal; unfortunately there was no decent food in the terminal that was gluten-free (basically crisps, chocolate and milkshake). I got ever more frustrated at the situation and unfortunately the check in desk lady had a very matter of fact attitude which made the whole situation worse. Luckily Delta’s representative came to the desk – I believe his name was Paul. Paul helped me with the situation – he spoke to the head air hostess and told me that he could guarantee that I would get gluten-free food on board – whether it meant the airhostesses giving up some of their food, a first class meal or if it was simply using a lot of fruit, cheese and meat.

I cannot thank Paul enough! His customer service was above and beyond. He came onboard with me, made sure that I was calm about the situation and made sure that the airhostesses knew that this was not just gluten-restricted, but I needed gluten-free.

 I have never had such amazing plane food in all of my life. My lunch consisted of smoked salmon, potato salad with dill, tartare sauce, sliced steak and tomato. This was a meal from the first class menu, 100% gluten free and it was AMAZING. For dinner I had a cheese platter with fruit – this included blue cheese and two white cheeses with strawberries and grapes. For pudding I was given a choice of green or red apple and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate swirl.

My experience of Delta airlines gluten-free food was one that started badly; a gluten-free meal had been ordered, I had been assured of this over the phone and on the day of the flight this was not available. However, I understand that when the time of the flight changes and seats change, it is difficult to keep track of who ordered what. Once the Delta representative came out the problem was solved. Customer service was first class and I received perfect gluten-free food.

If you are ever concerned about being a gluten-free traveler – don’t be. From my experience with Delta, flying with nutritional requirements is not difficult at all. There may be a few hurdles occasionally – but you will receive great food and fantastic customer service.