Vila Joya, near Albufeira, Portugal

Most meals begin with the starter, and as a result, so do most of my blogs. Somehow that wouldn't quite do Vila Joya justice. The whole experience began when we arrived at a secluded looking villa on the outskirts of Albufeira. It would have been easy to drive past, but our taxi driver pulled up to the gate and pressed the intercom. The gates opened to what would be a truly stunning experience from start to finish.

Vila Joya, Albufeira, Portugal

First, the setting. Pristine white tablecloths scattered with petals, a magnificent view looking down over the sea and certainly one of the best places to watch the sun set over the Atlantic. It was breathtakingly beautiful. We spent some time taking photos against the serene backdrop and the staff weren't hurrying us along. In fact, the waiting staff need an extra special mention upfront. They were flawless from start to finish, incredibly attentive. Our lead waiter talked us through every dish with impeccable knowledge and passion. I'd told them I was gluten free when we booked a few months before. No matter how good the restaurant is I nearly always have to let them know again as the information never seems to get past the person taking the booking. Not here, they re-affirmed that there was no problem with the menu and that they would ensure all my dishes were gluten free.

The menu - there must have been as many courses not on the menu

Some of the chefs surprises including the incredibly intense 'peanuts'

It operates on a set menu basis, but they check you're happy with everything first. They then take your taste-buds for a spin! A number of chef's surprises (little amuse-bouches) begin arriving. Each one pushes boundaries with techniques I couldn't even begin to describe. Highlights include a small sphere of olive which exploded in your mouth seemingly packing the punch of a whole olive tree. Something that looked like a peanut was crunchy on the outside and then a smooth centre tasting of a whole jar of peanut butter. I suddenly had doubts on the gluten free front when some little cones of a mousse arrived in what looked like filo pastry. I double checked and he assured me it was gluten free. How they created such a thin flaky pastry texture is beyond me! There was one which they couldn't adapt so I was brought out an extra special treat. It was a fois gras lollipop coated in dark chocolate and gold leaf. It's hard to sum up with out just using the word 'wow', sometimes being gluten free has its perks!

More surprises

Sphere of olive

Foie Gras and dark chocolate lollipop

We haven't even started the menu and I'm already running out of superlatives. As the sunset it made taking photos a little more difficult so you'll have to take my word for how beautiful every dish was presented. Picking highlights from this menu was extremely difficult, akin to picking the sweetest candy in a sweet shop, certainly plenty of candidates  A highlight for me was the avocado cannelloni crabs. Again I wasn't sure how they would do this gluten free but I needn't have wasted time thinking about it. The cannelloni was made out of the avocado itself! I've no idea how they did it, but it looked like it must have taken a steady, brilliant hand and considerable time and effort. It was stuffed with a crab mousse which was feather light and smooth. I also loved the ray wings, the fish cooked perfectly and the whole dish perfectly balanced. Veal was succulent and a watermelon dessert a refreshing palette cleanser, ensuring everyone was ready for a sumptuous finale, a Tonka bean and salted caramel dessert.

Avocado Cannelloni Crabs

Everything at Vila Joya comes together to deliver a world class experience, it's 2 Michelin stars, richly deserved. I certainly feel very lucky to have eaten at such an amazing place.

The Hand and Flowers, Marlow

For a number of reasons, expectations were extremely high when we went to the Hand and Flowers. First, was the fact that it had been awarded 2 Michelin stars in the latest Michelin guide. An extremely high accolade and the first awarded to a 'pub'. Second, Tom Kerridge's appearances and masterful dishes on Great British Menu had certainly wet the appetite. Finally, I think our recent trip to Texture, had set the bar high with impeccable service and food to match. The dishes we had at the Hand and Flowers were outstanding but with some little touches missing, I think it fell slightly short of the mark.

It's in a beautiful setting in the picturesque town of Marlow. The pub itself has a warm, cosy atmosphere with low ceilings and rustic tables. The service was friendly but not as attentive as I expected. Rightly or wrongly from a 2 Michelin star, I expect them to be on the ball at catering for allergies. Although our waitress, frequently checked with the kitchen on what was and wasn't gluten free, their inability to modify dishes was a little disappointing. A pre-starter of white bait arrived which I wasn't able to eat and no gluten free bread was offered. They also provided some pickled vegetables but these weren't anything special. At no point were we offered water and dishes weren't explained when they were delivered to the table.

My choices for starter, main and dessert were also somewhat restricted by which were gluten free. Contrast this with our recent experience at Texture where they immediately offered to attempt to modify anything, this can make a big difference. I had the scallops with kohlrabi and beef boullion for starter. It was suppose to come with some breaded bone marrow and again as this was prepared in advance they couldn't modify this, in the end I suggested to the waitress to just see what the chef could do and they did me a non-breaded version. It was a beautiful starter, the scallops impeccably cooked and the beef boullion served as a jelly. At £14.50 though it was certainly on the steep side for a starter. My girlfriend opted for the crispy pigs head. Served in a block, deep fried and breaded this did look fantastic and received excellent reviews. The meat inside tender and pulled away easily with a fork, a really good dish.

Crispy Pigs Head with artichokes and pancetta

Hand dived scallops with kohlrabi and beef bouillon

For the main course, my girlfriend chose the Great British Menu winning dish of slow cooked duck breast with duck fat chips. Duck cooked to absolute perfection was simply superb. The chips were thankfully gluten free, so I pinched a couple and these had such a fantastic flavour from the duck fat and a proper chip cirspness to them. I had the tenderloin of pork with the malt glazed cheek, which once again was a display of how to cook meat to absolute perfection. Probably the most tender pork I have had.

Slow cooked duck breast with peas, duck fat chips and gravy

Tenderloin of Wiltshire pork with pickled mustard leaf, malt glazed cheek and frakfurter and potato dauphine

The dessert was also stunning, a combination of eye catching presentation and beautifully married flavours. A tonka bean panna cotta with poached strawberries, liquorice meringue and strawberry ice cream all worked perfectly. The texture of both the panna cotta and ice cream were silky smooth and the whole dish exhibited a real lightness of touch.

Tonka bean panna cotta with poached strawberries, liquorice meringue and strawberry ice cream

Expectations were extremely high and there was some truly outstanding cooking at the Hand and Flowers. The 2 Michelin star expectation though I think may be difficult to live up to. With mains at around the £25 mark, it was certainly priced in the Michelin bracket. I definitely think they could do more to cater for those who are gluten free and sometimes it's just the small touches which can detract from the overall experience. For those who can choose from the entire menu, it is a cracking menu, really celebrating the best of british. If you're expectation is an excellent plate of food, you certainly won't be disappointed.

Texture, London

My reward for sitting through a Steps reunion concert (don't ask!), was a trip to the Michelin starred Texture. I had wanted to go to Texture since I saw the creator Agnar Sverrisson, put together a stunning looking dish on Saturday Kitchen. Sverrisson is from Iceland and combines the best of British ingredients with those from his native country to create some outstanding dishes. 

We had a reservation at 12pm on a Saturday so we were the first to arrive in the extremely elegant restaurant. The service was superb, certainly the best I've received since being gluten free. We opted for the very reasonably priced lunch menu and they were more than happy to adapt dishes, with seemlingly nothing being too much trouble. The main I opted for was served with fregola, a type of pasta, but our waiter said the dish would work just as well with quinoa. Coeliacs will agree, it's really positive when they can actively suggest alternatives rather than the "we'll just leave it off" attitude. Their understanding of catering for coeliacs was very impressive. They immediately brought me an alternative to the breads, a type of thin crisp served with a dip that tasted like an incredibly fresh tzatziki which woke up the taste buds for the beautiful food which followed.

We started with an amouse bouche which certainly lived up to the restaurant's name. A celebration of all things pea, combining a number of textures which delighted the palette. There was a frozen pea sorbet, a silky smooth pea purée and pea shoots all of which tasted so fresh it felt like they had been hand picked that morning. A great start to the meal. I followed this with the Wye Valley asparagus which was served with hazlenuts and a parmesan 'snow', once again such freshness that really did justice to the asparagus. My girlfriend had the smoked salmon, which was beautifully cooked and combined with simple Asian flavours.

Pea amouse bouche

Wye Valley Asparagus

Scottish smoked salmon

I proclaimed my main course at the time to be 'the best I've ever had' and looking back I think I still stand by this! Cornish Pollack cooked to perfection, served with lemon, sea vegetables and as mentioned quinoa which had bursts of fennel seeds. All of the dishes were exquisitely presented showing off some very exciting cooking. The menu description of 'English corn fed chicken with lemon, onion, peas and potato' - when you see the photograph - doesn't come near to doing the dish justice and this was also met with high praise.

Cornish Pollack

English Corn Fed Chicken

The waiter informed us that the dessert was something new that they were trying out. If this is experimenting, then they shouldn't stop. A perfect combination of valrhona chocolate, wild strawberries, salted caramel, seaweed and nuts with an anise ice cream! Many of the dishes had a dusting of a powdered seaweed which  just seemed to serve as a flavour enhancer. Once again modifications were made to ensure mine was gluten free, without detracting at all from a fantastic dish. 

Valrhona chocolate with Anise ice cream

Best main course I've ever had... Actually Texture may have gone one step further and could quite possibly be the best restaurant I've ever had the pleasure of dining at! Sublime food combined with exceptional service - it doesn't get much better.

Pollen Street Social, London

It was my birthday last week and this time last year I had my first taste of Michelin starred food at Maze, London, by Gordon Ramsay. I was instantly converted. The Head chef at the time, Jason Atherton, crafted some simply stunning dishes. One year on, I'm a year older and Jason Atherton has opened his own restaurant, Pollen Street Social. It's rapidly becoming one of London's hottest restaurants and just before we dined there, it was awarded a Michelin star within 6 months of opening.

We went on a Wednesday lunch time, the place was packed but had a real buzz and atmosphere. It's elegantly decorated, with large wooden tables and black leather seats. Sat at the bar having a pre-dinner G&T it was very tempting to order a plate of the Serrano ham they have on the bar but we didn't want to spoil our appetite.

The service was impeccable from the moment we entered. I informed our waiter that I was gluten free and he ran through what options I could have and what they could adapt. We decided to go for the very reasonably priced lunch menu (£25 per head), which meant we could treat ourselves the following day (blog to follow!). For starter, I went for the pressed ham hock, coco bean, squid, piccalilli gel and wild watercress. A generous portion of beautiful ham hock and topped with squid which was perfectly cooked - the dish tasted as stunning as it looked. My girlfriend decided on the slow cooked egg, with Scottish smoked haddock and curry puffed rice which she said was deliciously creamy, flawlessly cooked. The curried rice puffs added not only another texture but also a fantastic flavour and balance to the dish.

Jason Atherton takes a lot of inspiration from Spanish cuisine and that was clear in my main course. I had roasted black bream on a bed of Catalan paella with sprouting brocolli and black olive. This dish was less about inventive cooking and more about sheer flavour. The paella was packed with flavour and the fish impeccably cooked, with beautifully seasoned crispy skin. The touch of genius was in the broccoli where the heads had been mixed with black olive, creating a sharpness that cut through the rest of the dish. Roast Yorkshire partridge received equal praise and again showcased both fantastic cooking and creativity. Accompanied with a plum jam, kale and compressed apple, the flavours worked brilliantly with the perfectly cooked succulent partridge.

I'm not normally much of a dessert person, but I need to save a few superlatives for this! Unfortunately, the two desserts on the lunch menu weren't gluten free, which gave me the rest of the menu to choose from! It was an easy choice, I love rice pudding and judging by the previous courses I knew this one would be something special. The rice pudding, laced with vanilla was served in a little pan, and then in my bowl I had a piece of plum sugar on top of plum ice creaming and plum pieces. It all worked together brilliantly, easily one of the best desserts I've had. My girlfriend had the "PBJ" a homage to the American classic, peanut butter jelly. This was a peanut butter parfait with, cherry jam and creamed rice puffs. Beautifully assembled once again and a fantastic flavour combination.

You're given a little something to take away with you when you leave, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone thinking of going! After only 6 months, Jason Atherton has created a very special place indeed, Pollen Street Social has a very bright future ahead. 

Midsummer House, Cambridge

I've always been slightly sceptical about Michelin stars. The whole process is shrouded with mystery and can seem more focussed on pretence than food. This was my second experience of Michelin starred cuisine and my first trip to a two starred restaurant. The first had been to Maze by Gordon Ramsay which was spectacular food in a fairly, informal, trendy London setting. The setting of Midsummer House in Cambridge, where my girlfriend and I decided to celebrate our anniversary, couldn't have been more different, but the food was equally extraordinary.

Midsummer House is a small cottage on the edge of Midsummer Common, situated on the river Cam in Cambridge. We were seated in a large conservatory area with pristine white table cloths and beautifully set tables. It felt very formal but the staff were friendly, especially when I mentioned that I was gluten free. Although, I was fairly certain that some of their staff were putting on their French accents!

We began with an amuse bouche of Parsnip and Cumin Veloute with Honey Jelly which was full of flavour. It was light but really got the taste buds going, perfect as an amuse bouche. We both then had the Beetroot Salad with Corned Beef and Horseradish Ice Cream. The Horseradish Ice Cream absolutely stole the show, I've never tasted anything so extraordinary and it worked incredibly well with the rest of the dish. The beetroot was finely sliced with two different textures of corned beef, all presented beautifully. I then opted for the Daube of Beef with Pommes Puree, Mushrooms and Onions with a Red Wine Sauce. The beef was melt in the mouth tender and all the accompaniments packed with flavour and each cooked to perfection. I loved the little extras like the crispy pancetta and onion rings My girlfriend had Poached Pollack, Puy Lentils, Root Vegetables and Braised Celery. It was served with confit lemon which she said made the dish; attention to detail that seems to make a Michelin starred experience really stand out. We both then went for the Warm Cherries with Pistachio and Chocolate sorbet but both dishes looked very different as they had kindly modified mine to ensure it was gluten free. Both were simply stunning and once again the presentation was fantastic.

We had to have a tea and coffee because we couldn't resist the opportunity to choose home made chocolates from the large chest they rolled to the table. I picked a truffle chocolate that was actually made with real white truffle! These were also served with a type of Spanish Churros with salted caramel sauce and vanilla custard, and they gave me some marshmallows to ensure I had a gluten free option!

Whether you believe in the Michelin rating system or not it doesn't really matter, what you get when you come to Midsummer House is simply stunning food in a beautiful setting.