Gluten Free McDonalds here in the UK?

Well not quite... but you can certainly come pretty close! They're a guilty pleasure, it was very rare that I had a McDonalds even before becoming gluten free but just now and again I'd have that craving. Since becoming gluten free, I thought that surely McDonalds would be off limits?  Of course you can make excellent beef burgers yourself and we've even made gluten free wagyu beef burgers at home but there's a unique taste to a McDonalds Big Mac that you just can't recreate.

Actually though, it's not off limits. McDonalds have an extremely thorough allergen menu available online. As they break down the components of their burgers you can actually see which components contain gluten and which don't. For example, take the Big Mac, only the bread bun has gluten. Asking for a burger without a bread bun does earn you some funny looks but the branches I've visited have been more than happy to provide the rest of the burger! They make it from scratch and usually put it into a breakfast tray clearly labelled. All you have to do then, is add your own bread bun! The fries are also cooked in a separate fryer to anything containing gluten. You can also check the McFlurry flavours available online too, as some of these are gluten free. I obviously can't speak for the cross contamination procedures in place across every branch of McDonalds but I've never had any issues. If you're unsure though, it's probably best to ask.

One day coeliacs might have a full gluten free burger option in McDonalds, it's already available in country's such as Sweden, but for now, at least you can satisfy that occasional craving.

Big Mac created with a gluten free bread bun!

Your Guide To Eating Out For Gluten Free Pizza

In the gluten free calendar, 2012 will be hailed as the year of the gluten free pizza. They burst on to our high streets in the UK with abundance, as the chain restaurants competed to improve their share of wallet in the increasingly lucrative gluten free market. I have to commend them all for giving it a go, it's not easy to put systems in place in the kitchen to avoid cross contamination, re-train staff and create a great tasting pizza. Pizza's a very personal thing too, some prefer a good deep pan, others a crispy base, some a good tomato sauce, others laden with cheese. What I aim to do here is give you a brief review of how I found them:

Pizza Hut

I was surprised to learn that Pizza Hut were launching a gluten free pizza as the dietary blurb on their website had always suggested that they'd never be venturing into this market as it was in the too difficult camp. Pizza hut for me conjures up memories of teacher training days at school and half our class going to Pizza Hut for all you could eat! The gluten free pizza I had certainly brought back those memories. It's a good deep pan base with a sweet tomato sauce. We shared a BBQ chicken pizza and a pepperoni. They come as square pizzas on a black board with their own cutter, avoiding any horror stories of getting the wrong pizza - a great idea. We went during the launch week and although our waitress had to check a few things she was more than happy to do so. Pizza Hut will be great for those with coeliac children. It was perhaps a little over sweet for my palette but still a good pizza.

Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza

Ask Italian

Ask has become my favourite place for a great gluten free pizza. They already had a good array of pasta dishes and with the addition of pizza too, a lot of their menu is now gluten free. The pizza was fantastic, again served on it's own board with individual cutter. The base is thin and crispy and comes with a comprehensive selection of toppings. My favourite has to be the pollo picante, a great spicy chicken pizza, loaded with peppers and mushrooms. The staff are knowledgeable too which always gives you confidence when eating out.

Ask Italian Pollo Picante Pizza

Prezzo

The Prezzo launch almost went unnoticed. There was the odd rumour via twitter but little in the way of publicity. It's another good pizza too. Similar to ask but perhaps a slightly thicker base and generously covered with cheese and tomato. The Vesuvio, a pepperoni pizza with red chillies also packs some heat! When ordering though, the staff do always give you the disclaimer that they can't guarantee 100% that it will be gluten free as it's obviously produced in the same kitchen as non-gluten free pizzas. Possibly Prezzo being extra cautious, but it always feels slightly less reassuring than the others. Nonetheless another good option to have when eating out.

Prezzo Vesuvio Pizza

Bella Italia

Bella Italia was the first gluten free pizza I had, back when it was pretty much the only option for eating out for gluten free pizza. It's a thin and crispy base but perhaps a bit too crispy. I think the competition has moved on a little and it will be interesting to see if Bella Italia make any changes. It's still a good pizza and as coeliacs will testify, it's great to now have multiple options!

I recently heard that Pizza Express are now trialling gluten free pizzas in a few of their restaurants. If you've tried one it would be great to hear from you. Hopefully these will be launched nationwide in the future. I've still not had chance to pick up the phone and order a Dominos yet either but when I do, I'll be sure to add it to the list! I've heard there are some great independent pizza restaurants which have gluten free options, particularly in London which I'm hoping to try in the future. Any predictions on what 2013 will bring to the gluten free market?

Update: Pizza Express

So were they saving the best until last? The Pizza Express gluten free experience has arrived. You can understand why they took their time - they wanted to do things right - great news for coeliacs. One of the difficulties pizza express had was the risk of airborne gluten when they were rolling their 'normal' bases. The launch of gluten free pizzas has brought about a total re-think and now the company uses gluten free flour to roll their 'normal' bases. Where others have missed a trick, Pizza Express has spotted it, a gluten free beer. It's a welcome addition to the menu and brings home the feeling of 'normality' even more for coeliacs up and down the country. There's a good range of toppings too and clear labelling. I went for a Gorgonzola,  leek and pancetta one which was a perfect combination. The base was excellent, good texture and more flavoursome than some of the competition. We couldn't leave without sampling the gluten free brownie. Brownie's have come under a bit of stick from the gluten free community due to being the gluten free pudding of choice for a lot of restaurants.  Pizza Express' was very good though, just dense and chocolatey enough and served with a tea or coffee of your choice. As a pizza lover, it's great to have another choice and another excellent pizza. Now they've ventured into the market hopefully Pizza Express can expand their offering  it would be great to have more variety in the starter and dessert department. Is it the best? Well, you'll have to be the judge of that!

The 'Da Moire' pizza at Pizza Express

Gluten Free Brownie at Pizza Express

Frank's Bar, Norwich

It can sometimes be tough finding a great lunch spot when eating gluten free. Sandwiches, paninis and the like still dominate a lot of lunchtime menus. So I was delighted to discover Frank's Bar in Norwich, which has an exciting selection of gluten free options. It's always nice to support local, independent places and sometimes coeliacs can naturally veer towards trusted chains where they feel safe. Frank's is proof as to why it's worth exploring.

I've been a few times in the last year so I won't review a specific meal - it's easier to say I've never had a bad one! There's an eclectic mix of dishes with some Mediterranean influences but clearly not forgetting some of the great produce we have on our doorstep in Norfolk. Highlights have been Shakshuka, a delicious dish of Tunisian baked eggs with roasted peppers in a tomato saffron stew which is generously scattered with feta. The Spanish tapas dish is everything you'd expect with spicy chrorizo, salty manchego, paprika chips and much more. The more substantial dishes are equally as good grilled 'flat iron' steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and served with an excellent chimichurri sauce. It's all great value too, with decent portions for around the £8 - £9 mark.

Spanish Tapas

Grilled 'flat iron' steak with chimichurri

The menu is all clearly marked with 'GF' signs to signal they are gluten free and some are marked with 'GFA' meaning they can be adapted to be gluten free. I've been offered gluten free bread in the past which is great to see. Whether your gluten free or not, Frank's Bar is definitely worth checking out. It's a popular place so occasionally you may have to wait for a table but for food this tasty and a great atmosphere, its certainly worth it.

Gluten Free Smoked Salmon Soufflé Tart

A soufflé tart isn't normally the sort of thing I'd cook but I saw this recipe in a magazine recently and it sounded divine so I thought I'd give it a go. I had a sneaky cheat as I opted for a ready-made gluten free pastry by DS gluten free which was available from Tesco. Gluten free or not, ready-made pastry is great for a mid-week dinner if you want something quick and hassle free. I say hassle free... gluten free pastry is a little more crumbly than normal pastry so it was a little tricky to work with but the results were great. I'm usually one to play around with the recipe but this one I followed to the letter and it worked really well. You can see the full recipe on BBC good food here. I served it with some green beans with a little drizzle of lemon juice and celeriac cubed and sautéed in oil.

Your comprehensive guide to eating gluten free in Paris!

The French, famed for their love of baguettes, croissants and with patisseries on every corner, you may think that Paris would be a coeliac's worst nightmare, but hopefully this blog will make you think again. With a bit of research and help from twitter followers, we had some fantastic gluten free eating experiences in France's capital.

I do speak French which certainly helps but you can find coeliac translation cards online which I'd urge you to take on any foreign trips. Here's a great site which provides them. I took some emergency gluten free cereal bars but didn't need them as we found some fantastic places.

Le Jules Verne by Alain Ducasse at the Eiffel Tour

First up was quite an extraordinary dining experience. We were lucky enough to go to Le Jules Verne which is situated half way up the Eiffel tour and therefore has a spectacular view! It's also Michelin starred which usually means they're pretty clued up on what's gluten free. They were great at adapting the dishes, I did ask what a 'Savarin' was on the dessert menu and was told in no uncertain terms that it was "absolutely impossible for you", but you just have to get used to the direct style of French waiters! The food was sensational. A definite highlight was my starter of Meurette-style egg -  a baked egg in a red wine sauce with bacon and vegetables. It sounds simple, but was beautifully rich with flavour, the way French cuisine often is. The dessert was one of the best I've eaten anywhere. Soft chocolate mousse with shards of tempered chocolate, cubes of mint jelly and a mint 'snow', a beautifully fresh way to end the meal.

Meurette style Egg

Cep mushroom soup

Roasted pork with stuffed onion

Slow cooked ox cheek

Chocolate and mint

Mme Shawn

Red Thai Curry

Paris is a city full of foreign influences, especially in it's food. We found this fantastic Thai restaurant, which happened to be my first dining out Thai experience since being gluten free. I had a little trouble establishing that I was gluten free but basically reinforced that I couldn't eat soy sauce as I know this is often used in Thai cooking. Both my fiancée and I had the red thai curries, I had duck and she had beef. Both were fantastically  fresh curries with the ripped thai basil over the top giving it an authentic taste. The accompanying rice was also fresh and fragrant. We stumbled across this place and I'm very glad we did! We then realised there's a few dotted around Paris, so if you're visiting be sure to be on the look out.

Noglu

Breakfast can be a little more challenging but there's plenty of brasseries that will serve you an omelette. If however, you fancy some authentic bread, French madeleines and macaroons then get to Noglu! Noglu is a totally gluten free restaurant and if we were heading back I'd definitely check it out for dinner. We arrived hungry at 10am on the dot and in true French fashion they weren't quite ready for us, but I'm glad we hung around! The fresh gluten free bread was one of the best I've ever had and was served with some excellent jams. The picture says it all really - a great gluten free breakfast!

Breakfast at Noglu

Breakfast at Noglu

 Tugalik

Twitter is a great tool for finding like minded coeliacs and this was how I discovered this gem. It's a vegetarian restaurant near the Sorbonne and serves a select number of specials at lunch. They label what's gluten free clearly and all the desserts were gluten free. We had a hearty fish dish, served on some crushed potatoes with greens in a white sauce. It was a really warming dish, especially as it provided a perfect escape from the showery weather. We shared a carrot cake and chocolate cake and both were great, you wouldn't have been able to tell they were gluten free!

Lunch at Tugalik

Bo Man Café

Our original dinner choice, didn't quite go to plan. The place I remembered visiting a few years ago was empty so we headed off in search of somewhere else which looked a bit more lively. We found Bo Man Café, an excellent brasserie which was bustling with natives, so we  went in. There was a great atmosphere and both of us went for the classic Steak & Frites. Chips are a fairly safe option in France as they don't deep fry much else but it's always worth checking. The rib eye steak was great, cooked medium and rare and full of flavour. We shared another classic for dessert - creme brulée - often a safe bet for those looking for gluten free options. And of course, it was all washed down with a compulsory caraf of red wine!

'Steak frites'

Creme brulée

Helmut Newcake

Helmut Newcake is a coeliac's heaven! You're greeted with a display of lots of delicate looking pastries, normally a torturous sight, but in Helmut Newcake, there's one difference, they're totally gluten free! It's a fantastic place which also sells gluten free products if you're planning on doing any cooking. The cakes were simply divine, so good that we had to buy some for the Eurostar home!

Pastry selection at Helmut Newcake

Lemon meringue pastry

Salted caramel choux bun