As I have a mentioned in an earlier blog, the River Cottage Canteen was a real treat - all three courses of it. But this was not the only place that I safely enjoyed a meal.
A quick lunch on the run years ago, before my diagnosis meant I would grab a sandwich from Marks and Spencer Food Hall or Boots and eat on the run. Now I no longer have the option of the sandwich, but both Marks and Spencer and Boots still have their takeaway lunches and snacks but they now include salads, sushi and soups. Each of these items have the ingredients listed on the back and highlight any ingredients such as gluten, wheat or dairy. If you have the pleasure of good weather, then you can enjoy a picinc in a local park or square whilst you enjoy your meal.
If you want to buy a little more in bulk Sainsburys Local, Tesco Express, Marks and Spencer Just Food are all smaller versions of the larger supermarkets and do have a smaller range of gluten free options which is useful for breakfast ie a two pack of muffins or a half loaf of bread. Some have the gluten free items under the 'Free From' banner - take a look at the links to these stores below. Waitrose have the smaller stores as well and do stock GF items. I have found that they usually have stores that attached to petrol stations along the motorways - useful when on a driving trip.For a gluten free carb fix I managed to find a few places by stumbling across them in the various parts of town that we happened to be in.
Zizzi restaurant: we visited the Notting Hill branch of the restaurant and enjoyed a gluten free pizza and salad. They have just introduced gluten free items to their menu and were rather pleased that someone was ordering a GF meal. In addition to GF pizza, they have GF pasta as well.
Orsini Restaurant is located opposite the V&A Museum in Kensington. It is a little Italian restaurant that serves GF pasta. They have a good variety of GF pasta types and a variety of really simple yet delicious sauces too.
The Wolseley on Piccadilly: I had never heard of The Wolseley until a friend invited us to brunch there one morning. It is a beautiful building, a very old world, English style of place. I enjoyed an omelette with gruyere cheese - yummo! I would recommend visiting here even for a pot of tea one afternoon for the experience and people watching. But do book as they can get rather busy.
Humming Bird Bakery: this is a great place to stop early on a Saturday morning before the Portobello Rd Market in Notting Hill becomes chaos. They have a couple of GF options - I chose the Red Velvet cupcake and a fantastic Illy Coffee - heaven as we had only arrived that morning.
Pubs are always welcoming but the typical English pub is something very special. I find that the older the pub the more atmosphere they have as well as being so different from what I go to at home. Often the pub meals are rather hearty fare but the staff, depending on the pub itself are very helpful and worse case scenario, there is always a grilled steak and salad for dinner. Pubs usually have local ciders on tap which I recommend. A lovely apple or pear cider is rather refreshing after a day of sightseeing and walking around town.Marks and Spencer click here
Sainsbury click here
Tesco click here
Waitrose click here
Zizzi Restaurant click here
The Wolsley click here
Hummingbird Bakery click here
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