After a few days of London we headed down to Salisbury as we had a wedding to attend that weekend we thought a few days in the local area would be a good idea.
In the past we have always stayed in B&Bs when traveling around England, so we stayed in one that we had a few years earlier just on the outskirts of town, Avonlea House. The owners have gluten free bread on offer as well as fruit, yoghurt and a cooked English breakfast of your choice.
Salisbury is a town that is near Stonehenge and has the amazing Salisbury Cathedral as the two main sights to see. However the town itself is very old and a great place to walk around and explore. That said there are many great pubs to eat at both in town and in the out-lying villages. The few that we visited all had gluten-free options on their menus which was fantastic.
The Wheatsheaf Pub Restaurant in Lower Woodford is a very pretty village off the beaten track, well worth the trek to a place a little different. The pub has a pretty extensive menu and they are able to provide an information booklet indicating any allergens such as gluten and dairy in each of the menu items. This is really helpful in making your lunch or dinner decisions. This time round I had a Vegetable Cobb Salad with chips and the chips were gluten free.
In Salisbury town we found The Cloisters was a good choice to stop at as they had gluten free pasta with pesto, naturally this was my lunch. In addition to the GF pasta their salads and grilled items from the menu were gluten free.
Another pub on the river a little out of the centre of town was The Restaurant at the Old Mill. It is a really tiny pub on the river, I mean literally. They have a lovely menu with a code indicating the meals that are gluten free. The risotto I had here was lovely and fresh, despite the cold, rainy weather.
The Old Castle opposite Old Sarum was a good option close to where we stayed that had very friendly staff who were able to let me know what was gluten free on the menu. Dinner was grilled steak, chips (yes gluten free again!) and salad accompanied by a refreshing Magners Pear Cider.
Day trips that we took from Salisbury found us visiting the Cheddar Gorge (where the cheese comes from) and Bath.
The Cheddar Gorge is a really pretty place to visit. You find yourself driving past green fields of sheep grazing and then suddenly the road becomes even more narrow and winding and then you are in the gorge. The cliffs are so steep that you find yourself almost stopping to look at the rock climbers who are literally climbing above you. There are many tea rooms and cafes in the Gorge itself and more in the village of Cheddar once you are out of the gorge, but we stumbled upon Derrick's Team Rooms that had gluten free scones - perfect nourishment on a cold, wet morning. Their menu is basic but good wholesome food with gluten free options shown. Some include chilli con carne, jacket potatoes with homemade chilli and cheese or GF brownies. Here we had Devonshire tea: GF scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea, which really hit the spot.
In addition to having a lovely Devonshire Tea, we also had some delicious cheddar cheese from the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company the only producer that still produces cheese in the Cheddar Gorge and matures the cheese in the caves, which you see when you visit them.
Once we had found our way to Bath we were in desperate need for a coffee and visited a great coffee shop opposite the Roman Baths. The place is Jacobs Coffee House and they sometimes have gluten free cakes but this time there were none! Not to worry, the coffee was fantastic and warmed us up and gave us a reprieve from the never-ending rain.
The thing that I really love about Britain is that everything is so close. By driving a relatively short distance you can find yourself in a totally different and amazing part of the country in a picturesque town or village. The added bonus is that it is so easy to find places to eat and the knowledge regarding gluten free eating is wide-spread making stress-free holidays. It is a country well worth the long flight.
Links and other info:
Wheatsheaf Pub Restaurant, Lower Woodford, Salisbury Wiltshire: click here
The Cloisters, 83 Catherine St, Salisbury Wiltshire
The Restaurant at the Old Mill, Town Path, West Harnham, Salisbury Wiltshire: click here
The Old Castle, Old Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire: click here
Derrick's Tea Rooms, The Cliffs, Cheddar, Somerset: click here
Jacob's Coffee House, 6 Abbey Churchyard, Bath: click here
In the past we have always stayed in B&Bs when traveling around England, so we stayed in one that we had a few years earlier just on the outskirts of town, Avonlea House. The owners have gluten free bread on offer as well as fruit, yoghurt and a cooked English breakfast of your choice.
Salisbury is a town that is near Stonehenge and has the amazing Salisbury Cathedral as the two main sights to see. However the town itself is very old and a great place to walk around and explore. That said there are many great pubs to eat at both in town and in the out-lying villages. The few that we visited all had gluten-free options on their menus which was fantastic.
The Wheatsheaf Pub Restaurant in Lower Woodford is a very pretty village off the beaten track, well worth the trek to a place a little different. The pub has a pretty extensive menu and they are able to provide an information booklet indicating any allergens such as gluten and dairy in each of the menu items. This is really helpful in making your lunch or dinner decisions. This time round I had a Vegetable Cobb Salad with chips and the chips were gluten free.
Another pub on the river a little out of the centre of town was The Restaurant at the Old Mill. It is a really tiny pub on the river, I mean literally. They have a lovely menu with a code indicating the meals that are gluten free. The risotto I had here was lovely and fresh, despite the cold, rainy weather.
The Old Castle opposite Old Sarum was a good option close to where we stayed that had very friendly staff who were able to let me know what was gluten free on the menu. Dinner was grilled steak, chips (yes gluten free again!) and salad accompanied by a refreshing Magners Pear Cider.Day trips that we took from Salisbury found us visiting the Cheddar Gorge (where the cheese comes from) and Bath.
The Cheddar Gorge is a really pretty place to visit. You find yourself driving past green fields of sheep grazing and then suddenly the road becomes even more narrow and winding and then you are in the gorge. The cliffs are so steep that you find yourself almost stopping to look at the rock climbers who are literally climbing above you. There are many tea rooms and cafes in the Gorge itself and more in the village of Cheddar once you are out of the gorge, but we stumbled upon Derrick's Team Rooms that had gluten free scones - perfect nourishment on a cold, wet morning. Their menu is basic but good wholesome food with gluten free options shown. Some include chilli con carne, jacket potatoes with homemade chilli and cheese or GF brownies. Here we had Devonshire tea: GF scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea, which really hit the spot.
In addition to having a lovely Devonshire Tea, we also had some delicious cheddar cheese from the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company the only producer that still produces cheese in the Cheddar Gorge and matures the cheese in the caves, which you see when you visit them.Once we had found our way to Bath we were in desperate need for a coffee and visited a great coffee shop opposite the Roman Baths. The place is Jacobs Coffee House and they sometimes have gluten free cakes but this time there were none! Not to worry, the coffee was fantastic and warmed us up and gave us a reprieve from the never-ending rain.
The thing that I really love about Britain is that everything is so close. By driving a relatively short distance you can find yourself in a totally different and amazing part of the country in a picturesque town or village. The added bonus is that it is so easy to find places to eat and the knowledge regarding gluten free eating is wide-spread making stress-free holidays. It is a country well worth the long flight.
Wheatsheaf Pub Restaurant, Lower Woodford, Salisbury Wiltshire: click here
The Cloisters, 83 Catherine St, Salisbury Wiltshire
The Restaurant at the Old Mill, Town Path, West Harnham, Salisbury Wiltshire: click here
The Old Castle, Old Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire: click here
Derrick's Tea Rooms, The Cliffs, Cheddar, Somerset: click here
Jacob's Coffee House, 6 Abbey Churchyard, Bath: click here
