Travel to UK

[Ricardo-Spain]

Hi! I'm Ricardo, from Spain. My chid (4age) is Celiac. In April, we'd travel to UK (London or Dublin,...), but I don't know where to eat with my child. What do you think is easy for my child?

 

Thank!

[Jmg]

Hi Ricardo and welcome to the forum

The good news is that there's a lot of gluten free food available in UK and I think there may be even more in Dublin as there's a lot of celiacs in Ireland.

Every major supermarket - Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco and Morrison have a 'Free From' section where you can find gluten free bread, biscuits, crackers etc.  In Ireland I think the smaller Aldi and Lidl may also carry gluten free.

All UK foods have allergens such as wheat clearly labelled - on the ingredients list they will be shown in bold or italics.

All Open Original Shared Link(the larger chains will do this) or their staff will show you an allergen list if you ask them. Note that not all staff may have a good level of understanding of this however. Print out this card: Open Original Shared Link and show them it so they know to take especial care with your child's food

Finally there are sites you can use to research in advance: 

This site lists major food chains which understand the gluten free diet requirements. There should be one of these near you: Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I hope you all have a great time in the UK and please say if there's any more info you need

adios!

 

[Gemini]

Thank you, JMG, for posting these links!  I have been to London many times and already have a list of great places to eat but you just added more variety for me.  I am returning for a week in May so look forward to trying some new places! 

Ricardo......London is pretty easy for eating gluten free.  I am very sensitive and have never gotten sick dining in London in many visits. Carluccio's is Italian food and I know many 4 year old's like spaghetti/pasta so it may be a good choice for you.  Cote is another great place to eat.......French country food that is delicious.  One of my favorites. They also do a great gluten-free breakfast too!

Hope you have a great time!

[cyclinglady]

Just want to add that Costa Coffee has a good gluten-free chicken wrap and gluten-free brownies (chocolate cake).  Nice to grab a snack near a subway station or on the highway.  

We actually stayed in a few Bed and Breakfast Inns that catered to celiacs!  Our farm stay was fabulous.  Our daughter loved it.  

[cristiana]

Hola Ricardo

I am very sensitive to gluten but I've never had cross-contamination problems from ASK or Franky and Benny's - both chain restaurants, most large towns will have one or the other  - or both! My children love them too.

Ask for the Gluten Free menus when you arrive and just make sure when you order to say your son is a Coeliac. I always say I'll be really ill if I have any gluten and they take it very seriously.

¡Buen viaje!

[Ricardo-Spain]

Thank you very much for all your answers! If you ever need advice on Madrid, here I am to solve them.

Can you advise me a good accommodation or is it better to book an apartment?

Thank you

[cristiana]

5 hours ago, Ricardo_Spain said:

Thank you very much for all your answers! If you ever need advice on Madrid, here I am to solve them.

Can you advise me a good accommodation or is it better to book an apartment?

Thank you

Hola de nuevo.

It depends what you are after.  If you are after good value, clean hotels, we find that is usually  the norm for the Premier Inn chain. We tend to use them a lot. Not luxury, but usually of a good standard.

Unhelpfully I have never stayed in one in London but google 'Premier Inns London' and there seems to be a good selection.   Just keep in mind what you want to do, where you want to be and public transport. You'll have to do some homework.

On the negative side their gluten free food provision is a bit disappointing but for breakfast they provide gluten free toast, jam, and there is fruit, yoghurt, juices, tea and coffee.  

If at a Premier Inn I usually eat lunch or dinner somewhere else, as I don't think I've come across one with a gluten free menu yet.  Franky and Benny's, ASK, or somewhere else. In London you should have plenty of choice.  I once stayed at the Premier Inn in Perth, Scotland, and there was a wonderful Marks and Spencer store opposite so just bought myself salads and some of their amazing gluten free cakes, etc.  They have a great range of cakes! Not the ideal diet longterm, but better than nothing.

In fact, the Premier Inn I most enjoyed staying in was in Scotland - in Edinburgh at Lauriston Place - so central, you could walk to all the main sites, and lots of good restaurants. If you are ever thinking of going to Scotland I couldn't recommend it enough - although it is a bit of a walk from the bus station (or a taxi ride) once you are there it is brilliantly situated.

 

 

[Nikkiann]

Hello! I can't help much with specific places, but it does have a lot of great options. I loved in England for a bit, and especially London, just like NYC, there are a lot of places with gluten free options. My advice is to focus on the array of fruit/smoothie shops all across the UK. There are also a lot of delicious potato dishes!