Ireland Amazing

[Guest TerpyTaylor]

I just finished a week of travel in Ireland (actually still abroad, visiting a friend in Austria!) and I must say that traveling gluten-free in Ireland is great! I'm backpacking on a budget with a friend, so we've been mostly getting food from grocery stores. The gluten free food line at Tesco is soooo good! They have bread, apple pie, cakes, cookies...it's awesome! I stuck with the Tesco line though because a lot of the other gluten free food had that wheat starch stuff that meets the european 20 ppm standard or whatever it is (I can't remember exactly) for gluten free. I'm sure it would have been fine, but it wasn't worth risking for me.

It's so much easier to just get food from grocery stores when traveling, and actually a lot more fun! My friend and I would get food from the store and have picnics, or cook in the hostels. For example, in Salzburg, Austria we got tuna, yogurt and chips and ate down by the river, with our feet dangling in the Danube! To me, that was a lot more fun than going to a restaurant and trying to figure out what to get, plus it saves a LOT of money! That dinner cost me about 1.50 euros!

We have eaten out a few times though, and in Ireland everyone was really accomodating and knew what I was talking about. My Austrian friend asks for gluten free food for me here in Vienna, but most of the menus actually come in English, and of course you're always safe with salad! In Vienna though, a "mixed salad" is a little different than the typical American version. They give you 4-6 actual diffferent types of salad, including mixed greens, potato salad, cucumber salad or bean salad all separated in a bowl. These are all gluten free, and really delicious! However, stay away if you're sensitive to vinegar.

We even went to a gelatto place that had signs for gluten free ice cream! Pretty cool, seems that Austria is actually catching on really well to celiac disease too.

We're onto Italy next week, so hopefully that should go just as well! I was worried about eating on this trip, and for anyone else who might be traveling and feels worried...don't! Just be smart and willing to give up the restaurant scene sometimes.

[Swiss]

Please share your Italian experiances with us. I would love to hear how you did in the pasta country.

[taz sharratt]

I just finished a week of travel in Ireland (actually still abroad, visiting a friend in Austria!) and I must say that traveling gluten-free in Ireland is great! I'm backpacking on a budget with a friend, so we've been mostly getting food from grocery stores. The gluten free food line at Tesco is soooo good! They have bread, apple pie, cakes, cookies...it's awesome! I stuck with the Tesco line though because a lot of the other gluten free food had that wheat starch stuff that meets the european 20 ppm standard or whatever it is (I can't remember exactly) for gluten free. I'm sure it would have been fine, but it wasn't worth risking for me.

It's so much easier to just get food from grocery stores when traveling, and actually a lot more fun! My friend and I would get food from the store and have picnics, or cook in the hostels. For example, in Salzburg, Austria we got tuna, yogurt and chips and ate down by the river, with our feet dangling in the Danube! To me, that was a lot more fun than going to a restaurant and trying to figure out what to get, plus it saves a LOT of money! That dinner cost me about 1.50 euros!

We have eaten out a few times though, and in Ireland everyone was really accomodating and knew what I was talking about. My Austrian friend asks for gluten free food for me here in Vienna, but most of the menus actually come in English, and of course you're always safe with salad! In Vienna though, a "mixed salad" is a little different than the typical American version. They give you 4-6 actual diffferent types of salad, including mixed greens, potato salad, cucumber salad or bean salad all separated in a bowl. These are all gluten free, and really delicious! However, stay away if you're sensitive to vinegar.

We even went to a gelatto place that had signs for gluten free ice cream! Pretty cool, seems that Austria is actually catching on really well to celiac disease too.

We're onto Italy next week, so hopefully that should go just as well! I was worried about eating on this trip, and for anyone else who might be traveling and feels worried...don't! Just be smart and willing to give up the restaurant scene sometimes.

i love ireland , we have been a couple of times the first being our honeymoon the irish are so accomadateing every time we go we enjoy it and they are greatabout my yobs for kids too. great tip about gluten food there as we havent been away or eaten out since me being gluten-free.

[colleenmc]

We rented a cottage during our stay - in Ireland it's called "self-catering accomodations." Being able to cook some of our own meals made it much easier for me.

But I still love to dine out, especially when traveling. One restaurant in a small town called Dingle (Central West Coast) brought out a bread basket with gluten free bread for me. Where ever we went I had people say "oh, yes, celiac, we know all about that." I usually try to call ahead, to give them advance notice instead of showing up with a list of requirements in the midst of a busy dinner rush hour. Here are a couple of the places that were particularly wonderful:

The Charthouse Restaurant

Mail Road, Dingle

Tel. 066-9152255

Doyle's Restaurant, Bar, Townhouse & Apartments

John Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

Tel: 00 353 (0) 66 91 51174

www.doylesofdingle.com

Legends Guesthouse and Restaurant

Cashel, County Tipperary

+353 (0)62 61292

www.legendsguesthouse.com

[jenvan]

That is really good to hear. Thanks for sharing the stories!