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jambo massive

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jambo massive Apprentice
jambo massive
Posted

Hello people hope everybody is doing well, Is there anybody from around birmingham on this site? im struggling to find gluten free beer in a bar is there such a place?

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Boffin Rookie
Boffin
Posted
Hello people hope everybody is doing well, Is there anybody from around birmingham on this site? im struggling to find gluten free beer in a bar is there such a place?

Hello! :)

I live just over an hour away from Birmingham and have relatives who live there so am in the area quite often.

Sadly I can't recommend any bars with gluten-free beer though. Only thing I could suggest would be to ask in a bar that has "guest ales" sometimes to see if they'd get one in to try in case it proved popular. You never know, it might bring in coeliacs from all over the place to drink their beer if they advertised it well.

I've only just been diagnosed and only been gluten-free for a week (although think I'm having some cross-contamination issues at the mo) so I'm still finding my feet really. How long have you been diagnosed and gluten-free? Did you find that you had to avoid other foods such as dairy to start with as that has been suggested to me?

Best wishes. :)

nikki-uk Enthusiast
nikki-uk
Posted
Hello people hope everybody is doing well, Is there anybody from around birmingham on this site? im struggling to find gluten free beer in a bar is there such a place?

I'm not in B/ham (I'm in E London) but my hubby (who is the coeliac) is yet to come across a bar that actually sells gluten-free beer :( (although you can get it in supermarkets)

Hubby usually ends up having either cider or an alchopop (e.g bacardi breezer)

Did you find that you had to avoid other foods such as dairy to start with as that has been suggested to me?

Not all coeliacs get the 'temporary' lactose intolerance.

My son has been fine with dairy since going gluten-free - whereas my hubby found that after about 6 months gluten-free that he got terrible stomach gripes with rotten headaches after eating cereal (gluten-free) with milk.

Hubby avoided it for around 3 months - then tried a tiny amount - found he was ok and just increased from there. :)

jambo massive Apprentice
jambo massive
Posted
  • Author
Hello! :)

I live just over an hour away from Birmingham and have relatives who live there so am in the area quite often.

Sadly I can't recommend any bars with gluten-free beer though. Only thing I could suggest would be to ask in a bar that has "guest ales" sometimes to see if they'd get one in to try in case it proved popular. You never know, it might bring in coeliacs from all over the place to drink their beer if they advertised it well.

I've only just been diagnosed and only been gluten-free for a week (although think I'm having some cross-contamination issues at the mo) so I'm still finding my feet really. How long have you been diagnosed and gluten-free? Did you find that you had to avoid other foods such as dairy to start with as that has been suggested to me?

Best wishes. :)

I have beee Diagnosed since i was 2ish but i gave up the diet when i was 8 due to lack of infomation from the doctors to my parents, but i started again about 3months ago after a spell in hospital i never knew how serious coeliac was i was foolish not to be on the diet for so many years (17 of them). I've luckly not had to avoid dairy but i agree cross-contamination is so hard to avoid especially at work i now have my very own special toaster so i can avoid it. Have you found it easy to switch to the diet?? I did at the start but im getting there now i have even started baking cakes!! they taste so yumm......

Hope your feeling well..

Boffin Rookie
Boffin
Posted

I'm not finding the diet itself too bad. It does require more thinking and planning than eating "normal" food but I think that as long as I plan meals ahead I should be ok. Spontaneous "grabbing something while out" occasions won't be able to happen now though.

I think the hardest think I'm finding so far is having to be so wary of cross-contamination. My husband is really thoughtful and careful but it's a lot of getting used to really. I have other allergies (to nuts, fish, mustard and some fresh fruit) so I'm used to having to avoid things and to read labels carefully but none of those allergies were so severe as to have to think really hard about sharing utensils etc.

Still, I've only been doing this for a week so I'm hoping that once I've got the kitchen better organised and got used to this it will become more second-nature.

We've not really bought many specifically gluten-free items yet as most didn't look that fab and are also very expensive. So far we've just been making things from scratch with the Doves Farm gluten-free flour. The bread is very different from "normal" bread but I actually really like it so that's ok. My husband was kind enough to make me a gluten-free choccy cake with the recipe off the flour and that turned out fantastic. You couldn't tell that there was anything "odd" about it!

Hope you continue to do ok. I'm not sure if I'm really noticing much of a difference yet as my symptoms were variable anyway so I think it's too soon to tell. Just keeping fingers crossed that all turns out well really. :)

  • 4 weeks later...
covsooze Enthusiast
covsooze
Posted

Just noticed this thread! I live in Coventry :D and used to live in B'ham (pre-coeliac days). Have you managed to find gluten free beer in the supermarkets yet? I've bought some from Tesco. Never had any in a bar. Have you been to le Petit Blanc in B'ham? They have a gluten free menu and it's delicious. :) Not cheap though - although much cheaper at lunchtimes and is definitely worth it for a special occasion.

Have you joined Coeliac UK and found a local group yet? That's probably your best bet for getting local info.

Boffin, where do you live?

Susie x

  • 2 months later...
Blinkyz Newbie
Blinkyz
Posted

Oops double post - See below :D

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Blinkyz Newbie
Blinkyz
Posted

Hi there,

I'm new so not sure if my post will work.. But I recently moved from Birmingham to Sweden.

I was never properly diagnosed because my doctor was a complete idiot and kept telling me it was a ulcer or IBS or whatever else they could come up with, but I can tell you it's a bit obvious that I'm a celiac as I can't tolerate hardly anything from the "Ingredients to avoid list". I've been a celiac for about a year now..

I never did find a gluten free beer in stores, but you should do a search on google or any other search engines and you can find beer that you can order online. It is a bit more expensive and make sure to check that it's Celiac safe and not just gluten as some people don't really get the difference.

Also - If you go out quite a bit in brum, becareful of Vodka. Yes vodka. I never knew that most vodkas are made from wheat!? Smirnoff is the only one I have managed to come across in a bar that's Celiac safe. (That doesn't mean Smirnoff Ice though as I think it has malt in it.)

Hope this helps! Any probs send me a mail or message (Still getting used to this site!)

Rach xx

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    • cristiana
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      Good evening @EssexMum You are quite right to be concerned about this situation.  Once diagnosed as coeliac, always a coeliac, and the way to heal  is through adopting and sticking to a strict gluten diet. That said... I have travelled twice to France since my diagnosis, firstly in May 2013 and again in August 2019.   My spoken French isn't bad, and whilst there I tried my best to explain my needs to chefs and catering staff, and I read labels very carefully when shopping in supermarkets, but both times I came away with worsening gastric symptoms and pain. Interestingly,  after the second holiday, my annual coeliac review took place the following month and although I'd been very careful to avoid gluten all year, thanks to that August holiday my coeliac antibodies were elevated,  Clearly I hadn't been imagining these symptoms and they must have been caused by gluten sneaking in somehow. When I spoke to my gastroenterologist on my return, who is an excellent doctor, he told me with a smile that this was a very common experience in France among his patients, and not to worry too much about it! In fact, before we went away in May 2013, which was just after I had been formally diagnosed, he told me not to even bother trying to adopt a gluten free diet until I returned, knowing what France was like, but I was feeling so awful at that time I ignored his advice and at least tried to make a start with it. (I ought to say - both these visits were some time ago, so perhaps things are a lot better there now.) So what to do?  I would say at least try to explain to catering staff the situation - they should be able to rustle up a plate of cheese, boiled eggs, tuna, salad and fruit, and if things like crackers and gluten-free pot noodle or oats can be packed in the UK, those can be produced at mealtimes.    Of course, most larger supermarkets in France do now cater for coeliacs, but when I was last there the the choice wasn't as wide a range as we have in the UK but I think that is partly because the French like to cook from scratch, whereas our gluten-free aisles have quite a lot of dried or pre-baked goods in them/convenience foods, because I think we as a nation tend to use them more. I would be worth doing a bit of research on the internet before the trip, - the words you want are 'sans gluten'.  I've just googled 'sans gluten Disney Paris" and this came up.  I do hope at least some of this is of help. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g2079053-zfz10992-Disneyland_Paris_Ile_de_France.html  Whatever befalls in France, at least your stepdaughter can resume her usual diet on her return. On a related tack, would you be happy to post any positive findings/tips upon her return - it might be of use to others travelling to Disneyland Paris with children in future? Cristiana
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