School Trip To England And Scotland

[HAK1031]

This April I'm going to Great Britain, which I know is generally celiac friendly. However, I'm going on a school trip, so our meals and stuff are already planned out- it's not like we can go into a restaurant and order w/e we want. I told the teacher leading the trip all about celiac and its specs, but quite frankly she's a space cadet so I don't know how much of that will be lost in translation. I'm going to call the tour company myself as well. Anyone have any tips for this situation? Can you bring prepackaged food across the pond? I'm thinking bringing my own cereal, snack bars, etc. might be a good idea. Thanks!

[jmengert]

I went to England last year and didn't eat out once. I baked some muffins, banana bread, and cookies, and packed them in my checked luggage, well taped and labeled. I also kept some stuff in my carry on--snack type stuff. I had no problem going through Heathrow, here, or in Amsterdam where we had a layover. But, I made sure not to bring any fruits or meats since I've heard that's not allowed.

The nice thing about the labeling laws in England is that they clearly list gluten; I particularly liked Marks and Spencers for stuff (Tesco (and perhaps Sainsbury, too) also has a "free from" line of products, where you can buy premade gluten-free goodies). I ate mostly naturally gluten-free foods--potatoes, rice, meats, veggies, etc., because I have other intolerances. I was staying with family, though, and had access to a kitchen the entire time I was there.

I can't help with the eating out part, since I don't eat out, but do some searching on the net for gluten-free eating in England--you'll find a lot of links and forums with information on places where you can eat.

Good luck and have fun! I *love* England!

[Ursa Major]

Don't rely on your teacher to make sure you're safe. Ask your teacher for the information necessary to contact the people responsible for your food, and then see if you are able to arrange for your food to be safe for you.

[Gemini]

This April I'm going to Great Britain, which I know is generally celiac friendly. However, I'm going on a school trip, so our meals and stuff are already planned out- it's not like we can go into a restaurant and order w/e we want. I told the teacher leading the trip all about celiac and its specs, but quite frankly she's a space cadet so I don't know how much of that will be lost in translation. I'm going to call the tour company myself as well. Anyone have any tips for this situation? Can you bring prepackaged food across the pond? I'm thinking bringing my own cereal, snack bars, etc. might be a good idea. Thanks!

I have been to both countries many times and have never had a problem eating out at all. Use common sense at mealtimes and talk to the servers where you eat....they know Celiac much better than Americans do. You'll find that at most English meals, they usually serve potatoes and veggies like cauliflower, carrots and broccoli in abundance and you could always ask for them to serve plain meat without any gravy. I found it extremely easy to order there and they are very accomodating as well. Just bring some snack bars and easy to carry food as a back up for when you need a snack.....you won't find many gluten-free desserts or snacks served at mainstream restaurants. I never got sick once so you can do it too!

Have a wonderful time....both are beautiful countries and the people are friendly.