The steep rise in food allergies and intolerances in the last decade has led to a huge increase in gluten-free consumers. As a newbie in this world, Sushma Sagar discovers dining out with special food needs is not as bad as she thought. She shares her journey and finds a surprisingly tolerant culinary world.
When I embarked on a health kick recently, I had no idea where it would lead. My issues were mostly digestive resulting in extensive bloating. I’m a small and slim person who would wake up normal then look heavily pregnant after a spoon of… pretty much anything. As a full blown foodie, I was in denial and refused to change my diet for years. Instead, I became an expert in empire line dresses! By summer 2023 it was unbearable, so finally I faced the truth and spoke to a nutritionist Dr Sneha, who promptly put me on a gut regime to clean up my diet and sort out my microbiome. So far, not so good… the most upsetting part of the regime was no gluten (aka bread, pasta and noodles.)
In the past, when someone listed the ingredients they couldn’t eat before dinner parties, I would roll my eyes, assuming an intolerant diner was simply fussy and annoying. That was until that person became me. It turns out that I am definitely one of many. The rise in allergies and intolerances in the UK is quite staggering, around 10% of the population would class themselves with a food intolerance, and anecdotally I was told by waiters that around 25% of all diners practice some kind of avoidance. The gluten-free market product market is set to grow by 12.5% during the forecast period 2022 – 2028, with the market in 2023 currently being worth £7 billion.
Since when did eating become so problematic, or has it always been like this but under the tablecloth? Whilst it’s relatively easy to work with limitations at home, and gluten free products are found in most of the big supermarkets, I was curious about eating out. Did this mean my love of restaurants would have to die? I set about trying to dine gluten-free to see how much of a pain it would be and how open different London restaurants were to food intolerances.
First stop Lina Stores, an Italian independent chain with locations across London. The biggest sacrifice I have made on the healthy road has been pasta. I can do without bread but pasta is my heart and oh how I miss it. Gluten-free dried pastas from the supermarket haven’t been amazing and perhaps that’s a journey for a separate article altogether, but Lina Stores make all theirs by hand, every day and guess what – the entire pasta menu is available in freshly made gluten-free pasta. I nearly cried with joy. My dish was a taglioni made from buckwheat flour with truffles and porcini mushrooms. It was delicious, the pasta was earthy but felt robust and held the sauce and the flavour well. It was a perfect supper on the way home.
Another London chain Côte Brasserie surprised me, not only do they have an allergy menu, I was also presented with a special member of staff, who explained that I would have a dedicated chef, who had different overalls and pans to prepare my meal. They took it very seriously indeed and our waiter explained that as about a quarter of diners suffered from some kind of allergy or intolerance, they had no choice but to cater for them so well. It was an impressive set-up. I opted for a minute steak and frites, with a side of spinach. Simple, nicely prepared and easy on my stomach.
Anyone on the gluten-free road will know that gluten is found in cereals, and barley is used in a lot of condiments essential to East Asian food. Even if you forgo noodles, the soya sauce will get you as it’s usually made with wheat. I stumbled across Naru, a Korean joint near Tottenham Court Road, who have a dedicated page for dishes that I can eat. They have gluten-free soya sauce and Gochukaru paste, which means favourites such as bibimbap, tofu stew and kimchi rice are all allowed. Hooray. It’s a cheap and cheerful spot, even more merry for me now. I go there at lunchtimes surrounded by Korean tourists and students.
On the other side of the scale, I experienced a truly elegant, British dining experience all the way in Chislehurst. I had heard great things about Bank House on the High St, so made my way there to see how they would cope with my food requirements; very well indeed it turned out, they had a whole separate gluten-free menu that changed daily. The owner Stuart Gillies who used to be Gordan Ramsay’s right hand man, came over to chat explaining the story of the changing menu. In order to keep prices affordable, the team work closely with suppliers to see what ingredients are fresh, local and easily available and they create the menu accordingly, unafraid to adjust it daily according to what is in season. They use gluten-free ingredients where possible, simply because there is no point making two separate versions of the same dish. This is a sustainable and economical way to plan and it makes a lot of sense. I was in luck because seabass was on the menu with a seafood and mussel sauce, potatoes, broccoli greens all cooked to perfection, in this beautiful former Natwest bank on the high street. My cocktail was sublime, the staff were wonderful and the whole experience well worth the journey. Make sure you ask for the salt and vinegar popcorn amuse-bouche, it was addictive.
Whilst for celiacs and those with more strict regimes, I’m sure there are further challenges regarding cross-contamination, but I’ve been so impressed with the food scene and how the places I’ve visited were able to support my new regime. As customers’ needs change, so must the industry. Whilst it’s a legal requirement to list allergens, the places I’ve reviewed went above and beyond and I’m impressed, not to mention relieved. From chains to neighbourhood pizzerias, like my local Lardo who offer a gluten-free base for the entire pizza menu, the more I look the more I find, it’s a whole new food world out there folks. Even better than that, my previously redundant skinny jeans are back in business!
Find out more:
linastores.co.uk
cote.co.uk
Naru
bankhousechislehurst.com
lardo.co.uk
Main article photo by Annie Spratt
