10 Foods you may not know are Gluten Free! *correct as of May 2018

1. Asda's Own Gnocchi

So this Gnocchi is not actually in the free from section in Asda. It is actually in the section with all the wheat filled pasta's! I couldn't believe it when I saw it! £1.60 what a bargain! No gluten containing ingredients on the back of the packet, bonus!

2. Classic Beef Peperami

I found these a while back when i was routing through the chilled snacks. I was so excited when I saw on the back of the packet that they were marked as Gluten Free! Nothing on the front however so I wouldn't usually pick these up! I used to have these a lot when I was young, always something that was in my packed lunch! Yum!

3. Passions Prawn Crackers - From Aldi

I don't know about anyone else but I really miss prawn crackers from the Chinese Takeaway! These are sooo good! No gluten containing ingredients on the back so perfectly safe for us to eat... but very addictive! 

4. Yushoi Baked Pea Crisps

I picked these crisps to put on the list because it does not state on the front that they are gluten free, so not something I would usually pick up! But it has a lovely sign on the back to state that they are. I have to say I personally didn't think they looked too appetising to me when I saw them but I am always willing to try something new! They are actually really nice! They are low calorie and low fat so you can't go wrong!

5. Marks and Spencer's Chocolate Fudge Pudding

So I know that this has a small symbol on the front to state this is gluten free so possibly something you might pick up. However, It is in the section with all the gluten filled puddings so I generally would not look through this section. I was so happy when I found this, a massive Hot Chocolate Fudge Pudding, something I really miss. It tastes so good also, so I would highly recommend!

6. Tesco's Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich Filling

Now this has to be one of my favourite sandwich fillings. Southern Fried Chicken.. i mean! Again something I really miss in a sandwich and it has a gluten free crumb, yey! I always get this for my sandwiches, and it is only £1, bargain! 

7. Tesco's own Chipz

Before I was diagnosed I literally used to eat Pringle's all the time, they were my favourite! Tesco have their own brand called Chipz and have no gluten containing ingredients in them, yey! These are sooo good, I literally cannot eat just one, they are so addictive!

8. Tesco's Own Onion Bhajis

Something I really love with a Curry are Onion Bhajis. Tesco do their own with no gluten containing ingredients in them. They also do a takeaway version as well. I sometimes have these as a snack as well, I have loved them ever since I was diagnosed! Very yum!

9. Daim Chocolate Cake

So I usually find this in the freezer section in Tesco and it has a small gluten free symbol on the bottom. This is honestly so nice. Daim bar is one of my favourite chocolate bars anyway, so in a cake is even better! I put this on here because of it's small gluten free symbol on the front, I think it can be easily missed sometimes!

10. Tesco's Sushi

I found these a few days ago as I was really craving some sushi and I was so shocked to find that all of their sushi packs had no gluten containing ingredients in them! The reason why I was on the hunt was because I find a lot of sushi packs have gluten in their soy sauce, but these are all labelled gluten free on the back! I am now obsessed, love them!

So I hope if you are newly diagnosed and you're struggling to find things you like this this has hopefully helped you! Enjoy 😊😊

A Gluten Free Guide to London

Honest Burgers - 251 - 255 Pentonville Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9NG

All I can say about Honest Burgers is wow. There are several locations across London however we visited the one in Kings Cross for a quick bite to eat. They do so many gluten free options and they are really helpful with allergies. They do different kinds of burgers with a gluten free bun.

I had to try the Louisiana Special as it looked a-mazing. This was Cajun-rubbed beef, smoked bacon, fried onions, American cheese, smoky ketchup and pickles with homemade rosemary salted chips.... I know doesn't it sound great!

The taste's were just incredible. The onion rings were amazing also, but the batter tasted kind of like donuts I used to have at the seaside so it was a double treat for me! 😆

Niche Gluten Free Dining- 197- 199 Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 4TJ

So Niche is a 100% Gluten Free Restaurant. If you get the tube we got off at Angel which I think is the closest tube station.

Again this was amazing visiting a 100% Gluten Free Restaurant as you don't have to question anything on the menu and let them know about your intolerance. It is slightly on the pricey side however the food is worth it, I would say! So if you are looking for a treat I would highly recommend this place.

So above is the full menu, there are so many options so it was such a hard choice for me! I was looking around seeing what other people had and what looked nice but I decided to go with the Larry Lamb Sausage & Mash as I also really wanted to try the onion rings!

So this was unbelievably tasty. The flavours in the mash, the sausage and the onion rings are crazy. The gravy was also perfect.

When I was looking around their NFC basket and their pie looked amazing too. So I would highly recommend if you are visiting or even live in London, you have to try!

Leon - Kings Cross Station, Kings Cross, London, N1C 4AH

I decided to get a quick bite to eat for my dinner at Leon in Kings Cross Station for the train ride home. I was so spoilt for choice, they do loads of boxes with different meals in them which are all gluten free so I really did not know what to try! I opted for the Moroccan Meatballs box with rice and salad and it was SO good.

Leon is in several locations in London and also other parts of the country, I would highly recommend a visit! 😊

Camden Market- Camden Lock Pl, Camden Town, London, NW1 8AF

We decided to visit Camden Market on our first day in London. When you walk around the food stalls there is so much to choose from! I had seen before someone recommending the Halloumi Fries which had its own stall.

There is so much that you can have on them, yogurt, chilli flakes, mint leaves, pomegranate seeds etc but we just had the yogurt on the side.

These were so nice however they were a tad salty so you need a lot to drink after! 

Cookies and Scream- 130 Holloway Road, Highbury East, London, N7 8JE

Cookies and Scream is a 100% Gluten Free and Vegan bake shop... I know. It is full of gluten free and vegan bakes and a dream menu full of freak shakes. 

I opted for the Cookie Dough freak shake. Cookie dough has always been a favourite of mine and in a milk shake it was a dream! You have to visit if you are in London!

Santa Remedio - 152 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2TU

Santa Remedio is a Mexican Restaurant and it does the most delicious Taco's honestly! It's on the pricey side however it is a lovely treat if you fancy something a bit different! The majority of their menu is gluten free, however they do say that their kitchen is not 100% gluten free, but where ever I go it's always the same. I just recommend telling them that you have an allergy and I am sure they take all the precautions.

We had the pork belly tacos and the beef taco's and the taste was amazing! Pork belly is one of my favourites, I would highly recommend having this dish when you are there!

Harrods Tea Rooms - 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7XL

Now if you are ever visiting Harrods I would highly recommend going to their tea room. They do the most delicious gluten free scones, perfectly fluffy and warm. If you have a look on the buy a gift website and other deal websites you can sometimes get a voucher. But to be honest, I didn't find it that pricey. I think it was around £16 per person for a cream tea, but it is SO worth it!

You get two different types of scones, a plain one and a fruit one. Which I think is really good providing a mixture of the two! And obviously your jam, cream and your choice of tea. I thought the whole experience was lovely and the setting. It was a really nice treat!

Pizza Express - 30 Coptic Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1A 1NS

Now obviously there are LOADS of Pizza Expresses in London however this is the one that I have been to and the one that I really recommend.

I had THE most delicious gluten free pasta that I have literally ever tasted. And I have been craving it ever since.

This is the Pollo Pesto which contains gluten free pasta, chicken, closed cup mushrooms, red onion, mozzarella, Gran Milano cheese in a béchamel and pesto sauce. I know, soooo dreamy.

Gremio De Brixton - Saint Matthews Church, Effra Road, Brixton, London, SW2 1JF

Gremio De Brixton is a tapas place that offers loads of gluten free options on their menu. I just made sure that my server knew about my allergies and they were really helpful. We had around 5 tapas dishes and 2 drinks which came to about £48 which was not too bad as you do get a lot!

The food was absolutely delicious and I would highly recommend to anyone visiting in the area!

Yorica! - 130 Wardour Street, Soho, London, W1F 8ZN

Yorica! is a dessert shop just off Oxford Street and it is also free of all 14 allergens! I mean that's an achievement! They offer loads of flavours of ice cream with loads of different toppings and their waffles with chocolate sauce are to die for!

I decided to try the salted caramel ice cream, the caramel and popcorn ice cream with a cookie topping and waffles with chocolate sauce. It was sooooo good! I highly recommend, perfect for a little chill out after shopping on oxford street!

Station 26 - Coldharbour Lane, Unit 26 Brixton Village Market, London, SW9 8PR

Station 26 is a cute little restaurant based in Brixton Village Market so it is quite tucked away but after having a nice wander in the market and you come across this, its a lovely treat! 

You will notice it straight away when you see the 'We are gluten free' sign on the door! It is a 100% gluten free restaurant which is amazing. They have such hearty and comforting food dishes in there, I just wanted to try everything!!

We got a cute little spot outside the restaurant and even though its indoors you do feel like your outdoors but covered by a shelter!

I decided to go for the fried chicken burger and even though it came with chunky chips I HAD to try the halloumi fries. I had seen such good reviews about them so had to give them ago! The food was amazing, you would never know that it was gluten free. So tasty and delicious. If you are in the Brixton area or fancy a little tube ride to it, its about a 5 minute walk from Brixton tube station. I mean you have to visit if you are gluten free, its a fully gluten free restaurant, no worries about what you can/can't eat! 😁

A Gluten Free Guide to New York

I visited New York in December last year for my 21st Birthday and it was amazing! First of all I would highly recommend if you are wanting to visit... well if you are reading this you probably are!

Like whenever I go away, I always do plenty of research beforehand of where to eat that is gluten free. New York is great for gluten free food, there are plenty of restaurants that have either gluten free menu's or gluten free options. I was not glutened at all whilst staying in the city. The restaurants are spread all over that I visited, but of course there is a tube which is super easy to get around! 

Senza Gluten - 206 Sullivan Street, New York, NY 10012, USA

On our first night in New York I had to visit this little gem. It's on a quiet back street somewhere in New York, not sure how we got to it but Google Maps helped! 🤣 I remember seeing Waverley Place close by and thought of the Disney show that I used to love!

So this place is a fully gluten free restaurant! Before this I had never actually been to a fully gluten free restaurant! So this was surprising for me not having to question things on the menu and speak to the waiter/waitress about my dietary requirements. I had the Lasagne which was so nice, and my dad had some kind of beef dish which also looked great 😁

It was amazing! Slightly on the pricey side and the portions were not that generous but hey, a fully gluten free restaurant.. you have to visit if you are in New York!

Ellen's Stardust Diner- 1650 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, USA

On the second day for Lunch we decided to visit this amazing place just off Times Square to experience a proper American Diner. It did not disappoint! Ellen's Stardust Diner is a restaurant with singing waitresses and waiters. They work there to raise money for their dancing and singing lessons etc and also to get recognised for Broadway, and it turns out the majority of them do! It's so fun and the food is lovely.

There are only a couple of gluten free options like some meats and pasta's, however the vibe in there is worth it, if I couldn't eat anything I would just sit and have a drink in there! 🤣 I had the gluten free chicken pasta with veggies in which was lovely, no hard bits of pasta either!! Not what you would generally eat in your typical American diner, however it was worth it!

I would highly recommend again if you are visiting New York! 😊

Lili's 57 Asian Cuisine - 200 West 57th, New York, NY 10019

This was another place that I had researched before visiting New York and it was SO nice. They have a fully gluten free menu, if you check their website out it is on there also. There are so many gluten free options on there. I had the Salt and Pepper squid for starter with a main of Special fried rice. It was so nice to have really tasty food and not have to worry about any cross contamination. They seemed really clued up on the Gluten Free Menu and were really helpful.

I know right.. doesn't it look nice!

Just a tip, this place is fairly easy to miss if you are searching for it. It is located on the south west corner of 57th Street and 7th Avenue, if you come off 57th street and walk a few feet down 7th Avenue it is next to a tube station. 😊

Friedmans - 75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, USA

There are lots of Friedman restaurants dotted around New York but we went to the one in Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market first of all is so nice, there are so many nice unique shops and restaurants in there. Friedmans was a really relaxed environment which was nice to sit down in after a long day walking! I decided to have their fried chicken burger as I knew they were famous for their gluten free fried chicken. It was so nice! Lovely to see a little gluten free label sticking out of it also, it reassures you when you worry about contamination!

The Statue of Liberty 

We had pre booked a trip to the statue of Liberty which I highly recommend if you are visiting New York! It is just something I feel that you have to do whilst you are there, when you think of New York the first thing that comes into my head is the Statue of Liberty.
They have a small cafe on the island that the statue is based on and I was so surprised about how well they catered for dietary requirements!

There are plenty of gluten free options available on their menu, everything is clearly marked. I opted for the Chicken Burger with salad. I was going to get the burger with chips, however I decided not to risk it with the chips. But it turned out really nice! So if you are planning on visiting the statue and you don't eat before, you can eat in the cafe when you get there! 😊

I went to a couple of other places where I did not take pictures of the food which I would recommend also. The Counter in Times Square & Shake Shack also in Times Square did really nice burgers. Again clued up on Gluten Free which was great. So if you are in the Times Square area it is convenient!


General Tips:

• I would fly with an Airline that you definitely know provides gluten free food on their flight or anything to suit your requirements. We flew with a certain airline from Leeds to Dublin and then to Newark and it was terrible. They advertised a gluten free snack box that they did not do anymore. I had ordered a gluten free meal and they had no record of it, and the flight is long so i would definitely recommend bringing your own snacks for the flight with you. (I learnt the hard way on the 7 hour flight on the way there with no food, so i brought snacks for the way back!) If you would like to know more, feel free to dm me on Instagram!
• Do you research beforehand on restaurants, so you are not wandering around trying to find somewhere. It is a big place, and you will end up walking around for hours starving trying to find somewhere to eat. Note down the places i recommend and their addresses so you can put them in google maps whilst you are there.
• Just ask! You will be surprised, you may just wander into somewhere and they have a full gluten free menu, don't be afraid! 😊
• Be prepared to walk very far! There are tubes and taxi's however it is so much easier to get places on foot. On our first day there I checked my phone when we got back to the flat and we had walked 11 miles in one day.. mad!

Thanks for reading! And if you are visiting, have an amazing time! 😊

A Gluten Free Guide to Barcelona

                                                     

Barcelona is not only one of the most amazing cities I have ever visited but it is also great for gluten free food. This was my first main holiday that I had been on since being diagnosed so I did my fair share of research beforehand. The majority of restaurants there have gluten free menu's and there are also some hidden gems that I found whilst out there. So here goes!

Conesa Entrepans - Carrer de la Llibreteria, 1, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

Conesa Entrepans is a gorgeous sandwich shop located on a square just off Las Ramblas. It was that popular we had to que to get in! They have loads of gluten free options and also a cute little stand for gluten free cakes. They also have a seperate area where they prepare the food to avoid cross contamination.

I had a chicken panini which was amazing, my first panini since being diagnosed!

Jansana Gluten Free Bakery - Balmes, 106, 08008 Barcelona, Spain (Eixample)

This is a must visit if you are visiting Barcelona! It's quite a small bakery so it is easy to miss but just look out for the sign!😄 There are so many options available, quiche, doughnuts, brownies, sandwiches, pastries, cheesecakes, macaroons and loads more! I had a quiche followed by a brownie and it was so amazing! I took a few treats away with me also. Again, highly recommend!

Copasetic - Diputacio, 55, 08015 Barcelona, Spain

Hands down - the best gluten free burger I have ever had. This was the first proper burger that I had since being diagnosed, and I have not found a better one since! This place is gorgeous, it has such a relaxed ambience about it and the food is incredible. Again, this was a place that I had researched before hand and the reviews seemed pretty good!

I had the burger which was filled with all sorts for main with a jacket potato side. The menu is really good, there is a lot to choose from. For dessert i had to have the Nutella Crepe - wow this was also amazing! This place is a must visit if you are in Barcelona!

Mcdonalds - Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

Of course I had to write about the Mcdonalds in Barcelona. Obviously they are dotted all over the place, but the main one we went to was on Las Ramblas. I'm not joking when I say over the 6 nights that we were there I probably had about 10 burgers 😆 ... obviously I had to take advantage of the Mcdonalds whilst I was there, as for some reason the UK have not jumped on the bandwagon yet!!

Mercat de la Boqueria - Las Ramblas

This was a cute market that we wondered into that is on Las Ramblas. The colours when you walk in are just amazing, there is so much to choose from. They do have stalls for meat, fish and also plenty of drinks, fruit, veg, pastries etc.

I told you it was colourful didn't I!! 🤣

Hard Rock Cafe - Placa Catalunya

I swear I took a picture of my burger at the Hard Rock Cafe but unfortunately I cannot seem to find it now! However, i highly recommend here if you are visiting Barcelona. The food is amazing and they also have a great gluten free menu.


So that is my Gluten Free Guide to Barcelona! I hope you enjoyed the read and I hope this helps you all out when visiting this gorgeous place!