Tag: eating out

Roasted vegetable quinoa

Lunch on the go can be harder with allergies, intolerance and other dietary requirements. I often find it hardest when I’m out and about or needing to plan lunch in advance. This menu is one of my favourite, easily made, easily packed up lunch for on the go. 

Roasted vegetables are a great staple for vegetarians and vegans alike. I often roast a big tray of chopped Mediterranean vegetables and use them for lunches and evening meals. 

Mixed with cooked quinoa this is a perfect coeliac, vegan lunch. Full of vegetables and free from anything artificial. 

Wilson’s Arms – Torver, Lake District – a hidden coeliac gem

Enjoying a weekend away can be affected as a coeliac when you have to plan every meal in advance. 

Whilst away on a walking weekend with friends I was delighted to find a lovely pub with gluten free options. 

Wilson’s Arm’s at Torver near Coniston actually has a number of gluten free, veggie and vegan options including platters, sandwiches and salads on the lunch menu. 

I actually opted for a classic and after a hard morning walking I had a jacket potato and beans. It’s comforting to eat safely and happily and this pub and it’s adjoining deli is a treat. 

Pizza Express

I recently heard a rumour that Pizza Express had expanded their gluten free menu to include a vegan cheese. Naturally I needed to find out more. Quickly. So off I popped to my nearest Pizza Express. 

When I arrived I spoke to the manager who provided me with full allergy menus and options. They spoke to me about my needs, made recommendations and discussed it with the chef.

I ordered the gluten free dough balls with olive oil and balsamic followed by a gluten free margherita with vegan cheese. 

The food was delicious, the service was inclusive and I was in no way unwell. 

I would highly recommend and look forward to a future trip. 

Under Kastenjen, Stockholm

I’ve always really enjoyed trips to Scandinavia as due to high levels of diagnosed coeliac disease, lactose and gluten intolerance there is an abundance of gluten, lactose free and vegan foods. 

Whilst in holiday in Stockholm today I’ve enjoyed some real treats, including the sneaky ice cream below. Strawberry and elderflower sorbet. Mmmmm. 

After a busy day sightseeing (and tucking into ice cream) we were ready for a nice evening meal. Which is perfect because we found Under Kastenjen in Old Town, Stockholm. 


Under Kastenjen means under the chestnut tree, named for a beautiful tree in a narrow medieval courtyard. 

Under Kastanjen is open during the day as a cafe and bakery. They actually have two bakeries on site, one entirely gluten and lactose free. They sell a range of pastries and coffees. 

In the evening they are a restaurant and bar. Serving food in the formal restaurant downstairs, the informal cafe area and at their courtyard tables. All the starters, mains and desserts are either gluten and lactose free or they can be adjusted to make them gluten and lactose free. If like me you are also a veggie they have several veggie options. 

Whilst you wait for your food they also dish up homecooked gluten free bread and I had apricot and raisin loaf. My main was the veggie bean burger which came with a delicious mango salsa and chips. 

In addition to super coeliac-friendly food the service was also excellent and the team were really friendly and helpful. Definitely a spot I would recommend for all.

Henderson’s Vegan, Thistle Street, Edinburgh

I have found my new favourite place in the world. Please prepare yourself for a lot of excitement in this post… 

I’m visiting Edinburgh this weekend and looking for coeliac, vegan food requires planning and research in advance. Henderson’s staff were really helpful when we phoned and booked a table in the restaurant area. Henderson’s Vegan have two eating areas, one which is a self service cafe and another with waitress service and… live jazz. Seriously. I’m moving in. 

I explained I was allergic to nuts anx mushrooms in addition to coeliac and vegan and was impressed to find I actually had a choice of meals. To start I had falafel and coconut sauce, although I encouraged my sister to have the Thai wraps. Both were excellent. 

Tucking in to such amazing vegan food in a relaxed, friendly and jazz filled environment was really exciting and it was nice to feel normal despite my allergies.

Main course – risotto. This was a really well cooked vegan risotto and the vegetables were crisp and fresh and it was nice to find surprise fennel as well as butternut squash, rocket and garden peas. 

I don’t even know where to start telling you about dessert. So our waitress came over really excited and told us not to look at a menu. She said I have 3 desserts for you. All nut free, vegan and coeliac. A chocolate mousse, a raspberry cheesecake and a chocolate cheesecake pot. She said we had to have the last one so we went for that and the raspberry. 

Let’s just be clear. These puddings were amazing. I’m genuinely still trying to get my head around the chocolate pot as I’m not sure how they made it that good, it was really creamy and my non vegan, non coeliac sister thinkd it is better than dairy and gluten based puddings. 

Henderson’s Vegan is a safe, happy and tasty place. 

Zizzi’s – Gluten Free, Vegan Menu

During a day out in Nottingham my friend said we should go for lunch. I was all ready to go to the usual spots I know when they said we were heading to Zizzi’s instead. 


They had researched the menu and found I could have a full 3 course meal even though I’m a coeliac, vegan with a lot of dietary requirements and allergies. 

When we got in I asked for the gluten free menu and found they had a vegan menu as well and lots of keys beside the dishes. Vegan options on the gluten free menu had Ve next to them. 

My friend was right I could eat starter, main and dessert! To start I had marinated olives. When they brought the food over they had a sticker on the dish to indicate the dietary requirements and they told me about their separate preparation areas for specialist diets. 

My main was incredible. I had a gluten free margherita with vegan cheese. It was the best gluten free, vegan pizza I’ve had. I loved it. Perfect for lactose intolerance and vegan needs. 


After my delicious pizza I tucked into vegan and gluten free ice cream – coconut and dairy free chocolate flavour and a lemon sorbet and raspberry sorbet. 

The staff were all helpful and supportive and the food was amazing. I left full and very happy. 

I will definitely be returning. 

Rootcandi, Brighton – Vegan, Gluten Free Thai Tapas

I’ve found another amazing restaurant during a weekend away and wanted to share it with you all. Rootcandi in Brighton serve entirely vegan Thai fusion tapas and it is a delight. 

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I found the restaurant searching online for recommended coeliac. As I have quite a few additional allergies I had a chat with the manager when I booked the table and they emailed me the menu and allergy information. 

When I arrived they had jotted down on the menu the options I could eat. There were a lot to choose from and it was really tough not to order them all. 

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I had crispy tofu, summer rolls and courgette fries. I have to say that it was one of the tastiest meals I’ve eaten since being diagnosed. 

With friendly staff and a busy but chilled atmosphere I would thoroughly recommend Rootcandi as a top free-from choice.

Yo! Sushi

It can be surprisingly scary to eat out with dietary requirements. When you have several it can be really daunting so it was lovely to eat at Yo! Sushi in Meadowhall Sheffield where the lovely manager Kate helped me out with tasty free-from recommendations. 

I’m a lactose-intolerant, coeliac, vegetarian and have allergies to mushrooms and nuts so I can feel like a pain when I do eat out. The manager at Yo! Sushi is also a gluten free vegan and was able to make substitutions and recommendations. 

One of my favourite dishes even before I was diagnosed was the Kaiso salad. This is a salad of seaweed and carrot with a sesame dressing. To make the Kaiso salad celiac friendly make sure you have it prepared without the kaiso sauce, I’m happy to report it is just as delicious without the sauce. Yo! Sushi makes you feel really secure eating with allergies because as well as picking dishes off the belt you can also order dishes and they will make them to suit your needs perfectly.

Maki is a key sushi dish and one that I make at home when I make from scratch; it’s never as neat as the maki at Yo! though. I’ve tucked in happily to the avocado maki and the cucumber maki, which were both made without mayo to ensure the vegan credentials. The manager bought over a bottle of guaranteed gluten free soy sauce as an accompaniment so I didn’t have to miss out on any of the flavour.

My final dish was a recommendation from the manager (by the way she is called Kate and is brilliant – would very much recommend to any free-fromers or coeliacs in Sheffield looking for a nice meal). She organised for a hand roll to be madefrom scratch with suitable ingredients – it was absolutely lovely and made my night. 

It feels so nice tucking into lovely food and also feeling normal whilst you eat out. Definitely two thumbs up for Yo! Sushi.

New York (free from options)

I’ve been off to New York recently to celebrate the wedding of a lovely friend, although it’s taken me away from my kitchen and blog I’ve had a lovely time and found some really tasty treats whilst I was away. 

Having quite a lot of dietary issues (coeliac, lactose intolerant, allergies to nuts and mushrooms and no meat or fish) I always get a feeling of deep dread whenever I go away and have to hand over control of my diet. Knowing how badly things can go wrong makes it hard to relax and enjoy my time away. 

I actually found somee brilliant places to eat whilst away. From takeaway lunches to high class meals I found that a lot of places were able and happy to go out of their way to cook me something delicious. 

One of my staples for the time I was in New York was Pret A Manger. I love Pret in the UK anyway but in the US I found I could have 2 of their hearty salads. One was a falafel, hummous and pomegranate mezze salad featuring amazing gluten free falafels and the other was a quinoa and avocado salad. These were perfect as I was trying to pack in sightseeing and activities and I could easily eat on the go. 

My favourite meal during my time in New York was at the restaurant at The Museum of Modern Art. I had had some good recommendations to go and I enjoyed a market greens salad and a cauliflower and raddichio side, both super tasty and pictured below.

I’d also been concerned about food at the wedding events but was nicely surprised. The day before the wedding my friend’s held a brunch at the renowned Waldorf Astoria. My non allergy and meat eating husband lived tucking into many, many pastries. The fruit platters were beyond anything I had imagined and I still want to know what some of the fruit I ate was. I was also impressed with the food at the wedding reception. After attending the ceremony in central park we then went to The Park, a venue incorporating an old speakeasy in the lower west side. It was fabulous and as well as enjoying a big apple and kale starter and a sweet potato red curry I also enjoyed a number of gluten free cocktails – heaven. 

I really enjoyed the food during my trip and hope you find lots of deliciousness if you ever visit too.