I suppose we all want the usual things to make us happy, good health, a bit of money in our pockets, world peace would be nice and a life's supply of Galaxy Chocolate would make me very happy. What floats your boat though diet wise? When you are on a restricted diet what makes you want to punch your fists in the air and shout 'Yes' ??
I get excited when I see something in the supermarket in the 'free from' aisle which I've not been able to eat until now. It sits there with a glow around it and the angels start singing. A bit like when they brought out gluten free Hobnobs and Chocolate Hobnobs, that was a nice day. I love it when I walk into a eatery place and they have gluten free food on the menu, I'm happy just to see that bread can be provided for me to have a toastie or a sandwich. I also like to see more than one choice in the cake department and decaf coffee and tea available. These people in restaurants who provide gluten free or dairy free options just don't know how they make our lives easier, I mean just by swapping the bread for us - it's the simple things. Knowledge is impressive too as there is nothing like going somewhere and they don't look vacant but totally 'get it'. We drink goats milk in our house because a few years ago we discovered cows milk seem to make my son a bit wheezy, never completely sure whether the milk was the problem but he felt better after the swap and we've stuck with it ever since. I prefer it to honest, it's supposed to be a lot easier to digest, bit harder on the old wallet but isn't everything that comes with a special diet? When buying some goats milk the other day the girl on the checkout of our local Co-op suddenly said how she loved goats milk and how it was so much better, her boyfriend didn't agree but she loved it. I felt I had a kindred spirit who understood the milk from the goat. I could of talked to her all day, it's just nice when you find people with the same things in common - like milk. There we go again I'm so easily pleased. No complicated conversations for me, my head would boggle. I don't want to put the world to rights all of the time, sometimes I just need to know there is a community of goats milk lovers. I like to think positive and not to think of blank looks when people say gluten free? What's that? I try not to think of the lonely piece of chocolate brownie sitting in a cafe because someone lacks the imagination to bake something else or source a different product. I try not to think of the places I can't eat any dinner or take advantage of fast food. It's not really any bother, although I'd love a big Maccy D's sometimes, I might take my own cob in so I can at least have a cheeseburger. I've made the choice and I feel better for it and I've also got to know where to eat and who does awesome cake. Maybe you could tell me what makes you happy on your diets. Is there enough out there? Do you think products could be cheaper? Would you also like a McDonalds?, Maybe we could club together and charge in with our gluten free buns, demanding equality. Oh I feel a movie coming on! Leave a comment anyway. Thanks for reading today, please do feel free to pop back tomorrow where I offer some information and support around Autism on Autism Support Saturday, until then, take care of yourselves.
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I do talk about it quite a bit, the fact there is limited choice for gluten free food at some tearooms and cafes. Some are better than others but what about a place which was totally gluten free, would it work? I'm feeling a bit passionate about this subject at the moment because I do visit a lot of places for refreshments and just get a little disappointed when the only thing on offer is a chocolate brownie. I think it shows a lack of imagination but then it is difficult if you are trying to cater for everyone.
It's so lovely to see all the cakes laid out but torture when you realise you can't eat any of them. My dream would be to walk into a place and the situation reversed, so all the cakes would be gluten free and maybe just offer one choice of 'fully leaded' as I call it. the thing is that anyone can eat gluten free, it's not anything awful, it's edible and tasty but us gluten free'ers can't eat anything when we go into an 'all round' establishment especially if you're diagnosed with coeliac's disease. There is a lovely Gluten Free Cafe in Norwich that pops up on my google a lot and it's just stunning and exactly what we need more of. Take a look at their website at norfolkglutenfree.co.uk Beautiful eh? I would just feel like I was in heaven and probably struggle to leave. It's like walking into a food paradise for me and just to have all that choice and even pick up a few products while there would be amazing. I'm having one of those 'build it and they will come' moments. if you have seen the film 'Field of Dreams' you will know what that means. Kevin Costner gets messages from baseball legends who have passed away and they tell him to build a baseball field on his property and then they will come and play. Brilliant film, everyone thinks he's mad and it will be too much, it will all lead to ruin and financial suicide but he builds it and they do in fact come, and so do people from miles and miles to see this magical game of baseball. So that's how I feel about a tea shop that is totally gluten free, some products dairy free and vegan too but I'd be interested what you think. Leave a comment as it would be interesting to see if it would work. Please someone build it and I will come along, definitely!! For now though I'll keep doing a bit of research which obviously involves eating cake and drinking tea but someone has to do it. Thank you to all those lovely people in cafe's around the country who do bring us some wonderful choices and fantastic food because there are those who do push the boat out big style and I can tell you we do appreciate it. Thanks for reading today. Like Arnie 'I'll Be Back' tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday so join me then. Take care..... I was so happy here and as the name suggests, very cosy at The Cosy Club in Derby. The surroundings were amazing, fabulously decorated venue and plenty of space. They had separate menus for different tastes and needs! I was in some kind of Free From Heavenly place. There is a good little mix when us girls get together (no not that little mix), one of us is gluten free, one vegan and one, well how shall we describe her? A non free from foodie?
It was just great to have our own menus. I wanted to show mine off and show it to the world, saying 'look at me, I have my own menu, to myself, MINE!! I felt sorry for the girl who wanted to take our order as we were so wrapped up in the excitement of menu proudness we were then spoilt for choice and took ages to decide. Well you can take your time when you have a choice. Great selection of food and the menus are available to view online, I will pop the link on at the end of this post and you can also view the venue, it really is beautiful. After another millennium had passed I opted for a classic burger and upgraded my fries to sweet potato fries. That got me thinking, do sweet potatoes have a better status over conventional potatoes? Are they more important? Special in some way? I don't know but I had them anyway. Everything tasted sensational. A burger with a gluten free cob, YES!!! Great tasting sweet potato fries and a lovely coleslaw on the side. I also went for the extra slice of cheese on my burger, I know.......pushed the boat out in big style. Get a look at that dessert though eh? A warm gluten free chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and yes it tasted as good as it looked. I accompanied it with a latte coffee including a dash of Bailey's too, talk about a treat. I then wondered on the Monday morning why I hadn't lost any weight that week. I looked at the scales in dismay, thinking about how many miles I'd walked with the new Fitbit. I felt as though I had walked to China and back and with no result and then I remembered that I had overloaded the calories slightly for which I am not going to feel any guilt. Not one bit! So can I recommend the Cosy Club? Oh yes and I think you should try it if you haven't already. It's the kind of place you could throw on a vintage style dress and dance like you have won Strictly but that's just my fantasy. I was just dressed in my cropped jeans and t shirt, no dancing took place, only in my head obviously. The staff are so friendly, very patient and if you have a restricted diet I am sure you will find something to please. They are situated at Royal Building, Victoria St, Derby DE1 1ES and the website is: cosyclub.co.uk/clubs/derby/ they also have a Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/cosyclubderby/ Take a look and see what you think. I would advise to book as it can get busy which doesn't surprise me. Thank you for reading today. Please join me again tomorrow as I will be having a little chat about Autism on Autism Support Saturday. Take care for now........ How many times do you walk into a cafe or teashop and there is only one or two cakes available and limited dishes on the menu? Well at 'Because I like it' in Bakewell you experience the complete opposite. Most of the cakes displayed are gluten free and there are so many dishes available on the menu, yes apart from the jacket potato!!! There are a lot of cake and food options for the vegetarian, vegan and dairy free lovers amongst us as well. It's just fabulous. I tend to look at places from a gluten free aspect as that is my diet but my niece visited this place a while ago and she had a very good vegan experience.
Get this as well, this establishment are also a gift shop and bistro too. It is certainly THE place to visit. Tucked away in a side street in Bakewell, there it is a cute little courtyard and plenty of seating inside too. The staff are very friendly and service is super. I went for a Tuna Melt Toasted Sandwich which was just gorgeous, it oozed tuna and mozzarella cheese, served with a salad and I ordered some coleslaw on the side. I ordered a mahooooosive pot of Yorkshire tea, well ok I shared it with my parents but that's ok because I love them. I can't believe I could actually walk into a place and just have anything I wanted to choose. I'm so used to being restricted on what I can select and eat at some places. I just wish this place was nearer. I can definitely see myself returning. They have a Facebook page which can be found at www.facebook.com/BecauseILikeItBakewell and they can be found at Water Street, Bakewell DE45 1EW As I said they are tucked away slightly but there is a little sign out on Water Street itself and if you've got a handy gadget with a map facility you'll find it easy peasy. If you have a restricted diet you will love this place and even if you are not you will also love it as they do offer food with 'everything' in as well so they cater for everyone. Let me know what you think if you visit, leave a comment as I would love to hear your views too. Thank you for reading, I will be back tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday. Take care for now........ We have just had a lovely family evening out at The Great Northern Pub in Mickleover, Derby and the food was gorgeous. Now I have to visited this pub over the many years throughout my life as it was close to where I grew up so I've seen it change a lot. I haven't been recently though and not since being gluten intolerant.
I was presented with a gluten free suggestion list, hurray.....no boring dietary lists to work my way through. very clear and it was nice that they were prepared to change any dish around to accommodate dietary needs. I was absolutely spoilt for choice which to be honest doesn't happen a lot. I did have a quick look at the menu online before my visit, something I tend to do to see what choices I have and I did notice the classic jacket potatoes so I knew I'd be safe. I decided on chilli con carne with chunky potato wedges which was very tasty, could have done with a bit more chilli and the potato wedges were disguised more like a jacket potato underneath but that's just me being picky. It's always a bit tricky though with chilli and curry as everyone likes it a different way. It is probably to stay safe in a restaurant and offer it mild. I was just relieved to be having a choice and eating free from gluten. There wasn't a separate dessert menu but the very friendly staff do explain what is available. They can adapt the sundaes by removing any biscuit base or wafers, ice cream was an option and the sticky toffee pudding was gluten free. I went for the sticky toffee pud with ice cream and it was delicious and with a coffee to finish our meal I can honestly say I had one of the best evenings out for a while. The place has a very nice atmosphere, very popular and busy which is good to see. It's a sign of a good venue when it's fully booked. The staff were very lovely and happy to help, a very happy customer. It makes the difference when I can eat out without worrying too much about the restrictions on my diet and knowing that I can in fact eat! It was a very rainy night tonight but on a sunny day you can sit outside, for special occasions they have a function room available and also accommodation so everything catered for really. For more information they have a website at: www.thegreatnorthern.co.uk So what are you waiting for? Go and book now! Oh get me, bossy Sue from the Brew....telling you what to do, it's just a nice recommendation honest! Thank you for reading and join me tomorrow on 'Make a Brew Sue' for Autism Support Saturday. Take care for now....... |
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