The Gluten Free Blog

You know how it is. You’re out and about and want to grab a bite for lunch. And you’re faced with row after row of ‘off-limits’ sandwiches and rolls.

Well here’s some good news. Starbucks will soon be offering gluten free bread in all its 600 outlets in the UK. And what’s more it’s one of our favourites: Genius.

Genius gluten free bread, you may recall, was launched last year by Edinburgh housewife Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, who developed the bread for her wheat intolerant eight-year old son.

It’s already available in Tesco, Waitrose, Asda and Sainsbury’s. So we’re pleased Bruce-Gardyne has been signed up to supply Starbucks as well.

It shouldn’t be too long before you can enjoy a gluten free BLT or Club sandwich alongside your Caramel Macchiato or Caffè Americano.

Corn-based gluten free pasta

I’ve just been on a snowboarding trip to a small resort called Baqueira-Beret on the Spanish side of the Pyrenées. Luckily, being able to successfully manage a gluten free diet in Spain has become increasingly easy in recent years.

I was in Barcelona before I went to the mountains and there are a few restaurants that are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to coeliac disease. I discovered these thanks to an article by those CeliacChicks. This led me to the Celiac Society Catalunya Restaurant Guide which has a larger list, although the site itself is in Spanish (or Catalan).

When cooking at a friend’s house, I used some gluten free corn-based pasta that I picked up in a great little shop on Via Laietana called Veritas. Expensive at €4,35 (see photo) but very good none the less. And probably pricey because it’s actually an Italian brand! They also stocked Clearspring products, which I know from the UK.

Anyway, back to the mountains. The resort of Baqueira-Beret wasn’t so easy. The hotel was accommodating but eating out proved more difficult. So on my return I did a quick search on eating gluten free whilst skiing/snowboarding. I found an article by a guy in the US on his site Gluten Free Snowboarder. The site isn’t about gluten free snowboarding per se: he just happens to be a keen snowboarder who is also gluten intolerant! The crux of the article was that, although a few resorts in the US are starting to be more accommodating, it’s probably worth taking a packed lunch with you when you hit the slopes. Let’s hope the resorts in the US and in Europe catch up soon with the major cities.

So plenty to enjoy when eating in Spain even if you are slightly more on your own when in the mountains. Just make sure you take your Catalan or Spanish gluten free restaurant card from Celiac Travel with you!

McDonald's french fries. Image courtesy of cfinke

When you’re on the run, it’s tempting to dash into your local fast food joint and grab yourself a quick bite. But if you’re following a gluten free diet surely your local McDonald’s is off limits?

Not so. There are numerous foods which are gluten free at McDonald’s. (Although we recommend you don’t eat them every day.) Note: these apply to UK McDonalds’s restaurants only.

Meaty stuff
A McDonald’s hamburger, cheeseburger, Quarter Pounder^®, and Big Mac^® are all gluten free IF eaten without the bun. All McDonald’s burgers are made with 100% beef; so they’re not ‘beefed up’ with any cereal, rusk or flour.

And according to McDonald’s they’re happy to serve you just the burger minus the bun if you ask your server when ordering. Apparently, they don’t even mind if you bring your own gluten free bun in with you.

Potato things

• French fries (Note: UK only. It seems that US french fries do have gluten.)
• Potato wedges
• Hash browns

Green stuff

• Fruit bags
• Carrot sticks
• Garden salads

McFlurrys

• Cadburys Crunchie McFlurry andDairy Milk McFlurrys are both gluten free
• But Aero McFlurrys are NOT gluten free

Sundaes

• Strawberry sundaes are gluten free
• But toffee sundaes are NOT gluten free

Drinks

• Regular coffee
• Latte
• But Cappuccinos are NOT gluten free. (The chocolate chips used contain gluten.)
• Hot chocolate
• Apple juice
• Orange juice
• Soft drinks
• Milkshakes

Sauces

• Big Mac sauce
• Heinz Tomato Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayo
• Spicy tomato salsa

What else to avoid
The obvious things to avoid are buns, wraps and anything in breadcrumbs. Fish fingers, chicken nuggets and onion rings are also off limits.

But if you’re not sure about any ingredients just ask your server. And if they don’t seem sure ask to speak to the manager. Don’t run the risk of being ill over a Filet-O-Fish^®

Update: Following on from a number of queries we had regarding the fries, we contacted McDonald’s directly. See this post for their reply.