Living in France with gluten and dairy issues?

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

I'm hoping to move to France in the next couple of years however I know the french are big on their bread and cheese. Both things make me unwell and I avoid gluten by buying from the free from section in tesco.

Has anyone with these problems moved to France and how do you find it? Do the french supermarkets and restaurants cater for people with coeliac disease and dairy intolerances? How difficult is it? Will I have to make all my own bread and if so, do they have gluten-free flour readily available?

[Ancienchateau]

Where I live (city) these things are readily available. Even when I lived in the countryside it wasn't a problem.

[jenpetronus]

Almost all supermarkets carry a range, even the small ones. Out tiddly tiny Carrefour Market had a reasonable-ish range, and fresh gluten free bread daily! Our larger ones have more obviously. It depends how reliant you are on bought in ready made products I guess. Most towns have a "bio-co-op" too which carry a huge range, including numerous different types of gluten free flour. Restaurants, I think you will struggle with more outside large towns.

[YeOldeTrout]

Friend has both diet restrictions & travels loads & loads in France. Self-catering, admittedly. Coffee, fruit, meat, spuds, salad all fine. I think their Lidl sells pretty much same/similar range of useful products as they sell in UK.

[eatingworms]

My Mum lives in France, very rural, and she has no problems buying gluten free items at her local (small) supermarket. She also has a Lidl nearby.

[clearsommespace]

They recently brought in new labelling standards here in France so at our local typical bakery it now says 'contient du gluten' on the labels for everything. SIL also avoids these products and when visiting manages to eat out, however she has encountered small amounts of forgotten gluten, for example a fish and rice dish served with a sauce with a little flour in. I translate the menu for a posh resturant catering for international clients, and they label the gluten free dishes and say the others are available GF on request, but you may have to actively question in the more traditional, family run restaurants.