If you cannot eat gluten - what do you want from a cafe?

[Lila288]

I run a coffee shop and would like to provide more GF options aside from the usual brownies/ bars.

If you are GF what would you like to see/ what would make you return?

I will obviously be getting a separate toaster/ panini press etc and separate colour coded utensils.

My menu is quite bread heavy, think bagels/ avocado on toast/ wraps etc. I can't seem to find any suppliers that do a good GF alternative but I will keep looking.

I did try the genius bread as part of my research but it just fell apart

Also, the GF products do cost me significantly more. Would you be annoyed if the GF options were say 30/40p more than the regular items?

Thanks!

GF and dairy free, please! DD can't eat out atm, because it's such a nightmare.

I am dairy free and gluten free. I'm always disappointed when the GF options contain milk products.

I also only consider individually wrapped items. Cross contamination in tea shops is a nightmare.

Very happy to pay extra for nice GF and DF products!

I’m the opposite! Being GF is bad enough already. I don’t want to be DF as well. GF is yucky but DF is 10x worse. I’d rather do without than eat something DF. Unless it’s naturally DF eg soup.

God I wish more people would ask this kind of thing!!! It is so hard to get decent gf savoury food!!! Thank you sooooo much!!!

Those of you who have mentioned gluten free scones... Where are these places!? I miss scones! And a couple of posters mentioned gluten free oats, however not all coeliacs can tolerate oats, even gluten free ones. Yes to advertising that you do gf- I tend to stick to big chains as I can't be doing with going in places with kids/ baby in buggy, looking for somewhere to feed and also having to check the menu before getting everyone settled down, much easier if it's advertised as if I am going to a new area I will research where to eat in advance

Shelly's Tea Rooms in Chilham, Kent, do lovely GF scones – and sell them to take home, too...

www.shellystearooms.com/gluten-free/

@ValiaH M&S scones are ok. I buy them to eat at home. Once the have a (un)healthy layer of jam and cream they are passable. Of course to avoid risk of cross contamination I can't share with other family members so need my own jam and clotted cream....

I find that making gf cake with orange juice instead of eggs makes it more moist and you kill two allergies with one stone.

I dream of GL free almond crossaints but I think they would be impossible to make.

I dislike how orange is added to GL food.

Also GL free oats still cause me stomach issues but I do t know why

Decent cake for sure, fed up when the only GF options are something from the freezer defrosted quickly in the microwave or a brownie bar. I don't mind paying a bit extra as I understand it costs more.
I would love GF sandwiches (those sandwich thins I had last time I was in the UK, can't remember the brand, work well), savoury pastries would be really good too (my favourite cafe over here does a range of GF ones as well as the normal ones)

Warburtons white gf bread isn't bad. The genius pittas are nice too. And no, I wouldn't mind paying 30/40p more for gf.

labradoodle - GF oats can still cause problems because they contain a similar protein to gluten called avenin, some coeliacs react to this as well even if the oats are GF. I was told that I should be GF for six months before I reintroduced GF oats to see if I could tolerate them.

OP I think this is a great idea. I'm so sick of brownies! I think for me, I'd want options for savoury food - omelettes, beans maybe, soups, vegetable curries or things like shakshuka. Naturally GF options.

I remember one poor colleague who was coeliac and had an onion allergy was told she could be accommodated at Christmas dinner. They made no attempts at substitution, or finding something she could eat all of, they just took out the bits she couldn't eat, so had a really poor meal while everyone else had a great time. I think it's great when caterers and cafes go out of their way to make sure everyone can enjoy their meal.

But the biggest thing would be a clear understanding of how you understood GF and cross contamination, and the steps taken to avoid it. And clear information on this on your website/SM. Like the separate steam spouts for dairy/oat milk above.

Gluten free wraps are brill. Baked potato? That’s my husband’s staple when we go out for food!

In terms of sweet things we like a good carrot cake- the carrot helps to keep it moist because gluten free cakes tend to go dry and crumble easily.

I want decent labelling, correct id of non gf stuff.

I want you to ensure there’s no cross contamination.

Dd gets glutened every time she eats chips at school which they insist are GF.

So well done for different utensils, etc.

I’d pay a bit more for a decent sandwich.

Glute free child portions. I do get tired of having to pay for adult meals for My daughter. Make all soups GF which is dead easy. Gf toastier and paninis are great. A separate toaster\ press would solve any issues there.

Make sure you advertise locally and wider that you are offering gf food. We use the Scottish Coeliac Facebook group for ideas of places to eat away from our local area. I have always found that coeliacs are brilliant at advertising and recommending places that are safe to eat to others in the same position.

Labradoodliedoodoo
They sell gf almond croissants at Beyond Bread in London. (At an eye watering £4 - not that this has stopped me!)

Farinata is lovely...on Otto lenghi website

My dh makes gram flour pizza..fab
Buckwheat pancakes are lovely
Please keep a nice lactose free cream in 👍
I find most breads disappointing

I did get some nice choccie biscuits from lidl the other day

I also make a nice polenta , pistachio and grapefruit cake
I use coconut oil but not as much as the recipe suggests

Thanks, OP!

Lots of good advice above that I'd agree with (particularly Schar products, thinking about an offering that excludes other allergens as well as gluten within the same product, so that those with multiple allergies can still eat it, clear easy-to-access info in the cafe itself).

I'd particularly emphasise having a really clear description of your allergy friendly offering, including your understanding of cross-contamination risks, on your website and social media. If I could see clearly that a cafe had stuff my allergic DC could eat, and also that they were geared up to understanding the issues, I'd be much more likely to try it out. I almost always check allergy catering online before going anywhere new.

So many gluten free people are dairy free...like me

I went to a restaurant last week and had a 'GF pizza', which I know was gluten free as it was a different base to everyone else's. BUT I was up all night in agony and feeling sick, and so there must have been some cross contamination in the kitchen. I would rather the restaurant hadn't claimed to cater to GF customers than put some GF dishes on the menu but then not understand the need for vigilance when catering for people with coeliac /allergies.

I agree with the comments about clear labelling.

I'd also like child friendly options for my coeliac son, such jacket potato, soup, omlette, potato waffles etc all easy naturally gluten free food.

I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for gluten free bread/cakes it it was good, it grates paying more for dry, tasteless gluten free food.

My son likes the warbuton gluten free crumpets and sandwich thins if that helps.

For those of you interested in GF and DF - I made this last week for student DD and she and some non GF friends pronounced it the best ginger cake they'd ever tasted glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/2017/08/29/sticky-gluten-free-gingerbread-loaf-cake-recipe-dairy-free-low-fodmap/

Our local coeliac UK group has monthly outings to cafes- if you could contact them you would get a strong customer base quickly!

romeossfbakery.com/home/

For inspiration this place is fab - no cross contamination as the whole place is GF - I’m not GF and i still love it here!