Gluten Free eating in Spain

Since my diagnosis I've been very anxious about going abroad and having to face the same issues of trying to explain what I can and cannot eat somewhere where I have only a very basic grasp of the language. I was overwhelmingly surprised by how easy it was for me to follow a gluten free diet in Spain, the main response being that of course they had heard about a gluten free diet and were able to cater for my needs, and a slight look of confusion in response to how worried I looked about this issue. I didn't come across anywhere I wasn't able to eat, so if you're planning a trip to Spain- don't worry, you'll get along just fine!

What you need to say:

Sin gluten= without gluten, both gluten and sin are pronounced exactly as they are in English. It really is that simple!

Useful resources:

List of gluten containing ingredients- I found this page from a Spain gluten free blog really useful because of the list of foods which contain gluten, which I printed and took around supermarkets when looking at ingredients lists. However, many products in Spain are labelled 'sin gluten' to make life even easier!

Directory of gluten free restaurants- This website was amazing, to begin with it looks like it lists only chains like McDonalds, but on closer inspection it has several independent restaurants on it too.

Gluten Free Passport- I didn't actually take this along with me this time, I made my own. When someone is not aware of the diet I find it is helpful also to have a list of foods you can eat, milk, eggs, corn, potatoes etc. because sometimes people assume you can't eat anything that people are sometimes allergic to, leading to a very bland meal! Having said this, I never actually found occasion to have to use the gluten free restaurant card that I had made myself, because everyone was so well informed. 

Food Highlights:

       Clockwise from top left- bread at Rhonda parador, amuse-bouche at Rhonda parador
              (gluten containing version on left, gluten free version on right), message on menu, part of bread
at Malaga parador

Parador, a well known chain of hotels has an agreement with the coeliac society of Spain to provide gluten free food, including bread. We visited two paradores on our trip, one in Rhonda and one in Malaga. It was comforting knowing that this was an option to fall back on when you had run out of time to wonder around looking for somewhere to eat. The food was decent and the portion sizes were huge! in the malaga parador I got two huge gluten free baguettes that had been warmed in the oven, and my starter was scrambled egg and asparagus which must have been made with at least 4 eggs! I made myself a sandwich for the plane which was very handy.

Top panel clockwise from top left: fried fish at Restaurant Marymar- Marbella, mini burgers at La Trilla, Marbella (LTM), bread rolls at LTM. Bottom panel clockwise from left,: assorted croquette at LTM, Beiker Pan Tostado from supermarket, Kid chops at La Bodeguita de enmedio, Casares

My two favourite restaurants were Marymar, and La Trilla both in Marbella. Marymar was owned by a chef with a coeliac daughter, and specialised in fried fish, I had mixed marinated fish which was fried in a gluten free batter. It was very good, unfortunately the restaurant seems to have closed since I went.

La Trilla was an amazing tapas restaurant, almost their entire menu was gluten free. We visited at lunch and were the only table in there, but it didn't matter. I had gluten free bread rolls which were really tasty, buttery, fluffy and shaped in lovely little swirls, with hidden treats in the middle like a hazelnut or an olive. The mini burgers were delicious, the one I had was tuna and sea lettuce and tasted really good. The mixed croquettes were a little disappointing, the ham one didn't taste of much and the cheese one was very strong blue cheese. However, there was one which was 'chicken soup' flavoured and this was magnificent, really gooey and tasted like chicken soup which I've always been a big fan of! I've included a picture of Pan Tostado, which is basically little squares of toasted bread, I've not come across these in the UK, but I haven't looked very hard. They were really nice along side a salad and stay fresh better than a loaf of bread.

The most anxious experience I had was at La Bodeguita de enmedio, Casares, because the waiter didn't speak any English at all, at this lovely little restaurant in the square in Casares. It was fine though because he understood what I was talking about, and I was able to eat kid (goat) chops followed by a flan caramel. 

Our nearest supermarket was Mercadona, and we also tried Lidl, both of which had plenty of products that were gluten free.
If you do a little research before you travel and know what to say you will get on fine and be able to eat some amazing gluten free food in Spain.

Gluten free versions of food

I thought people might be interested if I made a post that showed some examples of when I, and another person I'm eating out with have ordered the exact same dish, but I have asked for the gluten free version of the food. I've taken pictures of a few examples which I will show side-by-side.

The butterfly and the pig gluten free burger

Gluten containing version

The difference here is pretty obvious, the gluten free version has a different bread to the gluten containing version. It also happens to have bacon, but that's fairly irrelevant. This was from the butterfly and the pig, a quirky restaurant which has recently opened a new restaurant in the west end of Glasgow.

Gluten free curry accompaniments, Las Iguanas, Deansgate Manchester

Gluten containing version

Ok, I admit these photos are pretty stupid. I forgot to take any once we'd actually put the curry onto the dish, as it was to the side in a pan over a tealight- whoops! The main difference here is the absence of a fried plantain (banana type thing) in the gluten free version. I think I also got extra rice as compensation. Las Iguanas is a chain of Brazilian restaurants, with a dedicated gluten free menu. I find the food really rich and tasty.

Gluten free eggs benedict, Tea Hive, Chorlton, Manchester 

Gluten Containing version

Eggs benedict is one of my all time favourite breakfasts when I'm out. Again, the difference here is the bread, which is gluten free toast rather than a breakfast muffin. The toast wouldn't be as absorbent as the muffin but this is compensated for by the fact the bread is usually bigger. Tea Hive is a cafe in the trendy Chorlton-cum-Hardy suburb of Manchester.

 Gluten free Ham Hock Terrine, The Harbour Inn, Bowmore, Islay, Scotland

Gluten containing version

This is a ham hock terrine with pickled quails egg, broad bean and shallot salad, rye crumbs, apple gel. The difference in the gluten free version is that the rye crumbs are missing, this can handily be seen in the bottom picture where the quail egg has rolled away and revealed the crumbs. The Harbour Inn is a great hotel and restaurant on the Hebridean Island of Islay, which I visited this summer. There were excellent views and great food.

Gluten Free Halibut, The Harbour Inn, Bowmore, Islay, Scotland

Gluten containing version

This is the main course from the same restaurant, which is halibut poached in olive oil, nettle spätzle, savoury granola, samphire, rocket pistou, vierge garnish. The crusty topping is missing from the gluten free version, which is presumably the savoury granola. It was very tasty.

 

Gluten free plain scone, Peak View Tearoom 

Gluten containing version

The scone was completely different to the gluten containing one, and it looked different too. It looked somewhat more authentic and fresh, or perhaps just less perfectly shaped than its gluten containing cousin. My mum tells me that the gluten free scone was a bit drier and more crumbley than her gluten one, but the taste is possibly better in the gluten free version. Peak View Tearoom is a nice cafe on the edge of the peak district, with an exciting gluten free menu.

Gluten free lobster thermidor, The Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton, North Yorkshire

Gluten containing version?

These dishes certainly looked very similar, however, one was announced as gluten free on arrival so you would assume there's a difference. The bottom image looks like it has a thicker skin on it, so maybe they've added some kind of cheese sauce that is missing from the gluten free version. Nevertheless, it was absolutely delicious. The Wensleydale Heifer is a restaurant with rooms in Yorkshire which specialises in seafood dishes.

And finally, since there's no place like home...

Gluten free garlic bread, home, Christmas Eve

Gluten containing version

This gluten free garlic bread was made using the gluten free kitchens' white rolls, it worked pretty well and tasted good. The gluten free kitchen is a dedicated gluten free bakery in Yorkshire, I'm planning to dedicate a post to them once I've sampled all the massive amounts of food I bought from them just before Christmas.

 I hope you found it interesting to see the differences between gluten free and gluten containing versions of things. Usually it's something obvious like bread or bread crumbs but sometimes it's something more unusual like the plantain.

Rock Lobster, Glasgow Restaurant Review

We stumbled across this incredibly gluten free friendly restaurant whilst wondering around looking for a specific shoe shop, and being admittedly a little lost.

I noticed a sign which said 'gluten free fish and chips' which was quite exciting! It lead to Rock Lobster which is situated in a quiet, quirky court in the trendy Merchant City area.

We booked online so we could make use of the 5pm offer, which was 2 courses and a glass of house wine for £11.95.

For my starter I ordered the Buffalo meatballs with blushed tomato & veal bone sauce and had the Spicy beer battered fish & chips with spaghetti style coleslaw.
I'm always nervous when something says it contains beer and is gluten free, as clearly beer isn't usually gluten free. The most likely explanation is that the gluten free version is a batter without beer. I double checked with the chef, just to be sure, and he confirmed it was gluten free (although I didn't expressly ask why it said beer batter on the menu).

*STOP PRESS* Rock Lobster have just confirmed that they in fact use the Estrella gluten free lager in their beer batter for the fish. 

The starter was really tasty, but really was just meatballs. The sauce was really nice but I could have done with something to mop it up with. Perhaps some gluten free bread or a few chips or something. Here it is: 

Meatballs aren't really something it's easy to photo and make them look appealing, but trust me, they were very tasty.

The fish and chips was the star of the show, especially the chips in fact, which were covered in a very tasty peppery seasoning. Here are the fish and chips:

The batter was crisp and yellow, presumably due to turmeric being present in the spice mix. It also contained herbs, which I think were coriander, giving it a refreshing sharp citrus flavour. The fish was perfectly complimented by the delicious chips and a glass of crisp white wine. Even the coleslaw was nice, which is something I usually leave due to my carrot allergy but this was a nice cabbage only version. 

Overall, I would highly recommend Rock Lobster to everyone, particularly those avoiding gluten. I will be back to try the gluten free gnocchi! Something that really should be gluten free anyway, given that it's mainly made of potatoes, but people tend to add wheatflour.