Amsterdam

Recently I had a little trip to Amsterdam, which is a very interesting and pretty place. There's lots to see and do, and a lot of lovely food! On my wanderings I found a few gluten free and dairy free places to eat, and everyone speaks English, so it's very easy to find a decent meal. I'll share with you some of my favourite finds.

Pancakes Amsterdam

There are a few of these dotted about the city, one is very close to the main station, Amsterdam Centraal, and the tourist information centre so very handy. Another is right by Anne Frank's house, so great if you're a little early for your time slot or need some comfort food after having a tour. They make Dutch/European or American style pancakes, but only the European ones are gluten and dairy free. If you ask for gluten free they're automatically dairy free too, but it's made with soya milk, so bear this in mind if you have an intolerance to soy products. The chocolate sauce is unfortunately not dairy free, but there are a lot of other yummy toppings, both sweet and savoury. (I tested both, main course and pudding...you have to really!) I'd definitely recommend the goats cheese with spinach and pine nuts, I could easily have eaten another it was so addictive!
(No photos I'm afraid as I ate it too fast...)

Jaz hotel

This is a hotel near the stadium where we were staying. I didn't eat anything in their restaurant, but I thought it was worth sharing the breakfast tips in case anyone else stayed there too.
They do soya milk on request, and will make a variety of eggs. They also provide a gluten free bread board if you ask. Impressively, it wasn't just a couple of slices of normal bread, but also had a gluten free croissant! Not often you see those...

Gluten free bread board

Bagel and Beans

This is another place you'll find dotted all over the city. They do gluten free bagels which you can also buy to take away and heat at home, handy if you're staying in a self-catering apartment.
The bagels are delicious, I had a chicken and avocado bagel with pine nuts which I loved so much I had it again on another day.

Chicken and avocado gluten free bagel

They do the most delicious hot chocolate as well. It comes as warm milk (soya milk in my case) with a dish full of chocolate drops which you stir in. There's a choice of different types of chocolate, but choose the dark if you can't have dairy, as the others contain milk. Unfortunately they do charge extra for soya milk, but it was so nice I felt it was worth the extra coins.

Soya dark hot chocolate

Bagel and beans also make fresh salads and smoothies, which looked lovely, I might have to go back and sample these if I'm ever there in warmer weather!

Wok to Walk

This is a great place if you want food in a hurry. They make up the meal as you like it, so you can choose your noodles or rice, your protein and veg and any sauce you'd like. The sauces which are gluten free are sweet and sour and yellow curry sauce. The sweet and sour is also suitable for vegans. They wash the woks in between each dish they cook, so contamination-wise it seemed OK, although there's a chance of ingredients accidentally making it into different tubs (although this didn't happen when I was there, I can imagine it would with a slack chef) so bear this in mind if you have a nut allergy or anything. They don't use MSG which is reassuring, and all the ingredients looked and tasted fresh.

Rice with chicken and vegetables and sweet and sour sauce

There were a lot of gluten free options in supermarkets too, particularly Albert Heijn, where I grabbed a lot of snacks, and would have visited more if I was self-catering. There were also a lot of cafes which had gluten free and vegan options, but I didn't get round to trying, so go explore and see what treasures you see!

Gluten free fish and chips

So for the gluten free British readers, this post will be particularly appropriate.
One of the most loved British dishes of all time is good old fish and chips. Trying to find a gluten free version of this requires a bit of hunting and usually some research.

A lot of fish and chip shops out there will have a gluten free day, which is the day of the week that they change their oil over, and so serve gluten free fish that one day before reverting back to normal and contaminating it all with horrible gluten.
(Some 'normal' people out there may have noticed that every now and then their fish tastes different...this is why, you've gone on a gluten free day!)

Now this is fantastic if you have a local fish and chip shop and aren't fussed about which day you eat it, but is no good for random fancies for the fried food, or forays into unknown places on your holidays.

I've found a few fish and chip places which serve it every day, haven't made me ill (and so I assume have good practice for avoiding contamination) and are also delicious! I'd like to share these places with you.

Firstly, my most recent discovery;

Vinegar Jones

Bowness-on-Windermere, UK

Very close to the lake, this fish and chip shop has a lot of options. They serve gluten free fish and chips every day, which is superb, and they even have gluten free vinegar which a lot of places don't have. They have a dine-in option for a bit extra, but we opted for take-away.
It was very busy, but despite this, service was quite fast and was with a smile. I'd definitely go here again! Please note that they don't take cards, so visit a cash machine first.

Secondly, for fish and chips by the sea;

Wolfies of Hove

Hove, UK

Similar to the last place, this fish and chip shop caters every day for the gluten free. They too have gluten free vinegar and the fish and chips were cooked to perfection. So delicious! They have a variety of different fish you can request, which I liked as I'm conscious about over-fishing of certain species, so I could choose a fish which wasn't under threat (although all of their fish is sustainable). They also use local potatoes for their chips to keep the food miles down. They only take cash here too, but there is a machine in Hove railway station which is just up the road.

Thirdly, a bit different, this isn't a take-away, but a pub.

Bartons Mill

Basingstoke, UK

This pub is in a gorgeous setting. They have their own lake and pond, with plenty of outdoor seating as well as cosy inside seating with their fireplace burning away in the colder weather. This is a very different venue compared to my other mentions, as it's dine-in instead of take-away, but definitely worth a mention as it's very tasty. They have a whole separate menu for gluten free diners, and seem to be knowledgeable about contamination. They do both gluten and gluten free fish and chips, so make sure you say gluten free when ordering. The fish is also dairy free, and the tartar sauce is dairy free too. They also come with homemade minted mushy peas. I don't usually like mushy peas, or minted peas, but these were yummy. :) This pub also has an area for formal dining, I can imagine it would be lovely for a wedding reception.

Why I've started this blog

I like to travel. I like the excitement of seeing a new place, having a change in atmosphere and meeting new people. Something I often dread about travelling is the food.

This may seem strange to some people, as often the discovery of different and exciting dishes is what draws people to explore new places.

I too find food exciting, but I have a list of allergies and intolerance as long as my arm, and this can make finding food a difficult challenge when out and about.

I've created this blog to share some of my favourite places, and new food discoveries, for those of you who may share some of my problems.

Bon Appetite!