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I’m really lucky living in North Devon, because there are so many fantastic places that offer gluten free food. I can always find somewhere gluten free in Barnstaple, and although there are a few cafes and restaurants I always go to, it’s even better when I find somewhere new.
Lauren and I went for a rainy walk around Barnstaple one weekend, and after a few dead-ends and places not offering much in the way of gluten free (I have literally had enough of gluten free brownie or lemon drizzle cake being the only offerings) we came across The Lemon Next To The Pie in Holland Walk, Barnstaple, which has a few gluten free offerings on its menu. I decided to take Lauren – and my little Coeliac UK Gluten Freevolution flag – with me to investigate!
I’ve always loved the name of this little cafe, it’s something a bit different. There’s a cool little story on the back of the menu about how it comes from a surf movie, which suits the laid-back, North Devon vibe. Inside the cafe is lovely and fresh, with a little room upstairs I didn’t even know was there. We chose to sit in the window and watch the world, and its umbrellas, go by.
But on to the food – and first we checked out the cake cabinet, obvs. Ok, so there was the standard gluten free brownie in the cake counter, but I was pleased to see it had a chocolate fudge topping, making it a little different. We were completely sold by the gluten free peanut cookies – but we’ll get to those. Savoury first!
The menu had quite a lot of gluten free options – gluten free bread for sandwiches, a good choice of salads and jacket potatoes, and even locally-sourced, gluten free sausages and veggie patties on the breakfast menu. But I spotted the gluten free bacon sandwich and that was it – sold.
The food didn’t take long to arrive, and although the bread was, in typical gluten free style, a little broken up (I think it was Genius bread, and I know there have been problems for years with holey loaves) it was soft and there was plenty of bacon inside. Delicious. Lauren had a generous helping of beans on toast, which looked equally tasty. I washed my gluten free sandwich down with a flat white, my coffee of choice – a little milky, but packs a punch!
But there was still room for more, so Lauren kindly bought me a peanut butter cookie and, #OHMYGAWD, they were amazing! Perfectly chewy and crunchy with little peanut pieces and enough sweetness without them being sickly. They were amazing! It took all my self control not to go back and buy some more straight away.
So if you’re looking for somewhere gluten free in North Devon, or gluten free in Barnstaple, I’d definitely veer off the High Street and drop into The Lemon Next To The Pie. With good food and a nice atmosphere, it’s somewhere I plan to go back to again to try some more of their goodies – and to pick up some more cookies!
Oh, and as a parting gift I left my little Gluten Freevolution flag on the table. They’re probably wondering what that was about – hopefully now they will see this and know!
Where is your favourite gluten free spot in North Devon? Comment below with your suggestions – I always need more places to visit!
Excellent thanks Sarah another winning place to try out again.
Great name for a cafe!
It’s definitely getting easier out there, but the quality can be really hit and miss. Having said that, I love when I pick up a menu and a venue has made the effort to provide for us, whatever actually arrives on the plate. The smaller places seem to do so much better than the chains though!