Let’s hear it for the Chain Stores

Whenever I thought of getting gluten free food on the go, I used to avoid chain stores such as Costa Coffee or Marks and Spencers, and head for the health foor shops instead. Call me naive or slow winded (or both!?) but suddenly a whole new empire of gluten free food on the go is trickling it’s way into the big high street names.

Take Starbucks for instance, where the new Genius Gluten Free tuna-mayo sandwich has been so popular, that they’ve launched a cheese and coleslaw version.

But it’s not just Starbucks that is paving the way to gluten-free coffee lovers’ heaven! Costa Coffee offer a gluten free choc brownie option, and I was very impressed with Boston Tea Party‘s CHOICE (a novel thing for a Coeliac!) of cakes! Gluten-free chocolate brownie or gluten-free orange and almond cake? I was spoilt for choice indeed!

With a growing list of alternatives for those avoiding gluten, the chain coffee stores that crowd the highstreets are beginning to become Coeliac-friendly.

And they’re not the only ones, as my biggest revelation and excitement stemmed from looking at a Wetherspoons menu! Not only is everything on the menu now clearly marked (with the option to get a gluten-free alternative instead of skimping out, such as replacing a naan with extra poppadoms) but there is now a growin number of gluten free meals on the cards.

And most importantly, a dessert!

It was only a few months ago I was moaning to my boyfriend that although the menu’s were labelled, there wasn’t a dessert I could eat. But the Apple, pear and raspberry crumble – now totally gluten free – has changed that, and I can’t WAIT to go and try it!

Not to mention the growing “Free From” products produced by the supermarkets, there really is a vast awareness and, more importantly, understanding of food intolerances in the air.

I felt it was time to give these stores some credit, and to keep my fingers crossed that this gluten-free revolution will get bigger and better!