Sunday Roast at the Black Horse Inn, Braunton

Roast dinners can often be a nightmare for Coeliacs. Pre-prepared roast potatoes covered in flour, yorkshire puddings, stuffing, gravy – there are numerous items on the menu that can cause problems.

But at the Black Horse Inn in Braunton, North Devon, they made a real effort to cater for my diet when I went for a family meal. Having just been taken over by a new landlord, they are definitely still finding their feet in this spot. But the roast was a real Sunday treat!

We told the pub (which happens to be wonderfully close to my house!) in advance that the party would involve a Coeliac, and explained to them what my diet entailed. I’m often shocked and appalled at how little chefs seem to know about what goes in their dishes, but the ladies in the kitchen were ver helpful and eager to cater towards my needs.

The meat was a gorgeous joint – I had pork and it was lean and juicy, just how it should be. To cater for my lack of yorkshires/stuffing, I was given an extra potato and slice of meat. This was a really welcome gesture, as usually I find my dietary needs often result in having a restricted portion.

They also went to the effort of trying to prepare me gluten free gravy. Although this was fairly thin and watery, it was given in good will and the ladies had gone out especially to buy the ingredients for me to have some sort of substitue.

The veg (peas, cabbage, carrots and new potatoes) were perfectly cooked and served in generous portions, and the roast potatoes were fluffy on the inside yet crispy on the outside.

Overall, the meal was satisfying and homely, and I felt really grateful that the pub had gone out of their way to cater for my diet.

It definitely gave me an extra reason to feel more attatched to my local!