The Anonymous Widower

The Gluten-Free Championship

i have been perhaps a bit hard on Barnsley, but how do all the other towns with clubs in the Championship stack up?

Here’s a list based on the current clubs in the Championship.

• Barnsley – I’ll post after Saturday, Not heard from the club about their executive catering. I’ve since found they do.
• Bristol City – Judging by the map, it would appear that there are many restaurants, including a Carluccio’s,  within walking distance of the station and the ground.
• Burnley – I’ll be going on the second of March, so will report later.
• Cardiff –
• Crystal Palace – Restaurants including Carluccio’s on the way down
• Coventry – Nothing I can find except Pizza Express in the city centre. I must admit last time I went, Coventry was shut.
• Derby –
• Doncaster –
• Hull –
• Ipswich – Pizza Express, Loch Fyne and a couple of good Indians. Gluten-Free Meals Available in stadium restaurants
• Leeds –
• Leicester –
• Middlesbrough – Nothing I saw, but I ate with friends
• Millwall – Restaurants including Carluccio’s on the way down
• Norwich –
• Nottingham – I have found an excellent French bistro in the city.
• Portsmouth – There appeared to be nothing around the football club.
• Preston –
• QPR – Restaurants including Carluccio’s on the way over
• Reading –
• Scunthorpe – A gluten-free-free town
• Sheffield United – I’ve had a gluten-free meal before the match in a Greek cafe.
• Swansea –
• Watford –

I could add a few notes.

1. I have eaten in football club restaurants before and like racecourse catering, they are expensive for what they are. I had one good meal in the main restaurant at Ipswich Town, but that was not football-related. So on balance, I will avoid them, unless I’m entertaining a friend or client.
2. I’ve never yet found anything gluten-free in the normal catering outlets at a football ground, except perhaps Coca-Cola and coffee.  It should be stated here, that Wembley is particularly unfriendly, which is a complete disgrace for England’s premier stadium.
3. Carluccio’s is expanding and provides a gluten-free menu in all of their outlets. There are places too, with Pizza Express, where a gluten-free salad can usually be obtained.
4. I should also add that some stadia like, Ipswich, Norwich, Burnley, Crystal Palace and others, are close to open spaces, rivers or canals, where you can sit and have a proper picnic.

But as you can see, the standard in some places just about scores zero out of ten.

February 8, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Food, Sport, Transport/Travel | Coeliac/Gluten-Free, Football