A Dreadful, But Totally Avoidable Train Journey
As a coeliac who avoids gluten and also because I’ve had a stroke and am on Warfarin, I have to be very careful about my diet. For this reason I plan my pit-stops well when I travel by train. If I do change trains, I usually arrange this at a station like Birmingham New Street, Cambridge or Leeds, where I know there is a good M & S Simply Food or a selection of restaurants that I trust.
The last couple of days, I have been in Scotland and on the way back I saw Ipswich Town play at Middlesbrough.
As Middlesbrough is a particularly difficult town for suitable food, I decided to come south as soon as possible after the lunchtime match. I did get lunch of sorts from the M & S in the town.
Quiche And Lemonade On A Bitterly Cold Day
It was bitterly cold and I ate it in the gardens in from of the Crown Court. But hey, two of my family’s bloodlines are Jewish and Huguenot and I reckon at times, they’d have found my simple lunch a veritable feast.
A couple of weeks before, I’d tried to book a First Class ticket from Middlesbrough to Kings Cross, but found the prices rather stratospheric, so in the end I bought a reasonably priced First Class ticket from Middlesbrough to Peterborough changing at York, from where I could get a Great Northern train into London.
I had assumed that the difficult availability of tickets was because of the England-Scotland match at Twickenham and at no time did the on-line booking process on East Coast inform me of the real reason for a ticket shortage.
It was only, when I caught the Virgin Trains East Coast train at York, did the staff inform me of the reason. The East Coast Main Line was subject to engineering work and we’d be using a diversion.
Unlike some other companies, East Coast’s gluten-free offering is non-existent, so I was getting hungrier by the hour, as we were shown the delights of the GNGE in the dark.
As the train was going on to Kings Cross and there were plenty of empty seats, I asked the conductor if I could buy a ticket to complete the journey on the train, rather than decamping at Peterborough to purchase a ticket for another train.
Astronomic prices were mentioned, which bore no relation to the twenty pounds or so, my phone said I would need to spend on-line for a Standard Class ticket. So I got off and bought a ticket in the Booking Office for around ten pounds for Great Northern. Incidentally, the Off-Park Single with a Railcard for East Coast is £14.75. So where did a price of three times that come from?
I finally arrived in London six hours after I left Middlesbrough. To cap it all, the only gluten-free food left in M & S at Kings Cross was one packet of sandwiches.
I could say the sandwiches were stale to add colour to this tale! But they were excellent!
If the works on the line had been flagged up when I tried to book the ticket, I would have only used East Coast as a last resort. After all, I could have gone via Sheffield or Manchester, where I can at least get something to eat. The Booking Office clerk at Peterborough had told me that they have to tell personal callers that there are problems! So why not on the web?
The conductor on the train, said it was all my fault, as I should have gone to Kings Cross, to read all the information about engineering works. Doesn’t that remove one of the advantages of booking on-line?
If you say you want to collect a ticket from a station that is not the starting point of your journey, the train purchase web sites ask you if this is what you want to do. Surely, a warning if there are works or likely delays on your route could be similarly indicated.
The real losers in this tale are Virgin Trains East Coast, as they had an empty seat between Peterborough and Kings Cross, for which I would probably have paid a reasonable amount. Next time I go to York or Doncaster where there is an alternative, I will also probably use it.
A Fully-Reliveried Virgin East Coast Train
This train was waiting at Leeds.
I hope that the gluten-free offering gets better than East Coast’s non-existent one!
Lunch On A Clothes Line
I had a nice gluten-free salad for lunch at a restaurant called La Corde a Linge
The salad was called le corset, as a lot of the dishes were named after clothes as the restaurant had once been a laundry.
They knew their gluten-free and also sold a decent cider.
It was also delicious and good value.
Frankfurt At Night
I went and had a look at Frankfurt by night.
I ate supper at Fisch Franke and it was an excellent gluten-free fish and chips.
The only problem I had was that it was bitterly cold and getting back to my hotel I got lost and a ten minute walk took thirty minutes. Frankfurt is not too well served by maps.
Serial Cooking – A Simple Kedgeree
This simple kedgeree comes from Lindsey Bareham in The Times.
It was one of the best meals that I’ve cooked serially.
I only ate half and will pack the rest for my trip to Rotherham on Saturday.
Three Parent Babies
MPs are set to debate the ethics of so-called three parent babies today.
I was reasonably lucky with my three children and there won’t be any more, as I’m had the snip.
But I’m certain, that C, would have been distraught, if she’d produced a string of handicapped babies. I certainly would have been and any technique that stopped problems is to be welcomed.
So let’s hope narrow-minded religious minorities don’t stop the adoption of this technique.
It is interesting to read this article in the Telegraph, which gives the view of Lord Winston, who is an Orthodox Jew
On a related point, I have a genetic disease, but sadly I only found out about my coeliac disease, when I was fifty. If I’d known earlier, it might have meant that my son, who died from cancer, had been found to carry the disease, so perhaps he would have led a better lifestyle.
If it had been known to earlier generations of my father’s family, I suspect that the family wouldn’t contain the large number of childless females and those who have suffered from serious cancer that it does.
Going Gluten-Free In Malta
I know it’s a holiday area, but I had no problems being gluten-free in Malta.
Everybody seemed to be pretty clued-up and I even had very good gluten-free rolls for breakfast in the hotel.
Lunch At Rye
I stopped off at Rye for lunch at the Mermaid Inn, which was a gentle walk up the hill from the railway station.
I had a simple but excellent lunch of grilled plaice, new potatoes and some freshly-cooked broccoli, washed down with half of real cider.
It really isn’t difficult to create a simple gluten-free meal, as the Mermaid showed. In some ways, it’s ironic to get a good gluten-free meal in a town with the name of Rye!
It was just what I needed on a bitterly cold day.
My only problem with Rye was that there weren’t any maps at the station and if it hadn’t been for the map I printed off the Mermaid’s website, it would have been difficult to find.
I shall go back in the sun and explore Rye. I’ll certainly find the Tourist Information and give them a piece of my mind on the lack of information.
Searching For Food In Paris
I know quite a few good places to eat in Paris, but partly because it was Tuesday and my favourite creperie was closed for January, I ended up not finding anywhere to eat.
Searching the Internet I found this bakery and restaurant called NoGlu. But you’ve guessed it! It was closed, but I was able to take pictures.
Next time I go, I’ll give it a try. It’s certainly got good rcviews on Trip Advisor.
In the end I had a very nice steak and chips at a cafe near the Gare du Nord, called Paris Nord Cafe. They weren’t specifically gluten-free, but they knew how to make sure my meal was safe.
A Simple Gluten-Free Guide To London For Visitors
In Oliver’s yesterday, I met an American couple, who were visiting London and Paris. They could have been on honeymoon even, but they certainly wanted to eat gluten-free.
So I decided to put up this simple guide, which includes some my favourite restaurants and the rules by which I live.
Marks and Spencer
I’ve eaten gluten-free bread all over the UK and most of Europe, including in specialist gluten-free bakeries. But none compare with the range of breads in Marks and Spencer, if you take availability into account. Most of their stores in London, including those in stations, have a range of bread, biscuits and cakes. And many have gluten-free sandwiches, which you usually have to buy early, as many on their way to work, buy them as they pass by.
Marks also sell lots of salads, fruit and vegetables, including single bananas.
There are also gluten-free quiches and scotch eggs. I also thing, that the company is implementing a policy of making sausages, burgers and other goods, as free of all allergens as possible. Most packaging is clearly labelled in English, French and Dutch. I regularly eat their ultimate burgers and specialist gluten-free fishcakes.
So if you’re staying in London for a few days make sure you check out the nearest store to where you are staying.
I would issue a slight word of warning.
Suppose you are travelling outside of London to visit an attraction. Don’t expect that the range in all stores will be the same as London! So make sure you plan your eating properly or take supplies from a store in London.
Incidentally, I have found that their sandwiches usually last a day past their sell-by date, if kept unopened in a fridge. In fact generally, their bread, unlike some others, seems to last well. Even when it is past the sell-by date, the bread, still makes an acceptable toast.
EatNakd Bars
EatNakd bars are my staple snack, that I carry with me most of the time. I usually get mine in a supermarket from the Free From section, but they are turning up in more and more places.
Holland and Barrett
Holland and Barrett is a chain of health food shops and every one has a selection of gluten-free snacks amongst a comprehensive range of foods and supplements for the health conscious. Most seem to have a selection of EatNakd bars too!
Restaurant and Cafe Chains
As in all the corporate world, some are good, some are very average and some are downright bad. I use four chains regularly as I know I can trust them and perhaps more importantly I like their menu.
Bill’s – I’ve recently discovered this chain, which seems to be expanding fast. They sell themselves as opening from breakfast to bedtime.
Carluccio’s – This group is expanding all over the country, with a lot of restaurants in the London area. They have a gluten-free menu and pasta is always on offer. A particularly useful one for me on my travels around the country is the restaurant in Manchester Piccadilly station, where I often change trains.
Jamie’s Italian – Jamie’s Italian is a good upmarket alternative, which has a comprehensive gluten free menu including pasta.
Leon – This a smallish chain, that is setting new standards in fast food. I regularly use them, when I want an interesting small eggy snack for breakfast. Some of them, actually serve tea and coffee in large real mugs.
Patisserie Valerie – Probably best described as an upmarket cafe chain, but the tea and coffee are good and they do have an acceptable gluten-free brownie.
Pizza Express – C and myself would regularly eat in one of the numerous Pizza Express restaurants until I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. After that, it was less often, as you can only eat so many salad nicoise. Now I regularly go as I’ve always liked a good pizza. They may not be as good as the one I ate in Munich, but they are certainly as good as any in the UK. If you choose your Pizza Express with a bit of care, you can find some with excellent views or in historic locations and buildings. I regularly eat in one by the Globe theatre, that has good views of the River.
I shall probably add other chains to this list, as there are some restaurants on my radar, that may grow up to be more widespread.
Indian Restaurants
I have generally found that an Indian restaurant with good tablecloths and an owner, who speaks good English, generally cook with chick-pea flour and are usually gluten-free. Or at least, I’ve never had a problem. Some might in some, as a lot of very competent and affordable Indian restaurants in the East End of London, don’t serve alcohol. But they usually say you can get beer or wine at a nearby shop!
If I need an Indian meal, I usually go to the Angel Curry Centre in Chapel Market at the Angel.
Gluten-Free Cake
There is quite a bit of excellent gluten-free cake in London and even in the smallest non-chain cafes, you’ll see one displayed. There is an excellent chocolate chip and mandarin cake that turns up all over the East. Obviously they mine it somewhere near the Olympic Park.
Railway Stations
Network Rail, who manage a lot of the bigger stations in the UK, have stated that they want to get the fast food chains like Burger King, McDonalds and Starbucks out of the stations.They hsave said they want to go upmarket with chains like Carluccio’s and Patisserie Valerie. They also seem to be encouraging local cafes, like the one at Alexandra Palace station. London Overground also seem to be using up spare space for local cafes, some of which, like Crystal Palace, are very good.
As many stations now seem to be featuring a Marks and Spencer food outlet and these are increasingly featuring coeliac-friendly food, it’s a far cry from the day, when comedians made the joke about their father working as a sandwich curler for British Rail.
As many busy provincial interchange stations like Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester have a Marks and Spencer and a cafe/restaurant that does a passable gluten-free, train travel is almost becoming a preferable alternative to driving. Unless of course motorway service stations have improved since I last visited one.
Trains for me in the UK are not a problem, as I usually take something I’ve either made or cooked, or bought elsewhere. On some operators like Virgin, if you pick your train out of London correctly and travel First, you can sometimes have a gluten-free breakfast.
Gordon Ramsay
I once talked to Gordon Ramsay on the radio about gluten-free food in a restaurant. He said that if you book at least 24 hours before and say you want a gluten-free meal, the restaurant has no excuse for not giving you what you need. He also said that if they think they’re a good restaurant and can’t offer gluten-free food, then they’re not a good restaurant. I’ve never eaten in one of his upmarket restaurants, but I have eaten in his Plane Food at Heathrow and his restaurant certainly follows his advice. Although, I broke his rule, by just turning up. But he still got his share of a satisfied customer’s money.
I have found that his advice usually works, except in a couple of cases where they have said they can’t, so I’ve just gone elsewhere.
Treats
I like good food and there are some very interesting restaurants, where gluten-free food features.
Arbutus – In my view Arbutus is one of the best restaurants in London. It was also one of C’s favourites.
First Great Western Pullman Dining – This must be one of the best, if not the best food on a scheduled train. Read about Pullman Dining and my experiences to Plymouth and Cardiff. To my mind, there’s no better way to go to Devon, Cornwall or South Wales.
Oliver’s Fish and Chips – If you’d like to try traditional fish and chips, but gluten-free, then Oliver’s is your place on one of their Gluten Free Wednesdays
View Tube – The View Tube is one of London’s most unusually placed cafes, as it sits on top of Bazalgette’s sewer, looking out over the Olympic Park. You couldn’t do better than start your trip to the park, by having coffee and a tasty snack here. Just go to Pudding Mill Lane DLR station and look for the yellowy-green building made out of containers.
Vozars – Vozars is unique, in that it combines gluten-free food with gluten-free beer. It is also tucked away in the heart of Brixton and can be difficult to find, but it is always worth a visit.
Yard at Alexandra Palace station – An upmarket cafe, that certainly impressed me.
This small list will grow!
The Anonymous Widower 