Searching For Gluten-Free Cocktail Sausages
I finally tracked down some of Marks and Spencers gluten-free cocktail sausages in their store at Eastfield.
They have also opened up a new gluten-free section for chilled goods, like fish cakes.
The Best Cafe In Eastfield
Marks and Spencer’s cafes are probably best described as safe, with a boring selection of drinks and pastries, that wouldn’t annoy ladies who drink milky coffee.
But the one on the bridge at their Eastfield store is different.
It’s nice to go to a cafe with proper china and nearly all those in that area of the shopping centre use paper cups.
So it’s a no-brainer as to where I go!
It does mean that if I’m lucky, I have to put up with one of the best views in East London.
As Marks and Spencer now have an extensive range of gluten-free foods in the shop below the cafe, Stratford is an ideal place to break a journey with a pit stop for supplies
Inside The Olympic Park
I walked across from the ViewTube to Eastfield.
As the pictures show, there seems to have been a comprehensive upgrading of the site. All it needs now is to finish the Olympic Stadium.
My one doubt is the price of going up the Orbit. Remember that there is a good viewing gallery in John Lewis at Eastfield.
It certainly looks better now, than the site where the Athens Olympics of 2004 took place.
When it is complete with a fully refurbished Olympic stadium, it will be a unique attraction for London.
In some ways for me it could become a special place, as so much of my early years had connections with London’s second river, the Lee. I used to fish in it, I worked alongside it, I drunk by My youngest son, even lived close to it in Bow.
London’s second river has at last found its purpose in life. It’s just a pity that C and our youngest son aren’t here to see it.
After Westfield And Eastfield, Is Croydon Getting Southfield?
It is good that shopping in Croydon is getting a makeover. Surely this one should be called Southfield.
I do hope that the makeover, also makes it easier to get a westbound tram from West Croydon station.
Getting Lost In John Lewis
After I took the pictures today, I wanted to get the lift down to the ground floor, so I could go to the Waitrose underneath John Lewis.
Getting Lost In John Lewis
I ended up in the car park, as I just pushed the bottom button.
Surely some annotation wouldn’t be amiss!
The Olympic Park From John Lewis
I took these pictures today of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from John Lewis in Eastfield.
It looks very different to before and during the Olympics. I took these pictures just over a year ago.
Ten Reasons I Don’t Like Eastfield
I went to Waitrose in Eastfield this evening, to get some bits and pieces for my supper.
1. The Waitrose there is not for me, as some of the staples I like, like Genius bread never seem to be in stock. I also found out tonight, that it doesn’t have all the small packs of microwaveable vegetables I use.
2. The Marks and Spencer isn’t a patch on the ones in Oxford Street or Finsbury Pavement for food. It doesn’t even stock gluten-free sandwiches, which is rare in a their larger stores.
3. Clothes at Marks and Spencer are probably the normal standard, but unless you get in early in the season, small sizes can be difficult to find.
4. Although, I don’t use it often these days, the Starbucks at Eastfield doesn’t use proper china cups.
5. I went into John Lewis today and it really is a bit small and inferior when compared to the flagship store in Oxford Street.
6. Waitrose and John Lewis are a long way from the main Stratford station.
7. With the exception of Marks and Spencer, I’ve bought no clothing in any of the shops there, as they seem to be almost exclusively aimed at women. The few shops that sell men’s clothes are ones I wouldn’t visit.
8. The only restaurant that I know serves gluten-free food is Jamie’s Italian. Why can’t it have a Carluccio’s like Westfield?
9. As I’m very much a guerilla shopper, who comes, buys what he wants and retreats immediately, the centre is usually too crowded for my liking.
10. In some ways my major gripe is that, if say you want to go anywhere from the main Stratford station, you have to walk through the shopping centre. I always go shopping, when I want to, not when I end up in a shopping centre by accident.
You may think that this has all been very negative.
But I do like the toilets, the only Lakeland near me and the large numbers of cash points.
Arriving At The Olympic Stadium
I arrived at the Sainsburys Anniversary Games about six on Friday evening.
The grounds are still being remodelled to create the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Hopefully, when they finish, we’ll avoid having to enter the park from the east through Eastfield and can come in off the Greenway from the west.
I bet you don’t and you’ll always be routed through the shopping centre.
Wandering Around Stratford
This morning I went to Stratford and had a look round to see if anything was open yet at the Olympic Park!
There was a lot of activity, but opening is a few days off yet!
i didn’t find any new restaurants that can do gluten-free, although I did find a Holiday Inn, which would be in an ideal place to stay, if you got a good deal.
The bridge mentioned in the captions to the pictures is the one that links Stratford station to Eastfield and the Olympic Park.
Why Is Marks And Spencer At Eastfield, So Bad For Gluten-Free Food?
Sometimes, I will buy a gluten-free sandwich from Marks and Spencer! Not often, as their selection at the moment in many stores tends to be just a cheese ploughman’s, which has never been my favourite, as I generally only eat soft or blue cheeses. But most stores in London and especially those at stations sell them, as they did yesterday in Birmingham New Street station. My two local Marks at Islington and Finsbury Pavement, always have them.In the week, I also bought the excellent gluten-free breaded cod from Finsbury Pavement.
But why are there no sandwiches at the large Marks in the Eastfield shopping centre at Stratford? Or gluten-free cod either! It’s as though specific gluten-free products have been banned at Eastfield, as try to get a gluten-free meal there in any restaurant and they say they haven’t got anything. I also heard that the other restaurants said they didn’t want a Carluccio’s there.
So if you’re gluten-free, I recommend that you don’t go anywhere near the dreaded Eastfield!
The Anonymous Widower 