Steeliac

Tag: gluten free restaurant

  • The Maynard in Grindleford

    The Maynard in Grindleford

    We decided to try The Maynard in Grindleford for our anniversary dinner. It’s one of four pubs in the Peaks owned by Longbow Venues, all of which are accredited by Coeliac UK. The accreditation recognises their work to create a gluten free menu that’s suitable for coeliacs and ensures the staff are trained to understand about cross contamination. As ever, the reason behind this is apparently that the MD is a coeliac and his own experience has driven the extensive gluten free offer and associated safety measures.

    So there are no disclaimers on this menu – hurrah!

    Speaking of the menu, it’s changed since we went (only last weekend!) from the summer menu to the autumn/winter one, and my choices aren’t available anymore – but there are lovely new dishes on offer like masala-spiced seabass and slow-cooked beef shin.

    I was delighted with my starter, which was spiced cauliflower pakoras, served with Jerusalem artichoke velouté and sautéed quinoa with spinach. Anything deep fried is always a treat, and deep fried cauliflower is one of my favourite things, so this was always on to a winner. Really decent portions, too.

    Beautifully crispy pieces of deep fried cauliflower sitting on some green quinoa that's been sauteed with spinach and a pale green artichoke sauce. On a grey ceramic plate with a large rim
    A big souffle drizzled with cheese sauce and topped with green salad - all on a blue speckly plate with a white rim

    My husband had a twice-baked cheese soufflé with blue cheese sauce, which was also gluten free. I didn’t try it as I’m not a fan of blue cheese but it was reportedly deliciously light and tasty and a sensible portion for a starter.

    I hesitated over the main course I’d taken a liking to, which was a duck breast served with a vegetable spring roll, duck leg wonton, spiced pak choi and green vegetable sauce. This was marked as “gluten free available”, so I knew some elements were going to be missing, but the question was how many – if it was minus the spring roll and the wonton for the same price (£25.95) it would just be too annoying to order. I was pleased to hear just the wonton was missing, so I was happy to give it a try – and when it came, I wasn’t disappointed.

    The duck was cooked perfectly with lovely crispy skin, and the size of the crispy home made sping roll more than made up for the missing wonton. It was a great plate of food, and all the better for not having any rice in my opinion – because then I would have over eaten!

    A large white plate containing a cuck breast sliced in two with crispy skin and pink meat, next to a crispy looking spring roll. Both sitting on a green vegetable sauce with some wilted pak choi

    Regular readers will know I always try to save space for a pudding if possible. I thought I’d squeeze in a little assiette of desserts. After ordering, the waiter came back to tell me one of the three desserts would be replaced by an extra scoop of ice cream, which was a bit of a shame. However, when it came, it was a mega portion, which I couldn’t finish.

    A big, grey plate with an assortment of dessert elements. In the foreground, a square chunk of chocolate tiffin, a scoop of mango sorbet and a couple of chantilly cream quenelles, sprinkled with dried and fresh raspberry. Behind are a strawberry cut in half, a scoop of strawberry ice cream, a quenelle of pale green cream (matcha?) and a small meringue covered in fruit coulis and another qunelle of cream. Yep, that's one busy plate of pudding. And no, I didn't share it. :-P

    Wierdly, none of the components were actually on the dessert menu. In the foreground, there’s a piece of tiffin (which is hiding a second piece). In the background is a meringue with fruit coulis and chantilly cream. There’s a scoop of mango sorbet and one of strawberry ice cream, then various quenelles of cream and sprinklings of dried raspberry. It felt less an assiette than a plate of leftover bits and bobs, to be honest. But I don’t want to be critical given the portion size and the quality of each individual element. I didn’t quite finish it though – I took the second tiffin home in a doggy bag!

    Overall, we had a lovely meal and enjoyed the quirky decor, much of which was pictures of animals in fancy dress in fancy gold frames. I think most spaniels probably think they have earned those medals.

    Two gold picture frames hanging on a teal wall. The left one contains a stag with antlers wearing a three piece suit, white shirt and grey tie (yes, actually). On the right a spaniel (springer, I think) is proudly wearing a military uniform complete with gold epaulettes, a blue sash and lots of medals. He clearly earned them.

    It was great to have plenty of choice and not worry too much about the cross contamination. I’d be happy to go back here, but I’m also keen to try some of the other Longbow Venues.

    The Maynard
    Main Road, Grindleford, Hope Valley S32 2HE

  • Gillson’s Brasserie on Eccy Road

    Gillson’s Brasserie on Eccy Road

    We recently went out to have a send off for a family friend who’s off to study and play rugby in the States.

    We decided to try Gillson’s Brasserie on Ecclesall Road, which has replaced Patoo Thai.

    I was intrigued when I found out about this new brasserie because it’s owned by the same people who have Gill’s & Co wine bar further down the road, where we had a lovely meal (not to mention a few too many glasses of wine) and they were great with the coeliac precautions.

    They also own a cocktail bar called The Gilmont so they are developing a bit of a monopoly on Eccy Road.

    Whilst the menu had gluten free items marked on already, my very thoughtful friend had phoned ahead to check they could cater for me.

    For my starter, I ordered the crispy fried ham hock terrine with minted pea puree and pickled radish. As you can see, it was incredibly vibrant, with two chunky croquettes and the contrasting puree and pickle. I loved it – a fantastic starter. Accompanied by a rather wonderful dry rose wine, which we shared.

    A white plate with a green rim, sitting on a white table cloth, with a knife and fork either side. In the middle the plate are two crispy, breaded croquettes of ham hock terrine, sitting on a minted pea puree, with a few scattered peas and a couple of quarters of pink pickled radish.

    Other options were a crab and prawn cocktail, or a sun-dried tomato, basil and butterbean pate – which unfortunately wasn’t available.

    Most people went for Sunday lunch for mains – they had belly pork, beef sirloin, supreme of chicken or a nut roast. These were generous portions with giant Yorkshire puddings that obviously don’t come with the GF version, but apparently their stuffing is gluten free, so it’s only the Yorkie that’s missing for coeliacs, which makes it a pretty good option. I can see that’s potentially an inflammatory statement here in Yorkshire, but we have to take what we can get, don’t we?

    I opted for the lighter sea bass with samphire, peas, mussels and a white wine sauce, and I shared some tenderstem broccoli with my friend. Lots of greens! A generous portion of fish too, cooked to perfection, I’d say, with a wonderfully crispy skin. No complaints on this either.

    A close up of a white plate. Two crispy skin-on white fillets of seabass are nestled on top of a pile of peas and samphire. All of which sits in a puddle of creamy sauce.

    I like to squeeze in a dessert for the purpose of the blog – very selfless of me, I know. There was only one GF on offer and it was a mango and coconut creme brulee, so I had that and it was very nice. You never get quite the same texture with vegan ingredients so it wasn’t quite as silky as a dairy based one, but it had the flavour and the caramelised sugar crunch nailed.

    A close up of a white bowl of creme brulee with a green rim. It's almost completely covered in slivers of mango, and on top of that are arranged three pieces of crunchy, sugary, oaty biscuit.

    Price-wise, it wasn’t bad at all for the quality of the food. The roasts ranged from £19-£25. My sea bass was a little pricier at £28 but the portion justified it. Caesar salad was the cheapest GF main option at £19 or you could push the boat out on fillet steak for £39.

    The potato selection is also strong here, with fries, mash, truffled Dauphinoise (yes please) and buttery news all GF.

    All in all, it was an excellent meal worthy of our celebration.

    Gillson’s Brasserie
    607-609 Ecclesall Rd, Sheffield S11 8PT

  • New GF offer at The Cricket, Totley

    New GF offer at The Cricket, Totley

    The Cricket Inn is a great pub right on the edge of the Peak District moorland in Totley. It’s got a wonderful outside space with loads of tables and, beyond the Cricket pitch, a beautiful backdrop of the landscape.

    Over the last few years, the GF offer had dwindled but it’s back and it’s really good. We called in after taking the dog for a scamper in the hills on Sunday and we had a brilliant brunch of sharing plates.

    Looking at the pictures, our selection was perhaps a little protein-heavy and not so balanced.

    But how could I not order salt and pepper squid with sriracha mayo when it’s coeliac-safe?

    And the beef tartare came with crispy shallots. I double checked these as crispy shallots are usually bought in and sometimes a giveaway that the chef isn’t as clued up as you’d hope. But not here – they make their own! So again, a must have for me.

    The scallops were from the specials menu, and were served with caramelised apple puree, celeriac and tomato consommé. An unusual pairing to my experience but it was delicious.

    And the Isle of Wight tomatoes with goat’s curd had a lovely, green dressing and balanced everything out a bit.

    A wide rimmed white bowl containing four chunky scallops, without roe, sitting amongst caramelised apple puree, celeriac and tomato consommé
    A small cast iron skillett on a chopping board filled with assorted coloured baby tomatoes sliced into quarters, scattered with goat's cheese and a little hat of salad leaves
    A cast iron skillet on a small wooden tray on a picnic table. The skillet contains about ten large, deep-fried gluten free crispy squid rings. Also on the tray is a small ceramic bowl of sriracha mayo and a lemon wedge
    A big grey ceramic plate, almost a bowl actually. In the middle sits a majestic looking beef tartare with a crown of gluten free crispy shallots and a few chopped chives. A glistening puddle of green dressing sits to one side

    The food arrived quickly – the service was great – it was fairly quiet at 12ish so a good time to go before the Sunday lunch crowds appear and all the tables are booked.

    Apart from the small plates, the menu includes a variety of gluten free mains ranging from classics like gammon and chips, fish and chips, and steak, to some more unusual dishes like pastrami duck breast with potato and leek pave, and rose harissa roast cauliflower.

    Some of their signature menu items like their pies and burgers are not available gluten free unfortunately , but there’s still enough to choose from. And if you like your chips, there is a rather fine selection, all GF: chunky, dirty, rosemary or truffle and parmesan. Price-wise, the mains range from £18 – £26.

    A quick peruse of the other menus indicates a pleasing selection of dessert options as well, with a crumble and a creme brulee available as well as the ubiquitous brownie and ice cream options. Sunday roasts, I’ve not fully investigated. As usual, they’re marked GFO, which means some elements won’t be available. I can report, however, that their side of cauliflower cheese IS gluten free, which is most encouraging. Drop a comment in if you know more… A gluten free Thornbridge session IPA is available in bottles.

    The Cricket Inn
    Penny Lane, Sheffield S17 3AZ

  • Groke – Coffee and brunch at Kelham Island

    Groke – Coffee and brunch at Kelham Island

    Groke is a very rare gem for coeliac dining – a brunch cafe that specialises in gluten free. I normally avoid brunch out completely, as there are so few places I’ve found I can enjoy it – partly because of the cross contamination risk from a hundred bread products, and partly because it’s one of those meals where you generally end up with something inferior. But not here…

    In owner Tom’s words, “Groke has a brunch menu where coeliacs aren’t an afterthought.” A recently diagnosed coeliac himself, safe gluten free dining has been a priority since the beginning.

    The opportunity for a visit came up a couple of weekends ago, when the weather was lovely and both of my teenagers were away. We decided to take the dog for a walk up the Five Weirs Walk and enjoy a quiet brunch out.

    The cafe’s menu is relatively subtle with its references to gluten free (understandably not wanting to put gluten eaters off), saying all dishes can be gluten free – but all they do is switch the bread out, as all the other ingredients are already GF. I’m told by Tom that the kitchen is mostly gluten free, with a special area for bread with gluten in. As we know, it’s usually the other way round.

    Inside the cafe, the gluten free credentials are a little bolder, with this fabulous selection of home bakes, all of which are gluten free.

    A busy counter top in a cafe. On top of a wooden counter sits a tiered glass display containing a variety of tray bakes, all gluten free. On top of the display unit are a variety of bottled and canned drinks. A couple of plants are in the foreground.

    The weather was lovely, as it’s been for weeks now, so we sat outside on the terrace overlooking the river and ordered a coffee whilst we perused the menu. There are all day breakfasts, brunch dishes, burgers and toasties, which can be served with beer, wine, cider and cocktails as well as coffee – nice.

    Taken at a slightly jaunty angle, this shows a raised decking, with a few steps at the right hand side. On the decking are chairs and tables under some big, black square umbrellas. A man is preparing to take a seat at one of the tables.
    A view inside a cafe, In the background is a patio door with chairs and tables in front. In the foreground, a wooden servery is on the left and a shelf with brightly coloured items for sale. There are plants hanging from the ceiling, on the counter and on the sheles.

    The all day breakfasts are as you’d expect – a meat, veggie and vegan option. Brunch dishes include eggs Florentine, ham hock Benedict, Turkish eggs, hummous toast and bircher muesli. I made a slightly shameful order of huevos rancheros but with the titular eggs substituted for bacon and asparagus. Perhaps another reason I don’t eat brunch out is that I’m not a fan of poached and fried eggs – I can do a scramble as long as it’s got some other flavour with it – but I am a fan of refried beans, smoked tomatoes, coriander, sour cream and chilli oil on sourdough, and these were wonderfully accompanied by my bacon and asparagus. It was all rather divine – once I’d got over the slight embarrassment of ordering it. Perhaps I should come up with a name for it.

    A small wooden tray on a darker wooden table. On it sits a glass of coffee on the left, with a frothy top and a heart shaped decoration in the foam. On the right a black cup of coffee with a swirly plant decoration in the foam two teaspoons sit in between the coffees.
    A white bowl on a wooden table containing lots of refried beans, and on top of that several spears of asparagus some streaky bacon and some small, cooked tomatoes. two pieces of thick, white bloomer toast sit perched on the left of the dish.

    We were full after our brunches and a couple of coffees, so off we went for our walk. On the way back, we called in for a takeaway bake to have in the garden at home. We bought a caramel slice (aka millionaire’s shortbread) and a piece of apricot and pistachio flapjack and had half each.

    A white plate containing two slices of traybakes. On the left a fruity flapjack with raisins and, pumpkin seeds visible in the mix, and a dried apricot on top. On the right is a slice of millionaire's shortbread, although we can only really see the top, which is milk chocolate with a swirly white chocolate pattern. In front, also on the plate, is a sharp, serrated knife

    I’m looking forward to going back here – brunch out seemed particularly decadent for me, and I could definitely get used to it. Or maybe we could go a bit later in the day and try a burger. The halloumi and red pepper stack with slaw, pickles and smoky baharat sauce sounds wonderful. Veggies and vegans are very well catered for here, as Tom is also vegetarian.

    And in case you’re wondering how to pronounce Groke, as I was, it’s phonic and rhymes with broke (rather than broker, which I thought it might be, expecting it to be a Scandinavian word). It’s a word I’d never come across before, an old Scots word meaning to stare at someone’s plate hoping they will share their food. I won’t be sharing any of mine, so you’ll have to order your own!

    Groke
    1a Kelham Square,Kelham Island, Sheffield S3 8RY

  • Silversmiths, a decade later

    Silversmiths, a decade later

    It’s been 11 years since we last went to Silversmiths on Arundel Street in what’s known as Sheffields “Cultural Industries Quarter”. Back in 2015, it was brilliant for gluten free, but it subsequently went through a series of ownership changes and different chefs and for a while lost its gluten free offering altogether.

    The most recent revamp retains their focus on locally sourced ingredients and refined cooking but the menu is more gastro-pub / a-la-carte than fine dining and small plates. Happily, it now has a great selection of gluten free dishes on the menu again, so it was time to give it another visit.

    The summer menu was fairly limited, but I don’t mean that in a bad way at all as sometimes long menus can be a bit overwhelming. This one contained five starters, six mains and six desserts to choose from and just over half of those were marked gluten free, as well as most of the sides (including the beef fat chips). Price-wise, it was quite reasonable, with £7-12 for the starters and £20-25 for mains.

    For a starter, I ordered Korean beef jerky, which came with a pickled slaw and fried shallots. I was absolutely delighted when the waiter came out to say our food would take a little longer than normal so they could be extra careful on the cross contamination. That’s exactly the kind of reassurance I like. And we didn’t even have to wait that long really.

    A pile of beef jerky sitting atop a purple slaw on a grey plate. Sprinkled with bits of crispy onion

    The flavour of the beef was brilliant, with a warming blend of spices that contrasted well with the pickles, although I will say it was maybe a touch too dried; it certainly wasn’t easy to stab – but I still enjoyed it. If ordering again, I’d probably opt for the curried scallop or the braised fennel with goat’s cheese, which I’d struggled to choose between.

    My main course was red mullet, which was cooked beautifully and served with lemon herb potatoes, samphire and a pineapple and red onion salsa. The dish tated excellent, with the fish cooked perfectly, lovely, salty samphire, and the tangy salsa was absolutely delightful. The only problem was that the fish was a bit on the small side – in the picture, those potatoes were not massive.

    A textured plate containing a piece of seared red mullet fillet, some new potatoes that slightly dwarf the fish, samphire and a pineapple salsa
    A white plate with two hunks of steak, one lovely and pink. Sitting alongside two large, crispy cubes of potato, some long thin carrots complete with greenery, a few mushrooms and a creamy Bernaise sauce

    My husband chose the steak, which was also gluten free, and a much more generous portion as you can see in the photo. That came served pink with carrots, mushrooms, potato cubes (not the technical term!) and a Bearnaise sauce.

    I wasn’t planning to say anything about the dinky fish, but my friend took it upon herself to mention it to the staff and they did acknowledge it was a bit on the small side. To make up for this later, they said my dessert would be on the house, which was a nice touch, and much appreciated.

    Here is said dessert – a very rare thing indeed, a gluten free lemon meringue pie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a very decent slice, with freshly blow-torched soft meringue on the top. It went down very nicely with my Bakewell tart cocktail to round off the meal and a lovely night out.

    In the foreground, a luscious slice of lemon meringue pie is hiding behind a very beautiful quenelle of pink hibiscus sorbet. Behind the plate is a pink, foamy cocktail in a tall glass and in the background, someone else's pudding is out of focus.

    So a very different experience to last time, but I would recommend it. Great-tasting food, plenty of gluten free options and what felt like a very reasonable price.

    Silversmiths
    111 Arundel Street, S1 2NT

  • Cross Scythes

    Cross Scythes

    We went to the Cross Scythes for a Mother’s Day meal with the teenagers and the grandparents. This is a pub in Totley that’s changed ownership a couple of times recently. It’s now part of a very small chain, having been bought by Northern Collective, who also own The Dore and a few venues in Hathersage (Bank House, and wine bar Vintners).

    It’s a mid-priced gastro pub with quite an extensive menu of mixed cuisines, which is why we picked it – something to suit everyone. And for the gluten free among us, a very decent amount of choice marked on the menu as either GF or GF option. As well as starters and desserts, you can choose from salads, regular main courses, ‘from the grill’, Sunday roasts and sandwiches. They also have pasta and nachos on the menu, but those don’t appear to be GF or GFO.

    As it was a celebratory meal with family, we splashed out and went for the full three courses. Four out of the six starters were GF or GFO. I generally prefer to choose dishes that are GF, as the O bit usually means you’re missing something tasty, but my mum ordered the GFO crab on toast and the only thing that was different from the regular version was the bread. She was very happy indeed – it was a lovely portion, the bread was not from a square loaf, and it was delicious.

    I had pan fried cod cheeks with roasted cauliflower puree and asparagus. It looked and tasted lovely, but I did have to search for the cod. I don’t suppose cod cheeks are massive, but I was expecting more than the few flakes I found.

    A grey plate containing a delicately placed splodge of cauliflower puree, asparagus and peas in a white sauce, and some micro herbs as a garnish. There were flakes of cod cheek in the mix, if you looked quite hard.
    A pretty white and grey plate containing a piece of toast with crab pate on, slices of avocado, a side salad of greens and tomato, and a pretty, green drizzle

    Sticking with the theme of fish in a white sauce with green accompaniments, my main was a pan fried hake fillet with truffled potato gratin, asparagus, courgette and a herb veloute. This was lovely, and I didn’t have any trouble finding the fish, which was cooked well, with a crispy skin. The truffled potatoes were soft and rich, which made this a filling dish even though it doesn’t look that big on the plate.

    My mum chose the roast lamb. As expected, it didn’t come with a Yorkshire Pudding or stuffing but the portions were fairly reasonable so she didn’t mind. She also ordered a side portion of cauliflower cheese, which was a bit of a treat – generally one of the things you miss out on when eating out. Shame it wasn’t part of the main dish.

    A grey plate containing a squat cylinder of potato gratin, upon which leans a piece of white fish with crispy skin, and some long pieces of asparagus and courgette strips. They all sit in a puddle of white sauce with herbs in.
    A brown plate with a classic Sunday roast with some of the trimmings (well, it is gluten free so you can't have all of them). We can see slices of roast lamb and a variety of vegetables hiding underneath it (carrots, parsnips, green beans) and what looks to be shredded celeriac in a white sauce
    A little metal dish of cauliflower cheese

    Having wisely chosen two fish courses, I had just enough room for a pud. It felt like there was a bit less choice here; four out of nine options were GFO, of which one was ice cream and one was cheese. So of the actual puddings, it was just two of seven: creme brulee or cheesecake of the day. I opted for the cheesecake and the gluten free version was chocolate orange, which I think came with chocolate ice cream, so no complaints there. A perfectly stodgy, chocolatey way to end the meal. We also had a cheeky round of Baby Guinness shots on the table as well, as they had an offer on.

    A pretty cream plate with pink splodges, with a piece of chocolate cheesecake (although it looks more like cake) and a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

    Overall, this was a lovely meal with plenty of choice and good service, especially considering it was Mother’s Day. Definitely enough there to go back for. Prices were £7-12 for starters, a wide range of main options from £16-26, and £5-10 for desserts.

    Cross Scythes
    Baslow Road, Totley S17 4AE

  • Borgo

    Borgo

    We have tried to book at table at Borgo, the independent Italian restaurant on Oakbrook Road (near the Greystones/Ecclesall area of Sheffield) a few times but it’s always been fully booked. We eventually managed to secure a table with some friends one dark, wintery evening, and I was very excited to go.

    Whilst it’s not the most renowned for gluten free, it has a great reputation generally, and it does have some GF dishes marked on the menu. We’re talking four out of eleven antipasti dishes, for example, and two out of seven sides – so if you want loads of choice and a separate GF menu, this might not be the place for you. But if you’re looking for high quality, artisanal food and you don’t mind a slightly limited choice, it’s worth a try.

    My husband and I shared starters, which were the Arrosticini Abruzzesi (grilled lamb skewers with lemon and salt to you and me) and scallops in butter sauce with a hint of garlic and chilli. They were both fabulous, with the high quality and perfectly cooked main ingredients speaking for themselves, with just a few simple supporting flavours.

    a plate with five lamb skewers and a slice of lemon
    A plate with three scallop shells on a bed of green leaves, each containing a cooked scallop, topped with micro herbs and accompanied by a couple of lemon wedges

    Unusually for me, I went with more red meat for my main course. Normally I’d have been tempted by the fish dishes like Merluzzo e Lenticchie (pan seared cod on lentils) or Orata alla Pizzaiola (oven baked sea bream) but I must have been especially hungry!

    The steak, cooked medium rare to my liking, came with plenty of shaved parmesan, cherry tomatoes and rocket. Because I couldn’t have the French fries, mine had a side of rosemary roast baby potatoes, which went perfectly with the steak. Simple but hearty fare, well executed.

    A plate with sliced ribeye beef and salad, hiding under a generous amount of large parmesan cheese shavings
    A metal dish containing roasted baby potatoes with rosemary

    Surprisingly, after all that (I’m sure I left a few potatoes!), I still had just enough room for a dessert, which was a pannacotta with cherries. As per the other dishes, simple but wonderful. Soft, creamy pannacotta and the tang of cherries. What’s not to love?

    A decorative dish containing a pannacotta, topped with cherries and red, fruity sauce, and a sprig of mint leaves

    With prices ranging from £13 – 16 for starters (some of the non-GF were a little cheaper) and £27 – 36 for main courses, this isn’t the cheapest of restaurants, but the food was very high quality, the service was attentive and I felt looked after. Despite the disclaimer on the menu, the staff did what was needed to make my food safe, and I would definitely go back.

    Borgo
    139-141 Oakbrook Road, Sheffield S11 7EB

  • Return to Pho

    Return to Pho

    Pho is, without doubt, one of my favourite places to eat in Sheffield – I love the fresh, Vietnamese flavours and the fact that the vast majority of the menu is gluten free, with accreditation from Coeliac UK. I’ve already reviewed it, of course, but I’m unashamedly writing again because I was invited for a complimentary meal recently. I normally review places as a paying customer. That way, it’s an authentic experience to write about, and if somewhere’s not great, I just don’t post at all. But I wasn’t about to turn down a very rare offer of a complimentary meal and a reason to remind all you Sheffield gluten free folk to go there, so off we went!

    I started off with a spicy lychee margarita, which certainly had a chilli kick to it, and we enjoyed some crunchy prawn crackers and sweet chilli sauce. Then we picked some starters to share. There’s so much to chose from on the menu, with only the spring rolls off limits. We went with very flavoursome pork and lemongrass meatballs with peanut sauce, and prawn summer rolls with the classic sweet, sour and salty nuoc cham dipping sauce.

    A martini glass with a spicy lychee margarita, a piece of red chilli floating in it and a salted rim, on a restaurant table
    Pile of prawn crackers on a plate
    An oblong plate containing two skewers each with three pork and lemongrass meatballs at a jaunty angle, some pieces of mint and lettuce, and a small pot of peanut sauce
    An oblong plate with two summer rolls cut in half on top of some shredded lettuce. To the left, a small pot of nuoc cham dipping sauce

    I could actually have picked an entire meal just from the starters as there are so many lovely options. I’m a fan of the Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes and the beef wrapped in betel leaves, and if the boys had been with us, they’d have picked chicken wings.

    For my main course, I had wok fried noodles with chicken and prawns. This is the kind of stir fry I aspire to cook but never quite manage to achieve the depth of flavour: lemongrass and chilli with an umami base, plenty of peanuts, and a bit of nuoc cham dipping sauce as well. And a few greens alongside the chicken and prawns for good measure. Absolutely lovely.

    large oblong plate with a prawn and chicken noodle stir fry, a pile of beansprouts and a bowl of dipping sauce
    A large bowl of Pho soup, with a oblong plate on top containing a large wooden spoon and a big pile of herbs and beansprouts
    A large bowl of Pho soup with lots of meatballs bobbing around in it, and some herbs on the top

    My husband chose the beef combo pho. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup, served in a massive bowl with a side (or rather top, as it comes on a board on top of the bowl) of beansprouts , chilli, lime and fresh herbs to add yourself. This one included three types of beef, steak, brisket and meatballs. You can see from the picture that the servings are huge!

    The pho broth is cooked in a massive vat in the dining room of the restaurant, so the aroma fills the room, which is marvellous. It manages to accomplish the feat of feeling like a big treat at the same time as being nourishing and healthy. It’s just really lovely food.

    I don’t think we’re blessed with that many places in the city centre that are brilliant for gluten free, so this place is a real gem!

    Pho
    6 Leopold Square, Leopold Street, Sheffield S1 2JG

  • How to be a Coeliac – eating out

    How to be a Coeliac – eating out

    Once you’ve got the hang of eating at home, it can take time to build up confidence to eat away from home. You’ve learned all about how important it is to check the ingredients of everything and to avoid cross contamination. But how can you be sure other people would be as careful as you? How can you even begin to trust anybody else to cook for you? Where do you start?

    In this post, I’ll talk about what I’ve discovered about eating out in cafes and restaurants, and also eating at friends’ and family members’ homes.

    Eating out in restaurants and cafes:

    • The good news is, Coeliac UK have an accreditation scheme that a variety of restaurants have signed up to. Accredited restaurants work with Coeliac UK to make sure they are meeting strict gluten free standards including training staff how to take orders, cook and serve gluten free food safely. I just did a search for accredited restaurants in Sheffield and it returned 26 results. Don’t get over excited as lots of these are chains with multiple venues: Browns and Pho in the city centre, eleven branches of Dominos, seven Pizza Huts, four Pizza Expresses and two Miller and Carters. Not all of their food is gluten free (although at Pho, it’s the vast majority) but they will all have a good selection.
    • Very occasionally you’ll come across a fully GF restaurant or cafe. These tend to pop up where the owner/chef or a close relative is coeliac. There have been a couple of these in Sheffield that have come and gone, and only place I know of in Sheffield at the moment is the Sardinian restaurant Akentannos on Sharrow Vale Road. The owners also run a gluten free delicatessen on the same road called Nue (the arancini are amazing!). There’s also Darnton Coffee House in Barnsley, which isn’t a million miles away (but I’ve still not been). Obviously, you can totally relax in these places, as there is zero risk of cross contamination.
    • There are quite a few cafes and restaurants that have a separate gluten free menu or have dishes that are gluten free marked on the menu. Some places do gluten free really well, e.g. at Wagamama, they only allow managers to take orders from gluten free customers and your food will be cooked by the head chef. Even so, they still have a disclaimer on their website saying they can’t guarantee 100% gluten free because of other ingredients present. So this is where you have to use your judgement. Personally, I’m satisfied that in this case they are taking adequate precautions (I also have gluten present in my own kitchen) and I’ve never had a problem eating there.
    • But what if you’re not sure? Before you book, have a good look at menus online so you can get an idea of the menu options. When you arrive, it’s worth asking some questions to check how well they understand gluten free food. You can ask things like whether they have a separate preparation space for gluten free food? Or can they wipe down an area and use clean cooking utensils. An important question to ask for any fried food like chips is whether they have a dedicated fryer for chips or do they just bung them in with all the breaded items? Don’t make assumptions when it comes to chips – I’ve definitely been in places where they didn’t understand this.
    • In cafes and restaurants where they have cakes on display, this often gives you an idea of how good they are at managing allergens. If they have all the gluten free items at the top of the display or in a separate cloche, and they have dedicated tongs to pick them up, that’s a good sign. If the gluten free cakes are sitting right next to regular cakes, I’d exercise extreme caution. It’s definitely worth asking if the gluten free items were prepared and stored separately and if they have any that haven’t been put out on the counter.
    Lovely, gluten free mini Victoria sponges and mini carrot cakes protected by glass cloches
    Gluten free chocolatey goodies under a protective cloche

    Food on the go:

    • Food from street markets is very rarely ok for gluten free, in my experience, so food on the go tends to be more expensive because you can’t generally just grab a burger or sausage roll. You’re more likely to need to find a cafe or a supermarket where they have pre-packed sandwiches (M&S is usally reliable for a sandwich or wrap). Baked potato places are probably a good bet.
    • Some of the supermarkets and coffee chains have pre-packed gluten free options, but these have decreased unfortunately, as the focus has shifted onto vegan food.
    • In coffee shops, if you have a hot drink with steamed milk, ask them to wipe down the milk steamer because they tend to use the same one to heat oat milk, which generally contains gluten, so there is a cross contamination risk. Chain coffee shops usually have some pre-packaged cakes or flapjacks on the counter but you’re less likely to find savoury food, although I quite like the little egg bites in Starbucks for something a bit different.
    • Takeaways can be tricky, although as we’ve seen from the Coeliac UK accreditation, there are quite a few pizza options. Gluten free Chinese options are fairly rare, although people do recommend Simply Chinese in Dronfield, if you’re over that way. Fish & chip shops sometimes serve GF, often on the day they change the oil in their fryers. Occasionally, you’ll find a chippy that has a dedicated fryer like Neptune’s on Ecclesall Road that calls itself a gluten free specialist. Again, it’s about researching in advance.
    • Indian restaurants and takeaways generally have a few options, as they tend to use gram flour (from chickpeas) rather than wheat flour. You still need to ask some questions about cross contamination though, as all the breads and chapatis will contain gluten so they will probably still need to take extra care with preparing GF food. Poppadoms can be ok, but they generally need to be cooked in fresh oil so you do need to check.
    • Some reliable resources for looking for places to eat are: Coeliac UK, local gluten free groups on Facebook, local gluten free bloggers. I don’t tend to find TripAdvisor that useful, as people tend to over use the keywords. You do need to check the dates on any reviews or recommendations though, as so many places change hands.
    • For a more thorough search, I usually use Google maps to look for any cafes, pubs or restaurants then click through to their websites to look for menus – anywhere that has an online menu with a reasonable number GF items marked on makes it onto the shortlist.

    Here are a few tips from a more personal point of view:

    • I’ve found sometimes I just have to manage my expectations, especially if I’m not in charge of deciding where to eat (e.g. you’re out with work). Generally, you’ll be able to find something, it might just be a bit more plain that you’d like and there might be a choice of only a couple of things. The ubiquitous chocolate brownie is your friend…
    • Brunch and Sunday roasts out are disappointing in my opinion. Brunches tend to be a gluten fest and with Sunday roasts, you miss out on the best bits like stuffing, Yorkies and cauliflower cheese. We tend to eat lunch or evening meals out instead.
    • It’s not that easy to be spontaneous – you generally need to put in some research when eating out, and especially if you’re away from home.
    • Eating out does become less stressful, but you never get far away from having to talk about gluten. Get used to talking about it – a lot.
    Gluten free brownies over the years - 1 of 3, with a white chocolate drizzle, a scoop of ice cream, and a strawberry
    Gluten free brownies over the years - 2 of 3, with a caramel drizzle, pieces of cinder toffee and a scoop of vanilla ice cream
    Gluten free brownies over the years - 3 of 3 - naked, as it comes, on a a paper bag

    Friends & family

    • It’s important to make sure close family who you’ll be eating with understand about cross contamination, especially if you have a mixed kitchen or if you are eating at someone else’s house. It might take a while for people to get used to having different utensils for gluten free food and keeping crumbs out of the butter and jam. You’ll probably need to keep a close eye to begin with.
    • I found some of my friends really rose to the challenge and made a lot of effort to accommodate me with food, keeping the odd gluten free snack in, checking ingredients and being careful about contamination. However, a few people were just worried about making me ill and didn’t feel comfortable inviting me round for food anymore – social invites definitely tailed off a bit. Don’t be offended if this happens.
    • If you are eating at a buffet (e.g. a work function or a wedding), I recommend shamelessly getting to the front of the queue so you can serve yourself before people contaminate the gluten free options by waving bread rolls around and mixing up serving tongs.
    • One thing I’ve found useful is reusable toaster bags – you can pop a slice of GF bread in and use your friend’s toaster that isn’t gluten free. These are very useful for self catering holidays as well.
    • I often find if I’ve been to someone’s house, I end up leaving with a goodie bag of open packets of GF food, especially bread, biscuits or crackers, which I always find quite sweet. I’m unsure if it’s because I’ll get the benefit of it or they just don’t want to eat it – probably both!

    I hope this series of articles is useful for people who are new to the Coeliac game. If you’ve found this one first, here are links to my other recent articles:
    How to be a Coeliac – getting started
    How to be a Coeliac – eating at home
    How to be a Coeliac – food shopping

    Would love to hear any other top tips – please feel free to add into the comments

  • Pellizco

    Pellizco

    Pellizco is a Mexican tapas bar in Dyson Place, Sharrow. It’s a graduate of the Cutlery Works food hall, where they had a concession, having built up a reputation as a street food vendor. It seems Pellizco has gone from strength to strength over the last few years, and having been conceived during lockdown, they have put themselves in a good position to weather the challenges being thrown at the food industry over the last few years. It was great to see that the place was buzzing when we arrived.

    It was a Friday night after a loooong week, so cocktails and snacks were ordered immediately. We had a bowl of giant corn kernels and some Totopos which are home made tortilla chips with a choice of two salsas (I think we chose salsa roja and spring onion crema). These started the meal of with a good, salty crunch to complement our cocktails. Mine was a watermelon and rosemary margarita, one of several margaritas in their extensive menu, which also includes a well-thought-out selection of mocktails.

    Two cocktails and a bowl of crunchy corn kernels on a wooden table
    A bowl of crunchy taco pieces and two dips

    You might think looking at the pictures of the mains below that there were quite a few people present, but there were only two of us! They are small plates, but generous none the less, and many of them came with more crunchy tortillas (so in hindsight, we didn’t need the starter ones). The vast majority of the menu is gluten free, clearly marked on the menu, so it was a pleasure to have so much to choose from, and the staff seemed clued-up about cross contamination.

    From left to right, on the top we have Queso fundido (baked cheese with chorizo), tilapia ceviche and tenderstem broccoli with confit tomatoes. On the bottom, it’s soy and sesame cauliflower taco with pickled carrots, Oaxacan style stewed pinto beans with crumbled feta, and a fish (tilapia) taco with chipotle mayonnaise.

    A skillet of melted cheese with radishes and chorizo on top, and crunchy tacos on the side
    A dish with tilapia ceviche hiding under some sliced radishes, and even more crunchy tacos on the side
    A dish with tender stem broccoli and baby tomatoes
    Two soft tacos, each with a crunchy deep fried cauliflower and a hat of pickled carrot, with one lime wedge
    A rectangular pot with pinto beans in a sauce, with crumbled feta cheese and herbs on the top
    Two fish tacos with chipotle mayonnaise, a few radish slices and a lime wedge

    These were all absolutely crammed with flavour and texture: sweet confit tomatoes, tart, limey ceviche, unctuous melted cheese, crunchy tacos and tangy pickled carrots. What a fabulous combination of food. My overall favourite was the ceviche, in a sour and spicy watermelon and hibiscus marinade, but the tacos were also fantastic and the whole assortment was delightful.

    We clearly didn’t need a dessert, but I was already committed to ordering a portion of gluten free churros, which I’ve never come across anywhere else, so room had to be made. I steeled myself and prepared for it by enjoying a cocktail off the specials menu, which was, wait for it, a piña colada-rita. What a combination – it was marvellous, bringing together the sweetness of piña colada with the tang of a margarita in a flamboyant, coconut-encrusted glass.

    Is this really a picture of gluten free churros - yes it is! with a bowl of chocolate dip
    A rather flamboyant cocktail in a tumbler with a rim of desiccated coconut and a slice of lime. Also a few more crunchy tacos and a bottle of beer

    The churros were a feast for the eyes – you really wouldn’t know you were looking at a gluten free version (you could say the same for the rest of the meal, as well). They came fresh from the fryer and had a hot, crunchy exterior, with a melty middle, and were very tasty.

    We will be bringing more people back here – definitely a new favourite.

    Pellizco
    8 Dyson Place, Sheffield S11 8XX