Mel Fenson who runs the excellent Pig in the Kitchen blog, has a daughter who is allergic to milk, egg, nuts and mustard – so is only too well acquainted with the hazards of eating out with an allergy. She offers some observations – and some tips to restaurateurs keen to widen their 'freefrom' menu.

It is Saturday lunch time and the restaurant is busy.  The waitress seems to be listening about your child’s egg allergy but has she really understood?  When the meal arrives slathered in mayonnaise it is clear; either she missed the point or someone in the kitchen wasn’t listening.  Eating out with food allergies and/or Coeliac disease is a challenge.  ‘Allergies’ is a buzz word but it appears to confuse waiting staff and give chefs a headache.  That confusion can cause problems for you, the would-be consumer.  So what can you do to minimise the risk of getting ill when you eat out?

Plan, plan, plan...

If possible, plan ahead.  Forewarned is definitely forearmed when it comes to busy chefs and allergies.  With the best will in the world, a chef might refuse to serve you if you arrive at peak time asking for a special meal.  A few days before your visit, obtain a copy of the restaurant’s menu (many publish these online) and choose a few dishes that could easily be made ‘allergy friendly’. 

Speak to the chef to discuss a plan and be very specific.  For example, if the meat you are choosing is soaked in a marinade, is there flour in the sauce?  When you arrive, there is a good chance you will be treated like allergy royalty and the fully-briefed staff will whisk you to your (recently-wiped) seat. 

And un-planned...

Yet planning ahead is not always an option so if you arrive unannounced, what is the best way to ensure your meal will not make you, or someone you love, ill?

Chef Annie runs a gluten free supper club in Kent and she advises asking to see the ‘Allergy List’ which shows all the ingredients listed by the food supplier.  Even if the food on the list appears to be safe, Annie is cautious.  
“I still ask them about cooking practices.  For example, are dishes for gluten free guests prepared in a different section?  If all the meals are plated in the same area and they are leaning over the gluten free plate to place breaded fish on another plate, well I won't take those risks.”
Although staff might seem knowledgeable and the allergy list is reassuring, always ask to see packets or boxes showing ingredients as suppliers can change ingredients with little or no notice.

Finally, be prepared to be pushy.  Gone are the days when you could slip quietly into a restaurant and take your seats with the other guests.  Eating out safely means quizzing the staff until it is embarrassing and if necessary asking to speak to the chef.  And all of this in front of other diners who are craning their necks to see and secretly hoping for an anaphylactic ‘show’ to accompany their dinner.

Does it have to be this way? Not at all...

It is hardly an appealing prospect and the frustrating part is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  There are easy changes that restaurants and cafes could make to improve their ‘allergy friendly’ status overnight. 

Dairy-free hot chocolate

For example, if hot chocolate is on the drinks menu, invest in cartons of soy, rice and coconut milk.  Then find a chocolate powder that doesn’t contain milk or milk derivatives and hey presto!   You can advertise your milk-free hot chocolate to grateful allergy sufferers who will probably come again.

Gluten-free dried pasta and sauces

Always have a supply of gluten free dried pasta and a jar of pasta sauce which is gluten free, vegan, and nut free.  You are then able to offer a simple, safe meal to allergy sufferers.  It is not haute cuisine, but it beats eating fries again.  

Frozen gluten-free bread, dairy-free spread and 'ice cream'

In your freezer keep a supply of gluten free bread, dairy free margarine and dairy free ice cream.   You can then offer gluten free and dairy free sandwiches and a vegan banana split.  It is glaringly obvious and yet few places have taken even these tiny steps towards embracing allergy sufferers.

Until the catering trade gets up to speed, is fine dining with allergies out of the question?  Not so fast.  Think how the culinary world has coped with vegetarianism.  After years of serving vegetarian lasagne from the microwave, chefs now pour their creative energy into animal free food and it’s no longer necessary to call ahead and warn the staff about the imminent arrival of a herbivore. 
Could this happen for allergy sufferers? Can the culinary world step up and not just serve bland, ‘safe’ food, but delicious, safe’ food?

Can the culinary world step up and not just serve bland, ‘safe’ food, but delicious, safe’ food?

Marie Stevens thinks so. Eleven years ago she created a
gluten-free menu at her restaurant, The Burnt Gate in Staffordshire, at the request of a customer.

Marie and her chef looked carefully at their menu and asked the following questions: “Is it possible to make it gluten free without compromising the taste?”  And “How can we develop menus in the future that are easily adapted to suit food allergies?”  From this starting point, the chef got to work.

Eleven years on Marie runs a restaurant that offers a gluten free menu and a vegan menu (no meat, fish, eggs or cheese) as standard.  “We have an inclusive policy” says Marie, “It’s all about understanding the food and the diet.” 

This willingness to understand food allergies has led to a kitchen where procedures are in place to avoid cross-contamination of food and where staff are trained to ask about allergies with every order.

Marie’s chef has glute- free baking days where she batch bakes using only glute- free flour.  The gluten-free bread is brought readymade and may only be sliced on the brown ‘gluten-free’ chopping boards.  All sauces, condiments and baking powder are gluten free. 

Customers’ dietary requirements are noted on the bookings list when they make their reservation and transferred to the order form by ticking the ‘vegan’ or ‘gluten-free’ box.  Although the waitresses ask about dietary requirements as a matter of course, the menus also remind customers to advise that they are ordering from a special menu. 

Marie’s customers with allergies are typically 'absolutely delighted and slightly suspicious'.   She fields their questions about ingredients and cooking practices good-naturedly: 'I can understand it because it’s so unusual to be offered choice.' 

It sounds rigorous, but do mistakes occur?  Marie seems surprised by the question. 'No.  The staff are so well trained, it just doesn’t happen'.  She adds, 'It’s a question of trust and we’ve never let a customer down.' 

Marie’s ‘can-do’ attitude to allergies is one that the catering trade would do well to adopt.  Cooking for allergies is not complicated; it is about understanding the list of permitted ingredients, avoiding contamination and getting creative with the menu.  It requires a change in kitchen procedures and more training for staff but the rewards will be satisfied customers and repeat business.  

Marie sums it up succinctly: 'Once you’re on a roll with it, it’s not difficult.  It just becomes a way of life.'

First published in December 2011 

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