Firstly, as all good Coeliacs do, I travelled with a stash.... a stash as big my small baggage allowance allowed! My stash of goodies (necessities) included
9 bars (9bar.com)
Aero and Fudge Bars
Kallo Corn Cakes ( Yep, I went "all out" and ditched my usual rice cakes!) (www.kallo.com)
And finally Lovemore Jammy Wheels (www.lovemorefoods.com)
My stash served me well...I rationed out the choc and made the biscuits last alllllll week.......impressive I know!! These biscuits btw are fab, just like the real McCoy, the only prob is that they are so small....even more impressive that I made that last the week eh?! These little gems were found in Waitrose amd I'd definitely recommend!
So, we were half board in the Son Baulo hotel in Ca'n Picafort. Breakfast was pretty easy....eggs, bacon....tomatoes all ok!
Lunch.....that's where the corn cakes (and cheese slices!!) came in! I bought the little Spa shop out of cheese slices lol! Cheap and easy lunch...not fancy I admit but in a small town where most things were shut "for the season" or the remaining places served up any number of pre photographed burgers, pizza, pasta amd paninni's etc I stuck with my corn cakes!
Dinner, now that was interesting! Had a rather hair raising experience on the first night when the "what I thought was tortilla" turned out to be quiche!! Disaster! Despite checking with the chef if the "tortilla" was "sin gluten" I still ate 2 bites before I realised it was most definitely not sin gluten!!! After raised voices and unhappiness between an angry Welshman (Dale) and an equally angry Spanish waiter, we finally made ourselves understood and calm resumed! Thankfully my stomach also remained calm!! From there on in I was guided around by aforementioned waiter with an allergy ringbinder! It seems they were pretty on the ball after all....it just depended who you asked?!?! Hmmmmm.......anyway, gf dinner usually consisted of grilled meat and tinned carrots?! I think my tan could be more to do with my diet than the sun! Not amazing cuisine but still, at least it was safe!
Picked up a couple of random gf items on a shelf in a little supermarket.....all in amongst regular stuff so you really do have to look for it in the smaller stores!
These took the place of the corn cakes once they had run out! Very similar texture to those old Salt and Vinegar Chipsticks....do you remember them? These were an ok substitute but they stuck to your lip as you ate them in a rather unflattering manner!
These weren't great to be honest! Thought I was on familiar ground with chocolate covered rice cakes but these were very salty rice cakes with very bitter dark choc! Not a combination I'm keen to repeat!
Nevertheless, most branded ice creams are well labelled....YEY! Also, strangely enough, crisps are really well labelled too......not much help for me with my "potato weiredness" but thought I would share!
Anyway, I may not have had the best diet over the last week but I had a lovely hol, oh go on then, I'll throw in a holiday pic...
Weather was fab, beach was lovely, books were great and batteries are definitely recharged!
Nevertheless, I was quick to hit Costa in the arrivals area of Gatwick to buy one of these for the journey home
Not sure if I was just thrilled to have something other than cheese and tinned veg but this was delicious! Great basil flavour coming through and the wrap holds together really well! It's very similar to a Newburn Bakehouse wrap....does anyone know if it is?
Well, I have a few hours of freedom left before the new term begins and I'm off to make the most of them! Have a great fortnight! X (@lizprice79)
Sounds like you had a great holiday! (tinned carrots aside, of course). We went to Majorca/Mallorca back in 2004, less than a year after I was diagnosed and at that point they had precisely NOTHING for coeliacs. The hotel had no clue and no restaurant could cater either (we stayed in Cala D'or) so I remember taking bags of pasta, jars of pasta sauce, crispbreads and gf cereals and I basically lived on that for a week! I'd eat before we all went out, then I'd stick to the liquid diet while they had enormous pizzas and local cuisine. Was a great holiday though. :0) Glad to hear it's improved a bit since then!
ReplyDeleteNot tried those Jammy Wheels before. Are they from Waitrose?
Oh no, that sounds like torture! It has improved but there's a long way to go! I sometimes think its better to self catering! I used to go to Cala D'or every year on our family holiday (Pre coeliac days!!), it's lovely!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Jammy wheels were from Waitrose, I'm not sure if you can get them anywhere else? I really liked them but it was just a shame they were so small....probably better for the waistline though lol! ;0)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteGlad you have a great time in Mallorca, next time try Menorca it's a paradise!!
In Spain we have really good coeliac FB groups with documents where to eat and buy gluten free food almost everywhere. You can write a post in English and someone will reply and help you. Believe or not, being a coeliac in Spain is not that bad, you just need some info.
But now it's me the one asking for help :). I have a friend from Manchester coming over next week, I always read all the lovely groceries you find and definitely I want some!! Please, any advice where she can buy some nice bread and treats in Manchester?? I guess Tesco or Marks and Spencers.. any help?
oh! Even though living in Spain, I like going to London from time to time, so your blog for me is like a Michelin guide, keep on posting!!!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your lovely comments, that's so nice of you to say! :0) I love Spain and Mallorca but have never been to Menorca, I'd love to give it a go sometime. I think the main problem this time was that we were staying in a hotel where breakfast and dinner were included. I'm sure if we were self catering we would have found some lovely restaurants as well as being able to cook ourselves. That's a great tip about the FB page, I will definitely check that out next time.
Most main supermarkets in the UK have nice GF food now but Sainsbury's and Tesco have some good branded items and Marks and Spencer's do really lovely "own brand" things. Udi's breads and bagels are good and I like the Newburn Bakehouse wraps. Udi's muffins are nice for a treat but Marks and Spencers do lovely cakes and biscuits! I hope your friend has a big suitcase!
Give me a shout the next time you're in London and I'd be happy to suggest some places to go. Let me know if I can help with anything else and thanks again for your feedback! :0)