Post by kickingfrog on Sept 25, 2017 9:40:18 GMT
France - reporting back
Posted by Pam, Dorset on 24/9/2017
GF board
We go to France nearly every year but hadn't been for a couple of years so here is the latest.
We tour in our caravan so I always take gf bread etc but the supermarkets were pretty well stocked with gf products and I was able to top up. I saw Genius fresh bread in some as well as the usual Schar and Gerble long life stuff. Biggest excitement was finding a fresh 2 pack of tarte au citron in a big Auchan hyper market - expensive but a great treat. They also had a big gf tarte aux pommes.
Another highlight was my well trained husband spotting a sign outside a real boulangerie in Sarlat la Caneda in the Dordogne for 'pain sans gluten'. It was a small tin loaf, not a traditional French baguette, but was really good and kept well till the next day too. It was kept away from the other bread.
We spent quite a while in Brittany where I totally over indulged in the galettes de sarrasin - buckwheat pancakes. When I explained my need everywhere was happy to let me have them with a sweet filling too even though they are normally just savoury and farine de froment ( wheat) is used for sweet crepes. On more than one occasion, including my birthday, I had them for all courses of my meal with lovely Breton cider. In the past I have always asked whether they are made solely from farine de sarrasin and usually they are. This time I noticed more signs saying galettes de Ble noir which has always puzzled me, so in one creperie with a helpful waitress I asked what the difference was and apparently they are exactly the same thing and so are gf. I would still advise checking that no ordinary flour is included as well though I never found it to be the case.
In Vannes there was a market stall selling really cheap sarrasin pancakes and in the market hall a stall where everything was made with buckwheat flour so I bought slices of quiche and other goodies. I think that would be open every day not just when the market in the street is on.
In restaurants, though we didn't eat out much, I was always accommodated as things are invariably cooked fresh and one chef was happy to do a different main course for me at no extra charge as I couldn't have the casserole one on the set menu. It does help if you can speak a bit of French and I usually say I suffer from ' maladie' (disease)coeliac as the French are hypochondriacs and take illness more seriously an allergies!
So I ate very well and hope this helps anyone planning a holiday in France. I fortunately have never in my over 20 years a coeliac been made ill by cross contamination and my annual bloods are always excellent but the very sensitive among you might do a bit more checking than me.
I have happy memories on large macarons from SuperU filled with cream and fresh raspberries! Nearly forgot to pass that on.
Posted by Pam, Dorset on 24/9/2017
GF board
We go to France nearly every year but hadn't been for a couple of years so here is the latest.
We tour in our caravan so I always take gf bread etc but the supermarkets were pretty well stocked with gf products and I was able to top up. I saw Genius fresh bread in some as well as the usual Schar and Gerble long life stuff. Biggest excitement was finding a fresh 2 pack of tarte au citron in a big Auchan hyper market - expensive but a great treat. They also had a big gf tarte aux pommes.
Another highlight was my well trained husband spotting a sign outside a real boulangerie in Sarlat la Caneda in the Dordogne for 'pain sans gluten'. It was a small tin loaf, not a traditional French baguette, but was really good and kept well till the next day too. It was kept away from the other bread.
We spent quite a while in Brittany where I totally over indulged in the galettes de sarrasin - buckwheat pancakes. When I explained my need everywhere was happy to let me have them with a sweet filling too even though they are normally just savoury and farine de froment ( wheat) is used for sweet crepes. On more than one occasion, including my birthday, I had them for all courses of my meal with lovely Breton cider. In the past I have always asked whether they are made solely from farine de sarrasin and usually they are. This time I noticed more signs saying galettes de Ble noir which has always puzzled me, so in one creperie with a helpful waitress I asked what the difference was and apparently they are exactly the same thing and so are gf. I would still advise checking that no ordinary flour is included as well though I never found it to be the case.
In Vannes there was a market stall selling really cheap sarrasin pancakes and in the market hall a stall where everything was made with buckwheat flour so I bought slices of quiche and other goodies. I think that would be open every day not just when the market in the street is on.
In restaurants, though we didn't eat out much, I was always accommodated as things are invariably cooked fresh and one chef was happy to do a different main course for me at no extra charge as I couldn't have the casserole one on the set menu. It does help if you can speak a bit of French and I usually say I suffer from ' maladie' (disease)coeliac as the French are hypochondriacs and take illness more seriously an allergies!
So I ate very well and hope this helps anyone planning a holiday in France. I fortunately have never in my over 20 years a coeliac been made ill by cross contamination and my annual bloods are always excellent but the very sensitive among you might do a bit more checking than me.
I have happy memories on large macarons from SuperU filled with cream and fresh raspberries! Nearly forgot to pass that on.