<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I apologize for taking so long to summarize regarding my question about
visiting Ireland. I had a few responses, but narrowed it down to the links
listed below, followed by a very detailed response from a very nice person! I
hope this helps anyone who needs it. I know it will be of great use to us on
our trip.
Barbara
_http://www.holidayhound.com/meath.asp_
(http://www.holidayhound.com/meath.asp) [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])
_http://www.ireland.ie/things_2_do_results_single.asp?sID=31180_
(http://www.ireland.ie/things_2_do_results_single.asp?sID=31180)
_http://www.meathtourist.com/_ (http://www.meathtourist.com/)
_http://www.ireland-guide.com/browse/map.710.923.html#mapTop_
(http://www.ireland-guide.com/browse/map.710.923.html#mapTop)
_http://www.ireland-insight.com/Meath/Bettystown_
(http://www.ireland-insight.com/Meath/Bettystown)
_http://www.meathtourist.com/towns/bettystown/_
(http://www.meathtourist.com/towns/bettystown/)
_http://www.tourismireland.com/us/_ (http://www.tourismireland.com/us/)
EATING OUT
In general, Ireland is not a bad place for coeliacs. The incidence is
quite high here, so many restaurants will have staff who do actually know
what you mean when you
start to explain your dietary needs, but you can't always trust them
implicitly in case they are under-informed or just saying what they think
you want to hear. For example, they might know that flour is not allowed,
but not realise that unidentified starch is also a problem. My advice would
be to bring a clearly written card with your needs which you can give to the
waiter/ waitress to give to the chef. A more recent problem is that there
are now many people working in restaurants, hotels etc. for whom English is
not their first language so you may have to ask to speak to someone with
better English to get your needs understood.
Many places will be quite willing to give you detailed information or show
you the list of ingredients on a packet or jar etc. (useful to check things
like the mayonaisse in a salad bar for example). If in doubt, you will
nearly always be able to get something obviously GF, like plain steak and
veg., omelette, undressed salads etc. Most places will quite cheerfully
make you a GF sandwich if you provide the GF bread. In larger cities, many
Indian restaurants have a variety of GF options.
AVAILIBILITY OF GLUTEN FREE PRODUCTS
GF products (bread, bread mixes, flours, pastas, muesli, rice-cakes,
biscuits, crackers and other snacks) are widely available in pharmacies and
health food shops and in larger supermarkets (eg. Tesco, Superquinn,
Dunnes Stores, Super-Valu).
Supermarkets and health food shops are cheaper and will keep a certain
stock. Pharmacies will not always have the products in stock, but they will
order almost anything you specify and have it for you sometimes the same
day but almost always within 24 hours. Some of the larger cities also have
Asian shops which can be a good hunting ground for GF goods.
One thing you have to remember is that the official GF diet here is less
strict than in some other countries. Many products
specifically for coeliacs and labelled GF (especially baked goods like
bread, biscuits etc. and flour or bread mixes) are made with wheatstarch
(Codex alimentarius) which is not acceptable in some other countries. Also,
we do not restrict distilled alcohols or vinegars, so these are also allowed
on our lists. You will have to decide for yourself whether to follow these
guidelines while in Ireland or not. If not you will have to read the labels
even if the product is specifically made for a GF diet. [My own view is
that there is probably as little, if not less, gluten in Codex alimentarius
products which are strictly controlled than in naturally GF flours where
contamination may be a problem, but of course this is entirely an individual
decision for every coeliac]. If you need naturally GF flours etc., you may
have to go to health food shops or Asian shops, although the Dr.
Schar range which does not contain wheatstarch is now available in
some supermarkets and Heron Foods also do a completely wheat-free mix.
Other GF brand names dedicated to GF products include Juvela, Glutano,
Glutafin, Heron Foods and Ultrapharm while Mulligan's bakery make a range of
GF baked products and Odlum's make GF flours and mixes. Tesco supermarkets
carry a large Free From range much of which is gluten-free and wheat-free.
I'm reluctant to recommend any one brand of GF products as I'm not sure of
all their ingredients. Also the range of products
carried by supermarkets, health food shops or pharmacies can vary widely
even within in the same chain and sometimes even from month to month. You
just have to browse and/or enquire wherever you are at the time.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
You should contact the Coeliac Society of Ireland, Carmichael House , 4
North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7, telephone +353-1-8721471, 10am.-5pm
(except lunch). Fax
+353-1-8735737(shared with other groups) for more
detailed information. Their website url is _www.coeliac.ie_
(http://www.coeliac.ie/) and their email
address is [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) or [log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) so you could also contact them through that.
The Society would be able to give you a list of coeliac-friendly
restaurants and guesthouses etc. They also issue a Manufacturer's List of
GF products (cost about 10 euro) which might be useful for snacks or
self-catering. They could
probably also give you a list of addresses and phone numbers for the GF
product suppliers who will be only too happy to discuss their products with
you and enable you to source them. Again you may want to check such
products' ingredients lists for wheatstarch.
SPECIFIC DUBLIN INFORMATION -
SUPERMARKETS
Tesco, basement, Jervis Shopping Centre (entrance is on Mary Street)
Dunnes Stores, branches in both Henry Street and the Stephen's Green
Shopping Centre. Marks and Spencers (branches in Henry Street and Grafton
Street) give allergy advice on most of their food products.
I'm not sure how good these particular supermarket branches are for GF
goods, but I've included them because they are in the city centre shopping
area and are easy to find. Most big supermarkets are in the suburbs so you
will have to check the phone book to
find the nearest.
HEALTH FOOD STORES
Holland & Barrett is the largest chain and has branches in the
Ilac Centre (Mary Street) and in the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.
There are other Health food stores equally good around the city, but I don't
know all their names (I just wander in if I'm passing) - one of the best is
in Georges Street (it's called Down to Earth) and there is another good one
in Liffey Street. There are Asian markets in Drury Street and Georges
Street.
PHARMACIES
One of the best chains for GF food is Boots (a UK-owned pharmacy chain) and
its biggest city branches are in Henry Street and Grafton Street. However
most don't carry much stock - you usually have to order it in.
It might also be worth using the phone book to find other branches of the
above chains - there might be something closer to where you are. Also you
could use the Golden Pages part of the phone book to find other health food
stores.
EATING OUT
This will depend on your taste and budget and of course what part of the
city/suburbs you happen to be in. It is always best to phone in advance and
make sure you communicate with the actual chef - I've had some really bad
experiences after being given reassurances by receptionists etc.
At the expensive end, Roly's Bistro in Ballsbridge (within walking distance
of the Burlington Hotel) is an obvious choice as the chef there (Colin
O'Daly) is a coeliac himself. In the same area but less expensive is
O'Connell's restaurant in Bewley's Hotel Ballsbridge which has GF items
marked on the menu and has been checked out by the Coeliac Society.
Further down the price list, Indian restaurants are usually good as they
tend to use gram (chick pea) flour in some recipes and they usually don't
thicken their sauces with flour. For Italian, try Pasta Fresca in Chatham
Street - they make fresh GF pasta (you have to order it a couple of days in
advance) and may be willing to provide it in the restaurant for you if
you give them enough notice. In other Italian restaurants, I have
asked them to cook my own GF pasta separately and have never had a problem.
Trastevere (Italian) and Fitzer's in Temple Bar both have Mediterranean
menus with some GF dishes marked as such on their menus. The only place I
know to do GF pizza and pasta is Prego's in Lucan (suburb).
In Chinese restaurants the main problem is soy sauce - again I
have asked them to use my own, but it is sometimes hard to make them
understand. I have found the China Schezuan in Stillorgan (suburb) to be
the most accomodating. The Thai food in the Chili Club in Anne's Lane off
south Anne's Street is good and most of the staff seem to be aware of GF
needs. There is also an Asian fusion type chain called Lemongrass with
various branches (nearest one to city centre is in the Liffey Valley
shopping centre) and they have a coeliac menu with GF items marked as such.
Health food places like Cornucopia in Wicklow Street, Blazing Salads in
Drury Street (take away only) and Cafe Fresh in the Powerscourt Townhouse
Centre are usually quite aware of the GF diet and have dishes marked as such on
the menu. The Kilkenny Shop
restaurant in Nassau Street does GF food (including cakes and scones) -
daytime only.
Most sandwich places (and pubs at lunchtime) will make a sandwich for you if
you provide the bread but you would need to watch out that they don't
contaminate your food with crumbs from ordinary bread. Soup Dragon on Capel
Street every near the bridge) does a good range of GF soups and can usually
provide rice cakes in lieu of bread. Itsabagel in the Epicurean Food Hall
on Liffey Street do GF bagels (imported from the US) and soup and are
careful about avoiding cross-contamination. Milis in the same Food Hall
doea GF waffles and pancakes/crepes. GF buckwheat crepes with a
range of fillings are also available at Lemon Crepe and Coffee Co. in Liffey
Street.
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