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Hello I recently travelled to Portugal on Monarch Airlines and was very
pleasantly suprised by their attitude.  On boarding a message was put
out  for a list of passengers to identify themselves by putting on their
overhead light.  Each of us was approached and asked which preference
for special meal was required.  We were served first before everyone
else.  On the outward journey I had a breakfast of bacon, mushrooms,
chips, scrambled egg and tomato, fruit salad, GF bread roll with butter
and coffee.

The same procedure was followed on the return flight, with a dinner of
mackerel salad, steamed chicken and veg (beautifully presented), GF roll
and butter, followed by strawberry yogurt and coffee.  The Monarch staff
said they often provided speciality meals and that they were happy to do
so.  I was very impressed and said so.  I think they appreciated the
thanks.

I had two 'lapses' in Portugal, mainly because the restaurant staff did
not understand (or care) about the importance of my avoiding gluten.
Most of the time, while in Portugal, I felt better than I have for
years, because I have been gluten free for about 4 weeks now.  I still
have many aches and pains, but the diarrhea and stomach cramps have gone
completely and the arthritis seemed to fade to almost nothing.  At least
until my last night there, when the waiter told me the icecream was
gluten free (shoot that waiter!!!)  I was up all night - never again
will I assume that a food is GF.  The Portugese hotels and restaurants
also serve oven chips (frites) as GF when I suspect they are dusted with
wheat to make them crispy.  So beware of the fries if you go to Europe!
They also do not list ingredients in English as they are told to do by
the European Union and rarely note any wheat or gluten content.
Sheila (Stockport, England)