Leeds – Gluten Free Me

Gluten-Free Restaurant: The Oxford Place, Leeds

December 10, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Leeds, UKTagged eating out, gluten-free leeds, gluten-free restaurants, Leeds restaurantsLeave a comment

This dedicated gluten-free restaurant in Leeds city centre is a coeliac’s dream! As the only fully gluten-free restaurant in the city, I was so excited to try The Oxford Place and it did not disappoint. The restaurant is 100% gluten-free and the menu offers a range of dishes to please all tastebuds, including vegetarians and vegans.

The cosy atmosphere, friendly staff and knowledge that cross-contamination simply won’t be an issue here, make you instantly feel at home.

The menu boasts a range of international cuisine amongst high-quality British dishes, from ale battered haddock with chunky chips and tartare sauce, to vegan “shepherd’s pie”. It was genuinely hard to make a selection with such a scrumptious-sounding menu. In the end we opted for the slow cooked pork belly with baked apple, celeriac puree, leek croquet crackling and red wine jus, and the venison burger with spicy red onion marmalade, and smoked Monterey jack skinny frites for the main course. Since our main courses went down a treat we couldn’t resist a dessert, especially at the prospect of an entirely gluten-free dessert menu, beyond a list of ice cream flavours. For our final course we went for the sticky toffee pudding and the warm chocolate brownie.

warm chocolate brownie at The Oxford Place in Leeds

venison burger at The Oxford Place in Leeds

Both courses were cooked to perfection, and with so many brilliant options on the menu I am already planning my next visit. I’ll definitely make room for the full three courses next time around!

Overall rating

A cosy restaurant with a lovely atmosphere to share an intimate meal with friends, family or loved one. You don’t have to be on a gluten-free diet to enjoy the food here. My gluten-eating partner had a fantastic gluten-free burger and didn’t miss the ‘normal’ gluten-filled bread one bit.

Coeliac friendly

As a 100% gluten-free restaurant, it doesn’t get more coeliac friendly than this.

Safety

Being a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, cross-contamination isn’t a worry here.

Gluten-free Bottomless Brunch in Leeds

November 25, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in Europe, Leeds, UKTagged gluten-free bottomless brunch, gluten-free brunch, gluten-free leeds, leeds restuarantsLeave a comment

I was on the lookout for a gluten-free bottomless brunch recently, so I got in touch with plenty of restaurants across Leeds to see if they can offer gluten-free options and cater for coeliacs. Here is what I found…

Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood is a popular cocktail bar in Leeds offering a wide selection of yummy cocktails and Instagrammable decor. When I contacted Neighbourhood they told me that they had a few gluten-free options on the bottomless brunch menu and take all necessary measures to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen. When I arrived the staff were knowledgeable about allergies and showed me the allergy matrix detailing my options. Gluten-free options included the poke bowl, burger with gluten-free bun, avocado on gluten-free toast, eggs benedict/royale with gluten-free bread, and the caesar salad without croutons.

Mans Market

I haven’t yet indulged in bottomless brunch at Mans Market, but when contacting them they assured me that they take every measure to avoid cross-contamination and have separate fryers. Gluten-free brunch options include gluten-free Prawn Crackers to start then either Salt & Pepper King Prawns, Tofu or Chicken Wings for Dim Sum. For the main course, choices include Beef/Chicken or Tofu with Blackbean or Sweet & Sour with the option of Steamed or Egg Fried Rice. All options sound delicious!

The Whitehall Restaurant and Bar

Whitehall were quick to respond to my enquiry and assure me that they have plenty of gluten-free brunch options and use completely separate utensils, chopping boards and fryers when preparing gluten-free meals. Gluten-free options included black truffle pasta, buttermilk fried chicken, steak and even creme brûlée for dessert.

Lost and Found

Lost and Found gave me a super-detailed and reassuring response, detailing all of the extensive measures they take to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen. Gluten-free options on the brunch menu were limited, with just the corn, butternut squash and chilli hash as an option, however there were plenty more options on the lunch menu.

Revolucion de Cuba

Revolucion de Cuba told me that they cannot completely guarantee that cross-contamination would be avoided, but that they had plenty of gluten-free options on the menu including spicy fried chicken, albondigas (meatballs), spiced black bean queso and loaded nachos.

El Gato Negro

El Gato Negro is a tapas restaurant located in Leeds city centre. They offer a range of gluten-free tapas including tortilla, papayas bravas, beef short rib, and creme Catalan for dessert. The restaurant informed me that whilst they use separate utensils to prepare gluten-free options, due to the processes in the kitchen all dishes may contain traces of the 14 allergens.

Leeds: Wildcraft Bakery

September 17, 2023December 17, 2023Posted in LeedsTagged Bakery, bread, doughnut, eating out, gluten-free bakery, gluten-free food, gluten-free restaurants, Leeds, UKLeave a comment

Since being diagnosed with coeliac disease, like many, I’ve been pining for the doughy, stodginess of bread, cakes, and doughnuts. So when I found out I had a gluten-free bakery just 10 minutes from where I live I was pretty excited to try it out. Here’s what I found…

Gluten-free white bread

Bread is one of the foods which is so hard to replicate gluten-free. Thankfully Wildcraft Bakery do a pretty decent job with their gluten-free white bloomer.

It has a slight crustiness to its outer and the crumby softness of white bread. Unlike some of the gluten-free breads you may find in supermarkets, this doesn’t have to be toasted to be enjoyed, but can be happily devoured in its natural non-toasted state – bon appetite!

Wildcraft Bakery also offer teff wholemeal, sprouted buckwheat and multigrain soda breads.

Gluten-free doughnuts

With so many different doughnuts on offer at Wildcraft it would be rude to simply sample just the one. So I went on a culinary journey sampling three of the many different options on offer: the apple pie doughnut, “The Terry” chocolate orange doughnut and the not-biscoff doughnut.

The apple crumble doughnut tastes just like the gooey, comforting apple crumble you’re hoping for, but better yet- it’s in a doughnut! The oozing centre keeps this one interesting but never soggy.

Terry’s chocolate orange is definitely something I’ve missed since embarking on a gluten-free diet, so I couldn’t resist giving this one a try. A ring doughnut with a chocolate orange glaze, giving hints of that classic chocolate orange flavour without being overpowering.

Now the ‘not-biscoff’ doughnut takes the crown in my book. This dense doughnut oozes a ‘not-biscoff’ butter from its centre and for me tastes just like the real thing. After kidding myself that I’ll save half for later“, I couldn’t help myself and went all in for the full thing and no regrets. I’ll be stocking up on these on my next visit I think.

Here I sampled just a few of the treats on offer at Wildcraft Bakery, and from what I’ve had I’ll definitely be back for more. They also offer cookies, cakes, scones and much more. They also offer delivery from their website, so you don’t have to live in Leeds to get a slice of the action.