New EU legislation coming into force on 13th December will mean greater choice and clearer labelling of menus for gluten free and other allergens and ahead of this, three of the Island’s most popular pubs have introduced their gluten free menus with almost 50% of the options being suitable.
The new legislation will require food businesses to provide allergy information on food sold unpackaged, such as catering outlets, restaurants, pubs and cafes.
The Dairyman’s Daughter, The Bargeman’s Rest and The Steamer Inn have a longstanding reputation of good home cooked food and popular menus, now extending to offer a range of dishes specially adapted for those with an intolerance, meaning gluten free does not have to mean taste free.
Andrew Gibbs, pub owner, commented:
“We have always prided ourselves on having a diverse menu in our pubs offering a great choice to cater for intolerances and allergies as well as vegetarians and vegans. Having had food intolerances in the family, we understand the need to develop a suitable menu and we are pleased to be able to offer a comprehensive range of gluten free options from our menus”.
The new style menus are currently being trialled and are available both in the pubs and online. Examples of gluten free options on offer at The Dairyman’s Daughter, The Bargeman’s Rest and The Steamer Inn include traditional cottage pie, hearty fish stew and homemade curry.
In the UK, it is estimated that 1-2% of adults and 5-8% of children have a food allergy. This equates to around 2 million people living in the UK with a food allergy, this figure does not include those with food intolerances. This means the actual number of affected people living with food allergy and/or food intolerance is considerably more.
