Eating Out – Ordering (and getting!) Gluten Free Cakes

The Gluten Free Cakes Conspiracy!
by Chris J Barton

Eating out in cafes and restaurants is meant to be a enjoyable part in life – something we can look forward to and enjoy with friends and family. If you are one of the 60000 people in the United Kingdom who battles with Coeliac Disease, and has to live with a free diet, then you are probably familiar with the detective style interrogation of waiters to find out whether they have suitable gluten free treats for you!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been disappointed and angry at the lack of customer service for customerswho have a gluten or wheat allergy. I was out with Rosalie on a date a fortnight ago and we systematically went through the menu crossing off all the gluten-filled starters and desserts on the menu. I found out I could have the soup, which didn’t have wheat, but the tasty looking starters…. were a non-starter! Also, not one dessert could I have – there were no gluten free cakes or desserts at all apart from ice cream (which I’m also not allowed on my diet). I finished up having sweet potato fries, which were yummy and highly recommended. However, if I had a sweet tooth I would have gone home hungry! No gluten free cakes.


Our inspiration to start Glory Foods – bakers of delicious gluten free cakes!


It’s experiences like this one which inspired Rosalie and I to start Glory Foods. We felt that if we (and our friends with gluten allergies) felt left out and not cared for then there must be others like us around the United Kingdom who would be happier people if they had yummy gluten free cakes being served to them!

Personally, I’m quite new to eating gluten free – I’ve decided to follow a gluten free diet as part of an even stricter diet to help relieve psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The diet I am following is called SCD – Specific Carbohydrates Diet. I would definitely have struggled to keep to my diet had I not had an amazing cook like Rosalie at my side. She makes me superb smoothies (with only frozen fruit, home-made yoghurt which is lactose free, and a blob of honey!), and has developed her gluten free cakes, gluten free scones, gluten free muffins etc for me to taste and snack on for a special gluten free treat!

We decided that most local restaurants would probably WANT to serve gluten free cakes, but the hassle of producing them was time consuming, and providing gluten free cakes hot and fresh is a difficult task. Also, for a business, serving the 90%+ customers is a lot easier than looking after the 10% gluten free/wheat free customers. but in that 10% there is still a significant number of sad customers waiting for someone to care!


Shout loud for Gluten Free Cakes!


I believe it’s time for people with  a gluten allergy to rise up and make their voice heard! In some ways the ongoing battle  to be served gluten free cakes and other gluten free foods is similar to the struggle vegetarians must have had (and are still having, to some degree). I remember in the 1980s and 1990s when vegetarian foods were  rarely offered in cafes and restaurants, and there was a tiny section of vegetarian foods in the frozen food department. This has changed quite a bit, and awareness for “vegetarianism”  is increasing.

So the battle goes on! If you have coeliac disease, or a wheat allergy then don’t settle for second best. If you don’t see any gluten free cakes or gluten free foods on a menu then ask about it. Ask to speak to the manager. Make your voice heard. Support your local cafes and restaurants who offer gluten free cakes and goodies!

And, on a personal note, watch out for Glory Foods gluten free cakes and bakery products in the UK. We’re on a mission to make gluten free foods more accessible and convenient, and really desire to make every product healthy and delicious! Check out our frozen home packs of gluten free cakes and yummy baked goods too.

Gluten Free Cakes from Glory Foods