Aly Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Three months after a reservation, we receive a letter from our guest accompanied by his medical notes advising us that he not his wife ( staying one night) requires a gluten fee diet.He also includes a web site link so we can educate ourselves.I don't have a problem with catering for him.I am not sure how easily I will find gluten free bread or its cost? If I should charge extra?Any advise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 [quote user="Aly"] am not sure how easily I will find gluten free bread or its cost? If I should charge extra?[/quote]Spelt and gluten-free breads are available either ready-sliced or in loaves in healthfood shops and in supermarkets, although the choice there may be relatively low.For example, see http://www.gourmetsansgene.com/boutique/liste_produits.cfm?type=11&code_lg=lg_fr&num=0in your shoes, I wouldn't charge extra, as it's only for one night, but you may feel differently... [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluzo Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Gluten free bread is expensive in the UK and up to last year at least hard to get in France My friend used to get all herUK friends to bring her some back from the Uk when they visted her ( or anyone else) When she went travelling ( or visiting ) she always took her own with her . She used to toast it but there is the problem of getting proper breadcrumbs on it . When we went out to restaurants she either took her own or RICE CAKES which are gluten freeI suggest if you contact them youll say " you will be bring your own bread if you want it ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
water rat Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I presume your biggest problem is breakfast. For gluten free guests I usually do fruit filled crèpes made with sarrasin flour and corn flour.The problem is that the "normal" guests usually like them too. I've found gluten free bread to be pretty un- palatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 My son follows a gluten-free diet. We have found that Schar Pain Carre (sometimes called pain de mie) is fine toasted - it looks like cardboard, and untoasted tastes like cardboard, but it somehow improves immensely once grilled - but make sure you serve it straight from the toaster. You can get it at Cora, or healthfood shops (or look on their website for your nearest stockist). It costs around 3.20 for a loaf - and what you don't use you can bung in the freezer for your next gf guest. There are plenty of gf cereals and muesli's out there, but don't go for Kelloggs - their rice crispies contain malt which has traces of gluten in them!I'm impressed that you are going to all this trouble. Most places (in the UK and France) just shrug, tell you to bring your own, proceed to toast it and put it in the basket with the non-gf bread and rolls [:@], and charge for a whole breakfast, even though you have just provided some of the ingredients which they have proceeded to marmolize...... Where are you again???[:)]Fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerise Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Just waved off gluten, lactose and caffeine intolerant guests. Managed to get most things for them in LeClerc including bread made with rye and oats (cost 2.36€ for a pack which lasted 3 breakfasts). Our lot had evening meals as well and it was a little tricky but the normal guests ate the modifed food without complaint. Creme caramel made with almond milk was delicious, but those rice cakes seriously resemble polystyrene. The dog may well get the rest of the soy yoghurts as they are not delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 You did not make your own bread Cerise?A nice rice pud made with coconut milk...What was on the dinner menue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 [quote user="jon"]You did not make your own bread Cerise?A nice rice pud made with coconut milk...What was on the dinner menue?[/quote]Have you ever made gluten free bread? It is a complete performance, you end up with a bowl of wallpaper paste which you bake and get a housebrick back in return. My advice (from one who experiences the dubious joys of a gf diet on a daily basis) - stick to the bought stuff. Schar also make ciabatta rolls which you bake yourself - actually quite nice when warm.We find bread is the real problem. Other stuff is quite straightforward assuming you are cooking from scratch and control the ingredients:use gf flour rather than wheat - for baking you need to add xanthum gum (from healthfood shops) to replace the gluten for stretchinessstale gf bread makes good bread crumbs there are zillions of pudding recipes out there which either involve no wheat anyway, or can easily be tweaked - Queen of Puddings with made with GF cake crumbs was very yummy!etc etc.It's a challenge, and challenges are what keeps us awake!Fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 rye flour. By the way still interested to know about the menue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Ah yes....It is the challenge which keeps us awake!Alive...What is the point of being an average B and B offering average cooking when you can do something better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I'm sure that some people do have the time and inclination to bake their own bread. I suppose it depends on what the customer expects and is willing to pay for jon. Those seeking the offerings of cordon-bleu chefs are no doubt happy to fork out the extra to satisfy their palate, while others probably prefer the price of an average B and B offering average cooking I imagine that rising to the challenge of baking their own bread every day, especially in this heat, would make some people rather cranky and bad tempered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 [quote user="jon"] Ah yes....It is the challenge which keeps us awake!Alive...What is the point of being an average B and B offering average cooking when you can do something better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote] Some people don't want a Rolls Royce B&B, they are happy with a Ford Mondeo, or Citroen Picasso....[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 [quote user="jon"]Ah yes....It is the challenge which keeps us awake!Alive...What is the point of being an average B and B offering average cooking when you can do something better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]Supply and demand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Most gluten-allergy/coeliac people bring their own stuff that we cook/toast for breakfast. No problem. If they don't, and don't let us know in advance, then they have to make do with fruit, yogs, oatcakes. Funny how gluten-free stuff is so much harder to find in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 [quote user="Aly"]Three months after a reservation, we receive a letter from our guest accompanied by his medical notes advising us that he not his wife ( staying one night) requires a gluten fee diet.He also includes a web site link so we can educate ourselves.[/quote]But in this case they are taking the piss - tell them to bring their own stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerise Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Any one who expects me to bake my own bread - for us, guests or anyone else - in 40°C is out of their tree. They can eat whatever the supermarket or baker's can supply and I'll stick to taking them canoeing. Much cooler, and much more fun.PS Caught Mrs Gluten Allergy eating a bit of someone else's croissant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 HaHaHa! Good - Healthy attitude, keep your sanity and stop loonies taking over the asylum.I still smile at the memory of the strict vegan who could not eat anything containing dairy products, but who scoffed croissants because she insisted 'they are not made with butter in France, only vegetable fat'. I couldn't argue as the customer is always right. Oops - maybe the butter killed her after she left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 A 'not-so-silly-question', quite serious really................years ago, when I was young(er) I had never heard of gluten-free and its problems, what did people do then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerise Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 When various women's magazines made them popular!! Of course their are some people who have genuine allergies - but the strange thing is, they are rarely dificult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 I am quite sure that those who are allergic to gluten are genuine, my eldest daughter says she is, and no doubt is so. Its odd that she wasn't as a child or as a teenager but is now. What has changed, what triggers the allergy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
water rat Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Had a monsieur who informed us at booking he was strictly ,completement salt-free, so to be on the safe side I cooked his meals separately,veg not a problem as I don't usually add any,but bread ,main meal etc was a bit of a pain. Imagine my surprise when he tucked into the cheese course! he just grinned when I mentioned his problem so in the morning I didn't bother to make separate bread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 [quote user="water rat"]Had a monsieur who informed us at booking he was strictly ,completement salt-free, so to be on the safe side I cooked his meals separately,veg not a problem as I don't usually add any,but bread ,main meal etc was a bit of a pain. Imagine my surprise when he tucked into the cheese course! he just grinned when I mentioned his problem so in the morning I didn't bother to make separate bread.[/quote]People are so naughty. Maybe they think they'll get better service if they are more demanding (demanding bullies just put my back up and make me even more determined not to cave in to their demands[:)])I have discovered though that as I get older [:(] if I eat less bread and carbs I do feel better - less lethargic and lumpy.....Fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 [quote user="powerdesal"]A 'not-so-silly-question', quite serious really................years ago, when I was young(er) I had never heard of gluten-free and its problems, what did people do then?[/quote]I noticed this report on Télematin this morning, about gluten, and why there is more of it in bread than there used to be...http://telematin.france2.fr/index-fr.php?page=vod&dateVOD=20090824 (fast forward, by dragging the blue blob, to 01:46:30) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 For those interested in what coeliac is and what the symptoms are you can read HERE . It's not a new problem/illness and can be very serious, one name that used to be used was IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).To get round not knowing about food allergies I would suggest a simple sentence on your reservation letter or/and in your emails to your guest "Please can you inform us of any special dietary requirements (things you can't/won't eat)". If they don't tell you and then arrive and say they don't eat this or that because of some medical condition then quite frankly tough luck. They had the opportunity to tell you when they made the reservation. Its bad enough when your full just to do ordinary shopping without driving round the (what feels like) whole of France trying to find stuff they can eat.We keep some soya (soja) products in the house just in case, many have long shelf lives but thats about it. Our worst nightmare was a person who suffered from coeliac, didn't eat dairy products and was a vegan vegetarian who booked a weeks half board holiday with us a when we first started and didn't tell us, bloody nightmare. That's when we decided to add the above sentence and highlight it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I forgot to add that Rice Crispies is a good bet for breakfast if you can get them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now