Hampshire pub goes completely gluten-free
The pub's menu was largely gluten-free over the past few years, but it was only recently that owner – and coeliac - Mop Draper decided to fully embrace serving only gluten-free food.
She told the Southern Daily Echo: “People have been eating gluten-free food here for years and no-one even noticed.
'Free of gluten'
“We serve everything a normal pub would do, but all of our food is free of gluten – that is it.”
Some of the dishes on offer at the Compass Inn include lasagne with chips and salad, locally made faggots with mash, peas and gravy and smoked haddock on a bed of mash with peas and cheese sauce.
Head chef Glyn Colderwood added: “People come from miles away because of what they have heard and read about us.
“Some customers, who are gluten intolerant, have said that our food is the first proper meal that they have had in years because of their allergies.”
Figures from Coeliac UK
According to figures from Coeliac UK, one in every hundred Brits is estimated to have coeliac disease, which is caused by intolerance to gluten and can cause a range of symptoms including bloating, diarrhoea, weight loss and anaemia.
Additional research by Knorr recently reported that approximately 28% of operators don’t offer any gluten-free dishes on their menus, with a lack of inspiration to create such dishes commonly cited as the reason why.
Click here to read the PMA’s in-depth feature on catering for gluten-free customers this Christmas.
