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| Mirror, mirror on the wall...who's the shortest woman of all? HA! |
When you have celiac disease like my husband Richard does, you have to do a bit of investigation for a gluten free restaurant! His wife does anyway! I found a really nice place in Eastbourne....The Terrace Restaurant It is a hidden gem tucked away on a quiet street yet it is just around the corner from the Arndale Center, the train station and the bus pick-up area. The Terrace is just down the street from the Eastbourne Tourist Information Center on a street that is surrounded by the offices of solicitors (lawyers!...you know that from watching British TV, right?)
They have a nice outdoor area and I suppose that is why they named it THE TERRACE! It was too hot to sit outside the day that we were there but I know that does not stop English folks! They sit in the sun no matter what...mad dogs and Englishmen, you know. Anyway, the owner was kind enough to turn on the AC for us even though we didn't ask her for it. It was meticulously clean and tidy and it was a pleasure to sit inside the bright cheerful room and rest after we had walked along the Eastbourne seafront!
The Terrace Restaurant's owners, make their own bread, so you might guess that I enjoyed a sandwich there! I do NOT have to eat gluten free you see, so you can bet that I really like good home made bread! We met the husband and wife team, Anne and Nigel , who own and manage the Terrace Restaurant and they could not have been more welcoming and accommodating. They did not pay me to tell you this and I did not receive any compensation. This restaurant should be enjoyed by anyone, NOT just for those on a gluten free diet but I was happy that I found a place that understood the gluten free diet and I didn't have to worry about the food that my husband had there! Anne also told me that they even have some gluten free bread too but since it was frozen, Richard decided to go with the jacket potato!
If you ever get to Eastbourne, go to the Terrace Restaurant...and tell them Georgia Girl With An English Heart sent you! Be sure and sit in that same seat by the window and get your photo made!
(Or else get your photo made in that same mirror and see if I truly AM the shortest woman in the world! HA!)
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Now, we also enjoyed the meals in London, and we had to make sure that for Richard the meals were gluten free!
There are several of these Pizza Express locations in London...This one is on Coptic Street in London, just around the corner from the British Museum. (I think I read it was their SECOND location and they are very proud of it!) It was in a former dairy and you can still see the original tile when you walk to the Ladies Room! (Except you have to say "toilets" in England...if you say BATHROOM over there, folks will laugh at you, I promise!)
OH! and look closely at the light fixtures in the above photo...they are supposed to be milk bottles, don't you love it?
And Richard even enjoyed a gluten free beer! I always try for the sweet fruity drinks when I am in England. I also liked something called "Juicy Water" that I bought for the train journey and I enjoyed a drink called "Rio" when I was at the seafront...fond memories of sipping a cool drink on some very warm days!
Now, how did I find these restaurants that catered to someone on a gluten free diet? I typed in "Gluten free restaurants in London and Eastbourne" in a search engine. Easy peasy!
Any restaurant that takes the time to let me know that my husband can eat there goes way up on my list of restaurants! Thank you, Anne & Nigel in Eastbourne and also the owners of the Pizza Express Restaurants...goodness, after we ate at this one on Coptic Street, we saw them all over London!
The best cheddar I ever had was in England. It was part of a ploughman's lunch I had in a pub somewhere or another.
ReplyDeleteI had a Ploughman's while I was there too! You must have it with Branston Pickle, it's the best! Wish I had brought some home with me!
DeleteI never realized how much gluten is in everything! It must be difficult for Richard but with a caring and internet savvy wife, he's well taken care of! Those look like charming and really delish places to eat! What a fun trip! Thanks for sharing all these fun posts!
ReplyDeleteIt's easier now than it used to be. When we first married in 1983, it was a true struggle to make people understand that gluten could be in things you might not think of like ketchup, mayonnaise or soy sauce! We always thought potato chips were okay, they only looked like potatoes and salt and oil...we found out later that they put WHEAT FLOUR on the lines to help them move along for packaging. YACK!! The law that was passed a few years back has really helped and I am grateful that more people are aware of gluten free "issues" as they like to say. It's still hard at restaurants though...most of them that I know of here just don't have a clue, unless they have a relative with celiac disease.
DeleteEnglish cheddar sounds delish!
ReplyDeleteOh Terry, it is so good. I love it!
DeleteI tried to get to Cheddar once when I was there, but the coach trip was sold out. Yes, I am the kind of person who would tour Cheddar!
Yum!
ReplyDeleteIt was all yummy!
DeleteThe entrance area of the restaurant in Eastbourne looks VERY stylish. And I like the milk bottle lamps at the Pizza Express! Gosh, it's been ages since I last had a pizza... or made one, for that matter :-)
ReplyDeleteThe sunlight was so bright on that day that you can't really see the restaurant to its full advantage. If you click on their website, they have some very good photos, including a photo of the outside terrace which we didn't photograph!
DeleteEvery time I visit England, I always notice the changes from the last visit. This time, MORE bikes in London and they were very aggressive at times.
Also, Mexican food is more popular than ever...and I can remember when I had to buy some taco shells at a special store that carried American food!
Oh! I have a pizza recipe that is from a children's cookbook, I need to send it to you! I am not talking down to you, I love cookbooks for children, they are often simple, good recipes that use fresh ingredients...my kind of cooking!
We will be in Sussex in November and will check it out. Glad you like our cheddar cheese and that restaurants were so accommodating to Richard. Hate the coloured stuff! Have you tried Haggis? Now that is an experience!
ReplyDeleteYou had some brilliant weather whilst in Britain.. Apparently it was the hottest and driest September since records began. Today it is very dark, wet and raining. Oh well, summer was nice whilst it lasted, Enjoy your week. xx
Hey Pat!
DeleteOh! I hope you are able to make it to The Terrace! Look at their website, their pictures are really nice and you can see their menus too.
The sad thing, not TOO many restaurants are accommodating for the gluten free diet...they may SAY that are but when you get there, they might have ONE little thing, like a plain burger on lettuce...and that way they can say they are gluten free! So...that is why I wanted to mention these TWO that I found! We also were able to eat the hotel in Bloomsbury where we stayed, and we were happy to stay there again since also have foods that are gluten free. (Just naturally gluten free...eggs, bacon, fruits...they make sure no bread is in contact with them.)
Haggis!? You must be joking, not for this gal!!
We were VERY lucky with our weather while we were there! YAY!! But I do hope you get rain, the gardens were beginning to get very dry.
Oh my, Kay! You are having a wonderful holiday in England I see. I have never seen such a clean pizza restaurant in my life!! And that old dairy one looks interesting too.
ReplyDeleteEastbourne seaside is beautiful and look at those blooms!!
Thanks for dropping by today, so good to see you!
Hey Jim!
DeleteThat first restaurant was in Eastbourne and it was really very stylish and elegant, I truly think of it as a hidden gem...I would not have known about it if I hadn't done that internet search for gluten free!
You would love the seafront in Eastbourne, I never want to leave it!
Good to see your comment here! Take care! :-)
So glad you found a restaurant with not only gluten free but delicious food! BTW, the only part of my sentence that was a quote from Springsteen was "here in north east Ohio" and it was entirely unintentional. Since I LIVE in ne Ohio it is a phrase I use often! And I'm not that terribly far away from Youngstown. It's about an hour to get there. One of my thousands of nephews is a professor of math there.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! I just could not figure out what was in your comment that was a Springsteen quote from a song! Just goes to show what a big Springsteen fan there is in our friend Henry from England!
DeleteBut I meant what I said, there might be times that quotes could go right over me, unless they come from very old songs, hymns or children's books...what does that say about me?!
I don't know one thing about Ohio, but if you are from there, it is way up on my places that I would like to see. xx
Kay, remember your singletree post? (Of course you do....) The book I was trying to recall is Wheels: A Pictorial History by Edwin Tunis....He's a great illustrator and all his colonial crafts books are exceptional.
ReplyDeleteEDWIN TUNIS...oh my, I just looked it up...this man is right up my alley.
DeleteI don't know if you know this about me but I am a huge fan of book illustrations, HUGE. You might also guess that I am a non fiction fan!
So, thank you very much for telling me of this! I really appreciate it!
I am a huge fan of illustrators, too....And also of colonial American history, and when the two are combined it's wonderful!
DeleteI don't have your hubby's problem with gluten, but I just love your photos.
ReplyDeleteYummy!
How you make me want to re-visit England.
Thanks!
DeleteI wish I could go more often!
I am glad that you had so much success!! It is getting so much easier to eat gluten free here now, if you come again, I can also recommend Zizzi's which is an Italian/pizza chain and they do really good gluten free things, especially pasta, jacket potatoes are always good though aren't they! xx
ReplyDeleteZizzi's...Thanks!, I will remember it!
DeleteWe didn't really eat out too much, but when we did, I was thankful for these restaurants!
Oh Kay, now I know what a struggle it can be to eat out when someone in your family is gluten-free. I think it's great you posted this ~ someone may do a Google Search one day and find this blog post and know just where to eat GF. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd not only gluten free info but also, they will learn to say "jacket" potato instead of "baked" potato. Man, I am a great service to mankind, aren't I? HA! :-)
DeleteKay, So I posted that picture of me about the time of the dream. My Uncle Eddie has Celiac disease and it's pretty inconvenient.
ReplyDeleteDennis, I thought that your post of your last sermon was really something. And that dream! Did you see my post about the hymn "Jerusalem"?
DeleteAt the bottom of his handwritten lyrics, William Blake wrote this:"Would to God that all God's people were prophets". It is from the Book of Numbers and your dream reminded me of this.
I wish I could make your Uncle Eddie my "Miracle Cookies"...do a search on my blog and you will find the recipe...it is super easy and good and gluten free!
I had a regular customer who was a coeliac when I was cooking in the restaurant in Gympie before I moved here to where I'm now living. I was always aware when she and her husband were coming to dine, so I always prepared special meals for her. It was never a problem...I enjoyed doing so.
ReplyDelete"Bathroom" and "toilet" are both used here (the words as well as what they represent)!!!!! :)
Oh, and I see that you spell "celiac" they way they do in England too! So funny to me that we will sometimes have the same word, but spell it differently!
DeleteI bet that couple loved your gluten free cooking. What a blessing to know that someone understands and is able to prepare food that you don't have to worry about!
YAY! I can visit Australia and not worry about saying "bathroom" by accident!! :-)
Knowing how hard it is to find a good restaurant on a restricted diet, i'm glad you were able to enjoy these!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing, Richard's best friend in England is a vegetarian....and my best friend in the USA is a vegetarian! We love the food that they prepare...I think I could do without meat quite easily! (Might be a bit harder for Richard, he needs all the calories he can get!)
DeleteI love reading about all the things you find quirky about England! It's strange that we have euphemisms for so many things but we get straight to the point with toilets or loos as we call them a lot of the time! x
ReplyDeleteNow, my dear, I would NEVER call anything quirky! It is just amusing to me that I have to remember not to say "bathroom" EVERY time I am in England! You would think I would remember to say toilet or loo...and by the way, what is up with the symbol for baby changing? I had to ask my mother-in-law what it was!! It looked like a little midget doing some kind of squat! I'm just saying!!! :-)
DeleteSound good all of this! I like your photos.
ReplyDeleteI always sit in the sun no matter what:-)
Thank you!
DeleteWe noticed that there were not too many out in the sun on that day not unless they were beside the sea with a bit of a breeze, it was very, very warm!
Jacket potatoes = baked potatoes. So true in the British Isles, but in Ireland there is even another layer of interpretation needed. A jacked potato is a baked potato, but potatoes in their jackets are boiled potatoes with their skins on. Enjoy your holiday - it's lovely to see your photos. All the best :)
ReplyDeleteHa! I hope to make it Ireland one day, Mairead! And before I go, I am going to ask for a crash course on the language I need to use...especially regarding food!
DeleteWe have been home a few weeks now, we were in England for two weeks and it was great, the weather was fantastic and we got to spend time with family and friends!!
Glad you could find what you needed there! I found eating tough in England. The food was so different and I'm such a picky eater. One thing that got me was the habit there of pouring cream on dessert. They'd have this piece of pie and take out this cream (thick version of what you put in coffee, basically) and pour it over it. I asked if they'd ever tried whipped cream. They thought I was odd!
ReplyDeleteOh Stephanie, did you try the cream? It's wonderful! Honestly, it is! And hey, I love whipped cream too! Sometimes the food might be different from what we as Americans know, but just give it a try! And Cornish Clotted Cream...oh my, that is the really thick one, it is just out of this world!!
DeleteBut hey, don't ask me to eat haggis, that is where I draw the line! LOL.
And don't worry, all Brits think that Americans are odd but most of them really like us, they just don't like to admit it! HA!
I'm so glad Richard was able to enjoy some good gluten free meals. The restaurant is so very lovely. If we ever get ourselves back to England, I'd love to try it... and maybe a jacketed potato too. :- )
ReplyDeleteOh yes, go to the British Museum and then, go to the Pizza Express, it is very close! Makes my mouth water now to remember the pizza! :-)
DeleteLooks a nice restaurant. I only found out recently that the UK actually has more varieties of local cheese than France, the country that is usually known for its types of cheese. I love cheddar but the extra mature variety mainly..
ReplyDeleteIt makes me giggle to think of this line, "Not even Wensleydale?"...it is from Wallace & Gromit, when the Wallace character is shocked to learn that his girlfriend doesn't like cheese! Love those characters!
DeleteI've never been to France, although when I am in Eastbourne, it is so doggone tantalizingly close!