Edinburgh
So, of the eight full days that we spent in Scotland, three of these were spent entirely within the capital city of Edinburgh. Aside from being a history nerds wet dream, Edinburgh pretty much has something for everybody! Castles and palaces, lush parks, shopping, a 820 feet hike to the top of Arthur's seat, and oodles of entertainment! Also, for those art nerds out there, we were traveling during the august Fringe Festival which meant that the Royal Mile of the city was jam-packed with fellow tourists, street performers, and artists of all kinds trying to steer you toward their performance. There are paid shows, free shows, theatre, music, comedy... there really is something for everybody at this festival! Luckily for me, there were also some pretty awesome gluten-free friendly dining options right in the city centre. Here are a few of my favourites:
HULA Café: Situated at the bottom of Victoria street, not far from the Royal Mile, rests this sweet, colourful little café. You can stop in to grab a pastry with a coffee or a smoothie and be on your way, or you can take a seat and browse through their menu. The café has on hand gluten-free sandwich bread, which was perfect for their roasted vegetable sandwich that my travel companion genuinely enjoyed. Our waitress happened to have a family member with Celiac disease, so was able to steer me in the right direction on the menu and ensure that my food would be prepared safely. I had what might very well be the best chickpea curry I've ever had in my life! Chickpeas and spinach cooked in a delicious yellow-curry sauce on basmati rice, topped with sunflower seeds and crushed pistachios. It was lick-your-plate-clean fabulous! Much to my excitement, the café also offers some gluten-free desert options, including cherry bakewell tart, which was always one of my favourite sweet treats when living in Ireland! The café was such a hit with us, that we dined here twice during our travels!
Southern Cross Café: This funky and youthful café located on Cockburn street right next-door to Edinburgh Backpackers (the hostel that we stayed in) also offered gluten-free bread and was quite understanding of my dietary needs. Our waitress suffered from Celiac disease and was able to help me modify the vegetarian breakfast so that it was safe. I ended up with a huge plate of eggs, baked beans, gluten-free toast, roasted tomatoes, and fried button mushrooms. I had to forgo the vegetarian haggis, but I don't feel especially disappointed about that! The food was quite reasonably priced, and if you stay next-door at the hostel, you get an extra discount at the café which worked out brilliant for this budget-conscious student!
Italian on the Mound: Just off the Royal Mile is this family-owned and run sandwich café which openly offers gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian options. Though perhaps not the best place to stop in if you are in a hurry, the staff are friendly and entertaining as they sing and chat you up while they prepare your lunch. The gentleman who served me was more knowledgeable than most about my dietary concerns. He confirmed with me that I have Celiac disease and needed to worry about cross-contamination before he prepared my sandwich. He washed down his cutting boards and knifes before getting down to business and informed me that he wouldn't be able to safely toast my sandwich, which was perfectly okay by me! Though it would have been slightly better toasted, I ended up with a light, fresh sandwich of tomato, mozzarella, basil, avocado, and olive oil on seedy gluten-free sandwich bread. Perfect for picnicking in Princess Street Gardens.
Circus: Located on St. Mary's Street, this restaurant mentions on their menu that they are willing to cater to allergies and intolerances. When I arrived and inquired after the safety of their vegetable curry, the waitress was very reassuring and made sure to talk with the chef before giving me answers she wasn't quite sure about. Luckily, the dish was perfectly safe and I enjoyed it while my traveling companions were able to enjoy the variety of both meat and vegetarian options for all! Though not as delicious as the curry I ate at HULA, it was rich and satisfying and kept me energized throughout the evening.
The Potato Shop: Might also been the "baked" potato shop now that I'm thinking of it, but regardless, this one of a kind baked potato shop, also to be found on Cockburn street, offers exactly what it sounds like. Stuffed baked potatoes. This tiny little hole-in-the-wall spot offers potatoes small, medium, and large, with a display case full of filling options to choose from! Everything from baked beans and cheese to avocado salad, tomato and chickpea salad, and quinoa salad! The staff was able to answer my questions about the safety of menu items and I enjoyed my potato stuffed with the tomato and chickpea salad. Filling and affordable, I also enjoyed the novelty and ease of this nutritious take-away food. My friend had her potato with the avocado salad which she claimed was one of the best things she's ever eaten and turned her, a former potato-hater, into an avid potato lover!
The Highlands
While, unfortunately, I don't have a list of names of places throughout the highlands the way that I do for Edinburgh, I do have a lot of tips and suggestions for how to stay gluten-free while traveling through the north of Scotland. Five days of roughing it through small restaurants and gas-station style shops, I feel like I've got this down to a science! Sort of. First thing I learned about traveling gluten-free through the highlands, is that people are more educated than I expected them to be. Typically, people fall into one of three general categories:
1. Those who know what you need and are willing to work with you.
- Example, on the Isle of Skye (which is a must see if you are traveling up north) we stopped off at the town of Portree, which despite being quite small is home to the majority of the island's population. Given that there weren't many places to stop for lunch, I joined my travel companions and stopped in at a small gastro-pub (name currently alluding me), figuring that I would find something to eat, even if it was a small salad with no dressing. At first, working with the waitress was really frustrating. She was perfectly friendly, but every time she disappeared to find out the answer to my question, she came back with the answer that no, it wasn't safe to eat this thing. Finally, at my wits end, I was planning to leave and just stop in at the little food co-op and grab some fruit when she returned to our table saying that she had a chat with the chef and he was willing to modify one of the dishes in question so that I was safe for consumption. The chef knew that mustard can be unsafe for Celiacs to eat, so offered to adjust the spices of the mushroom stroganoff and change it around a little so that I could eat it. I happily accepted the generous offer and was not disappointed. The mushroom stroganoff, served on a bed of rice, was probably one of the most amazing meals I ate during the trip!
2. People who have no idea what you're on about, but are willing to work with you.
- In Fort Augustus, on the banks of Loch Ness, my friend and I ended up eating at this small take-away restaurant. The menu, while varied, wasn't especially gluten-free friendly. The reason we ate there: because the staff was extremely friendly and worked their butts off to help me find something to eat. They clearly had no idea what gluten is, but they asked me lots of questions and checked back with me at the table many times to ask after the safety of this or that ingredient. Despite their lack of knowledge, I felt reassured that they didn't take any chances with my food. I ended up just having a baked potato with cheese and a salad without dressing, but it was a satisfying meal and a reassuring dining experience.
3. People who just won't work with you.
- Fortunately, this only happened to me once on the entire trip. My friend and I stopped into this little restaurant, also in Fort Augustus, to see if they had anything on the menu that might be safe for me to eat. We couldn't figure out the menu immediately, so we stopped inside and asked the staff if there was anything that would suit my needs. The man who spoke with us seemed like possibly the manager of the restaurant, and told me quite plainly, "I'm sorry, we don't have anything for you here." While I was taken a bit aback with his complete disregard of me and his lack of any attempt to work with me, I ended up just being grateful for his honesty. He didn't waste my time, and I ended up finding something else which was perfectly acceptable.
From everything that I learned while traveling through the highlands, the following are pieces of advice I have for others trying to do the same:
1. Try to do a bit of self-catering if you can. I was traveling with a decent sized tour group full of students and young adults. This meant that we stayed in hostels all throughout the highlands. The lucky part about this, aside from it being budget friendly, is that all the hostels we stayed had a self-catering kitchen for guests to use. On a couple of occasions, my friend and I would stop down to the local grocery store and pick up a few things to make our own meals in the evenings. Often, it was as simple as beans on rice, but it was filling, cheap, and safe. I enjoyed having some control over my food. While we did use this option for evening dining, we tended to use it more for breakfasts and getting little snacks for on the road. The kitchen allowed me to make my own uncontaminated oatmeal from the packets I brought with me, make my own tea, etc. We were also able to grab lots of fresh fruit and travel bars that made for a quick snack when we were running around during the day.
2. Keep your eye out for gluten-free brands. I was surprised at the amount of gluten-free packaged brands that do little deserts and snacks. In small gas-stations or locally owned cafés, it was easy enough to find little almond bars or other things to go with your tea. For me, I enjoyed trying out the different brands as I went along. I always get a kick out of finding little surprise treats along the way!
3. Find some generally-safe diet staples. If you aren't a vegetarian, this will probably be different for you than it was for me. I found that pretty much everywhere I went, I could count on either a baked potato or risotto. While I always asked the server to double check and confirm safety for me, I found that risottos tend to be gluten-free and an excellent vehicle for vegetables and flavour! Baked potatoes, while not necessarily exciting, were also a good option for me while traveling. A potato fills you up. Simple as that. And most, though not all, places will be able to make this for you. A lot of places also offer topping choices like cheese or baked beans. Salads without dressing or croutons would suffice in a pinch. But mostly, I didn't have too much difficulty dining out.
4. Take advantage of the prepared meals and salads section of local grocery shops. On many occasions, the idea of finding a café, asking a million questions, and paying too much for lunch was just a little overwhelming. Instead, we stopped into small grocery stores and were able to find safe take-away salads and other things to eat on the go. It saved us oodles of money and meant that we took more picnics in the park!
Now that I am back home, I've found myself rather inspired by my Scottish travels! Particularly by The Potato Shop in Edinburgh. I've always been a potato lover. Always. Finding a whole establishment centered around stuffing potatoes with all kinds of goodness was, frankly, exciting. So in honor of this wonderful experience, I will be bringing to you: POTATO WEEK!
What does this entail? Every night for a whole week I am going to make a baked potato with a different filling and at the end of the week, I will bring the recipes to you, my lovely readers! Not sure what the fillings are going to be, but I have this week to brainstorm and come up with recipes to try! Stay tuned for all the potato goodness :)
