This summer we enjoyed a brilliantly fun family trip to The Lake District planned by my brother and his wife. They organised for us to stay in two gorgeous lodges in the mountains and nine of us ventured up for three fun filled days and nights.
Everyone knows my allergies and intolerance’s incredibly well bless them! My niece and nephews do too – so they all ordered in plenty of supplies from Ocado for breakfasts and lunches well in advance and drove it up to Windemere.
Shopping List of what gluten and dairy free and sugar free foods to bring:
This summer we enjoyed a brilliantly fun family trip to The Lake District planned by my brother and his wife. They organised for us to stay in two gorgeous lodges in the mountains and nine of us ventured up for three fun filled days and nights.
Everyone knows allergies and intolerance’s incredibly well bless them! My niece and nephews do too – so they all ordered in plenty of supplies from Ocado for breakfasts and lunches well in advance and drove it up to Windemere.
Shopping List of what gluten and dairy free and sugar free foods to
Gluten and Dairy free Eating in the Lodges
Breakfasts
- Unsweetened Almond milk
- Genius gluten free bread
- Jams
- Tea bags
- Doves farm Cornflakes
- Fruit – berries, pineapple, mango
- Eggs
- Gluten free porridge oats
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
Day 1: Cornflakes and almond milk with a cup of tea. Followed by boiled eggs on toast.
Day 2: Cup of tea and a plate of avocado, scrambled eggs, fresh sliced tomatoes and a handful of spinach.
Day 3: Here’s a buffet-style breakfast I prepared for everyone. (Obviously I didn’t have the cheese).
- Salad with red onions, avocado and tomatoes
- Egg and new potato salad with mayonnaise
- Bowl of plain boiled eggs
- Olives
Gluten free breakfast
Lunches
- Lettuce, cucumber, peppers, red onions,
- Tins of tuna
- Tins of sweetcorn
- Tins of tomatoes
- Mayonnaise
- Tomato ketchup
- Gluten free Warburtons pittas
- Gluten free pizzas (was a great idea, though I couldn’t have these as they had milk (cheese) on top so the boys had them)
- Gluten free spaghetti and normal
- Mince meat for spaghetti bolognese
- New Potatoes
We made a tuna style deli mix that included – sweetcorn, red peppers, red onions, cucumber and mayo with seasoning we all had these in the pittas for lunch on the first day – so yummy. We filled up on these yummy tuna pittas before heading out into Windemere for a walk and wandered down to the local village just near our lodges.
Snacks
- Lentil crisps- 12 large bags (they know me soooo well) I snacked on these a LOT.
- Quinoa crisps
- Crisps
- Nuts
- Gluten free biscuits (and normal biscuits)
- Dairy free chocolate (and normal)
Eating Out in Windermere
We went out for dinner two of the three nights, all thoughtfully considered restaurants booked in advance by my brother.
Fish and Chips
Whilst walking near Lake Windemere on the first afternoon, we stopped at Vinegar Jones – an award winning gluten free fish ‘n chip shop. Obviously I was all over this opportunity! Everyone had to also show an interest in this too for my benefit so we got a table outside and ate our chips admiring the view.
The chips were soooooo good – crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And they do a freefrom vinegar too! Lovely bunch of staff and super helpful. Highly recommend popping in there. All the gluten free chips were consumed entirely by me so I walked a fair bit to compensate ha ha!
gluten free chips
Pub food
Had the best gluten free Grilled Cajun Chicken and Chunky Chips in a pub near the lake (still trying to remember what it was called!).
Cajun chicken and chips
Supermarket
One morning partner and I took drive to the local supermarket to stock up on a few extras and discovered Booths. It’s a very upmarket supermarket.
Classier than Waitrose and a little bit like going to a Selfridges food hall. Perfect for stocking up on extra free-from nibbles and fever-tree tonics!
booths
I was super impressed with their Free From aisle here – it had all my favourite freefrom brands and more.
Their freezer selection also featured a Cook! range, and plenty of gluten free and dairy free foods including Whole Creations dairy free ice-cream.
At the time I was super good and refrained myself from naughty things, then when we returned to the lodge I wished I’d actually bought some!
El Porton Tapas
My brother had booked a table for nine weeks in advance so we headed out to dinner on the second night to a Spanish restaurant called El Porton Tapas.
I ordered the vegetarian Paella – it was so tasty I had many plates of it! They cater for gluten free and dairy free and they did a Patatas bravas option for me too.
gluten free paella
gluten and dairy free paella.
Padron peppers are always a safe gluten free option for me too – full of vitamins (and low calorie). Top tip: 1 in every 50 padrons is a hot one! I devoured this plate:
padron peppers
Curry night at Lake Raj
We all LOVE a curry. As my Dad is Asian and Mum English we grew up eating both so my taste in cuisine has been hugely diverse. I love everything. [Except for Chinese & Japanese food – I have to be super careful due to MSG, aspartame, soy sauce, oyster sauce etc]
So on our last night we had a curry at Windemeres finest curry house called Lake Raj .
Going for a curry can be super tricky for me being dairy free too, as literally 99% of curry’s can contain ghee, which is milk!
I always head straight to the manager or the chef at curry restaurants. They do have an obligation to understand the allergies and what free from people like myself can and can’t have on their menu.
I had the lamb bhuna, plain boiled rice and chana masala (chickpeas) as they cook it in coconut oil and it was all delicious. And I also shared some okra bindi which is soooo nice – all gluten and dairy free.
Fun Fact:
Okra is a type of veg, sometimes known as ‘lady’s fingers’ as they’re green and pointed at the ends. Full of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 zinc and calcium this site claims it can help manage blood sugar.
Texture wise – it’s soft and slimy inside (full of goodness though) and some restaurants fry it in flour (obviously being freefrom I swerve that). I’m really selling it here aren’t I!? It’s one of my favourite vegetable curry dishes – I do have to double check what oil it is fried in.
Top curry tips if you’re gluten and dairy free:
- Avoid anything tandoori as it’s marinated in yoghurt which is dairy.
- Avoid poppadoms – usually bought in and not guaranteed to be freefrom.
- Stick to boiled rice as pilau and biriyani contains ghee (made from milk so it’s dairy)
- Stick to Bhuna dishes – usually they don’t have ghee. Always check with the manager first.
- Avoid all dishes like Karahi, Tandoori, Dhansak, Balti, Rogan Josh, Madras, Jalfrezi, Korma, Dopiaza and Tikka dishes – they contain dairy as can be cooked in ghee or yoghurt.
- Onion bhajis are usually made with gram flour, however sometimes they’re made from wheat flour so I avoid these or check with the manager whether I can eat them.
Top Tips when staying at a lodge:
- Check lodges have no fragrances in rooms
- Be super prepared and organised. I prefer to order via Ocado (as I know they do a HUGE selection of freefrom products) in advance to enjoy a stress-free day
- Call restaurants in advance to check what dishes are gluten and dairy free
- Buy freefrom essentials yourself weeks in advance. For me it’s unsweetened almond milk, gluten free bread, fragrance free shower gel. That way if the online order misses any essential items you’re not left disappointed.
- Bring your favourite tea bags. For me it’s rooibos and chai tea – love it and soo good for you! I have about so many varieties of them in my cupboard.
- Pack some fragrance free washing up liquid + sponge
- Remember all the fragrance free essentials – shampoos, soap, cleansers and makeup
- Bring bin bags – pink and black
- Take your own olive or coconut oil and salt and pepper
Also, you could email the online supermarket or contact Customer services to ask whether any products in your order might be unavailable or low or substituted for another product on your chosen delivery date. And to let you know if possible in advance.
Preparing in advance is essential if you live a freefrom life. It makes a trip to Windemere SO MUCH MORE relaxing and easy.
I feel so lucky to have such an understanding family as they always think of me when dining out or planning trips away like this one.
With their support and understanding it is absolutely priceless and hugely appreciated.
Highly recommend a trip to the Lake District – it’s chilled, relaxing and the views and surroundings are stunning. The food options are also fab!
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