Pizza pizza pizza pizza…

SO, THIS just popped up on my Twitter feed:

And all I can think now is….

Top 10 allergy friendly places to eat (2014)

SO, here it is – my run-down of our top allergy friendly meals out in 2014. A bit late, but timely in the aftermath of the ‘100 chefs rant against EU allergy laws’ thing. I’ve been tweeting my thoughts on this for a week, and am frankly bored of the moaning. Compelling caterers to declare which allergens are in their dishes doesn’t make anywhere more able, or likely, to cater for us, but it’s a first step on the road to greater understanding. It means that at least we have the right to ask, and to be told. I think that’s fair enough.

Anyway, enough about that. From never having the confidence to allow anyone bar family to cook for Sidney, in this past year we’ve managed to find a clutch of places happy, willing and able to cater for his multiple allergies. They are living proof that it is possible and, for that, I love them longtime.

So, in no particular order, here we go:

Pizza Express – could it be…?

BIG excitement among Coeliacs in recent months over the new Pizza Express gluten free pizzas, and rightly so. But so far I’ve held fire.

The company is among the best in providing allergen information on its website but, somewhat oddly, while it mentions garlic and mushrooms among them, sesame and lupin – two of the top 14 under EU guidance – are not listed. For obvious reasons Sid’s (relatively rare) allergies to chickpea, lentil and green pea are also not on the list. So I wanted to find out for sure the full list of ingredients in this new gluten free base, not least because chickpea flour, lupin, psyllium husk and all sorts pop up in many non gluten offerings.

Allergy-Friendly Eatery: Don Fernando, Richmond

This one comes courtesy of the lovely Gemma Morris of Sky News fame… She’s allergic to tree nuts and recently stumbled across Richmond tapas joint Don Fernando, where the staff told her they never cook with nuts nor nut oils.

As she says: “It was great to have such peace of mind when eating my dinner.”

While I haven’t yet made it across the river to sample the fare, I gave them a quick call to see if they do indeed operate a nut-free zone. The answer? “Nope, we never use nuts or nut oils in our kitchen.”

Fair enough, they buy in some desserts and these may contain nuts or ‘traces’, while some breads are produced outside the premises in an environment where nuts may be present.

But every item on the menu, they tell me, is clearly marked with potential allergens – specifically nuts, dairy and gluten.

Why, when so many other places fail to do the same? “It’s just something we get asked quite a lot,” I’m told. “Certainly with nuts it’s potentially dangerous so we decided to label our menus more clearly. And if there’s the slightest possibility of any traces then we say so.”

Co-owner Edoardo Izquierdo adds: “We still believe the customer is always – well nearly always! – right and listen to all suggestions. Hence we try to welcome and accommodate all customers including those with allergies.”

This is a neighbourhood eatery, owned and run by the Izquierdo family since 1990. It occupies an unassuming position on the corner of The Quadrant, slap bang by Richmond tube and mainline stations.  Take a browse of reviews online and you’ll find the same comments: “friendly”, “authentic” and “lively”.

Add to that a big cheer for being allergy-aware and there’s a lesson for every restaurant in town.

Don Fernando, 27 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, 020 8948 6447, info@donfernando.co.uk, www.donfernando.co.uk