My Gluten Free Christmas consisted of a wee excursion to what i’m normally used to, i was lucky enough to get invited to my husbands family christmas in Barbados. I have to say, i’m normally one for cosying up by the fire and actually enjoying the cold as i work my way through numerous cheese and nibble platters and a big roast; but this year the warmth was very much welcome.
On The Plane
Eating gluten free on the British Airways flight was the first challenge, and i should have known better to bring a collection of goodies with me… the only food i brought in my hand luggage was Perkier Foods Rocky Road and of course i got through them in seconds. If you haven’t tried them yet i highly recommend you do! My on flight requested gluten free meal on the way out was rather terrible i have to say, guilty of the #Fruitisnotapudding debacle too as i found myself given three plates of fruit as snacks throughout the flight whilst others received sandwich carbs to fill their bellies. I made sure i was content however with my rocky road and numerous cups of tea whilst enjoying the first three episodes of Under The Dome on the inflight entertainment system.
Gluten Free Shopping
On arrival we headed straight for the Super Center supermarket in Holetown before going to our self catering villa at Port St Charles (Highly recommended). You’ll find some gluten free bits in the freezer section, i got a few breakfast muffins and some challah bread – both of which were edible but nowhere near as good as Genius or Udi’s in the U.K. It was also expensive, so i would recommend highly to bringing your own bread and gluten free essentials.
Gluten Free Hotels in Barbados
If you’re looking for a Hotel to stay at, this website may give you an indication on the best hotels to accommodate gluten free guests, this health food shop delivers gluten free supplies. I’m sure if you are staying self catering, you could also arrange for a delivery from them also for when you arrive.
Eating out
After a long day of sunbathing and cocktail drinking we were up for going out to several restaurants in the evening. I used to be very nervous eating out in different countries but as long as you do your research and make contact in advance with the restaurants there should never be a problem (unless all they serve is just gluten!). There are four restaurants i would recommend in Barbados that dealt with my request for a gluten free meal very well, and i must add the people in Barbados are SO friendly. Here are the four restaurants…
Cobblers Cove offers a wonderful night out, not only is the food very good but the atmosphere is very relaxing and just what you want after a day in the sun. We went on a christmas steel pan music night and it was actually very good, despite my reservations about Hotel entertainment. The waiters dealt with my gluten free requests very well (we went here for lunch one day too). I ordered Proscuttio Ham, Green Apple and Blue Cheese salad to start, and the Fresh Daily Seafood Catch for a main. I was told i could also have all of the mains featured on the menu with the exception of the parmasen tuille on the risotto..something that i wouldn’t cry over. Fantastic.
The Fishpot is a really great, lively and romantic place to go for a meal out. Every time we went their we had a good laugh with the waiters and the location , right on the beach, is stunning. If you love seafood, like myself then this will be your favourite place to eat in Barbados, although a few of us ordered the Chicken main and there was several nodding heads around the table as they ate. I think it’s a good restaurant that aims to please alot of people. I had the fish of the day again, out of my own choice (i love fish!). The only thing on the menu that i couldn’t have were the tempura prawns, the chips, the gratin and the pasta dishes. Recommended.
I was impressed with Daphne’s, merely for the fact that they had a completely separate gluten free dinner menu. Well this was easy! Top marks here for being able to offer gluten free pasta and an array of desserts. The downside however was that my order was slightly mixed up, and the wait for the food was very very long. So long that other tables around us had started to leave after a two hour wait. By the time my main had arrived (which was cooked perfectly) i just had to eat! Unfortunately this service did not make us want to go back and try again but if you’re staying in the area and are looking for a long lunch definitely try it as the beach will keep you occupied while you wait.
I don’t have a picture of the Yacht club menu or restaurant so here is a picture of me with rather patchy sunburn. Awesome.
We went to Yacht Club several times on our trip as it was on site on the self catering complex we were staying at – Port St Charles. Beautiful place and great accommodation. The Christmas day buffet was fab as i could practically have most things, the meats, roast red honey potatoes, rice and peas, plantain, fish curry and it was all cooked very well. We also went here on a Caribbean night which was very good fun and had a selection of tasty traditional Caribbean food, the roasted citrus chicken was very yummy and almost distracted me from the rather awful Tina Turner impersonator on stage…i told you i was not one for hotel entertainment! 😉
Conclusion
Overall a really great place to go on on a gluten free holiday. ESPECIALLY if you love your seafood. If you don’t, there will still be options but really make sure you phone the establishments in advance and make them put a mark on your booking and ensure they notify the chef also on arrival.
If you go to Barbados or have been already, please comment below on your experience and where you’ve been that’s suitable for a gluten free meal!
🙂
