Gluten-Free in London

Savory pies... why do we not make these in the States??

Yum!  I could get used to this, Mom!

Bread.  Need I remind you that this is a luxury for me?

My travel buddy

Mom, I just don't know if I can fit all of this into my mouth

So far I've been fortunate in finding authentic English fare that is hearty, tasty, and gluten/soy-free!  We are indulging a bit off the GAPS diet while we're here, enjoying the foods England is best at:  savory pies, crusty bread, treacle tart, cheddar cheese, meats, 'crisps' (chips), and even a creme-filled breakfast pasty.  Oh wow happy day.

It took us a bit of backtracking and asking for help, but we finally found the WAG-free Bakery; a booth in the Brixton Village (very near to both the Brixton Underground & Railway stations if you know where you're going).  It's not a 'proper' cafe, but rather a booth in a covered market place.  Brixton seemed quite the shopper's paradise, with fresh food stalls everywhere alongside every kind of store you would think of.  E & I stopped by for breakfast and to get a bag lunch on our first foray into (across) London town.  What to get??? The possibilities seemed endless!  I wanted some 'typical' fare, tastes I couldnt' get back home. We settled on a loaf of thick crusty bread (the bulk of which will be slathered with rich English butter for breakfast tomorrow), 3 savory pies (I should have bought a half-dozen!), a cream & berry filled pasty and (with Harry P's preference in mind, I admit) a small treacle tart, along with a cappucinno for Mama.  All were delicious.  We saved 2 pies, bread, and the treacle for lunch and enjoyed the rest then. Eowyn really liked the ham & mushroom pie, and ate the cheese & onion and steak pies well too.

Thus far the Gluten Free Foodie blog has been a good resource-- great recommendations (just not much directions...seems like a common theme for me so far in Britain; no street signs, inadequate maps, addresses that don't mean much).  I've tried out 2 of her recommendations so far and have enjoyed them!  We have also had dinner (twice!) at Bella Italia, a local Italian food chain that has a nice gluten free menu.  I've had two of their pizzas and both were tasty (good thin crust!), and their chocolate torte was rich without being too sweet.  Ryan was a HUGE fan.