Dreadful service

[Lisa M]

Just thought I'd leave a quick post while I had 5 mins spare.

The company I work for have had quite a few big training events lately in well known business venues in the area where catering was provided, my line manager was very specific with my catering requirements, we even phoned the person organising everything instead of just assuming they would read it in the email we sent them, yet suprise suprise when it came to the day I got to the lunch table and asked for my dairy free option, only to be told that they had not been told to make anything dairy free...

Luckily I had been a bit sceptical about it any way and taken a bit of food with me to keep me going if they hadn't catered for me! The ladies I work with were all appauled and since the event I have had a feedback form and have really complained about the fact that no matter how many times I go places for training and tell them exact requirements I never seem to have anything supplied for me!

Hopefully they will sort this out as the managers always go on about equality for everyone, surely this should mean we all have food we can eat without being ill!

Any way, sorry for the rant!

In more positive news I found an oat based alternative to cream (oatly) for the 1st time today :) I have had the milk before and enjoyed that so I will be trying it tommorrow I think!

Hope everybody here is well and no longer snowed in!

Take care

L x

[Copper]

That is so annoying! I know how you feel. It makes you wonder what would happen to somebody with an allergy.

I like Oatly cream. I keep plenty in the cupboard :lol2: I usually have a couple in the fridge as it gets thicker when cold. I use it on fruit and crumble. I also use it to make a dairy free egg free chocolate mousse :p

[LaurenJoanna]

That's really bad they really should cater for that sort of thing anyway especially if it's a place where people go for training, you'd think they get a lot of people with specific dietary requirements.

[Hammy]

My partner is dairy free and I am gluten free, we are generally known as the awkward couple!

It really amazes me how some places can be so badly organised. I have given up asking for options in advance as this very rarely happens. I went to a wedding last year the bride asked for a dairy free option and gluten free option. I even phoned up to make sure. And yes you have guessed it on the day no options were available.

On the other side smaller restaurants and hotels are much more amenable. I have to mention a restaurant down in Mevagissy, Cornwall called the Salamander. My husband and I was discussing what we could have on the menu and the owner overheard us. She came over and said the chief can adapt things as it is freshly cooked, unless anything is been pre-marinade. She then brought me out a gluten free roll when she brought out the normal bread. I was well impressed.

[Copper]

Gold star to Salamander in Cornwall.

I don't understand why some people still refuse to believe or understand that allergies/intolerances exist. A good chef can always adapt recipes or suggest alternatives.

[Helen SCD]

I stayed at the Athol palace Hotel at Pitlochry with about 120 other people in our group (we took over the hotle). We had to let them know in advance of any dietry requirements and they made up a seperate menu for us each day excluding any dietry problems. So while I was there it was dairy, soya, wheat, gluten and onion family including garlic free. We had a choice of of 3 starters, 3 main and 3 puddings and often it looked better than the normal and the other people were gealous especially about our strawberries as they did not have them on the menu. (I just took my own bread up). They were very helpful.