Eating Out and Take away food

[Pam]

:?: Can anyone recommend any helpful restaurant/pub/food chains for allergy sufferers?

I have already found a useful ingredients list on the MacDonalds web site and Lan told me on a previous forum that Beefeater restaurants have been very helpful in the past. Does anyone else know of anywhere?

Also, what types of takeaway food are generally safe/forbidden? I know that indian food often contains ghee, pizza's obviously are out if they have cheese on top. What about chinese food or KFC (and similar - The Colonel's secret recipe is so secret that they don't divulge the ingredients on their web site!)?

Gregg's the bakers were helpful in sending me a list of pasties which were milk free but I wouldn't like to quote this now as my list is over 12 months old and could well be wrong.

Pam

[Lan]

Hi Pam, Lan here!

As previously stated Beefeater restaurants have a list of all produce, per product. This I hope is the way of the future.

Eating out can be an utter nightmare, I should know!

I read in an article a while back, that apparently some fast food places use lactose on their fries to make them crunchy, so I would be very careful. Also a lot of their burgers i.e. chicken burger, chicken nuggets, look like the batter contains milk.

Indian food would be a no-no as alot of the curries will contain yoghurt. The salads are dairy free and nice though.

I do ocassionally eat a chinese which is quite nice, and I don't think they use much dairy at all. Although some chicken dishes are buttered! However, I only have an intolerance and not an allergy.

With pizza's, why not make your own, they are very simple and even more tasty. Also you can choose whichever pizza topppings you fancy, ad make whichever size you choose. This will be appearing in the receipe section soon, as we are hoping to get that part up and running in the near future.

Hope this is helpful.


Lan :D

[Pam]

I've just read on www.viva.org.uk (a vegan/vegetarian site which produces some really useful cheap guides) that Pizza Hut pizza bases are vegan and therefore contain no milk products. It might be worth checking with the staff before you order though just to make sure that this is still the case and don't forget to ask for no cheese topping!

I make my own pizzas at home using a breadmaker machine for the dough. I also use the pizza base spread with garlic butter (non-dairy spread, garlic & parsley) to make delicious garlic bread. You can also make a stuffed crust by folding the edges around some garlic butter and non-dairy cheese.

Pam

[astra]

mmmm pam stop talking about pizza! you are making me hungry hehe

i use a packet base from asda to make a pizza base, then the kids have fun making their own pizzas as i chop everything up for them to help themselves mmmm much nicer than packaged pizza, and on par with our local delivery ones and of course i don't get any mistakes :ph34r: (last time mine was delivered with cheese on and we had to get them to redo not only mine but hubs one as well as he wanted to eat his with mine :( )

Burger King - not sure about the meat ones, but the veggie whopper without mayonaise and that awful plastic cheese and a portion of fries are vegan yay!!

other than that, the whole of my husbands family recently went to an indian restaurant in honour of a birthday, and they were really good - with me being vegan (and noone had bothered to tell them :angry: ) and my sis in law being dairy, egg and wheat intolerant - i had a spicy potato dish with tomatoes and spinach, with rice and they made me a special nan-type bread with no dairy in it, starter was onion bhajis.. and the whole meal was delicious!

chinese, just tend to order veggie dishes and hope for the best to be honest, am luckily not intolerant although as time goes by, if i eat something with dairy in it these days i tend to feel a little bloated and rough for a while, i've not felt like that after using our local chinese, so i guess they are ok :lol: i daren't ask to be honest :o

[Fozzybear]

resurrecting this as I've found that J.D. Weatherspoon have information on their website of which foods they sell are ok for special diets. Go to:

http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/food/

and click on the food facts-nutritional information link near the top. You can select a lot of different factors:

Vegetarian
Vegan
Suitable for High Fibre diet
Suitable for Low Calorie diet
Suitable for Low Fat diet
Suitable for Low Salt diet
Suitable for Low Saturated Fat diet
Does not contain Cows Milk
Does not contain Eggs
Does not contain Gluten
Does not contain Nuts
Does not contain Seafood
Does not contain Sesame Seeds
Does not contain Soya

I'm pleased to see that in the no cows milk section they include:

Light Bites----Battered Onion Rings
Light Bites----Bowl of Chips
Wetherburgers----Beef Burger with Chips
Wetherburgers----Beef Burger with Chips (Double)
Wetherburgers----Vegetable Burger with Chips

I used to really like the wetherburgers but haven't eaten out since starting my enforced 100% milk-free diet. Those should be keep me happy for the times when I want a pub lunch. :drool:

[Pam]

Thanks for posting that Fozzybear and welcome to the site. Are you milk free by choice or by necessity?

It is nice to see that some places do actually take special dietary needs seriously.

[Fozzybear]

Hi Pam, glad I joined as the natives do seem friendly. :)

I'm Milk-free due to intolerance and since going on my milk-free diet I've not really eaten out at all (I've just taken sandwiches with me when I go out) but now that I've got a list of ok food for Wetherspoons pubs I'm going to give it a go this weekend - will report back! I'll check with the bar staff before ordering though and ask them to confirm that the meal will be milk-free. Really looking forward to that burger and chips with a pint of coke!

:drool:

[rebecca c]

I am (to the best of my knowledge ) dairy intolerant, gluten intolerant salicylate sensitive and allergic to alcohol but i have eaten out at good Thai restaurants 3 times recently and had no reaction. Cheaper thai food does make me ill because of the MSG.

[matt]

any good resturant, if told in advance, should be able to cater for all intolerances. a quick phone call to let them know will mean they can plan or say that they are unable to. better to be disapointed two days before than on the night!

chefs like a challenge, but they do need to be told. take aways will always use bulk quick ingredients likely to contain loads of additives and maybe wheat and dairy etc etc.

atleast we all know what we're eating. other people never bother reading the ingredients!:bleh:

[Pam]

We have a couple of branches of a Mongolian restaurant near us which are supposed to be very good, though I've never been myself. You pay a fixed price then visit the chefs as many times as you like. You choose the meat, veg and sauce and they create a meal out of it in front of you. It has always interested me but I've never managed to get there yet.

[Fozzybear]

Well I went to the Wetherspoons pub at lunchtime and I had a beefburger, chips and onion rings. I asked when we ordered if the meal was milk-free and they checked with the cook, who had the same list I had downloaded from their website. About 10 hours on now and I'm not showing any signs of illness so I think I'm ok. :dance:
Was really good to go out and have a meal in a pub again! I didn't used to eat out that much but I did like going for an occasional pub lunch and missed that a lot once I'd started my new diet. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a meal out so much! I even ate the tomato in the burger - something I never do as I'm don't like raw tomato - it tasted great today though! :D

My brother had the five bean chilli, which is also on the milk-free list, and he said that was very nice so I might try that next. I can definitely recommend the burger and the onion rings - they were yummy!:drool:

[matt]

good to hear you had a good time. i'd say it would be prudent for anyone with an allergy to let them know beforehand though. just so that they are extra carefull against cross contamination. not using same spoon etc.

i'm just envious as i can't do the same....wheat being a problem, as is letting someone else prepare my food :( . my problem.

[Pam]

I think even if other people are willing to try to provide dairy free food, they just don't realise what milk gets into. It isn't until you start a strict dairy free diet that you find out how far and wide milk gets spread so I don't think you can blame other people for their ignorance and whilst they might say that a food is dairyfree they may not realise that the sauce they put in, or the knob of butter they used is actually forbidden and could cause problems. It makes it so much more risky when you eat food prepared by someone else.

Glad you enjoyed your burger though Fozzybear.

[Copper]

Glad you enjoyed your meal Fozzy bear and that you are ok.

I must try and remember that Wetherspoons is ok for eating out if we are ever near one.

[matt]

you're fairly safe anywhere that'll serve a decent steak and chips. just be wary of the veggies. or any sauce on the steak. but why would you want a sauce on a steak? heathens.

[Pam]

You're not always safe with chips though, some chips are coated with flour and lactose to make them crispy when fried. It's mad, isn't it?

[lyndamc]

My freind who's wheat intolerant also has a son who's dairy intolerant, she has worked out which 'chippies' are safe for her and which ones are safe for her son!

It would be easier to get the fryer out and make your own!!

[matt]

9 times out of ten it is easier to just do it yourself. it's the only way to be really sure. one of the reasons i don't eat anything prepared by someone else. you never know what they are up to behind that door. i've worked in kitchens!!

never send food back anywhere lower than a michellin star resturant. either eat it or throw it never send it back.

cross contamination too easy in most kitchens and resturant staff not paid enough to care. :rant:

[lyndamc]

I've just found out that the wedding I'm going to is a buffet!! Nightmare! Will be carrying a large bag with my own 'packed lunch' I think!! Apparently there will be baked potatoes so I suppose I won't starve.

The next worse thing is there is going to be karaoke in the evening:o .... at a wedding????? Maybe I'm stuck up but I can't think of anything worse or tacky!!!

[Copper]

Oh dear karaoke does not appeal to me anyway. A karaoke at a wedding! not very romantic is it?

Yes eating out is a nightmare. I always have food with me so I don't starve :)

[lyndamc]

Not romantic at all - suspect it's for the children, they already have two! Call me old fashioned but I think I would rather slip along to the registry office than walk down the aisle in a 'white' dress with my own children following along as bridesmaids!!

[Pam]

I was a traditional girl too - married before children. I didn't quite deserve the white dress that I wore but we can't all be perfect.

[Copper]

I was traditional too but married in a cream dress - I look very pale at the best of times so a white dress was out of the question.

[linny]

All I can say is take your ear-plugs and headache pills! Hope you find something there you can eat and hope you enjoy it.

I was traditional too Pam, wedding then family. Hear the Royal Wedding is now on Saturday, the same day as the Grand National, I wonder who will broadcast which - BBC1 can't do both!

[Lan]

Hi Linny.

I'm sure they said on the radio that the Grand National has been moved until the evening to compensate for the wedding.

My TV will be off all day. Too boring to watch.

Kind Regards,


Lan. :D

[Copper]

Oh so true, Lan

[matt]

i was traditional too, both times!!! but forgoed the white dress, doesn't really suit me!

karaoke......ritual humiliation from the land of the rising sun. only a problem if a system is set up so everyone has to perform, beware.

i can't think of a saturday when they did put anything on worth watching. other than, perversely sat kitchen in the morning. i tend to tape it and watch it in the evening. how sad and lonely am i???

one of these days i must put a bet on the national. seems that everyone else does. will there be a special lottery bonus draw!!

good luck to the pair of them, i'm no royalist but they are good entertainment. phil the greek can always be relied upon to annoy someone or other:lol2: won't be watching.

[lyndamc]

You've really got me worried about the karaoke now Matt!!!

I wasn't that traditional, I wore cream and we snuck off to a registry office with close friends - my dad had died a little while before and I couldn't face the church without him to give me away. We saved a lot of money though, and the savings we had were put on a deposit for our house. My children came well after the wedding - much to peoples dissapointment, they had bets on it being a shotgun wedding!!!

[Copper]

Oh dear we have strayed from the original topic again :) Steve will be waving his big stick yet :lol2: again

[Steve]

Steve will be waving his big stick yet :lol2: again

I could poke you with a stick :poke:, but that's boring :)

I could also slap you with a trout :troutslap
or shoot you :uzi:
or hack you with a chainsaw :greenchai
or pound you with a mallet :pound:

:hysterica

[Pam]

Steve, why have you got a picture of my daughter having a tantrum on the bottom of your message? (The one that is rolling on the floor stamping feet and thumping hands on floor whilst yelling)

Going back to the original topic..... she was rolling around on the floor screaming in agony from the take away that she ate because it must have contained milk (that's what she used to look like whenever she had milk but had a slightly redder face).

[matt]

you've far too much time on your hands steve!!

my habit when eating out is that i'll go to tesco's or somewhere similar. that way i can buy my daughter something hot, but i then go and get something from the shelves and buy it to take into the cafe. i know they always say that you can only eat stuff bought in the cafe but i've never had any trouble. and even if i did i'd just ask for written confirmation that it's all dairy/wheat free. bearing in mind they have a sign saying they can't guarentee this should send them packing.

it's the only way to be sure. the people in these cafe's and cheaper resturants just don't get paid enough to care and the food they do is mostly prepackaged so could easily suffer from the non-dairy dilemma we saw in the other thread.

[linny]

I've been invited to Pizza Hut on Sunday as it's my niece's 21st Birthday - God I feel old!!!!!

Does anyone know if I can eat anything there apart from the side salad? I'm dairy free and a bit dodgy with garlic, but I think I'll have to suffer the garlic!:unsure:

[Copper]

Have you looked at their site?


http://www.pizzahut.co.uk/menu/

It does mention dishes that do not contain, soya, fish etc but I did not see dairy mentioned. I was in a hurry though - maybe you have more time to check.

[Pam]

You could ask for a pizza without cheese, their bases are supposed to be vegan so wouldn't contain milk.

[linny]

Thanks Copper, I went on the site but couldn't see any dairy free options. I couldn't find an email address either - oh well I'll just have to ask like Pam says.:unsure:

[matt]

you could try phoning or popping in when it's quiet to ask them. i'm sure they'll be able to come up with something and they're more likely to be accommodating if they are pre warned. plus if they say no then you know to eat before!

[linny]

My sister is going to ask if they do a vegan choice, she'll probably get a blank look in Dartford Pizza Hut!!:mellow:

[Fozzybear]

There is an allergy info PDF file here:

http://www.pizzahut.co.uk/pdf/Nutrition-PH0018_2g.pdf

if you go to the nutritional info / nutritional calculator part of the site and then select something it will show the information, but from there you can click on the name of the item and a pop-up window will appear. At the lower left is written, with a link to the above:


For more nutritional information please download our PDF document: Nutritional information.

Am installing Acrobat now to read it and find out if it's any use.


EDIT: a bad sign - they say the stuffed crust does not contain lactose/milk products. Isn't this a crust stuffed with cheese?

:thumbsdow

[linny]

Thanks for that info Fozzybear, I've managed to get a list up of all the products that contain dairy/lactose - most of them I think!:(

[Fozzybear]

Be careful with that list - like I said, they reckon the cheese-stuffed crust is free of milk/lactose. 'Might' be true but very unlikely so I'd take their info with a pinch of salt.

[linny]

I think I'll stick to salad and maybe some fries.

[linny]

Fozzybear you're a star!!:)

I've sat and clicked on the pizza hut list and have decided to have a warm chicken salad with either potato wedges or 'savoury seasoned fries' ye-ha!:drool:

[Fozzybear]

Fozzybear you're a star!!:)

I've sat and clicked on the pizza hut list and have decided to have a warm chicken salad with either potato wedges or 'savoury seasoned fries' ye-ha!:drool:


we aim to please. ^_^



...unlike many of these food companies - sometimes I wonder if they deliberately make the information hard to find!
:soapbox:

[Broxine]

I find the easiest place to eat out is at Mongolian restaurants - I'm not sure if they are the same around the rest of the country but here you go up with a bowl and select what raw ingredients you want then they cook it up in front of you. So you know exactly what is going into your food and can see that they aren't adding anything extra! Plus there is the added bonus that it is really yummy :drool: so your mates don't feel like they are missing out on nicer food at a less accommodating restaurant.

[Pam]

I understand that one of these has recently opened in Huddersfield but I haven't been, there is also one in Hebden Bridge which my friend has been to and enjoyed it but it is a long way to drive for a night out. It sounds quite exciting that you can choose the meat, sauce and vegetables then have it cooked for you.

[Broxine]

I would highly recommend it if one closer to you opens up. Although they also had noodles which I wasn't sure if they would be safe to eat or not - so I just avoided them to be on the safe side and stuck with boiled rice. There was still plenty of other things to choose from though and generally they are all you can eat so if the combination you make the first time doesn't taste as good as expected you can just leave it and try something else!