My first proper holiday of the year! It felt so weird to be getting on a plane and flying away from the UK, but also felt pretty good to escape reality for a little while. Of course, I was worried about eating in a foreign country, I haven't been to a non English speaking country with these allergies, so for me this was going to be a challenge. I learnt a few bits in Italian before I went... When I say I learnt a few bits, I mean I knew what Gluten was (Glutini) and Vegan (Vegano) so of course, how could I go wrong?!
First hours arriving in Italy and it was too late to go to a supermarket, so to a local restaurant it was. The place that my partner's mother showed
us was called Antica Fontena, a small restaurant in a small town called Grottaferetta where she lives on the outskirts of Rome. To be fortunate enough to live in such a beautiful place must be wonderful, I am just happy that I am fortunate enough to be able to visit such a lovely part of world.
As always, I explain to them what requirements I have as soon as I arrive (well except it was Lotta explaining for me in Italian). They were so wonderful, the first thing they offered was some polenta with a variety of vegetables as they were unsure if the Gluten Free pasta was also Vegan. However, it was soon discovered that the pasta was in fact suitable and they gave me a whopping big plate of it! That with a nice starter of kale and potato mashed together, something I will definitely be recreating.
The dinner was beautiful, of course Italians make the best Gluten Free pasta, it is just the way it has to be! The only thing is that Italians give a very decent size of meal so I tried my best to get through it all without success! Every time I have gone to Italy, they love the mushrooms and love to give me a tonne of them! So much so, on one of my trips they called me mushroom girl! Well at least this time they were able to provide more than just that!
For the majority of the rest of the trip we ate in, but with fresh ingredients instead of me cheating with my readymade food from British supermarkets. I also don't have the biggest appetite so this meal in the evening was more than enough for me, as for my boyfriend and his family, they ate the traditional European way! Late with beautiful food, wine and great company!
I had a variety of meals, potato wedges with salad and corn; gluten free pasta with zucchini and smoked salmon; gluten free pizza with butternut squash and tomato; and finally raspberry ripple ice cream! The pizza was my favourite, it was a great base that I found in the supermarket and held together really well, as well as the fact the butternut squash was a great fresh topping. The ice cream was unbelievable and I couldn't believe it was vegan. My boyfriend thought it tasted better than some of the normal ice creams he has had, which is saying something as usually he isn't the biggest fan of my food!
I wish that one day I could take all of the best Gluten Free and Vegan foods from every country and bring it all together. It would make the ultimate diet of deliciousness but I would definitely not stay a slim representative of the vegan brand!
The last place we went to eat was of my choosing, I really wanted to visit a different countries interpretation of a Gluten Free or Vegan restaurant. I was lucky enough that on the plane I stumbled upon an article which listed the top 5 Gluten Free places to eat in Rome, I promptly took a picture, these things don't happen much!
So I went for Number 1, when in Rome, go for the most recommended restaurant of course! The restaurant is called Mama Eat, it was founded by a lady with Coeliac disease so she fully understands how important it is to ensure that anybody with allergies or intolerances can eat well and as normally as everyone else. There is a separate kitchen for those with gluten intolerance with the food also being served on transparent plates to be clear between the dishes to avoid any accidental plate mix ups. This restaurant has clearly thought through what their message is and how they want to help their customers enjoy a tasty and healthy meal.
On the subject of food, I was spoilt for choice. So much so, it took me a very long time to decide what I wanted to eat, especially since I had already had pizza and pasta so there was no pressure to eat a proper Italian dish! I double checked that the dishes I wanted were without dairy and eggs, which they assured me could be done. I still feel a little ill a few days later but I am hoping that is from travelling as the dishes were so very delicious and I wouldn't want this to be from them!
For an appetiser (well, it was a very big one, so could have been a mainatiser!) I had the Fried Pizza Dough Balls which were little balls of deep fried heaven. They definitely weren't the healthiest choice but oh my, I haven't had something so naughty in so long. The oil and gooeyness of the dough was insane, one of them even looked like a little whale aha! I only had three as I didn't want to ruin my dinner, Chris was shocked at how oily they were but I just grinned back at him.
For the main, I had Salted Cod with Aubergine and Tomatoes which was a little healthier. I have decided to go full vegan after my holiday so this was my last indulgence of fish! It was cooked to perfection with vegetables that were so flavoursome and delicious.
Miraculously I had enough room left to eat dessert, I mean there is a different stomach for that right? I asked the lady if anything on the menu was Vegan as well as being Gluten Free and she pointed to something on the menu. I just ordered it, it isn't everyday I am able to enjoy such a lavish 3 course meal! What came out I was a little suspicious about, but she did explicitly say that it was both Vegan and Gluten Free so I went for it! It was a pizza dough like dessert with chocolate inside, it was brilliantly indulgent, again I didn't have all of it but Chris enjoyed the rest!
I would recommend Mama Eat to anyone with Gluten Intolerance going to Rome, they are such a good representative of restaurants taking care of those with issues with their diet. I only wish more of these places would open across the UK, the supermarkets are becoming better, next is the time for restaurants!
Overall, I had a lovely time in Rome. There were a few days in the middle of the week where I was a little fed up of not having anything proper to eat apart from vegetables but I soon realised I had complete control over this so I just needed to get some food that I was more comfortable with. Once I had done that, and I had finished on such a high in Mama Eat it was a great way to spend the rest of the holiday. The history and sightseeing was pretty good too...!
For those of you worried about going on holiday with dietary requirements, don't be scared. You just have to be honest and open to trying new things, accept whatever they give you and trust that they are giving you their best dish according to your needs. After all, people in the restaurant business aim to please!