EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS Relief road: 'No money to build' Witney landlord — warrior tribe elder A-levels: Outstanding results in West Oxfordshire FOOTBALL FOOTBALL: North Leigh hit six of the best FOOTBALL: New boys draw blank in opener HELEN'S PUBS The Marlborough Arms, Woodstock: Recently refurbished old inn CINEMA Lars and the Real Girl, Garage and Son of Man VOTE Are you proud of our schools after their A-level results? YES NO GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 The Dark Knight 2 Relief road: 'No money to build' 3 Flood-hit businesses to reopen 4 Witney landlord — warrior tribe elder 5 Parents proud of Olympic heroine 6 'We are winning drugs fight' 7 Director's hunt for film location 8 Three and Out 9 Barge inches under bridge 10 FOOTBALL: New boys draw blank in opener Today | 7 Days 1 Despair as drug ruled too expensive 2 Cogges Link Road: The final battle 3 Police seize 6,000 cars 4 No escort for troops' bodies 5 Witney will have gay pride festival 6 A-levels: Outstanding results in West Oxfordshire 7 Relief road: 'No money to build' 8 Blenheim boot poses puzzle 9 Blocked ditches revive flood fear 10 The Wheatsheaf Inn, Northleach: Old inn with impressive fireplaces

Comment | Read Comments (2)

I HAVE several friends who are coeliacs, and therefore can't eat a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley.

Even the smallest grain of gluten, left over perhaps in a chip fryer or pan, or as a grain of flour on a preparation table or in a commercially-prepared product can cause them real agony, abdominal pain, seizures, itchy skin rashes, or sores inside the mouth. Gluten can cause them to suffer fatigue too, and bone or joint pain.

This means that eating out for a coeliac sufferer is often a real nightmare. Some chefs don't understand that when they ask for a gluten-free meal, they mean absolutely nothing on the plate should contain gluten. My friends are often served sauces or stews and curries that have been thickened with flour, and spend their life ordering a bowl of fruit salad while all those around them are tucking into bowls of sticky toffee pudding.

Those in the Witney area suffering from this disease will be delighted to know that there's a pub just five miles out of town which is taking this condition seriously, and marking the dishes on their menu that coeliacs can confidently eat.

It's The George and Dragon, that stands alongside the Main Road, which runs through Long Hanborough. This lovely, old pub hasn't changed structurally for years. Beautifully appointed toilets, including one for the disabled, are the only real concessions to modern decor trends.

Built from Cotswold stone, it offers a large olde-worlde bar area, where food is served, and well-behaved dogs are permitted. During busy times, there's also a neat little restaurant to the right-hand side of the main door, which is used too.

Three real ales were on tap the day I called: London Pride, Brakspear Bitter, and Adnam's Broadside. I chose the Adnam's Broadside, which went remarkably well with the gluten-free chicken Rogan Josh (£10.95), pictured, I ordered. I did have the poppadums too, which contain gluten, as I don't suffer this condition, and am so glad I did. The chef had cooked them fresh, they arrived warm and glistening with oil, quite unlike the stale-tasting poppadums that are served frequently these days. They actually tasted superior to the ones served at my local Indian restaurant.

The Rogan Josh was pretty good too, and came served in an inviting cast iron dish, along with a side dish of mango chutney and rice, all arranged on an attractive white square plate.

Other gluten-free dishes marked on the menu included: fillet steak stuffed with Stilton and cream cheese and wrapped in grilled bacon (£17.95), duo of oven roasted salmon supreme and plaice fillet on crushed new potatoes and coated in brandy and pepper sauce (£14.95), Thai prawn curry with rice and poppadums (£12.95), mixed grill with all the trimmings (£16.95), and sizzling Szechuan chicken with rice and prawn crackers, at £12.95.

The light meals menu also offers a selection of reasonably priced gluten-free meals. And for those not on a special diet, there are 26 different sandwich fillings available, served on white or wholemeal bread or wholemeal baguette, with french fries, home-made coleslaw, and a salad garnish, priced from £5.50.

There's a menu for vegetarians too, and salads of your choice can be made to order.

And for chocoholics that normally have to say no to the pudding course because of its gluten content, there are several lovely puddings to choose from at £4.95, including chocolate brownies.

I can't recommend this menu highly enough - it really does appear to offer something for everyone, and what's more, the staff appear to have a good understanding of what's on offer, and what a coeliac can and can't eat.

Now that really is a bonus!

8:54am Thursday 7th February 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login