Gluten Free Berkshire, UK

Gluten free afternoon tea!

Who are you and where are you?
I’m Christine Wilson and I live in a small village between Maidenhead and Reading in Berkshire, UK.

Tell me about your relationship with gluten..
My whole family are coeliacs!  Firstly my mum was diagnosed with it in 1979 and back then no one knew much about it, and I mean no one!  We had to shop using the Coeliac Society Directory because food labelling wasn’t mandatory then so if it wasn’t in the book, we didn’t buy it.  Since then me, my daughter, my sister and my niece are all on gluten free diets and feeling much better for it.  So family parties for us are much better for the coeliacs than the non-coeliacs!!

Why should gluten free travellers visit your town?
My part of the UK is very close to lots of great attractions – all the London stuff is only 20 miles away (about 40 minute train ride) and we have Windsor Castle on our doorstep and all the lovely summer events like Ascot, Henley Regatta, Reading Festival are very close by.

Tell me something fun about your town..
We’re really lucky – we have all the benefits of road and rail links to fun places to visit and we’re close to the London airports PLUS we have access to beautiful countryside so there’s something for everyone.

Where is your favourite place to eat out in your town and why?
One of my favourite places to visit is the Bird In Hand at Knowl Hill because they are so knowledgeable about special diets.  They always have gluten-free alternatives available, all their sauces are GF and they even do a full GF afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, cakes and big pots of tea.  They also have fabulous accommodation rooms too!

Do you live in or around Berkshire or have you travelled there? Where is your favourite place to eat gluten free?