Gluten free, vegan low-FODMAP Munich

Written by themindfulpeanut on August 27, 2023. Posted in Travel.

Guten Tag! I was able to spend 3 weeks in Munich, really getting to know the CBD area as well as the shops. Being a person with several food allergies and aversions, I had no idea what to expect from the country. I envisioned Bavaria as the land of sausage, pretzels & beer. Which to be fair, there are certainly heaps of that around to enjoy. But honestly it was equally as easy to be vegan! Or gluten free (glutenfrei). Here is my GF, vegan low-FODMAP Munich travel guide including some of my favourite restaurants and cafes. As well as keywords to recognise and navigate the shops! (You’ll be a pro at least at translating food ingredients by the end of your trip 🙂

GF & Vegan Restaurants + Cafes

It was my birthday immediately upon arrival, my partner found a fully vegan sushi shop with gluten free options. And a chocolate cake for dessert! While I normally enjoy to do plenty of cooking at home even when I travel, I certainly took advantage of some GF, vegan and low-FODMAP Munich options.

Secret Garden

100% vegan sushi restaurant in Munich. They use a wild rice blend for additional nutritional benefit! Cute little outdoor seating space, it was a romantic place for a booked dinner for two.

Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie

Celiac-friendly dessert shop with inside seating for a little arvo tea & cake. As well as takeaway granolas, chocolates & other delights! Plenty of vegan options as well.

Emmi’s Kitchen

When we first arrived in Munich, we were tired and hungry and I needed a big bowl of plants. Luckily we stumbled across this amazing Cafe – planty good bowls and sustainably-minded!

Fishbowl Poke

In need of a quick, healthy, vegan GF lunch or dinner option in Munich – I recommend eyeing up Poke spots. They can be a rare gem of a find. Note: the tofu is NOT gluten free. I’ve noticed this in many places, not just Fishbowl. So I went with the safely GF falafel. They definitely do not skimp on portion sizes here.

Palm Tree Club

This restaurant was my favourite stop in Munich. Celiac-safe, as it is an entirely GF restaurant. Plenty of vegan options as well as low-FOD considerations. I throughly enjoyed the lemongrass curry! Nice, chill vibe as well as some outdoor seating.

Zento Japanese Kitchen

Another place with GF vegan sushi – I had to give it a try! I will say, I preferred the Secret Garden as they had far more vegan options. But if you like avocado rolls, the relaxed environment in Zento may definitely be worth it!

Keep Banana

This was a super cool find. This cute little shop is using banana waste to make their entirely GF/vegan soft serve, as well as banana bread. ZERO WASTE – you can even eat their spoons and bowls (GF). Amazing concept.

Gluten Free Bakery Munich

Looking to not miss out on the pretzel experience while in Bavaria? Order ahead from Echt Jetzt – an entirely GF bakery! I tried the pretzel from here as well as their granola and pumpkin bread (all vegan). The bread was absolutely delicious. I sliced and froze it to use throughout my time in Munich. The granola could be easily used on sweet and savory meals. The pretzel was INCREDIBLE. Maybe because I haven’t had a soft pretzel in 15 years? They are difficult to find as a GF person! Anyways, highly recommend this shop – place your order online and pick up at their location, easy public transport options from the CBD. (Or a little over an hour walk, if you’re keen!)

Shops & Coffees

No trip for me is complete until I learn some words for local foods and find some delish vegan coffees!

Cafe Bibi – Britta Peters

I came across this little coffee shop – and fortunately for me their afternoon tea offerings include a choc chip & walnut gluten free cookie the size of my face! Adorable clothing & housewares here as well as homemade health-forward treats. Britta was a delight to have a chat with and she gave some other local options and recommendations.

Loui

Loui is a small takeaway coffee spot in Munich specialising in plant-based coffee and small treat offerings. Delicious lattes and gf/vegan raw donuts! It is where I first discovered the Lini’s Bites brand – which I will go into below!

Lini’s Bites

You can find this delightful organic, vegan & gluten free treats throughout Munich. Such a variety of healthy snacking options with this brand. Find them in many of the health food shops as well as bigger box stores. Many of their treats are date-forward, if you are low-FODMAP and have trouble with dates. I was able to enjoy their offerings without reaction.

The Land of Schar

Step into any shop and you will be delighted to find the endless supply of Schar products! Many of these can be vegan, but do check individual packaging to confirm.

Bauck Hof

This was a brand I frequently looked to to find trustworthy gluten free porridge oats! (Hafer flocken) Hafer (oats) is a great word to learn quickly upon arrival into Munich especially if you are gluten free!

Markets

Fancy to shop around for snacks or cook at home while visiting Munich? I suggest these shops as they became staples for me during my time living in Munich!

Alnatura
Find this shop in a few locations around Munich. Amazing for organic, vegan, gluten free options as well as a deli and wine section.

Vitalia
You’ll see a few of these around Munich! Amazing shop for Schar products, snacks, tea, health products (like Weleda!) and even organic/vegan alcohols.

Basic
Organic shop with decent prices. We shopped here often while living in Munich.

I hope this gluten free, vegan low-FODMAP Munich Travel Guide helps in getting you familiar with all Munich has to offer! There is SO much more to discover! Let me know if you have any other recommendations. See my London guide for more GF/Vegan foodie fun.

<3 Sara

Scottish Highlands Gluten Free low FODMAP

Vegan, Gluten Free & low-FODMAP Scotland Travel

Written by themindfulpeanut on October 27, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

For some VERY odd reason, Scotland was never on my travel list radar. Due to COVID-19 – travel was basically non-existent this year. We did plan a socially distanced getaway to Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands though, and it was an absolutely incredible time. And not just because I’ve been sitting in my bedroom for the last 5 months. It was truly a breath of fresh air in so many ways. Returning to London was difficult! Here are some of my vegan, GF, low FODMAP Scotland finds and adventures in the Scottish Highlands!

Cairngorms & Inverness

We set forth from Edinburgh through the Cairngorms and up to Inverness. Key memories of our drive through included seeing a Scottish Wildcat (a MUST-DO of my Scotland trip!) at the Highland Wildlife Park. As well as four-wheeling adventures to see hairy coos at Rothiemurchus. The gift shop at Rothiemurchus also had a fine selection of GF items!

We stayed just outside of the city center of Inverness. It allowed us a quiet respite though still being close enough to most things to see in the main part of town. Inverness had some hidden gems of places to eat!

Tiger on the Wall
Beautiful, spicy vegan & GF curry options.

The Alleycat
Entirely vegan cafe with GF options. Vegan haggis!

About an hour drive outside of Inverness is the Fyrish Monument. A relatively quick hike up a hill to a historical landmark and amazing views. On the way back we discovered the Highland Farm Cafe. GF options plenty, they were so accommodating to make me a vegan lunch as well. The gift shop was very adorable and filled with local products & snacks.

One special thing I loved about our hikes in Scotland was discovering all the mushies. The mushrooms in Scotland are adorable & beautiful!

Loch Ness & Invermoriston

On our way from Inverness to the Isle of Skye, we went through both Loch Ness (sadly no Nessie sightings) and Invermoriston. We did find that Loch Ness boasted some lovely views, should you be passing through the area stop and take a look. We didn’t book in advance for any stops, but Urquhart Castle is a popular attraction along the way.

Glen Rowan Cafe
We did come across this adorable cafe in Invermoriston which is a perfect pit stop along the way. We were able to sit outside, have a lovely tea and GF sandwich/salad.

Isle of Skye

Onward to the Isle of Skye! This amazing part of our trip included so many stunning hikes and scenery. We did find some GF options out and about – but I also planned ahead and made many of our meals at our Airbnb. It was so much less stressful than trying to find a place to eat or deliver. Especially since we wanted to have a calm, relaxing trip away from city centers. We stayed near Portree and were able to do lots of day trips around the Isle.

Fairy Glen

We drove out to the Fairy Glen – and I must say, it was a surprisingly wonderful time. The green grassy hills and windy (and windy!) paths made you feel like you certainly stepped foot into a storybook.

Portree & Scorrybreac Trail

A hike starting in the town center of Portree takes you out past Loch Portree and some rolling hills/open areas. A good place to see hairy coos. I would strongly suggest not approaching them, as tempting as that may seem!

The Granary Cafe – Portree
Escaping the rain, we found this delightful little cafe for a coffee and a piece of GF carrot cake. By the time we were finished, we saw a break in the weather so we then quickly drove to….

Old Man of Storr
This was an impromptu hike powered by carrot cake! The rock formations and fog at the top just made the entire place seem like another planet.

Trip Favorite: The Quiraing.

A definite must-see on the Isle of Skye. We lucked out and had fine weather this morning (minus a few little showers on our way down). This hike is quite full of adventure and the views are absolutely epic. Parts of the hike would be considered strenuous, but every part of it was worth the climb! We went around the Quiraing circuit trail counter-clockwise.

Neist Point & Dunvegan

We took a drive over to the far western side of the Isle of Skye, stopping in Dunvegan along the way. We stopped at the cafe inside The Dunvegan (also rooms to stay). Nearby there is also Dunvegan Castle, we didn’t stop here – but had a glimpse of it on our drive out to Coral Beach. I can’t say Coral Beach was worth it – perhaps in better weather!

The Dunvegan Cafe
Yummy chips and cutest GF bun around! My husband enjoyed a huge sausage.

Neist Point
SO WINDY! I’d recommend taking the path to the left of the parking lot, up the hill to the viewpoint. There are cows up there too! We didn’t walk out to the lighthouse itself.

Homemade Meal Ideas

One huge difference in travel for us these days is meal planning. With COVID and food allergens, it was far easier to bring along some easy dinners after our days of exploring.

Vegan Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup.
I made these toasties with leftover kale and tomatoes. Sheese vegan cheese melts perfectly! I found it in the health food shop in Portree.

Amisa Organic Veggie Burger Mix
I purchased this mix and brought it with on our trip! Just add water, some kale and hummus and we had a delish dinner.

Glencoe

On our way out from the Isle of Skye, we stopped at a fantastic cafe for GLUTEN FREE PANCAKES. GF Pancakes are just a holiday must. I’m glad we found them!

Cafe Sia & Siaway

A must-stop, these guys know their allergens.

Bideam Nam Bian

“Just a little further” – seemingly our motto of the day. We were completely spoiled by a totally clear-sky sunny Friday in Scotland. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. Powered by this, we decided to try the first part of a hike in the Glencoe area called The Lost Valley.

Reaching the valley, we looked ahead and laughed at our insanity for thinking we were going to do the entire hike. We decided to walk a little further, then started up a portion of the mountain. Before we knew it we were basically halfway up and there was no stopping us now. Parts of the hike were quite a scramble. The summit was cold but stunning, and we really felt an amazing sense of accomplishment! I don’t think I physically pushed myself in this way for many moons.

We hobbled our aching legs back into the town of Glencoe and found the Glencoe cafe for a lovely tea & GF flapjack.

Glencoe Cafe
GF/Vegan options – breads for toasties and a small selection of baked goods. Unique selection of local gifts.

Glencoe Lochan Trail
Since it was such an amazing afternoon, we took advantage and also walked this super easy, super beautiful circuit path in town.

Loch Lomand

Heading back south (sadly) back home…we had one more stop in the Loch Lomand area.

Well worth a swing by on the way into the Loch Lomand area is the nearby Kilchurn Castle. You can drive out to a viewpoint across the pond – or head to the castle and walk right up to it.

Further on into Loch Lomand, I had it recommended to me to stop at The Real Food Cafe (looks like they have amazing GF Fish & Chips). But when we arrived it was much too busy a scene for our preference. So we continued on the road and fortunately came across Country Mumkins At The Artisan Cafe. This ADORABLE cafe was just good, old fashion home cooking. They were more than happy to help craft me a GF/Veg lunch.

We stayed for the night in the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha. On site was a pub featuring GF options on their dinner menu. I had a salad with a very generous portion of potatoes. Best of all, there is a cafe next door called St. Mocha – EVERYTHING in their bakery display case was gluten free! I was certainly spoiled for choice. Definitely took some inspirations back for my recipes.

Oak Tree Inn Pub

St Mocha Coffee Shop & Ice Cream Parlour

The Scottish Highlands was probably one of my favorite trips ever. The balance of much-needed relaxation mixed with the outdoor adventure was exactly what the soul needed. I look forward to any opportunity to visit this friend to the north again someday.

Cheers :) Sara

Surrey, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on September 5, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I was so excited by the fact that we actually went on a little mini adventure, I just had to write about it while the memories are still fresh! Koala & I hired a car and went on our first excursion “out” since lockdown. We mainly stayed within the Surrey Hills are with a brief day trip down to Arundel for a hike. Here are the trials and tribulations of one lady with food restrictions and two germaphobes traveling during a global pandemic.

1. Denbies Wine Estate

Stop #1 was a stay at the hotel located on the Denbies Wine Estate. It was mostly business as usual around here – quite a few precautions in place but we were able to have a real taste of “normal” life for a moment. Our first night we attended a special food & wine pairing event. Denbies even catered to GF/Vegan! (Sometimes its easier to just adhere to that versus adding in the whole fodmappy thing – but I digress). It was a lovely 3 course meal.

Denbies Food & Wine Pairing

Appetizer of falafel with an absolutely yummy hummous with red pepper. A side of artichoke, olives & sun ripened tomatoes. Artichokes have been a recent favorite of mine (in reasonable serve size)

My main included rice, avocado & cauliflower (unfortunately I didn’t eat much of the cauli for fodmappy reasons). With absolutely lovely GF bread and the BEST vegan feta I’ve had! I made myself an avo toast with these components, along with the mango/pomegranate salsa.

For dessert I was offered three different delicious bars from Honeybuns bakery. I didn’t get a picture of the millionaire’s slice, as I immediately ate it. Also enjoyed Denbies’ Pinot Noir – my favorite of their selection.

Village Greens Farm Shop at Denbies

One of the other great things about staying on the estate was the adorable Village Greens Farm Shop they have on the property. Wines, cheese, frozen and cold foods, prepped vegan dishes and all the treats you could want (plenty of GF options, no worries!) Two things we found there that we treated ourselves to were Montezuma’s Vegan Milk Chocolate bar and a legit Gingerbread slice – never had gingerbread like that before!

Breakfast at Denbies

Breakfast was included with our stay, and due to COVID in lieu of a buffet-style, they had you preorder your selections. Which was amazing, as I was able to fully customize my GF/low-FODMAP breakfast and have it delivered to me at a comfortable social distance from others!

And when in doubt, and you don’t feel like thinking too much – there is always Pizza Express GF takeaway nearby in Dorking!

Stepping Stones Hike

One of my favorite little morning hikes we did while staying at Denbies was across the road to the Stepping Stones. If you’re ever around the area it is definitely worth the walk around.

2. Day Trip to Arundel

We did a quick trip out of Surrey and nearly to the south coast – stopping in Arundel for a day hike. The town was quaint and beautiful with the castle on one side and a huge beautiful cathedral on the other. I didn’t get many pics of the town center, as there were a lot of people. I ended up having quite a bit of anxiety and we retreated to the car so I could eat a homemade banana muffin in peace. Always have a backup food plan while traveling…especially when you have dietary restrictions and there’s a pandemic where cafes have pared down menus or you don’t want to sit inside!! Once we got outside of the city center on the hike, we relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. This hike took us past the Cathedral straight away, and then out to Hiorne Tower before hiking up quite a hill to an amazing overlook. With sheep. Lots of sheep.

Cathedral of Our Lady & Saint Philip Howard

3. Guildford

Our next stop was Guildford, a sizable town on the western outskirts of the Surrey Hills Area. We’ve only ever passed it by while riding a train to a different destination so we decided to pop in for a couple nights stay. We stayed at the Guildford Harbor Hotel, which was nice and had it’s own restaurant though we did not eat there. Deliveroo was our friend our first day here! We were just too people-pandemic-exhausted to venture out further.

Canopy Coffee: We found a lovely local coffee spot that offered a GF blueberry bakewell.
https://www.canopycoffee.co.uk/

4. Our Most Lovely Day (Guildford/Shere)

It has been way too many moons since Koala & I have had a day as lovely as our Sunday out in Guildford & the surrounding areas. Seriously, it is definitely a contender for the Best Day of the Year. It started with the lovely blueberry bakewell and a sleepy Sunday morning walk around Guildford. From here we decided to see what Loseley Park had to offer. And that was well manicured gardens and lawns – a huge estate and general merriment.

Loseley Park

Shere

We then decided to venture over to Shere, a lovely little town in the middle of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (real name).

Cute cafe with an even cuter name! The Dabbling Duck in Shere was a great place to get a coffee or GF avo toast (all from a comfortable takeaway window – no need to sit inside or in their back garden but you could if you wanted to!)

Albury Winery

From here we took a walk through the countryside, through the trees and quiet forest – to the Silent Pools. And then by complete coincidence our hike ended at the Albury Winery – an organic sparkling wine vineyard. I KNOW, what are the odds?! It was booked out for tables, but they allowed walk-ins for a self-guided winery tour. (Basically, you walk the grounds, read facts, drink wine, and see pheasants)

And if the day couldn’t get better, we found a local pub called The Queen’s Head with an extensive GF menu, including Fish & Chips (10 minute drive out of Guildford to East Clandon)

5. Stonehenge

On our last day out, we decided to take a drive to Stonehenge. Neither of us have been there in several years. You have to book your entrance time slot in advance. We arrived early and I found the experience to be much nicer this time without huge tour buses and groups of tourists. Though by the time we left there certainly seemed to be more people than I thought there would be with such regulations. But it was fun to see again!

Concluding Thoughts

I was grateful for the break from the norm – we needed it especially since we’ve been two little expat hermits post-lockdown. We did learn a lot though, and I’m glad we have this knowledge of what stresses us out most while traveling these days. Koala and I are seasoned travelers in our past life – we used to like to hit new cities/countries pretty fast & hard. I think we learned that navigating this new world we need to be a bit more slow-paced and patient with ourselves. This runs true both in our style of travel and mindset in general these days. 🙂

Be well, Sara♥

London, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 27, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I made my first visit to London in the spring of 2017 on a family vacation. Little did I know that merely 3 years later I’d be calling London home. Thinking back to coming here as a visitor versus being a ‘Londoner’ (not sure at what point I can call myself that) it will be fun to contrast and compare the GF foodie experience. Despite the somber look on some Brit’s faces, and the sometimes perpetual grey skies – London is friendly! It will be hard to find a cafe on every corner that doesn’t at least have a GF flapjack in their pastry case. I’ve broken down the GF/low-FODMAP foodie experience into different levels. Starting with staple corner joints you’ll find on every high street. To deeper dive “make a booking” places for special nights out. This is your IBS/GF diet. This is London. This is managing your IBS/GF diet while having a fabulous time in London.

Best low FODMAP London Restaurants

Level 1: High Street Havens

Sometimes you just need a quick, no-fuss stop off during a day of exploration! London can be overwhelming, but there are SO many places right around the corner. Here are some common places you’ll find all over that you can get a quick bite.

Bill’s
“There’s always Bill’s” has become a slogan in our household. Brekkie, Lunch, Dinner. Nice ambiance and trusty GF menu (ahem, halloumi burger)
See their menu and select by allergen!

Pret
As plentiful as Starbucks, Pret offers grab-and-go meals and drinks. GF Porridge, lemon slice, snacks and a really good Turmeric Latte with coconut/rice milk! View their Allergen Guide

Pizza Express
You’ll find one of these in every area! Always a great spot for GF Pizza, but also things like GF Jalapeno Dough Balls and Carrot Cake!! Coeliac UK have awarded them with their gluten-free accreditation.See their current offerings here.

Leon
Admittedly, I don’t eat here but they are numerous and include a lot of salads/quick healthful options when on the go in London. Apparently I’ve heard of GF Chicken Nuggets, but being vego I haven’t looked further into that. 🙂 View Allergen List!

Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Okay, so this was actually the very first place I ate in London! GF veggie burger, fries and a beer. It was a very good start to my trip. GBK’s are easier to find, but see below for my new favorite GF burger place. 🙂 Dietary Preferences Menu

Honest Burgers
Perhaps not on every high street, but it is worth the walk to get yourself to one of these for lunch! Their Courgette Fritter is my favourite!
Look at all the ‘GF’s on their menu!

Level 2: Delicious GF Sweet Treats & Cafes

These speciality bakeries & cafes around London are fantastic for a quick stop in to satisfy your GF sweet tooth!

Cookies & Scream
Every product is dairy, egg, wheat and gluten free!
Holloway Road, north London

Ruby’s of London
Beautiful, delicious GF brownies and donuts ready for your next IG post.
Greenwich Market

Cupcakes & Shhht
A bit off the beaten path, but if you find yourself wandering in NW London…
Hackney

Libby’s
Totally gluten free and proud of it! Croissants, bagels, otherworldly delights. Your new favourite place ever.
Notting Hill or Belsize Park

Utter Waffle
Food truck but now they have a brick & mortar location too! Savory & Sweet stuffed waffles. Omgggg.

Dendara
GF, DF, refined sugar free/low sugar – these new guys are doing it all and doing it right.
Kensington Palace

Level 3: Make a Booking!

These are perfect spots for just incredible gluten free experiences in London. From date night to afternoon tea – don’t miss these options!

Indigo at One Aldwych
Hidden away inside this hotel is the best GF Fish & Chips I’ve had in London. They bring around a fresh loaf of bread for starters, I nearly cried. The entire menu is GF & Dairy-free focusing on seasonal ingredients.

Niche
100% GF/Coeliac-approved. Savory classics (including proper British pie!) to Mac & Cheese and sweet desserts like a peanut butter blondie. They even have a low-FODMAP menu!

Station 26
Located off the beaten path in Brixton right next to Electric Avenue. Yep – that’s the one. Enjoy that in your head for the next 5 days. A small, entirely GF restaurant. With halloumi fries good enough to bring a grown lady to tears.

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
Fancy cats? Fancy afternoon tea, entirely gluten free? Then make yourself a booking (ASAP, they fill up fast!) at Lady Dinah’s. This little kitty lair is filled with friendly felines and GF scones.

Holy Carrot
Vegan restaurant with plenty of GF options (like, a ton). Free from preservative and additives. Most of their menu is GF.

Plant Club
Plant-based & Gluten-free Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria. Yes, that’s right – gluten free as STANDARD!

Other England Gluten Free Travel Guides:

Gluten Free Oxford England — Oxford, England Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Gluten Free Bristol England — Bristol, England Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

I hope this has been a helpful starter guide to some of the best in Gluten Free London! It really is a city that I never thought I’d live, nor love as much as I do. 🙂
For more on what I ended up cooking at home and grocery store finds, visit my London Lockdown post! (Ah, fond memories of early COVID lockdowns).

Leave a comment or message me some of your favorite discoveries!

Cheers! Sara

Hiya I’m Sara!

I’m trained in nutrition and vegan culinary arts. I’m a plant-based nutritionist & counselor, recipe developer, chef and cookery instructor on a mission to make more people try (and love!) plant-based eating. I’m available for low-FODMAP consultations and meal planning.

Say Hello!

Oxford, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 20, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I arrived in Oxford by bus from Heathrow and although I was a bit jet-lagged I was also immediately enamored with the beauty of the city. Gothic architecture, museums, a castle, green space and plentiful quaint cafes await in this lovely town. A little something for everyone. Here are some of the picture & foodie highlights of the long weekend away.

Upon arrival, I had a few hours before I could check in to my Airbnb so I had a walk to a nearby cafe called Cafe Loco. After a long day of travel and surviving basically off of protein bars, tea and sheer will & determination – I definitely need greens. These greens happened to come with halloumi on top. Happy days.

Grilled Halloumi salad with butternut squash and rocket at Cafe Loco

Things to See

The next day I was reunited with my Koala and we spent the day exploring Oxford. Naturally, I wanted to see the Bridge of Sighs. Along the way we also enjoyed the sights of Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, and the Museum of Natural History.

Things to Eat!

We found so many yummy places in Oxford, many with Gluten free and Vegan options. Here is the collection of where we went and what I enjoyed on my low-FODMAP diet.

Handlebar Cafe & Kitchen
I’ll have a coconut pancake stack with my banana please! Maple syrup, shredded coconut, coconut oil & almond milk. And a TON of my favorite bananas.
They were also doing only plant based milks for veganuary.

Chez Mal
An entirely Gluten Free Afternoon Tea in a former prison! Koala honestly thought the gluten free scones were better than the regular ones.

Coconut Tree
Seriously put this place on the top of your list to visit. Pictured here is their treacle hopper with coconut ice cream. (Hopper = coconut milk pancake) This Sri Lankan tapas place was soo good. Vegan & GF!

Browns Brasserie
A huge gluten free menu welcomes you at this classic restaurant just a short walk from the center of Oxford. This salmon & potatoes was just what I needed after a long day of exploring. Great for a date night.

I would definitely recommend Oxford for a long weekend. Stay somewhere walking distance to the town center and you’ll have plentiful options at your doorstep. I can’t decide if my favorite part was the cream tea or Coconut Tree, but I’d recommend just do both. 🙂

Be well, Sara ♥

Bristol, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 14, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I recall walking through Bristol and telling Koala, “I think this is my favorite English city we’ve visited.” There was something about the scenery, size, and charm that is perfectly well suited for a weekend away. I’d reckon I would even recommend it to weary London tourists! There was definitely no shortage of pretty walks and health food cafes. Here’s a tour of what we did in Bristol!

We stayed in an Airbnb across the street from Castle Park.

We were here due to a work meeting Koala had on a Friday. So we departed separate trains out of London and met up after work. I arrived just after lunch time, and headed to a cafe that is also a yoga studio…because I figured that sounded basically like home to me.

Favorite Bristol Cafes

Cafe Matariki inside Pacific Yoga – Amazing Gluten Free treats and salads/sandwiches. I didn’t get to a yoga class here, but maybe next time!

We also had brekkie once or twice at Spicer + Cole, a no-fuss cafe with gluten free bread and other options. I enjoyed the GF Avo Toast with Tomatoes & Tofu! What a feast.

Be Natural Kitchen – Located within St Nicolas Market. A lovely place to shop artisan stalls and grab a lovely piece of zucchini cake with avocado frosting!

A Few Bristol Adventures

Bristol is a great city for avid walkers! With a wide variety of sights and green spaces, it basically has a walk for whatever kind of day you fancy. One morning we stopped off at the Windmill Hill City Farm – an adorable, little community-run farm with quaint gardens and some animal friends. Very cute little gift shop on the premises, where I bought myself a pair of locally made earrings.

On our full day in Bristol, we walked to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. On the way, we stopped off at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Both of these sites I’d certainly recommend having a peek!

Koala & I by the Clifton Suspension Bridge!

Date night in Bristol

We enjoyed the calm ambiance of Fishers restaurant. Located not too far from the Clifton Suspension Bridge, it makes for a perfect stop off after a long day of exploring Bristol. They are keen on the GF lifestyle and do make their support very clear which is always reassuring!! I absolutely loved the fish & chips and for dessert they had gluten free sticky toffee pudding! Only the 2nd time in my life I’ve had this special treat. See my IG video of the sticky toffee pud in action! After Fishers we headed back toward our Airbnb and stopped off at the wine lounge Le Vignoble. I became enamored with wine bars after experiencing Vagabond in London. This is the same concept of choose-your-own single pours and tastings.

Our last morning in Bristol we had some time before our train. So we walked the river and found a little cafe that is also a grocer with the cutest store filled with everything a health foodie could need! Better Food had gluten free bread for our eggy morning we paired with a treat. Their gluten free bread was crisp and seeded – paired nicely with the fluffy eggs. We also stopped by the M Shed to have a look around. Great place to go for the history of Bristol!

Better Food – eggy delights, GF seeded bread

I loved Bristol and it is a great spot for a gluten free / health foodie. Plentiful options for exercise, fresh air, foods and fun. Looking forward to going back to explore more of the city in the future.

Be well, Sara ♥

Antwerp, Belgium – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 9, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

A long weekend by train to Antwerpen made for a lovely birthday venture for my partner and I. Honestly I had somewhat selfish intentions, as my favorite electronic music band had a show at Lotto Arena, but we also managed to see a lot of the city even through cold November temps!

Firstly, take a look at our Airbnb – I think it may have been the most unique & fancy ‘bnb we’ve ever stayed in.

Happy Birthday, Koala! Here, have some 50 ft ceilings.

Belgian Chocolate!

Koala & I are huge chocolate fans, so being in Belgium we had to find something extra special to experience the city. We ended up doing a Chocolate Walk with a local, named Luis. A personalized tour of the city with stops to have a delicious Mexican hot chocolate. As well as chocolate tastings at Pierre Marcolini (great gifts as well). We even snorted chocolate. Yep, The Chocolate Shooter at The Chocolate Line.

Gluten Free / low-FODMAP food choices:

Our favorite healthy finds in Antwerpen.

Plant B

Here I enjoyed a glass of wine and avocado toast with courgette & hot sauce! =YUM.

Green Way

This was a random find we came across on a night spent walking around Antwerp! Delicious salads and just look at that GF Bread!

Divers

This was such a cute cafe find. Juices, coffees, healthy bowls and I treated myself to my favorite combo they named endearingly The Nutty Mister.

Things to Do:

After a short trip up to the top of the MAS (free, and the views are worth it!) We stopped into a quaint, classy beer joint (Dr. Beer) next door for a pre-dinner treat as I saw they carried Ginger Tipple. Ginger beer from a local brewery we didn’t have time to tour but I really wanted to try the product!

All in all it was a fun weekend away and I hope to be able to explore more of Belgium soon, if not just for another snort of chocolate. 🙂

Be well, Sara ♥