Top 10 places to eat gluten free in Lincoln — taste tested by a coeliac
Gluten free blogger David Robson has been living with coeliac disease for over 25 years. Based in Lincoln, he runs the Coeliac Man Blog (as well as Instagram and Facebook) sharing his experiences and recommendations — so he rounded up the best places to eat out gluten free in the city for The Lincolnite.
These days you can walk into any major supermarket and find a large dedicated free from range, meaning eating at home is a piece of (gluten free) cake.
Eating out gluten free however, can still prove tricky. For people with coeliac disease, cross contamination is a major concern as gluten free food prepared in the same area as gluten containing ingredients has the potential to cause serious illness.
However, if you pick the right restaurants, eating out needn’t be scary. The amount of restaurants offering gluten free in Lincoln has improved rapidly over the last few years, but which are the best?
Here are David’s top ten places to eat gluten free in Lincoln:
Olé Olé
Olé Olé Tapas Bar is an amazing choice if you fancy a taste of Spain in Lincoln. Most of the menu is gluten free friendly (including calamari) and they even serve Daura Damm gluten free lager to wash it all down.
Located in the historic uphill area of Lincoln (Now in Bailgate and in the Lawn from September 20), Olé Olé is always a great option for a sociable meal with friends —just make sure they order gluten free dishes as well so you can try everything. There’s a cosy dining area inside and a surprisingly spacious garden at the back for some al fresco dining.
The vast choice of gluten free food, the friendly staff (with their random shouts of ‘olé!’ throughout the evening) and the lively atmosphere make it an experience not to be missed.
Rating – 5/5
Wig & Mitre
Situated on Lincoln’s famous Steep Hill, the Wig and Mitre is everything you want from a proper English pub. A warm, cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, spectacular food and gluten free options!
Lincoln has so many amazing pubs, but sadly not a lot of them cater for coeliacs. The Wig and Mitre though is excellent and if you chat with the staff they’ll go through your options and make sure you’re well looked after. The pictured steak with parmesan fries was absolutely incredible!
Hopefully they expand their gluten free offering even further in the future.
Rating – 4/5
ASK
You can always rely on ASK to serve you a decent size gluten free pizza and their base is one of the best I’ve ever had. I recently tried their new ham and egg topping and it was so good! To some people egg on pizza may sound like slanderous nonsense but trust me, those mavericks at ASK know what they’re doing.
The gluten free menu features an extensive range of pizzas and pasta dishes, along with other options such as risotto and fish. Part of Lincoln’s Brayford waterfront development, ASK is often packed out at the weekends with people lining their stomachs for the night ahead.
Rating – 5/5
Burton Road Chippy
Having coeliac disease can mean that some meals are pretty much always off the menu.Fish and chips is a case in point due to most batters containing gluten. However on the first Tuesday of every month at Burton Road Chippy in Lincoln they have a dedicated gluten free day.
They clean out their fryers then only use gluten free batter for the day, meaning a tasty plate full of fish and chips is most definitely back on the menu! It does not disappoint and always goes down an absolute storm.
They’ve won a number of awards over the years including finishing 2nd in the 2017 Fish and Chip Awards so it really is the fish’s fins when it comes to chippies. My only complaint is that I wish they offered gluten free all the time!Although it’s probably good for my waistline that they don’t.
Rating – 4/5
Bunty’s Tea Room
Despite having lived in Lincoln for most of my life, I’d never visited Bunty’s until recently. Having spotted a small ‘gluten free available’ sign in the window while dragging myself up Steep Hill, I made a mental note to check it out.
Expecting possibly a token gluten free cake on the menu I was pleasantly surprised to find they served gluten free afternoon tea. Not needing much of an excuse to indulge in afternoon tea, I couldn’t resist. The afternoon tea consisted of sandwiches (all of the filling options were gluten free), a homemade scone and choice of two gluten free cakes (bakewell or carrot cake when I visited).
All the food was absolutely delicious. The tea room itself is 1940s themed and the staffwere excellent, putting me at ease about the gluten free options from the moment I walked in. Great stuff all round.
Rating – 5/5
Pizza Express
Pizza Express has long been a staple favourite of mine. With my love of pizza and Pizza Express’ Coeliac UK accredited menu, it’s been a match made in pizza heaven. I love the fact that they use gluten free flour in the kitchen, even for making gluten-containing pizzas, to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.
There’s a massive choice of toppings, along with other options such as the super food salad (at the back of the picture) meaning you’re always spoiled for choice. The Lincoln branch is located in a great location at the top of the High Street surrounded by other restaurants and bars.
They also have a gluten free brownie for dessert and a gluten free beer to wash it all down. What more could you possible want?
Rating – 5/5
The Cheese Society
I have successfully found heaven for gluten free cheese lovers! The Cheese Society in Lincoln is the place to go to make all your cheesey dreams come true.
Basically everything on the menu can be made gluten free with their homemade gluten free bread. From cheese soufflé to baked Camembert and cheese boards, there really is something to satisfy even the most discerning cheese connoisseur.
I was only hungry for a light bite when I visited recently, so I went for their freshly baked gluten free cheese and herb scone with Godminster cheese. It was probably the lightest and fluffiest scone I’ve ever eaten and it was packed full of incredible flavour. I’ll definitely be back to sample more of the menu.
Rating – 5/5
Lincoln Taphouse & Kitchen
The Taphouse has long been one of my favourite pubs. Partly due to the super friendly staff and its stunning setting next to the castle walls, but mainly because they were one of the first pubs in Lincoln to start serving gluten free beer.
It’s been on my hit list to try food for ages, but it always seems to be booked up whenever I try to eat there. I finally learned my lesson to book in advance for lunch recently and it was definitely worth the wait.
I was actually going to go against my pizza-loving stereotype and order a gluten free burger. However, it turned out the fries weren’t safe for coeliacs due to being cooked in the same fryer as gluten containing items. This was the only disappointment and the courgette and bacon pizza I ordered more than made up for it. It had a nice crispy base loaded with toppings. We sat outside on the roof terrace in the sun, excellent lunch all round!
Rating – 4/5
Zizzi
Zizzi in Lincoln is located next to the Odeon cinema, which is a great location for wandering around in the summer. Their gluten free, or ‘non gluten’, menu includes a wide range of pasta dishes and pizza, with the obligatory gluten free Peroni to wash it all down with.
They also have some rather dreamy desserts including a chocolate praline torte, which is to die for. The food always comes with a ‘non gluten’ sticker which your friends will have great fun sticking on you and taking a picture. So a good night is always guaranteed.
Rating – 4/5
Handmade Burger Co.
Handmade Burger Co has been a staple for Lincoln’s gluten free community for years. First offering ‘bunless’ burgers, they recently added a gluten free bun to their repertoire. The vast majority of burgers are gluten free including numerous beef, chicken and even veggie options.
A number of sides are also gluten free, including their amazing sweet potato fries, so you’re pretty much guaranteed not to go home hungry. It’s my favourite place to go if I’m ever in the mood for a burger, which let’s face it — is most of the time.
Rating – 4/5
Know any other places in Lincoln which do good gluten free food? Contact David Robson via Instagram and Facebook to let him know.
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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
A Boston man who amassed a collection of thousand of illegal images after becoming addicted to downloading child abuse images was jailed at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday.
Howard Angel was arrested after police raided his home and took away a laptop computer.
Tony Stanford, prosecuting, said that the following day Angel went to Grantham Police Station and confessed.
“He said he had been stupid. He was interviewed. He was relatively frank. He said he wanted help.
“He said ‘I shouldn’t have done it but I did’. He said he became addicted and hooked on it.”
Mr Stanford said that later Angel’s then wife handed police a second laptop which she found in the attic.
When police examined the two laptops they found that Angel had been accessing child abuse images for nine years.
A total of 16,944 illegal images of children were on the devices including 2,641 in the most serious category.
Angel, 59, of Wyberton West Road, Boston, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children between March 2010 and May 2019.
He was jailed for 10 months and given a 15 year sexual harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
Recorder Charles Falk, passing sentence, told him: “What tips the balance here is the length of time you have been offending which is nine years.
“That and the fact that this is a very large collection makes this a case that is so serious that only immediate custody can be justified.”
Michael Cranmer-Brown, in mitigation, said that Angel had lost everything as a result of what he did.
“When this came to light his world was turned upside down. He had been in a marriage for over 20 years. He has children. He has effectively been rejected by them all.
“He has been kicked out of his family home and he is now divorced from his wife. In addition he has suffered the loss of his job. Having disclosed to his employer about his conviction he has been sacked.”
Mr Cranmer-Brown said that since his arrest Angel has sought help and urged that he should not receive an immediate prison sentence.
Two slaughtered sheep have been found at a farm in Louth with police investigating a potential illegal butchery.
The animals’ heads and feet were found at Highfield Farm, Cadwell, Louth at around 7.30am on Thursday, March 4.
The carcasses of the sheep were taken, with the head and feet left behind, and police are trying to find those responsible.
It is believed to have happened at some point overnight on Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday morning.
Sgt James Perring, one of Lincolnshire Police’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Crime Officers, said: “This type of crime causes a major impact on the victim, but can also have an impact on the wider community.
“We will not tolerate this sort of criminal behaviour and we are determined to root out those responsible.
“Illegal butchery is a serious offence. Not only are there risks in consuming meat when it isn’t from a reputable source, but illegal butchery can also cause unnecessary suffering to the animal.”
Officers are appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious, or anyone who may have been offered meat for sale in the area.
If you can assist, call 101 or email [email protected] and quote incident 47 of March 4.
A 41-year-old man from Skegness turned tragedy to triumph when he left his job to become a full-time paint artist.
James Howe, 41, used to fit suspended ceilings for a living, but after developing asthma and getting seriously injured, he decided to pursue his dream of painting full time.
His work has been featured on golf’s PGA Tour official website, after his creation of famous golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez caught the eye.
James Howe’s painting of famous golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez grabbed the attention of the golfing world.
James tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee back in 2012 while at work, and his time at home inspired him to get into painting.
He had a Banksy print at home, and used that for inspiration to go and buy some spray cans and experiment with designs.
Very quickly, James was creating canvas pieces of some of his favourite musicians, including Jim Morrison from The Doors and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones, which James describes as his favourite piece ever.
The piece that James calls his proudest achievement, Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones.
He said: “I was so pleased with how it came out, and it’s so unique with the shape of the wood.
The father-of-two’s most recent design was an acrylic of Captain Sir Tom Moore, painted onto stained scaffold boards, which he finished on Wednesday, March 3.
The Captain Sir Tom Moore artwork, which James hopes to donate to the late war veteran’s foundation.
James plans to donate the piece to the Captain Tom foundation in the hope of it being auctioned or raffled to raise money for a good cause.
His canvas designs have gathered plenty of attention since he started, and he is taking commissions for his artwork starting at £150.
He told The Lincolnite: “I think my prices are reasonable for the amount of work that goes into them; I try to sell affordable art.
“I’m usually up painting from 7am and can be out in my studio until at least midnight.
The name’s Howe… James Howe.
“I just love painting, as well as seeing the look on someone’s face and the response I get when I finish a painting for them.
“The thing I enjoy most about it is not having to work away from home all the time, I get to spend more time with my kids as a result.”
You can check out more of James’ work, as well as finding out how to enquire for a commissioned painting, on his Facebook page
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