UKC

Hi

I am planning to head to Les Gorges du Tarn in October and am wondering if anyone who has been there knows if there is gluten free products for sale nearby? I will have a car so will be able to travel to get it!

Thanks!

In reply to karen2: Presumably you are thinking about bread. I would think that gluten free is highly unlikely. When I was having problems, I substituted rice cakes, that is, the thin versions, round or square. Made a good lunch out in France with cheese or ham and a peach! If there is no space in the car to take them out I remember seeing packs in supermarkets.

French supermarkets usually have large GF sections IIRC, but the nearest large-ish shops which would are in Millau, where there would also sans doubt be health food shops which would as well.

In reply to karen2: Might be worth having a look on Happycow.net to see if there's anything in the region

b

In reply to karen2:

If you want "gluten free" don't go to France - sacrilege!

This reminds me of wandering up and down the High street in Chamonix years ago looking for a vegetarian restaurant or one selling fish for a mates difficult girlfriend

Some things are incompatible.

In reply to karen2:

A bio-coop will likely have what you need, including bread, a variety of flours, pasta etc.

You may be able to find one closer than this with a bit of googling, depending exactly upon where you plan to stay.

http://www.ot-mende.fr/sejourner/sortir/shopping/226155-biocoop---la-claire...

In reply to karen2:

Most Intermarche supermarkets have at least rice cakes (usually "Bjorg" ones) and maybe other stuff.

Googling for "Magasin bio millau" brings up a few places. Some "bio" (organic) supermarkets have their own bakery and may offer Gluten free bread.

In reply to karen2:

There are plenty of Rochefort producers in the valley, blue cheese being ok for people on GF diets.

Depending which end of the valley you're at try Florac or Mende perhaps before Millau, both can be closer and much quicker than a trek to Millau (think time not distance).

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

So Coeliac Dieease doesn't exist in France? You are, presumably, aware that a coeliac eating gluten will get ill, people are not being "difficult", but attempting to avoid illness, the seriousness of which will vary on the sensitivity of the individual.

In reply to winhill:

Rochefort's beer isn't it?

Roquefort.

In reply to John_Hat:

I just looked it up and it does exist in France, so if this is a medical problem the person will doubtless be aware that some foods are naturally gluten free and choose them, if not the products will be stamped "sans gluten" if they are gluten free in France.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maladie_c%C5%93liaque

In reply to karen2:

I spent a week there with someone with severe gluten intolerance a couple of years ago. She managed to find food fine, though we were preparing most of our meals at the camp site. I seem to remember we did most of our shopping in the little supermarket in Le Rozier, which is very good - ISTR quite a good selection and the food labelling (sans gluten) was very consistent and obvious, certainly more so than in the UK. I think she brought a load of more specialist stuff out with her. The biggest problem for her was keeping her food separate from the bread the rest of us were buying - those breadcrumbs get everywhere!

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Excellent, so now, presumably, you know that those seeking a gluten free diet are not being "difficult" - as you say, and that its a well recognised medical condition .

Food labelling varies, by the way. Some places, excellent, some, not very good. England is generally not very good.

If its a natural product like, say, an apple, then you're probably safe. However a surprising numberof products have flour chucked in them (e.g. chips) or are made/produced/packed in a factory which handles non-gluten free stuff.

If it says "gluten free" then its probably OK, however there's a ppm (parts per million) stipulation to that, and depending how sensitive you are it may or may not set you off. Otherwise its the case of reading the ingredients list and hoping they are telling the truth, which with the recent horsemeat fiasco is not encouraging.

In reply to karen2: Just as an added thought, in case you haven't tried it, Corn bread stays fresh for days, so a few loaves might last a week or so on a trip. A foodie farm shop locally to me sells them. Must be quite a problem for you to go away especially if you want to eat out.

In reply to karen2: monoprix in font has a good food section with all sorts of special dietary food and its a chain not sure if there is one mear where you will be.intermarche and carfour also have special dietary sections. Some larger pharmacies will also have specialist food.
Unlike some people in France I have noticed that food shops are getting better at stocking food for special dietary needs. Restaurants in France on the other hand are behind the times.