katealice cookbook

Blue and clear and crisp, we visited Edinburgh and the smaller towns of Melrose and Jedburgh beneath dream-perfect skies. Like the people who live there, it was as though Scotland greeted us with a beautiful pride. Our English tour guide recalled his Scottish mother’s fierce pride, determinedly sending her young son to birthday parties in a full Scottish kilt outfit. In Edinburgh, our local city guide proudly wore his family’s tartan as he took us beyond the city. “I want to show you more,” he said earnestly, “so you see the city from a different perspective, and appreciate how mountainous it is, and close to the sea.” We stood in a strong Scottish wind and gazed over a rippling carpet of autumnal colour, at the tightly packed buildings contrasted with ragged cliffs and sea beyond Edinburgh castle. In Melrose, we found the bright, welcoming Maid by Marion bakery, offering baked potatoes with roasted vegetables, and gluten free soups. At the fruit shop a few doors along, I bought the softest, creamiest avocado I’ve ever tasted, and finished it with a spoon not long after. We sat in the street, legs stretched and warming in the sun. 

And then there was dinner at The Dome. We walked by during the day, exclaiming at the building’s thick pillars twirled with dark green tinsel and glinting with red, gold and silver. Returning some hours later, chilled by 5pm darkness, the interior was as though a bag of glitter had burst from the ceiling, catching each cornice, pillar and surface as it fell. “Are we really going to eat here?” Little sis and I could not quite believe it. We sat amongst the glimmer, eyes shining, excited smiles, transported to childhood magic and Christmas memories. I was soon warmed by a deep red wine, and perfection was sealed when a dedicated gluten-free menu was presented to us. Soft grilled salmon and buttery vegetables was what we chose, yet the gluten-free choice extended to over 10 main meals, all meats and vegetables on offer. Cutlery gently rested on soft white cloth. We laughed with the waitress, Nikki, as she brought us chocolate-orange creme brulee; she promised ‘Melbourne-style’ (i.e. very strong) coffee – she knew us coffee-fussy Australians well. Faces shone in the room’s red glow as we rose to brave the night air to meet our train. “There’s something about Scotland, I’ll miss it“, little sis mused as we snaked our way South towards Wales and then England. I agreed. We’d left a little of ourselves there, taken by this proud and handsome country. I silently added it to my list of places to which we would return together.

Wide and grey, heavy with history, London greeted us for our first stop on our European travels as grand and bustling as ever. The skies were kind to us, offering blue and sun, or drifting towards grey (which, actually, suits the city), yet not touching us with rain. Not long after touching down, we were at our hotel to meet our family friends who we’d be on the road with for the next five weeks. Excitement circled as we hugged and smiled, anticipating the sights and moments to come.

The iconic images of postcards and guidebooks beckoned for our first full day in the city. The Houses of Parliament stood tall and proud, the steps down to Trafalgar Square offered a postcard view of Big Ben, red double-decker buses and London’s famously shaped taxis. Jet-lag drove us towards an early night at the hotel, yet not before learning our first ideal gluten-free eatery. Pret-a-manger  offer salads, sushi and soups that are free of any kind of additives or preservatives – just real, clean food – plus they have a full allergen chart that a staff member happily checked for us. Chicken salad with capsicum, cheese, olives and pistachio nuts was little sis’ choice, while mine had tuna, egg, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion. Friendly prices, too.

Then we took the road North. The sun in Cambridge was shaded by enormous umbrellas of autumn leaves, bright yellow canopies that matched the deep soft green of the college grounds. We browsed a market in the centre of the town, sharing a sweet purple smoothie of crushed blueberries and raspberries. Lunch came from another friend of the gluten-free traveller in the UK: the baked potato stall. Delivered with cheerful service, of the many toppings on offer we chose steaming servings of ratatouille and cheese. We watched the day close in York, filled with Roman ruins and an ancient city wall, from which the sun departs with soft purples and casts a pink-orange dim over the sky and our faces.
In Bath, a second-hand goods market stole our attention away from the historic sand-coloured buildings. Our bags sighed a little as Dad found antique candlesticks, little sis a warm patterned winter jumper, and I could not pass on a pair of delicate lace gloves. The picture-book pretty town of Broadway stole our hearts:  the rain holding out just long enough for us to dive onto the bus and watch the picturesque scene of dripping trees and glowing orange windows.In Salisbury, while we let the adults roam the cathedral, little sis and I took to the market. A brimming container of antipasto vegetables and cheese made me an ideal lunch, while little sis found a steaming curried vegetables at a nearby health food shop, Salisbury Health Foods. Here we also found a reason for me to move to England: Booja-Booja desserts. Strange name, incredible ice-cream! We share their chocolate dessert, which tastes like the richest, most decadent of mud chocolate ice creams. The ingredients? Cashews, agave syrup and cocoa. (If you live in England, I’m envious of you!) Another wonderful find, this time in Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-Upon-Avon, was Bensons cafe on Bard’s Walk. After lunch at a Caffe Nero (they are all over the UK, with gluten-free soups), we were after some tea before being back on the road. We love tea in our family, so the range at Benson’s was enough to bring us in. Yet they also offer the famous English cream tea (scones, jam, cream and tea), gluten-free. A friendly lady also came out of the kitchen to present a plate of coconut-blueberry scones that were a new sample, free for us to try. There were smiles all round. As we weaved our way back to the South, our final visits in the UK were Oxford, and then a few days to farewell London. In Oxford, we were warmly greeted by Carrie and Stewart at Holywell Bed and Breakfast. Housed in an ancient building of low-celings and creaky staircases, the rooms are lamp-filled and warm, and from the room I shared with my sisters we could watch students and locals walk against a brisk wind in quiet Holywell Street. Breakfast is served in the front room, with music and lamps and friendly Max the dog. Carrie cooked us fluffy cheese omelettes and fruit in parfait glasses, before Stewart brought out rows of gluten-free toast and jam. We were well looked after. We then decided to brave the icy mist. Oxford’s covered market offers atmosphere and delicious food, no matter what the season. We bought figs and walnuts from one stall, and then discovered the Bolitas  stall, sellling warm cheese bread balls, which are gluten-free.

Back in London, we made our way to Leadenhall Market, a grand undercover market building with cavernous ceilings and bustling shops and stalls. We were delighted to find Sproutin salad bar, which offers make-your-own salads in travel-friendly containers, complete with wooden cutlery tied together with string.

England was good to us: the weather, the food, our friendly tour group. Content already, but excited for what was to come.

As you ascend the stairs at the Trocadéro metro station, after closely following the signs for the Eiffel Tower, you emerge and twist your neck, searching for that very familiar landmark. But it’s not there, not quite. The Tower wants a grander entrance to the stage. It takes just some steps and one corner, and then the buildings part like curtains and there it is, proud and grand.  Seeing my little sis absorb the sights with her young excited eyes was such a special element to this trip.

We have just returned home after five weeks away. Returned to nice quiet, tired, reflective days at home. But I have so much to share: stories, photos, all things gluten-free travel. Excited to share it all very soon.