My 12 year old son has a severe allergy to milk (anaphylactic), as well as less severe allergies to nuts and seafood. I have looked at several sites for allergy friendly restaurants in London, but would like to know if anyone else has restaurant ideas, or has experienced traveling in England with a food allergy, etc. We will also be visiting York, so again, if you have recommendations for allergy friendly restaurants in York I would greatly appreciate it. When I visited England with my husband a few years ago, every menu stated it would work with a person's allergies, but then of course I read an article about someone in England with a milk allergy (close to my heart!) died after the restaurant had marinated their chicken in buttermilk so I'm so nervous! I did create chef cards to hand to all restaurant managers/waitstaff, he has a medical alert bracelet, any other ideas? Thank you so much! This part of the trip is stressful!
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
At least language isn’t going to be an issue.
Many places, particularly chain restaurants have dietary information printed on their menus. If in doubt - ask. I was having lunch at a local garden centre recently and somebody asked about nuts in cakes and they had a reference folder behind the counter denoting what was in each item.
Posted by
York
121 posts
In the U.K. it’s a legal requirement to provide allergen information for packaged and non packaged foods and drinks for the 14 most common allergens which include milk, tree nuts and fish whilst we are still under EU regulations. If it’s not on the label the shop/restaurant has to have the information to hand eg in a folder as previously described. Ask if unsure and they should provide the information. Allergies are generally taken very seriously nowadays and you will most of the time be asked if you have any allergies before your order is taken. Obviously some places don’t comply with the law but the risk is no more than eating out in your home country ie if unsure don’t risk it.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5555 posts
Amanda has stated it correctly. By law every food establishment has to display food allergens on their menus or prominent positions or to have them listed somewhere to be made available on request. Failure to do so will result in the establishment not being allowed to trade.
Pretty much every chain restaurant has the allergens clearly marked on their menus, other more upmarket restaurants who feel that it may detract from their stylish menu may be more reluctant to print it on their menus but will be able to provide information on request.
The recent tragic death of a young French girl who ate a sandwich from Pret A Manger which contained traces of sesame has highlighted the very real risks involved in failing to identify allergens. I think it was a big wake up call for the industry as a whole. I would however be cautious about some of the more independent 'ethnic' restaurants particularly those with low food hygiene scores. The scores are provided by the local environmental health inspectors and are on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest standard. Having undertaken the exams required to pass various food handlnig courses (they're not easy!) I was very happy to achieve a 5 however having a low score doesn't necessarily mean that the hygiene standards are low (although often they are) but it could equally mean that foreign workers may have struggled to perform well in the tests and demonstrate sufficient detailed knowledge. This may include the seriousness of allergic reactions to various foods.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2690 posts
I travel with food allergies and definitely used to stress more than I do now - it always works out, somehow. I'm assuming when you say anaphylactic milk allergy you are referring to the super serious version of it? Can tiny amounts of milk get in? I have an anaphylactic allergy to a couple of things - but small amounts cause some throat swelling and maybe some hives. This gives me a little wiggle room - does your son have that?
Anyways, here is what I do: 1) I take Zyrtec when I'm traveling because I've found it gives me a little more wiggle room for allergen ingestion, 2) I have a lot of Benadryl with me - Benadryl can be hard to find (in Italy, you can't buy it at all. I've never purchased it in England). 3) Bring more than one EpiPen.
I usually resort to buying food at grocery stores for at least part of the time. I often stay in apartments so I can cook my own food and not worry about what I'm eating. You'll benefit from being in an English-speaking country. Reading labels in other places can be pretty taxing when you're looking at lots of products but that should be easy for your trip:)
One last tip: when I find a restaurant that seems like they "get" the food allergy thing and has food I can work with, we often eat the rest of our dinners there.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Thank you everyone. And thank you, Valerie. It helps getting information from other people with allergies. We are bringing 6 epi pens with us on the advice of his allergist. Also, Benadryl, Claritin, & inhaler in an easy to carry pack. I plan on cooking at our AirBNB part of the time (especially breakfast when I think it's hardest to avoid milk). This forum is such a great resource for information and I appreciate all the help.