Scotland Fall ‘26- Food sensitivity questions

Generally, the UK is a great place to visit if you have food sensitivities. Really in fact most of Europe are generally pretty good about asking if you do have food sensitivity even before you sit down. Much more so than the US.

You will definitely see on the menu anything that is gluten-free and if you need to leave off anything or make sure nothing is on there, you just tell the server and you shouldn’t have any problem getting what you want. They really are very aware of people with food sensitivities there.

I can help! I travelled throughout Scotland for 3 weeks this past October. I am gluten free and dairy free and vegan, although I do eat chicken eggs.
I have traveled to many countries and Scotland was by far the easiest. Every.single.item was labeled and all ingredients listed. All the servers were well- informed and took it very seriously. And language wasn't a barrier.
Plus you'll have an easier time since you can presumably eat dairy and meat. I was often challenged with traditional pub fare. Also, I easily foun natural food stores (and M&S was ubiquitous). I rely on energy bars when traveling and those in Scotland were so far superior to those from the US! I miss them!
There were even gf versions of oat cakes...
Happy travels!

Allergies are taken very seriously by restaurants. Coconut, vinegar and chilli are not on the list of allergens so will not be labelled as ingredients that could be a problem. You will have to ask about these but you will be able to get the information you need.

Chilli is used a lot in Britain so make sure you clearly state ‘no chilli’ and explain it’s an intolerance. From experience, asking more casually if something has chilli/is spicy will often get a no answer, even when it does, because we have quite a high tolerance for spicy food in this country. The word capsicum is not widely used and wouldn’t be understood.

All the major supermarkets will have a Free From aisle somewhere inside the shop where you can purchase foodstuffs and snacks to keep with you as you travel around.

Free from foods are foods made without specific ingredients like gluten, dairy or nuts. Which makes the product suitable for those who suffer allergies, intolerances, or other health requirements that require them to avoid certain food components.

I see M&S (Marks and Spencer) has already been mentioned and others to look for when planning your itinerary are Co-op, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons but even small corner shops not part of a chain will likely stock something suitable for anyone with food sensitivities.

With regards contacting a tour guide to ask about this question and to hire for part of your trip I cannot recommend anyone specific. Just get in touch those you find online who appeal to you and inform them of your dietary needs. Any reputable tour guide will be able to put together an itinerary and recommend places to dine where your requirements can be met. As has been said most places have menus with gluten free options and are also happy to leave something off the dish if you request this.

Thank you for these most helpful replies! So appreciated. I am feeling much more confident about
planning a three week trip touring Scotland now. I carry small lists to hand to wait staff with my concerns similar to the “Equal Eats” dietary restrictions information. I will add “no Chili powder” to my list, thanks for this advise! I love these foods but my blood type avoids can be serious.
I follow the “Eat Right for Your Type” (Peter D’Adamo) diet which is 98% accurate in identifying what
causes issues for me and importantly why this happens.
I will use the advise to find a tour guide for part of our trip as well. Thx 🤗

Happy travels and much joy to all in 2026 and beyond!

Hello cairosic
We have toured Scotland several times with Inverness Tours. Although they are based in Inverness they will collect you from nearly anywhere. Laura and Ian, company owners, are wonderful to work with. Their guides are knowledgeable, genuinely kind people who love sharing their country with visitors. Their website lists tours suggestions but they will create a custom tour based on your interests. We can not recommend them highly enough.

Inverness Tours
https://invernesstours.com/

Reviews
https://www.trustindex.io/reviews/invernesstours.com

Happy planning! You will love Scotland!

DianeSLA, Thank you for the information on the Inverness Tours, we will definitely look into this tour group. So happy to hear about your great experience! Happy travels and happy holidays!

It's wonderful you received such reassuring information! I'm posting again because I didn't mention my two curry experiences and you mention certain spices being a problem. I think having the specific spices on a card/your phone is a really good idea.
I was on a small group tour. Curry is a typically safe go-to for me, if I confirm the sauce is vegan. Weirdest thing- after a few bites I began to feel ill. I've never experienced this before. I quickly excused myself to the bathroom and was violently sick to my stomach.
I didn't finish the dish (!) and assumed it was a one-off situation. A couple nights later (albeit with some trepidation!) I ordered curry again and the same thing happened.
Maybe someone from the UK has a thought? I have no known allergies but it must have been something in the curry blend? Anyway, just to keep in mind and since you can eat meat and dairy you'll have so many options.
One last time: Scotland has the BEST vegan energy and chocolate bars I have ever had! The brand starts with "N" (I think). I still miss them :)

Maybe someone from the UK has a thought?

It's probably impossible to say. What types of curry did you order?

Authentic Indian food uses ghee (clarified butter) which is not vegan so it could be that?

Apart from that a vegan curry is just onions, garlic, ginger and various spices with potentially coconut milk, tomatoes, lentils, vegetables, almonds or other ground nuts.

I love Indian food but occasionally experience an upset stomach after consuming it. I assume I'm sensitive to one of the spices sometimes used in Indian cuisine, but not one of the most common ones. I wish I knew which is my problem.

Going to an Indian restaurant when one needs to avoid even a small amount of hot pepper isn't something I'd suggest.

For your gluten issue, my wife and I use the Find Me Gluten Free app with great success

Joel, Thank you for your reply. I will remember the “Find Me Gluten Free” app. Good to know it can be so widely used.

I appreciate all of the information regarding my post. Thank you and happy travels!

I actually have the same question — my partner and I are also planning a trip to Scotland and need to figure out how easy (or difficult) it will be to manage specific food sensitivities like gluten-free, no vinegar, no hot spices, and no coconut.

I’m also wondering about the best ways to research or connect with tour guides who might be able to help with food-sensitivity-friendly recommendations or even join us for part of the trip. When planning meals ahead of time, I usually look at clearly laid-out menus online — similar to how https://thetexasroadhousemenu.com/ organizes food options — so I can identify safe choices before arriving. If anyone has tips on finding guides who are knowledgeable about dietary needs, or resources for planning around these restrictions, I’d really appreciate hearing them too!

Adding to most of the above, this is generally labelled on menus and products.

The one thing I would add is learn any differences in name. The OP mentions capiscum, most people in the UK will not know what that means. We call them (red or green) peppers. Ditto cilantro is not known here by that name, it is coriander. And there are a lot of food ingredients that can be a problem for some people that have different names.

As a B&B owner I need to have a food hygiene certificate, which means I can tell you for certain that in the UK there are 14 regulated allergens that must be notified to you by food premises. Details here from the UK Food Standards Agency.

So it's entirely possible that several of the ingredients you mention won't be routinely identified as potential allergens on menus.

Advice given above to learn the UK terms for the ingredients that cause you problems is very sound. Capsicum is definitely not widely used here. Google tells me that this can refer to both bell peppers and chilli peppers, so you'll need to be specific about what it is you're intolerant to. We use a lot of spice, so you might need to specify others if your issues are wider than simply what we call chilli or chilli powder.

The UK is probably one of the best countries for understanding food allergies. There are usually menu items listed as GF, etc. But I would always ask your server, especially if there is a sauce or what they fry food in.