Not A Trace Awards 2016

Regular readers will know that each year I have my own little awards ‘ceremony’ where I acknowledge the best products / companies in various categories.

The awards for 2016 are obviously a little late(!) and as my blog posts were few and far between last year, due to a certain little person taking all my attention, the 2016 awards are more a summary of my blog reviews from last year.

Despite my inability to blog of late, it’s great to have had over 58,000 blog views since Not A Trace began. I am also very proud to see the constant stream of views every day even if I haven’t blogged for a while. Thank you to you all!

So, on to the awards / 2016 round-up….

Pizza Express – gluten free dough balls

Since I last wrote a review about Pizza Express back in 2013, I’ve visited the restaurants on numerous occasions, whether it be on my lunch break, with the Bristol Coeliac Group or when I booked to have a meal at one of the restaurants in Bath for my hen night!

Back when I wrote the first review, the starter options were quite limited, but now everyone’s prayers have been answered – they have gluten free dough balls! 🙂

Zizzi – gluten free garlic bread

Three years ago I wrote a review about my local Zizzi at Cabot Circus. I had a great meal there and have eaten at numerous restaurants since that first review, all offering a good service and great gluten free options.

However, back when I did the first review there wasn’t an option to have gluten free garlic bread, but there is now! 🙂 Although it’s not actually advertised on their menu as being available…..

Renaissance Cafe Bar Restaurant, Penzance

Back in April we went back to my home town of Penzance to celebrate my birthday and to see my friends before we had the baby (we knew we wouldn’t be back home for a long time once we’d had him).

I wanted to get everyone together in one place which meant that I needed to find a suitable venue to accommodate a large group, as well as one that could cater for my dietary requirements.

Situated in Wharfside Shopping Centre overlooking Penzance harbour, I’d been to the Renaissance Restaurant on numerous occasions both before being diagnosed and since then, so I knew that they could safely cater for a coeliac, making it the perfect choice.

La Grotta, Bristol – gluten free pizzas!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you will be aware of my slight addiction to La Grotta, an Italian restaurant in Bristol city centre.

We went there for one of our Bristol Coeliac group meals last year, but I’ve been numerous times since then for lunch and also insisted that it’s where we went for my birthday work lunch last month. Basically I love it there!

When we went for the group meal (the full review can be found here if you’re interested!), La Grotta were in the process of producing gluten free pizzas, but they weren’t yet available, so we indulged in their amazing pasta dishes instead.

But things have changed, they now have their gluten free pizzas and they are incredible! 🙂

Venue 35, Westbury-on-Trym

I need to make a massive apology to Josh and the team at Venue 35, Westbury-on-Trym, for the massive delay in posting this blog review from the Bristol Coeliac Group’s Christmas meal at the venue. Due to personal reasons things have been a little busy of late and blogging has had to take a back seat, but I think this review was worth the wait…

Towards the end of last year we floated around some venue suggestions for the group’s Christmas meal. Having been to The Townhouse the previous year, we wanted to try somewhere different and I’d heard good things about Venue 35 and in particular how much of their menu is gluten free, but I wasn’t sure if its location would be suitable for those in the group that travel quite a way to come to our monthly meals.

It turns out that there was nothing to worry about as those that could attend overwhelmingly agreed that we should give it a go. I got in touch with the venue and had regularly chats with the manager Josh to make sure everything was well prepared for the meal.

Before I come to my review, here’s a little bit more information about Venue 35, taken from their website:

Come to us for the best in the area. Venue35 Café Bar is a fully licensed premises in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. Come by today and choose from our amazing menu. In our cafe, we offer breakfast, lunch and early dinner seven days a week. 

Not A Trace Awards 2015

Better late than never, welcome to my summary of the products and brands that caught my eye last year.

Unfortunately my blogging has once again had to take a back seat due to various commitments and the small matter of a wedding, but I’m very grateful to all of my readers that have stayed with me!

In the first year of my awards the blog had passed 9,000 views and last year it had reached 28,000, but I’m delighted that it’s now passed 46,000 views, even with limited blogging, so thank you very much! 🙂

So, let’s kick off the awards…..

River Cottage Canteen Goes Gluten Free – 16th February 2016

Earlier this week I was contacted by River Cottage Canteen (Whiteladies Road) about one of their upcoming events.

On Tuesday 16th February they are hosting a Gluten Free evening with Naomi Delvin, author of the Gluten Free River Cottage handbook.

Here’s some more information about the event:

On Tuesday 16th February, River Cottage Canteen will be going Gluten Free. Head chef Charlie James will be cooking up a delicious gluten free three course set menu and the evening event will be hosted by the fabulous Naomi Devlin, author of the new River Cottage Gluten Free book.

Naomi will be discussing flavour flours, sourdough bread, and how to make some simple gluten free swaps that everyone can enjoy. The three course set menu will showcase seasonal and locally sourced gluten free delights for anyone following a gluten free diet and even those who don’t!

Naomi Devlin talks a little more about the evening;

“There are so many delicious alternatives to gluten and we want to help inform and inspire both those who are already following a gluten free diet and those who are simply interested in finding out more about eating healthier. Guests will be able to enjoy 3 courses of River Cottage style gluten free dishes while I try to help bust some of the myths out there about healthy eating and going gluten free.” 

Tickets are £28 which includes the set menu. The evening starts at 7.30pm.

More information on the event can be found here.

It’s great to see a restaurant hosting an event like this, so let’s get behind it!

The Swan at Nibley, South Gloucestershire

Those of you that are local to the Bristol area you may have already come across The Swan at Nibley, but for those of you that haven’t, The Swan Inn is a brilliant pub / restaurant on the outskirts of Yate in South Gloucestershire.

Here’s a little bit more about The Swan, taken from its website:

We embrace the principle of good food in relaxed surroundings and have always endeavoured to use the freshest and best of ingredients and buy locally wherever possible. Whilst our Evening Menu is fantastic, the Specials Board is where our chefs get all creative so we would definitely recommend you have a look at the specials before ordering!

If you are looking for a quick, satisfying lunchtime meal, try one of our ciabatta rolls. For those with a bit more time and a bigger appetite, our New Fixed Price Lunch Menu represents superb value for money and offers some of our best dishes at superb prices. Or you may just want to enjoy a glass of wine or local ale on one of our bar stools and enjoy the friendly, welcoming bar atmosphere.

Children are more than welcome at The Swan – we have plenty of high-chairs and of course a special menu for the little ones too!

Cau Restaurant, Bristol

A couple of weeks ago Rich and I met up with two of our closest friends at CAU Bristol.

The restaurant hasn’t been open for very long, but after checking their gluten free options with them through Twitter, their options seemed great so rather than going to restaurants on the waterfront as we normally do, I thought this restaurant located on Queens Road would be a good choice.

If you’ve not come across CAU before, here’s a little bit more about them, taken from their website:

Many years ago, we fell in love with the vibrancy of Buenos Aires, a city where cosmopolitan sophistication collides with an irresistibly chaotic energy. It’s a beguiling, emotional and all embracing place to be.

When we started CAU, our vision was to capture that spirit in a restaurant that would fit right into the heart of Palermo, Buenos Aires. If we could replicate that vitality, passion and sense of fun, we knew CAU would be a place people would want to spend time.

Our menu embraces Buenos Aires cuisine, a melting pot of comfort food inspired by Italy and Spain alongside the jewel in Argentina’s crown, its beef. Mouthwatering steaks, burgers and steak sandwiches are joined by a tempting selection of more-ish favourites, each with a distinctive Buenos Aires twist.