Extra Mile Book – Avoiding allergens on the move

I recently came across a book which reviews venues just off motorways, and main routes throughout the UK, the book also includes details of how venues can cater for those with a gluten Free diet.  I contacted Laura Collacott for more information and asked if she would be a guest blogger for Food Allergy Aware.  So here is Laura explaining her journey (excuse the pun) on how the extra mile was created.

We wrote the Extra Mile in 2017 out of despair at the expensive, commercialised and bland food on offer in motorway services. The food revolution is booming in the UK; fantastic cafes and eateries open daily and serving imaginative and wholesome dishes, but the motorway services have [ironically] been bypassed.

We know that there are lovely local businesses, not far away from junctions, growing, making and serving far better food: farm shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants and gorgeous gardens. The Extra Mile works to support those local food producers and to encourage travellers to have more fun as they tour the country.

For us, a better journey means good local food, space for children and pets to let off steam, fascinating places and knock-out views. We relish places with conscience that care about the provenance of their ingredients as well as their impact on the environment, and those that make every customer feel special, including those with dietary requirements.

There’s growing understanding of food allergies in the UK, so we’ve done our best to highlight the services’ alternatives which serve vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food to give more options to everyone. It’s still a work in progress as we tighten up our allergen definitions and expand the information we offer, but we like to think it’s a step in the right direction. It is our hope that the day is not too far away when all eateries will offer dietary alternatives to make eating out seamless, painless and enjoyable for everyone.

Co-author Alastair Sawday writes:

There has been a quiet revolution in British food. We have found farm shops, organic cafés, pubs, stately homes, historic sites. Our travel can now be something to enjoy rather than endure. Many of the places are beautiful; all of them have a character you won’t expect on a normal journey. Most of them serve excellent local food, often home-made, home-grown and organic. Why not add a little zest to your plans and turn the journey into a pleasure?”

To find out more click on the link,  where you can also order the book.

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