Top 10: London’s Best Breakfasts For CoeliacsBy Alicia Grimshaw
To celebrate Coeliac Awareness Week, we’ve teamed up with our friends over at Well and Truly to bring you all the gluten-free goodness London has to offer during our special #WellandTrulyWeek. In the name journalism, we ate our way through London’s coeliac breakfasts to find the best offerings:
What: Pancakes topped with banana, chocolate chips and walnuts (£6)
Why: Ethos is a dedicated veggie restaurant serving dishes from around the world that are full of flavour, healthy and a refreshing change from the pre-packed variety . The restaurant is a pay-by-weight concept and rustle up gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. Good news folks – all of their brekkie options are gluten-free, including their kale and sweet potato hash, porridge with a choice of toppings, and their scrambled eggs served on gluten-free toast. Their light and fluffy pancakes are little circles of heaven, and if banana and chocolate chips ain’t rocking your world, try the raspberry, maple and almond option.
Where: 48 Eastcastle Street, London W1W 8DX
2. For a Savoury Porridge: Maple and Fitz
What: Miso porridge, spring onions and almonds
Why: Maple and Fitz is a healthy eatery and cold-pressed juice bar in Fitzrovia. They specialise in salads, smoothies and juices designed to leave you feeling energised and fulfilled. Come to Maple and Fitz for their great range of healthy breakfast options – everything from avocado and chilli on toast to homemade granola with creamy natural yogurt and Medjool date compote. Healthy heaven. The most popular lunch dish is the the Julius Caesar salad – they toss fresh ingredients including kale and mange tout in a natural yoghurt based dressing and garnish with fragrant toasted seeds for a taste of perfection. This miso porridge is made with gluten-free ingredients and is a delicious different start to your day.
Where: 36A Berners St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 3LY
What: Granola Andina and Greek yoghurt – quinoa, amaranth, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, goldenberry honey, maca root and seasonal fruits (£5)
Why: Andina is by the mastermind that is Ceviche’s Martin Morales. A modern ‘picanteria’: an all-day, pioneering restaurant serving healthy food and drinks from the Peruvian Andes. The menu heavily features Peruvian superfoods, quinoa and avocado. Along with the breakfast menu, virtually all of their lunch menu is gluten-free. The Torrejas de Plátano, a combination of ripe plantain fritters, fresco cheese, chancaca honey and coriander is a tidal wave of flavours. This granola is made with gluten-free oats and other delights, so everyone can eat happy.
Where: 1 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London E2 7DJ
4. For a Sweet Breakfast: Farmacy
What: Bee Grateful – probiotic spirulina ‘yoghurt’ served with chia seed porridge, fresh fruit, crunchy almonds and bee pollen (£10)
Why: Farmacy is on a mission: to provide nourishing and delicious menu that supports well-being and nutritious eating. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu is inspired by dishes from around the globe and supports both a vegan and vegetarian diet, free-from dairy, refined sugars, additives and chemicals. Their breakfast menu contains gluten-free items such as their bircher boost pot – a dreamy combo of chia apple bircher with activated superseeds, tiger nut milk and maca caramel, and the house pancakes made with buckwheat flour served with fresh fruit, coconut ‘yoghurt’, chia berry jam and maple syrup.
Where: 74-76 Westbourne Grove, London, W2
Photo Credit: Thomas Bowles
5. For an Acai Bowl: Farm Girl
What: Acai Bowl – frozen Amazonian açai berries topped with sliced banana, chia seeds and goji berries (£8)
Why: Farm Girl in Notting Hill is the hip hangout for the yummy mummy and healthy crowd alike. This Aussie Cafe serve up smoothies, salads and all the brekkie dishes – you’ll be hard pressed to find something you don’t like. Come here for homemade granola, porridge and excellent coffee, prepare to queue on the weekends, the secret is out about Farm Girl. You can add avocado onto your porridge – we’re not sure if that’s something you want to do, but give it a go.
Where: 59a Portobello Rd, London W11 3DB
6. For Toast: The Modern Pantry
What: Smoked streaky bacon, slow-roast tomatoes, buttered mushrooms, two eggs and gluten-free toast (£8.80)
Why: Anna Hansen is the driving force behind The Modern Pantry, a New Zealand-born chef who’s behind gems such as The Providores and PUBLIC in New York, certainly knows how to create a buzz. Since opening in 2008, the restaurant’s globally-inspired modern cuisine has earned Hansen a cookbook, an MBE and an epic reputation. Dig in to expertly cooked brunch dishes, with the choice of swapping your sourdough toast for a gluten-free version which is topped with a range of ingredients. Think eggs cooked to your liking, smoked streaky bacon along with avocado, spinach, and slow-roast tomatoes. They use beans from their pals down at Caravan Coffee Roasters to produce some excellent cups of hot Joe.
Where: 47-48 St John’s Square, Clerkenwell, London, EC1V 4JJ
Photo Credit: granth1million
7. For Gluten-Free Everything: Nama
What: Breakfast Sundae – spiced almond crumble, coconut ‘mascarpone’, dark berries and banana slices, drizzled with our sweet berry coulis all topped with chunks of raw chocolate (£9)
Why: Come to Nama for healthy, raw food perfection – raw food is one of the healthiest food options available. It’s food as close to nature intended as possible. This cafe is 100% meat, dairy and gluten-free friendly. Try their raw sprouted buckwheat gluten-free granola with home-made almond milk, goji berries and fresh fruit, which is great as a sweet gluten-free breakfast. For something deliciously different, try the walnut pancakes topped with banana ‘ice cream’ with frozen banana, maple syrup and star anise almond crumble. Yum.
Where: 110 Talbot Road, London W11 1JR
8. For Waffles: The Good Life Eatery
What: Paleo Waffles – banana mash, blueberry chia jam, coconut yogurt and hazelnuts (£7.95)
Why: The Good Life Eatery is a favourite pit stop for the healthy foodie crowd, who come here to lap up a bit of zen and delicious, nutritious food. You’ll find The Good Life tucked away from the Kings Road, and they’ve also got a branch in Belgravia. The menu caters for gluten-free, vegans, vegetarians and the dairy-free queens. The Good Life Eatery is open from breakfast to dinner with highlights including their granola, waffles and poached egg and avocado number. They also have no wifi, so switch off for a morning, relax and enjoy your cocobutter superfood smoothie.
Where: 20 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8LB and 59 Sloane Avenue, London SW3 3DH
9. For Sweet Porridge: Le Pain Quotidien
What: hoose from: honey, honey and banana, omega boost, stewed fruit. Vegan option also available (£4.25)
Why: Le Pain Quotidien means the daily bread. And they do that – and much more – so very well. As their loaves emerge from the ovens, warm and fragrant, friends gather around their communal tables to share in the time-honoured tradition of breaking bread. The breakfast here is top. From porridge to scrambled eggs, you really can’t go wrong. They also make a killer gluten-free granola parfait, and if you can’t make it down at the crack of dawn, the team also create gluten-free soups and quinoa cakes for the lunch time brigade.
Where: Locations here
10. For Gluten-Free Granola: Pret
What: Five Berry Bowl
Why: Pret is a beacon of hope on the high-street. The team work through the night to make sure the selves are bursting with takeaway breakfast options. We swear, their porridge is the best in town. The five grain porridge is dairy-free and made with no gluten ingredients, and their honey granola pot contains gluten-free granola. Last month saw the launch of their veggie and vegan menu – plant based salads, soups and sandwiches that are not only packed full of tasty filling, they’re bloomin’ tasty, too.
Where: Locations here
Sponsored post in association with Well and Truly for #WellandTrulyWeek
