Pantry, Brighton: Coeliac Sanctuary

Photo courtesy of weekendnotes.com.au

A sunny Sunday morning saw my fiancé and I seeking a table for two at Brighton’s Pantry. A popular destination for the Housewives of Brighton set, my last visit on a Tuesday morning involved overhearing a conversation that went like this:

Yummy Mummy One: ‘My nanny is so lazy! She washes the kids clothes, so I thought it wouldn’t be too much more to ask her to wash my clothes too, and she refused!’

Yummy Mummy Two: ‘You’re kidding! That’s unacceptable, my Nanny and Au Pair take turns washing the clothes each week, and they don’t complain about having to do my husband and my clothes as well.’

Yummy Mummy One: ‘You’re so lucky, mine thinks that as it isn’t in her job description she shouldn’t have to do it! I think I’m going to have to fire her, I might replace her with an Au Pair, they’re so much more compliant.’

Yummy Mummy Two: ‘Why don’t you just get both? I find having one helper per child so much easier.’

Wow. So this is how the other half live?

But back to Pantry. The weekend crowd seem a lot more laid back than our mid-week long suffering housewives and there is often a crowd of well groomed pooches out the front begging for your scraps. Given its location and the quality, I highly recommend that if you want a good table either book or turn up early.

Pantry is  truly a Brighton institution. Established over twenty years ago it is bright, cheerful place that on every occasion that I’ve visited seems to be consistently busy. In my experience the service has always been top notch, and they also hold cooking shows and events on a regular basis.

What it also has, most importantly, is a wonderful selection of food and, happily for us, a gluten free menu! So make sure you ask for it when you show up and try not to cringe when you see the giant disclaimer at the top:

‘Although we are extremely careful with our food handling procedures, we cannot guarantee that our gluten free products have not come into contact with wheat products in the kitchen.‘

The disclaimer... above a delicious menu!

That disclaimer is in itself really disappointing. I truly believe that if a restaurant is going to advertise something as gluten free, and go so far as to have a gluten free menu, that they should do everything in their power to guarantee that something is gluten free. I am not going to pretend that I have experience in a commercial kitchen, but I do have a section of my kitchen where gluten–does–not–go. Ever. I can completely understand restaurants like the Pancake Parlour, who do not cater in any way for sufferers of Coeliacs Disease. They actually state it is unsafe for someone with Coeliacs to eat anything in their restaurants because of the open kitchen and all the flour flying around, what with the making of pancakes en-masse.

So the ‘disclaimer gripe’ aside, I must admit I have never gotten sick after eating at Pantry, and I am extremely sensitive. In addition to that the food is always absolutely spectacular, so perhaps the disclaimer is only there just in case an unruly apprentice accidentally handles gluten free bread after handling porridge or something.

As for the menu itself, for a Gluten Free menu it is extensive. It has gluten free toast – good toast (actually edible), muesli, hash browns and other delights. It's all there and it is all fantastic. On this particular day I decided to go for the wild mushroom and sage on gluten free toast, with goats curd, pecorino and poached eggs – with a side of hash browns of course.

my delicious meal

I have not had this dish before, and I was not disappointed. 

The poached eggs, balanced on top of a mushroom pile, burst into a spectacular runny yolk that soaked through the mushrooms down to the toast at the bottom. The mushrooms were soft and creamy, and I worked hard to ensure each mouthful included a bit of every ingredient. The hash browns were light and fluffy with just the right amount of salt and I am one of those people who loves to dunk my hash browns in a big bowl of tomato sauce – please forgive me.

Now I do find most of their dishes irresistible, so with that in mind I must confess to an idiotic moment when my fiancé, who was complaining about the stewed apples on top of his (delicious looking) porridge, pushed them to the side. I absolutely love warm apple, and without thinking reached over and helped myself to his lovely, warm, gluten-covered apple... and ate it. 

Seriously.

I hadn't finished my delicious
Pantry latte when I
accidentally consumed
gluten like a fool

At this point I am going to blame my stupidity on the fact I hadn’t finished my first coffee of the day and hope that there wasn’t more than a microscopic amount of gluten on that apple. I guess I’ll find out in a few hours if my stomach starts to bloat to epic proportions, stabbing pains commence in concert and I lose my ability to form sentences properly (yes, I’m one of those coeliacs who suffers from neurological symptoms – one day I ended up in hospital because they thought I was having a stroke. No, I’d just unwittingly eaten a gluten-laden pizza, but it was enough for me to lose consciousness, literally).

So, Pantry. If it wasn’t for that disclaimer I’d declare you a Coeliac Sanctuary. Actually, I’m feeling generous, and as I’ve never gotten sick eating at your restaurant and you put so much effort into your Gluten Free menu, I’m going to declare you a Coeliac Sanctuary – but as usual I recommend to my fellow Gluten Free diners to always make sure the waiter knows your food needs to be handled with care, and I’m sure Pantry will look after you.

Pantry: Coeliac Sanctuary (and while you're there, check out the delicatessen next door, I've spent many a Sunday morning in there stocking up on gourmet goodies)!