A Happy Tummy In Paris and London Too : )

Paris. That's right the one place that contains some of the most amazing breads, cheeses, and other gluten/dairy-filled confections that smell good enough for any gluten/dairy intolerant person to give into stomach pains and sickness for just one little smidgeon of a bite. This is where I found myself earlier this month. Paris and London in the spring time with my mama and sister for our Girls Euro Trip 2011 was torture for my senses, from sight to smell to touch, all my senses tingling with desire to delve into une grande baguette de pain avec beaucoup de délicieux fromage fondu (aka a big baguette with lots of delicious melted cheese). However, not wanting to be hotel bed/foreign hospital bound for the trip I did not give in.

Luckily, Paris was one of the most food allergy friendly places I have had to pleasure to stroll around. Not only did they provide some of the most delicious haricots verts (green beans), other veggie and fruit salads/plates, and my personal favorite pomme frites (french fries), but Paris also had a whole grocery store food chain (Naturalia; Website) devoted to natural/allergy friendly foods. I had amazing gluten free rolls, madelines, and dairy free hazelnut cocoa spread along with the best fruit gummies I have ever had and am still craving. 

My morning started with a lovely fruit spread with perhaps some gf bread and spread, lunch/snacks were gf rolls and gummies, and we always ended our Paris days at a picturesque Paris cafe/restaurant where we always opted to sit outside and people watch while enjoying fresh perfectly cooked veggies and pomme frites.

Did I mention the wine? Both gluten free and dairy free I filled up on it! The restaurants/cafes all had impeccable wine selections that never disappointed and we even found a few amazing wine stores. One, Lavinia (Website), absolutely breathtaking...wall to wall floor to ceiling, multi level wine store with staff happy to help silly American girls not familiar with the wine lingo. 



Another we stumbled upon while walking through one of the Paris markets. Nysa (Website) was much smaller and more compact than Lavinia, but it still offered some of the best wine I have found, at a more discounted price. From 4 to 6 euro for the least expensive, I had plenty of bottles to bring back with me : )

London was a little more difficult allergy friendly food wise. It didn't have the same type of breads and cheese temptations that I had to contend with in Paris, but it also had much less in terms of gluten free, dairy free options. However, they still had lots of stores that sold bananas and a variety of chips (aka french fries) to munch on. I also still had some left over bread, rolls, and gummies from Naturalia in Paris to satisfy my hunger. The first pub we visited, the Rose & Crown, boasted that it had the best British pub food around. Not one to take things at face value (ahem) I just had to try the chips just to be sure. They did not disappoint and I even had a nice glass of wine to go along with it : )

We found similar results at the other pubs we stopped at, including my personal favorite, The Sherlock Holmes (Website). It was everything and more that I expected from a traditional British pub.

A nice surprise came in the form of the Notting Hill Markets on Portobello Road. The street was not only lined on both sides with antiques, books, and other sweet knick knacks (including an adorable Paddington Bear that I very quickly bought) but also had venders selling some of the most vibrate and fresh looking fruits and veggies. They honestly were picturesque enough to make a meat loving carnivore's mouth instantly water.

All in all it was an amazing trip and I literally started to tear up when I knew it was over. I was fortunate enough to not only take this once in a lifetime trip with my mama and big sister, but also to enjoy the culinary specialties that each place was famous for in one way or another and leave with a very happy belly : )