Reported in this month’s Fish & Chips and Fast Food is a range of wheat- gluten and lactose-free breads, cakes and cereals aimed at the hotel and catering trade, produced by Delicious Alchemy.

What a good idea! Hotels, restaurants and caterers could offer a full service for the guests who are avoiding these ingredients by using this kind of product. The products Delicious Alchemy offer include: bread rolls, pizza, burger buns, desserts and cakes and a breakfast cereal. Sensibly, the breakfast cereal is presented in individual portions, and all the other items are frozen, and can be defrosted on demand.

My gluten free daughter has a residential school trip coming up in June, and once again, I find myself explaining that no, it isn’t just wheat, and that all meals in the day are affected (including breakfast) and all snacks. If the hotel had a stock of this kind of product we would all – me, my daughter, the school staff and the hotel staff – feel more confident. As it is, I shall once again be packing up a box-ful of food for her.

Delicious Alchemy point out 6 reasons why hotels/caterers should provide gluten free options:

1. Increase your restaurant spend
2. Increase accommodation revenue
3. Increase loyalty and repeat business
4. Increase event business and repeat event business
5. Win more government business
6. Increase other custom too

Hooray for Delicious Alchemy – I hope they are very successful, and look forward to tasting their products at a hotel soon!