I know, I know: it doesn’t seem to make much sense to start a blog about being coeliac in Oxford with a post about Dublin. But the thing is, while gluten-free options in Oxford have been getting better and better over the eight years since my diagnosis, it wasn’t until I ventured overseas to Dublin that I realised how much better things could be. Dublin is better at gluten free than Oxford, by far. Dublin is better at gluten free than London.
Why is that? I have a few theories.
I’ve lived in Oxford since I was eighteen, but originally I’m from the wild and windy far north-east of England, where most of the genetics are Celtic and Scandinavian. The lady who diagnosed me at the John Radcliffe in Oxford, which is a big research hospital, said it was interesting that I was north-eastern, because genetically, Celtic/Scandinavian people are more likely to be gluten-intolerant or coeliac, and North East England is a Celtic/Scandinavian gene pool party. Historically, my ancestors seemingly just didn’t eat as much wheat as Germanic peoples did. Unfortunately, most people in the North East still seem to be assuming that little bit of tummy upset is perfectly normal, until it becomes full-blown unmanageable Coeliac Disease. The Irish seem to have a better understanding that wheat just isn’t for them.
From the moment I arrived in Dublin, it was like a whole new world. O Brien’s Sandwich Chain provide not one, but three gluten free sandwich options, including bread, bagels and wraps. Even the little delis in the airport all had gluten free bread available, as standard. As standard, ladies and gentlemen! This is a strange new world indeed.
I stayed in Dame Street in the centre of Dublin, and without even looking for it, I stumbled across Beshoff Bros Fish and Chip Shop, which provides gluten free — gluten free! – fish and chips. Every day, not just on special occasions, and there are several branches of this chain in Dublin. I couldn’t not try them, and I may be unable to remember clearly what real fish and chips taste like, but they seemed pretty amazing to me.
Just a little further down Dame Street, literally a couple of doors away, I found another gem, Bobo’s. Bobo’s seems to be a bit of a Dublin institution, serving great big gorgeous burgers with an array of different accompaniments — and gluten free options. All the burger patties are gluten free to begin with, but you can also order them in gluten-free buns. I went there for dinner, and can highly recommend it. The prices are reasonable, too — for 10 Euros, you can get a “meal deal” of either a burger and fries or a burger and a drink. Trust me: go for the burger and drink, because the burger is the size of your head and you will have no room for fries.
I was only in Dublin for a couple of days, so I didn’t get a chance to try out all it had to offer for coeliacs, but what an amazing thing that is to be able to say! People assured me that there are not only gluten free options on most menus in town, but also gf bakeries and delis. The best part for me, though, was the amazing frequency with which gluten free options showed up on menus just as standard. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like I wasn’t an annoying nuisance to be catered for, or else someone who’d always have to find an entirely gluten-free segregated bakery/deli/whatever. Specialist gf shops are great, but sometimes it’s nice to feel like part of the general populace for once!
So, well done, Dublin. Let’s see how long it will take the mainland UK to catch up.
