One of Scotland’s top young chefs was joined by culinary colleagues on a trip to Kellie Castle in Fife.
Head chef at the Old Course Hotel’s Road Hole restaurant, Ross Marshall visited the Pittenweem beauty spot to enjoy a slap-up feed with a difference.
It all looked fairly normal, but the fare enjoyed was all gluten-free and had been made to mark Coeliac UK awareness week.
A total of 19 of the National Trust cafes and restaurants across Scotland are joining in a challenge to provide a wide range of gluten-free options on their menus, while also providing information about the condition.
Around one in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, an auto-immune disease caused by intolerance to gluten. There is no cure and no medication. The only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life.
Left untreated it can lead to infertility, osteoporosis and bowel cancer. Incredibly, the average diagnosis is 13 years with many people being initially misdiagnosed.
Ross told The Courier he was happy to take on the challenge to go without gluten for a week-but admitted it was not easy.
“It is a real test of strength for some of us who quite appreciate a beer or two on our days off,” he said. “However, we are coping and I hope our efforts give people a good understanding of what it is like to be diagnosed with coeliac disease and live on a gluten-free diet.
“Outside of work it has been more difficult than I had thought although there are some fantastic gluten-free ranges available now.”
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley meaning breads, pastas, flours, cereals, cakes and biscuits are all off limits to sufferers.
It is also often used as an ingredient in many favourite foods such as fish fingers and sausages.