Coeliac | The Golden Cross, Coventry.

We recently stayed at Bede Serviced Apartments in Coventry to attend the Freefrom and Allergy Show at the Birmingham NEC. We had a spare afternoon and decided to make the most of our child free time by heading out for a meal. Eating out when you're Coeliac is an anxiety inducing occasion that requires a lot of planning, scouring menus and reading reviews. We researched gluten free places to eat in Coventry and came across the usual chain restaurants but to my delight I chanced upon a glowing review for The Golden Cross, a 17th century pub that has an entirely gluten free kitchen- what a stroke of luck to be a twenty minute walk from somewhere that sounded so amazing!

What better place to be on a cold November Sunday than a local pub enjoying a delicious Sunday roast- is there any greater pleasure in life? It's the sort of thing I've been dreaming about since I got diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. I have honestly cried and grieved for the traditional foodie experiences I can no longer have. 

The Golden Cross has that warmth that only a 'proper pub' can have. From the Tudor exterior to the wonky floorboards this place welcomes you like a hug from an old friend. The ambience hits the spot, it's cosy and it has that satisfying scent of gravy, beer and wooden floor that just warms the heart and makes you reminisce of Sunday lunches with the whole family laughing around the table. 

The menu was surprisingly vast with traditional meals such a Steak and Ale pie and Fish and Chips alongside more adventurous meals like Harissa Salmon and Hoisin Duck. All of it sounded amazing but there was only ever go to be one choice on a Sunday afternoon- it had to be a roast!

And what a roast it was. If I hadn't been assured that this place had an entirely gluten free kitchen I'd have been panicking that they'd made a mistake. This meal was too good to be gluten free. The meat was tender, the veg tasted fresh and you would never have known the gravy was gluten free. They even got the Yorkshire Pudding right. I was so happy I could have cried. It's easy to take a pub roast for granted. I never even thought about it's significance in my pre-coeliac days but being able to go into a pub, choose anything off the menu and enjoy a tasty meal just like 'normal folk' was a priceless experience. Though in reality it was £12.95 well spent.

Then there was dessert. 

I had to go for the brownie. It was a cold day, I was tired from a busy weekend and I just wanted a stodgy, chocolatey escape and that's exactly what I got. I've found that over the years dessert gets smaller and the price gets higher. Not at The Golden Cross. My brownie cost £6 and it was huge. Add on the ice cream and the chocolate shard and I was absolutely stuffed. I rolled back to the apartment rather than walked! 

If you're ever in the Coventry area, whether you are gluten free or not then do check out this gem of a place for the nostalgia, the food and the friendliness.

Thanks For Reading 

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