The Gluten Free Digest, Issue #2
A roundup of what's happening in both the gluten free world, and my own.
How are we doing, team? It’s been a busy few weeks on my end, but here is the latest and greatest from the gluten free world we live in.
Do we pass the vibe check?
Aside from Expo West FOMO, the state of the vibes are good. I’m finishing up some big projects in the GF travel space that I cannot wait to tell you guys about. The sun has consistently been out as well which is boosting my mood substantially, confirming that I am no more complex than a plant.
The state of the world is still crazy, but I hope your little corner of it is doing alright. My mantra for the week is that there is no way I can do anything worse than texting war plans to a journalist!
What’s going on in the gluten free world?
Coeliac UK delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street (for non-Brits, this is the Prime Minister’s address) after receiving 10,000 signatures on a petition to protect gluten free prescriptions in the UK. Well done, guys!
In London, Manna Dew has opened a walk-up window for the first time since before the pandy began. You’ll find them in Battersea, South West London. Their pastries are out of this world good and previously did pre-orders only at this location.
My friends Matt (glassofweinstein) and Liz (yeet.that.wheat) recently held Women’s and Black History Month gluten free town halls. Stay tuned for more great town halls from them later this year, too!
The gluten free bakery market is predicted to grow to over $4 billion by the early 2030s. I think we can beat that number if we believe in ourselves.
In me news, I’ve been named the number 7 gluten free influencer in the UK by Feedspot, and I got featured in a blog post from A Gluten Free Family on gluten free McDonalds options.
Upcoming events in the gluten free world:
It’s an exciting time for all things gluten free. We’ve got a good number of events both in-person and online to look forward to in the coming weeks and months.
Online:
The IBS Warrior Summit is an upcoming (and no cost!) virtual series for those with IBS to learn about how your irritable bowels work and to learn how to manage symptoms from experts in gut health. There are great sessions this year including modifying workouts to prevent symptoms, sleep and digestion, and morning mobility for better BMs. I look forward to this every year, I highly recommend registering!
In the US:
This weekend, the Wicked Gluten Free Expo is taking place at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and you can get tickets here.
The Boston Red Sox are having a Celiac Awareness Night on May 17th at Fenway Park. I just might be having some special event for this, so if you’re interested, hold off just a bit longer to get a ticket :)
My friend
AKA nycbutglutenfree on Instagram is having a gluten free crawl of New York’s Upper East Side. I’ve got FOMO for this.
In the UK:
The next Free From Festival is taking place in London over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend (24-25 May). Get tickets here.
The next Allergy & Free From Show is taking place in London on the 21-22 June. Get tickets here.
For gluten free travel:
Celiac Cruise launched their 2026 sailing schedule. It’s never too early - or too late - to plan a getaway. I’ll be joining their upcoming Bordeaux and Northern Europe trips, so if you want to hang out with me this spring be sure to grab a cabin.
New on the ‘gram:
We all know the algorithim is weird these days. Here are some highlights from the last few weeks in case you haven’t seen them:
A review of Luna Omakase in London
Information on Manna Dew’s new walk-up window in Battersea
A review of Tawa Gluten Free Eatery in Abu Dhabi
A bakery, Chinese restaurant, and Italian restaurant in NYC
Virgin Atlantic’s gluten free meal in premium economy
What I’m cooking:
One day recently, I returned home to find that my fiancé had bought us a hot pot and enough provisions to make a hot pot dinner. This is why I’m marrying him. We’ve been obsessed with hot pot nights since.
Our local pan-Asian grocer has a shocking number of GF goodies, from noodles to soup bases and accoutrements. On my last trip to the US I smuggled brought back a large amount of Bachan’s gluten free sauce which is great to dip the cooked meat and vegetables in.
On our next hot pot night, I’ll make a video of the gluten free haul we get to make it!
What I’m snacking on:
Doughlicious recently launched a new flamin’ hot gelato bite that I’m actually obsessed with? It’s a good balance of vanilla gelato to spice on the exterior. It’s a good product to get for the spicy enthusaist in your life, and if you’re in the UK (I think this is a UK-only release). You can get it on Ocado here.
Also, before leaving the US on my last trip in February, my fiancé and I made Whole Foods our last stop. Among everything we picked up was a bag of Dang Thai Rice Chips, specifically the mango sticky rice flavor. These are genuinely the best snack I’ve ever had in my entire life, I would eat seven bags in one sitting easily.
The issue is, I think these were a limited run. I can’t find any reference to them online and they are no longer in store. I DMed the brand but it has gone unanswered. Have you seen these rice chips? Please let me know where to get them if you know.
Where I’m eating:
We as a community talk a lot about Los Mochis in London, but recently I went to their newest omakase called Luna inside their city location. It genuinely blew my mind - full disclosure, it was a comped meal, but I don’t rate it so highly for that reason. It felt as if we were sat in a high-rise in Tokyo having a world class meal. The fatty tuna, wagyu sando, and egg souffle with wasabi ice cream were stars of the show for me.
Luna’s menu is 12 courses and rotates with the lunar cycle. You’ll likely receive a slightly different menu from mine, though trust me, it will be excellent.
They have a sister omakase in Notting Hill called Juno. Juno and Luna are, respectively, the world’s first and second fully gluten free omakase experiences.
While Los Mochis’ two restaurants blend Japanese and Mexican flavors, Juno leans heavily on Mexican flavor while Luna leans heavily on the Japanese side of that binary. In Tokyo last summer we went to an omakase which, and I feel odd for saying this, did not blow my mind anywhere near as much as Juno did the month before.
My fiancé has heard me talk enough about these restaurants without going himself, so we booked Juno for the two of us next month. I cannot wait to get back.
Gluten free business you should know about:
I’ve got Paris on my mind for multiple reasons and I can’t stop thinking about one of the best gluten free croissants I’ve tried. We as a community talk a lot about Noglu, Copains, and Chambelland, but when it comes to gluten free croissants in Paris the winner has to be La Manufacture du Sans Gluten. We don’t show them enough love.
I will qualify that their croissants do cost 9 Euros. That being said, they are large, flake beautifully, and have a buttery taste and texture that is hard to beat. The chef has worked for years to develop his recipe and, over my four visits to his shop, I’ve seen his croissants improve dramatically. They are among the best of the best and one of the very few times I will advocate for spending that much on one single pastry.
You’ll find them in a small shop in Montmartre in Paris. They have no website, only an Instagram. This is a gem hiding in plain sight and is absolutely worth a visit if you’re in Paris.
Where I’m planning to visit:
My fiancé and I recently booked a working holiday to Doha in a few weeks followed by a long weekend of hiking in Oman. I’m most excited about the meal on Qatar Airways, I have on good authority they have a new caterer out of Heathrow which is heavily investing in gluten free meals.
As an aside: There is shockingly good award space on Qatar and Oman Air from Europe when booked on Alaska miles.
Otherwise, I’ve recently been invited to join the next upcoming Celiac Cruise to Bordeaux along the Dordogne and I could not be more excited. Drinking wine in the sunshine would fix everything right about now.
On their European river sailings, the same crew from AMA Waterways works each Celiac Cruise sailing, and they’re heavily invested in the GF experience. France outside of Paris is tricky for GF food and I am so excited to see what the team cooks up.
Meme of the moment:
Additionally, this video had me rolling on the floor laughing (cw: adult language).
Questions? Comments? Conspiracy theories? Send me an email!
Talk soon,
Matt x
Welcome to Substack!! I love your IG account and can’t wait to see what you write about here!
Hehehe sad you can’t be here. But you’re alson#1 gluten free influencer in my heart. Can they rewrite the books now?