The thing I love about the online coeliac community is that it throws up all sorts of marvellous recommendations for treats that just don’t rank in the google results. Oliver’s was one of those recommendations. I normally have to wait for my trips oop north to see the in laws for fish and chips, so couldn’t wait to try something closer to home, albeit still in the North (of London).
It’s a sign!
Now, of course you want me to cut to the chase and tell you about the batter, but I am practicing the art of patience at the moment so that I can savour these tasty moments; so treated this visit like a mini pilgrimage. In fact the stars had aligned to initiate this voyage- the GEH was away, I needed to get a long training walk in (for the Shine marathon) and this will be my last Wednesday in the city for a while. It seemed like fate! I decided to walk to Chalk Farm from the city to build up an appetite.
Like a true pilgrim I encountered many hardships along my route- if you count the drunks and scallies of Camden as hardships! I wasn’t the only worshipper at the altar of Oliver’s on this night- they only serve GF on Wednesdays and it seemed everyone in the queue at the modern-chic chippy was ordering the without wheat option. You have to be in the know, as the order of service makes no reference to GF, but I believe you can choose from any of their battered dishes, or their healthier grilled alternatives and salads.
Of course I wasn’t here for a salad. I was here for some arterial abuse and I was soon drumming my fingers like counted rosaries on the counter in suspense. Would my prayers and cravings be answered?
Fish and Chips just as they should be
When it came the fervour was too much- as I acquired a blister in my mouth to match the ones on my feet by tucking into the freshly cooked fish so quickly. The batter was orangey golden, thick but light, incredibly crisp and just exactly as it should be. The fish encased within was moist and flakey. Chips were an absolute treat- not crunchy, but soft, floppy and faintly sweet as they absolutely should be, and thrillingly anointed with gluten free vinegar. The portion was huge, and at £9.25 was fair value for London- most excitingly the price is the same for gluters and celiacs alike.
Such a treat. I was totally full, but it was such a delight to have feasted without the bloating, the pains and the impending migraine. Definitely worth a detour if you have a hankering!
Food: 9/10
Service: oh come on, it’s a chippy, what do you want?!
GF Ability: 9/10
The Coeliactivist 
Hi, I was so excited when I heard that there was gluten free fish and chip shop. Unfortunately I am gluten sensitive and having checked, I was told that the batter contained Rice flour. Rice is one of the 18 Gluten Cross Reactive foods.
You can make a great batter out of Yam or Plantain flour. If you mix in some cider instead of beer you have a Paleo Gluten cross reactive and truly Gluten free alternative that is low GI.
Best regards
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comment. I was interested in this, so asked Coeliac UK to clarify, and they tell me that there is no evidence to suggest that the coeliac antibodies in any way ‘cross react’ with other grains/food products. Of course it is still possible to have a different reaction or allergy to those foods. Personally I have never had a problem with grains like rice.
I agree that cassava can make great batter as it’s really light. Isabel’s batter mix uses that and gives a great result :D
Cross-reactivity is a perfectly real phenomenon in allergy, and refers to reacting to allergens when you’re sensitised to another allergen with a similar molecular structure.
There is a lot of speculation about cross-reactive foods in coeliac but none has been properly published (and hence vetted, reviewed and criticised) that supports it concerning rice, coffee and several other foods which are perfectly fine for coeliacs, and from what I can see most of this all seems to stem from particular individuals with ties to tests (costing three-figure sums) that promise to reveal those cross-reactive foods to you. Depressingly, a lot of this stuff is getting published casually around the web and on allergy / coeliac sites and blogs, even in the UK.
Blogpost (a furious one (probably)) coming up when I get around to it …..
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