Big Feastival is an amazing festival for so many reasons and it’s happening on August Bank Holiday weekend from the 25-27th in the Cotswolds. There’s good music and good food… but what’s gluten-free?
In case you didnt know, I’m going to be there again this year to do a cooking demonstration, a book signing and a ‘table talk’ which is a more intimate and interactive gluten-free chat with anyone who signs up (it’s free to do so!)
| What I’m up to at the Festival! | Date and Time |
| Big Kitchen Cooking Demo | Saturday 26th August 13:30 – 14:00 |
| Book Signing | Saturday 26th August 14:15 – 14:45 |
| Table Session | Saturday 26th August 16:00 – 16:30 |
As well as doing my events at the festival I will be camping all weekend! I did The Big Feastival last year and absolutely loved it so I knew I wanted to come back.
I remember at my book signing last year lots of people said they couldn’t find much gluten-free food. I gave the festival lots of feedback on this and then decided earlier this week to contact all the food vendors attending Big Feastival to see what they had to say about gluten free offerings as well as cross contamination.
I of course don’t expect every vendor to offer options, at a festival there is limited space but I was pleasantly surprised that quite a few vendors got back to me providing positive news.
As with restaurants, cafes and eateries, unless they are 100% gluten free (few are across the UK) there is always a risk of cross contamination which is why it’s always important to speak to staff and explain your requirements. Never ever assume that things might be safe, even if the menu has a ‘GF’ next to a dish – it’s still important to let staff know your situation so they have all the information and can therefore be even more careful.
Also remember in any situation, if you have a feeling that something doesn’t seem right then always ask more questions. Don’t risk it. No food is worth being unwell.
Anyway, here are some of the places that have responded to my questions and what they said. Yet again I must emphasise that just because I’ve been provided with this information PLEASE still ask questions again before ordering; the person who responded to me is unlikely going to be the person literally serving your food!
What’s gluten-free at Big Feastival 2023?
Smashing Plates
What type of eatery? Greek restaurant – authentic souvlaki and gyros
What they say:
- Our main festival offering will be our souvlaki wraps.
- I’m afraid given the setup there maybe traces of gluten given our pitta bread and ground lamb&beef (“bibteki”, a Greek kofta) are on our grill
- BUT we will keep a grill/fryer completely separate for our halloumi so we can offer an unwrapped deconstructed salad version of our souvlaki without the pitta but oregano fries and tzatziki.
Stake Haus
What type of eatery? Steak and chips
What they say:
- Our main meal of Steak + chips or Steak + slaw is GF.
- We do have buns on the truck and while we do everything in our power to stop cross contamination we can’t 100% prevent it.
- The buns are sliced away from the main meal preparation and get toasted away from the grill though!
El Pollote
What type of eatery? Latino fried chicken
What they say:
- Absolutely! all our fried chicken, fries and sauces are gluten free. Also this year we will be serving limited portions of Arepas.
- Note there are fried chicken “burgers” on the menu but we handle the burger buns separately to avoid cross contamination.
Hackney Gelato
What type of eatery? Gelato
What they say:
- Thanks for getting in touch. We’re happy to confirm that none of the gelato we will be selling at the Big Feastival contains gluten.
- However, we do use gluten in some of our other flavours. We take the utmost care to avoid allergen risks, but because everything is made in the same kitchen, there is a chance that traces of gluten could be found in other flavours.
Oli Baba’s
What type of eatery? Halloumi fries!
What they say:
- The halloumi fries are gluten free.
Rice Guys
What type of eatery? Chinese comfort food
What they say:
- Thank you for getting in touch. Our Hainanese Style Chicken is gluten free. Tends to be one our most popular signature dishes wherever we go.
Terroir Tapas
What type of eatery? Small plates & fine dining
What they say:
- Our whole menu is gluten free apart from one small element on one dish.
- But we can adapt anything with ease on the day.
Wholefood Heaven
What type of eatery? Buddha bowls
What they say:
- Buddha Bowls are not only delicious, but vegetarian, vegan, wheat and gluten free!
Any other places that might be worth checking out?
M&S Shop
There is an M&S Shop on site. From memory last year it gets very busy and therefore things go quickly but they did have some gluten free sandwiches and gluten free crisps. Percy Pigs of course too!
Lickalix
I had many of these last year – delicious free from ice lollies – totally recommend.
Chocofruit
I haven’t spoken to them but chocofruit is exactly that with chocolate dipped fruit. They do look to have toppings so please do ask them lots of questions in case of cross contamination issues.
There was also a fab corn on the cob stand last year that was always popular that offered gluten free that might be worth looking out for!
Ones to 100% avoid if you are gluten free (although I’m sure are amazing for everyone else – grateful they replied):
- Only Jerkin
- Nanny Bills
- Bang Wok
- Mother Flipper
Can you bring your own food with you?
As far as I know this can only be brought into the campsite areas which we popped back to for some food last year when we didn’t want to spend money on the food stalls. So if you are camping do bring food with you for the campsite – it saves you money anyway!
Have a great time!
If you are going to Big Feastival I really hope you have a fab time. Please do come and see me and feel free to message me on social media whilst you are at Big Feastival if you have any questions – I’ll make sure to check my phone!
