Tommy Chip Cone says "Stay safe."

I spotted this pandemic-themed sign on a chip cone mascot at Tommy's fish & chip shop in Middleton, Rochdale earlier this week.

Chip mascot in Southend

The 'Chip shop mascot man who is eating himself' at Southend's Adventure Island Theme Park has had a bit of a paint job since we saw him last year.

He used to be blue

The cannibal chip man was blue when we saw him - and a number of hot dog mascots - last July.

Hot Dog mascots of Southend

On our day out in Southend we spotted quite a few Hot Dog fast food mascots - three of which were in Adventure Island, and two of those were of a style we'd not seen on our travels before.

Not a Burger

A new type of happy hot dog man mascot - this one is covered in tomato sauce, or tomato ketchup

And another - this one is mustardy

Another example of the classic self- condimentising hot dog man

We also spotted a fair few cannibal chip men too.

Don't forget that July is National Hot Dog Month!

Related blogs posts:
- Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog Man

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Gluten free at Yorkies in Skegness

While in Skegness for a weekend away at the seaside it was great to have some gluten free options for dining out. In advance of my trip I'd received tips about gluten free places on Twitter and Facebook and found that Yorkies Cafe in the town centre had a really good gluten free menu, with lots of options. It was so good I dined there twice.

On my first visit I had a burger and chips. It was brilliant. The chips were delicious. For my second meal I had a Sunday Dinner - a real rarity. It was especially good as nothing was missing from the plate. I had lamb, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, a yorkshire pudding and gravy! A proper dinner

There are plenty of gluten free options at Yorkies. I was very impressed with the responses to my questions about the preparation and cooking of the gluten free food. It's always reassuring to have accurate and confident responses to your queries 

On both visits there were other diners choosing gluten free options. That was reassuring to see and hear. Yorkies is well worth a visit 

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac
- Skegness

Links:
- Coeliac UK
- Lincolnshire Coeliac Group

Gluten free chips for Chip Week 2015

A blog post for Chip Week 2015.

This year Chip Week is taking place between 16 and 22 February.

As someone with Coeliac Disease my life is somewhat dominated by my strict and life-long gluten free diet. However, I try not to let this stand in my way of having a good meal and enjoying one of my favourite dishes - Fish & Chips.

The very first gluten free chip I ate as a newly diagnosed Coeliac in 2008

Obviously, potatoes in their 'natural' form are gluten free. However, in the journey to become chips and to land on your plate they often undergo an interesting journey where they become contaminated with gluten, and therefore unsafe for Coeliacs.

So at home we normally make and cook our own chips, fries and wedges. It's a lot safer, and often tastier that way.

The two bags of oven chips that are always a stock item in our freezer are by McCain. The Original Oven Chips (Fat Chips - Straight Cut) and Quick Cook French Fries are both gluten free. You might think that more oven chips would be gluten free, but you'd be wrong!

On our travels around the UK's seasides we're always on the lookout for gluten free Fish & Chips. After my diagnosis in May 2008 the first place I managed to find some were at Rossi's in Swansea in August of that year.

A large portion of chips, with fish. With a side order of chips. All gluten free and served up at the Fish Factory in Worthing

If you are looking for gluten free chip options when out and about do make sure you double-check on the source, preparation, cooking and serving of the chips to ensure that cross-contamination with gluten-containing food items hasn't and doesn't happen. On a number of occasions I've been told that gluten free food is cooked in the same fryer as gluten-containing food!?

I couldn't of put it better myself. The Quayside Fish & Chip shop and restaurant in Whitby has the right idea

Check out the Chip Week website for more information, recipes, facts, fun and a quiz on chips.

Barley Malt Vinegar isn't safe for Coeliacs as it contains gluten, that's why I'm always pleased to see restaurants and takeaways serving non-brewed condiment with food. You can't beat chips covered in salt and vinegar

This year Coeliac UK will be running it's own Awareness Week between 11 and 17 May and focussing on changing the current state of diagnosis in the UK.

Chip Week Updates:

While shopping in our local Co-op we picked up a bag of potatoes to make some wedges with this week - the bag had a Chip Week sticker on it

Lots of chips for Chip Week. And some tasty veg. And oh look, a rib eye steak is on the plate too

Non-brewed condiment - great with chips and a stock item in my cupboard as Coeliacs can't tolerate barley malt vinegar

Links:

- Chip Week 2015 website
- #ChipWeek
- The Potato Council website
- The Potato Girls on Twitter
- Love Chips on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free Fish & Chips that we've found on our travels
- Coeliac Awareness Week 2015