Madeira

[Mikeila]

Hi guys..I will go in two weeks to Madeira..If someone has been there, can you tell me please if I will have problems to find places to eat or GF food?

Thanks

[Waterlily]

I have been going to Madeira every year for several years. However, May this year was the first time I had to eat GF as I had only recently begun the diet. Normally we go in November and are self catering, eating out most of the time but in May we were all inclusive and I had to be very vigilant about what was on offer. However, I managed to survive the week. Is your holiday a package or self organised? If you are staying in Funchal there are dozens of excellent restaurants. However, it won't be easy catering for GF. One I can recommend as being very accommodating if you explain your circumstances (recommend you take the GF card offered on the coeliac website) is O Chefe which is in the shopping mall underneath the Eden Mar Hotel up at the Lido. (off the Estrada Monumental) They also have the Steakhouse in the same mall. The staff are all especially helpful. Also, fortunately, in Madeira, you get amazing omelettes! I hope you have a lovely holiday. Bom appetite!

[Waterlily in reply to Waterlily]

I forgot to mention - O Chefe is no longer open during the day so you can;t drop by to book but you can get your hotel to book a table for you.

[Mikeila in reply to Waterlily]

Hi Waterlily..thank you for your answer.It will be self catering, and I'm gonna stay in Paul do Mar witch is one hour distance from Funchal.I will have BBQ so I thing I'm gonna cook every day for my self and I will try to take how many breads I can with me.

[DianeS]

We were in Calheta in May this year for my first holiday since being diagnosed. The supermarket at Calheta marina (10 minutes away from Paul do Mar) has a small "free from" section with GF pasta, rice cakes, corn cakes and a few biscuits. Their allergen labelling is reasonable. As an alternative, go to Ribera Brava (20 minutes further towards Funchal) to Modelo (up the valley road, by the sports field). They are part of the Continente chain and their labelling is excellent. They sell some vaccuum packed bread, Dr Schar white mix (only in 1kg boxes), pasta, crackers etc. Labelling on all their own brands is excellent. You can also sometimes find some GF products in the Bio section of supermarkets, which is for Health Foods and isn't necessarily the same place as Free from! Eating out isn't too bad as Madeira hasn't got much land suitable for grow wheat and so they tend to use maize and pumpkin to thicken soups and sauces. If in doubt, ask for grilled fish. Have a great time

[Waterlily in reply to DianeS]

Thanks for this info which is useful to me too. We have 3 Pingo Doce close by and a small Modelo not too far either. I will certainly be checking them out more closely later this year. I suspect I shall have to be doing a lot more cooking in our apartment than before!