Christmas meal for Coeliacs leaves a lovely taste

The Swindon Coeliac Community were able to enjoy a safe Christmas meal thanks to The Oriental Aroma in Royal Wootton Bassett.

On Monday 2 December, the Oriental Aroma in Royal Wootton Bassett welcomed over 60 customers who visited, not because of what was on the menu, but because of what wasn’t. All the diners had joined in a Christmas feast organised by the Swindon group of Coeliac UK, a local group that supports people with coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where symptoms can only be managed by avoiding gluten, even a crumb of which can cause pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and a host of other symptoms.

The Oriental Aroma have long offered gluten free options on their menu attracting customers from all across Swindon and Wiltshire. When they were approached by the Swindon group of Coeliac UK about hosting a gluten free, all you can eat buffet, they offered to open the restaurant specially so that they could ensure that everything on the menu for that meal was gluten free.

In May over 50 people enjoyed a sumptuous gluten free meal. That event was so successful that the group asked if they could hold their Christmas Meal there and, on Monday 2 December, they returned for a delicious, and completely gluten free feast. The group is now looking for other venues in an around Swindon that can offer a completely gluten free evening.

Diner and regular attendee at the Swindon group’s events, Malcolm Gull, who attended with his wife Jenny, said: “It’s nice to meet other people with coeliac disease to get a different perspective on how to deal with it and what we can eat. You can feel so alone when first diagnosed.”

Event organiser, Gareth Williams said: “Restaurants need to realise that if one family member requires a gluten free meal then the whole family will bypass restaurants that cannot cater for them.”

James Huynh, Manager of the Oriental Aroma in Royal Wootton Bassett said: “It’s not difficult to provide a gluten free offering if you do a bit of research. For instance, we have found a supplier of gluten free prawn crackers that are so good, everyone likes them so now all our prawn crackers are gluten free and there’s no risk of accidentally mixing them up.

“Offering a good range of gluten free options has worked well for us as it has attracted a lot of customers who are prepared to travel a long way to come to us.”

The Swindon group is run by a small team of volunteers and hold regular events in and around Swindon and North Wiltshire welcoming anyone who needs a gluten free diet. Attendance at group events is often free, non-members are very welcome as are friends and family and anyone who would like to find out more about the condition.

Details of their events can be found on their website: @SwindonCoeliacs or you can contact them at [email protected].

Coeliac disease is a serious illness where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues when the sufferer consumes gluten (a protein found in many cereals including wheat). This causes damage to the lining of the gut and means the body can’t properly absorb nutrients from food. Coeliac disease is classed as a common condition as it affects 1 in 100 people. However, only 36% of those who have the condition have been diagnosed meaning that there are currently nearly a thousand people in Swindon who have coeliac disease but don’t yet have a formal diagnosis.

If a first-degree family member (such as mother, father, sister or brother) has the condition then the chances of having it increase to one in ten.

More details can be found at https://www.coeliac.org.uk and https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coeliac-disease/.