Browns Brasserie & Bar achieves gluten-free Coeliac UK accreditation

The new menu launched in January, after the group’s in-house chefs and trainers worked with Coeliac UK to create new gluten-free dishes, and assured gluten-free versions of the traditional brasserie options.

To achieve accredited status, restaurants must complete risk assessments, change working practices, complete product development processes, and provide training, followed by Coeliac UK audits.

Five Browns restaurants were audited as a sample of the group, and all received the required standard.

The group’s assured gluten-free starters now include beef carpaccio, British mussels, and torched feta salad; plus mains such as seared tuna niçoise; beetroot and avocado salad; roasted lamb rump and whole grilled lobster; and beef steak with watercress and thick-cut chips.

The gluten-free dessert options include the chocolate brownie, and the blueberry and white chocolate mess.

“It is incredibly important to us as a brand to be able to assure our guests of the integrity of our food and the expertise of our chefs,” says Alex Palmer, assistant marketing manager at Browns. “We feel our new gluten-free menu is the perfect way to showcase this.”

First launched in 1973, Browns now operates seven sites in London; nine across the South including Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Brighton; five in the North including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle; and one apiece in Edinburgh and Scotland. 

Since December 2015, all restaurants and food outlets have been required by law to display publicly - or produce upon request - detailed information on all allergens present within their food. There are 14 allergens to be aware of, including gluten, peanuts, milk, fish, crustaceans, soya, lupin, and seeds. 

Restaurants and food outlets are not required by law to provide a gluten-free or allergen-free menu, but many high-street groups have done so, such as PizzaExpress​, La Tasca​​, and ASK Italian​.