Just found this great bit of info on line and thought I should share…
Did you know there is a U.S. Pizza Team? Neither did I. According to Good Day NY, the U.S. Pizza Team ran it’s first gluten-free pizza championship in 2010. In addition, according to the 2010 Pizza Power Report, the National Restaurant Association rates gluten free at number nine in its top pizza trends for 2011 – a way behind ‘locally grown produce’, sustainability, bite-size portions and farm/estate branded ingredients – but two places ahead of superfoods, four ahead of organic, six ahead of nutrition and health and a massive eight ahead of regional!!
Mind you, your faith may be slightly dented when you also learn that ‘30% of the chefs interviewed said that mobile food trucks and pop-up restaurants will be the hottest operational trend in 2011’….
I think we should all lobby Pizza Express and demand that they create a gluten-free pizza! If you want to do so, their phone number is 08453 899 489 or you can email them at http://www.pizzaexpress.com/our-service/talk-to-us.aspx
Well…I did email and was surprised and impressed to receive a speedy reply as follows:
“Thank you for your enquiry. The provision of gluten free products on our
menu does present certain challenges to us, our menu is predominantly
Italian in origin and the majority of Italian dishes such as Pizza and
Pasta are wheat based and therefore unsuitable for Coeliacs or customers
with a Gluten intolerance.
We know that even the smallest amount of flour could cause discomfort to a
customer who is actually gluten allergenic or a Coeliac and with our rich
environment we are unable to promise a wheat free environment even for a
wheat free dish.
Having said this we are completely aware of the rising occurrence of wheat
allergies and we are constantly adapting our menu to ensure everyone can
dine at PizzaExpress. Hopefully in the near future we can provide a greater
selection of recipes for you to choose from. However, we do allow customers to take their own gluten free pizza base. If you want to take in your own pizza base, then we advise you contact the restaurant manager prior to your visit.
I have attached our customer information sheet, which lists all our menu
items and their suitability. I have passed your email onto our menu development team, who will take on board your comments.
I certainly hope you find this information useful and if we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.”
Good stuff! Anyone who has actually taken a gluten free pizza base to a PizzaExpress restaurant, please post your experiences!