Leon Love
I spent the weekend in London.
I love London and spent 13 happy years living there.
So the prospect of spending some time back in London was thrilling and I was particularly excited to see what gluten free dining would look like in the metropolis.
I had high expectations.
Lunch. I had an hour. My fellow luncheon companion, and ex pat Parisian and ex Londoner were both excited to see what was what. Our first glancing stop was, Eat it appears not to have changed much in 5+ years and nothing was even cursorily marked gluten-free. Next on to Benugo’s an old favourite, whilst the coffee is still fabulous it is a bread mecca with no gluten-free options. We were running out of time and options so settled on Pret -a- Manger which even with its now global presence had no gluten free offering or labelling. It was a little soul destroying as any originality Pret once had appears to have long left the building, maybe around the time of its sleep over with McDonalds . As I sat there a little dis heartened that a new gluten free world was not alive and kicking in London (yet), I noticed out of the corner of my eyes one of the things I miss most about London fast food, Leon.
A quick scan on my phone at their website and YES! most of their delicious food and yummy cakes and deserts are gluten free and individually marked as such, as well as wheat and dairy free and other useful nutritional info.
The following day my ex pat Parisian friend brought in her own home made sandwich, which said it all really. I felt bad as I skipped to Leon that maybe I hadn’t said how wonderful it is…
My Moroccan meatballs were heaven and every bit as mouth wateringly delicious as they were the first time I tried them nearly ten years ago.
I loved my lunch so much I stopped and bought their tai green curry to courier home for dinner. The delicious aromas kept seeping out through the box and in to South West Train carriage for the whole 1.5 hour journey back but it disrupt my fellow passengers although I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty when a group of school girls.
Thank you for feeding me so well this weekend Leon and if your ever looking to branch out, outside of London then please head south on the M3 and stop somewhere around the New Forest area first?? Please!
And if you dear reader are ever in London then go to Leon, its delicious, great value, good food. There are a few of them about.
Tabitha’s Edit 
Leave a Reply