The other day, we popped into the Sainsbury’s in Wellingborough to grab some picky bits for lunch at my mum’s. You know the kind of lunch I mean—everything laid out on the table, paper plates, everyone grabbing a bit of this and that. It’s the kind of meal that should be simple. Stress-free. Easy. Inclusive.
I had one mission: find a few chilled gluten free treats—a quiche, a sausage roll, maybe even a pork pie if the stars aligned.
Sainsbury’s do them—I’ve had them before in other stores.
But this branch? Nothing.
- No chilled gluten free section.
- No quiche.
- No sausage roll.
- No pork pie.
- Not even the sad, gluten free cousin of a mini scotch egg.
Just wall-to-wall pastry for everyone else, while I stood there like a lemon, wondering if carrot sticks and hummus would be my entire contribution to lunch. 🥕
And that’s what makes me nervous.
Not gluten—I know how to avoid that.
It’s the uncertainty. The constant gamble of walking into a shop or sitting down at a restaurant and thinking:
“Will there be anything I can actually eat?”
Because it’s not just about food—it’s about inclusion. About sitting around the table and not having to explain (again) why I’ve only got one lonely plate of salad while everyone else is living their best buffet life. 🥲
Being coeliac means I’ve learned to plan. To prep. To carry backup snacks like some sort of snack-prepper.
But sometimes, just sometimes, it’d be nice not to have to think so hard—especially for something as simple as lunch at my mum’s.
So yeah—uncertainty. That’s what makes me nervous.
And the Wellingborough Sainsbury’s chilled section.
Mostly that. 🙃
Have you ever had this happen to you?
Gone into a supermarket or café expecting options and left with nothing but a bag of crisps and regret?
Let me know in the comments—or tell me your go-to gluten free lifesavers when the shelves let you down.
Let’s swap stories (and maybe snacks).
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