Gluten free in Wengen

I am coeliac, so have to eat gluten free. I am staying in Wengen in September at the Bernerhof and have a kitchenette. I was wondering how hard it is to eat out gluten free and also how hard it is to buy gluten free for organising meals my self? Thank-you.

My husband is gluten-intolerant and we have been very successful both dining out and cooking in during our visits to Wengen (18 times). However, he is not coeliac and does not have issues with cross-contamination. Being coeliac, you may find things a bit more challenging.None of the restaurant kitchens has separate work/prep areas for gluten and gluten-free. However there are many wonderful things to eat in restaurants that likely have not come into contact with any work surfaces or utensils contaminated with gluten. There are lots of cheeses (of course!), airdried meats that are out of this world, wurst (sausages - think lean and heavenly), fruits, vegetables, potatoes, meats & fish, eggs, salads, and soon. We have had good experience with chefs preparing sauced protein entrees using cornstarch instead of flour, making the dish now gluten-free. Unless something has changed since I was last in Wengen (August 2014), you will not find gluten free pasta, cereals, or breads in restaurants.When traveling I find it very important to carry cards describing your dietary situation in the local language (in this case, German).That way, if the wait-staff doesn't understand your request they can take the card to the chef who can then let you know what is possible. Here is a link to a card in German; I suggest you print out multiple copies and carry them with you. www.celiactravel.com/c ards/german/ And the English translation is here www.celiactravel.com/c ards/english/ As for cooking in, as long as you prepare the types of foods I mentioned that restaurants carry you will of course be fine. I did not see any gluten-free pastas, prepared foods, mixes (such as for cakes or breads),breads, or crackers in either grocery market in Wengen during our last visit. However we did find gluten-free muesli for breakfast which was quite nice with yogurt, fruits, and meats. And there is a good chance that the selection of items has grown since then. I see that Coop(the large chain) has on their ‘shop at home’ website a fairly good selection of gluten-free pastas, prepared foods, crackers and such. I would not expect many of these to have found their way to Wengen yet but it is likely that some are now carried at the Coop in Interlaken, directly across from Interlaken Ost station.

And, in case you haven't seen it yet, you may find this series of PDFs helpful as you plan your trip to the area www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

Thanks so much Kim for your thorough and very helpful reply. Your information will make our eating experiences so much easier. Thanks again

I am in Wengen now, and I, too, am coeliac, so know your issues. For the past 5 years we've been renting a chalet so I can fix most of our food here and not have to worry about cross-contamination in restaurants. Coop has gluten-free bread and Meusli (Scharr is the brand), lots of fresh veggies & fruits, cheese, yoghurt, rice milk, teas, organic (Naturaplan Bio) ground beef, frozen organic fish, veggies & berries, and of course rice, teas, coffee, etc. A word of caution about the ice cream and the chocolate bars - check the labels carefully as many are not gluten free or are processed in factories where wheat is also used. If you are in the mood for something sweet, look for the little bags of meringues (they also come in Bio) and dip them in some yummy Swiss yogurt and put a few berries on top. Delicious. There is another small market called Dorflade about halfway up the main street where Britta, Rachael, and Francesca are very helpful and will help you translate labels if you do not read German. They will also order, with a day's notice, fresh chicken breasts from the butcher in Lauterbrunnen. Since the store is small, you won't find many organic or specifically gluten-free items here, but they carry beautiful local lettuces and other produce, and it is the closest market to the Bernerhof so very handy for you! Since I'm still here, I'll post again if I discover anything else. We love Wengen and hope you will, too!

Thanks for your great tips lyssa, and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Annika

YOU WILL not have any problem finding enough gluten free food to eat especially with your own kitchen! We are 10/11 of us gluten free and we are having no problems with three being children. There is an app you can download to check translations for ingredients. We like the GF bread from the Coop to help fill tummies in the morning. We cook breakfast every morning, eat lunch out of usually cheese and meats or rosti which is a hash brown mixed with just about anything. We rotate eating dinner out or cooking in. NO problem finding meats, veggies, fruits, cheeses, nuts etc. Things are more expensive here so be ready for that but availability is no problem. You can even get GF weiner schnitzel in Murren at the Bellvue Hotel Restaurant!

Thank-you Lyssa for your helpful and very informative information. Your information will make it a lot easier when we are in Wengen. Thanks again.

Thank-you Skibill for this information. It is very encouraging to hear that it has not been hard for you to eat in or out gluten free. Thanks for taking the time to write.

One more addition to your query: The pharmacy, which is right next door to the Bernerhof, carries the Schär GF products - I saw meusli, crackers, cookies in addition to bread when I went in - and they will order other things for you. Just ask and they'll show you a list of the products that are available, usually by the next day. They are closed on Sundays, also for a couple of hours mid day on other days. Between Coop and the Pharmacy, you will find what you need as far as GF products, I believe!

Thank you SO very much for this extra very helpful information!!