 Poster: A snowHead
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First time in Les Arcs 2000 in a couple of weeks, self catering with my son who has coeliac disease. Any suggestions where we could eat?
And does anyone know if the local supermarket stocks GF stuff, or should I bring all we need? We're on a transfer from Geneva, so no chance to stop in Bourg to stock up.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Pending, don't know, for sure, but you could try mailing Christof at spar1950@wanadoo.fr to see if the 1950 supermarket, much bigger than the 2000 equivalent, can help
AR
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Pending, Or alternatively take the funicular down one evening and visit the supermarkets in Bourg st Maurice.
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@Pending, when I last checked the Les Arcs supermarkets (including the big 1950 one) in March last year, they didn't have any GF stuff, and I had to go down to Intermarche in Bourg. I went down on the funi with trainers in my backpack and walked across, leaving skis/boots in 1600.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I believe that buckwheat has no gluten. All French supermarkets (usually even the resort ones) stock it, and a lot of restaurants serve buckwheat pancakes (often called galettes). The French word is "sarrasin". A useful standby - makes good pancakes with much better glycaemic index than wheat so also very good for diabetics.
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You do need to still make sure that the buckwheat flour you are buying is certified gluten-free though. It was in very short supply in the UK recently as it had been contaminated with gluten somewhere in the manufacturing process. It coincided with my niece being ill,and her Mum uses it a lot. I think it was Doves Farm brand , but it came from a French source., Also not all of the creperies use 100% buckwheat in their galettes, some add wheat flour as it makes them lighter, so it is best to check.
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SuperU in Bourg Saint Maurice definitely does a decent amount of GF stuff. There is also an "organic supermarket" just up the road in Séez which stocks a lot of special dietary stuff.
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it is best to check.
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absolutely - that's why I mentioned the "sarrasin".
French sausages are often gluten free too - we asked about ingredients of sausages in our local butcher for a friend who has a serious allergy to dairy. The butcher was absolutely adamant - made them himself, and they contained just pork, beef and salt. Diots de Savoie. But others might have rusk in - always need to check.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@pam w, the trouble with buckwheat stuff is that it's (very) often made with a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour, and therefore isn't suitable for coeliacs. And like oats, you need to be sure that the buckwheat flour is certified gluten free (i.e. hasn't been grown next to or milled in the same place as wheat flour). Asking for 'sarrasin' isn't enough - you need to be sure it's been made with gluten free sarrasin.
Similarly not all diots de savoie are gluten free - the ones in the supermarket weren't.
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@Gämsbock, I thought all oats contain gluten, as does rye flour (albeit not a lot).
I'd try to steer clear of a lot of supermarket stuff - my dairy-allergic friend finds there's lactose in almost all "manufactured" food. Even the tablets one of her doctors gave her when she had a very bad attack and he visited her at night. 
I get the impression that French chips are less likely to be contaminated with flour and other gunge than British ones.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@pam w, you can get gluten free oats - they don't contain it per say, but are fairly heavily cross-contaminated. All the big British supermarket chains stock certified gluten free oats. I've never seen them in France but as oats aren't that widely available (outside of ski resorts) that's not so surprising. More info here if you are interested.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/gf-diet/oats/
Rye on the other hand does contain gluten.
Not sure about chips - certainly, they are often contaminated in French ski resorts, though also from other (breadcrumby) things cooked in the same fryer. Generally though, the French seem to mess about with food less and don't seem to add gluten-containing ingredients to food unnecesarily.
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@Gämsbock, it must be very difficult being entirely gluten free. My only experience was cooking for a daughter who is wheat intolerant - not allergic - and she's a lot better than she used to be. So it wasn't vital to eliminate every scrap of gluten.
Is maize meal OK? Polenta as a source of stodge?
Presumably you could make some nice oat-based mueslis and snack bars without too much trouble? If on a ski holiday with a coeliac child I think I'd be taking quite a lot with me.
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You know it makes sense.
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Polenta should be gluten-free. I have a sister who is very intolerant to wheat and a niece with coeliac. Niece is also lactose intolerant and sister is vegetarian (but will occasionally eat fish if there is nothing else suitable).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@pam w, cooking at home it's not really a problem, you just adapt and everything you buy is gluten free. It does encourage you to cook from scratch and not to eat out too often! Polenta is fine and rather a nice change. I generally make my own muesli bars, but if I'm short on space/time then dried fruit/nuts are a good snack, and available everywhere. Like Perty has said somewhere before though, half the time you end up taking loads of stuff and bringing it back again!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Pending, Which company are you going with? I know the Super U & Intermarche in Bourg both do a range of gluten free, and also that one of the chalet companies there have an understanding of being gluten free.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not sure if it would work on your timelines with your transfer but there is a reasonably largish Migros in the train station at the airport.
If it's not mega tight on time potentially one could nip there whilst the others wait for the bags?
They tend to have a reasonable range.
We've found the mountain supermarkets really hit and miss, last year the one loaf of bread they had that was gluten free was so tough you could bang each slice on the table without it breaking!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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OUr local bakery in Monetier-les-Bains does a gluten-free loaf. Might be worth asking the bakeries in Les Arcs.
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Thanks everyone. We're going independently this time, flight to Geneva, Ben's Bus to Les Arcs and an Apt in Arc 2000. We have stayed in chalets and hotels before that have been fantastic, but it can be a bit hit and miss.
The main thing is to avoid unnecessarily bringing loads of stuff with us then having to bring it all home again. I do always bring his favorite GF bars and snacks, but enough pasta, sauces and bread for a week can mean an extra suitcase! And he loves trying new GF biscuits etc, so if they are available locally he won't eat what I bring.
Having decided to stay in Arc 2000 I'd like to avoid going down to Bourg if I can, if it means a 3km round trip from the Funicular to the supermarket. Despite being happy to ski all day the little one would NOT be happy with that.
@Arctic Roll, I've emailed Christoff, so hopefully he will get back to me. If not I'll just bring what we need with us.
Is there anywhere in Les Arcs where I can get a good regular (preferably hot) sandwich that would be ok with my son taking out his own GF sambos? When we are Tignes we usually go to the little sandwich bar in Sherpa. Anywhere like that in Les Arcs would be fantastic.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Pending, have been out to France a few times with a friend who has coeliac. She has a little bit of paper with something written on asking what on their menu is GF (she attempts to say it, but if they're not sure of her pronunciation she just hands over the bit of paper!), it usually ends up with the chef coming out for a chat. I'm sure I remember her eating a lovely tartiflette in one of the restaurants we ended up in, but we've been to many places where she has been less successful.
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@Pending, if you're not there yet: from the Arc 1950 owners site today:
Yes I was impressed with the bakery when visiting last week too. They had gluten free (wrapped) loaves in stock. I assume this was not their own produce though didn't specifically ask. They also had a gluten free gateaux that we purchased for a birthday celebration and also some small gluten free tarts.
That's the bakery opposite the Spar in 1950.
HTH
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Ah that's fantastic, and thanks for thinking of me! I'm heading off on Saturday, just about to start contemplating the packing, so that will save me a significant amount of space.
Cheers 
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