Goldensheaf sits down with Sarah Heward, owner of The Real Food Café in Tyndrum, Perthshire, to discuss the growth and importance of the chippy’s gluten free menu
What’s the history of the Real Food Café?
My late husband, Steven, and I founded The Real Food Café when we purchased and renovated a derelict former Little Chef on the A82 road, which first opened in April 2005.
From the beginning, the café aimed to provide “real”, locally sourced food in a welcoming roadside diner atmosphere, attracting travellers, hikers and tourists along the popular West Highland long-distance walking route. Following the sudden death of Steven in 2006, I persevered and continued to grow the business, which has, over the years, gone from strength to strength, receiving numerous accolades and prizes, including several categories at the National Fish & Chip Awards.
How has the business grown since it opened?
Over the years, the café expanded its menu to include breakfast, home-baking, and vegetarian and vegan options, while investing in specialised equipment and staff training to maintain high standards. We hold a number of accreditations, including Coeliac UK A-grade caterer accreditation, and we are a member of the MSC Chain of Custody and Scotch Beef Club.
Now in our 20th year, we have become a key pit stop for many travellers going to the West Coast or travelling to the Central belt. We offer a warm welcome and inclusive dining environment to all visiting the Scottish Highlands. We have become a community hub supporting local sporting events and community organisations and together with volunteers attending our monthly Pick ’N’ Chips litter picking initiative, we have collected over seven tonnes of roadside litter. Through our fundraising efforts, we’ve also built 360 loos for communities and schools in Malawi.
When did you introduce gluten free options, and how did Gluten Free Fortnight come about?
We started serving gluten free food in 2007 after seeing my cousin struggle to eat out safely as a coeliac. I quickly realised there was a large untapped customer segment and decided to cater for them.
The café launched Gluten Free Fortnight in 2019 as a marketing campaign to showcase our year-round Coeliac UK accredited gluten free offering. During the two-week campaign, a special gluten free menu is offered to attract repeat customers with coeliac disease and new visitors. It is now held annually in October to boost trade and raise awareness.
How successful has Gluten Free Fortnight become?
The campaign has driven steady growth in gluten free sales, both during the fortnight and across the year, strengthening the café’s reputation as a trusted destination for coeliacs. We frequently receive customers who travel hundreds of miles just to eat our gluten free fish and chips. Just this year, we have seen customers who travelled all the way from Coventry to visit us during Gluten Free Fortnight and dined with us three days in a row.
This year, sales of gluten free fish and chips reached £90,000, accounting for 3.5% of total sales. While this may seem modest, coeliac customers often influence the dining choices of their friends and family, as their dietary needs limit where they can eat out. Their companions typically purchase drinks, desserts and other menu items, and they often recommend the café to others. Taking this wider impact into account, we estimate that catering to gluten free customers contributes around £400,000 in total sales.
Does catering for gluten free bring any challenges?
Yes. Gluten Free Fortnight is the only time of year when an expanded gluten free menu is offered. At other times, the menu is limited, with gluten free fish and chips at its core. Our kitchen is tight considering the volumes we are catering for and it has only one smallish dedicated gluten free fryer, which limits the variety of dishes that can be prepared, especially when considering allergens or dietary requirements, such as halal requests. Our kitchen size and complex dietary needs require thorough staff training. Every team member understands the serious implications of cross-contamination and takes pride in maintaining the café’s reputation for safe, high quality, gluten free food.
How long have you been using Goldensheaf Gluten Free Batter Mix, and what keeps you loyal to it?
We’ve used Goldensheaf Gluten Free Batter Mix since the day we opened in 2005.
The gluten free batter produces a product that surpasses anything the café had previously made. We joke that fish fried in gluten free batter mix is better and considered more superior to the standard version, with a light, crisp texture that doesn’t absorb excess oil, resulting in an overall high quality and, most importantly, delicious fish and chips. At the Cafe, we don’t do anything half-heartedly. Over the years, we have tried a selection of the well-known gluten free batters, but we have never been tempted away from Goldensheaf.
What menu item has become a signature at The Real Food Cafe?
Our fish and chips. From the very beginning, we’ve been proud members of the National Federation of Fish Friers, which has been a fantastic network for us, not only because of the knowledge we gained through the organisation but also thanks to the invaluable connections we’ve made along the way. We’ve met many operators, suppliers and overall great industry professionals – some of whom have become friends – who understand the industry and who are just as passionate about fish and chips as we are.
Can you share how customers respond to the food you serve?
Our customers absolutely love the food we serve, you only need to look at our reviews or Facebook comments to see their reactions.
We have customers travelling hundreds of miles for our gluten free fish and chips. The couple that came from Coventry for Gluten Free Fortnight this year took a 1,000-mile round trip!
We also run a survey during Gluten Free Fortnight, and the word that best sums up the feedback is gratitude. Our customers are genuinely thankful that we cater to their dietary needs. We feel incredibly fortunate to have such loyal customers and to be supported by our local community.
What do you value most about the service you receive from Goldensheaf?
Warren, our sales rep, has always been first-class. We have built a solid, long-term relationship with him and he really understands us and our business.
What do you think fish and chip shops should do more to push gluten free options, and what benefit would it add?
Fish and chip shops looking to expand gluten free offerings need to approach it seriously and professionally. They need to consider if it’s feasible for them and something they can afford to implement.
It’s not something that can be done half-heartedly; staff training is essential to ensure safe preparation and to avoid cross-contamination. Investing in the right equipment, such as dedicated fryers and utensils, is also crucial. The benefits over time are significant: once customers trust that a shop provides genuinely safe gluten free food, they become loyal patrons and enthusiastic ambassadors, recommending the business to friends, family, and wider communities for a product commanding a premium price.
Goldensheaf 0800 138 1938 www.kerryfoodservice.co.uk
