Dairy-free eating in Jersey: restaurants and menu options

Restaurants handle these differently, so it helps to tell them which applies:

• Cow's milk allergy: an immune reaction to milk proteins (casein and whey). Traces matter, so cross-contact matters. Lactose-free products are not safe.
• Lactose intolerance: trouble digesting milk sugar. Many people tolerate small amounts, and lactose-free milk is usually fine.
• Vegan: no animal products at all. Vegan dishes are dairy free by recipe, but a vegan label is not an allergen promise.

The Food Standards Agency found that 62% of people who react to animal-based foods wrongly assume vegan-labelled food is safe for them. (FSA, Allergy UK)

• Sangria Tapas Bar (St Helier, Spanish): DF pan-seared brill (£29.95), Pluma Ibérico (£24.95), and DF sharing dishes for two from £20.50 a head.
• Oyster Box (St Brelade): Irish fillet of beef with red wine gravy, grilled octopus with hummus, and grilled local vegetables, all labelled DF.
• Sorrento (St Brelade, Italian): potato-crusted sea bass (£26.95) and chicken cacciatora (£19.95), both DF. A rare Italian menu without cheese everywhere.
• El Tico Beach Cantina (St Ouen): DF pad Thai, a DF steak club sandwich (£16.95) and a DF full breakfast (£12.95).
• Nomu (St Helier): Filipino crispy pata (£24.95), labelled DF and NGCI.

For more, every dish in our vegan guide is dairy free by recipe: Izakaya's tofu steaks, Noya Shapla's vegetable curries and The Portelet Inn's vegan curry and pie are all good bets.

• Flour Patisserie (St Helier): vegan cupcakes (£4) and whole celebration cakes, all dairy free.
• PizzaExpress (St Brelade and St Helier): Sicilian Lemon Delight sorbet, and at St Brelade a stem ginger cake (£7.95), both DF and NGCI.
• Bohemia (St Helier): tapioca, coconut and mango pudding (£9.25).
• Restaurant 1840 at The Savoy (St Helier): warm coconut rice pudding with mango and passion fruit.
• The Moorings (Grouville): Strawberry Monté Mist with strawberry and yuzu granita, DF and GF.
• Sorbet is the safe fallback at many venues, including Sangria (£4.75 a scoop). Check it isn't made with milk.

• Butter: finishing vegetables, steaks, fish, mash and toast. Ask for olive oil instead.
• Cream: soups, pasta and curry sauces (korma and makhani especially), and gratins.
• Cheese: Parmesan shavings on salads and risottos, and pesto.
• Ghee: common in Indian cooking. Ask whether oil can be used.
• Ingredient names: casein, whey, lactose, milk solids and buttermilk.
• Coffee: plant milks are widely stocked, but steam wands and jugs are shared. If you have an allergy, ask for the wand to be cleaned or the milk on the side.

1. Name it precisely: "I have a cow's milk allergy" or "I'm lactose intolerant".
2. "Is there butter or cream in the sauce, or on the vegetables?"
3. "Is the bread or pastry made with milk or butter?"
4. "Can I see your allergen information?"
5. When it arrives: "Is this the dairy-free one?"