Dairy free on the Le Puy route

Felice · Mar 10, 2018

My daughter wants to walk from Le Puy this September. She has a dairy intolerance, which whilst not being life threatening, is certainly life disrupting if she inadvertently consumes anything with dairy products made from cow's milk. It makes eating out quite stressful.

As she does not want to cook for herself in the evening, how easy is it going to be to get a dairy free meal? Are allergies/intolerances understood in rural areas or will she run the risk of being given dairy products because the cook does not realise that 'that little bit of butter won't matter' will cause her big problems in about 6 hours time?

She intends to perfect her French enough to hopefully make her requirements understood, but any other advice would be much appreciated. And she's love to hear how anyone in a similar situation has found eating out.

Now if she had wanted to walk in Spain, I'd have known exactly how easy it is to avoid dairy products!

TMcA · Mar 11, 2018

Your daughter is going to find this, imo, very difficult. The French love cheese. If hikers are fortunate, the owners of the places where she might eat may offer cheese as a way to top off the meal. As a dessert, if you will. The French are proud of their regional cheeses.

In addition, early on the Le Puy route your daughter will find herself on the plateau d'Aubrac where the specialty of the region is aligote, a combination of cheese and potatoes, which is served as the main course in many of the gites where hikers stay.

Sorry to say, but there is more... the Le Puy route passes through some of the least-populated parts of France. In the small towns of this route (Aumont Aubrac, Nasbinals, Estaing, and others) there will be hotels and restaurants offering an a la carte menu. But in some of the out-of-the-way places, there will only be small places where the evening meals are served family-style. There is not really a choice in what you may wish to eat. Of course, there may be a plate of vegetables or a soup, but the food offered does not cater to individual tastes or allergies. At least that is my impression.

And of course, you know the secret of French food...

I am sorry to be so negative, but I am not sure if this route, or perhaps any in rural France, is going to be easy/safe for your daughter.

Maybe others with allergies who have hiked this route will correct me and if they do I will be happy for you (and your daughter).

Tom

;

Felice · Mar 11, 2018

Thanks for that Tom. I was rather afraid it might be the case. My daughter can eat sheeps cheese without any problems and goats cheese, provided it is not too much. Does this help at all?

Craig Towers · Mar 11, 2018

Felice said:
My daughter wants to walk from Le Puy this September. She has a dairy intolerance, which whilst not being life threatening, is certainly life disrupting if she inadvertently consumes anything with dairy products made from cow's milk. It makes eating out quite stressful.

As she does not want to cook for herself in the evening, how easy is it going to be to get a dairy free meal? Are allergies/intolerances understood in rural areas or will she run the risk of being given dairy products because the cook does not realise that 'that little bit of butter won't matter' will cause her big problems in about 6 hours time?

She intends to perfect her French enough to hopefully make her requirements understood, but any other advice would be much appreciated. And she's love to hear how anyone in a similar situation has found eating out.

Now if she had wanted to walk in Spain, I'd have known exactly how easy it is to avoid dairy products!

I agree with other posts I have walked this route. Bottom line is that Europeans are just not as concerned about what many of them see as finicky US dietary habits. ( gluten free dairy free etc) They just seem to eat natural real food. It could be pretty hard.

Man in Black · Mar 11, 2018

Felice: There is also a dedicated Facebook page for those walking the Le Puy route where you might want to post this question: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViaPodiensis

Kitsambler · Mar 11, 2018

Previous actual reports indicate that special diets such as vegetarians have it relatively acceptable on the Le Puy route. One calls for reservations two days ahead rather than the French-normal one day ahead, and one mentions one's requirements: "I'm sorry, I have a special diet. No milk, no butter, no cheese. Is that acceptable?" "Je suis désolé, j'ai un régime spécial. Pas de lait, pas de beurre, pas de fromage. Est-ce acceptable?" Personally, I think the "no butter" aspect might be the most problematic. Cheese is served intact and therefore easy to avoid.

lt56ny · Mar 11, 2018

TMcA said:
Your daughter is going to find this, imo, very difficult. The French love cheese. If hikers are fortunate, the owners of the places where she might eat may offer cheese as a way to top off the meal. As a dessert, if you will. The French are proud of their regional cheeses.

In addition, early on the Le Puy route your daughter will find herself on the plateau d'Aubrac where the specialty of the region is aligote, a combination of cheese and potatoes, which is served as the main course in many of the gites where hikers stay.

Sorry to say, but there is more... the Le Puy route passes through some of the least-populated parts of France. In the small towns of this route (Aumont Aubrac, Nasbinals, Estaing, and others) there will be hotels and restaurants offering an a la carte menu. But in some of the out-of-the-way places, there will only be small places where the evening meals are served family-style. There is not really a choice in what you may wish to eat. Of course, there may be a plate of vegetables or a soup, but the food offered does not cater to individual tastes or allergies. At least that is my impression.

And of course, you know the secret of French food...

I am sorry to be so negative, but I am not sure if this route, or perhaps any in rural France, is going to be easy/safe for your daughter.

Maybe others with allergies who have hiked this route will correct me and if they do I will be happy for you (and your daughter).

Tom

;

Tom has summed up exactly what your daughter can expect. Especially later on in the southern portion. Eating in the Gite was the only option. Maybe she should think about a Camino like Norte. I hope to walk this year on the Norte. Should be as pretty and hopefully as peaceful much of the way. That’s what I loved about Le Puy. More big towns but also more choices. Hope this helps

expmrw · Mar 11, 2018

Felice said:
My daughter wants to walk from Le Puy this September. She has a dairy intolerance, which whilst not being life threatening, is certainly life disrupting if she inadvertently consumes anything with dairy products made from cow's milk. It makes eating out quite stressful.

As she does not want to cook for herself in the evening, how easy is it going to be to get a dairy free meal? Are allergies/intolerances understood in rural areas or will she run the risk of being given dairy products because the cook does not realise that 'that little bit of butter won't matter' will cause her big problems in about 6 hours time?

She intends to perfect her French enough to hopefully make her requirements understood, but any other advice would be much appreciated. And she's love to hear how anyone in a similar situation has found eating out.

Now if she had wanted to walk in Spain, I'd have known exactly how easy it is to avoid dairy products!

If your daughter can master the the French terminology I would not be too concerned. Granted, a lot of butter is used but just as much olive oil is used in cooking. From the cheese point of view they do eat a lot of goat and sheep cheese. In the gites d'etape we found we had soup, huge pots of stew and fruit or cheese after. it is such a beautiful walk it would be a shame to not give it a go.

kmrice · Mar 11, 2018

I think it will be a problem. The Le Puy route goes through some serious cow county. Beef is pretty expensive, and we didn't see much of it in the gites. At one place we stayed pretty much all they served for dinner was cheese dishes followed by a cheese plate for dessert. Breakfast was three types of fermented milk - a regular sort of yogurt and two somewhat similar products. Didn't see that much olive oil; mostly butter. Can she really not eat butter? It has very little lactose. If she has to avoid butter, I think it will be pretty difficult.

Felice · Mar 11, 2018

Thank you for all your input. We'll have to think seriously about whether it is possible or not. More research is needed - maybe getting in contact with some gites might be useful to test the water. No point in going if its going to be too stressful.

TMcA · Mar 11, 2018

I am guessing that your daughter is young. Having her pose her questions in French to several gîtes (the French version of the Spanish albergues) would be a good learning exercise.

Furnished below is a link to an interactive map of the hike. This site will provide email addresses for many (not all) of the places she might stay and eat.

http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Selection/CarteFrance.html

Tom

Lee Jackson · Mar 12, 2018

Felice said:
My daughter wants to walk from Le Puy this September. She has a dairy intolerance, which whilst not being life threatening, is certainly life disrupting if she inadvertently consumes anything with dairy products made from cow's milk. It makes eating out quite stressful.

As she does not want to cook for herself in the evening, how easy is it going to be to get a dairy free meal? Are allergies/intolerances understood in rural areas or will she run the risk of being given dairy products because the cook does not realise that 'that little bit of butter won't matter' will cause her big problems in about 6 hours time?

She intends to perfect her French enough to hopefully make her requirements understood, but any other advice would be much appreciated. And she's love to hear how anyone in a similar situation has found eating out.

Now if she had wanted to walk in Spain, I'd have known exactly how easy it is to avoid dairy products!

I also have a dairy intolerance . I kept on my phone a note in Spanish and in french saying that i was allergic to all dairy and showed to the hosts. In 30 days i did not have any problems. If she has some thing she can tolerate then just list them. Everyone was very understanding and had no problem accommodating my allergies.

JabbaPapa · Mar 12, 2018

I think some people have exaggerated the difficulties -- as far as Spain is concerned, they use little butter in their cooking, and avoiding things like cheese tortilla as well as the cheeses themselves and the dairy desserts is fairly simple. Some breakfast stuff will need to be avoided probably.

As for France, using butter in food preparation is mostly a northern affair, not a typical habit in the South of France that the Le Puy route goes through. Asking for black coffee is easy, and the French usually know their cheeses well enough to know if it's cow, ewe, goat. Probably the great majority of desserts will need to be avoided though.

One trap to be aware of in advance in France -- many morning pastries, croissants, pain au chocolat, chaussons etc are made with heaps of butter, so your daughter would be well advised to stick to bread or toast for breakfast.

Avoid any tarts or similar, even though they're not all made using dairy, best to be safe.

Some salads will need to be avoided.

But the bulk of French southern cooking is non-dairy.

Your daughter would have a much harder time of things in Italy, their use of cheeses in cooking is ubiquitous ...

Craig Towers said:
Bottom line is that Europeans are just not as concerned about what many of them see as finicky US dietary habits.

Lactose intolerance is not a "finicky US dietary habit" -- technically, lactose tolerance is the mutation, as it is very unusual among mammal species not to develop lactose intolerance during normal growth. Lack of that mutation is still common among human beings, and many many people in Europe are lactose intolerant.

As such, awareness of it is very widespread, and most will know how to accommodate it, particularly those commercially preparing food for others.

Felice · Mar 12, 2018

My daughter is in her early 30s and has been dairy intolerant for about 10 years, following a very severe bout of food poisoning. She had always had a 'delicate constitution' before that though; even as a young child I remember her coming out in a terrible rash after eating a chocolate mousse made with raw eggs.

In the early days of living dairy free, she was very grateful for the good labelling on food products in the UK. She soon learned the obvious groups to avoid, as well as the surprising places where whey powder can be found.

In contrast, eating out was a nightmare. Small places frequently did not know and did not care precisely what was in anything. Large chain restaurants would say things like 'it's on our website' which was great in the pre universal smart phone era.

Since the passing of a regulation which requires all eateries to provide allergy information it is so much easier to eat out in the UK. Small establishments such as gastro pubs fall over themselves to help and offer substitutions.

Being fairly familiar with Spanish cuisine, I know that she would have few problems finding a good meal. But not having walked in France, I do not know the set up there.

And yes, I agree that there are loads of finicky eaters, who say they don't eat x or y, and only later say that it is because they are following a special diet like the paleo diet or whatever. She just wishes she was one of them as life would be so much easier!

Felice · Mar 12, 2018

Lee Lauder said:
I also have a dairy intolerance . I kept on my phone a note in Spanish and in french saying that i was allergic to all dairy and showed to the hosts. In 30 days i did not have any problems. If she has some thing she can tolerate then just list them. Everyone was very understanding and had no problem accommodating my allergies.

Did you walk in France on the Le Puy route or just the Frances from SJPP?

Dave · Mar 12, 2018

JP, I smiled when I saw you mention Italy, as I had a young pilgrim with me on the Via Francigena last summer who was gluten- and lactose-intolerant. He's celiac, so he really needed to avoid that stuff. In Italy! And yet, everyone we reached out to was very understanding and worked quite hard to prepare special meals for him.

My experience in France (and I coordinate student groups of 12-13 people, so there are always dietary restrictions) is that most gites will be very responsive to whatever your dietary needs are, provided they have advance notice. I found most of Western Europe to be 3-5 years ahead of the US when it came to active support of dietary restrictions, including special sections in groceries/supermarkets. True, the pastry options will be much more limited, but I think gites will accommodate.

The easiest approach, Felice, would be to reach out to possible gites that your daughter might want to stay at over the first handful of days and ask if they would be able to support her. That won't take long and it will remove a lot of the idle speculation. I think you'll find them receptive.

I'd add, though--as a vegetarian, who sometimes gets burned our on the omelette that is the go-to ovo-lacto vegetarian option in most gites--that I'm often very happy to have a kitchen and supermarket, and I think she would benefit from being willing to chart her own course a few times per week.

Dave

Felice · Mar 12, 2018

Dave, thanks for your response as it is gently encouraging. I was definitely working along the lines of contacting gites to test the response. I'm just a bit saddened that this is going to be the absolute opposite of my first camino - the Frances - where I loved the freedom of being able to stop as and when I felt like it. We're going to be fixed in to a straight jacket some 2 to 3 days in advance, as a minimum.

I also think that we will have to bring/buy food and either supplement what is on offer or make her own food.

I was on a guided tour in France a couple of years ago, and the vegetarian in our group was routinely offered either roast vegetables or an omelette. She was fairly desperate by the end. My daughter unfortunately can't stand omelettes, which will make it harder for her.

Lee Jackson · Mar 13, 2018

Felice said:
Did you walk in France on the Le Puy route or just the Frances from SJPP?

I just walked the frances from SjPp, but also spent about a week sightseeing inFrance and used the same note in Paris , Bayonne, caen, and a few other places in France without any problems

Kanga · Mar 13, 2018

@Felice and @Lee Lauder in my experience the Le Puy route is very different to the CF or to the more populated regions in France. Much of it is still quite isolated and remote, and most of the villages no longer support a restaurant, a supermarket, or even a shop. We were often entirely dependant on the meal being served in the gite, and it had been decided well in advance of our arrival - the proprietor having bought the ingredients days before when doing the weekly shop in a large town.

I agree that you will find the gîtes usually very helpful as long as you book ahead and confirm they can cope. It may be helpful to explain what your daughter can eat - if she is not vegetarian then obviously meat of any kind and vegetables and fruit. Lentils in Le Puy (of course!) Poultry is a good option in most areas. You would simply have to explain that those foods and vegetables are all good, as long as the sauce is not diary based. In the Gers region we got to the stage that we never wanted to see another bit of duck - by whatever name! (canard, margret, aiguillettes, confit, gésiers, caneton, cannette.....) And cassoulet - which is usually dairy free.

Good luck - and if it all gets too difficult then jump on a train and head to the Norte in Spain - also a beautiful landscape but in a more populated area.

Lee Jackson · Mar 13, 2018

Thanks for the information, i am going to stick to the Norte and Portugues next time i head out. Hopefully won’t have any problem on them for food alergies

jungleboy · Mar 13, 2018

Thanks to everyone for the great information in this thread. I don’t consume dairy either and have never had a problem (camino or otherwise), but it sounds like the Le Puy route is a different beast altogether. Good to know for future camino planning!

jouffroy47 · Mar 17, 2018

Felice said:
My daughter wants to walk from Le Puy this September. She has a dairy intolerance, which whilst not being life threatening, is certainly life disrupting if she inadvertently consumes anything with dairy products made from cow's milk. It makes eating out quite stressful.

As she does not want to cook for herself in the evening, how easy is it going to be to get a dairy free meal? Are allergies/intolerances understood in rural areas or will she run the risk of being given dairy products because the cook does not realise that 'that little bit of butter won't matter' will cause her big problems in about 6 hours time?

She intends to perfect her French enough to hopefully make her requirements understood, but any other advice would be much appreciated. And she's love to hear how anyone in a similar situation has found eating out.

Now if she had wanted to walk in Spain, I'd have known exactly how easy it is to avoid dairy products!

Yes, Felice, come join us in the Via Podiensis FB group. Robert Forrester has his Guide to Pilgrim--Friendly gîtes posted there and has included veggie-friendly ones that are more likely to be welcoming to those with special dietary requirements. When reserving your gîte ahead of time, if you/she plan on taking the demi-pension let them know she cannot have dairy products. This should not be a problem for most-- let them know what this includes (ie. butter) as well.

Felice · Mar 17, 2018

jouffroy47 said:
Yes, Felice, come join us in the Via Podiensis FB group. Robert Forrester has his Guide to Pilgrim--Friendly gîtes posted there and has included veggie-friendly ones that are more likely to be welcoming to those with special dietary requirements. When reserving your gîte ahead of time, if you/she plan on taking the demi-pension let them know she cannot have dairy products. This should not be a problem for most-- let them know what this includes (ie. butter) as well.

Thanks for the encouragement. Advance notification will be key, I suspect.

Actually, vegetarian is NOT the way for her to go! She is a meat eater - plainly cooked using oil, not butter; or stews and casseroles. The vegetarian option is quite often an omelette, and she just can't cope with that amount of egg all at once.

Felice · Mar 17, 2018

Kanga, we'll head for Spain, somewhere or the other, if it all gets too much. But hopefully it won't come to that.

jouffroy47 · Mar 17, 2018

Well if she likes beef, the Aubrac region is famous for its beef cattle, and then further along there is quite a bit of charcuterie and duck. As someone suggested above, I would also let them know what she can eat...

MCCanada · Nov 8, 2024

Hi there, I'm considering walking from Le Puy to St. Jean next spring if I can get my French up to par. I'm looking on advice on a few things: - Would it be too cool and rainy to start walking...

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