We are very aware that food allergies and intolerances can be both life-threatening and cause pain and misery to you and your guests. All our staff undertake the governments food allergy training, and every effort is made to ensure your visit to Cley Windmill is safe and enjoyable.
It is important that you are aware that our kitchen, food storage area, tea/coffee station contain a high level of items that can cause an allergic reaction. When we prepare food for someone with an allergy an area of the kitchen is cleaned and sanitised for this task, where the risk is potentially life threating, we remove all food items from the kitchen area and do not cook or prepare with them for the duration of the event, however there is still a risk. We do not have separate ovens, steamers, fridges, freezers, hot plates, dish washers, sinks or kitchen in which to prepare, cook and serve food for people with food allergies and intolerances. Because of this we are very happy for guests who have a high level of risk, are likely to become ill, have reactions or are anxious when eating food prepared within kitchens such as ours to provide their own food, cutlery, crockery etc. There are areas in both Dovecote and Cartshed where this can be heated and plated by the guest.
We also understand that some people have religious, lifestyle and personal reasons for not wanting to eat certain types of food. We are very happy to accommodate you or your guests and respect these choices. The food that we prepare for these guest’s is prepared, cooked and served separately to prevent risk of contamination and ensure that all food items meet the guest’s requirements and expectations. Please ensure that we have a full list of requirements well in advance of the event. Please note we do not have a butcher that is able to provide us with Halal meat.
Catering for fussy eaters; we sympathise that not everyone of your guests might like everything you have chosen for your menu. We do try to accommodate these people, however that accommodation might be that if they don’t like cauliflower cheese, it is just missed off their plate, or if you have chosen fish and they don’t like fish they could be offered the same menu that as your vegetarian guest or exactly the same dish but with chicken instead. We hope you and they understand and we will do our best to find a compromise.