Waitrose

🛒 Waitrose Gluten Free Range

Waitrose offers a wide range of gluten free products, covering all the essentials like bread, pasta, and flour, as well as speciality items like cakes, biscuits and sweet treats. They stock a variety of popular gluten free brands, and whilst prices may be slightly higher compared to some other supermarkets, the selection and quality make it worth it, giving you plenty of choices for both everyday staples and special treats. Waitrose has also started entering some of its own-brand Free From products into the Free From Food Awards - look out for the FFFA logo on packaging to spot favourites picked by the gluten free community!

🔍 Free From Sections

🚪 Cupboard

Waitrose's Free From cupboard section isn't as big as other UK supermarkets but it still stocks pretty much everything you'd need for your gluten free shop, plus they stock a few brands/products that you wouldn't find in other UK supermarkets.

Within the aisle, you'll find a mix of well-known gluten free brands, plus Waitrose own-label options, covering the likes of:

• 🍝 Pasta & spaghetti
• 🍞 Bread & rolls
• 🍰 Cakes & desserts
• 🥐 Pastries
• 🍚 Flour & home baking items
• 🥣 Cereal & bars
• 🍫 Sweet Treats
• 🥫 Sauces & Condiments

🗄️ Chilled

Waitrose gluten free range isn’t just confined to one area and there is a Free From fridge area, but it's primarily stocked with dairy free and vegan items like milk alternatives and cheese substitutes. That said, there are gluten free gems to be found throughout the main chilled aisles too, often shelved with their gluten containing alternatives - things like:

• 🍗 Breaded chicken
• 🥧 Pies
• 🍮 Desserts
• 🍛 Ready meals

Fresh gluten free products are easy to miss if you’re only browsing the Free From aisle, so it’s worth knowing that some of Waitrose best finds are scattered throughout the store.

❄️ Frozen

In the frozen aisle, you'll usually find a dedicated Free From freezer section - though it’s worth noting that this is often placed alongside or even within the plant-based section, which can make shopping a bit confusing. Always double-check the labels, especially in mixed sections, and remember that vegan and gluten free are not the same thing! Frozen gluten free items usually include:

• 🍕 Pizza
• 🍗 Breaded products
• 🥧 Pies
• 🍨 Desserts
• 🍛 Ready meals

🥪 Gluten Free Meal Deals

Waitrose lunch meal deal includes a few decent gluten free options, including a couple of sandwiches - double cheese & onion and a coronation chicken - and they also have quite a few salad and snacks that are gluten free. Unfortunately, all of their sushi comes with a packet of soy sauce, which is not gluten free, and other varieties contain ingredients like hoisin sauce, which also contains gluten so it’s essential to check the packaging rather than relying on removing the soy sauce.

❗ Always double-check labels, particularly on meal deals, as availability and ingredients can vary.

🏪 Smaller Stores

Even Little Waitrose and smaller stores stock a mini Free From section with cupboard staples like gluten free pasta, flour, and cereal. It won't match the range of a large Waitrose store, but it's often enough to grab the essentials - especially handy after larger stores close on Sundays!

⚠️ Not Everything Free From = Gluten Free

This is something that trips up even seasoned shoppers: not everything in the Free From aisle is gluten free. Waitrose Free From label is an umbrella term that includes products catering to a wide range of dietary requirements - including dairy free, egg free and nut free. The majority of products in the Free From aisle are free from gluten (as well as other allergies), but don't get caught out buying something that's actually just dairy free, and not also gluten free.

✌🏻 Naturally Gluten Free Products

On that note, like all supermarkets, Waitrose carries hundreds of products that are gluten free by default so you don't need to buy something within the Free From aisle just because it's there - you can find a safe, gluten free product outside of the Free From aisle which is usually cheaper.

A good example? Pesto. You might spot it in the Free From section and assume it’s the one to go for, but standard pesto is usually gluten free. The version in the Free From aisle is more likely there because it’s dairy free (no parmesan) or nut free (no pine nuts).

Knowing what doesn't need to be bought from the Free From section can save you money and open up a whole new world of safe, naturally gluten free products.

Keep an eye out for the usual suspects: no BROW (Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat), and no 'may contain' warnings if you have coeliac disease.

👉🏽 For a refresher on how to read labels and ingredient lists, click here

👉🏽 Tips on shopping outside of the Free From aisle and how you can save money

💜 Our Favourite Free From Waitrose Products

• 🤩 Waitrose Gluten Free Smoked Haddock & Cod Fishcakes
• 🤩 Waitrose Free From Coffee & Walnut Loaf Cake
• 🤩 Waitrose Free From Gluten Brown Rice Penne
• 🤩 Waitrose Free From Coronation Chicken Sandwich
• 🤩 Waitrose Free From Sliced Tiger Cob

💚 Our Favourite Naturally Gluten Free Waitrose Products

• 🤩 Waitrose British Pork Schnitzel with Lemon & Thyme Crumb
• 🤩 No.1 2 Raspberry Panna Cotta Desserts
• 🤩 Waitrose 6 Honey & Mustard Pork Sausages
• 🤩 Waitrose Frozen Roast Potatoes in Beef Fat
• 🤩 Waitrose Milk Chocolate Smothered Honeycomb