House of Halloumi, Exeter.

Today, the lovely Elly invited me down to check out her new food stall in Exeter Guildhall. The menu is almost totally gluten free and includes the food of the gods: halloumi. My fave! ...So, of course I was down there in a shot ordering the whole menu (yes, very full and probably not going to need to eat for a week).

It is so fab when a business is so open to gluten free options and goes out of their way to help those with allergies. Elly made sure she informed me which items I could and couldn't have and was so careful not to cross contaminate. Definitely here for this. She also introduced me to Genius Brioche buns (how have I never seen these before?!).

I asked Elly a few questions about the business:

What gluten free items do you offer on the menu?

Our gluten free options include our halloumi burger, halloumi fries and salads (apart from the tabouleh).

How do you make these gluten free?

I thought it was really important to ensure that people with a gluten intolerance or allergy could still eat everything on the menu. Therefore, I tested out a few different flours to use for the coating and found that the free from plain flour in Sainsbury's gave the best GF crispyness. we use this flour for all the halloumi. It's more expensive but as I mentioned before I wanted to ensure that everyone could enjoy our food. We also have gluten free brioche buns available on request. We use the genius brand, the buns are actually bigger than the regular ones so being gluten free pays off.

Why did you start the business?

I started the food stall as I have always wanted to run my own food business. I started just before lockdown with my first event and I absolutely loved it and couldn't stop smiling the whole day. Over lockdown we had to close completely with no events going ahead. Luckily we found a great spot outside the Guildhall in Exeter. We are there every Friday-Sunday from 11am-5pm. We are also looking to extend the number of days and hours during the Christmas shopping period.

Tell us something you have learnt during the pandemic.

During the pandemic I was in West Sussex. I started doing lost of baking and created an Instagram (@ellysbakesexeter). This has gradually grown as more and more people were requesting to order my cakes. I now still do postal orders of brownies and cookies and local orders for in and around Exeter. Through doing this I have learnt a huge amount about how social media can boost your business and I have also learnt a great deal from other bakers.I use all the recipes from Elly's Bakes on the House of Halloumi stall. We have brownies and cookies available weekly and we are currently testing some gluten free cakes. I would love some feedback as to which gluten free cakes you would love to see!

And now....my review!

I went for the fresh salad box first. Let's call this my starter! Haha! I'd usually turn straight to the burger and skip the salad but this one was divine and I actually ended up preferring it. Look at this beauty....I am going to be here on my lunch break MOST Fridays.

Bursting with flavour, this salad box comes with sweetcorn, salsa, coleslaw, three bean salad (love a cannellini and kidney bean) and spiced chickpeas topped off with halloumi coated with gluten free flour and pomegrante seeds. No words. A sensation of flavours and so so filling.

Let's also take a moment to appreciate the halloumi fries. Topped with spiced yogurt, pomegranate and fresh mint. Firstly, incredibly instagrammable, and most importantly scrumptious. So light and crispy and the pomegranate gave it a beautiful zing.

Now my main course, the famous halloumi burger. If it ain't famous, it ought to be....

As I mentioned before, the brioche bun was fab. Light, complimenting the burger perfectly. The crispy halloumi was topped with hummus, tomato, lettuce, salsa, and chutney. A taste sensation. The mix of hummus and chutney really, really worked (taking the usual salty taste of halloumi right out of the picture). Filling yet light on your stomach. My partner actually loved the burger bun with it too (which is a first!).

It was ALL incredible.

I would really recommend getting yourself down to this beautiful stall in the guildhall Friday, Saturday or Sunday. You will be in for an absolute treat and at a fair price too! I thought it was a bargain for such a fab meal (and you don't get charged extra for being gluten free like some people do!) Elly was so lovely and completely understood the whole allergy and intolerance thing, which is so refreshing and made you feel super safe!

Love it!

@houseofhalloumi

N.B. Food was provided free of charge, but I will be back to pay for several more doses of halloumi (always like to be open and honest with you).