Truffles Restaurant, Kippax

Being gluten free and eating out can be an issue, but I'm reassured by a restaurant that cooks from scratch and has a proper chef, as this makes things easier and more reliable. Truffles in Kippax, Leeds, is a restaurant that takes this one step further. My parents in law booked us all in a while back, and on the day of our booking (maybe a little too late!) I called and left a message on the phone saying I'm gluten free and need to avoid wheat and gluten.

On arrival they knew who I was, and said that it was no problem, most courses were fine and if it wasn't the chef would alter it. I ordered asparagus to start, then the platter of three fish for mains, with confidence. I was reassured when asked that all the food was organic and free range, even the chicken which pleased me as we don't eat battery chicken anymore.

The waitress brought some little nibbles to start with, parma ham and something on bits of bread, but mine came on a little slice of new potato. A brilliant start, followed by some teeny gluten free rolls cooked just for me, fresh from the oven. These were the best bread I have tasted for a long while, to the extent that felt like I should not have even been eating them. My asparagus and hollandaise starter would have come on some ciabatta if I could eat it, but the chef had kindly replaced mine with a crispy potato rosti, which was excellent.

My main required no changes to be suitable, and was very lovely, a trio of prawns, seabass and salmon on a blob of spring onion mash, with a drizzle of different sauce for each one. Cooked to perfection and presented beautifully too.

Dessert was a difficult choice, so I asked the waitress if my friend and I could share the five mini desserts selection, if they were mostly suitable for me, and she went back to the chef to check for me. It turned out that a couple were ok, but the chef could make up a selection of mini desserts that would all be suitable, so very pleased we opted for that.

When the long plate of desserts came over other dinners stopped eating to hear what we had been presented with. We had a square of dense flour-less chocolate and orange cake, a crunchy and chewy meringue topped with mascarpone and raspberry sauce, a creamy mini creme-brulle, a summery medley of plums and strawberries with mint and a spun sugar cage, and finally some divine espresso ice cream topped with pumpkin seed praline. All were fantastic, especially the chocolate orange cake which is also on the main menu called 'Chocolate Nemeis'!

We retired to the conservatory after our meal, and they brought us coffee and home made truffles, the recipe for them is here, and they were very nice too. Truffles is a excellent restaurant, and I feel very lucky to have it almost on my doorstop. No doubt we will be back soon, as there were plenty of other things on the menu I could have chosen. Their attention to my special diet was exemplary and something that other restaurants could do well to learn from.

Dinner at Truffles is around £25-30 a head and very much worth the money, I can't wait to go back, and would love to take my gluten free mum.