The craziest gluten-free thing just happened!

Confession: I've avoided McDonald's for years because of gluten.

Why? Mainly because I couldn't have a whole meal there...or so I thought. But recently I'd heard rumours about McDonald's doing Veggie Dippers that were gluten-free. Seriously! Crispy fried dippers? Surely not!

But last Saturday I was in a bit of a fix. I'd been looking at cars in a showroom and the children were transfixed by all the controls. They wouldn't budge from the back seat. So the easiest thing to do was point across the road and say, "How about McDonald's?"

Normally, I'd go hungry. I'd watch them eat and then we'd go home and I'd have my (safe, gluten-free) lunch two hours after I'd have liked. But not this time. Instead, I asked about gluten-free and had an allergen menu thrust into my hands.

The McDonald's server couldn't have been more patient while I looked through, double-checked, and ordered. (I decided this was safer than using the ordering screens.) So I got to have my very own meal Yes, a meal! Veggie dippers, fries and a drink (all their sodas are gluten-free - no rogue barley added or weird mixers).

The only thing I'd warn people about when it comes to the dippers is that they are PIPING HOT. As in, take the skin off the roof of your mouth, hot. So a little patience is needed before tucking in. (Let's just say it helped that I need to take a photo of them first.)

And if you're wondering, the veggie dippers are also vegan. In fact, they don't contain any allergens at all.

My children aren't coeliac so it was easy to order them a Happy Meal each. And in those meals came a pack of Uno cards, which meant we were able to have a meal out and a fun time afterwards seeing who'd win.

So all in all my family had a weight lifted from us by McDonald's finally realising they need to do something on their menu that constitutes as more than a snack.

Obviously, I wish we had the system in multiple places in Europe (i.e. an actual gluten-free BUN to go with a burger) but until then, this will do nicely for times when time's precious and you want to join in.

A word of warning, though: McDonald's has recently introduced a Biscoff option for their frappes which means certain drinks that used to be gluten-free now have a 'may contain' warning. Just check their allergen menu when you go in so you're sure what's safe.

Have you eaten at McDonald's? What did you think? Do you want to see more on the menu?