What are the dietary requirements?
Common dietary requirements include vegetarian and vegan choices, gluten-free needs, and food allergies or intolerances. Menu labels only show what a venue states, so confirm ingredients and cross-contact directly with the restaurant before ordering.
When people ask about dietary requirements before eating out, they usually mean one of three things: a chosen diet such as vegetarian or vegan eating, a medical need such as coeliac disease requiring gluten-free food, or a food allergy or intolerance. These differ in how strict they are and in how much checking they demand. A preference can flex; an allergy cannot.
[1][2]The requirements diners most often look for
- Vegetarian: no meat or fish. In this site's directory, vegetarian counts include dishes labelled vegan, because vegan food is also vegetarian.
- Vegan: no animal-derived ingredients. Mixed vegetarian and vegan menu sections do not prove every dish is vegan, so conflicting labels are excluded from matches.
- Gluten-free: needed by people with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity. The directory treats gluten-free strictly, counting only menus with explicit gluten-free wording; unlabelled options may be missing from the figures.
- Allergies and intolerances: the Food Standards Agency publishes consumer guidance on food allergy and intolerance, covering England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Allergen safety depends on the venue's own information, not on menu text alone.
Why menu labels and likely dishes are not the same thing
A menu label is a statement the venue made, such as a marked vegan dish or a gluten-free symbol. A likely dish is an inference: something that looks vegetarian or vegan from its name and listed ingredients. This site shows the two separately precisely because inferences can be wrong. A dish called a vegetable curry might still be cooked in an animal-based fat or finished with a dairy product the menu does not mention. Labels are stronger evidence, but even labels can be incomplete, and dietary codes are only treated as labels where the venue's own key was checked.
[2]A worked example: one table, three requirements
[2]What a zero really means
If a search returns no matches, that is not proof an island or venue has no suitable food. A zero means no matching evidence was found at the selected level in the text menus held in the directory. Menus without matching labels, and venues without a text menu at all, remain unknown. Missing menu information is never a claim that a dish is unavailable.
[2]How to verify before you order
- Match the island, the venue and the dated menu source, since menus change.
- Treat inferred dishes as candidates, not confirmations.
- For allergies or coeliac disease, confirm ingredients and cross-contact directly with the venue before ordering.
- Confirm current prices, opening hours and dietary options with the venue, since the directory is a snapshot, not live availability.
The Food Standards Agency's consumer guidance on food allergy and intolerance is the reference to consult for how allergen information should work in practice; it applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales, so island venues are best asked directly about their own arrangements. Your next step: shortlist venues that label the choices your group needs, then call or message each one to confirm ingredients and cross-contact for the specific dishes you plan to order.
[1][2]Sources and dates
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-allergy-and-intolerance-advice-for-consumers · accessed 2026-10-18
- https://channelislandsfood.com/ · accessed 2026-10-18