My Celiac husband has a big appetite, so I was pretty nervous about our plan to fastpack the TMB. I had visions of our backpacks dangling with bags of gluten-free pasta and being forced to make regular detours down into the valley to raid the supermarkets for emergency snacks. So it was a massive relief to see a sign for gluten-free chocolate cake when we arrived at the Refuge de la Balme for our first overnight.
Did my husband eat as well as I did while fastpacking the TMB? Well, yes, in quantity, but not quite in quality or variety. Anyone who is a Celiac will already be used to that, though. While I had lemon cake for dessert that first night, my husband had another slice of chocolate cake (followed by a third slice of that same chocolate cake for breakfast). He had a lot of snickers to my strudels. As I tucked into a hearty plate of pasta one night, he was served a watery soup. But did he go hungry? Definitely not.
Planning our gluten-free fastpack of the TMB
Before the huts had even opened for booking, we emailed our shortlisted favourites to check whether they could cater for a gluten-free diet. Almost all confirmed they could; some asked for a reminder a week or so before arrival. When checking in, every single one also asked for dietary requirements, which was really reassuring.
The Rifugio Bertone was the only hut to say they couldn’t cater for gluten-free. This was a surprise as their website shows lots of polenta dishes, but they bake bread on site, so they can’t guarantee no cross-contamination. They said we could bring our own food for them to heat up, but we opted for the Bonatti instead. The Bertone’s response could just be down to their better understanding of the contamination risks compared to the other huts. We didn’t specifically ask about cross-contamination, but my husband had no issues throughout our trip.
Gluten-free breakfasts on the TMB
While my husband’s gluten-free breakfasts compared pretty favourably to my breakfasts, we both found most of the hut breakfasts to be very basic buffet-style.
Some huts provided gluten-free bread (eg, Auberge des Glaciers and Rifugio Bonatti), but you need to ask for it; it’s not usually part of the buffet.
A few provided gluten-free granola or cereal (example, Refuge de la Balme and Refuge de la Peuty). Again, you generally need to ask for it.
Bonus breakfast items along the route included yogourt at Bonatti, fruit (including whole bananas!) at Auberge des Glaciers and fruit (minus the bananas) at Refuge de la Peuty. Cabane du Combale, Auberge des Glaciers and Refuge de la Peuty all had a good cheese & ham selection,
Overall, Auberge des Glaciers and Refuge de la Peuty both provided a decent gluten-free breakfast. Cabane du Combale went the extra mile with a hard-boiled egg, which made all the difference to supplement the cheese & ham. They also had gluten-free muffins.
Gluten-free lunches on the TMB
As we were fastpacking, we didn’t have space in our backpacks to take advantage of the packed lunches offered by the mountain huts. However, given the standard of bread provided at most breakfasts, it’s unlikely that any sandwich provided would have been big enough to count as lunch.
Five of our six lunches were at mountain huts on route. All huts offered something gluten-free, but sometimes the choices were limited. At Auberge du Truc, they provided gluten-free crackers to go with the delicious soup. Then we shared a large salad with big chunks of mozzarella, and we both left feeling nicely satisfied.
At Refuge des Mottets, it took a while to find out whether they could offer anything gluten-free. Luckily (as we were ravenous), they were able to knock up a large omelette.
At Alp Bovine, as we arrived just as the kitchen was closing (2 pm), I can’t comment on the gluten-free selection. The only option still being served was soup, and so we were incredibly fortunate that this was gluten-free. It was served with a slice of Swiss cheese.
We had three standout lunches. Firstly, down in Courmayeur at L’Angolo di Mel pizzeria. The gluten-free pizza was as big and as good as my own pizza, so we both left there very happy.
At Auberge des Glaciers, we had an amazing Rösti on the terrace (extortionate, but worth it). Gluten-free and served with salad. See my Day 5 blog post here for a picture of our Rösti lunch!
On our final day, we had an incredible Tartiflette at Refuge La Boerne. Naturally gluten-free and served with salad. See my Day 6 blog post here for a picture of our tartiflette lunch!
Gluten-free dinners on the TMB
The dinner at each hut was generally very good from a gluten-free standpoint. Given that the set menus included at least three courses, even if one was substituted for a less substantial option, my husband didn’t go hungry. At the Refuge de la Balme, the Mushroom and leek pasta was substituted for an underwhelming rice with lentils and goat’s cheese. At the Bonatti, the gluten-free alternative to the second course (pasta) was a disappointing soup. However, this was followed by a third course of veal with a pile of polenta mash and a creamy dessert finale.
At some mountain huts, there were no substitutions; each course was naturally gluten-free. We both enjoyed chicken curry with potatoes and rice at Auberge des Glaciers and Moroccan-style chicken, chickpea & spinach curry at Refuge de la Peuty.
The standout mountain hut meal of the trip (for both of us) was at Cabane du Combal. They catered for gluten-free diets exceptionally well. The three generous courses included pasta, followed by pork with mash and ratatouille and a dessert of crème caramel.
Gluten-free treats & snacks on the TMB
The always dreamed-of freshly baked gluten-free apple strudel didn’t materialise, but we didn’t struggle to keep our stock of gluten-free snacks topped up. Mountain huts would normally have at least a packet of crisps, if not a Snickers, a magnum and of course, a pint of Coke.
Down in the valley, supermarkets and village stores were generally better equipped. We picked up nectarines and slices of watermelon at the Co-op in Champex-Lac, energy bars & nuts in Courmayeur and Näak lemon gluten-free waffles at the sports shop on the main street in La Fouly.
Gluten-free options in Chamonix
We stayed in Chamonix one night pre-TMB and two nights post-TMB. There are plenty of gluten-free options around town, but also plenty of non-gluten-free options. If you haven’t done your research, it can be frustrating to ask in multiple places and find nothing you can eat. It’s definitely worth doing some pre-planning and putting together a shortlist before you set out to hunt for food.
Gluten-free breakfast in Chamonix
For our first day on the TMB, we had breakfast at the Lykke Hotel & Spa. This was a large buffet including eggs, meats, cheeses, fruit and yogourt. There was a separate gluten-free area with a good selection of bread and baked goods. It was a quick and convenient way to start day 1 well-fuelled on a large breakfast.
On our two mornings post-TMB, we opted to try breakfast in town and found Galerie Café des Aiguilles tucked away in a little side street. They have a good selection of gluten-free items for lunch here as well as gluten-free cakes. For breakfast, the options were fewer, but my husband did enjoy his fresh fruit, homemade granola & yogourt. Plus, the coffee was excellent. We timed our second visit with a delivery of freshly baked croissants, including a gluten-free pain au chocolat. Although this was tiny (compared to my croissant), it was a welcome compliment to the breakfast.
We then treated ourselves to coffee number two at Moody Coffee, where they have excellent gluten-free cakes.
Gluten-free lunch in Chamonix
On our first day, we struggled to find many gluten-free options for lunch, so we were relieved to see buckwheat galettes on the menu at La Crêperie by Montcham. These were delicious, if a little pricey.
Post TMB, we picked up a poke bowl at Green Gorilla Café and ate al fresco on a riverside bench.
Gluten-free dinners in Chamonix
The night before the TMB, it was drizzling. We were conscious that we needed a big meal and an early night, and we fancied a burger. After finding no gluten-free options at a couple of restaurants close to the Hotel Lykke & Spa, Burger & Wells saved the day. Located just around the corner from our hotel, it didn’t look like anything special, but then we found out they had gluten-free burgers and baps! Better still, the burgers were amazing. So much so that we went back there on the night we finished the TMB, ordering two burgers each, much to the staff’s confusion.
Our favourite meal in Chamonix was eaten balanced on bar stools at Stories, Beer, Taco. They serve corn tacos, have a gluten-free menu and even gluten-free beer on tap. It’s a tiny place, so we were lucky to get a table. The tacos were sublime, and the staff and atmosphere were really friendly.
Final tips if you plan to fastpack the TMB gluten-free
- Don’t let a gluten-free diet stop you from fastpacking the TMB. It’s totally doable with the usual planning and patience that you’ll no doubt be used to.
- Email huts well in advance of booking to check they can cater for gluten-free. Then follow up with a reminder closer to your travel date.
- When passing through valleys, stock up on gluten-free snacks at local shops & supermarkets.
- Consider booking a luggage transfer to send a larger bag between huts. This gives more control of the availability of gluten-free bread, cereal & snacks. We enjoyed the feeling of self-sufficiency, carrying everything ourselves and would do the same again (i.e., fastpacking with no luggage transfer service), but it’s definitely a great option to consider.
- Please ask in the comments box below if you have any questions about fastpacking the TMB gluten-free.
I’ve written a separate blog about holidaying in Switzerland when following a gluten-free diet here.
You can read more about our 6-day fastpacking adventure on the TMB here.