by Marie Marešova, Czech Republic
No, I don’t mean Shakespeare’s Theatre, but Globus, a German retailed company, with stores in Germany, Luxembourg, Russia, and the Czech Republic. As a citizen of the Czech Republic, I have only been to our Globuses, but I must say that, if their quality in other countries is only half of what I see here, it holds up to the scale of a great store. What is especially great about Globus is its approach to gluten-free food.
Even when I was in high school desperately looking for Jizerka (for me, the best flour without gluten, lactose, eggs, and soy) for gluten-free baking, I could count on Globus to always have it available. Since then, the gluten-free range has expanded significantly in other stores, but Globus still leads. In addition, it makes all its meat products (sausages, etc.) gluten-free, carefully marked with the crossed grain symbol, and regularly prepares at least one gluten-free meal per day in its restaurant. And believe me, it’s worth driving a few extra kilometers to the dining room in Globus!
Since 2007, it has also been organizing gluten-free afternoons, which are co-organized by the Gluten-Free Diet Society (www.celiak.cz). The seminar, for a symbolic fee, is available to everyone and the program is really rich. Globus will present its gluten-free food, you can taste what suits you best and discuss everything right on the spot with gluten-free diet experts. Ideal for a new celiac! As a bonus, you can also win something in competitions – so, who wants to try their luck?
PS: Personal experience
At the beginning of March, the gluten-free afternoon at Globus took place again, this time in the restaurant on the Black Bridge. After the welcome refreshments, which included a plate of first-class sausages and various sweet pastries, the presentations from Globus representatives began. During them, you could win valuable prizes for correct answers. For example, do you know how many Globuses there are in the entire Czech Republic, including two fresh stores in Prague? If you do, you could easily win flour and other refreshments. Doc. MUDr. Iva Hoffmanová, Ph.D. talked about coeliac disease and presented various tests taking place as part of the research. There was, of course, room for questions and then other competitions, during which selected participants presented us with their family gluten-free recipes in exchange for Marlenka cakes. We had the opportunity to taste the new chickpea bags with spinach, which will be available in the restaurant (and it is a must-try!). Representatives of Jizerské pekárny (from which the famous Jizerka flour comes), Expres menu, and Beavia had their product stands here, and Expres menu even offered ready-made hot meals after the program. All in all, in addition to a lot of learning, the afternoon was also full of pleasant experiences and laughter. If you have a Globus within reach, you will definitely not go wrong by signing up for the next gluten-free afternoon.