Lactose.help - Your Dietary Freedom, Simplified

Welcome to this new series of articles where I take you across Europe to explore the dairy products, lactose-free options, and vegan alternatives available. As someone with lactose intolerance and co-founder of the lactose.help app, I decided to travel across the continent, app in hand, to give you a concrete overview of what to expect if you're travelling with an intolerance.

Ninth stop: London, United Kingdom.

The journey: the Eurostar, comfortable but disconnected

Here I am on the Eurostar Paris-London. After passport control, I'm on the train. It's very comfortable. Unfortunately, the train's internet connection is just unusable. So after a power nap, I write.

I'm expecting to find a cheese universe different from the continent. The UK also has its PDO/PGI cheeses, and I can't wait to discover them.

Quick reminder on the method

For those just joining us, lactose.help classifies products according to their maximum lactose risk, from A (very low risk, safe consumption) to E (high risk, avoid). You can check out the full methodology here.

Supermarket mission: Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Waitrose & Partners

Lactose-free ranges: a limited choice

At Waitrose & Partners, I found lactose-free products from the Arla brand:

Cream cheese
Whole and semi-skimmed milk
Mature Cheddar*
Cream

*It's worth noting that this isn't really necessary: most cheddars are naturally lactose-free thanks to their ageing process.

It's worth noting that the choice of lactose-free products is much more limited than in all other countries visited, except France which remains at the bottom of the pack.

Special mention for goat's milk butter which is supposedly lactose-free.

British cheeses

Lactose concentration A (safe, maximum 0.1 g / 100 g):

Hard Cheese Made with Butter, Smoked over Beechwood
Godminster Organic Cheddar with Truffle
Snowdonia Vintage Red Leicester
Snowdonia Rock Star (Vintage Cheddar aged in Welsh slate caverns)
Extra Mature Cheddar
Wensleydale
Red Fox
Vintage White Cheddar
Shropshire Blue Cheese
Crumbly Wensleydale

Lactose concentration B (generally safe, maximum 0.5 g / 100 g):

Snowdonia Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese with Black Summer Truffle
Snowdonia Black Bomber (Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese)
Snowdonia Beech Wood (Smoked Cheddar Cheese)
Double Gloucester
Lancashire
Red Leicester
Blue Shropshire (cow's milk)
Blue Stilton PDO
Highmoore
Cheshire
Lindum
Mild Cheddar
Somerset Brie

Lactose concentration C (caution, maximum 1 g / 100 g):

Snowdonia Green Thunder (Mature Cheddar Cheese with Roasted Garlic and Herbs)

Lactose concentration D (risky, maximum 1.5 g / 100 g):

Cheesestrings

Lactose concentration E (high risk, minimum 1.5 g / 100 g):

Dairylea Cheese Slices
Tesco Soft Cheese
Seriously Original
Primula Original Cheese
Abergavenny Goat's Cheese
Quark
Cottage Cheese
Clotted Cream

Restaurant side: vigilance is still required

At lunchtime, I go to a Vietnamese restaurant. I want to order a bánh mì, a typical Vietnamese sandwich with bread. Normally, I'm not too cautious in Asian restaurants. Here, fortunately I was careful: there was milk in the bread!

It just goes to show, you need experience to detect lactose sources. I really don't fancy being ill and stuck on the train...

Conclusion

In summary, most British cheeses are rated A and B, except for processed cheeses and fresh soft cheeses. That's really good news for the lactose intolerant!

The UK offers a cheese universe different from the continent, dominated by cheddars and their variations. The good news: the more aged a cheddar is (mature, extra mature, vintage), the safer it is for the lactose intolerant.

However, as in France, the choice of lactose-free products in supermarkets remains limited. The two Anglo-French-speaking countries seem to be lagging behind the rest of Europe on this point.

Join me tomorrow for the last stage of my European dairy tour: back to Brussels!

Have you ever travelled to the United Kingdom with lactose intolerance? Share your experiences in the comments!

None of the brands or shops mentioned are involved in any partnership. If that were the case, it would be clearly stated.

To go further

I wrote the practical guide Mieux vivre avec son intolérance au lactose: Le guide pratique pour comprendre, réintroduire et savourer les produits laitiers (Living Better with Lactose Intolerance: The Practical Guide to Understanding, Reintroducing, and Enjoying Dairy Products), available at book.lactose.help. For now, the book is only available in French, but you can vote for your language at lactose.help/book. We will translate the book based on the votes received.