Gaia House Food Policy

Gaia House offers a balanced, plant-based diet of world cuisine at lunch and tea, with dairy products available as part of breakfast and hot drinks.

Wheat/gluten-free options are available.

At lunch, we also offer a ‘Simple Diet’ consisting of gluten-free wholegrain, steamed vegetables and plain pulses, egg or tofu. This diet is intended to meet nutritional needs whilst being as plain as possible.

Both the wheat/gluten-free option and the simple diet can be requested when you complete your pre-retreat questionnaire which is sent two weeks prior to your retreat.

If the above does not meet your needs, or if there is a medical need for a different diet, please contact the kitchen manager before booking a retreat.

Food allergy/sensitivity:

We always label dishes containing any allergens that you have told us about.

Whilst on retreat, you can speak to a member of the Gaia House team for more information on allergens in our dishes.

We are not able to store meat or fish on the premises.

Gaia House is not able to do shopping trips for retreatants for personal food preferences. If there is a medical necessity, then personal food supplies may be bought to Gaia House and stored, but only as agreed with the Kitchen Manager in advance.

It is part of the Buddhist tradition to receive what is offered, but if you follow a specific diet for medical reasons for example a low FODMAP diet or a Ketogenic diet, please contact our Kitchen Manager in advance of booking your retreat. We will do our best to meet your needs within our existing constraints but are not able to prepare food on an individual basis, and there may be times when we cannot meet a specific diet.