Powys pub the George and Dragon Inn going gluten free

The George and Dragon Inn, in Knighton, is transitioning to a fully-fledged gluten free menu, under the guidance of head chef Malcolm Campbell, an ex-Army catering officer.

Malcolm, 52, has been an ex-Lance Corporal with the British Forces, to a security guard, author, even a microbiologist - but has always had a love for food. He has been a head chef for over 30 years and represented the British Forces at various national and international competitions, winning three culinary medals.

Head chef Malcolm Campbell has been in kitchen for over 30 years, while he has also been a Lance Corporal with the British Forces, a security guard, author and even a microbiologist (Image: George and Dragon Inn)

Malcolm has been head chef at the Broad Street pub since April, which is when the pub reopened having been closed around a year.

“We are about to transition into a completely gluten-free restaurant, amalgamating French cuisine with rosette style gluten free food,” said Malcolm, whose culinary experience has taken him from the Grand Hotel in Brighton to a tent in Nairobi cooking for British troops.

“We believe this will make us the only 100 per cent gluten free French cuisine restaurant in Wales; already we are seeing people travel over an hour for our gluten free carvery.”

Malcolm has been a finalist in the Chef of the Year Army competition two times and an International Chef of the Year finalist in the Combined Services Culinary Arts competition too.

He was hired by owners Justin and Helen Rees, who have been at the helm for 15 years and previously ran it themselves. They have now taken it back on themselves after a 5-year break, with a vision to return it to being the go-to place in town.

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Malcolm added: “Being an ex-Army regular, we swore allegiance to the Queen to protect those thar cannot protect themselves.

“And in my field, that extends to food and my medical degree enforces a deep understanding of inborn errors of metabolism.

“I feel sympathy for anyone who cannot consume certain products due to health reasons.”

Justin and Helen wanted something a bit special when it came to the cuisine for the revamped pub, with Malcolm, who had been head chef for seven years at the Lakeside Golf Course in Garthmyl, between Newtown and Welshpool, fitting the bill.

The decision to go gluten free is another way to stand out, with Malcolm claiming we all should be “bending a knee for gluten free”.

“The George and Dragon is leading by example,” he said. “99 per cent of all food now can be beautifully produced without gluten, barley or rye.

“In this day and age there is no excuse for making people feel awkward or scared to announce that they are Celiac suffering.

“I think it's disgraceful that people have to travel so far with their children to eat a safe meal.”

The new-look pub has had a facelift, and doubles up as Coffi Clawdd, Helen’s coffee shop, in the mornings, running Tuesday to Saturday from 10am-2.30pm.

The pub's gluten free Sunday carvery is already the talk of the town (Image: The George & Dragon Inn)

The pub has made some ripples in Knighton with Indian, Thai and Chinese themed nights, as well as offering French, German, American and British food, plus menu requests and private table dining.

“We are quickly gaining a reputation for excellent cuisine and consistent standards, which I am very pleased about,” said Malcolm, who specialised as a youngster in Escoffier cuisine, made famous by the renowned French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer Auguste Escoffier.

“But we are especially proud of our vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, of which we have over 20 on our menu, that is a seven-page turner.

“No more feeling awkward or rejected. All our customers are VIP and I will personally take care of their every requirement.”