Field guide · eating out

When an allergen matters, ask the people making the food.

A practical UK-focused checklist for asking a restaurant or takeaway about ingredients, changes and kitchen handling.

Illustrative artwork

A photo and a dish name cannot confirm what went into this serving or how it was handled. If you have a food allergy, tell the restaurant or takeaway clearly and get information about the actual meal before ordering. This guide reflects advice for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; check local guidance elsewhere. Source: GOV.UK eating out with an allergy.

Before you order

Read the venue's allergen information and call ahead if you need to. Ask whether they can make a meal suitable for you and how the food is handled in the kitchen, including whether contact with an allergen could occur. GOV.UK says restaurants must provide accurate information about the 14 allergens that businesses must declare. It also suggests asking about kitchen handling and possible contamination. Source: GOV.UK eating out with an allergy.

Four-question card. Ask what ingredients are in the dish, whether they have changed, how it is prepared, and whether contact with your allergen could occur. These questions start a conversation; they do not certify a meal.

Ask again when you arrive

Menus can be a starting point, but the meal you receive is the one that matters. Remind staff about your allergy when you arrive, ask whether ingredients have changed, and repeat any kitchen-handling question that remains unclear. If the answer is uncertain, do not let a confident-looking photograph stand in for confirmation. Source: GOV.UK eating out with an allergy.

Menu to kitchen to plate. The menu starts the conversation. Confirm what staff know about the meal that will be prepared and served to you.

Takeaways need a second check

For takeaway food in the UK guidance, allergen information should be available before purchase and again when the food is delivered. If several meals arrive together, you can ask the business to label the containers so yours is clear. A wrapped item made and packed where it is sold may instead be "prepacked for direct sale" and should have a name and an ingredients list with relevant allergens emphasised. Read that label as well. Source: GOV.UK eating out with an allergy.

Two hand-off points. For takeaway, seek allergen information before purchase and again when the food is delivered.

Food Says Hi's boundary

A likely food name or list of visible ingredients is not an allergy check. A sauce, garnish, substitution or preparation method may not be visible. Food Says Hi cannot say a dish is allergen-free or suitable for you. Use the food business's current information and your own clinical advice where relevant.