Today I got a Google review of my website's performance over the last month. In the 'top growing queries' section appeared 'vegan cakes Bristol', up by a considerable percentage from the previous month.
This didn't really come as a surprise. More and more people are finding The Local Bakehouse online not because I specialise in gluten-free but because by specialising in freefrom, my egg- and dairy-free cakes are all therefore vegan.
A friend recently lamented what had happened to hear in a café. She asked for the gluten-free menu, only to be told they'd stopped doing it "because it wasn't fashionable anymore". They then asked if she'd like the vegan menu instead.
And I began to wonder: will the vegan diet take over from the gluten-free one?
I don't mean for coeliacs. But there was a massive trend for gluten-free around 2012 (which I celebrated, since it suddenly meant I had more places to eat out) and it seems to have lost its media headlines, somewhat, in favour of veganism.
So that's great for vegans (and cattle, obvs), but what about the understanding of allergens and those of us who need to avoid one/many for medical reasons?
I've always been glad to have custom, regardless of the reason people find me, but it always makes me even more pleased when the customer is coeliac (like me) and is overjoyed at having found a baker who can make an absolutely, definitely gluten-free cake.
So I was rather pleased to see the Google analysis show me in that 'top growing queries' section that 'gluten-free cake' had had a surge, too. Because, you know, I'd like to think the coeliac world is getting bigger and stronger day by day, and I'm proud to help make that happen.
What are your thoughts on being gluten-free and vegan? Do share them below!