UK allergen
Tree nut allergy eating out in the UK
UK allergen labelling uses a fixed list of tree nuts: almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio and macadamia. Peanuts are not on that list. Pine nuts and coconut are not either. Name the food you actually need the kitchen to avoid.
The UK list is eight nuts
Allergen labelling for tree nuts in the UK covers almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio and macadamia. If your allergy is to one of those, you can say the nut, and you can also ask the kitchen to treat the group as off-limits if that is what you have been advised. Kitchens often store and chop them together.
Peanuts are not tree nuts. They have their own place in the 14. Pine nuts are not in the tree-nut list. Coconut is not labelled as a tree nut in UK allergen rules. Chestnut is not in that list either. If pine nut or coconut is your allergen, name it. A careful “no tree nuts” answer can still leave pesto made with pine nuts, or a coconut milk curry, on the table.
Pesto, flour and garnishes
Pesto is often pine nut, and sometimes walnut or cashew. Marzipan and frangipane are almond. A gluten-free flour is sometimes almond flour, which is a problem if you came in avoiding gluten and nuts, or if you only mentioned gluten. Crushed pistachio on a dish that otherwise looks nut-free is a garnish question. Baklava-style pastries and praline are nut dishes by design.
Satay is usually peanut, not tree nut. If you avoid both, say both. If you avoid only tree nuts, do not let a peanut conversation replace the almond question, or the other way round.
Cross-contact and labels
Bakeries and dessert sections are where cross-contact is hardest to see. Ask whether nuts are chopped nearby and whether your plate can be made away from that board. There is no universal nut-free fryer in UK restaurants. The answer is local.
When a tree nut is an ingredient in food packed before you choose it, Natasha’s Law requires the ingredients list to emphasise it. A cooked dish needs the kitchen to tell you. “May contain nuts” is voluntary. Add tree nuts to your SafePlate profile as their own entry, separate from peanuts. The score stays unknown until a menu or a note mentions them.
What to ask about tree nuts
- Which tree nuts are in this dish: almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil, pistachio or macadamia?
- Is the pesto, the gluten-free flour or the garnish made with nuts or with pine nuts?
- Are peanuts a separate ingredient or oil?
- Are nuts chopped on the same board, and can my food be prepared away from that?
- On a packed dessert, which nuts are emphasised on the label?
Search with tree nuts on your profile
Add tree nuts, and peanuts if you avoid those too. Search a city, then ask which nut is in the pesto, the flour and the garnish.
Questions people ask
Does a tree nut allergy include peanuts?
Not by definition. Peanuts are a separate allergen. Some people are allergic to both. Tell the kitchen both words if you need both avoided, and record both on your SafePlate profile.
Is coconut a tree nut?
Coconut is not one of the tree nuts named in UK allergen labelling. Pine nuts are not on that list either. If you react to them, name them. Do not rely on a tree-nut question to cover them.
Is almond flour a gluten-free solution?
It is wheat-free and it is also almond, a tree nut. If you avoid nuts, say so when someone offers a gluten-free bake. Ask what the flour is.
Set up your foods before you search. This is not medical advice. Confirm the meal with the kitchen. If you think someone is having anaphylaxis, call 999.