I'VE become one of those people. Someone who scans a menu looking for abbreviations in brackets, someone who orders with a caveat of what ingredients they want leaving out of their dish. Picky.

My gutsy appetite has always been a great source of pride, I was brought up to try different tastes and eat everything on my plate. Apart from bananas and cold custard (the devil’s food) there was nothing I couldn’t eat - until now, that is.

My husband thinks my body should be donated to medical science to probe the inner workings of my digestive system but, suffice to say, it has been dodgy for years.

Last month I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome so immediately cut bread, pasta, coffee and fizzy drinks out of my diet and feel 100 per cent better for it.

Recently, it has become quite trendy to have a food intolerance recently people actually have one or not. A friend recently spent a night out boasting about having to go lactose-free before topping it off with a double Baileys.

Latest figures show that sales of both gluten-free and wheat-free products have grown in Britain by almost 22 per cent in the past year alone, making the industry worth at least £238m.

To mark the end of Sober September Matthew and I decided to go out for a meal, something we realised we hadn’t done together since the end of Dry January. And I wore the same dress.

After scouring menus online, we booked a table at The Keys, specifically because it had gluten free (gf) dishes for me. This way I could be a picky person without anyone knowing.

Situated on Yarm High Street, it is one of the few places I can think of that has mass appeal. I know mums who meet for morning coffee and cakes with their toddlers, food is served all day from breakfast to dinner, there is a gorgeous beer garden under the Yarm viaduct as well a nightclub open til 2am.

When we sat down at 7pm on a Saturday night it was already bustling with families and other couples. With its slick brown wood interior and mirrored glass, the atmosphere was buzzing, even if I did have to compete for Matthew’s attention with Strictly Come Dancing being shown on a flatscreen tv over my head.

He ordered homemade chicken liver pate served with beetroot chutney and crispbreads which he said was “really tasty”.

I went for streamed Scottish mussels (gf) which arrived with four slices of ciabatta to mop up the classic marinere sauce. Instinctively, I decided to check with a passing waitress that the bread was gluten-free too. It wasn’t. I was stunned. If I’d unwittingly eaten the bread I’d just have been bloated with bad indigestion but if someone with coeliac disease had devoured it, the outcome could have been more serious.

If it had been gluten-free I’d have been so impressed but now I just felt annoyed and really disappointed - £5.95 for nine mussels (there were 10 but the last one wouldn’t open) was not good value.

And now I was worried over the authenticity of my (gf) main course, slow cooked Yorkshire belly pork accompanied by black pudding mash and a cider jus (£10.50). I cut off the majority of the fat but the meat itself was tender and the creamy potato was yummy. I’d craved a hearty roast and this hit the spot.

New 'gluten-free' starters added to The Keys' winter menu include fiery chicken wings, wild garlic mushroom bagatta, and smoked salmon and crayfish salad while the wide choice of tempting gf maincourses to pick from are halloumi, new potato and wild mushroom salad, chunky shepherd's pie, panfried sea bream, wild mushroom, spinach and pine nut risotto and Neasham Grange Farm 28-day aged beef.

Matthew, was in an adventurous mood and, instead of opting for his usual fish and chips or chicken Parmesan, he picked slowcooked beef chilli with melted cheese, coriander rice, nachos and sour cream (£9.50).

A lot of effort had gone into the immaculate presentation, it was served in mini saucepans and a diddy deep fat frying basket which looked fun and stylish. His verdict was “delicious”.

We decided against having a pudding so asked for the bill which came to £41.05 including a large glass of rose and a pint of Peroni.

When I eat out from now on I think I’m going to have to either embrace my newfound fussiness while pondering over a menu or do what comes naturally – listen to my gut.

The Keys

65-67 High Street, Yarm, Cleveland, TS15 9BH

Tel: 01642-782534

Food served: Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm

Ratings (out of 10) Food quality: 7 Service: 8 Surroundings: 8 Value: 7