Friends used to laugh at me for bringing a box of Strongbow with me every time I stayed with them. Now I arrive with a carton of Lactofree milk and some gluten-free cereal under one arm, and a loaf of gluten-free bread tucked under the other. Strongbow only gets to come along if there is still some room in the car (which is a rarity).
So as you can imagine with two strictly gluten-free children and me, it takes a fair old while to pack – even if we are just going away for a night. And if you are going straight to a birthday party the following day, then it requires an A level in forward planning! We need all the usual stuff like a travel cot, pushchair, formula, nappies, wipes, clothes, eczema creams, toiletries etc. Then we have to think about what we are going to eat and drink…
The usual culprits in the gigantic ‘bag for life’ are; gluten-free biscuits, cakes, pasta, gluten-free flour, corn flour, stock cubes, gluten-free brekkie items and lots of free-from snacks for the kiddywinks (like rice cakes, Kiddylicious fruit snacks, sesame seed bars, peanut bars and carrot sticks). But it takes up so much space!!
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I find it a little tough when out and about if I can’t have the lovely little bits that go with meals – like Yorkshire puddings, gravy or garlic bread. If I haven’t brought them with me, I obviously just politely deal with it though. But to see my mini-coeliac’s face when she can’t have something she loves is really upsetting. She also politely deals with it, but it breaks my heart. I therefore try to be ridiculously prepared and try to think of every eventuality that may occur – I have been known to take gluten-free sausages, garlic cloves, butter and herbs (to make garlic bread), frozen Yorkshire puddings and either Kallo gravy granules, or corn flour and stock cubes to make gravy. My cool bag usually fills the host/hostess’s fridge on arrival (and it is not with Strongbow like in the olden days).
I also often take Dettol wipes and kitchen roll in case the house is covered in gluten (which is often the case for people that don’t have to think about it).
I am not really sure how we can avoid this. If I travel light for any reason – I always regret it. We could go shopping as soon as we get there I suppose, but that just takes time away from enjoyment. Maybe we need to buy a bigger car or just get a roof rack?!
By Karen Woodford, a lactose-free coeliac who DOESN’T travel light