I had planned the festive season with military precision to protect myself from any food contamination issues. But with 101 family members all in the kitchen, touching, tweaking and tasting dishes, it was a case of too many cooks spoil the broth – and the inevitable allergy flare up happened.

All was well on the run-up to the big day. I had even planned our work’s Christmas night out at a place that could cater for my tricky eating needs. I had also summoned up all the will power in the world to abstain from snacking on the mountains of dairy-ladened chocolates in the office and had informed my mother that I would be cooking my own Christmas dinner. But, alas, on Boxing Day, I woke to find both my eyes extremely puffy, swollen and red, my skin tight, itchy and very dry – I knew straight away something had gone wrong.

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Lazy cook and coeliac Kay Harrison has reclaimed her freezer – and loves what shops are now offering.

Things are hotting up in my freezer.

For years after being diagnosed with coeliac disease, the only gluten-free things in there were ice cubes and bread (normally eight sad loaves I’d picked up from Boots). But the selection of free-from frozen food has rocketed this year. As someone who works late, has a child and has questionable cooking skills, it warms my heart.

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Tricky eater Jemma Woolley feeds us some of her favourite festive recipes that will keep tums very merry at this time of year.

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So I was wondering, what do people actually think of me when I tell them I have coeliac disease and lactose intolerance? Before I was diagnosed, I remember sometimes thinking these things were in people’s heads and I would never ever be a tricky eater. How wrong I was. I am one of the worst. None of it by choice.

I don’t often mention to people that I also have to follow a low FODMAP diet. I have to avoid fructose (mango, apple, honey and fructose corn syrup are the biggies) but I also try to have only small amounts of onion and avoid things like cauliflower and avocado. If I go into it, I imagine it would blow people’s minds. Why the hell would you react to fruit and veg? It’s crazy. But believe me, I need to.

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Our eyes met over the gluten-free Hobnobs and there was an instant connection.

See, the supermarket free-from aisle is a magical place. You can fill your trolley with stuff you never thought you needed, drain most of the weekly budget on chocolate biscuits and meet like-minded (and physically broken) people.

Where else can you so easily strike up a conversation in a shop? Certainly not over frozen peas or tampons. “Oh, no, really, you MUST try the super-flow, they are fantastic.”

My latest brief encounter, with a lovely pensioner in Tesco, was an eye-opener. Continue reading →

I headed over to Liverpool the weekend before last for the Allergy and Free From Show North. I was really excited to see who was there and what new goodies I could find, and it didn’t disappoint. There were the usual big players with amazing stands…

Good ol’ Genius were showing off their wealth of goodies including their pancakes, crumpets and seeded brown farmhouse loaf. Rice Dream (my saviours) had tasters of all their dairy-free milk, and from chatting to them I found out they do an Almond Dream Salted Caramel ice-cream. Now I need to be finding that.

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I’m just back from the Allergy and Free From Show North, where I met Nina Modak from Eat Allergy Safe. She had a great idea – she was asking kiddies there in Liverpool to write down their allergy “wins”.

I don’t have an allergy, but I do have coeliac disease and lactose intolerance and must follow a low FODMAP diet. So here are my 5 recent free-from wins…

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Despite being strong on the outside, I’m pathetically feeble on the inside. As was seen last week, when I was brought to my knees by a bit of toast.

I’m coeliac and was diagnosed a decade ago. Over the years, I’ve come to recognise the small window you have before your tiny, overpriced gluten-free loaf crumbles if you so much as look at it the wrong way. So I’ve learned to stash it in the freezer to keep any hope of a sandwich alive.

Needless to say, I have a badly managed freezer – a mish-mash of gluten and gluten-free goods, forgotten loaves, loose chips and six to eight dozen fish fingers. It’s a miracle I didn’t muck up earlier, really. And in my defence, the gluten nasty I mindlessly dug out (Warburton’s new Protein loaf) was small and odd-looking, just like the bread I’m used to.

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So festival season is well and truly over – but we went to some brilliant ones this year. The last one was OnRoundhay, which was an amazing new little festival in Leeds. It is meant to be returning next year so try to come if you can. It is well worth a visit – great bands and it’s really family friendly, with loads of stuff for kids.

It was in Roundhay Park, and said in the promo info that you were not allowed to take cool bags and could only bring in a little food. After failing to contact them as the email address on the website was incorrect and kept bouncing back, I went armed with evidence (hospital letters, Coeliac UK membership) that myself and my two girls have dietary requirements. They were absolutely fine about it so that was the first hurdle crossed with no probs.

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I’m in the unenviable position of being coeliac… and having two young daughters who are in the same club.

But the way my two mini coeliacs are getting their heads around it is wildly different.

My four-year-old, Megan, is fantastic with her food. She is well aware of what she can and can’t eat and always checks with people if she’s unsure. My toddler, Amalie, who is only 18 months old, probably doesn’t even realise she is on a gluten-free diet yet.

This is because the diet restriction has happened in a completely different way.

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As you may know from my Safer Eating Facebook posts and a recent blog… Cheese don’t go! Don’t go… don’t go away. Cheese don’t go, I have suddenly started reacting to lactose-free products. I’m gutted. So my latest mission has been to find a dairy-free milk… that I actually like.

A few years ago, I tried a load of them: soya, almond, hazelnut – you name it. At first I liked them, but then it was like I got too used to their taste and went right off them.

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 left – Jemma, right – Kay (the accidental lupin supplier)

Just when you think you are on the right track and have your diet and allergies cracked, life (or a fellow tricky eater) can throw you a curve ball.

A few years ago, I totally eliminated wheat from my diet. Self-inflicted tests on my body concluded it was causing red rashes on my dry skin and giving me puffy eyes. I wasn’t coeliac, like my fellow tricky eater friend, but cutting out wheat definitely worked for me. So when my mate offered to cook me up some pasta, I thought nothing of it, as I knew it would be wheat free.

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