One of my favourite things....!

A few of our favourites!

Gingerbread Boys

This easy recipe for gingerbread men has been renamed Gingerbread boys by Zach, for obvious reasons.  All sorts of shapes can be used for this delicious recipe.  Add a ribbon and they even become Christmas decorations to hang on the tree or gifts for your favourite people.  For the creatively challenged of you, a word of warning.....I tried to add a ribbon after they were baked but found that drilling a hole in their heads with scissors didn't work.  So remember to put a add that hole before you bake!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 350g (12oz) plain flour, plus extra for rolling out

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g (4½oz) sunflower margarine
  175g (6oz) light soft brown sugar
  1 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
• Splash of dairy free milk
• 4 tbsp golden syrup

 

To decorate:

•  writing icing
• cake decorations

What to do: 

• Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon.
• Pour into the bowl of a food processor. 
• Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. 
• Stir in the sugar.
• With a small whisk combine the egg replacer with a splash of milk until it is a thick consistency without lumps.
• Add the egg replacer mix and and golden syrup to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. 
• Remove the dough, wrap in clingfim and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F, Gas mark 4) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
  
• Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface.  Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.  Use something with a rounded pointy end (I used the end of a whisk!) to carve eyes, a smile and A HOLE where you would like to thread a ribbon.
  
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.
• Pile them together and tie with a ribbon, or thread your ribbon through the hole and hang on your tree!

  

  Cheeky!

 

Enjoy!

 

Charlotte x

Sofia, the red rabbit and the tutu

 

The party season is upon us!!  Now I wish it was me inundated with party invites to brighten up this dreary November, but no!  It’s not just Christmas around the corner, but Zach has a multitude of toddler birthdays on the horizon spreading from yesterday to the end of February!

So yesterday was the birthday of beautiful Sofia who was 3 and this was how it went. 

Sofia and Zach go back to the bump stage where her mum Rachel and I met on what can only be described as a pregnancy blind date.  It was arranged through a random NHS work night out.  Rachel was on maternity leave and I was new in town, we were both physios and that was that!  She texted ‘Ill be the fat one by Waterstones’ and I texted back ‘No, Ill be fatter!’.  We met and off we went for cake!

Anyway since then we’ve shared stuff together including, in detail, labour stories, (for which I am forever grateful- I had NO shocks during mine!) and all our worries and joys about being mums.  'Fia' as Zach calls her is a firm favourite friend of Zach's, although I'm not sure the feeling's mutual as he is a boy and she is very much a girly girl!

Sofia as a rabbit and Zach as a cat.

So anyway, back to the party.  It was only the second party we had been to where it was majority little girls and it’s a bit of a shocker to the mum of a boy.  We arrived and it was all Disney princesses, sparkly shoes and ballet from the start.  Zach went a bit shy and then whispered to me that he needed something special to wear.  Now to be honest I agree.  I think boys clothes are rubbish!  Where are all the bright colours, stripes and stars for boys? Who wants to wear brown dinosaurs and blue cars all their lives?!  So, Sofia obliged and Zach quickly looked the part in colourful tutu and cat facemask – it was a beautiful thing!!

Here comes the important bit.  Rachel had spent a long time leading up to yesterday insisting that the party be allergy free.  I don’t know why, she just insisted and it was amazing.  Fishfingers, smiley faces and beans all round and then instead of the tear-inducing (for the allergy Mum) cake arrival, there was a RED JELLY RABBIT ON GREEN JELLY GRASS!!! I've put that in capitals because I was THAT excited!  It was a proper old school rabbit mould and everything.

Tadaaaaa! Look closely and you can see the very lovely Rachel!

It made me think….why is cake so important?  Why is it that the first time I met Zach’s allergist, after months of waiting and he asked me what I would most like, my answer was for Zach to be able to eat his birthday cake!  The thought of it still makes me want to cry! However it's not because cake tastes that good, although sometimes it does, but it's all about inclusion.  No one wants to see their child left out anywhere, ever.  For children with allergies, exclusion or feeling different will just be a necessary part of life, as for many other children.  However I think there's a time for everything and when you are 3 all you want more than anything is to be involved in the fun and that’s what Rachel and Sofia (and Leon) did.  So it did matter that the party was allergy free, it mattered hugely.  Thank you to people like Rachel who will go out of their way to include my son – from tutus to red rabbits – he had the time of his life!  Happy birthday Sofia x

Children in Need

Preschool is a success.  The staff have been really supportive and have cooked allergy free biscuits and flapjack to accommodate Zach.  I'm finding that I don't spend my time worrying about him either which must mean that I trust the staff to take care of him - a pretty big step!  I'm finding the 3 hours a huge amount of time and am managing to cram in a whole world of activities including continuing to write an allergy weaning book.  All in all we are loving are new stage in life.

So Children in Need is here and Zach and I made and decorated cupcakes for toddler group.  The icing was too runny but good for making a mess.  The egg and dairy free cupcake was the best recipe to date, if I do say so myself....!

I'll add the recipe ASAP and in the meantime if you would be interested in sharing your allergy story, please get in touch.

Thank you

Charlotte x

The Last Taste of Summer....?

Here are a couple of sweet treats that hang on to the last rays of summer.

The first, the Raspberry Sponge Sandwich was kindly made by my mum for one of Zach's visits to granny and grandads' house.  

It's always a brave move to cook for a child with food allergies.  No matter how many times you check the ingredients there's still a niggling doubt that you've got something wrong - I should know - I check and double check myself every day and still make mistakes. 

Anyway, mum went for it and the result, as you can see is a great looking, delicious, light and fluffy cake which Zach loved.  It's one of those cakes that I would happily pass around a few friends who have no allergies, and know full well that they would not be able to tell that it was an egg-less, dairy free cake.

The second is a Fruity Flapjack which Zach and I had fun making together.  It's quick, easy, messy and tasty, the perfect ingredients for toddler heaven.  It is also pretty nutritious so everyone's a winner!

You can find the recipes in the Recipes section of this blog, just scroll through and you'll see them at the end.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Love

Charlotte x

 

Organix Mighty Meals

The Mighty Meal advert sums it up for me – the adventure of food and the adventure of being a toddler.  My two and a half year old has multiple food allergies and that, plus his innate nature mean that when it comes to food he is naturally a bit suspicious.  Unlike in the rest of his life where he asks ‘whats that?’ to everything, with food he is less adventurous.

When Organix kindly sent us some Mighty Meals to try I was very excited.  The one thing that works in term of getting my little boy to try different foods is if other adults are eating the same or something similar.  Organix Mighty Meals tick all the boxes in terms of grown up looking food and actually food that I would eat.

 We tried the Vegetable and Chicken Korma, the Tomatoey Beef Bolognaise and Spinach Falafel.  They looked and smelled delicious, perfectly packaged like proper little meals.  Zach, to my surprise, took to them very well.  He tried them and then ate almost all and seemed to enjoy the new flavours and textures.  He particularly liked the falafel and preferred the bolognaise to my own!  Some of the other meals such as the salmon sound delicious too, I fancy a try myself.  The Mighty Meals are well packaged and very good nutritional meals, perfect for when you are on the move or in hurry, or actually just for a wholesome nutritious meal that your child is guaranteed to eat.

We also tried the snack and Squeezies.  I haven’t met a toddler to date who isn’t obsessed with the Carrot Stix.  They have become my secret weapon for those tricky toddler moments.  The squeezies are also a novel, fun, mess free (almost!) way for your child to eat a variety of fruit as are the healthy drinks.  All are perfect for picnics and pack lunches, ideal for the summer especially.

A big thank you to the people at Organix for allowing us to try their food and especially for providing food that a child with multiple food allergies can eat safely and happily.  Our food adventures continue and now we have more meal variety and nutrition to equip us along the way. 

Big Shout Out to the NHS!!

This is a quick blog to give a big shout of appreciation to the NHS.

You know what they say about the NHS - disorganised, slow, confusing, irritating, infective and occasionally unclean?  The place where the food can be shocking and the car parks expensive?  I've certainly had some frustrating and disappointing experiences with the NHS.  However, there is nowhere I would rather be in a crisis.

Yesterday we experienced Zach's first baked egg challenge.  We called it a 'cake challenge' because what toddler wouldn't want to do one of those?!  Add to that, the fact that 'clearly' the hospital belongs to daddy (he works there!) and that we will get to see ambulances and all in all we had one excited little boy looking forward to his trip to hospital.

Once there, we went through the usual 'cannula insertion/he's got no veins trauma' and then we were set to go.  The toys were great and staff lovely.  Having built it up I felt a bit for Zach as he was presented with a literal crumb of cake.  Anyway, I happily distracted him and carried on.  As the trial progressed and Zach and I played and watched TV, I started to think 'what if.....' and 'how amazing would it be if…'.  My parents and I even started  to text about how 'egg-cited' we were (well it was my dad's bad joke really!).  For a while all was good.

Unfortunately it then went wrong.  Zach became very poorly, very quickly.  The trial was stopped and he was treated.

The point of this blog however is not to talk allergy but to talk about the many undervalued, amazing people that work in the NHS.  During Zachs' deterioration I cannot express how safe I felt.  The sheer panic of the utter unknown and blindness of allergy and being in the middle of an allergic reaction was dealt with for me.  The nurses were there with us, the doctor was there in seconds.  His reaction was treated and all I had to do was cuddle him. 

So really, for me this blog is quite cathartic.  It helps me to think through what happened and what I would have done had I been on my own with Zach and I think it's important that I do that. 

Basically my conclusion is that I want to say thank you.  Thank you for the space we were given, to the doctors and nurses for treating and monitoring for hours and hours, to the cleaner for cleaning the ward of sick with a smile on her face, for the staff nurse who got the hospital gowns for Zach and I so we didn't have to be covered in vomit, for the lady who played with Zach and helped to calm him down, for the bravery stickers that Zach was given, for the smiles and reassurance and even for not being allowed home.  For all of that I want to say thank you. 

Having worked in the NHS since I left university I know how great the people are, wherever you work and whichever department you work in.  Now I've been on the other side, I really know how important the work that some people do is and how much that means to the patient. 

The staff were truly concerned for my son and when you can see that concern in someones eyes, you know that everything will be alright.

Stay healthy

Love Charlotte

For the staff of the Children's Ambulatory Care Unit, QMC.

A recipe for the picnic season...

As you know here at Zach and Charlie’s Food Discovery we like to look out for like-minded individuals who are working their way through the minefield that is allergies and intolerances. What has been most inspiring is that we have found that there is a massive community of individuals, many of whom are mothers, who take the time out of their very busy schedules to post recipes, advice and support.

One such person is Clea Shannon. Clea is the founder of ‘Live Inspired Today’, a web-based wellness company and the creator of ‘hip,simple,fabulous’ recipes. Her fabulous blog can be found at www.CleaShannon.com.

During our email exchanges she sent me a fantastic Gluten and Dairy Free recipe for some very tasty lemon bites and since today is supposed to be the start of summer here in the UK, we felt that it would be an ideal time to share this recipe as they are the perfect picnic treat!

Click Here for the recipe for Clea Shannon’s delicious Gluten and Dairy Free Meyer Lemon Bites

Unnecessary Necessaries!!

So last weekend we had our first experience of a girl's 4th birthday party and not just any girl but my beautiful niece Cherry. Now I thought that two year olds were fiesty but oh no, 4 year olds are full of beans and hilarious! There were 6 other children there plus Zach and baby Lola (my other beautiful niece). We went to the common with the threat of rain and played proper old school games - tag, ball in the goal, the egg and spoon relay and a spontaneous 'lift a massive log' game.

Now while the others listened intently to their instructions, took the games seriously and ran their legs off, Zach was a little confused.  He quickly caught onto the fact that sweets were being given out but didn't particularly join in the games until it came to the egg and spoon.  Zach does love a bit of a challenge, especially a physical one that requires concentration and the egg and spoon was right up his street.  Eek!

Zach as Thomas the Tank Engine, painted by Cherry

As I balanced the egg on his spoon and left him to join the other mums and dads waiting to do the relay, I did have a lump in my throat.  There he was, my son anaphylactic to egg, with a boiled egg, waiting with the other children.  It was almost too much for me to watch him, but I pushed away the tears and pulled through (!) to cheer him on, only slightly deterred as he came in 5 minutes after the others and we had a small interlude while I persuaded him to hand the spoon over to me,  narrowly avoiding a meltdown. I felt proud of him!

Lunch followed back at my sisters house, where we had delicious healthy food followed by allergy free cupcakes (huge thanks to Cup-Cakelicious for the amazing cake toppers).  The party game of 'Pass the Parcel" was made easy by presents of allergy free chocolates and sweets.  I was able to relax (almost) and watch my little boy sitting next to the birthday girl, singing happy birthday, taking it in turns to get a chocolate, having his face painted (thanks Cherry!) and working out all the other children and what they were doing.  He and I had space and I delighted in watching him being his own person. It confirmed to me that what I want more that anything is to provide Zach with the security and self confidence to become whoever he wants to be.

When my sister Emma was told how grateful I was to her and her husband Simon for all their thought about Cherry's party, she was surprised and again it reminded me that life with food allergies, as a very good friend of mine (Heidi) coined is full of 'unnecessary necessaries'.  Isn't that a good phrase?

The unnecessary necessaries of Sellotape to make a boiled egg safe, allergy free pass the parcel, pretty allergen free cakes and edible allergy friendly prizes allowed a little boy to be full of joy and a mum to burst with pride.

So thank you from Zach, my husband and I to Simon, Emma, Cherry and Lola.  Oh and watch this space, Zach has been practising ever since with a spoon and ball.  The challenge is on!

Until next time.

Lots of love
Charlotte x

Allergy UK's ACT Campaign

 

 

 

Morning all!

Allergy UK have launched a new campaign about Cow's milk protein allergy.  It's called ACT.  The press release is below.  We at Zach and Charlie think it's a great campaign.  There is also a website to look at and share your story.

http://www.cowsmilkallergy.co.uk 

Happy Friday!

Charlotte & Thanh x

Serious infant allergy going undiagnosed

Urgent call for widespread education of parents, GPs and Health Visitors on the symptoms and diagnosis of cows’ milk allergy

National charity Allergy UK is urging doctors and parents to educate themselves on the most common food allergy in infants; a condition which, if not correctly diagnosed and treated, can seriously affect health and development, and cause distress to both the child affected, and their carers.

This is following a comprehensive new report which shows a widespread lack of awareness and understanding of cows’ milk allergy (CMA), its symptoms* and effects, within the medical community and amongst the UK’s parents.

Of the parents surveyed, whose children have been diagnosed with CMA, nearly one in five visited their GP 10 times or more while, in the average case, parents had to make five trips to their doctor before diagnosis¹.This could be due to the fact that approximately 70% of GPs and health visitors feel they are not informed on identifying the delayed type* of CMA in children2.

Whilst it is the most common food allergy in infants and young children, with a prevalence of up to 7% of babies in the UK3, too often the connection between symptoms is not made, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

The delay in diagnosis of CMA can create an emotional burden for parents, with 81% answering that they felt powerless while their child was ill¹. Over half (57%) of parents felt responsible for their child’s condition and 58% said they doubted themselves as a parent1.

Experts say the problem of diagnosis lies in the symptoms being both diverse and common - including skin disorders (atopic dermatitis) and respiratory complaints, which are often first attributed to other conditions by doctors.  Additionally, symptoms may be delayed – occurring hours or even days after milk is consumed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 The research shows that while 75% of parents say they have heard of CMA, 50% could not identify any symptoms. Three quarters of parents said their child had experienced one or more of the symptoms of CMA, but an overwhelming 70% of these parents had never considered it could be connected to an allergy⁴.

GPs themselves, who were also questioned for the report, recognised that there needs to be more information and training made available to doctors, with 70% saying they would like more information on CMA². 77% of GPs and health visitors agreed that they would be better placed to give better support to parents if they had greater confidence and knowledge of the condition².

The main message of the report, co-authored by leading paediatric allergy specialist, trustee and chair of Allergy UK Health Advisory Board, Dr Adam Fox, and General Practitioner Dr David Mass, is that more awareness is needed among GPs, health visitors and parents to encourage earlier recognition and effective management.

“If you’re not looking for CMA, you won’t find it”, says Dr Adam Fox “that is why it is important for both healthcare professionals and parents to be informed about the symptoms of cows’ milk allergy and consider it earlier.” 

Jenni Falconer, television presenter, and mum, agreed to lend her support to the campaign as a direct result of her own lack of awareness. “Prior to this campaign, I had little knowledge of cows’ milk allergy and this is something I was keen to change, particularly as a new mum who wants to be informed of anything that could affect my baby girl. It is frustrating when we don't understand why our baby is upset, after all they can’t just tell us what's wrong! With this allergy, there can be a delay in diagnosis so I urge all parents to find out about the common symptoms of CMA and to speak to their doctor or health visitor if they are concerned. Our children's health is of paramount importance and often their well-being is the impact of us taking action: it is far better to be safe rather than sorry.”

Developed in partnership between Allergy UK and infant nutrition specialists Danone Baby Nutrition and Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition, ACT on CMA is an awareness campaign to help increase knowledge and understanding of cows’ milk allergy, leading to earlier recognition and effective management. The initiative also aims to provide parents with useful information and support through what can be a difficult journey to diagnosis.

ACT stands for:

·       Awareness of the symptoms

·       Connect the symptoms together

·       Take action – could it be CMA?

Parents who are concerned about their child should consult their GP or health visitor. They can also visit www.cowsmilkallergy.co.uk for more support and information, and to learn how to ACT on CMA.

Lovely Jubilee

The jubilee is nearly here and I can guess that most people have bought something red, white or blue in preparation.  There are street parties, beacons being lit, dressing up, all sorts of celebrations going on over the four day bank holiday weekend in the UK! Even if you are not a royalist, it’s a great excuse for a party and to meet your neighbours.  Thanh is doing exactly that with her family and we are off to the beautiful Lake District to see what’s happening up there.  So whatever you are doing, have fun and enjoy the celebrations.

Here’s a Jubilee Tart and Jubilee Cupcakes for you to try out and to make celebrations with your allergic child all the easier!

Have fun!!

Jubilee Tarts

Makes 8

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 225g (8oz) plain flour
• 115g (4oz) dairy free margarine
• 1tsp caster sugar
• 1-2tbsp cold water
• Flour for dusting

    For the filling:

• A selection of fresh raspberry, blueberries and blackberries
• Raspberry or blackcurrant jam

What to do:

• To make the pastry, add the flour and butter to a bowl and rub together using fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Stir in the sugar
• Add the water a little at a time, combining it with your hands until you have a ball.
• Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F, gas mark 6).
• Sprinkle the work surface and rolling pin with a little flour
• Roll the pastry out to about 1/4cm thick
• Cut out 24 small circles and line 24 mini tart trays.
• Prick the base of each tart once with a fork
• Bake for 5 minutes
• Remove from the oven and fill the cases with the berries
• Top each with 1tsp of jam and bake for another 8-10 minutes
• Leave the tarts to cool and then transfer to a wire rack. 

Jubilee Cupcakes

Makes 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients:

• 225g (9oz) self raising flour
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 226g (8oz) caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2tbsp flavourless, nut free oil
• 1tbsp white vinegar
• 240ml (8floz) rice milk

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Line 12 sections in muffin tray with small fairy cakes cases (silicone works the best but paper is fine)
• Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl and add the sugar
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the mixture is a smooth batter
• Transfer the mixture to a jug and fill each case to just below the top
• Bake for about 25 minutes until risen.  When pressed gently with a finger tip, it should keep it's shape and not sink down
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool

For the buttercream:

• Whisk 70g (2.5oz) dairy free margarine at room temperature with 170g (6oz) icing sugar
• Add a few drops of vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp rice milk.  Add the milk slowly, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and stiff.  It needs to be able to hold it's shape for piping so add more icing sugar if not stiff enough.

Decoration:

• Decorate with slices strawberries and whole blueberries