Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

Did any of you listen to today's Woman's hour?  I heard the presenter say her worst nightmare was someone saying...."this is Chloe, she's gluten free and balloon phobic".  I know why she said this, but it still makes me angry how insensitive people are, especially when it comes to children with special dietary requirements.  I've been to parties where despite letting the host know a week in advance and volunteering to bring food for both my daughter and the rest of the party, the main activity was decorating cookies.  It was one of the few times I really felt like crying and my daughter bless her, just said, "don't worry mummy, I can decorate it for Daddy".  Now doesn't that just break your heart? It's one of the reasons my book The Gluten Free Cookbook for Kids contains a whole section on birthday parties.  There are tips on how to prepare yourself and your child and more importantly, tips on handling parents and family.

Let's move on to more positive ground.  It's perfectly possible to have great child friendly food that everyone can eat.  All it takes is a little imagination and thinking out of the box.  You must double check ingredients to ensure that anything you purchase does not contain:  wheat, barley, rye or oats.  If gluten is contained it must make mention of this in the allery panel on the pack. 

Here's a very short list of gluten free party food you can purchase at the supermarket and  have on hand:

• Plate of cold meats including ham, salami, turkey, cheese
• Pepparami and Baby Belles in a bowl
• Plate of cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks, carrots, celery
• Plate of fresh fruit - apples, grapes, mini oranges, strawberries
• Crisps (Walkers are usually fine, but check the label as some flavours are not gluten free)
• Ice cream, jelly, meringues, marshmallows, sweets, chocolate

And if you are feeling super kind and really want to make a small person very happy and feel cared for then you can make lots of nice gluten free things like fairy cakes, biscuits, snacks and puddings.  There are lots of recipes on the internet and of course in my book and on this website.