Thursday 22 August 2013

Starting school- as easy as ABC?

I guess for any parent your child starting school is going to be emotional. The disbelief that they have grown up so quickly, the worry about whether they'll make friends, the concern that they'll enjoy it and fit in (and secretly hoping they won't be thick as two planks and will keep up with the school work!). With Alexandra due to start school in September, I've had the added worry about how school is going to manage with her gluten-free diet.

When Alex was in a day nursery, we had quite a few accidents until we had the processes in place to protect her (see more here). We certainly got there in the end, but it took a while.

For the past year, Alex has been going to a pre-school for three hours a day. She wasn't eating meals there, and luckily, we had no gluten accidents. There were lots of examples of really good, inclusive practice when Alex was at pre-school, but also a few things that happened that made my heart sink.

For organised activities, the pre-school was fantastic. Alexandra's teacher was lovely and asked me where she could get gluten-free porridge when they were doing Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Asda do sachets if you need some for your little bear!) She also found a G-F recipe for the ginger bread men they made and double checked it with me. There were lots things like this where they were spot on.

Some of the less good issues were just a result of thoughtlessness or lack of understanding, for example the teaching assistants offering Alex chocolates on the way out of school on birthdays. At Christmas, they were making sandwiches for the kids and asked us to bring in some G-F bread so they could do some for Alex- a quick 101 in avoiding cross-contamination was required. My worst heart sink moment was at the summer party (when I came straight from work so had no spare treats in my bag). There was biscuit decorating (noooo), squash and biscuits (noooooo), and some ice pops, which would probably have been ok except the box had been thrown out so I couldn't check ingredients (nooooooo)! That said, Alex's teacher was very keen to learn about Coeliac's and I think will be a lot more confident if she has any kids with the condition in her class in the future.

Alexandra's new 'big school' is not connected to the preschool, so is another unknown. At the parent introduction evening we approached one of the teachers to ask whether it would be possible for the school to cater for Alex's condition. (Kids are in school until 3.30 in the UK, so have the option of having a hot school meal instead of bringing in a packed lunch). The teacher requested a letter from our GP to confirm that Alex had the condition, and agreed to meet to discuss how to manage it. When we went in for Alex's visit, she had obviously discussed the condition with the cooks, who told her they had catered for kids with Coeliac's before and it should be fine. She asked for any written info about what Alex could and couldn't eat so I directed her to the Coeliac UK website (they have a section for caterers on it http://www.coeliac.org.uk/food-industry/caterers-and-restaurateurs/caterers-and-restaurateurs-faqs). We also agreed that it would be useful for me to bring in a 'treat box' of things that Alex can have if other children bring in birthday cake or anything like that. In September we will be writing up a care plan highlighting any special measures that the school will put in place to manage the condition and this will be reviewed and updated if there are any issues. Watch this space.....!

When Alex was initially diagnosed, the consultant told us that the move to school, when she would be out of our sight more and wanting to assert her independence, was a time to be ultra-vigilant. At the time it seemed like forever away, and now it's looming. Overall, I'm feeling hopeful about the diet- now just need to worry about how to convince Alex that pink shoes aren't appropriate for a navy uniform and that writing looks better going across the page instead of down the side!

Jen

PS: this is the ginger bread recipe that the school used. I can't comment on taste as it was gone by the time I picked her up- probably a good sign!

340g plain G-F flour
4oz softened butter/ marg
100g soft brown sugar
190g golden syrup
2 teasp ground ginger
1 teasp bicarbonate of soda


  • preheat over to 190 degrees C.
  • Beat the sugar and marg together until light and creamy.
  • Add the golden syrup and sift in flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda.
  • Mix until a rough crumb begins to form and then work the mixture into a smooth dough using your hands.
  • Refrigerate dough for 10 mins or so until firm.
  • Roll out dough between 2 sheets of cling film or baking parchment until 4mm thick.
  • Cut out shapes using cookie cutter or roll out small balls and flatten slightly onto a non-stick baking sheet or tray lined with baking parchment.
  • Bake for 8-10 mins until golden brown. Let cool on tray for a minute or two then transfer to wire rack.




Thursday 8 August 2013

Avoiding cross-contamination

When we met with the paediatric dietician following Alexandra's diagnosis of Coeliac's she emphasised the importance of avoiding cross- contamination in the kitchen. I had visions of having to get dressed up in Homer Simpson-like radioactivity suits, masks and gloves, the whole nine yards, when ever I touched anything to do with her food. (An excuse for an extension to the kitchen was also in the back of my mind, but that hasn't materialised yet funnily enough!) The dietician really pushed the fact that the tiniest crumb could make Alex sick as her stomach was so damaged (she was right as it turns out- point to the NHS!).

However, the reality of avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen is not as difficult as first imagined. I guess everyone who has to deal with Coeliac's discovers their own systems for keeping themselves/ their children safe. These are some of the things that work for me:

  • Separate butter and jam- marked with a sticker.
  • Squeezy bottles of mayo, ketchup and honey instead of jars.
  • Different plates for my 2 children . This is not necessary in terms of contamination, but helps me remember which food is for who if I'm doing non-GF stuff too. (although as I mentioned in a previous post, this doesn't always work!)
  • Separate wooden chopping board and bread knife for GF bread. 
  • Toaster bags for the toaster.
  • A cupboard for GF dried foods (pastas, crackers, mixes etc).
  • I don't buy 'normal' flour any more- GF flour is fine for most things.
  • A drawer in the freezer for GF food. 
  • I always wash Alexandra's plates and cutlery first when I'm washing up- anything with gluten toast crumbs gets rinsed and washed last.
  • Tinfoil on the grill if I'm doing anything GF. 
  • When I'm preparing GF and non GF stuff (eg sandwiches/ packed lunches) I split the kitchen in 2 and keep butters, knives, breads in their own halves of the kitchen. I prepare all the things I'm going to be using for both meals (eg cutting cheese) in the GF side. (I know this sounds obvious, but I have almost got caught out by using the same knife for both butters before.)
  • I have gotten rid of things like stock-cubes that had gluten in them and only buy GF versions now- most of my cooking tends to be gluten-free when possible. 
I know some families go completely gluten-free when a family member is diagnosed with Coeliac's. We haven't, both because it would be very expensive, and because (selfishly) myself and my husband don't particularly like some of the GF foods that the girls eat. The range and taste of gluten-free food is changing and improving all the time though, so we may go completely over to the dark side at some point in the future- you never know!

Do you have any 'top tips' to avoid gluten contamination in your kitchen? Would love to hear any suggestions.

Jen


A positive response from 'the Man Inside the Jacket'-GF Tayto on the way!



Mr Tayto has responded to my letter with the following:

Hi Jennifer, thanks very much for your letter - I enjoyed reading it. As you know, there is a lot involved in making sure any product is really gluten-free and myself and the team at Tayto have been working very hard on this for a while now. We hope that sometime next year we will be able to introduce a product suitable for all gluten intolerant people so everyone can enjoy Tayto. I'll keep everyone posted on our developments as much as possible. Thanks! Mr. Tayto

Thank you Mr Tayto, you have made a four year old girl, her mummy and I'm sure many other people with Coeliac's very happy!




Thursday 1 August 2013

Viennese Fingers- sans gluten

I've been umming and ahhing about whether to post recipes on here or not. There are lots of blogs and webpages with some really great recipes by cooks and chefs that are far more talented than I am. But then I figured, if I (a lucky-enough-to-be-a-gluten-eater) find a gluten-free recipe that I like to eat, then why not share the love!

These Viennese fingers are adapted from a Mary Berry recipe. (They were for a 'bake-off' in work to raise money for Macmillan, so I opted to adapt a recipe from the queen of bake-offs!) They are not quite as 'short' as biscuits made with normal flour, but they are perfectly palatable. They also freeze well if you wrap and freeze them before you ice them.

Ingredients
Biscuits:
350g margarine
120g caster sugar
350g self-raising gluten-free flour (I got mine from Asda)

Butter cream icing:
75g butter
175g icing sugar
1/2 teasp lemon essence

Melted chocolate for dipping.


Method:
Cream the marg and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Stir in the flour.
Pipe the biscuit dough in fingers (using a star nozzle) onto a greased baking tray.(This is the most fiddly bit.)

Bake in an oven, pre-heated to 160°C, for about 25 mins. 

Leave to cool for about a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Make the butter icing by mixing together the icing sugar, butter and lemon essence. Match up 2 similar size biscuits and use the butter cream to sandwich them together.

Dip both ends of the sandwich in melted chocolate and leave to cool on a wire rack. (If you put baking paper under the rack you can catch the drips and re-melt them if needs be.) 

Dust with icing sugar, boil the kettle for a cuppa and enjoy!


Note to self: Try not to let the kids see them or there'll just be crumbs left by the time the box gets to work! 

Jen