Mum Sophie Skipp had to rethink her cooking repertoire when her son was found to have numerous food allergies. He was first diagnosed seven years ago, when he had an anaphylactic reaction to cheese. Her blog, Feed Felix Fast, was started to offer inspiration to families who wished to offer great choices for those following a restricted diet due to allergies/intolerances. She is doing everything she can in the hope that Felix remembers the dinenr table surrounded by family and friends all sharing a meal. These are her tips on coping at Christmas...

I LOVE Christmas food in all its forms. Whether it’s my mum’s perfect sausage rolls, or the 'wow' as the Christmas pudding is carried, flaming, to the table – it all gets my taste buds going. For me, Christmas is all about family sharing good food together. As you’d expect, things changed a few years ago when we first began worrying about allergies. Now, when I think about Christmas food I feel a big emotional tug on my stomach. Felix was first diagnosed with multiple allergies aged 6 months back in November 2011. Our health visitor told me not to introduce any new foods until we’d seen a paediatrician for further tests, but that was after Christmas. So Felix’s first Christmas was free from gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, soya, nuts, sesame, coconut, fish, shellfish, berries and citrus. What a list?!

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��At Felix’s tea party on Monday unsurprisingly only 2 of the carrot sticks were touched in the sesame free houmous monster. It made me feel better to know I’d offered veggies even though they weren’t chosen. The monsters eyes are pickled onions, sliced green olives and a currant, what a gruesome combination! If you’d like my authentic tasting recipe for houmous take a look at my blog.... ��#halloween #houmous #partyfood #nutfree #eggfree #glutenfree #wheatfree #dairyfree #milkfree #feedfelixfast #allergykids #allergies #allergyfriendly #cmpa #familyfood #whatmykidseat #whatifeedmykid #allergymum #breastfeedingwithcmpa #familyfoodtribe #inclusivefood #top8free #top14free
A post shared by Sophie Skipp Allergy Mummy (@feedfelixfast) on Oct 10, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

If only I’d known then what I do now. I could have prepared a whole traditional Christmas dinner with a few minor adjustments and nobody would have noticed. Coming up with new dishes got easier over time, however, buffets never seem to go without a hitch. I watch the cross-contamination nightmare. It starts with double-dipping; a sour cream dip-covered carrot stick drips in the salsa, the spoon from the coleslaw is plunged into the potatoes. A cheese knife is used to hack another chunk from the ham. Your host may have catered with love and care, but other guests turn the buffet into a potential hospital visit. There is only one thing for it; get in first and make no apology for your haste! We’ve always taken back-up food just in case, as we just can’t risk Felix going hungry at a party.

It’s important to remember that gifts of food may be given by teachers, football coaches, beaver leaders and, of course, the main man in red himself. This year, I’m keeping a stash of allergy-friendly chocolate selection boxes close to hand. If Felix is offered a gift of food, I’ll have something up my sleeve to swap it with before his bottom lip begins to wobble. I’m afraid I learned this the hard way last year with uncontrollable sobs when Felix realised he was allergic to a Christmas present. I’ll always remember the injustice as he wailed ‘I hate being allergic Mummy, it’s not fair!’.

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��What’s your favourite pizza topping? Going to the supermarket and buying a pizza with your choice of toppings...... It doesn’t sound like much but this is a big deal for Felix! @asda now offer a dairy and soya free make your own pizza option. The bit that makes it even better for us is all the toppings are labelled for the most common allergens, Felix could make his own choice without me asking a whole load of questions. The questions and the allergy folder (whilst necessary) really do sap the joy and spontaneity from any occasion! The only problem is Teddy refused to eat it because of the red bit (pepperoni) and the brown bit (mushrooms.) Both of these were Felix’s choices reminding me that you can’t win them all with these brothers. Ours was extra cheesy because the very nice lady on the counter gave a big smile and an extra portion of cheese just, well, just because! �� #nutfree #eggfree #soyafree #dairyfree #milkfree #feedfelixfast #allergykids #allergies #allergyfriendly #cmpa #familyfood #whatmykidseat #whatifeedmykid #allergymum #breastfeedingwithcmpa
A post shared by Sophie Skipp Allergy Mummy (@feedfelixfast) on Nov 24, 2018 at 11:55am PST

When Asda contacted me to share my top tips for their Christmas inclusivity guide I was thrilled to talk about what I’ve learned. To be invited to their development kitchen to gain some extra inspiration from their chef, Andrew, taught me so much. You can read more from the other bloggers involved in the campaign here. But first, I’ll share what I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way)...

Keep it traditional

A traditional roast is one of the easiest meals to create free from the top 14 allergens. A generous joint, roast potatoes and vegetables are all naturally free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soya and nuts after all!

Stay cool

I must keep reminding myself nobody will enjoy their Christmas Lunch if I’m a hot and sweaty mess. If anyone offers to bring a dish or roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, accept their help. They can put all their effort into researching the best dairy-free trifle recipe or whatever you suggest they contribute to the feast!

allergy-friendly Christmas puds are easy to make

They are nearly always dairy-free and can be easily made gluten free with an alternative flour. If you’d rather buy one I’ve been really impressed with the quality of pudding in the free from ranges. Most little children love raisins and a Christmas pud is 90% dehydrated grapes. You might be surprised how much the little ones enjoy it, especially with the theatre of setting fire to and singing ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’ as you carry the glowing spectacle to the table.

Don't forget the trimmings

Our family seems to be more interested in the trimmings than the main roast. Chipolatas and sausage meat from supermarket Extra Special ranges are nearly always gluten-free, so make the perfect accompaniment for any coeliac guests.

Make allergy-friendly canapes everyone will like

Devils on horseback (prunes soaked in port, wrapped in bacon and roasted for 25 minutes) make a delicious canape easily prepared on Christmas Eve. Serve with a drink and nobody will notice if it’s taken a while to get lunch on the table.

Make your gravy in advance

I roast chicken wings with vegetables on Christmas Eve, simmering with wine and stock on the hob with a little cornflour. That will make a perfect allergy-friendly gravy. If the gravy is tasty and hot it will bring your whole roast to life.

Don't forget the roasties

It’s more likely in 2018 than ever before you’ll have a vegetarian or vegan diet to cater for. I know in recent years goose fat has been favoured for the perfect roast potatoes. Next time you need your roasties to be vegan, try roasting in cold pressed rapeseed oil, as it has a very high burn temperature, which is needed to achieve a perfectly crunchy potato.

Serve a rainbow of veg

I love a colourful rainbow of vegetables on my Christmas plate. You can prepare red cabbage, glazed carrots and roasted sprouts without having another pan boiling on the hob. I love that red cabbage can be prepared weeks in advance and stored in the freezer!

prioritise the essentials

Find out what your guests can’t live without at Christmas. We don’t like bread sauce, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without it in some families. If they have a special request, ask them to prepare it in advance to bring along – a good guest will always lend a helping hand!

Create some new traditions

Who cares if your Uncle grumbles there are no nuts for him to crack. If you don’t feel comfortable having food your children are allergic to within reach just don’t do it!

Take precautions

If you’re worried your roasting tins have traces of allergens on them, Christmas is the perfect time to splash out on heavy duty foil roasting trays. You also have the added benefit of less washing up when you fling them in the bin.

Stay sane

For some reason it’s not uncommon for well-meaning relatives to come out with some corkers about allergies. My personal favourite is ‘we didn’t have all these milk allergies in my day!’ I like to deal with this one by agreeing ‘yes that’s right, in your day I suppose milk allergies in babies would have been called failure to thrive. It’s so much better now we have alternatives to milk, ISN’T IT?!’.

Food blogger 'Feed Felix Fast' on preparing a Christmas feast for those with severe allergies

By Asda Good Living,30th November 2018

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