Saturday 24 January 2015

Chocolate

This is my post from a support group on FB a couple of days ago :(

I think I might be allergic to chocolate, there's only a few I can eat anyway as allergic to soya but I really fancied some yesterday so grabbed Cadbury chocolate buttons only allergen listed is milk. About an hour or so later I had really bad stomach cramps and upset tummy. I was so ill. I have, if I'm honest been noticing stomach aches after twirls etc for a while but as I don't eat choc that often I've been trying to deny it.

The Stags Head, Great Doddington, Northamptonshire

Last night I went out for a meal to celebrate my best friends birthday.  She booked The Stags Head in Great Doddington

http://www.stags-head.com/stags-head/


I rang them up to inform them of my allergies (Soya, Quorn, Lupin, Kiwi, Peas, Celery, and that I am unable to eat Gluten or Wheat) and it did not phase them at all.  The lady I spoke to, Gerry, said she would send me the GF menu via email, and then I could just let the chef know, via Kelly once I was there of my choice and they would make sure it was safe, however if I didn't think there was anything suitable was there something I would like prepared instead.  I said chicken breast or fish with rice/jacket potato or salad would be safe, but that I'd look at the menu and from the ordinary menu the sea bass looked safe anyway.

The email came through within minutes and there were a lot of choices, I decided upon either the oven baked cod (which I went for in the end) or the oven baked bass, I have decided that I need to start eating more fish when I'm out as it's easy to cook safely and cheaper than steak lol, and was pleased to see that there were some deserts that looked safe as well.  I thought I'd have either the warm pineapple skewers dusted with cinnamon, or the lemon sorbet, but in the end we were full and went back to my friends for drinks.  I emailed them back to let them know which dishes I would probably go for so the chef could be prepared.

Once we were there, the waiting staff knew about my allergies, bought me the GF menu without me needing to ask for it, double checked that they had my allergies down correctly, and told me if I wanted anything double checking just to let them know and they would ask the chef.  I said that everything on the dish I had ordered looked fine, but they popped back out to double check I could eat butter as there had been a confusion over whether I could eat dairy or not (I can), I said yes and off she went to inform the chef.  My dinner arrived and looked fab, it tasted delicious, very succulent and I enjoyed every mouthful, it came with sauted potatoes instead of mash (I've no idea why, but prefer them like that anyway :) ) broccoli, cauliflower and green beans all in a herby butter sauce.

I would definitely eat at The Stags Head in Great Doddington again and if, like me you find eating out difficult I recommend it, such a friendly atmosphere and I wasn't made to feel awkward or like I was being a nuisance.  The range of dishes available was brilliant, it was lovely to have a good choice when looking at the menu like the good old days rather than being stuck with one or two.

Rating 10/10

Big update

Well, we had a totally uneventful Christmas, just the way I like them :)
We ate at my father in law's who was very thoughtful and bought free from mince pies and chocolate brownies for R, we took our own gravy and Yorkshire puddings and had a brilliant day.

Since then however I have had two reactions!

One to celery, and one to chocolate :(

By the time my appointment comes around in September I'll have a list as long as my arm!

R had his consultant apt, who instantly discharged him lol as I'd done her job for her by taking him off of gluten and wheat.  She is arranging for him to see a dietician, but did say that that is also probably a waste of time as I've been and already have all of the info!  Also I may want to consider getting him tested again in a few years time (will mean putting him back on gluten and wheat for six weeks) to see if coeliacs has developed as I may have just caught it early.  She also said for me to do this periodically as we're both sensitive to barley and cross contamination.

We now have a gluten free toaster, and our own pots of spreads and butter lol

I still haven't had the results back for L's coeliac screening but I think it will be negative, I think she's only bad if we have a gluten heavy meal, so when we have pasta she has the GF stuff like R and I and has been fine on it :)

Nourish, the catering company for the school my son is at have been brilliant since his diagnosis.  We had to get a note from our GP to say he recommended a GF diet, then they emailed me a list of their GF meals, I have spoken to the chef (Vicky) at his school who has shown me his red tray, cutlery and her utensils (the other kids have purple trays and metal cutlery) she was worried he would feel different, and some kids may, but R thinks it's cool that he's the only red one and gets a special band to wear too, so all is good there.  He is allowed chilli, cottage pie, bean and vegetable bake, all of the roast dinners, and all of the jacket potatoes except coleslaw but the Vicky said if I put him down for one on that day she'll give him a filling he is allowed :)  fruit, yoghurts, jelly and they've ordered a GF desert box containing carrot cake, ginger biscuits and apple crumble.  He hasn't tried the bean and veg bake as he has football at lunchtime that day and says a packed lunch is easier, and likes the crumble, but not the apple bit of the apple crumble (he's never liked cooked apple) and he doesn't like jelly, or cheese (one of the jacket fillings), but he's loving the rest, even the carrot cake which he was very sceptical about :)  So I'm very pleased for him and can't praise Nourish, or Vicky enough 10/10 for them both