World’s shortest walk
Busy weekend in the end! We had a little party (mostly little kids from nearby/NCT group/neighbours etc…) and a few of the more grown up little kids from our amateur dramatics club. Apparently they’re adults but it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes! The party was deemed a success and the slightly random combination of…
Guest post: Allergies go global… Sri Lanka: Elakiri? No stūtiyi!
Time to try something new: I’ve been flirting with this idea for a while now. I know quite a few people who also have their own stories about dealing with allergens (increasingly so since launching this website!) and really like the idea of getting other people to post occasional content. The post that follows is…
January Blues
So I haven’t written many restaurant experience reviews recently. The truth is we just haven’t eaten out so far that much in 2019; certainly not in places I haven’t written about before (and very little more to add…). A combination of spending the first few weekends exclusively in launderettes and Piglet having been ill twice…
The big walk
Another week, another walk. Although a lot has changed since last week. I’m 34 now for a start (did I mention I had a birthday on the way?) Birthday presents still gratefully appreciated. These Bose Headphones are still on the wish list if anyone’s wondering if they’ve missed the boat? Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II)…
Parenting – a walk in the park
Today we, you guessed it, went for a walk in the park. Black Park in Buckinghamshire to be precise. It felt like a bit of a best-bits compilation to be honest with a few of the events and food from 2018 all rolled into one family trip special. I’ve mentioned that Piglet has vowed, gallantly…
Costa now does Almond Milk
New Year, new surprises!! As part of their 2019 menu, it appears that Costa Coffee now do additional dairy-free milks, including almond milk! Hurrah! Of the three big coffee chains (I drink quite a lot of coffee, you might have noticed!), Costa was probably already my favourite even though they didn’t previously offer a milk…
Coffee in Bath – The forum
This blog is in danger of becoming a tour of the UK’s independent coffee shops that sell Almond Milk lattes! But again, just after Christmas, we found ourselves in a city centre frantically searching Google for places to get a suitable hot drink. The city, this time, Bath. Our home for about 4 years when…
Christmas survived – and on to 2019
So, we appeared to have made it out to the other side… 400+ miles of driving, 18 or so members of family visited, too many presents received, just enough presents given out, not nearly enough sleep accumulated (although far more down to parental behaviour than Piglet’s mischief), one sitting room floor covered in pine needles…
The twelve days of reaction
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me,The hope of continuous sleep On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me,Two soothing meds,And the hope of continuous sleep On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me,Three eczema sores,Two soothing meds,And the hope of continuous…
Chocolate Christmas Tree
From an off-hand comment about Christmas being based on a Pagen festival; we ended up celebrating the sun rising on the shortest day of the year with a Chocolate Christmas tree. The winter equinox marked by pastry and candelight, what could be better? Chocolate Christmas trees are quite popular at the moment but likely to…
Pho Pho Pho! A Christmas Treat!
Well this is an interesting one. I’m hardly a diplomatic journalist but for the first time, blogging about allergy management has thrown up a potential conflict of interest! Let me explain… You may have seen my previous post about eating at Pho in Oxford. I really enjoyed the food but we had a slightly mixed…
I love my son – it’s a 10 from me!
I love my son. Very much. It’s more difficult to write about that than it is to write sarcastically about the joys of waking up at 4am or trying to reason with a mauling, screaming toddler who just wants to embed their fingernails into your chin. But I do love him very much, every day.…
Chocolate Ginger Bundt Cake
This is a recipe that we’ve ‘adjusted’ to be dairy and soya free from the Sainsbury’s magazine. As part of our targeted survival tactics for Christmas we’re agreed with my in-laws that we’ll bring a pudding that we know we can eat. They’re great at getting suitable food in and checking things with us but…
Christmas Gift Suggestions
I’m the worst person in the world to be advising on Christmas presents, just ask any of my friends or relatives! However there are a few things that we’ve seen or have that are great for aiding parents with (or managing) milk and soya allergies: A bread maker – lets start big, eh? The first…
Christmas Stocking Fillers
The following are worth looking into if you are looking for stocking filler treats that are dairy and soya free. You might even choose to share some of them with children! Iceland Kuchenmeister Stollen – one of the best brands of stollen happens to be suitable and if you go to Iceland you can pick…
Managing Christmas
Depending on your family, your outlook, your desire to gorge on turkey or your tenancy to sit in a Victorian money-lenders snapping at your single employee, refusing to allow him enough coal to fend off a bitter Christmas Eve – you may look forward to Christmas with abandon or edge closer to it with caution……
Surprisingly Suitable – Christmas
The run up to Christmas can see a sudden increase in chocolates/cakes/pies and even liqueurs – all highly likely to contain milk, soya or both. A lot of stuff just obviously isn’t suitable but there are always a few surprises hidden away… Let’s play a game. Have a look at the photo below and see…
Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
I wanted to share an experience with you. Effectively a situation where I doubted some allergen information I was given but let Piglet eat the food anyway. In short, I got pretty much every bit wrong: I didn’t push for complete clarity on the ingredients, I let my son eat something against my better judgement…
Surprisingly Suitable – 16th Nov 2018
Custard. That famously thick, sweet, milk and cream based pudding. Obviously the most famous brand of custard powder would contain copious amounts of dairy. Right? Wrong! Welcome to my second list of everyday(ish) items that are, possibly surprisingly, suitable for those who need to avoid cow’s milk and soya from their diet. Bird’s Custard Powder…
Cote Brasserie – Westbourne Grove
Just a normal Wednesday evening: a pre-curling, French restaurant, work night out… I’m lucky that I work for a company that understands the benefits of team-bonding exercises as a boost to team morale. Not to the extent of ‘all expenses paid’ benders at ‘conferences’ in far flung corners of the world but occasional evenings out…