Allergy friendly recipes
Over the past three weeks, I have joined forces with a bunch of top UK bloggers. We worked together to create allergy-friendly recipes for a ‘free from’ Christmas buffet.
Rather than focusing on one allergen, we gave ourselves a real challenge: creating recipes that would be free from the top 14 allergens, as defined by the European Union in December 2014.
Here is the list of the allergens we were not to use in our recipes:
– cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats (if not gluten-free),
– dairy,
– eggs,
– soya,
– lupin,
– sesame,
– celery and celeriac,
– sulphites,
– mustard,
– fish,
– tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, brazils, pistachios, macadamia nuts),
– peanuts,
– molluscs,
– crustaceans.
We wanted to show you that ‘Free From’ can be easy, convivial and festive, with no unusual ingredients. It is not that difficult to cater for everyone, and it should definitely not be stressful trying to create or find allergy free recipes.
The range of dishes we created was impressive and I was in awe at the response we got through this little collaboration. This is why I put together a list of over 50 recipes I would use for a ‘free from’ Christmas. I really hope this list of allergy-friendly recipes comes in handy!
Starters & Finger Food
Vicki’s Roast Carrot and Cumin Dip with Breadsticks make the perfect finger food. I was ridiculously excited when Vicki mentioned sharing her recipe for breadsticks. Not only do I need 4 ingredients I already have at home, but they look incredibly easy to make. Breadsticks and houmous make Jumpy very happy indeed. Until now, she has had Schär’s breadsticks, but they are a special treat as they are so expensive. Making them at home is the answer! You know what? I had never even thought of making my own.
Jo’s Courgettes in Blankets are right up my street. I always find pigs in blankets a tad greasy, so these baby courgettes wrapped in parma ham are the perfect allergy friendly alternative!
These Angry Birds crackers by Hailey at ‘Allergy Adventures’ would definitely be a hit with the children!
These Avocado and salmon Kalettes & Quinoa Sushi would be perfect to celebrate Christmas ‘sans allergens’ as well. It is a dish you can prepare ahead of your guests arriving, keep in the fridge in cling film and simply slide the sushi at the last minute.
Now check these little babies by Nova at ‘Cherished by Me.’ Don’t they look delicious? Chilli Lime Chicken certainly looks like my kind of appetiser! What a tasty allergy-friendly recipe.
Bread
This Tomato, Onion and Garlic Focaccia by Hailey is just the perfect ‘tear and share’ bread recipe.
Vicki’s Wholegrain Baguettes are delicious and simple to make. We love them, and I always make two so Jumpy has one over a couple of days and I slice then freeze the other one for bread emergencies.
Allergy-friendly Mains
If you are planning to cook a turkey (or large chicken) for Christmas, make it a bird brined in gin, juniper berries and citrus. It is life-changing!
Gammon is one of the things I look most forward to at Christmas. Hélène’s Boeuf Bourguignon is the perfect winter warmer. Use two tablespoons of vegetable oil instead of butter to make it dairy-free. Leave it on the table in a lidded casserole dish and your guests can help themselves.
Since I am mentioning stews, check this delicious sausage stew, or Rougail Saucisse. It is one of my favourite dishes. Again, simply replace the butter with dairy-free spread to make the recipe allergy-friendly.
If some of your guests are vegan, then this Creamy Carrot and Parsnip Soup will probably be a hit with them. It’s an allergy-friendly party pleaser – we have it every single week, all year round!
‘Mummy Bakes Dairy Free’ shared her Hidden Veggies Meatloaf with us. It looks scrumptious and would be a great addition to our ‘free from’ buffet! Honey Glazed Gammon is one of my favourite foods, especially when cold. It is highly addictive!
Sauces
Check this vibrant, Boozy Cranberry Sauce Monika from ‘Everyday Healthy Recipes’ shared recently. It takes 10 minutes to make from start to finish and contains six ingredients only. Convinced yet?
Charlotte’s take on Cranberry Sauce, with Port and brown sugar is right up my street too! It is so simple to make I am definitely going to give it a go before Christmas.
Allergy Friendly Side Dishes
I cannot possibly imagine Christmas without potatoes, so Grace’s Rosemary & Garlic Crushed Potatoes Recipe was the first side dish I chose to include in the allergy-friendly ‘sides’ section. Her versatile rosemary and garlic crushed potatoes recipe is simple yet bursting with flavours and I will definitely give it a go this Christmas.
If you are after an alternative to chips, mash or roast potatoes, then Charlotte’s Potato Wedges are probably what you are looking for.
Whilst we’re on the topic of vegetables, let me show you Charlotte’s mouth-watering Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. The secret ingredient? Honey!
Eb’s One-pot Wild Mushroom, Squash and Spinach Pilaf is quick and simple to make. If kept in a lidded casserole dish, it would keep nice and warm on a buffet table. Who said allergy-friendly recipes were boring?
Another side dish by Eb will be perfect for a Christmas spread. Check out this Cranberry, Feta and Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash. Perfect on the table, with guests helping themselves to as little or as much as they want.
Cliona’s Garlic and Parsley Fried Mushrooms make the perfect side dish. I would have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could!
Desserts
Nat from ‘The Intolerant Gourmand’ created an Allergy-friendly Christmas Pudding. Check it out!
Our delicious Brownies would definitely be on our desert buffet for Christmas. They are dense, rich, gooey and I will not be able to stop eating them until they are all gone!
Reneé’s Nutrient Dense Chocolate Mousse has lots of hidden goodness in it, making it the perfect pudding for fussy eaters. Nat’s Mince Pie Cupcakes sound like the perfect allergy friendly treat on Christmas day.
Who knew you could make jelly with only two ingredients? Charlotte’s ‘free from’ Fruit Jelly sounds seriously delicious and I am pretty sure these would not last very long on a buffet table!
Rebecca’s Cranberry Sauce Quick Bread is my idea of what dessert should be like at Christmas: served with a cup of tea! How delicious does it look?
Delicious Allergy-Friendly Treats
Hélène’s Orangettes, candied orange peels dipped in dark chocolate, are looking moreish and addictive! They are the allergy-friendly version of Terry’s Chocolate Orange, only nicer and tastier!
My little lady absolutely loves flapjack, and these Chocolate, Cherry & Chilli Flapjacks by Kate at ‘The Gluten-Free Alchemist’ (using dairy-free spread and omitting the optional almonds) look and sound incredible, with a hint of chilli, candied cherries and chocolate chips. I would cut them into small squares and serve them mid-afternoon.
Emma’s ‘Tear and Share’ Christmas Tree takes minutes to prepare yet this cinnamon-filled treat is a real showstopper. I love a recipe that does not require hours of preparation yet looks like you have really made an effort. If you wanted to go for a savoury option, you could substitute the sugar and cinnamon for pesto.
Hailey’s Melted Mr Frosty Biscuits are too cute for words, and so simple to make they would make a great Christmas Eve baking session for children.
Nat’s Cranberry Crumble Bars look like my kind of treat with oats, cranberry jelly. Not only do they fit perfectly for our ‘Free From’ Christmas Feast, but they would also make the perfect treat to add to a lunchbox or a snack to eat straight after exercising. If you are feeling really festive, you could even replace the cranberry jelly with mincemeat!
Grace’s Fruit & Veg Snack Skewers are the ultimate refreshing treat.
This Apple and Blackberry Fruit Leather by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is something I will definitely try to make soon.
Charlotte’s one-ingredient Pear Crisps are perfect for a snack. Check how pretty they look too!
The cute Snowman Snack Cups by Grace at ‘Eats Amazing’ are perfect to finish your Christmas dinner with a cute treat. To ensure they are free from the top 14 allergens, check the labels on all ingredients or simply serve plain popcorn or sweet and salty popcorn in the cups.
The Peppermint Snowmen by Kirsty aka. ‘The Mummysphere’ are just too cute for words, and children will love them! They would make the ideal sweet treat at the end of a meal with their peppermint flavours.
Pancakes are always a bit hit in my house, and these Vegan Pancakes always go down a treat with freshly sliced fruit.
Vicki’s Vegan Oat Pancakes are thick, moreish and would make the perfect mid-afternoon snack on Christmas day, with a nice cup of tea.
Ice Cream
Ice cream for Christmas? Why not? This one only requires one ingredient and it is perfect!
Ciara from ‘My Fussy Eater’ takes the modest banana ice cream to another level by combining it with Christmassy spices.
These Pineapple Ring Ice Pops by Grace at ‘Eats Amazing’ take seconds to prepare and you only need one ingredient!
We make this allergy friendly Chocolate Ice Cream pretty much every week. It is our absolute favourite!
Moreish Drinks
Vicki’s Blueberry, Coconut and Strawberry Smoothie would be a hit with my four children. It is sweet, with banana and maple syrup, full of berries and creamy. What’s not to love?
Not only are these smoothies delicious, but they are packed full of vitamins and will help keep germs at bay.
This 4-ingredient smoothie is sweet, full of goodness and really adds a bit of sunshinene to any grey day!
Now let’s cater for the adults here… Nat’s Mocha Freakshake looks decadent, full of creaminess, and more importantly, it has strong coffee in!
Let’s go one step further and talk about Mulled Wine. This decadent version is all you will need for Christmas!
50+ Allergy-friendly Recipes
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Are there any other allergy-friendly recipes you would have added to this list?
Over to you now!
Grab the badge and add your posts below. Emma and I are looking forward to a good read with a cup of coffee in hand.
How to link up with #Freefromfridays
What can I link?
Any blog post that features a recipe free from a common allergen (eg. milk, egg, nuts, gluten) or allergy related advice, experience or information.
When can I link?
#FreeFromFridays opens on Friday and closes on the following Monday at midnight.
How to link:
1 Grab the #Freefromfridays badge if you wish (highlight the code then press ctrl+c or cmd+c) and add it to a new or existing post
2 Share your post on the linky below
3 Comment on this post and at least 2 others
4 Tweet your link to @freefromfarm and @lecoindemel using hashtag #freefromfridays so we can spread the word!
Please note that by adding a post to #Freefromfridays, you are giving us permission to notify you of subsequent linkups and to use your photos if we are featuring your post.
Come and join our private group on Facebook. It would be nice to help each other share those posts and have a place to chat. You can also share your email address there to join our ‘tribe’ there so we can share each other’s content on Pinterest.
I hope you’ve found some delicious allergy-friendly recipes to try. You can find more in my free from recipes section.
What a fabulous round up Mel! It’s a brilliant resource for anyone who needs to cater for a free from friend it family member this Christmas. I know I’ll be making a few!
Me too! The round up is a list of my favourites as well as those I want to try soon. Cranberry sauce first!
What a great concept. Some wonderful looking recipes there.
Thanks Ali.
Epic! It puts my 14 to shame ;)! Thanks for including me x
How could I not include you in a ‘free from’ round up: you’re the Free From Fairy!
WOW!! That is such an awesome list…and goes to show a free from diet need not be boring! Linking up my Cranberry Porridge Squares this week – they are DF, GF and Vegan – pretty healthy too, but definitely not boring!! Eb x
Absolutely! An exclusion diet can actually be a fun thing when you think out of the box and try to be a bit creative. x
Ooops forgot to say…and thank you for including my Pilaf and Stuffed Squash in your roundup!! Eb x
Thank you for including us!! The recipes all look amazing!!
My pleasure lovely!
Wowee what an amazing collection of free from recipes! I love that we’ve been able to successfully show how you can still create enticing and delicious food in spite of allergy restrictions to diet! x
I’m really glad we went for it. Thank you so much for taking part in this little project sweetie! xx
All the recipes look so lovely, I’ve shared the linkup everywhere:)
Thanks Monika!
Super idea for a post that will help many. So hungry now! Thanks for including some of my recipes x
My pleasure beautiful!
What a great collection, amazing what you CAN eat isn’t it. Thanks for including mine and for asking me to be a part of the Christmas buffet! X
It was so nice working all together as a team towards a common goal, wasn’t it? Loved having you xxx
WOW, what a feast. Sharing now 🙂
Thanks sweetie. xx
I think it is such a great resource for people, so useful. I feel honoured to be featured. Thank you Mel xxx
My pleasure lovely, I’ll have to give your boeuf bourguignon a go!