Food Allergies and Parties – #FreeFromFridays

Happy Friday everyone! Food allergies and parties… That’s a topic any allergy parent could chat about for hours, isn’t it? A few weeks ago, Emma wrote a brilliant article about managing your child’s allergies at a party. Check it out as it contains invaluable information to ensure your little one is never missing out and feeling fully included! Emma included specific tips for ensuring your allergic child is always safe, whether you’re attending a family gathering, party or there’s an event involving food at their school.

Here are more tips from the lovely Free From Gang:

– Vicky at ‘The Free From Fairy’

“Make everything free from the allergen in question so there is no chance of cross contamination and all children can eat together without anyone feeling different…” Check Vicki’s article on gluten and dairy-free party food for kids.

• Nath at ‘The Intolerant Gourmand’

“Call the party organiser and find out what foods will be there so you can be prepared – either by requesting certain foods to be out of reach and controlled serving, or to create safe alternatives that look the same! Don’t be frightened of making an announcement at the beginning of the party to ensure others do not feed your child without checking with you first!”

• Kate at ‘The Gluten Free Alchemist’

“Use allergen labels.”

• Midge at ‘The Peachicks’ Bakery’

“Where the Peachicks are older now and go on their own we send them with a small named bag with all their medication & emergency contact details as well as safe snacks and own plasters! We also remind them to ask about any food they are not sure of before eating.”

• Rebecca at ‘Glutarama’

“For the three…yes THREE parties Beth has EVER been invited to I made her own packed lunch in a gift bag with sparkly ribbon, tissue paper wrapping each element sealed with a sticker…her lunch was the envy of all the other children and made HER feel special for all the right reasons.”

• Eb at ‘Easy Peasy Foodie’

“Not sure if you need or want a perspective from the other side, but my top tip would be ‘please just ask’…I would honestly move heaven and earth to make sure your kid had a good time at my kid’s birthday party…I would say…please just tell me what I need to do/not do and tell me what stupid mistakes I might make by accident and I will do my level best to accommodate…I realise I may be in the minority (!) but I’m sure there are others out there like me who would happily do everything they could. Xx”

• Charlotte at ‘Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen’

“I’ve had visitors before who said they didn’t tell me about food requirements because they didn’t want to be any trouble. Saying in advance isn’t trouble, turning up and then picking around things you can’t eat is far worse.”

Have you got any other tips for dealing with food allergies at parties?

I took the photo above at a party organised by my friend Mili. She’s the talented cake-maker behind ‘Cocoa and Crumbs’ and she bakes the most delicious cakes. Check her out!