13 year old daughter - coeliac
Discussion
Our daughter a budding chef and excellent baker has just been diagnosed as coeliac after a spurt of issues.
She is devastated and to be honest we are struggling a bit,
We have got all the gluten free food from Asda and sainsburys. She is trying to bake with the flours etc but getting cross that it doesn’t taste the same , or isn’t rising as well.
School aren’t really helping so she is having to take a packed lunch which is further alienating her, she has a school lunch 2 or 3 times a week but can now only have the chicken curry once a fortnite.
As a family we are all eating the same meals and trying to support her, but my wife is also finding cooking with the new ingredients a bit of a challenge Even with the plethora of new cook books..
Personally I cant taste the difference and wondering if it is more in their head.
She loved a chinese so I have made a few sweet and sour dishes, also the pizzas seem to be going down well.
Toad in the hole last night was a disaster and we haven’t found a bread or cereal that she likes.
Any tips?
She is devastated and to be honest we are struggling a bit,
We have got all the gluten free food from Asda and sainsburys. She is trying to bake with the flours etc but getting cross that it doesn’t taste the same , or isn’t rising as well.
School aren’t really helping so she is having to take a packed lunch which is further alienating her, she has a school lunch 2 or 3 times a week but can now only have the chicken curry once a fortnite.
As a family we are all eating the same meals and trying to support her, but my wife is also finding cooking with the new ingredients a bit of a challenge Even with the plethora of new cook books..
Personally I cant taste the difference and wondering if it is more in their head.
She loved a chinese so I have made a few sweet and sour dishes, also the pizzas seem to be going down well.
Toad in the hole last night was a disaster and we haven’t found a bread or cereal that she likes.
Any tips?
My son is coeliac, he’s 12 now and was diagnosed around 8 years ago.
Some of the food does taste different, but it’s got a lot better. We sometimes buy the gluten free pizza bases and he chooses what he would like on it. For bread, he likes the Warburtons tiger loaf and their sour dough loaf too.
He has to take lunch to school too as they really don’t have anything he can eat there which is a shame but I suppose he’s used to it now.
What I will say is the selection in supermarkets for gluten free food is really good now. When he was first diagnosed the choices were tiny.
Just keep trying new things and she will find bits she likes.
Any questions ask away 👍🏻
Some of the food does taste different, but it’s got a lot better. We sometimes buy the gluten free pizza bases and he chooses what he would like on it. For bread, he likes the Warburtons tiger loaf and their sour dough loaf too.
He has to take lunch to school too as they really don’t have anything he can eat there which is a shame but I suppose he’s used to it now.
What I will say is the selection in supermarkets for gluten free food is really good now. When he was first diagnosed the choices were tiny.
Just keep trying new things and she will find bits she likes.
Any questions ask away 👍🏻
I suspect it is tough at 13. Both of my stepdaughter’s are coeliac. Severely. One crumb and they swell up like a puffer fish and are not well for a couple of days. They are a lot older though
The good news is that things have moved on a lot in the last few years like the pizzas you mentioned
I can’t help with the baking I’m afraid. My only advice with her being the age she is would be to avoid what she may see as second rate meals Ie those with the wheat removed. There are plenty of meals that don’t contain wheat in the first place ie steak and chips. At family meal times I’d focus on those rather than wheat free alternatives
I’d have hoped the school would have been more accommodating. Have you spoken to them?
ETA. Don’t know where I thought she was 13 from. Could have sworn I read it originally
ETA. The title. Idiot.
The good news is that things have moved on a lot in the last few years like the pizzas you mentioned
I can’t help with the baking I’m afraid. My only advice with her being the age she is would be to avoid what she may see as second rate meals Ie those with the wheat removed. There are plenty of meals that don’t contain wheat in the first place ie steak and chips. At family meal times I’d focus on those rather than wheat free alternatives
I’d have hoped the school would have been more accommodating. Have you spoken to them?
ETA. Don’t know where I thought she was 13 from. Could have sworn I read it originally
Edited by ziggy328 on Tuesday 14th February 21:51
ETA. The title. Idiot.
Edited by ziggy328 on Tuesday 14th February 21:53
Coeliac house here too - the OH not me. We got so frustrated with not being able to find nice things when out and about that eventually I set up a bakery from home for market stalls etc. If there’s anything I can help with, just ask. It does take time to get used to how gf food/baking reacts, but it does get easier.
Becky Excell has some brilliant books with really accessible, reliable recipes. If you want a quick route into gf meals and baking she’s great. There are fakeaway options, and easy bread and pastry recipes using the flour blends already available. She has a blog and also a Facebook page which is super helpful and supportive.
Phil vickery also got some fab books and recipes online, too. This starts to get a little more into flour blends and proper pastry etc.
The more advanced stuff as you say she’s a foodie/great cook - if you’re looking for pastry chef (she’s a ex pastry chef herself, diagnosed coeliac and has set about trying to recreate the things she once loved) stuff, lovely breads/baguettes, pastries/cakes/waffles and eventually sourdough stuff then Aran Goyoaga has a series of books. Canelle et Vanille. They’re so so good, I haven’t looked back after discovering her recipes.
ETA - Naomi Devlin of river cottage has some brilliant bread recipes, and even offers courses on how to make it, too.
https://www.mygfbakery.com/ also has some lovely bread and mixes for her to try.
One more I remembered - Kate, the gluten free architect has the most awesome flour blends and recipes on her blog page and also Facebook page.
Becky Excell has some brilliant books with really accessible, reliable recipes. If you want a quick route into gf meals and baking she’s great. There are fakeaway options, and easy bread and pastry recipes using the flour blends already available. She has a blog and also a Facebook page which is super helpful and supportive.
Phil vickery also got some fab books and recipes online, too. This starts to get a little more into flour blends and proper pastry etc.
The more advanced stuff as you say she’s a foodie/great cook - if you’re looking for pastry chef (she’s a ex pastry chef herself, diagnosed coeliac and has set about trying to recreate the things she once loved) stuff, lovely breads/baguettes, pastries/cakes/waffles and eventually sourdough stuff then Aran Goyoaga has a series of books. Canelle et Vanille. They’re so so good, I haven’t looked back after discovering her recipes.
ETA - Naomi Devlin of river cottage has some brilliant bread recipes, and even offers courses on how to make it, too.
https://www.mygfbakery.com/ also has some lovely bread and mixes for her to try.
Edited by guillemot on Tuesday 14th February 23:25
Edited by guillemot on Tuesday 14th February 23:28
One more I remembered - Kate, the gluten free architect has the most awesome flour blends and recipes on her blog page and also Facebook page.
Edited by guillemot on Wednesday 15th February 09:33
I spent some time over the 1st lockdown experimenting with gluten free baking and sourdough in particular. I had nothing better to do as a furloughed chef 
I found the information and recipes at https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/ to be very good. Kim has recipes for just about every baked good you can think of. She also has her own gf flour blend recipes.
I found the information and recipes at https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/ to be very good. Kim has recipes for just about every baked good you can think of. She also has her own gf flour blend recipes.
Megan Mckenna on Masterchef the Professionals has brought a book out on exactly this.
Love her or hate her, she did extremely well on the show (got to the finals) cooking gluten-free and the reviews are good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-You-Make-That-Gluten-...
Might be worth a few quid, even just for some more ideas.
Love her or hate her, she did extremely well on the show (got to the finals) cooking gluten-free and the reviews are good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-You-Make-That-Gluten-...
Might be worth a few quid, even just for some more ideas.
A sister is coeliac, my partner intolerant (of gluten not the sister 
).
GF stuff tastes and feels different. The more floury the item the more obvious it is. i.e bread/cake more noticeable than, say, a stew.
YTBMY (your taste buds may vary
)
The bottom line is she'll have to get used to it.
Changing the whole family's diet seems a bit cosseting (what do I know, i'm not a parent).
My sister has a separate GF food prep. area in her kitchen. And some dedicated tools - toaster for example.
When my family gathers there'll be GF & gluten dishes. Sister/partner often brings her own GF version where that's easiest. And provides gluten versions when it's at hers. Depends what's most obviously different/easy to prep. e.g. A roast dinner is very close. Might want two types of stuffing, gravy might need some thought but that's it. Dessert is most obviously different, two Christmas puds.
Toasted GF bread is better than raw. GF pasta is not bad, lots of different brands these days. Beware oven chips, many have gluten coatings.
One thing that never works, form a textural POV at least, is GF cakes. Honorable exception to brownies.
).GF stuff tastes and feels different. The more floury the item the more obvious it is. i.e bread/cake more noticeable than, say, a stew.
YTBMY (your taste buds may vary
)The bottom line is she'll have to get used to it.
Changing the whole family's diet seems a bit cosseting (what do I know, i'm not a parent).
My sister has a separate GF food prep. area in her kitchen. And some dedicated tools - toaster for example.
When my family gathers there'll be GF & gluten dishes. Sister/partner often brings her own GF version where that's easiest. And provides gluten versions when it's at hers. Depends what's most obviously different/easy to prep. e.g. A roast dinner is very close. Might want two types of stuffing, gravy might need some thought but that's it. Dessert is most obviously different, two Christmas puds.
Toasted GF bread is better than raw. GF pasta is not bad, lots of different brands these days. Beware oven chips, many have gluten coatings.
One thing that never works, form a textural POV at least, is GF cakes. Honorable exception to brownies.
Gluten-free cakes / biscuits are fine. I use Dove's Farm Freee at work.
However there is no such thing as 'good' GF bread, pasta or Yorkshire Puddings - the gluten development in the flour is an essential part of the texture. It is a question of what you can put up with.
I'd recommend pursuing cuisines which are naturally gluten-free. There are loads of Asian options, or meat and two veg. Also 'keto'.
However there is no such thing as 'good' GF bread, pasta or Yorkshire Puddings - the gluten development in the flour is an essential part of the texture. It is a question of what you can put up with.
I'd recommend pursuing cuisines which are naturally gluten-free. There are loads of Asian options, or meat and two veg. Also 'keto'.
LunarOne said:
I'm not coeliac but I have a couple of friends who are. If your daughter likes pizza, Pizza Express does gluten-free pizzas in the restaurant and I had a wedge of my friend's. Seriously impressed!
close the thread, here's your solution OP, pizza express morning noon and night...problem solved..on a more helpful note i have found the schar products mostly decent, despite not being a coeliac, i often avoid wheat and schars range is extensive and of sound quality ime, waitrose stock a decent selection at least.
My sister made these Yorkshire puddings and they were very good. Might be worth a try?
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/egg-recipes/gl...
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/egg-recipes/gl...
My partner has to follow a strict wheat free diet and is an avid (non professional) chef.
And there are excellent small bakeries in the UK that have cracked GF cakes, so it’s definitely possible, perhaps your daughter can be inspired by the work of others. One that stands out for me is https://www.thefreefrombakehouse.com/
And sounds like Guillemot above would be a good person to speak to.
+1 for the Becky Excell books for some quick wins.
We’ve also discovered some great alternatives when travelling to countries that don’t domestically grow wheat. Was great to find foods and dishes that haven’t made it here yet using naturally GF ingredients. Use of cassava flour in the Caribbean Comes to mind.
And there are excellent small bakeries in the UK that have cracked GF cakes, so it’s definitely possible, perhaps your daughter can be inspired by the work of others. One that stands out for me is https://www.thefreefrombakehouse.com/
And sounds like Guillemot above would be a good person to speak to.
+1 for the Becky Excell books for some quick wins.
We’ve also discovered some great alternatives when travelling to countries that don’t domestically grow wheat. Was great to find foods and dishes that haven’t made it here yet using naturally GF ingredients. Use of cassava flour in the Caribbean Comes to mind.
Edited by Paft Dunk on Thursday 16th February 04:35
Our household has been gluten free for nearly a decade now after my partner was finally diagnosed coeliac.
You try lots of things and come across excellent (if more expensive sadly) alternatives.
For Yorkshire puddings, cornflour is the trick (https://glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/2017/10/01/gluten-free-yorkshire-pudding-recipe-dairy-free-low-fodmap/)
Schar bread and flour mix is really good and consistent.
Emma basic curry cubes are great for an easy Katsu curry.
You try lots of things and come across excellent (if more expensive sadly) alternatives.
For Yorkshire puddings, cornflour is the trick (https://glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/2017/10/01/gluten-free-yorkshire-pudding-recipe-dairy-free-low-fodmap/)
Schar bread and flour mix is really good and consistent.
Emma basic curry cubes are great for an easy Katsu curry.
My Daughter was diagnosed at 2 years old that was 13 years ago. One crumb and it’s like she has been on a huge night out with her head down the toilet, even passing out once which was incredibly scary. We are super safe. Toaster bags separate butters, jams etc to avoid cross contamination.
It took us a long time to find alternatives to Yorkshires etc, the only thing we can’t quite master is bread. I even have pizza sorted thanks to another PH’er who recommended this flour.
https://fifostore.co.uk/collections/gluten-free/pr...
It maybe expensive but I buy in bulk and we make bread, rolls, pizzas.
As time moves on your reliance on free from aisles will diminish, we only us them for pasta and bread.
This blogger is well worth the follow…
https://www.theglutenfreeblogger.com/soft-gluten-f...
try making the rolls with the flour above…
On the upside you end up cooking more and cut out the rubbish. GF sausages such as the ones from Heck tend to have more meat and less rubbish in them.
This restaurant has been going for years
https://www.nichefoodanddrink.com
and set it’s self up as purely GF and gets great reviews, so it doesn’t stop anyone from being a chef. To be honest we search out restaurants with a good understanding of cross contamination etc…
Schools… We have insisted that our daughter has school dinners, which has been fine apart from one recent episode. The issue comes when they don’t want to be singled out as all teenagers don’t so special areas to collect food from and special badges to identify the student with allergies didn’t go down well.
You and your daughter will work it out we have done endless entertaining and held Christmas all GF lots of complements about the food. The trick is don’t tell them it’s GF and no one will know.
Here are Yorkshires from a couple of Sunday's ago...
Good luck.
It took us a long time to find alternatives to Yorkshires etc, the only thing we can’t quite master is bread. I even have pizza sorted thanks to another PH’er who recommended this flour.
https://fifostore.co.uk/collections/gluten-free/pr...
It maybe expensive but I buy in bulk and we make bread, rolls, pizzas.
As time moves on your reliance on free from aisles will diminish, we only us them for pasta and bread.
This blogger is well worth the follow…
https://www.theglutenfreeblogger.com/soft-gluten-f...
try making the rolls with the flour above…
On the upside you end up cooking more and cut out the rubbish. GF sausages such as the ones from Heck tend to have more meat and less rubbish in them.
This restaurant has been going for years
https://www.nichefoodanddrink.com
and set it’s self up as purely GF and gets great reviews, so it doesn’t stop anyone from being a chef. To be honest we search out restaurants with a good understanding of cross contamination etc…
Schools… We have insisted that our daughter has school dinners, which has been fine apart from one recent episode. The issue comes when they don’t want to be singled out as all teenagers don’t so special areas to collect food from and special badges to identify the student with allergies didn’t go down well.
You and your daughter will work it out we have done endless entertaining and held Christmas all GF lots of complements about the food. The trick is don’t tell them it’s GF and no one will know.
Here are Yorkshires from a couple of Sunday's ago...
Good luck.
Mobile Chicane said:
However there is no such thing as 'good' GF bread, pasta or Yorkshire Puddings - the gluten development in the flour is an essential part of the texture. It is a question of what you can put up with.
This is simply untrue, and a really unhelpful comment to make when someone is starting on a gluten free path, especially when they’re already accomplished cooks. It takes time to adjust for sure, and you can’t simply swap out like for like with flour blends, but there are absolutely great breads, pastas and yorkies in the gf world. For the sake of your gf customers please look a little further, you don’t have to ‘put up with’ terrible gf food just because you don’t know any better. guillemot said:
Mobile Chicane said:
However there is no such thing as 'good' GF bread, pasta or Yorkshire Puddings - the gluten development in the flour is an essential part of the texture. It is a question of what you can put up with.
This is simply untrue, and a really unhelpful comment to make when someone is starting on a gluten free path, especially when they’re already accomplished cooks. It takes time to adjust for sure, and you can’t simply swap out like for like with flour blends, but there are absolutely great breads, pastas and yorkies in the gf world. For the sake of your gf customers please look a little further, you don’t have to ‘put up with’ terrible gf food just because you don’t know any better. There's a world of cuisine out there which is naturally gluten free.
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