AIBU to expect teacher to modify recipies for allergic child?

[alison222]

I have been dealing with this recipe by recipe as they come along.
I sent an e-mail to the teacher asking if they were cooking this week givne they have not had their preparation lesson where they are given the recipe this week due to inset day and asking for an alternative to pancakes for DS who is anaphalactic to eggs.
I get a reply back " yes they are cooking pancakes. Recipe on website" - EGGS in it.
So what would you do in my position?

I have left a message telling him that as an alternative DS will make staffordshire oatcakes, but since they take several hours sitting with the yeast in them, he will make the mix at home and cook them in the 40 min lesson at school.

AIBU to think that it is not my job as a parent to find safe alternatives if he is the teacher and chooses the recipies?

it is earth balance is just a brand of vegan margarine. Do use a blender though as doing it by hand is hard work.

Honestly I had given up on vegan pancakes, but these are great.

bollocks, did the link wrong here it is

1/2 Cup Soymilk
2/3 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Earth Balance, melted
1 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Sugar (sweet crepes only, optional)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract (sweet crepes only, optional)
2 Tbs Water, to thin if needed

Place all the ingredients in a blender or in a bowl. Blend or whisk until smooth. Transfer to a 2 Cup measuring cup (for pouring) and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the batter is refrigerating, prepare your fillings.

I've done with oatmilk and soymilk, both were fine.

Is it possible for your son to make the dishes in the lesson but not eat them. Would that affect his allergy? In later life if he has children would it perhaps be helpful if he knew how to cook an egg, bake a cake so he can cook with his own children later on?

marriedinwhite I'm not sure I would particularly want to cook something that I couldn't eat and not just because I'm greedy. My DP certainly won't have anything to do with eggs, nuts etc as they can kill him, and frankly, his priority is keeping out of hospital, not learning to cook something that isn't a necessity. I can completely see why, and DS manages to get his egg quota cake without it.

Touching eggs will bring him out in a contact rash and if any touches his mouth - he wipes his face etc it can bring on anaphylactic shock so we do not want him handling allergens.

He is understandably very anxious about it and is taking some responsibility. School have him working at a separate workstation to avoid contamination. So far so good, but the lessons are only 40 mins including prep, cooking and clearing time so it can be difficult to find egg substitutions - especially if I don't know what skills they are supposed to be learning.

Egg substitutions vary depending on the thing you are making and are not always successful especially for an over anxious child whi has had several nasty reactions - eg huge mouth swelling on handing a bottle which someone had touched after eating smoked salmon ( fish - another allergy!).

(fwiw I've cooked them without resting them for 30 mins)

it can take a while to find good eggless recipes, but there are loads out there.

tbh I think it is more your and your sons job to find alternatives

In that case I would write to the head, state the extent of the allergies, note the difficulties encountered so far and request a meeting to determine the way forward. I would also say that until you have reached a satisfactory agreement in relation to cookery that you are withdrawing your son from the lessons for health and safety reasons. It may help if you visit your GP and get a fit note that states your son is fit for school but there is a requirement for adjustments to me made in relation to his allergies.

Can you imagine the time if a teacher had to sort out an alternative recipe for food allergies, intollerances, religious differnces and the plain fickle finikerty?

The curriculum says egg based recipies - take it up with Michael Gove.

But if you are going to moan about food tech - lard?? FFS, lard? who the hell uses lard in this day and age? Christ. Be bread and dripping from a bygone age next.

Startail I really don't think you can compare your DD changing the flavours of a dish or those she likes, to a severely allergic child trying to work out an egg substitute when they don't know what skill they are meant to be testing!

Using substitutions is often a little tricky, and something even the most accomplished cooks can find hard. So while he should be taking responsibility for his allergies, coming up with an egg substitute shouldn't just be his responsibility.

My sister is severely allergic to nuts, she reacts to them being in the room so the cookery department ensured ALL classes on they day of her lessons made nut free recopies.

When a student has a severe allergy then the school should help to make things as easy as possible for them and as much as possible ensure that they can cook the same as their peers with little or no adaptation needed.

Ophelia what a ridiculous post.

Comparing food allergies with 'the plain fickle finikerty' is not really very sensitive or sensible, is it? Allergies can be life-threatening, and it can't be very nice for a child who is constant fear of having a reaction (even if this is 'just' a skin-contact reaction of hives and scary, unsightly swelling). Please try and imagine what it must be like.

Teachers may not be paid much, but it is part of their job to make adjustments for children who have special needs. Should they ignore dyslexia because it takes too much time to help a child with dyslexia understand the curriculum? Should they expect a child with a physical disability to join in with PE in exactly the same way as the other children, because it wold take too much time to make alternative arrangements for including them?

(And I use lard in pastry because my DS is allergic to cow's milk and it works better than dairy-free margarine.)

Ophelia I am the least patient and most practical get on with it person imaginable when it comes to fickleness and preciousness.

In the OP's circumstances and especially her son's however, yes, I can imagine the time involved in sorting out an alternative. I can also imagine the time involved in writing up the Health & Safety Report and submitting it to the H&S Executive, I can imagine the incident report, I can imagine the head's time spent explaining the reasons for negligence in relation to H&S and Safeguarding to the governors and in trying to pacify some very angry parents whose very reasonable requests had been ignored.

And as unhealthy as it is a bit of cookeen in pastry makes it exceptionally "short" - it is also the best imo for pancakes and toad and yorkies although I try to keep some beef dripping aside for the latter.

Can you imagine the time if a teacher had to sort out an alternative recipe for food allergies, intollerances, religious differnces and the plain fickle finikerty?

Yes. Food allergies - the main ones are well known and crop up often enough that the egg/nut/dairy/gluten free recipes could be used year after year; less common ones may simply need an ingredient omitting. Intolerances - it won't kill the kid to make it, get a friend to sample it. Religious differences - there is always a vegetarian option which will suit most - its up to the parents whether to send halal meat etc. I don't think any of DDs recipes ever included pork. Fickle finickerty - no pandering, other than allowing them to use the veggie option or substitute one type of veg for another type of thing.

DDs school seemed to manage.

(BTW, the R4 Food Program this weekend was devoted to lard, made it sound rather yummy! )

'Can you imagine the time if a teacher had to sort out an alternative recipe for food allergies, intollerances, religious differnces and the plain fickle finikerty?'

Ophelia, the teacher is a food tech teacher, it's part of her job description IMO.
It's not as if she's having to manage a dozen different subjects, she's teaching the same bloody stuff year after year. How hard is it to create a bank of recipes to meet the needs of her pupils?

I think the recipe and potential contamination are separate issues.

I have a child in my guide group who is severely allergic to multiple foods. Her mum supplies everything for her when we go away (we give a reduced fee to reflect this). It is easier for her mum to do as she knows exactly what she can and can't have and also which of the substitutes her daughter likes.

However, when her daughter is in our care, although we have not provided her food, we ensure that absolutely no cross contamination occurs as we know the dangers.

I get very nervous when selecting food for children with allergies as I'm not an expert in their allergies so I cannot be certain it is suitable (or that it is nice). As a teacher, I would not want to be making those decisions - imagine the case if a teacher gave an alternative recipe and it turned out to not be ok. From that perspective the parent is best placed to make that decision - even two children with nut allergies have different needs.

The more important issue is whether the teacher is ensuring no contamination occurs - I don't think you can know the answer from that just from the email reply.

Its not a ridiculous post. Do you have any idea .... hang on I need to pull out my soap box ..... the sheer amount os stupid phone call I get? Try this one " we are a vegetarian household, I feel my daughter is disadvantaged discussing fish recipes"

HELLO! This has what to do with me? Take it up with the Dept of Education who set the curriculum. I am but the flea on the arse of the organ grinders monkey.

given the severity of his allergies i am suprised they are cooking with eggs as it could be very easy for him to come into contact ie spilt eggs, child doesnt wash hands then touches your ds etc.

at my sons high school they are given a recipe booklet they can use or just use it as inspiration and cook what they want, so if they are doing soup for example the recipe that week was a potato and leek soup, my ds made a tomato and lentil soup.

i am not sure what you could do instead of pancakes, fritter type things? the teacher sounds a bit crap tbh, like they didnt even read your email.

and yes having to cook in 40 mins and clear up is rather restrictive, i think my ds lesson are an hour long, but he has sometimes made pastry at home to take in to then make an apple tart etc so that he has time.

a veg can discuss fish recipies! ffs and part of the discussin could be what to use as an alternative.

this is a LIFE threatening allergy!

Please don't tell me you are a food tech teacher with that standard of spelling, Ophelia?
Oh dear.

Ophelia ...that's a bit like saying that because 999 dispatchers get ridiculous trivial calls, they should ignore calls about life-threatening situations.

So Ophelia that means you are willing to put a childs life at risk then?

Ophelia, but it was a ridiculous post. It's not like me to get argumentative on MN, but I think your second post is ridiculous too. Have you really understood that food allergies are life-threatening ??? For the OP's son, avoiding egg is not just a lifestyle choice!

Are you a food tech teacher? If you are in any way involved in the education world, you ought to know that the curriculum is not so set-in-stone as you seem to think, and that dealing with the individual needs of pupils is a major part of any teacher's job. Failing to safeguard children is really rather serious - you really ought to know that too!

And people wonder why I am already petrified of sending my severely anaphylactic to cow's milk protein even in the minutest of traces, and even from secondary contact, DS3 to school.

If Ophelia's attitude is reflective of Food Tech teacher's attitudes, there is NFW my DS3 will grace the door of a Food Tech class. That sort of dismissive attitude could kill him.