CM CLUB :Egg and Milk ALLERGY

[sunnyshine]

I have a mindee just started who has egg and milk allergy. Anyone have any experience of this and can help with receipies and general advice please. thanks

One of my mindees is lactose intolerant. I asked her mum to supply her soya yoghurt and soya milk product. I supply the rest of her food and drink.

I am very careful not to give her cheese etc.

do you cook with them? or cook for them>? what sort of things can i make?

Is the child allergic (carries epipens) or intolerant? The two are worlds apart. How old is the child? If allergic and has been prescribed emergency medication then you need to make sure you are comfortable using the epipens (get training and try them out) and have appropriate medical consents and emergency action plans in place. I provide a special plate, bowl, cutlery etc which only the allergic child can eat from so they get used to eating food in my setting from this and the other children know not to touch their food. Start a regieme of only eating at the table if possible and not roaming around with food to help contain all the crumbs! Make sure you have separate towels for wiping hands on and if the child is young and still putting things in their mouth you need to be really careful about them not sharing toys with milk drinking babies. If you are providing food get the parents to supply you with a list of dairy alternatives which the child is used to and enjoys - eg brand of soya milk, yoghurts, dairy free spread etc. Get into the habit of checking ingredients of all the stuff which you buy from the supermarket to make sure it is OK, even if it is something you buy on a regular basis. Look at the anaphylaxis campaign website for helpful information about dealing with serious food allergies.

What sort of recipes ar you looking for?

I had a friend with an egg allergy, and even the smell of someone else cooking them caused her eyes to flare up.

She had some egg-free recipes I will try and find them!

thank you coral and juneybean. it is an allergy and i am epi pen training next week this week was an introduction day so mum stayed too. will get plate cup etc sorted. child is 4 so should be ok with not eating stuff from floor etc. mum is going to provide list but we love baking and also i will be doing lunch and dinner everyday i think, so any evening meal would be good! thank you

Hi Sunnyshine - I hope that as the child is 4 they will quite clued up on how to deal with the allergy! Get them to talk about it openly with all the other children in the setting. My older ones are very supportive of the child with allergies and know what they can and cannot have.

For all meals I have to say I tend to cook from scratch and do simply favourites - eg roasts, shepherds pie, spaghetti bolognese, rice based dishes, baked potatoes with various fillings, salmon & veg etc. I would ask the child and her Mum what she likes to eat as a starting point and take it from there. Most recipes with milk can usually be adapted by using dairy free margarine and soya milk. The egg element is the more difficult part.

Here are some favourite baking recipes in my house which all the kids will eat, allergic or not! There are also some good cake recipes at www.veganfamily.co.uk - look on the recipe page link under cakes & puddings. I can highly recommend the banana muffins, which make excellent mini-muffins and freeze extremely well,

Chocolate Biscuit Cake (taken and adapted from "Sainsbury's Chocolate Cooking"
3oz 'safe' margarine (I use Tomor block)
2 Tbsps golden syrup
1 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder 8oz "safe" digestive biscuits, crushed
2oz raisins (optional) Place the first 4 ingredients in a pan and heat gently until the margarine has melted (or alternatively cook in a bowl in the microwave on full power for 2 minutes, stirring once). Stir in the biscuit crumbs and raisins if using and press the mixure into a greased tin. Chill in the fridge until firm then cut into wedges.

Rice Krispie Squares (unknown origin - from my Mum!)
4oz 'safe' margarine
half cup sugar
4oz chopped dates
3oz rice krispies
plain chocolate to cover (I use Kinnerton dairy & egg free one)
Melt margarine in pan. Stir in sugar and dates and cook for 5 minutes. Add rice krispies. Press the mixture into a greased tin and cool. Cover with melted chocolate and cut into squares when set.

West County Apple Cake (unknown origin - from my Gran!)
8oz self raising flour
8oz finely chopped or grated apple
4oz granulated sugar
4oz margarine
2oz currants
soya milk
Sieve flour into a bowl and rub in the margarine. Stir in the sugar, raisins and apple. Mix with a little soya milk to a fairly stiff dough. Grease and line the bottom of a flat baking tin (approx 10 x 20 cms) and spread the mixture evenly. Bake at 200c for 30 minutes. Dredge with brown sugar, cool and cut into slices.

Banana & Date Cake (taken from The Vegan Cookbook - Wakeman & Baskerville)
10 oz flour
1 tbs baking powder
6 oz chopped dates
3 ripe bananas (the riper the better!)
3 tsp vanilla essence
125ml soya milk
4 oz margarine
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix in the dates. Mash the bananas, vanilla essence and soya milk together until thoroughly combined and set aside. Melt the margarine, stir into the flour and then add the banana mixture. (A little extra soya milk may be necessary to get the right consistency) Pour into a greased and lined 2 pint loaf tin or 6 inch round cake tin and bake in the middle of a warm oven (160c, gas mark 3) for approx 1 hour or a knife inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.

thankyou!