12 guests over Christmas, 1 Lactose Intolerant, and one doesnt have much sugar

[lightand]

They will be staying for about 7 days.

I am not the greatest cook.

Help please!

I dont have to do the Christmas Day catering, but I do for the next 6 days.

Any ideas and helpful tips much appreciated. Thanks.

@Immaculatemisconception

The other types of non-dairy milk are definitely an acquired taste. I used to have soya milk, when lacto free wasn't available, but you do need to get "used to it".

Lactose intolerance people can often tolerate a small amount of lactose in their food. It's not like we have a severe reaction to a tiny amount. Most hard cheese is lacto free, as the lactose has gone by the time we eat it. I can't eat soft cheeses. I can eat butter.

For years now, lactase tablets have been available to take if you can't avoid lactose. If I really want an ordinary ice-cream, then I take the lactase tablets. I would guess that your guest is armed with these. They are very useful if someone caters for you and they forget.

I once went for dinner to a friend's house and she'd done a milk pudding for dessert. When I politely reminded her that I can't have milk, she offered me a yoghurt. This was in the day before Lactase tablets. These days, I always have some in my handbag.

Yep pretty much exactly the same as me although the only cheese I can eat and be fine with is Parmesan! Always got my lactase tablets with me in case a restaurant has something I really fancy or someone forgets I'm lactose free (yes I'm looking at you mum even after all these years!).

I have never been a fan of sugar or sugar substitutes, but I recently discovered Swerve. And Sukrin Gold. They are erythritol which is produced from non GMO cornstarch that is fermented. Zero calories and no effect on blood sugar.

I have found it provides that little bit of sweetness when needed. Have family arriving tonight from the UK (haven't seen DS for two years) and I used a bit to sweeten apples for a cobbler.

You use it one to one for sugar.

And no I don't work for them. I stumbled on it.

@LoveFall

I have never been a fan of sugar or sugar substitutes, but I recently discovered Swerve. And Sukrin Gold. They are erythritol which is produced from non GMO cornstarch that is fermented. Zero calories and no effect on blood sugar.

I have found it provides that little bit of sweetness when needed. Have family arriving tonight from the UK (haven't seen DS for two years) and I used a bit to sweeten apples for a cobbler.

You use it one to one for sugar.

And no I don't work for them. I stumbled on it.

This right here is the kind of stealth substitution that could make someone feel Ill or even send them to the hospital. Don’t do this without telling them.

Priority number one has to be to find out what you a e dealing with. The low sugar thing could be either either end of a spectrum, from avoids desserts and sweets and chocs, to carb counts for every meal.

Do you have a particular meal you usually serve on Boxing Day?
In this days after for main meals I would serve:
Chilli (meat or veg) with rice, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips.
Chicken, chorizo, garlic, potatoes, red onion, peppers, tray bake.
Cauliflower, chickpea and red pepper curry with rice, naan, popadoms and mango chutney.
Tuna pasta bake (Lacto free cheese and breadcrumbs on top, tomato sauce as base) or chicken, bacon and leek pasta bake, with steamed broccoli.
Sausage casserole, baked potatoes, peas and carrots.

Most of the above are on the whole naturally lactose free (minus sour cream with chilli but obviously that’s added by the guests themselves) and if your low sugar guest happened to be low carb, easy to omit the carb for that guest (although not the pasta bake.) Also all fairly easy to cook for large numbers without being hugely expensive. Offering a few side dishes helps to cater for all tastes.

As others have said, keep breakfast and lunches simple.

Porridge, cereal, toast, fresh fruit, tea, coffee and juice.
If you want to offer a little more variety, offer different bread options of bread products. Crumpets one day, bagels another (maybe with cream cheese and smoked salmon if you want to offer something a little more special.) part baked baguettes another day, the frozen breakfast pastries from Waitrose another.
I would avoid offering a full English but may do a pan of scrambled eggs one day and stick a tray of sausages in the oven another so people could make themselves a sausage sandwich.

For lunch, again different types of breads mix things up a bit, pitas one day, wraps another, baguettes another. Then just a selection of sandwich fillings, salad bits etc. Cheese, pates, crackers, crudités, pickles etc another day. Only hot lunch bits I might consider would be a big pan of soup or putting a quiche in the oven (either shop bought or made in advance and frozen.)

DriftingBlue

I did not suggest any stealth substitution. Furthermore, I would never do that.

But it does seem a bit alarmist that someone might end up in hospital.

Do they eat everything else? In that case you’re not too restricted especially when it comes to puddings, kids generally will prefer ice cream, fruit etc, sugar free person can have cheese. Not everyone needs to have exactly the same so curries rice and things where people can choose different veg. Maybe homemade pizzas with different toppings (can offer a low lactose cheese one) different salads and you can always do separate cheesy and non cheesy with that many people eg a macaroni cheese and pasta baked with tomato based sauce. Some baked ham to go with, that kind of thing

I would suggest doing dishes you can traybake eg lasagna (use lactose free milk), shepherds pie, chicken veg etc. A fun option is Mexican night - cook fajitas & Taco mince and serve with wraps, guacamole (Jamie Oliver's recipe is good), salad and grated cheese, the lactose free person can simply not take cheese. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa

Don't worry too much about the sugar situation, he can just not have dessert!

@LoveFall

DriftingBlue

I did not suggest any stealth substitution. Furthermore, I would never do that.

But it does seem a bit alarmist that someone might end up in hospital.

Some of us live in fear with every meal we don’t prepare ourselves and keep our epi-pens close at all times. Sometimes I even mess up myself. People can be allergic to all sorts of things, not just the big 8.

@DriftingBlue

Don’t substitute lactose free products or sugar substitutes into the dishes without warning people. If you have anyone with allergies or sensitivities they may think a dish is safe when in fact it is not. I only give people my main allergens because the list is so long and some of the things are so rare and esoteric that I don’t really need to worry about them unless someone does something like making an unexpected substitution .

Lactofree dairy products are just normal dairy with the lactose ore-digested.