If you are coming to this blog having been recently diagnosed with a food intolerance or allergy, then you are probably feeling physically and mentally out of kilter, sluggish and lethargic, and quite possibly slightly daunted at the thought of what lies ahead.  This blog is here to help you.  Within these pages you will find recipes that are completely free from wheat, dairy, soya, yeast and egg.  You will also find recipes that are completely focused on the love of food, cooking and the pleasure of eating.  I imagine that many of you feel overwhelmed and depressed at the idea of having to give up so many foods.  To those people I can only give you a little personal advice: allergy cooking and eating is only as restrictive as you make it. It takes a little extra forethought admittedly, but within a short space of time it will become second nature.  I promise that the benefits of not eating allergenic foods will leave you feeling so much better within yourself, that you will not want to go back to the way you cooked and ate before.  Most importantly, these recipes are here for the love of good food.  Here are recipes that you can cook and eat, revelling in the freedom of knowing that there is nothing whatsoever in them that could make you feel unwell, but instead, only recipes for dishes that will make you feel indulged.

The ever increasing number of individuals suffering from food allergies and intolerances has led to a number of explanations for their cause:  some believe that an increase in chemicals and pollutants in our daily diets and lives are to blame.  Others believe that it is the great increase in new foods (both processed foods and foods relatively new to our western palates) as well as the over exposure of other particular food sources (dairy and gluten in particular) that has led to our systems becoming overloaded and reacting turn.  Whatever the causes, allergies and intolerance are now a very real part of our lives, and whether it is yourself or someone in your family who suffers from them, there is no denying the detrimental impact they can have on our health and our lives.

Unlike food allergies, food intolerances are rarely lethal and the severity of symptoms varies depending on the the amount of enzyme the person makes and how much of the food has been consumed, they do, on the other hand, cause very real and unpleasant symptoms which can begin hours or days after eating or drinking the food in question.  When your body reacts to a food stuff to which it is intolerant, it goes in to defence mode, this can cause an array of symptoms, including nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, rashes, headaches, bowel problems, bloating, eczema, asthma, chronic fatigue and depression.  If left untreated for a long period of time and while suffering from many of these symptoms, food intolerance can become the catalyst for a number of other illnesses, often more serious in nature. What is certain, is that when suffering from a food allergy or intolerance, a person is left living in a state where they never feel wholly well and often an individual will have felt sick and tired for so long that it will have become an accepted part of their lives.  This is a terrible state to be in, yet often the thought of living in an allergy free way is as daunting and burdening as feeling unwell. 

I understand that cooking and eating, is by its very nature, a sociable act.  The thought for many people who become restricted in their diet, is that they also become restricted in the rest of their lives.  Family meals become an act of isolation, with one meal for you and another for everyone else.  Eating out becomes a battleground, the need and pleasure of socialising outweighed by the simple lack of anything on the menu that you can actually eat!  I know these frustrations and have experienced them all myself, and so that is why it became important to me to start this blog and show recipes that can be cooked by anyone and eaten by everyone!  No more isolation, or avoiding dinner parties, or eating an apple when everyone else is eating apple pie. I want these recipes to inspire, taste fantastic, make you want to cook and eat and most importantly, don't let on that there is anything missing.  This is not an earnest blog, it is for people who love gastronomy and love the whole process of preparing, cooking and eating food.  I would genuinely hope, and do believe, that every recipe here could (and should) be served to friends, family and allergy sufferers alike with no one finishing their meal feeling like they have missed out.  So go on, live your life with health, happiness and really good food.