Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

It's official, www.glutenfree4kidscom is one! I started this website originally to promote my book The Gluten Free Cookbook for Kids.  But it's now become a child in it's own right and one very close to my heart. I feel liberated being able to print and share all sorts of recipes with you and most importantly to let you see what the finished item looks like. I know that many of you who purchased the book (and have told me how much you've enjoyed cooking from it) have asked about the lack of photographs.  This was very much the publishers decision and one that was made to save costs.  I fought this battle and unfortunately lost as it came down to either publish it without photos or don't publish it all.  In the end, I felt it was better to go ahead, but it was a compromise that sat very uneasily and I still feel it was the wrong decision. Well, as in most things in life, a difficult situation often presents an opportunity and this is exactly why this website was created and why it has become such a passion. I love working through a recipe, testing and re-testing it, to make sure it works and then photographing the finished results to show you what you are aiming for.  And just in case you are wondering, yes these are all taken by me (or sometimes Marc) and they are taken in my kitchen primarily with the use of my iphone.  I love the fact that these are real food shots and they are taken within seconds of us eating whatever it is that is being photographed. 

There are plenty of thank yous in order as none of this would have been possible without the help and support of my friends and family.  I must also give a huge thank you to my webmaster Adam, who remains too often in the shadows, but who has contributed to the look, the functionality and the flavour of the site.  In addition to all his skills in the technical areas of which I cannot even begin to contemplate, you should also know that he is one good cook and his recipe for burgers is fabulous.  Please do try them. I hope he will pluck up the courage and contribute a few more recipes when he's not off jet setting on some secret mission.

I am as always inspired by my daughter Ruthie who continues to be a great connisseur of all things gluten free.  On a recent visit to her consultant at the John Radcliffe, we were told she was in the 75th percentile for her height and her weight is exactly where it should be, which is fantastic news. She has thrived on her special diet and has coped amazingly well, considering how difficult and alienating it can be at times.  I've promised to ban gluten from the world (one of those things you say in a moment of panic without thinking it through), and now of course I am wondering how exactly I would go about doing this.  I do understand where she is coming from, so I shall have to get on and do more work to make gluten free the norm rather then the exception. She has also asked me to come up with a gluten free version of Quavers! 

There is of course a huge thank you to my husband Marc who gently guides me through the technical stuff and also casts a critical eye on the creative content.  I am still working on extracting a few recipes from him by the way.  His hot chocolate is now legendary and as of this evening his recipe for braised red cabbage tops the list of all time favourites. And now we come to the gorgeous Lucia, who has become over the past year an expert tortilla maker.  I've got to get you some video footage of her using the tortilla press, rolling out the dough, placing it in the middle, talking you through the process. I think a spot on the food network site would make her an overnight success.  I am hoping Lucia will be my guide in the next few weeks as I prepare a series of after school cooking courses for the children at The Manor School.  If Lucia approves then it's on the list.

And last but not least, thank you to all my visitors.  I can't tell you how exciting it is to see a comment or a question being posted.  It  makes me incredibly happy to know that glutenfree4kids is helping parents and children enjoy good food. Please keep on writing in and telling me about your success and your trials and tribulations.