Amélie’s Larder aims to help and inform other parents, whether Gluten-free or not, about Coeliac Disease and that life can still be enjoyed by everyone!
Amélie
Even as a baby Amélie had a little bloated belly that never went down, this continued as she grew into a toddler. Lots of people passed it off and thought that she would grow out of it. However, I always felt there was something wrong.

Amelie and Mummy
At the age of two Amélie was starting to be sick. Just once a week at first but it quickly progressed to every other day. Frequent visits to the doctors resulted in a continued diagnosis of a virus. As time went on Amélie was in excruciating pain. She did not have the energy to move, stopped walking, talking and looked dreadful. Her daddy and I felt totally hopeless as we watched Amélie slowly deteriorate in front of our eyes! The final straw came when the doctor suggested it was a behavioural problem!
After months of worry, trauma and frustration we took Amélie to the Bristol Children’s Hospital and practically performed a ‘sit-in’ until our pleas for help and further investigation were heard. We were listened to, blood tests were taken and a month later an endoscopy was performed. At last a diagnosis of Coeliac Disease was given and we could start to move on.
Amélie’s Larder
“What’s Coeliac disease?” That was the first question I asked after we had been given the diagnosis. Little did I know that within a few months that question would be the main topic of conversation and it’ s definition would just roll of my tongue like an expert dietician!
No, it’s not an intolerance or an allergy. It’s an autoimmune disease … Yes, it can be life threatening. Just one crumb can harm you … No, you cannot grow out of it.
We were quite clearly not alone in our lack of understanding; the difference was we had no choice. We soon learnt which supermarket/food shops stocked which products but we were constantly amazed at the lack of quality, especially of cakes, biscuits, breads and pastries. Fortunately, I had stopped working at this point, so, I was able to investigate the Internet for help and inspiration. Wow! A whole new world opened up and we were not alone anymore websites, blogs, FB and twitters were just waiting with recipes, ideas and support.
So, this website is for all those busy, working parents who don’t have time to trawl the Internet for that one special recipe. I am doing it for you and placing all my findings here, on one website: Amélie’s Larder – No Gluten allowed!