Thursday 25 August 2011

An SCD Holiday


So, we are just back from a week in the UK. We went to Newcastle for a family wedding and I thanked the bride sincerely for getting married and giving us an excuse for a holiday! We probably wouldn't have dreamed about having one otherwise! It was a daunting prospect as the thought of being away in a strange house with God-only-knows-what-kind-of-kitchen was a bit worrying. And being on SCD means no easy frozen pizza dinners or take-away meals so its kind of a working holiday!! Still, I'm happy to report it was all worth it and we had a fantastic week.  The kitchen in our apartment was well-stocked and I managed to borrow the only 2 things missing (a food processor and a weighing scales) from the groom's Mum.  This wonderful lady had also done a bit of shopping for us, so when we arrived at the apartment (quite late) there was butter, eggs and freshly pressed apple juice waiting for us. So we didn't have to worry about shopping before breakfast!

Packing was interesting. It was our first foreign holiday for quite a while and I had no idea if it was ok to bring food on the plane, in either checked baggage or hand luggage, so I took a chance and packed a couple of kilos of ground almonds, a loaf of almond bread and a jar of coconut oil. I also brought two silicone baking moulds, for making bread and cake. I had been wondering about what to bring for the plane journey. We hadn't flown for four years and the last time, all the kids had experienced pain in their ears. Lollipops or sucky-sweets usually help this but we couldn't have those on this trip so I just brought some cookies in my bag and hoped for the best. Thankfully none of us had any ear issues at all, I don't know if this is thanks to the diet, or maybe because it was such a short flight!

Shopping was interesting too, if that's the right word. The fresh poultry section in the large local supermarket was so small, I wonder what on earth are they eating over there! The ready-meals section was 3 aisles long and the chicken section was 3 feet long!! We ate a lot of chicken for pure convenience. I could put it in the oven, then go to the park or beach for two hours, then arrive home and just cook the veggies. This kind of dinner was handy too, to keep the work-load down.  We brought picnic lunches with us most days, with almond bread sandwiches, banana pancakes, juice and lots of fruit. And there was a big flask in the apartment which we filled with coffee and brought along too! The kids absolutely love the novelty of having picnics and it helps to make up for the lack of ice-cream or candy floss or anything else you might eat when on holiday! Of course it's important to have some kind of sweet treat or snack (it is a holiday after all!) so we had banana cake, nut cookies, raisins or banana chips with us at all times!! Did I mention it was a working holiday?!?

The wedding itself went off without a hitch and the lovely staff at the Elephant on the Tyne Hotel looked after us in a kind and discreet manner. I had been in touch with them about our particular dietary requirements and they were very accommodating. And the kids didn't mind having melon and strawberries when everyone else was having cake and ice-cream, they are amazing! We had a great time at the evening party too and even managed to eat some food, from the most impressive buffet I've ever seen. My daughter and I went up with a plate just to grab some grapes but we came back with pineapple, melon, baked salmon and blue cheese. We didn't give any of these to little Einstein, that would be taking too much of a risk. He was happily entertained with the helium balloons, and a couple of cookies from my bottomless handbag!

Somewhere along the way, in the last few days of the holiday, little Einstein started to get a bit grumpy. He had a few tantrums and a few tears. This could possibly be explained by the change in routine, the strange place, the plane journey or a multitude of other reasons, but I can't help thinking it may be food related. We were careful, but not as careful as we would be at home. We ate chicken of dubious quality, we bought juice brands we didn't recognise, we ate eggs which were like rubber! But there had to be some compromise in order for us to actually have a holiday. And we really did have a thoroughly enjoyable, long-overdue holiday! We are home a few days now and he is coming back to himself, still a bit teary but no more tantrums. It has been a good reminder that we need to stick to this diet, and we will!