How to have a happy coeliac Christmas

CALLING all coeliacs and relatives of coeliacs out there: Christmas dinner is not something to be panicking about if you’re newly diagnosed or having a coeliac around for Christmas dinner for the first time.

As a coeliac for 20 years, I’ve had to learn to stop whining and get on with it but to be hyper-aware, like a recovering addict, of ‘high risk’ situations that I have to avoid or else seriously micromanage — such as holidays in Italy. However, traditional fare like a Sunday roast — which essentially is what an Irish Christmas dinner is — are wholly coeliac-friendly.

Just look at the basics of the dinner: turkey, cranberry sauce, vegetables, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes — they are all naturally gluten-free. It’s the trimmings such as ham, gravy, stuffing and desserts such as mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake that will flash red lights.