My seven year old is into his fifth week of being gluten free, and it’s going really well. He’s adapted brilliantly and been impressively mature about it, so I’m really proud of him. There were a few wobbles to start, and I’m sure there will continue to be, but overall, it’s been positive. There has been a marked improvement in his symptoms too. He hasn’t complained of tummy ache over the last few weeks, we’ve had hardly any stinky whizzpoppers*, and I’m needing to scrub the loo a lot less. All good. He’s reluctantly agreeing that his new diet seems to be working.

It was all going swimmingly until the new school term started, and he was faced with a series of disappointments. No more waffles and pancakes at breakfast club. No school fish and chips at Friday lunchtime. No birthday buns when kids in his class bring them in to share. It’s pretty rotten, but I’m really pleased with how he’s handling it, particularly as his younger brother and dad are still avid gluten eaters.

We’ve managed to find some breakfast cereal that he likes, which are the Kellogg’s Gluten Free Puffed Corn, Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise and Maple Sunrise, and of course the Dove’s Farm Chocolate Stars (but only as a weekend treat).

As I did when I became gluten free, we’re having to re-define his favourite foods, and I’m having to be more creative with my staple teatime meals. It’s going to be a long journey. I’m currently experimenting with making some banana bread, and there are tantalising cooking smells wafting up the stairs from the kitchen at the moment.

I feel sad for him about the tough times ahead, such as the first time they have a bun sale at school, and the first time he has to eat a packed lunch at a birthday party instead of crisps and party rings. It doesn’t sound much in the grand scheme of things, but at the tender age of seven, it brings a tear to my eye.

At least we’ll get to have fun trying out new recipes, and I’ve promised him I’ll get a waffle iron, so we can figure out to make gluten free waffles at home. I hope the banana bread tastes as good as it smells – he’s really looking forward to trying it tomorrow morning.

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*  We’re very much into Roald Dahl at the moment. For some reason I can’t bear to write the word fart in that sentence. How English!