By Alexa Baracaia, winner of the 2022 Free From Hero Award

The discovery that your child has a serious food allergy can be life-changing, accompanied as it often is by an emergency dash to the hospital, the acquisition of several EpiPens, and a large dose of anxiety.

My Family and Food Allergies is for anyone caring for, or close to, a child with food allergies. It covers every aspect of the journey from diagnosis to helping your child on the path to independence. First and foremost, it is aimed at parents but it is also a must-read for grandparents, friends, teachers and others keen to learn more about living with food allergies. It is bursting with practical tips and expert advice on how to navigate each fresh milestone and challenge, including school care plans, understanding where the real risks are (and what is manageable) and how to handle things like school bake sales, celebratory occasions and birthday parties. It features failsafe recipes for every occasion, including the best ‘free from’ birthday cake recipe ever, as well as advice on travel and flying, on what to look for in accommodation and a mini-allergy-friendly guide for resorts such as Disneyland, restaurant chains, and so on.

With an outline of what we can hope for the future, where the science is now, and what the experts predict will happen in the battle against severe food allergies, this really is the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to safely support and inform their child on the path to independence.