Published

20 children

45 allergies

1 challenge - to create and serve a menu they could all eat safely and enjoy together.

A tall order for any chef, but our catering team at PGL Liddington rose to the challenge, producing an allergy-free menu for a group - all of whom had potentially life-threatening allergies.

Over the Wall, a children's charity which provides therapeutic recreation camps for children, organised the camp in partnership with The Anaphylaxis Campaign.

Creating a menu all the children could eat meant there was no risk of cross-contamination, so they could enjoy eating their meals together - an important part of their PGL experience, especially for those who were staying away from home (and for some, eating away from home) for the first time.

Nine-year old Josh, who as well as having asthma, has allergies to various food types including egg, nuts and sesame seeds, attended the camp. His mum Alicia said: "Josh raved about the food - it was wonderful. Imagine the feeling of being told he could eat anything from the buffet. He could do whatever he wanted to do, eat whatever he wanted for once. He is very used to being the one that has to sit out - so this was great for him, to be included rather than excluded."

It was important to consult with the health professionals who accompanied the group in order to meet the very specific requirements not just regarding food, but the meticulous preparation procedures as well.

Plates and crockery are individually wrapped to prevent cross-contamination

We are incredibly proud that Allergy UK has recognised all the hard work put in behind the scenes and have awarded the Over the Wall camp at PGL Liddington a Community Hero Award.

The nomination noted that, "the four-day camp catered for 20 children sharing over 45 allergies. Incredible effort was made to ensure the entire camp environment was safe, and a menu was created with multiple options at every meal where every single child could have every single item on the menu. Behind the scenes, extensive training for all staff and volunteers on allergies and anaphylaxis was provided, which was extended to anyone even visiting the camp." (Allergy UK)

Particular thanks goes to Head Chef, Sally Street and the catering team at PGL Liddington for creating the menu which made it possible for all the children to eat together and enjoy the full PGL experience.

"Sally (the chef) and her team are absolute heroes. Thank you from us and I know all the other parents and children are equally impressed." - Tom's Secret Agents.

PGL catering teams can cater for most allergies, provided they have advanced notice from the visiting group. The menu that the children enjoyed is featured below, followed by the recipes for the main dishes if you would like to try them for yourself.

By PGL Travel.