The McD's do... Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets

We love going to the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets, it is one of our absolute favourite things to do on a Saturday. Held in the grounds of Ramsgate Public School, it has all the elements of a perfect day – delicious food to eat, beautiful fresh produce and ingredients to take home to cook with, gorgeous things to admire (and sometimes buy), live music, and a bouncy castle with a well-managed queue. Everyone wins!

The Stuntman having a go at hopscotch at the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets

 I especially love it as the market stalls have a real focus on wholefoods, and there are loads of things that I can eat! Sometimes when we go out there is absolutely nothing the Stuntman and I can eat (needing dairy and soy free as a minimum), and it is so frustrating!

We fell off the milk ladder

This week I had planned to start the Stuntman on a journey up the ‘milk ladder’. Despite this post's heading, we didn’t actually fall off – we never even made it onto the first rung.

For those not up with the lingo, the milk ladder is a step by step process that aims to desensitise sensitive little tummies that are intolerant to the proteins found in milk. There are specific recipes that go along with each step, with the amount of dairy increasing and the amount of cooking decreasing as you progress. Baked goods that contain dairy are more easily digested than raw dairy products, and separated milk solids (such as those used in flavouring) are often harder on the tummy than straight dairy. The milk ladder was developed by allergy specialists taking all of these factors into account, and has been proven to be a very effective way to reintroduce dairy into an intolerant little one’s diet.

The basic 'milk ladder'

We worked with a paediatric dietician to develop a specific plan for the Stuntman,  incorporating his likes and dislikes, as well as my style of cooking.  The plan was to start on the first rung this week, moving up the ladder over the holidays, with the end goal of him being able to tolerate some dairy in time for him to start kindy early next year. So I had menu-planned, shopped and scheduled my baking days - I was feeling pumped, and ready for the challenge (if you’ll pardon the pun).