Tenerife with food allergies/ first holiday with friends

Little S, having recently completed her A levels, set off on her first trip away with friends to Tenerife. This is a daunting event for any parent, but especially an allergy parent with the risk of foreign food and flights adding to the list of worries.

Little S was staying in a villa with some friends (which as a family we prefer as it gives us the opportunity to self-cater instead of relying upon a hotel buffet which can be a cross-contamination nightmare!). Foods such as breads and snacks can often be difficult to find abroad with her allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds so it was vital that I sent her off with a well-stocked suitcase of snacks and food products.

She was staying in Callao Salvaje in Tenerife (a small town just outside of Costa Adeje) and was lucky enough to have a ‘HiperDino’ supermarket a few minutes walk away from the property. Little S noted how many brands were the ‘safe’ ones she’d gravitate towards in the UK such as; Oatly, Alpro, Mutti (pasta sauce), Garofalo (egg free pasta). At a glance it wasn’t clear if there were any breads safe for Little S, with a fresh bakery section of baguettes and pastries, many of which were coated in sesame seeds unfortunately. As with any holiday for our family, bread is the one food that is often hard to buy abroad and so I sent her off with some pittas, wraps and English muffins to act as a quick and safe breakfast, lunch or snack. Other non-negotiable items in her suitcase included Doves Farm bars, fava beans, dried fruit and any other snacks that would be easy to chuck in a beach bag.

Something that made the trip a little easier to manage allergy-wise was going with a rough idea of some quick individual meals or group meals to cook. Little S ended up cooking a spicy chicken pasta two nights in a row as it was such a hit with her friends!

There were times when the rest of the group would decide to get lunch at the supermarket by the beach or in a local cafe and this is where you have to be extra prepared as an allergy-sufferer. Although not ideal, Little S happily got a nice drink and brought some crisps/ safe snacks to eat instead of risking eating at a restaurant. Locals in Tenerife are all very competent in English but especially with the rise of halloumi fries being cooked alongside chips at many establishments she felt more comfortable not risking food out on this occasion. Another time when substitutions were necessary for Little S is when the group decided to get an ice cream. With a dairy allergy there’s often no safe alternative available and so she instead chose a pot of watermelon or a smoothie to have a refreshing treat alongside her friends and not feel as though she was missing out.

For anyone planning a trip to Tenerife, I have been told to highly recommend this restaurant just outside of Costa Adeje. El Delfin restaurant has a very comprehensive menu, mainly focusing on seafood dishes but there were many other non-fish alternatives such as grilled chicken which Little S gravitated towards instead. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the owner of the restaurant is an English woman who moved over to Tenerife so having a native English speaker allowed Little S to communicate the severity of her allergies and for this to be clearly passed onto the chef without any miscommunication. The owner was incredibly reassuring and accommodating in a beautiful restaurant (she has told me to recommend that you request to sit on the outside terrace for the best views of the sunset and sea when booking a table!).

As expected with an 18 year old going away with their friends, they spent a night or two going out in Tenerife. My top tips would be to avoid cocktails entirely whilst in a busy bar as the cocktail shakers are unlikely to be cleaned between uses and it’s difficult to communicate allergy information in a busy and loud place – so definitely stick to simple drinks such as a vodka and lemonade or a beer/ cider. Little S also ensured her friends were epipen trained and she wore her allergy ID in case of emergency, with her EHIC card and the phone number for the nearest hospital on hand at all times.

I hope hearing a bit more about my daughters experience of Tenerife/ going away with friends will provide some reassurance for any other anxious allergy parents out there, and please do tell me about your experiences of Tenerife or other countries as a food allergy family in the comments!