Dear Supermarkets...

Dear Supermarkets,

Please allow me to introduce my little sister, Princess Lollipop.

She is 4 years old, and full of attitude.  Her favourite foods are cheese sandwiches, ice cream, and milkshakes.

Two weeks ago, she was diagnosed as lactose intolerant.

This has meant a major upheaval in our house as we adjust.  In case you didn't notice, all of her favourite foods involve milk.  She'd watch us eating these things, and in a forlorn little voice ask "Can I just smell it...?".  Luckily, several of our vegan friends have stepped forward with advice and recommendations.

Mum and I trekked out to one of the supermarkets, armed with a list.  Our first trip wasn't very successful.  We found some of the items they suggested, such as Swedish Glace ice cream (she's now obsessed with it!), vitalite margarine, and oat milk.

We spent ages searching for the chocolate oat drink suggested, and could only find it in small cartons.  Big disappointment.  She had wanted it on her rice crispies to make it "chocolatey", and it was a nightmare trying to squirt it out of the plastic straw!

A few days later, Dad and I were in Tesco.  We were overwhelmed by their lactose-free foods, and their "Free From" range. There were shelves upon shelves of yoghurts, milks, cheeses, and more!  She was over the moon to be allowed cheese sandwiches again, and loves her chocolate milk (which Tesco have in proper sized cartons).

I had never realised just how many foods have milk in.  Thankfully, on the whole, her diet has gone on with relatively simple substitutes.

Then today I rang my mum from the supermarket, with what I thought was a straight-forward question - "What cake would you like for your birthday?".  We chatted about the different cakes for a minute, when mum suddenly realised...Princess Lollipop couldn't eat any of them.  Even Tesco's "Free From" range didn't include cakes.  Mum's birthday is tomorrow, and our days are generally very hectic.  Not much time for baking (and we're not very good at it anyway).  She decided to pass on the birthday cake entirely, rather than tell her 4 year old that she wasn't allowed any.

So, supermarkets, I have a request on behalf of our little princess - please could you provide a lactose-free cake?  We're not asking for a wide range, or for intricate designs, just for one cake option.

There are many bakeries out there who specialise in lactose-free cakes, such as Peace of Cake London, which is fantastic, but in this economic climate, they're not always very affordable.  Plus there's the convenience factor of being able to stop by your local supermarket and just grab a cake off the shelf.

Thank you,

Charli & Princess Lollipop

PS.  I tweeted Tesco's Customer Support this same request, and they replied saying "Now that would be a great thing to have.  I'll pass on a suggestion".  I explained it was for Princess Lollipop, and they said "Awwww, I really hope we're able to sort something out for her".  Here's hoping the other supermarkets can be as helpful!

***

Edit (01/05/2013): Today is my birthday, and we went to the store to buy me a cake.  I'd already spoken to Princess Lollipop, and she was perfectly happy that we'd all have cake, and she'd have a bowl of her beloved, lactose-free ice cream. She's planning on having a candle and everything (which she will blow out - obviously). She picked my cake for me, and was generally very happy about the entire situation. Then she decided to choose a cake for her birthday (next February). I had to break it to her that she would still be lactose intolerant at her next birthday, and so she couldn't have one of those cakes from the shop. She burst into tears in the middle of the aisle, sobbing that she wanted a 'pretty, Disney Princess cake, or an awesome Star Wars cake'. She sulked around the rest of the shop, and was in a foul mood after that. We did go and speak to Customer Services, to ask why they didn't offer a 'free from' cake, and we were told to speak to the bakery. I won't name and shame, but they were definitely NOT as helpful as Tesco.