I've got a friend and her husband arriving late tomorrow evening and want to have a decent meal waiting for them. She's got Crohn's Disease and he's lactose intolerant.

I've almost decided to do a slow-cooked turkey casserole with carrots and potatoes because she says she's okay with veg if it's peeled and very well-cooked. Does this sound okay?

I normally don't use either carrots or spuds because I have to have a very low carb diet, so I'm way out of my comfort zone with trying to cater for 2 more specail diets without having to cook separate meals for all of us. (I think after breakfast on Friday they can go self-catering or treat me to meals out for the rest of their stay )

Hi fizzycat, I think your turkey casserole sounds fine. My father has crohns and he can eat root vegetables but no green stuff or salad. He can't eat onions either so if you use them, make sure they're in big pieces so you can serve his meal without including them easily. Re breakfast, if you offer them jam to go with toast, make sure it's seedless.

Hope you get on ok with feeding them (unless they do indeed take you out for meals )

Thank you - I'd never thought about seeds in jam so I'll get something seedless tomorrow.

If it all gets too much to cope with I'll let them go self-catering and I'll spend the wekend on a gin-based diet.

I'm not overly sure about Crohn's disease but I think the main foods to avoid are similar to IBS suffers and that is things that are hard to digest like wheat, seeds, veg/fruit skins, nuts. Basically anything high in fibre I have a problem with, guessing the same for Crohn's sufferers.

So a slow cooked casserole would be ideal, I do find slow cooked meals are better for me. Things like casserole, curry, cottage/shepherds/fish pie.

As for the lactose intolerance there are plenty of alternatives available now, you may want to ask about soya though, I know I suffer more with soya alternatives than I do with dairy. But the nut/rice/lactose free milks are fine and you can get plenty of different types of spread.

Ooh, I may have to join you

I think you will find Crohn's sufferers are not all alike in what they can and can't eat. I have had it for 30 years and can't have lettuce but eat all other "greens" - no milk but can have yogurt, eat nuts and seeds every day but gave up eating meat about 15 years and it made such a difference. My son also has it and he is now vegan as he can't eat any dairy but eats lots of tofu, temphe (soy products) and Seitan which is made from wheat gluten.

I perhaps didn't word that very well, I know that like IBS sufferers Crohn's sufferers have different foods that effect them I was trying to list things that are most likely to be a problem. I should of said the OP should check with their friend for any specific foods, it's common for spicy food to be a problem with IBS sufferers but is fine for me.

I can't have milk but can eat yogurt as well, I'm the opposite with protein though meat is fine but most veggie alternatives upset me more. Seitan seems fine though but not had it often, wheat does upset me but it's the fibre so not a problem with Seitan.