Allergies and Dietary Requirements at Parties

Last updated 2026-08-27 · 7 min read

Most dietary requirements are a matter of preference and easily handled. A few are medical, and a mistake with those is serious. The distinction matters, because they need different levels of care - and the systems that handle the serious ones handle everything else automatically.

Ask early, and ask specifically

Put the question on the invitation. It is much easier than chasing later, and it signals that you take it seriously.

"Please let me know about any allergies or dietary requirements by [date]" works. For a children's party, add "including anything we should know about medication or an inhaler".

When someone replies, ask two follow-up questions:

• Is it an allergy, an intolerance, or a preference? This is not rudeness - it determines how carefully the food must be separated. An allergy means avoiding cross-contamination; an intolerance usually does not; a preference needs only a suitable option.
• How severe, and is there medication? For a severe allergy, ask whether they carry an adrenaline auto-injector and who knows how to use it.

The 14 allergens

UK law recognises 14 allergens that must be declared in food. Knowing the list makes conversations with caterers far more precise:

Celery · cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats) · crustaceans · eggs · fish · lupin · milk · molluscs · mustard · tree nuts · peanuts · sesame · soybeans · sulphur dioxide and sulphites.

The less obvious ones cause the most trouble - celery in stock and soup, mustard in dressings and sauces, sesame in bread and hummus, sulphites in dried fruit and wine.

What venues and caterers must do

Any business selling food in the UK must be able to tell you which of the 14 allergens are present in each dish. That is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. If a caterer cannot answer allergen questions clearly, that in itself is a warning sign.

Since October 2021, "Natasha's Law" requires food prepacked for direct sale to carry a full ingredients list with allergens emphasised. This mainly affects pre-made items rather than a buffet served from trays, but it is why packaged sandwiches now carry full labelling.

Two things to establish with any venue or caterer:

• How far ahead do they need dietary information? Usually with final numbers, sometimes earlier.
• How is the food identified on the day? Labelled dishes, a printed allergen matrix, or a member of staff who knows. All three is best.

Be aware that most caterers will not guarantee a completely allergen-free environment, because shared kitchens make that impossible. They should tell you honestly. For a severe allergy, that honesty is more useful than a reassurance that cannot be backed up.

Labelling a buffet properly

A buffet with unlabelled food is unusable for anyone with an allergy - they will simply not eat. Labelling solves it cheaply.

• Label every dish, not only the ones you think are risky.
• Name the dish and the allergens it contains. "Chicken skewers - contains sesame, soy" is more useful than "gluten free".
• Use serving tongs per dish and do not let them migrate. Cross-contamination at a buffet almost always happens through shared serving spoons.
• Place allergen-free options first in the queue, before crumbs travel.
• Keep a master list with full ingredients for anyone who wants to check in detail.

Children's parties

This needs more care than an adult party, for three reasons: children may not know or be able to explain their own allergy, food gets shared and swapped, and parents may not be present.

What works:

• Individual boxes rather than a shared buffet. The single most effective measure. Each child gets their own food, nothing is shared, and an allergy-safe box is just another box rather than a visible difference.
• Name the box for any child with a requirement, and hand it to them yourself rather than leaving it on a table.
• Tell the child, in age-appropriate terms - "this one is yours, it's got your name on".
• Brief the other adults. Anyone helping should know which child and which allergen.
• Check the cake. It is the most commonly overlooked item, and it usually contains egg, dairy, gluten and sometimes nuts. Consider a separate small cake, or ask the parent what they would like.
• Check the party bags. Chocolate and sweets frequently contain milk, nuts or "may contain" warnings. Non-food party bags remove the problem entirely.
• Ask about medication. Where the auto-injector or inhaler is, and who can use it. If the parent is not staying, this is essential.

Common requirements and what they mean

Make the alternative a proper option

The most common complaint from guests with dietary requirements is not that they were forgotten - it is that their option was visibly an afterthought. A plain jacket potato while everyone else has a three-course meal is technically catered for and does not feel like it.

Where you can, choose dishes that work for everyone. A good vegetarian main that meat-eaters would happily choose, a dessert that happens to be gluten free, a salad that is vegan without announcing it. It costs nothing, simplifies the ordering, and nobody sits there being catered around.

If something goes wrong

Know in advance where the nearest A&E is, and make sure at least two adults know where any medication is kept.

Signs of a serious allergic reaction include swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing, a widespread rash, or sudden collapse. The NHS guidance is to use an adrenaline auto-injector immediately if one is available and call 999 straight away, saying the word "anaphylaxis". Do not wait to see whether it improves.