Alex and the Feel Good Foods aims to help children understand coeliac disease, food allergies and dietary differences in a positive and inclusive way.
The story follows Alex, a young girl, as she learns that different foods can make people feel differently and that what works for one person might not work for somebody else.
Rather than focusing on restriction or what children ‘can’t’ eat, the book is centred around empathy, understanding and inclusion. At its heart is a simple message: everyone deserves a place at the table.
“Before writing the book, I had spoken to so many parents who told me how difficult it can be when their child suddenly has a dietary need and they have no previous experience of navigating that world. Those conversations became a big part of the motivation for writing the story.
“In many ways, this is the kind of book I would have loved members of my own family to have had growing up. My dad has to avoid gluten and my late uncle had coeliac disease, so the message behind it is very personal to me.”
In its first month, Alex and the Feel Good Foods was selected for Fonetti’s National Read-Aloud Challenge, where it achieved over 500 completed cover-to-cover reads.
The book has also appeared in independent retailers, including The Common Press in Shoreditch and TJ’s Bake & Browse, a specialist gluten-free shop in Jersey.
The book and Freeater go hand in hand. They are part of the same mission, offering advice, awareness, and understanding.
Freeater is building the practical tools to take some of the stress out of navigating dietary needs in everyday life, helping people make more informed decisions, to find somewhere that works for everyone, and ultimately enjoy food with greater confidence.
Kate founded Freeater with one simple idea: everyone should be able to eat with confidence wherever they are and whomever they are with. Freeater is a platform aiming to make choices around food feel calmer, clearer and more inclusive. It helps users to navigate food with confidence rather than compromise – ideal in social situations, for shopping, and travelling.
Freeater brings together personalisation, information from eateries and the community, and practical tools to help people make more informed decisions based on their own needs.
Users create a personalised dietary profile, allowing their experience of the platform to reflect what is relevant to them. When eating out, they can explore more than 3,000 eatery listings and access information such as dietary suitability, allergen and kitchen practices, food hygiene ratings and experiences shared by other members of the community.
The platform is expanding into shopping to help people to navigate food products and make informed choices.
Kate said:
“When one person has a dietary need, it can affect where an entire family or group of friends eats. Freeater is about taking some of that stress away and helping people answer what should be a simple question: ‘Where can we all eat?’”
This year, Kate has appeared on BBC East Midlands Today with Freeater and has been recognised as a Midlands Finalist in the UK StartUp Awards 2026 - Graduate Startup of the Year and as a Regional Finalist in the Pitch UK awards.
Kate will be running a Story and Confidence Corner as part of the Little Foodies Area at Cardiff’s first Gluten Free Festival in the coming months and will be holding a book signing at Ideas Fest.
Congratulations, Kate!