DORCHESTER is gearing up to host its first gluten free food fair.

With food samples galore and free tea and coffee included in the £1 admission charge, it’s bound to be an event to tickle the taste buds.

The event takes place on Saturday, April 1 at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester from 12noon to 3pm.

Representatives from the charity Coeliac UK will be at the event to help people with any questions they may have about coeliac disease and gluten free food.

The event is being organised by Sylvia Dennett from the Coeliac UK group in the county town.

Mrs Dennett, who was first diagnosed with coeliac disease 30 years ago, said: “I was ill for 13 years, they couldn’t work out what it was. I lost a lot of weight. I had a rash – not everyone has it.

“It took a long time to diagnose. Now there’s a blood test you can have at the GP.”

If the blood test is positive then doctors have to do a gut biopsy to confirm the coeliac diagnosis. Mrs Dennett said it was important not to cut gluten from the diet before the biopsy, or the results may not show if you have coeliac disease.

She said coeliac disease was an auto-immune disease and people had to go 100 per cent gluten free if they were diagnosed.

She said: “A lot of people go gluten free for health reasons but if you are coeliac you have no choice –you will be very ill.”

According to Coeliac UK, one in 100 people have the disease. Symptoms include bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, constipation, tiredness, sudden or unexpected weight loss and in some cases hair loss and anaemia. Dermatitis herpetiformis is the skin manifestation of coeliac disease.

Mrs Dennett said that it was “such a relief” when she got the diagnosis.

She said: “After so many years you think the worst thing. You think it could be cancer. When you hear coeliac disease, you think 'Oh, it’s ok I can deal with that.'”

She urged people to come down to the food fair, especially if they think they may have coeliac disease as they will be able to find out more from Coeliac UK.

Mrs Dennett said: “It’s going to be a fun afternoon. There will be foods to try and buy and you can meet the suppliers.

“Especially if you are recently diagnosed, or think you might be coeliac, it’s a fantastic event.”