My dairy/soy-free eating has not been too painful to date, until last night. Desperate to satisfy the cheesy needs of myself and my 3 year-old, I made this mac-n-cheese recipe. I learned that while dairy substitutes are great in moderation – a little almond milk for pancakes, or some fake cheese to top a pizza – when you dump them all into one recipe, it tastes like glue.

I really wanted to like it. The first bite I thought I did. But by bite three it almost came back up. I withheld my disgust from my daughter in the hope that she might enjoy it, but it was soon clear that she was also unimpressed. So we both ate cereal instead.

I won’t give up on the dairy-free Daiya shreds yet, but I need to find a less cheesy creation for next time.