Pasta dishes without hidden celery

The highest-risk ingredients are stock cubes, ready-made broth, soup bases and seasoning mixes. Celery may also be blended into a bolognese, meatball sauce or vegetable stew base, even when it is not obvious from the finished dish. Celery salt is another easy one to miss, especially in tomato sauces, tuna pasta and salad dressings. Check every packaged ingredient rather than relying on the recipe name.

Start with onion, garlic, carrot or peppers if they suit the dish, then add tomatoes, water or a clearly labelled celery-free stock. For a deeper savoury flavour, brown the meat or vegetables well and use herbs, black pepper, paprika, Parmesan or a little tomato paste. Do not swap in ordinary stock automatically, since celery is common in both cubes and cartons. Keep the sauce and cooking utensils separate if the person avoiding celery is highly sensitive.

They are often easier to check because they usually use oil, vinegar, yoghurt or mayonnaise rather than broth, but the dressing and seasoning still need reading. Tuna, chicken and vegetable salads can contain celery in a prepared mayonnaise, relish or mixed salad ingredient. Cook the pasta in plain water, cool it safely, and build the dressing yourself when labels are unclear. Nomme can help two people settle on a suitable dish, but the final ingredient check still belongs in the kitchen.