Meet the Wiggles-like children’s band who sing about food but are allergic to almost everything – as they reveal the how they survive world tours
- Band named after fruit and vegetables reveal all members have food allergies
- ARIA nominated The Vegetable Plot’s said food has been a ‘source of terror’
- Member ‘Rhu Barb’ has coeliac disease and ‘Aspara Gus’ has Crohn’s Disease
A children’s band that dress up like fruit and vegetables have revealed that food is a constant ‘source of terror’ for all band members due to their extensive allergies.
The three members of The Vegetable Plot, who are known for their song called Mr Potato, have a long history of chronic illnesses and allergies that turn each tour into a difficult mission of finding the right meals everyone can safely consume.
The ARIA-nominated group is comprised of three members – Paige Hoorweg as ‘Rhu Barb’, Nick Hoorweg as ‘Sir Paul McCarrotney’ and Luke Escombe as ‘Aspara Gus’.
Children’s musical band The Vegetable Plot (pictured) have revealed all members suffer from severe food allergies despite singing about fruit and vegetables
The trio tour the world with a combination of catchy songs and colourful characters to help children fall in love with their fruit and vegetables.
But behind all the fun of being in a Wiggles-like band, Mrs Hoorweg revealed that getting enough to eat has been a constant challenge for the group while on tour.
‘Food has been a source of terror throughout our lives,’ she said.
‘There are pictures of me looking like I’m five months pregnant after accidentally eating something that was cross-contaminated with gluten’, she said.
‘Rhu Barb’ has avoided gluten since her coeliac disease diagnosis back in 2003.
For people with coeliac disease, gluten causes an inflammatory reaction in the body, resulting in symptoms including anaemia, abdominal pain, lethargy, skin rashes, weakness and infertility.
‘Rhu Barb’ (pictured) has avoided gluten since her coeliac disease diagnosis back in 2003
‘Rhu Barb’ (pictured) now brings her Thermomix on tour due to the group’s severe food allergies
Her husband, ‘Sir Paul McCarrotney’ is allergic to seafood and dairy, and ‘Aspara Gus’ has Crohn’s Disease.
The band’s tour in Hong Kong was an especially challenging experience for the trio, as ‘Rhu Barb’ had to take her Thermomix on tour.
‘We had a friend who wrote a note in Cantonese that we could flash in restaurants that said “No gluten, no seafood, no MSG, no soy sauce” and we were pretty much laughed out of everywhere’, Mrs Hoorweg said.
Despite the trio’s extensive food allergies, the group have learnt a secret hack to get them through their tours – gluten free bread.
Founder and CEO of award-winning artisan bread company Venerdi, Tim Grainger, revealed the food swap that helped feed the children’s band while on tour.
The Vegetable Plot (pictured) said their tour to Hong Kong was challenging to find a meal they could all eat
‘Venerdi has developed a range of innovative bread products under its Gluten Freedom brand that has proven very popular with sufferers of Coeliac’s disease, including pizza bases, Hemp and Rosemary Buns and Sweet Potato Sourdough buns,’ Mr Grainger said.
‘These products are all vegan, soy-free and dairy-free, and prove that you don’t need to compromise on taste or texture just because you’re eating Gluten Free bread.’
‘Rhu Barb’, said the group refuses to let their allergies affect their touring or their song writing.
‘We’re the kind of people that just get on with it,’ Mrs Hoorweig said.
‘Our fans often bring us fresh ingredients picked from their own gardens, and it’s nice to be able to rustle up a feast with them.’
The ARIA nominated band (pictured) refuses to let their food allergies and chronic illness stand in the way of their work