Little Theo loves the smells and sounds of Christmas dinner even though he will probably never be able to eat one.

The brave five-year-old from Outlane suffers from a condition so rare that there are only a handful of children in the country who share it.

The bowel condition means he is allergic to food and so he has to receive his nutrition exclusively through tubes leading to a backpack which feeds him 22 hours a day.

Despite everything his mum Verity Carnie, 37, says he enjoys Christmas rituals just like any other little boy.

She said: “We are just on our way home from Great Ormond Street hospital where he has recently undergone yet another operation and he is busy making his Christmas wish list.

“And when it comes to Christmas dinner he loves to be involved as much as possible though of course he can’t eat any of it.

“One of the things he likes to do most is baking with me and at Christmas we have all our family over which he loves.

“He loves to smell food and will always ask for a sniff of the chilli or whatever dish I am preparing.

“His favourite chef is Jamie Oliver and he loves watching his videos.

“He has a massive zest for life and we just try to get on with things as much as possible.

“He has lived this life now without eating in the traditional manner for so long that we have all become used to it.

The closest he gets to eating food is to enjoy chomping on an ice cube but even that we have to be careful with as that can make him feel a bit sick.”

And when Theo celebrated his fifth birthday a few weeks ago he was treated to two cakes.

A real one which he gave to his friends and family as well as a replica model which he has kept to remind him of his special day.

Ultimately, his parents, Verity and Nathan, don’t know what the prognosis will be as he grows older.

But for the moment all they can do is take one day at a time and celebrate his resilience in the face of a scarcely imaginable existence.