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GETTING KIDS AROUND THE TABLE

One thing I am asked quite often by fellow parents online is: do I have any fun ideas or ways to get kids excited about mealtimes? My children have grown up seeing me getting excited about food and obviously had quite a big involvement in the kitchen so I think it’s natural that they’ve just begun to love it too.

I firmly believe that by just getting the family around the table you are halfway there. It’s too easy these days for them to be distracted by other things, from cartoons to phones and tablets. Have a look at the ideas listed below (some of which form part of the kids’ cooking chapter) and work out which ones you could use to get your kids excited about food. And if you have any of your own you’d like to share, do reach out to me on social media – I’m always keen to learn more.

GET THEM TO MAKE IT THEMSELVES

This is a pretty obvious one and an idea that is pushed hard throughout this book. Start with foods you know they’ll like (fajitas and pizzas are a fantastic way of easing them into the world of food) and embrace the kitchen chaos. Let them laugh and learn and they’ll be showing off their meal creations in no time.

HIDE THE VEG

Hiding vegetables in other ingredients is having a bit of a comeback. My Nan used to do it all the time, particularly with parsnips! A couple of recipes in the book explore this idea, such as the Hidden Vegetable Pasta Bake or Honey Mustard Chicken with Spinach Mash). Root vegetables such as swede or parsnip can easily be hidden in mashed potato. Just be sure to let your kids finish the dish before revealing what is actually in it!

MINI FOOD

Making miniature portions of foods can be a really fun thing to do – it makes things much more visually exciting for the kids. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made tiny plates of spaghetti bolognese (including a tiny one for Barbie) for the kids to try. It is actually pretty good fun for adults too, so if you want a little kids’ tea party with a difference, give it a try. There’s plenty of inspiration on my website for mini foods, but it can just be a case of making a standard portion and serving it on teeny plates!

COLOURFUL MEALS

I must be a big kid too because I fall for this one often. There’s something about colour that really draws you into a dish. Our kids are fascinated if we make something brightly coloured – if you call it a ‘rainbow’ you are almost guaranteed to hook their attention. Try making a rainbow pizza, for example, with red onion, peppers, courgettes, cheese and tomato to create a cool topping effect.

DIFFERENT PASTA SHAPES

Shapes as well as colours are a very appealing to children – remember those smiley potato faces or alphabet oven chips? Well, they are popular for a reason, but you can create the same fun effect with some homemade pasta and cookie cutters in cool shapes. Ever seen train-shaped ravioli? Get the cutters out and try the Crab Ravioli.

MEALS ON A STICK

Put something on a stick and no longer is it just a dinner, it’s the most ‘exciting thing to ever happen to dinner time’ (to quote Phoebe). Yep, sometimes all you need is a good old bamboo skewer to get the kids gobbling up their food. You’d be surprised what you can put on a stick – the Caprese Chicken Salad works a charm. And if you’re still struggling, just call them lollipops – that always seems to seal the deal.

HEALTHIER TWISTS

This one is a bit of a mind game. Of course, children are often drawn to less healthy snacks, be that through the media, convenience or just cravings. Use this to your advantage by making these naughtier snacks a little healthier. I once made a homemade ‘Happy Meal’ with my children and nephews using smoothie, cornflake-baked chicken nuggets (as seen in my first book) and baked sweet potato fries. It went down a storm – because I told them it was a homemade ‘Happy Meal’, they went bonkers for it. Making healthy versions of crisps, such as baked apple crisps or banana chips is also a smart move.

CHARACTER CAKES AND FUNNY FACES

You don’t have to wait for the next birthday party to make a Minion cake! And I’ve found that recreating funny faces or characters on the dinner plate can work fantastically. For example, make a chilli but use the rice to make funny hair, and soured cream blobs, cheese and herbs for facial expressions. I’m sure that Cookie Monster Cupcakes (see my website) get eaten twice as fast as standard ones in our house, but try to be creative with the savoury stuff too.

BOARD GAME PLATE

I’ve not actually tried this yet, but we went to a children’s party where the food was served on paper plates that had squares drawn on them. Each square had a separate portion of food in it with a start and end. The idea was that you followed the squares clockwise until you got to the final one – a piece of cake! I thought that was a pretty neat way of making eating food fun.

ICE-CUBE TRAY

Take an ice-cube tray and portion the dinner into each little slot; it may look a bit strange, but suddenly that huge intimidating plate of food becomes bite-size and manageable. Work with your kids here if they are always keen to hop away from the table before finishing a meal, and remember that you don’t have to fill up all the slots. This has worked a charm for us, particularly when introducing new foods.