Bristol Food Connections contributor and food writer Claire Thomson dropped in on CBeebies Grown-ups to share some tips and tricks for encouraging little ones to be more adventurous eaters…
Children can be notoriously wilful about what they will and won’t put in their mouths – and cajoling them into eating food they don’t want can be very frustrating.
I’m a chef by trade, and when I’m cooking for my own three children, I’m always aiming for meals that are imaginative, easy, and of course, speedy! If you can make food interesting and flavourful, children will be interested in it. It doesn’t need to be smiley-faced ‘children’s’ food.
My top tips for happier mealtimes are:
- Aim to make vegetables central to the meal – if they’re cooked with imagination, they needn’t be something to endure at the side of the plate.
- Children enjoy being ‘in
charge’ of their own meal – give them seeds to sprinkle, lemons to squish,
grated cheese to add or herbs to scatter, and help them to feel in control of
the food that’s in front of them.
- Encourage children to help with meals and feel that their contribution is important – shopping for ingredients, helping to cook, laying the table and even washing up are all tasks that can be tackled with a sense of fun.
- Eating together is great for making mealtimes an event, and can give you the opportunity to talk about the foods you enjoy.
Advice on understanding and helping ‘fussy eaters’ from CBeebies Grown-ups
Explore recipes from the BBC at Bristol Food Connections chefs
