Cooking With Children

With two young children of my own it has always been incredibly important to me that they share my passion for food and my love of cooking. Children love getting involved in the kitchen and from a very early age I have included them in as many different ways as possible. One of our earliest home videos shows Imogen (then aged about eighteen months) finishing off the contents of an enormous mixing bowl and wooded spoon used to make a chocolate torte for Christmas!

Cooking with children should not just be about cakes and cookies although this is a sure-fire way to get them interested to start with. I still believe that the more involved children are in the preparation of food, the more likely they are to want to eat the fruits of their hard work. From an early age I have encouraged the children to come to the butcher / fishmonger with me to gain knowledge of the different cuts of meat and different fish that are available. I have involved them in the preparation of raw meat and taught them different marinades which can be used to enhance different cuts. Kids love squeezing the lemons, chopping the rosemary from the garden and mixing in with garlic and olive oil to rub into their leg of lamb or lamb chops for the barbecue.

I have always involved the children when buying, planting or harvesting fresh herbs from the garden. They are always keen to try the different flavours and can make informed choices when eating out as to what their preferences are.

Sausage rolls have to be the easiest thing to make together. Nothing complicated - chipolata sausages, ready made puff pastry, a beaten egg and some flour for rolling is all you need. The children can help roll the pastry out, place the sausages on the pastry, roll up and place on a buttered baking tray. Brush with the beaten egg, slice a couple of slits in the top and bake for about half an hour in a hot oven (180 degrees).We always have to eat some warm for lunch and then freeze them in twos for packed lunches in school time.

Breaded fish or chicken is great fun too - a little time consuming but with all the help you'll get you'll be done in no time! For our fish we like to use fresh breadcrumbs whizzed in the blender with some lemon zest, fresh parsley, a little grated parmesan, optional garlic and salt and obligatory black pepper. Put some flour in one bowl, 2 beaten eggs in the next and your breadcrumb mix in the third. Get your production line going - dipping the fish in the flour, then the egg (coat it well!) then the breadcrumb mix. Once done this can be refrigerated till later or cooked immediately. You'll need a frying pan on a medium heat with a little oil in. Fry until cooked (dependent on the thickness and cut of your fish anything between 5 and 15 minutes) and serve with slices of lemon and fresh parley.

Another easy dish for the children is stuffed baked potatoes. Once baked, let cool a little and let the children mix the potato with butter, milk and whatever else they fancy (for us it is ALWAYS slices of chorizo, ham and grated cheese!). Stuff the mixture back in to the halved potatoes, sprinkle with cheese and bake or grill for 10 minutes. Delicious, fun and cheap too!

When we go on holiday to Pembrokeshire we always go fishing (weather dependent!) and the children love barbecuing the mackerel that they have caught. I think that understanding where ingredients come from plays a crucial part in their interest in trying new things that ordinarily they may not want to. Perhaps that is why they love going strawberry picking so much??

Whatever you're cooking or preparing food, involve your children as much as you can - hopefully it will result in children who have a healthy interest in food as well as a good understanding of what is and is not good for you. Happy cooking!

Also see Valentine's Day Shortbread.