I haven’t done a linky post before, but Kate at Crafts on Sea has set up Foody Kids Thursday as part of her challenge to gather recipes for feeding a fussy toddler at the same time as raising money for Save the Children. She was very kind about my fish pie recipe and it has all inspired me to join in and break my blogging block (too much work, brain too fizzy).
Last Christmas fils aîné was given a children’s recipe book, Dorling Kindersley’s Kids’ First Cook Book. We have only tried a few recipes so far, but the scones and fairy cakes were both successful and his entire next birthday party (not till January but in the planning stage for months now) has been themed around the dinosaur cake. I hope we can live up to the picture…
The book has clear instructions and detailed pictures of all the ingredients and equipment you’ll need as well as each step along the way. Some of the recipes seem a little complicated for the age group – Christmas bread wreath plaited by a 5 year-old?? – while others are more decoration than cooking – turning a jacket potato into a boat. He’s keen on it though, which is the main thing. I’m kind of hoping that cooking stuff will encourage him to branch out in the eating side of things too, although this hasn’t worked too successfully at the moment. Fils cadet won’t join in though, because it means wearing an apron and he doesn’t do aprons.
You’ve got to love that Seventies colour scheme…
I had a couple of recipe books as a child – anybody else learn to cook with the Ladybird one? I still use the shortbread recipe even if the book is long gone. There were others too: a Brownie one, from which I tried to cook a dinner for my parents (although my mum mostly ended up cooking it herself) and one by Nanette Newman called The Play and Cook Book, or something like that. It was more a story with recipes and I don’t remember making any of them, though I read it over and over again.
What about you? Did you learn to cook by reading or watching? Any top tips for getting the apron-hater to cook? Recommendations for recipe books? It would be nice to get some more savoury dishes into the boys’ repertoire. And wish us luck for the dinosaur cake!
a discount ticket to everywhere 
I remember having a cook with mother ladybird book which had things such as a fruit salad in it lol.
Oh I love the look of that Ladybird book!! I used to have a Mr Men cookery book when I was a kid, in fact I still have it now 🙂 Thank you again for your lovely recipie, my friends have been asking me today the details on how I cooked it!! It was lush 🙂 And thank you for linking up with Foodie Kids Thursday!
I’m glad it worked out so well. And thanks for kicking me out of my rut!
i loved making things from here and learned lots! Shortbread was my favourite, was only discussing this with a friend on Thursday. Are you able to share the recipe?
Pingback: Dinosaur Cake… « a discount ticket to everywhere