Recipes for the rascals

Forget AA Gill, kids are the toughest food critics about. If it doesn't look right, it smells funny, or it's not what they ordered you can expect it to be sent back to the kitchen. So if your tots are a little troublesome when it comes to meal times, try these fresh ideas to get their taste buds going

Forget AA Gill, kids are the toughest food critics about. If it doesn't look right, it smells funny, or it's not what they ordered you can expect it to be sent back to the kitchen. So if your tots are a little troublesome when it comes to mealtimes, try these fresh ideas to get their taste buds going again.

- Breakfasts
- Packed lunches
- Dinners
- Snacks

Bull's Eye

by Terri Farris

Take a large piece of bread, white or brown, and cut out the middle with a pastry cutter or small cup, about 4cm wide. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and lay in the bread.

Carefully crack a small egg in the 'hole' and fry until the bottom is cooked, about 2 minutes. The white of the egg will probably spill over the top of the bread. Don't worry, just turn it over to cook the other side.

Fry the cut-out bit of bread and serve it on the side. Quick, easy and fun to eat.

- Breakfast pancakes and waffles
- Healthy breakfast ideas
- Quick and healthy breakfasts for kids
Muffin sandwich

by Terri Farris

Reminiscent of breakfast from a fast food burger chain, but better because you make it yourself. Fry or grill a rasher of bacon or 2 strips of streaky. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and crack in an egg.

If you want to be ultra tidy about it, fry it in a ring, about 5cm wide. When half cooked, pierce the yolk with the tip of a sharp knife and swirl to mix in with the white. Flip it over, removing the ring first, if using, and cook the other side.

Toast an English muffin and spread with your choice of sauce - tomato ketchup, brown sauce, HP, whatever, or leave it plain. Assemble with the bacon and egg, wrap with a napkin or kitchen paper and away you go.

- Breakfast pancakes and waffles

- Healthy breakfast ideas

- Quick and healthy breakfasts for kids
Fruit shake

by Terri Farris

This is really more of a smoothie, but you don't have to tell them that. If you have a hand blender, it makes it more convenient (with less washing-up) but an ordinary blender will do fine.

Use whichever fruits your child prefers; bananas, strawberries, peaches (use tinned ones when out of season). Place in the blender along with a small glass of orange or other juice and add a large spoonful of plain yoghurt. Puree until smooth.

- Fast fruit breakfasts

- Get your kids to eat more fruit

- Easy ways to 5-a-day
Cold meatball pitta

Some supermarkets sell meatballs formed, rolled and uncooked. Pan-fry a few for tea and save some for lunches.

1 pitta bread with top cut open
2 cooked meatballs
2 pieces crisp lettuce
1 slice tomato
Ketchup

Place the meatballs, lettuce and tomato in the pitta and squirt in a bit of ketchup. For adventurous tastes: Brown sauce, thin slices of red onion, pickles.
For milder tastes: Use butter in place of ketchup, luncheon meat, instead of meatballs.

Extracted from Lunch Boxes by Jennifer Joyce, published by Michael Joseph at £7.99. Copyright Jennifer Joyce 2005.

- How to ensure your packed lunch is healthy
- More ideas on filling the kids' lunch boxes
- Lunchbox clever
Sesame noodles with shredded chicken

This is good dressing for egg noodles.

Makes 4 salads.

250g/8oz Chinese egg noodles or short pasta like penne
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sesame seeds
A handful of shredded chicken

Boil the noodles in salted water until al dente. In a medium bowl, mix together the vinegar, soy, sesame oil and honey. Drain the noodles and mix while earm with the sauce. Let cool slightly and then add the sesame seeds and chicken. Keeps for two days.

Variations: If they like spicy food, add some crushed chillies. Shredded carrot, cucumber or diced red pepper would be nice as well. Or blanch some broccoli when you cook the noodles.

Extracted from Lunch Boxes by Jennifer Joyce, published by Michael Joseph at £7.99. Copyright Jennifer Joyce 2005.

- How to ensure your packed lunch is healthy
- More ideas on filling the kids' lunch boxes
- Lunchbox clever
Honey and paprika chicken drumsticks

You eat cold drumsticks on picnics, so why not in a lunchbox?

1 tbsp paprika (the Spanish sweet and smoky paprika is really good)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp honey
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken drumsticks

In a medium bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in the marinafe and leave it for thirty minutes or overnights, refrigerated. Preheat the oven to 180C, gas mark 4.

Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper and bake for forty minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly and refrigerate until needed. Will keep for three days.

Extracted from Lunch Boxes by Jennifer Joyce, published by Michael Joseph at £7.99. Copyright Jennifer Joyce 2005.

- How to ensure your packed lunch is healthy
- More ideas on filling the kids' lunch boxes
- Lunchbox clever
Driftwood sausage rafts

140g pizza base mix
3 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp clear honey (unsuitable for children under 12 months - use golden syrup instead)
100g grated pizza cheese, such as mozzarella
4 tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
340g cocktail pork sausages

- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Make the pizza dough following pack instructions and shape into a square 20cm x 20cm. Leave in a warm place to rise.
- Mix the tomato sauce and honey in a bowl. Spread half over the pizza base and sprinkle the cheese over. Arrange the tomato slices on the pizza in 4 rows of 4. Cook in the centre of the oven for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, brush the sausages with the remaining tomato sauce mix and grill for 6-8 minutes until golden brown and glazed.
- Cut the pizza into 16 squares, each with 1 piece of tomato on. Cut the sausages in half long-ways and press 3 halves on to each square, cut side down, to look like a raft.

- Junking the junk food
- Fun food projects
- Kids' favourites the healthy way
Sweetcorn fritters with cucumber and mango salsa

Makes 12 fritters (Serves 3-4).

You can make these with a mixture of sweetcorn and petit pois or even broccoli broken into tiny florets. You can also replace 1 tbsp of the flour with 1 tbsp desiccated coconut. If you use frozen corn, you may require a little less liquid. However, if the mixture is dry, add a splash of water till it holds its shape.

kernels from 3 corn-on-the-cobs, each yielding about 225g, or equivalent weight of frozen kernels
3-5 tbsp flour, depending on wetness of corn (or replace 2 tbsp with rice flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp double cream
splash soya sauce
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, optional
salt and pepper
sunflower oil, for frying
lime juice, to serve (optional)

For the salsa

1/2 mango, peeled
1/4 - 1/2 cucumber, peeled
dash of orange juice
dash of soya sauce

- Mix the corn, flour, baking powder, cream, soya sauce and coriander together in a bowl, add seasoning, and allow to settle for a few minutes before forming into small patties in the palms of your moistened hands (or simply form into quenelles with 2 dessert spoons).
- Heat a few spoonfuls of sunflower oil in a frying pan and lower the fritters carefully into the hot oil. Allow the fritters to cook well on one side before turning over carefully onto the other. A fish slice makes the job easier.
- Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt, or lime juice if your children are up to this.
- For the mango and cucumber salsa, simply dice the flesh of the mango and cucumber and mix well. Add the orange juice and soya sauce and serve with the fritters.

- Junking the junk food
- Fun food projects
- Kids' favourites the healthy way
Potato gnocchi with broccoli, parmesan and butter

This uses bought, loosely packed gnocchi which take only 2-3 minutes to cook. A 500g bag will give at least four, and probably six, 4-year-old portions.

Serves 4

500g potato gnocchi
200g broccoli, cut into small florets
30g butter
30g parmesan, or more, according to taste

- Simply plunge the gnocchi into properly boiling lightly salted water at the same time as the broccoli florets.
- Have the butter and grated parmesan ready in a bowl and add the drained gnocchi and broccoli. Stir gently till the butter and cheese melt and serve at once.

- Junking the junk food
- Fun food projects
- Kids' favourites the healthy way
Pizza

A favourite supper, this puff pastry pizza could not be easier.

300g puff pastry
1 1/2 tbsp sundried tomato puree
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 handfuls fresh spinach
4-5 slices mozzarella
1 free-range egg, plus a little beaten egg
nutmeg
salt and pepper

- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
- Roll the pastry out less than 0.5cm thick and cut into a 23cm circle. Prick all but a 2cm outside rim with a fork.
- Spread the puree within the inner circle and fit the cherry tomatoes all over, leaving a circle in the centre for the egg. Crack the egg into the circle.
- Wilt the spinach, season lightly with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg and scatter over the pizza.
- Cover with the mozzarella slices and glaze the outer rim with the beaten egg.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes till the outside rim is risen and golden.
Source: Tesco

- Junking the junk food
- Fun food projects
- Kids' favourites the healthy way
Hogwarts trifle

Just the kind of pudding a novice wizard might eat at Harry Potter's school.

2 large Swiss roll cakes
1 x 330ml carton Tropicana Tropics
4 large bananas
175g green and/or black seedless grapes
2 x 500g pots thick and creamy strawberry yoghurt
sugar-coated chocolate chips to decorate

You will also need 20 clear plastic bowls (25cl).

- Cut each Swiss roll into ten slices and position one slice in the bottom of each bowl.
- Peel the bananas and slice them thinly. Wash and halve the grapes. Divide the fruit between the bowls.
- Pour 2 tbsp Tropicana into each bowl and leave to be absorbed for 10 minutes.
- Spoon 1-2 tbsp yoghurt over each trifle, and leave in the fridge until ready for use.
- Just before serving, sprinkle with the coloured chips.

- More Harry Potter recipes
- Marvellous munchies
- Additive-free snacks
- Kids and food FAQs
Maple breakfast bars with dried fruit and nuts

by Terri Farris

You can use any type of dried fruit you like in these little oat bars. A wide variety is available in the baking section of most supermarkets, so choose your favourite, or mix and match.

Makes 10-12. You will need a 20 x 25cm/8 x 10in (or similar size) tin or baking dish.

150g/5oz butter
75g/3oz demerara sugar
75ml/3fl oz maple syrup
100g/3 1/2 oz dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries, raisins or sultanas, dates, peaches, apples, pears and so on), chopped into small pieces
50g/2oz toasted, chopped hazelnuts
225g/8oz rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and grease the tin or baking dish. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the sugar and maple syrup and stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Alternatively, you can combine everything in a large bowl and heat in the microwave, stopping every 20 seconds or so to stir.

Remove from the heat and stir in the dried fruit, nuts and oats. Spread into the tin and level the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly then mark out the bars with a knife. Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing and packing the bars. Wrap individually in greaseproof paper so they are easy to hand round.

- Marvellous munchies
- Additive-free snacks
- Kids and food FAQs
Cheddar cheese and apple muffins

by Terri Farris

Muffins aren't just for blueberries. These are made with the classic combination of apples and Cheddar cheese and are half sweet, half savoury. Paper muffin wrappers make them easy to eat on the go and help with crumb control.
Makes 12

125g/4 1/2 oz plain flour
125g/4 1/2 oz wholemeal flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
100g/3 1/2 oz light brown sugar
175ml/6fl oz milk
1 egg
50g/2oz melted butter
2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
100g/3 1/2 oz Cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Line a muffin tin with paper cases. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, then stir in the sugar.

Mix together the milk, egg and melted butter and stir into the flour mixture. Fold in the apple and cheese pieces. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden.

- Marvellous munchies
- Additive-free snacks
- Kids and food FAQs