HELP! Okay, wrack your brains chaps... what can I feed my children who have limited culinary tastes for dinner? Our weekly tea times, which must be cooked food as they can only have packed lunches boringly and regularly consist of:
Sausages / veg - carrot & swede mash
Roast dinner - chicken, lamb or beef and veg & roasties
Toad in the hole and veg/baked beans
Pancakes with lemon and (dare I say it) "sugar"
Meatballs and spaghetti
Ham, peas and pasta
Various pastas with napoletana/amatriciana sauce
"Broken burgers" lean minced beef in gravy and mash/veg
Chicken dippers, alphabites & veg/baked beans for those uninspired moments....
and I'm struggling to think of anything else... my son refers to rice as "that funny white stuff". Any healthy advice/tips/recipes which are not too spicy and don't contain pineapple or fish would be greatly appreciated.
My son hates cheesy sauces, my daughter loves tomato based sauces... Eagerly awaiting response... btw we don't do chickpeas! They love fruit so puddings are not an issue. I try to keep it healthy (Thanks Jamie O).

Hi cheekygirl -

There are a few of Jamie's School Dinner recipes on this link.

[link]

We're in the middle of teengage years in our houshold and both kids are good at trying new foods and will not have any difficulty finding something to choose in any kind of restaurant we go to. I've always refused to let food become an issue when they were growing up. If they didn't eat what eat on their plate then so be it - there's always yoghurt in the fridge and plenty of fruit in the bowl.
We've had fads and fashions and on the whole I've pretty much gone with the flow - if one of the kids didn't like a certain food - e.g. courgettes - I'd still cook them but have another veg as well.
The other way to get them to try new foods is to buy a simple cook book and get them to chose a dish out of it and take them to the supermarket to shop for the ingredients and get them to "prepare" the meal (with you giving the appropriate amount of help as the "sous" chef). It's amazing what they'll eat if they think they've prepared it themselves - they'll be far better cooks than you in their minds and with the summer holidays coming they could take it in turns to be Head Chef once a week. My girls have recently been inviting they're best friend around once in a while to come and cook for us. Their friends parents have done the same and they learn new recipes that way too.

Thanks Livewire for the Jamie O Link. sadly not many school dinner recipes though ... think we'll try the vegetable chow mein though.

Fudge's Mum: good idea on the childrens cookbook and getting them to help with the preparation, although I forgot to say that mine are aged 2 and 6.... My 6 year would enjoy helping.

Can anybody recommend any good Childrens cookery books? (Deep fried child with toddler toy crudites...)

Me again cheekygirl -

Jeanette Orrey, a pioneer of decent school dinners was on GFL back in April discussing her new book The Dinner Lady. Use this link to find out more about her book.

[link]

Usborne Books used to do a couple - they probably still do - but you could always have a look in the library or local book shop.
I agree your two-year old is probably too young to take charge but would still probably like to "help" by possibly cutting up some veg with a table knife and you could probably incorporate it into the meal somehow!

I have a great kids cookery book that I use with my kids all the time. It's called Kids can cook by judy williams and it has 130 recipes, everything from main meals, cakes/biscuits, party food, snacks, soups, breakfasts. It's also packed with information about safety in the kitchen and equipment etc. It is BRILLIANT!!! My youngest is six and she makes things from it. You might have to search around for it because it was a present. I think my mother-in-law bought it from her book club. eBay might be a good place to look.

I agree about your youngest, even it is stirring, mixing or 'safe' chopping like Fudge's mum said as long as she feels involved in some way, she will be happy.

Do use your library cheeky girl, I was actually looking at the Jeanette Orrey book in mine yesterday, brand new! and they will order them for you.