Annabel Karmel Q&A

Brilliant! Annabel Karmel is THE domestic goddess to my daughters, who have learned to blend vegetables into places you would never think of

Can I ask for some tips for nutritious finger foods for 18 month old twins who believe that sitting down to eat is a waste of good playtime, please? They are happy to eat if they can nip back and pick something up to chew, but during this phase a spoon and messy food doesn't quite fit the bill. They eat little jigsaw and wheel shaped sandwiches, home made fish fingers, and love crunchy toddlers' corn snacks, but don't like bean or chicken and corn fritters or chunks of cheese with apple (this week, that is! ). We're searching for a bit more inspiration. Thank you.

My eldest GC is a picky eater and what is more stick thin. I can see his ribs and shoulder blades. His parents are into healthy eating which doesn't seem enough. He lacks energy . Can you give me a recipe for a healthy fruit cake packed with energy/ calories? I used to have an Australian one but I seem to have lost it.

My 2 year old GD won't waste any time visiting us eating, too many other things to do, so suggestion for good and tasty finger foods that she can pick at on the hoof would be great. I usually leave a bowl of chopped fruit and cheeses but it would be great to have some alternatives.

My granddaughter is coming up to five and is such a picky eater and so slow. It is as if mealtimes are a distraction from play. She is extremely active so must be getting enough to eat. My daughter has been fanatical about restricting sugar and salt from the start of "solids" and I do wonder if the food she gives to the little one is actually too boring - loads of pasta, vegetables and fruit - yes I KNOW that's commendable but you can have too much of a good thing. I have to respect my daughter's wishes but if I occasionally serve, for instance, fish fingers and beans - with ketchup! - there is no problem. What harm can there be in the occasional treat ?

I would like to know how can I introduce species to our 10 month old and when can we start putting chillies in her food.

Our granddaughter is 16 months old and late to get teeth. She only has two at the bottom and one at the top. this means chewing foods is difficult and she often chokes, trying to swallow things like meat. Any suggestions?

How important is the family eating together whenever possible around a table?

I love cooking with my older DGC but because many of my recipes are old they are in oz. and lb. I would love a cook book for children which is purely in measuring cup and spoon measures. I have spent a lot of time working out to transfer my favorite simple recipes but do you think you could make that your next project? Only asking. I have bought the Joseph coloured measuring things for theDGCs and it is so easy to say fill the blue one with this or the red one with that than weigh accurately. Also I would like children's cook books-which I eagerly buy to have more savory things. They seem to stop at pizza. I do tend to give them ready made pastry to do stuff also ready made fresh pasta.

Our six and a half month old GS is resisting 'solids' to a large extent and his mother is concerned about his iron intake. We take a lighthearted (and messy) approach and have manage to get him to take a very little banana and sweet potato. He was exclusively breastfeeding for six months which recent research indicates is not necessarily a good thing and I see why as it takes time to accept new foods. Should he be taking a substantial quantity of solid food and if so what is the best approach?

We all know that we should be eating more fruit and vegetables and cutting down on saturated fats, sugar and salt but are there any guidelines regarding recommended portion sizes (weight of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc) and calorie intake for children at different ages? For example, when I did Domestic Science at school I was taught that I should allow 4oz of meat or 6oz of fish per person as a serving of protein at a main meal and 2oz for a sandwich (presumably adult portions). I notice that many people nowadays present/eat more than these guidelines.

Welcome to Gransnet. We have used your cook books until there is no print left on the pages, we have pages that are stuck together but love the recipes, our favourite is fish pie, infact when we make it the whole family eat it.
We have a new Grandchild on the way and look forward to adding the new book to the collection.

My 6-year-old grandson A is a very picky eater. His 7-year-old twin cousins T and G eat anything and everything. I think the reason is that A's mother is so concerned he eats the 'right' things that at mealtimes she constantly urges him to eat, with cajoling, persuading, pointing out how good something is for him, telling him he needs his 5 a day and so on. There are restrictions and caveats so mealtimes are almost always tension-filled and stressful, with her always watchful. I have just had him for a 5-day stay and give him good food, with things he likes and, for those he says he doesn't like, I give him very small quantities (e.g. 5 peas) and say I expect him to eat them (and he almost always does), but I don't badger him. I don't comment on what he does and doesn't eat so our mealtimes are relaxed and enjoyable with conversations not about food, and he always eats well. I know my daughter-in-law is acting out of concern but I think her style is having the opposite effect to what she wants. Although our relationship is very good, she is very hostile to anything she doesn't want to hear and I'm not sure how to raise this subject. But it does worry me because A's relationship with food is presently not good and when he arbitrarily says he doesn't like something, this gives rise to the same round of chivvying. How can I open a dialogue with her, without alienating her and sounding critical?

My granddaughter is approaching 4. She has a restricted diet as she won't eat anything green, vegetables are a no-no, will only have fruit in puree form from a pouch and seems to survive on pasta, fish fingers, chicken, omlette, boiled/fried eggs, frankfurter sausages, milk, yogurt (in tubes), small portions of pizza, crackers, biscuits & cheese. That's about it. She won't try anything new even though it's offered.

Her energy levels seem quite normal but her strength/stamina seems lower.
We try and try and don't make a big issue about food, but I'd like to see her eating a more balanced diet. Help/suggestions please!

Hi
My grand daughters, (one is 3 in July and the other is 2 in July) both have at least two to three bottles of milk a day. Neither if them eat much at meal times. This is not a surprise to me but mum and Dad insist that milk is good for them, and of course the girls find it easier than eating. All I saw them eat when we met up for a holiday was chips, frankfurters and mash potato. I think they like chicken nuggets as well and our older grand daughter does eat quite a lot of fruit when home. Am I being unfair in wanting to suggest they drop the milk feeds?? Incidentally they live in Guyana, South America where my daughter in law comes from.
I have enjoyed making your recipes for my grand children in this counrtry! Thanks for all the good ideas!

My 18 month old was an excellent eater but has suddenly gone off everything and says 'don't like it'. What can I entice her with? At the moment I am wasting food making up nice little dishes for her of chicken, sweet potato, broccoli etc. Luckily she is a stonker but I worry about her lack of nutrition. All she will eat is yogurts? How many are too many?

Your books are famous and deservedly so.

Any ideas for meals that can be prepared in advance. When my GC visits he likes to wait for Gramps to come home from work before eating. Also will not try anything coloured Green any suggestions please

Well, we all know that anything green is either off or poison!

Annabel - Are there any tips for persuading youngsters ( 2 - 4 year olds in our case) to try something new, when they don't seem to want to try anything different?

My GD aged 2 years 9 months ate such a varied diet but recently has become quite picky, declining certain fruit, veg and meat just need inspiration to persuade her to reintroduce different foods.

How important is baby-led weaning?

Is there any nutritional value in fish fingers and beans at all? Where would you place them on the healthy scale - absolutely awful, neither here nor there, or healthy?

These two foods often appear on DS's nursery menu. It would be good if I could say Annabel Karmel condemns them and they should get rid

My 8month DGS is, so far eating, lots of tasty stuff, except DD is paranoid about too much salt. Marmite never did her any harm! mutter mutter.
He loves lentil dals and spinach, sweet potatoes. Tahini, hummous. Mind you both his parents eat just about every thing and line strong flavours.
He was enjoying some Wagamamma noodles the other day after they had been rinsed in water. We used to be a lot more careful about not giving spicy stuff than DD is. She has been eating curried stuff all the while she has been feeding him.

I don't know if there is an hereditary factor in what sort of tastes people like. My two children would just about eat anything when they were small they were very unfussy eaters indeed. DGS is nicely rounded. You could as my inlaws used to say, "just bite his bottom!"

My DGS is 8 at the end of the month and has just had a growth spurt. There's not a pick of fat on him and he's always hungry.

I asked him what he had for school lunch on Friday and it was 3 fish fingers, 2 potatoes and some peas. The pudding was cake - which he doesn't like - or a piece of fruit. There is also dry bread (but only 1 slice) available. So he had gone all day on what I think is a very meagre meal for a growing child.

We never had fish fingers when I had school dinners, which were cooked on the premises and were delicious. We always had a proper pudding usually with custard. School meals these days just match up at all and I think it's a crying shame and no wonder children are overeating on sweets, crisps etc. They are not getting the right nutrition.

My grandson is almost six years' old. From the moment he started weaning from the breast, he has been a difficult eater. He used to barely open his mouth, and reject most of the food offered to him. Now, it's as if someone has devised a list of bad things to eat, and they are the only foods he will accept. He insists on plain pasta, plain rice, bread without butter, will only eat a sandwich if it has jam on it. He has a high carb diet, - loves crisps, sweeties etc. no amount of cajoling, insisting or keeping him at the table has any effect. He has gone to bed hungry on many occasions, and my daughter, who has tried the most obvious things, is at her wits end. I should point out that he has two brothers - both perfectly normal eaters! Any hints / advice?