Review: Real Food Kids Will Love Book by Annabel Karmel, worth £16.99

Review written by Toddle About VIP Club member, Sarah Cocks. At first glance the ‘Real Food Kids Will Love’ recipe book by Annabel Karmel looks like yet another recipe book with foods that are designed only for children with no consideration for foods that will feed the whole family. When I delved further I was pleasantly surprised to find a range of recipes that would appeal to both children and adults, separated into easy to navigate sections. With 15-minute meals such as tortilla pizzas and chicken and vegetable pasta that are easy to throw together with leftovers in the fridge and make a filling supper and then you have the family favourites which include Cauliflower, Ham and Macaroni Bake and Beef Casserole which are filling for both daddy and baby, making meals more cost effective.

Having made the most of the hot summer and going on many picnics we were starting to get bored of the usual sandwiches and snacks. The Lunchbox and Playdate snacks section suggests a variety of colourful, tasty snacks that are easy to transport. The Carrot, Cheese and Tomato Muffins are a hit here as were the Pitta Pockets which are quick to make and use up any leftovers you may have. The Healthy Fast Food section has given us some ideas for healthy, veggie packed food that we can make for the whole family. We’re looking forward to trying out the Mini Chicken Burgers and Chicken Chow Mein. We try not to give our 13½ month old too many desserts but the suggestions in the book were too nice not to try! The easy Banana and Strawberry ice cream worked well, using up those leftover bananas. We're looking forward to making the Rice Crispie, Oat and Apricot Bars as they will be perfect to take out and about for a snack (not just for baby!). The holiday cooking with kids section includes ideas for all occasions from Easter to Halloween and Christmas, the Mini Monster Fridge Cakes in this section look fab and will be one to try! Finally, just when you thought this was another recipe-only book, you find a Rewards Sticker Chart at the back to encourage children to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg. It looks like you have to supply your own stickers which is a shame (it would be good to have different ones included) but the idea behind it is great. When my little one gets a bit bigger I can see this working well. Overall I would say this recipe book offers more than just the standard recipes, an opportunity for parents and children to eat the same healthy tasty food, cook fun recipes together and encourage little ones to eat more fruit and veg, a win win! Purchase from www.panmacmillan.com