Amanda Grant publishes book of children's recipes

Amanda Grant publishes book of children's recipes

Less importance is placed on the ability to whip up a feast at home in these days of cheap restaurant deals and Deliveroo.

But one cookbook author insists children should start learning their way around the kitchen from the age of just three years old.

Amanda Grant has re-published her book of children's recipes, Kids in the Kitchen, this week to drive that message home - and her tome is full of easy meals that kids of all ages can make on their own with minimal adult assistance.

And the mother-of-three says learning how to cook can even help children with their development.

Children of all ages, from three years old up to 11, can follow the recipes in Amanda's book (pictured: a young child mixing bredcrumbs)

Amanda told FEMAIL: 'To learn to cook is as important as learning to read and write. 

'Children who know basic kitchen skills and can cook are more likely to eat well and enjoy good food. 

'This means starting by encouraging them to help in the kitchen when they are little. It doesn’t matter how small the job may seem, spreading cream cheese on toast, washing salad, peeling veg, setting the timer for the pasta, mixing pesto with pasta are all good ways to involve them when you are making meals. 

'To me it is about enthusing them about food and cooking and giving recognition and praise for helping make something for everyone to eat.' 

The book 's recipes include a healthy take on a creamy fruit fool, minestrone soup and even homemade burgers - but the children cut up ingredients using scissors rather than with sharp knives. 

This young girl marinated chicken and put it on a baking tray all by herself, following one of the book's recipes

Recipe: Berry Crunch (for ages three to five)

Fills two glasses. 

This Berry Crunch recipe is so easy that even three to five-year-olds can make it, though it's delicious for children (and adults) of all ages

This is like a fruit fool (which is a creamy yoghurt) but with some crunch added. It makes a wonderful breakfast, pudding or snack. The amounts in this recipe are only a guide, as the exact quantities will vary depending on the size of glasses that you decide to use. 

Ingredients:

4 handfuls of fresh berries

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4 tablespoons natural Greek yoghurt

8 tablespoons crunchy cereal or muesli

Equipment:

Method:

1. Put most of the berries into a bowl (save a few for decorating the top) and mash with a fork or potato masher.

2. Count the spoons of yoghurt into the bowl with the mashed berries and mix with the spoon.

3. Spoon a bit of the cereal into the bottom of the glass es and spoon the fruity yoghurt on top of the cereal. You will start to see layers in the glasses.

4. Spoon a little more cereal on top of the yoghurt and then dollop some more yoghurt on top of the cereal. Finish with the saved berries on top.

Skills: 

- Mashing

- Spooning

- Mixing

 

Amanda started cooking from a young age, so she knows that children can easily pick up the skills they need to be able to whip up meals.

But she says it's essential that they learn how to do it on their own with only the bare minimum of adult help in order to gain a love of cooking and a sense of independence.

'If children feel like they can work through the recipes and have fun making the food, they are more likely to want to do it again,' she said.

'If they constantly need adults to help with the stages, this takes away some of their sense of achievement and independence in the kitchen.'

These kids had fun making bean-filled tacos together topped with lime juice and sour cream

The book contains a recipe for a tortilla pizza which can be topped with toppings of the child's choice such as ham, mushrooms, peppers, olives and sweetcorn

Recipe: Oven-baked Herby Burgers (for ages five to seven)

Makes eight small burgers

Burgers might seem a bit advanced for children to make but Amanda says it's a great recipe for five to seven-year-olds

Lots of children have helped to test the recipes in this book, especially Rosie, Libby and Tess. They all felt that the book should have a burger recipe in it and they found this oven-baked burger recipe easy to cook and good to eat. 

Ingredients:

A little olive or vegetable oil

About 35 g Cheddar cheese

Small handful fresh herbs e.g. parsley, coriander or thyme

2 spring onions

1 free-range egg

500 g good-quality beef mince (don’t buy extra-lean mince otherwise your burger will be too dry)

8 bread rolls, some lettuce, sliced tomatoes and tomato ketchup

Equipment:

Pastry brush

Baking tray

Table knife

Chopping board

Scissors

Mixing bowl

Small bowl

Spoon

Fork

Palette knife

Oven gloves

 

Method:

1. Turn the oven on to 190°C (375°F) Gas 5. Dip a pastry brush into a little olive or vegetable oil and br ush it all over a baking tray. This will stop the burgers from sticking to the tray.

2. Using a table knife, cut the cheese into small pieces on a chopping board.

3. Using scissors, snip the herb into small pieces and put into a mixing bowl. Still using scissors, snip the ends off the spring onions and throw away, then snip the onions into tiny pieces and put in the bowl.

4. Now you need to crack open the egg: hold it in one hand and carefully use a table knife to crack the egg in the middle. Put your thumbs into the crack and pull the egg shell apart. Let the egg fall into a small bowl. Fish out any egg shell with a spoon. Mix with a fork.

Amanda's recipes let the child do most of the cooking, such as mixing the burger mince and herbs together (pictured)

5. Put the beef mince, chopped cheese and egg into the bowl with the herbs and onions and mix everything together really well with your hands.

6. Break the beef mixture in half and then break each piece in half again to make 4 pieces (quarters). Now break each quarter in half again to make 8 pieces (eighths). Roll each piece into a ball with your hands, then put onto the oiled baking tray and flatten into a burger shape. Do the same with all the pieces. Now, WASH YOUR HANDS â€" you must always wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat. Ask an adult to help you put the tray into the oven using oven gloves. Cook for 8 minutes. Ask an adult to help you take the tray out of the oven using oven gloves. Using a palette knife, turn the burgers over and put back i n the oven for 8 more minutes or until cooked in the middle. Eat in bread rolls with lettuce, tomatoes and ketchup.

Tip: To make lamb burgers, swap the beef for lamb and add thyme leaves, plus snipped dried apricots instead of Cheddar cheese.

Skills:

Counting

Dividing

Shaping

Using oven

C hopping with table knife

Using scissors

Cracking eggs 

 

Kids in the Kitchen by Amanda Grant (Ryland Peters & Small, £14.99) is out now

Amanda has broken down the book into age ranges and development stages, modelling her teaching method on how children learn other skills like phonics and counting.

She said: 'I was inspired by this teaching method to write this book, it is broken down into ages and stages, each chapter includes recipes that use the suitable developmental skills for that age range. 

'Once children have learnt the basic building blocks, they can move on from there and develop their cooking skills.'

The book was originally published in 2011 as Cook School, but Amanda chose to re-name and republish the tome to engage a younger audience as the interest in children's nutrition increases.

She has shared three recipes with FEMAIL for all age ranges, from three to 11, for children to try for themselves at home.

Children of all ages can follow Amanda's recipes in her new book

Children can even whip up crispy marinated chicken from the book

Amanda recommends preparing the ingredients before the children start cooking so it's easier for them

Recipe: Easy Minestrone Soup (for ages seven to 11)

Serves four 

All the recipes in Amanda's book are nutritious, healthy and filling, such as this minestrone soup

The great thing about this soup is that you don’t have to blend it at the end of cooking. It’s ready to eat just as it is, all lovely and chunky. 

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon olive oil

500 g tomato passata

1 teaspoon sugar

390-g carton soya beans in water

4 spring onions 

100 g pasta for soup

2 large handfuls frozen peas

2 tablespoons pesto

Handful grated Parmesan

Equipment:

Small paring knife

Chopping board

Rolling pin

Garlic crusher

Heavy-based saucepan

Wooden spoon

Method:

1. Using the claw-cutting technique, cut the ends off the spring onions with a small paring knife and throw away. Now slice the onions into thin slices.

2. Bash the garlic clove with a rolling pin, then peel off the skin.

3. Crush the garlic clove using a garlic crusher.

4. Turn the hob onto low heat. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan on the hob and fry the onions and garlic for 2 minutes, s tirring every now and then with a wooden spoon. Pour the passata into the pan. Fill the passata container with water and pour into the pan. Do this twice. Add the sugar.

5. Add the soya beans. Turn the heat up to high and cook until the mixture is simmering. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

6. Add the pasta, peas and pesto and cook for another 5 minutes (or however long the packet of pasta says). Sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top.

Tip: To add green beans instead of peas, cut the ends off using scissors and compost them (or throw them away), then cut the beans into small pieces before you put them into the soup.

Kids in the Kitchen by Amanda Grant (Ryland Peters & Small, £14.99) is out now.

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