Kids take over the kitchen
Donna Hay turns children into accomplished cooks in her new television show
AUSTRALIA’S cooking queen Donna Hay is loosening her apron ties by inviting kids into the kitchen in her new TV series.
In Basics to Brilliance Kids, the follow-up to last year’s popular Basics to Brilliance series, Donna shares her quick and clever tricks for getting kids interested in food and cooking.
With 26 cookbooks under her belt, and a 27th coming out later this month as a companion to the TV series, Donna knows a thing or two about making cooking an enjoyable experience.
The mother of two believes kids will try new things if they’re fun and delicious. In this Q&A, Donna explains the inspiration for her new show, what kind of an eater she was as a child and shares some of her top tips for getting children to try new foods.
Q: They say never work with animals or children. What inspired this series?
A: Basics to Brilliance Kids is an evolution of Basics to Brilliance and it’s all about making cooking fun and engaging for the whole family. I wanted to get kids excited and inspired to cook while adding in plenty of change-ups, healthy hacks and variations.
Encouraging kids to get in the kitchen and build their confidence at a young age has a huge impact on home cooking later in life, so it’s been really rewarding for me to see kids getting excited and curious about cooking. Being a mum too, I completely get it; it’s hard to keep everyone happy. I’ve found using fun activities and themes is a great way to introduce a range of recipes and get kids into the kitchen – which is what the series is all about.
Q: You’ve described this as the most complicated thing you’ve ever worked on. Why is that?
A: It’s definitely been one of the most challenging projects so far. I spent a lot of time and experimentation to create recipes that kids would love but parents would embrace. Using activities kids love – think sleepovers, movie nights, surf safaris – meant we needed a healthy balance of nutritional trade-ups while keeping the flavour packed in the classics, and also plenty of variations to encourage cooking for all ages and skill levels.
Q: Since you’re inviting kids into the kitchen, were there any funny bloopers or mishaps during filming?
A: Kids are hilarious; they are so candid and curious and it’s great fun to get them in the kitchen. The kids were all wonderful to work with. Fortunately we didn’t have any mishaps but plenty of laughs along the way on location.
Q: Were there any dishes or ingredients that you were surprised the kids liked?
A: I wasn’t sure how the fresh dates would go down. I was laughing with the kids about the funny look and texture but they actually make a super yum food hack when mixed with peanut butter and vanilla to make caramel. They absolutely loved it.
Q: Do your own kids feature in the show?
A: No – but they did inspire (and taste test) many of the recipes.
Q: What are your three main tips for getting kids to try new foods?
A: I think one of the most underrated tips is taking the kids shopping. Let the kids explore and choose the fruit and veg they like – there’s such a huge variety of seasonal produce and fresh ingredients out there, so you can be sure there’s something they love.
Creating variations on the classics is also a great way to introduce new foods. Using a classic recipe kids love – whether it’s cannelloni or pizzas – is a great starter to pack in new vegies or swap-in ingredients without removing the flavour. The ricotta and zucchini cannelloni is one of my favourites and kids love it.
There’s plenty of things the kids can do to help in the kitchen – at any age and skill level – and I find as soon as kids are part of the process, they are naturally more invested in the outcome. Presentation also goes a long way to help introduce new foods. Get the kids involved in spiralising fresh vegies, or grab a grater and add new texture with added carrot for crunchy fritters.
Q: What were your favourite foods as a child? And were you a fussy eater?
A: I wasn’t particularly fussy with food as a child (although I did hate eggs and overcooked vegetables).
I wasn’t particularly fussy with food as a child (although I did hate eggs and overcooked vegetables)