Ferne: “Follow my tips and make mealtimes more fun”
With parents all over the country juggling everyday life with homeschooling, Ferne McCann – single mum to three-year-old Sunday – shares her advice on feeding kids in the most stress-free way
1. GET ORGANISED
Even though you’d think the days would drag in lockdown, I’m finding that there aren’t enough hours in the day at the moment. By the time I’ve finished cleaning or cooking or working, it’ll already be the end of the day. So routine is super important to me – and that includes cooking. I’ve bought a magnetic whiteboard, and I’ll write out a timetable of what we’re having that day on it. I’ll also plan the week’s meals beforehand so I’ve got all the ingredients and I don’t have to waste time deciding. I also love using Pinterest or Instagram for recipesearching – I’ll save pics of any ideas I come across so I have a bank of inspiration. It saves so much time.
2. BE INTERACTIVE
This lockdown, I’ve really been struggling to find things to keep Sunday occupied. But I have found that cooking is a great way to create a fun and educational activity! So I make sure she’s always involved – even if it’s just helping me serve. The other day she helped me peel carrots with a child-safe peeler – she loves the bright colours. Cooking is such a great skill to have – I know she’s only three, but hopefully this will get her interested in it later on. Cooking with Sunday helps both of us!
3. INSPIRE FUSSY EATERS
One of my pet peeves in life is fussy eaters – I can’t stand them! So I’ve always tried to make sure Sunday experiences as wide a range of foods as possible. By introducing varied flavours from a young age, I hope it’ll broaden her palate, so we’ll usually eat the same thing. It’s really time consuming when you have to cook one meal for one person, and something else for another. So I generally encourage her to eat what I have – although of course, that’s not always possible when I fancy something spicy.
4. TRY HEALTHY SWAPS
I love all kinds of cuisines and I especially love warming comfort food during the winter months. But I also like keeping healthy – you feel cr*p if you eat too much junk! So I try to cook healthier “comfort food” alternatives. My favourite is shepherd’s pie but with turkey mince and a sweet potato topping. I also love stir-fries, but with home-made sauces so there’s less salt. Sunday loves a roast, so I’ll make sure to include lots of vegetables.
5. DON’T BE HARD ON YOURSELF
I have to constantly remind myself that I’m one woman – I can only be in one place at a time. I’m looking after Sunday, cooking and working and sometimes it gets really hard. But in those times, I remind myself that I’m doing my best and I should be proud! I find cooking calms me and gives me an hour away from my phone to rationalise any negative thoughts and feel lighter.
● Ferne stars in Celebrity Best Home Cook, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 9pm on BBC1 or catch-up on iPlayer