Cook and learn... the secret to fuss-free feeding
Children’s food writer Annabel Karmel tells LISA SALMON why we should teach kids where their food comes from
MOST children love chocolate – but do they know their favourite sweet treat actually comes from a bean?
Children’s food writer Annabel Karmel says the fact that chocolate originates from cocoa beans is just one of many fascinating things kids don’t know about the food they eat – or the food their parents want them to eat.
And to help improve youngsters’ food knowledge, and hopefully broaden the types of foods they will eat, she’s written the new book Where Does My Food Come From?
Annabel, who’s penned more than 20 bestselling books, including the New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner, believes understanding food isn’t just magically created in a supermarket and instead learning some of the often amazing stories behind its creation or manufacture can be just the encouragement kids need to eat foods they’ve turned their nose up at before.
“Children don’t know where their food comes from,” she says. “They see it on the plate and have no idea how pasta is made, how honey gets made by bees, that chocolate is from cocoa beans, and all of those things, and they find it absolutely fascinating.
“Education is really important, and little ones are far more adventurous with food when you teach them where it comes from and explain the journey. They’re more likely to actually try the food – they can be so fussy!
“We have to cater for probably the most difficult consumer in the supermarket, which is an irrational, fussy toddler, and you have to find clever ways to get them to eat.”
Annabel says she chose ‘ interesting’ foods to write about, and searched for quirky facts that children – and adults – would love. “Honey is the only food that’s eaten by insects and humans, strangely enough, and children love facts like it takes 5,000 bees to make one pot of honey, “she says, “and everyone eats chocolate, but do they know about cocoa beans?
“And then there’s things kids like to eat, like tomato ketchup ... I explain that you get 25 tomatoes in a bottle of tomato ketchup – most kids probably don’t know that.
“They’ll love telling adults funny facts like mice don’t like cheese, they prefer peanut butter, and I really like the fact about how M&MS were made for soldiers so the chocolate that was covered with candy didn’t melt in their pockets.” Mother-of-three Annabel explains that while for most adults food is one of the greatest joys in life, that’s often not the case for children.
“I wanted to share my love of food and all the things that food brings, like where it comes from, how it grows, cooking it, making it, eating it. I just thought opening all things up to children would help them think, ‘I love food now, it’s not going to be something I’ll have a battle with my parents about.”’
The aim of the book is to not only get kids interested in where food came from, but show them how to use the food in child-friendly recipes, like Beary Tasty Bear Pancakes, Cheesy Robots and Mini Pizza People.
“The idea is that parents and kids make the recipes together, like the funny face pizzas, they can decorate them to look like their mummy or their daddy or their friends,”
explains Annabel. “Things don’t take too long to make, because children don’t have a very long attention span. If a child’s going to make something, it should be really tasty and they should like to eat it again.”
She stresses cooking is a vital skill for children to learn, not only so they can feed themselves well in the future, but because they’ll learn basic life skills in the kitchen, such as they can burn themselves on hot kettles, or how to use a sharp knife.
“No one else is going to teach them these things, it’s really down to parents,” she stresses.
“There’s a lot to learn in the kitchen, because you’re measuring, looking at the clock, weighing things. That’s a maths lesson in itself, but in a fun way.
“There are so many good things about cooking with children, and they love to be a part of the adult world. If you don’t cook with your child, you’re missing out on a great bonding experience with them.”
Annabel explains that what children eat when they’re young tends to be what they eat when they get older, so if parents don’t instil a love of good food in their children, “you’re missing out on teaching your child things that are going to set them up for a healthier life when they get older.
“There are so many good things about cooking and understanding food and trying new things, which is often a huge barrier,” she points out. “Children will often refuse a food saying they don’t like it when they haven’t even tried it, and it’s very difficult to get past first base.
“They take a pride in cooking, so therefore they generally want to eat what they’ve made. The more involved with food they get, the better.
“It’s not enough to just put something in the microwave and put it on a plate – children need to learn about food, where it comes from, how you cook it. It’s a real life skill, and very important, and every child I know loves to cook.”
She says she understands parents might worry about the mess kids will make in the kitchen but says cleaning up is definitely preferable to the alternative of having children that never learn to cook.
“If we don’t teach them, we’ll have a generation of children who can’t cook. They’ll be able to operate the most complicated computer games but ask them to make a scrambled egg and they wouldn’t know how to do it.
“If a child can’t cook, they will not become a healthy adult. Get your child in the kitchen, teach them all these fun facts, get them involved in their food and you’re going to reap the benefits later on when they bring food to you. They will cook for you one day!”
Where Does My Food Come From? by Annabel Karmel is published by Welbeck, £12.99