MUM ON A MISSION HAS A WEALTH OF RECIPES TO GET CHILDREN INV

was born in Zimbabwe and travelled “extensively” with her New Zealander husband, before they settled in the UK to raise their daughters Grace, 10, Ivy, seven and four-year-old Dot.

Her travels have shaped her love of food and the dishes she serves up at home, as well as when she cooks in schools.

“I love looking at the world through recipes. I cooked a North African-style dhal for 60 eight- and nine-year-olds and one child said he didn’t want to eat it. If you get them tasting spices and smelling herbs, that’s really exciting for children”

Another of Thomson’s project to further this mission is a collaboration called Table Of Delights (www. tableofdelights.com). It started as a theatre show at the Bristol Old Vic and now is a website designed to educate kids about food through wacky song and dance numbers, facts and recipes. And she’s not a total stranger to fussy eaters, admitting that “Dot’s not a saint – there are some days she just wants to eat boiled eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner”. “That’s fine, but I don’t let her do it every day, and I don’t let her say she doesn’t like vegetables because I’m a chef and I make them taste nice! I think fussy eaters are a problem, but you just carry on and eventually, they turn a corner and start eating.” National Trust Family Cookbook by Claire Thomson is published by the National Trust Books, priced £15.