Dad’s fun food creations make eating veg cool
ASINGLE dad is making beautiful creations out of food to encourage his four-year-old daughter to eat vegetables – including scenes from Frozen.
Michael Weeks has been mastering the art of food presentation, using his food to create artistic displays that would appeal to his daughter Sylvia.
The 37-year-old said he had grown tired of the same old freezer food and takeaways he regularly fed his daughter.
Michael’s creations include a vegetable-based Peppa Pig, a bangers and mash version of Olaf from Frozen, and even a McDonald’s Happy Meal made of fruit.
The process leader at Chemring Countermeasures said since he began this culinary journey, he has noticed the appetite for his creation – and is now exploring the possibility of putting his ideas into a book.
“A couple of years ago I entered single parenthood and fell into a bit of a routine where oven chips and chicken nuggets were the standard go-to,” said Michael, from Salisbury.
“It rang in my ears one night when she asked me for nuggets – this is getting too much of a habit. From there the McDonalds Happy Meal fruit thing was the first thing I did as a joke. It went down well – then it started triggering other things in my mind.
“I’ve had quite a lot of people say ‘you need to make a book’ and I’ve always laughed it off. But I think there’s a lot more of a call for it and it’s something I definitely am interested in.”
Some of Michael’s displays have gone viral on social media, such as his turkey dinosaurs and erupting volcanoes made of beans and mash.
The father of one said not only have his foodie creations helped Sylvia but cooking has also taken his mind off the stresses of single parenthood.
He added: “Becoming a single parent there was a lot of things on my mind.
“It’s the life of a single parent; normal activities I could no longer do as I was housebound looking after my daughter.
“Cooking has always been a passion of mine. This was about how can I get her eating but also something to keep my mind occupied.”