FOODIE AND DOTING DAD PETER HARRIS goes all ‘ga-ga’ on us this week in his contribution, and gives us the lowdown on baby food, and his recipe for a nutritious personally prepared meal for his little nipper…

I was pleased to see an earlier article written about POYP’s nieces having some fun recently with pizza toppings. That’s exactly what it should be about – good, (not-so-clean) fun!

However, it made me realise that the overwhelming majority of sites apparently deal almost exclusively with cuisine in relation to the world of adults. Great. Why not? Food is universal, and it’s important to hear about good food, fine wines, the best places to eat out and so on and so forth.

There is obviously demand for that sort of thing. But, it does not have to stop there…otherwise, life would be exceedingly dull. After pondering on what to cover this week for some time, I decided a fresh challenge and change was needed. No reviews or recommendations in sight. Instead, baby cuisine is the main dish I’ll be serving up on today’s menu.

BABY FOOD

I have often marvelled at the range of baby food on the market. It’s certainly big business. Today’s society is tough, so if parents can simply purchase their baby food, ready-made, ready-to-serve, then surely that’s got to be beneficial, right? I’d love to say I believe that, but having a six-month baby of my own, I feel I would not be giving her the best start in life if I relied on jars of baby gloop (sorry, food). All joking aside, you’d be forgiven for falling for such delicious recipes as Grandpa’s Sunday Lunch or My first Bolognese, not to mention an enticing choice of tasty-sounding desserts.

I am ashamed to say that I too have fallen victim to these baby take-aways (pun intentional!), especially since the large supermarkets tend to offer amazing value (buy 2 get several dozen free…or so it seems). But, I believe that these meals are ambiguous. No added colourings we are told on the fancy labels, but how, pray, do you make a broccoli and pea-based product appear bright yellow in colour? This one stumped me because I tried the same recipe at home…any takers on what colour it turned out?

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY DADS!!!!

I do agree, however, that it is crucial to introduce a wide range of flavours in your baby’s diet. So, if you fancy a change, simply purchase a blender (hand or otherwise) and get pureeing. This is the only approach I now believe in since I get to know each and every single ingredient in my baby’s meals, as prepared by my own fair hands (baby chef extraordinaire). Plus – and this may sound silly – I get a sense of satisfaction from providing healthy meals for my baby.

Recommended are stronger tasting fruits and vegetables, combined with mild fish or meat. The following recipe for VEGETABLE SOUP (provided by the Pampers website) caught my eye in particular as it sounded wholesome, nutritional and perfect for my own little angel, especially during the inevitable long winter months ahead. Enjoy!

VEGETABLE SOUP This soup brings together some interesting winter vegetables for a comforting, nourishing meal. It’s easy to make and individual portions can be frozen in an ice cube tray once cooled.

Ingredients

250g potatoes

150g carrots

150g parsnips

150g swede

1 leek, white part only

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of vegetable stock powder

a little olive oil

To make:

1. Peel and dice all the vegetables into small pieces, washing the leek carefully before slicing.

6. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer the soup for a further 12 minutes until all the vegetables are completely soft.

The mixture can then be blended once it has cooled down. If the mixture contains too much liquid, boil the mixture on a high heat for a few minutes before removing from the heat. Alternatively, if you require a more runny soup for your baby, add freshly boiled water as you blend to achieve the desired consistency.

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