We’re sure the idea of this day sends chills down the spine of every tidy kitchen parent, but including your children in food preparation is a great way to encourage them to try new food and... here’s the best bit... let them think that it was their idea! Win win! So this September 13th why not let the kids make dinner for a change?

The easiest thing that you can set up for them with no cooking and lots of ingredient variety is a pasta salad. We’re obviously not encouraging eating uncooked pasta, but by cooking it in advance and popping it in the fridge (tossed in olive oil first so it doesn’t all stick into one big lump) will be perfect for when the kids start to cook.

So here’s the fun part... get together ingredients, some familiar, some not so and let the children taste and decide what goes into the mix!
Why not have on hand some of these sauces:

• tomato sauce
• mayonnaise
• salad creme
• pesto
• houmous
• cheese sauce
• lemon & butter
• olive oil & garlic

Then encourage them to include some chunky bits:

• pre-steamed broccoli florets
• tuna chunks
• pine nuts
• roasted peppers
• roasted sweet potato
• chicken
• salami
• salmon
• bacon
• meatballs

Then there’s cheese to add:

• parmesan
• mozarella

• ricotta
• mascarpone
• cheddar
• blue cheese (gorgonzola) - remember this is unsafe for children under 2yrs.

Don’t forget the cheffy garnish! Get them to try herbs to sprinkle on the top:

• oregano
• basil
• rocket salad leaf
• mint
• thyme
• parsley

We guarantee that they will have fun making dinner for you. We can’t guarantee that you’ll enjoy eating the end result... but then again you might find some new and surprisingly delicious flavour combinations for your future meals.

Bon appetit!