Get the Little Ones started young...

It is my belief that the younger you get the little ones involved in the kitchen the better! I have good memories of helping my Mum and my Nan in the kitchen as a little one and we should encourage this with the new generations of the family. 

There is a massive age difference between me and my siblings so I had already left home when they were still very young but they all used to come and stay and we would spend time cooking up creations in the kitchen. I also used to babysit for a long list of little ones too and they all used to enjoy kitchen time too. And I also used to take them off for large picnic gatherings at our local parks followed by rounders or various other activities. Great times and so many good memories. 

We have a little clan of little ones around us now...no not our own..sadly..but our siblings are all producing the next generation quicker than My Love and I can keep up. lol. And I enjoy getting them involved in cooking or baking as often as possible and I know that my sister enjoys time with M & N in the kitchen when she can. 

At the end of the week my nephew J is celebrating his 5th birthday. When he is here, he gets massive enjoyment from helping out with cooking or baking. So instead of buying him another toy that will end up broken lol we thought of maybe getting him a 'kiddies cookbook'. It took some finding but find one I did and it arrived last week.  

The Ultimate Step-by-Step Kid's First Cookbook by Nancy McDougall ~ for ages 5-12 years

Now this book is very large but it has very good sections on 'getting started', 'kitchen safety' and even a section on healthy eating. Each recipe is accompanied by clear instructions and excellent photos. And it also has a very good mix of vegetarian recipes and animal based ones. (J's Dad is so not a veggie/vegan!) There is also a very good section on parties and pack ups...and fun with baking! lol. I have to confess when I opened it I was tempted to add it to my library of cookbooks and buy him a toy! lol. But I really hope that he gets to make and eat the recipes and have many hours of fun. 

The healthy food section is not 'preachy' but informative..(if you ignore the animal food bits for us veggies and vegans!)

Excellent veggie recipes...

Very good drinks section too..

And last but not least...a fun and fantastic baking section...lol

I bought my copy from Amazon.co.uk and couldn't be happier with it. I just hope J enjoys it too. The only negative thing I can think of is the size and weight of this book..but that doesn't bother me but I know it might others...but this book is worth every penny...if you have little ones then treat yourself and them and buy this book! 

~Red~