Talk to Plum about cooking with your DCs and you could win a Plum Snowdrop Interactive Kitchen worth £99.99 NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

Plum, the active play specialists want to know what MNers love to cook with their children. What tasty treats do you try and make together? Whether it’s savoury snacks, heavenly cakes or delicious dinners, let Plum know.

Plum says “Cooking with your little one can be so much fun. We’ve launched the first ever Interactive Kitchen Range for children aged 3+ offering a fresh and exciting way to play that will whip up your little ones imagination into a cooking frenzy. Mini-Mary’s and pint-size Paul’s can take the challenge and cook up some mouth-watering meals in their very own, beautifully crafted wooden play kitchen. Sprinkle on a huge dollop of fun and bring the kitchens to life by simply inserting a tablet into the kitchen’s secure compartment and downloading the free Plum app for lights, fun and baking action! Blending tradition with technology, there are three kitchens to choose with four different foods to cook including popcorn.”

So, tell us your favourite recipes for cooking with your DCs, and maybe get some inspiration from other MNers.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a Plum Snowdrop Interactive Kitchen worth £99.99.

Please note your comments may be included on Plum’s social media channels, so please only post on here if you are comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

PS: Please click here for the terms and conditions of this thread.

[littleducks]

I make banana cake with mine. adapted from the Bill Granger recipe add is super simple with wet ingredients blend with dry. Lots of banana and not much sugar means I can kid myself is super healthy when I have a third slice.

[BrieAndChilli]

we make lots of cakes, jam tarts, biscuits, scones, bread rolls etc
i also taught dd age 6 to make risotto the other day but made the mistake of cutting the peppers into little flower shapes with a tiny flower cutter i have, problem is she now wants them like that every time!!
mine like to chop mushrooms which is a good job to give them as they can get on with that using a table knife while you crack on with the other stuff.

[MimsyBorogroves]

I bake chocolate chip buns with mine, using the same recipe my mum always used when I was little. It tastes of my childhood, of stolen spoonfuls of "raw" batter whilst she answered the phone, and is nice and simple, because I'm absolutely dreadful at baking!

[EvilHerbivore]

I do lots of cooking with DS1 too (DS2 is too little ATM) but whatever we're having for dinner, he helps out with - washing vegetables or chopping things (with help!)
However his favourite thing to make is probably bread, likes the mixing and kneading and watching it grow and then the eating especially when we make a chocolate version!

[mjmooseface]

My son is still a little bit too young to help me out in the kitchen. I haven't even tried baking with him yet as he still puts everything into his mouth! I do look forward to it, though, when he's older and we can bake things together! I have fond memories of baking with my mum and helping her prepare meals when I was younger and I hope to have the same experiences with my children!

MimsyBorogrovess That wooden spoonful of 'raw' batter was the best, wasn't it?! :)

[IsabellaRockerfeller]

DS2 is 7 and helps out with making dinner most evenings. He likes getting things out of the fridge, weighing, chopping, grating, stirring, using the whisk/ food mixer etc. Tonight he put the lasagne together v carefully in layers!

His favourite thing to make is pancakes and muffins because he loves eating them.

DS2 is only 2 so a bit more limited. And messy! Have to be careful as he tends to put his hands in everything and then in his mouth. Not good when it's raw eggs or meat!

[BettyOff]

DD is only 18 months so a bit young for too much involvement but she loves to join in. I do a fair bit of baking and I usually give her a small bowl of flour and a wooden spoon because she loves stirring. It makes a horrendous mess but nothing a mop can't sort!

[WowOoo]

Ds1 has recently started to help making bread. The kneading keeps him occupied for a long time. He likes adding seeds and nuts and seeing yeast in action.

My younger son helps with cakes and biscuits. They tend to want to help with what they want to eat.

[JuniperTisane]

DS1 (nearly 4) likes to help with chopping soft things like bananas and soft butter. He has just graduated to being allowed to crack the eggs by himself. He always insists on putting them in a jug of water first to see if they float or sink. His favourite thing to cook is chocolate cookies because they are ready so quickly. His little brother gets to have a scrape afterwards but I wouldn't trust him with much else at 19 months old.

We don't do much savoury really, except pizza toppings.

[babyfoote]

We make cakes often, adding fruit or vegetables in to the mixture to make it more healthy! My son (aged 2) will also chop up the vegetables to help with the cooking in the evening. We have a little stool he stands on so he can see what we're doing, and he copies everything so well!

[Melonbelle]

We've always been big bakers in our family but mostly savoury things such as breads and pizzas.

Yesterday, me and my daughter decided to try a cake (a birthday cake to be exact) well there was more cake mix in my daughters hair than in the tin and the floor was very skilfully decorated with hundreds and thousands. I will admit the cake tasted alright but we will definitely do it again as despite the mess it was great fun.

[telsa]

I love cooking with the children. From an early age I taught them how to chop with a knife and they do chopping, peeling, scrubbing, kneading - as much as I can get them to do, in fact. Love it. I wish my son's so-called cookery club at school were as ambitious, rather than just threading already chopped fruit on the string and the like.

[TheHouseatWhoCorner]

DD is 6. She's always enjoyed helping me bake cakes and puds, but is now interested in dinners. She likes lining up the ingredients ready to chuck in the pan.
She's started watching GBBO and wants a Mary Berry cookbook for Christmas.

[Keepcalmanddrinkwine]

I love cooking with the children. I try to cook savoury as well as sweet things to encourage balance, but everyone likes making cakes the best!

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

DD1 is 3 and likes to try and help in the kitchen. Her favourite things to cook are chocolate cake decorated with smarties and chocolate cut out biscuits. (She's a chocoholic).
Today she helped to make a curry, chopping the mushrooms under supervision, putting the ingredients into the pan & stirring it all. We also made a banana cake & chocolate cake. Her favourite bit was licking the spoon from the chocolate cake batter.
She likes mixing the ingredients to make pizza dough and rolling out the bases.
She likes to help prepare vegetables - peeling carrots, potatoes & parsnips and using the runner bean gadget.
She enjoys washing up too, which would be great if she got things clean

[missorinoco]

We bake, lots. A current favourite is the jam tarts from the MN cook book. The DC help make the pastry, roll it out and dollop jam in. This recipe is especially good because it only uses egg yolks, and the recipe adjacent has meringues....

Also bake biscuits, brownies, anything. Playdough is also a hit, although I don't bake it as then I would have no excuse not to keep their creations.

We also make pizza, one of my children utterly loves kneading. They decorate the pizzas too.
They aren't as keen on other savouries, probably because they are too small to chop properly.

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

Ds is 2.5 so his 'help' is limited to stirring, pouring dry ingredients in and decorating. Our favorite thing to make is, predictably, fairy cakes as we can chuck on add lots of toppings to make it fun and he loves to eat what we've made.

We also like to make pizza dough for much the same reasons - Ds gets to decorate and eat what he's made.

Its really important to me that Ds enjoys food and sees cooking as a pleasure not a chore so we've started early.

[sharond101]

My DS makes Daddies sandwiches for work which is his favourite task of the day. He also helps pour cereal and always (pretends) to make my morning coffee. He is keen to help with dinner and last night mashed the sweet potatoes and stirred some gravy. We have done some baking which he adores, probably moreso the messiness and eating afterwards. Decorating cupcakes was a landmark memory as he was so excited. Last week we did pancakes and he loved flipping them over with me. I am super keen to get him involved in all aspects of cooking as his Daddy, my DH, can't even make toast!!

[thewomaninwhite]

Fairy cakes and biscuit decorating. I made the blackberry crumble cake (recipe from MN) and both DC really enjoyed helping me with that.

[Hopezibah]

You are never too young to get in the kitchen and help. My little girl is only 2 but has helped me for months now. There are always little jobs they can get involved in like using a plastic knife to 'peel' vegetables, or whisking eggs, or buttering bread, or helping to turn the mixer on and off.

She understands what are mummy's 'hot' or 'dangerous' jobs but is keen to help with everything else.

It is so important for children to enjoy cooking from a young age to help them understand where their food comes from and how it is prepared.

We make sure we make lots of savoury meals together as well as the usual cakes and cookies.

Soda bread is also mega simple and quick for kids to help with as there is no boring waiting time for the dough to rise.

Keeping some cookie dough in the freezer also makes it quick and easy if you just fancy a quick bake and decorate session with your little ones.

[PastaBow]

I love cooking with my DD who is 2.9. We bake cakes, gingerbread men, biscuits and jam tarts (for Daddy as they are his favourites). I've switched all the receives to ounces and have been able to trash her to recognise up to number 10 on the scales now.

When we've finished DD helps to wash up a few bits in bubbly water whilst I load the dishwasher and clean the surfaces. She loves 'washy up'.

I've always likes baking with her but since DS was born it's become a really important part of our routine. He goes for a nap and we do something in the kitchen. Either baking, painting it craft. It ensures she is quiet whilst he sleeps and means we still have some special time where it is just the two of us again.

Really hope I win the kitchen. DD is forever 'cooking' things for DS from her play food box and I think they would love sharing a play kitchen.

[supergreenuk]

We like making biscuits as the kids can be really hands on. Rather than just mixing they can use cutters and roll etc. we use an Easter biscuit recipe as it's easy and makes a lovely dough which is easy to use. Has raisins in too but you could trade them for chocolate chips.

[teddygirlonce]

Chocolate mousses (for greedy goose if anyone's read the lovely book!) inspired DH and DD to make them - and they're still doing it years down the line!

And anything with pastry because the off-cuts are used like play-dough to conjure up all manner of little creations which are good enough to eat too !

[ChaffinchOfMegalolz]

I love cooking with my kids, it feels so traditional and I want them to feel confident in the kitchen, and using scales and water jugs is brill for maths.

We make cakes galore, oaty biscuits, and baked things
also fruit smoothies, salads, and sometimes they are my prep chefs chopping veg for curry/hotpot/roast dinner. I want them to work safely with knives for example

I talk a lot about kitchen safety, many accidents in the home are sadly in the kitchen. They know not to touch the oven/pans/kettle etc.

The best thing is chocolate crispy cakes and licking the spoon! happy memories from my own childhood.
Now dc3 watches intently from his highchair, fascinated by all the action in the kitchen.

[Pinotgrigioplease]

We love to make anything and everything!

My DS doesn't care what the end result is, he just loves the process.

Favourites though are banana cake, vanilla cupcakes and pizza dough.